Part 5: Vancouver to Portland
I took the ferry to Vancouver Island, and stayed a couple of days in Victoria, the capital of B.C., where things are very British. Empire traditions are held up capably in the Empress Hotel, where every British monarch since Queen Victoria has stayed and dined. Lesser guests like myself are also welcome. And even the room in my less grand hotel had a fireplace ready for action, and tea was served at 4pm. Moving back to the US via the ferry to Port Angeles -a small place on the Olympic peninsula- I made a speed run for Portland. I would have liked to spend time in the rain forest of the Olympic National Park, but it seemed to rain harder by the hour, so I settled for seeing rain and forest instead, which can be done from the inside of a car.
In Portland I explored Powell's Books, reportedly the brick-and-mortar bookstore with the largest selection of new and used books anywhere -I believe it- and spent hours browsing, and ended up buying too much. Just an hours drive up the Columbia is the Columbia River Gorge, where the river breaks through the Cascade Mountains. Formerly the most miserable part of the Oregon Trail, the rapids are now tamed, and passable streets have been built. It's a great scenery, with many great views from the mountaintops left and right, and plenty of waterfalls.
Just showing in town was the excellent ensemble movie 13 conversations about one thing. No, not the one thing you think, it's about how to be happy in life. Very good.
Brewpubs
- Yaletown Brewing Co, Vancouver
- Steamworks Brewing Co, Vancouver
- Dix Restaurant & Brewery, Vancouver
- Spinnakers Brewpub, Victoria
- Bridgeport Brewery & Restaurant, Portland
- Flanders Street Pub, Portland
Links
- Empress Hotel, Victoria
- Olympic NP
- Powell's Books, Portland
- Bonneville Dam, Columbia River Gorge
Photos
- Homer Street, Vancouver
- Fish Ladder Junction, Bonneville Dam
- Multnomah Falls
- Mossy tree, Multnomah Falls
TripPrologue - TripPart1 - TripPart2 - TripPart3 - TripPart4 - TripPart6 - TripEpilogue - Photos