Month: August 2018

Frank and I had one more day in Portland.  Again both Kate and Dan went to work; we were on our own.   After checking in for our Southwest flight the next day, I decided to make some phone calls.   I had had trouble with my cell phone during our travels yesterday.  I was not able to get on the internet.   Now today I couldn’t even make a call.   Calling 611 for AT&T customer care, I found out that our  phone account has been turned off and was  now an estate account!

I had called a week earlier to cancel one line on our plan. My uncle had passed away over the weekend and I called to cancel his  line.  Somehow instead of taking just his line off, our whole plan was closed.    After quite a time on hold, the customer service representative said “I have reactivated  your account. However, you need to go to an ATT store before they close today and show them two proofs of identification with a photo ID.”

I was NOT happy.   It was their mistake and now I had to get myself to the nearest store to prove I was alive!   Frank and I walked to an ATT about a mile and a quarter from Kate’s house.   After spending another hour there with the  sympathetic salesman Jay and again calling 611, our account was finally reactivated.  I can’t wait to see what will happen when we get our next bill.  What a hassle!

The rest of the day was a relaxing one.   After supper we went to visit the goats.  In Portland, a home owner is allowed to have three animals without applying for a permit. This particular home has three goats in its fenced yard.

Frank had never gotten to see the goats.   I am pretty sure he was not as enthused about seeing them as we were to have him experience  one more distinctly Portland activity.   For a quarter you can get a handful of grain to feed these hungry animals.  Kate had brought plenty  of quarters.  Frank participated thoroughly in this “kid experience”.   After all, it’s not everyday that one gets a chance to feed such adorable looking billy goats!

As our visit came to a close, we were glad we had the opportunity to spend time with daughter Kate and her boyfriend Dan. My scooter ride was the best.  Frank’s favorite was our hike through the Lava Cast Forest.   Thanks Kate and Dan for the great memories.

It was Sunday morning and time for more exploring.   Kate announced that we were heading to the Lava Cast Forest, another site  in the Newberry Monument area.  What is a  Lava Cast Forest?   That what I was wondering as Kate drove us on a dirt road for miles before we finally got to the sign.

Some 7,000 years ago,  the Newberry volcano  erupted and here the lava spread over an old growth forest.  For some reason the trees did not burn; the lava encased  the trees.  Over time  the trees rotted away  leaving molds or casts of the trees.  It was also impressive to see trees and brushes growing in the lava rock, a very hostile environment.   Many of the trees have twisted trunks which is an adaptation  to increase water intake.

Our next stop was  Lava Butte which  is a cinder cone that rises 500 feet above the lava bed ( in the foreground in the picture below) which goes on for nine square miles.  We took a trail at the base of the butte that meandered through this moon-like terrain.    Next  we took a shuttle bus to the top of Lava Butte and walked around the crater.

Our next stop was at Clear Lake which is one of the clearest and coldest lakes in the Cascades.  Some of us wanted to kayak.  Kate had brought her foldable kayak so Frank and I watched in amazement as the two  engineers in our foursome assembled the flat fiberglass into a seaworthy vessel.  I was glad they didn’t ask me for help

 

After kayaking, it was time to drive  about two and a half hours back  to Portland.   Scarfy, Freddie and the five feathery hens were all happy to see us.     After supper, Frank, Kate, and Dan worked on a 550 piece puzzle  and almost had it completed before  calling it a day.   I kept fighting sleep as I tried to work on my blog.   We had had a very busy weekend!

 

 

After enjoying some fresh eggs for breakfast, we stopped at a local hotspot for freshly made donuts – Pip’s.   Donuts are not my kind of thing.  However these donuts are made to order and fresh as can be.  We got six different flavors and I must admit that they were quite yummy.   Collectively we had no trouble polishing off our dozen and a half even though we had all just eaten breakfast.

 

With Kate at the wheel of her red Toyota Matrix, we were off for our weekend get away.  Our first stop was to see Little Crater Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest.  It is named after Crater Lake   because the water is clear and blue just like its namesake.   It was amazing how you could see 45 ft. to the bottom.

Next we were off to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  The Newberry Volcano is the largest volcano in the Cascade Range.  This volcano first erupted about 400,000 years ago and created lava flows covering 1,200 square miles  which made lava tubes and over 400 cinder cones and vents during its active times.  The last eruption was 1,300 years ago.

Over first stop was the “Big Obsidian Flow” which was formed during the youngest lava flow 1,300 years ago.    Obsidian is a natural  volcanic glass similar to the glass in our windows.  The lava flow was immense and pieces of the black shiny obsidian rock were everywhere.  As we walked the jagged path, I got a little nervous.  With caution in mind,  Frank and I opted for a very short hike  along the interpretive trail while Kate and Dan did the full loop.

Next we were off to East Lake nearby.   We were hoping to kayak there but the wind was pretty strong, so we decided to wait for a  better opportunity.

Paulina Lake was our next stop.  There we took a short hike along the lake’s rim.  Both lakes are located near La Pine, Oregon.

Leaving the falls, we went to the Best Western in La Pine.  After supper at a local Mexican restaurant we called it a day, and headed to our respective rooms to relax and unwind from touring.   Tomorrow we hope to explore more in the Newberry Volcanic area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Kate and Dan both had to work today, Frank and I were on our own here at the urban homestead.  Frank was armed with his kindle so that suited him just fine.

At 8:30 I set off for the Columbia Pool for their aqua aerobics class.   On the way I noticed how dry the grass was.   Portland has a wet season from September until March, then a dry season.   Kate told us that it hasn’t rained much at all this summer.

 

On the way home I noticed how creative Portlanders are with their grass strips  between their sidewalk and the street.  After all, why would you waste good gardening area?

 

After Kate and Dan got home from work, they suggested we all go for a scooter ride.   Portland just got Lime, which are battery powered scooters.    They work a lot like the rent a bike programs.  With the app, you can track where the nearest scooter is, go pick it up and off you go.  Kate and Dan went and gathered two scooters.   Then after a very brief instruction time, Frank and I tried out the scooters In front of Kate’s house.    I thought riding the scooter  was  a blast, but Frank did not share the same sentiments. So after snagging another scooter, Kate, Dan, and I were off for a 5 mile adventure around their neighborhood.   I loved our ride except for a bumpy section on a bike trail by the Columbia slough.

After eating pizza at a nearby restaurant, we ended the evening around a fire pit that Dan had made.  It was a great way to end our second day in Portland.

 

My phone alarm buzzed at 3:15 am. Time to get up.  Frank and I were heading to the Philly airport for a flight to Las Vegas then a second flight on to Portland to visit our daughter Kate and her friend Dan.    Travel went without a hitch.

Since both Kate and Dan were at work, I used my Uber app and selected driver Ben to take us to Kate’s house.

Once we arrived we let ourselves in and made ourselves at home.

Then it was on to the menagerie.    

After supper Kate and Dan wanted to take us to their closest neighborhood brewery.  On Thursday nights, you can get a growler of one of their beers for just $10.00.   Little did we know what we were about to see!

Spending the rest of the evening at the house, we enjoyed a pie of Kate’s homemade rubbarb custard pie.  We were entertained by the cute antics of our grand cats, Freddie and Scarfy.

Stay tuned for more Portland adventures tomorrow!