From the Oregon coast all the way up Mt. Hood, we cover quite a bit of the PDX area.
To preface, we had already been to Portland once before. However, it was a quick two nights after catching a show at The Gorge up in Washington. In other words: we didn't really do it justice. This time though...I think we knocked it out of the park. Especially since it was January! Full itinerary below.
The purpose of coming to Portland this time around was to visit a close friend who moved out that way pre-pandemic. So, we gathered a gang of six and headed out west.
Alright, so the initial picture flying into PDX (aka Portland) is a bit gloomy. I also live in Chicago, so I essentially traded gray skies for *yay* more gray skies. However, I was not going to let that dampen the mood. The view flying in over the river was actually pretty dope as were the copious amounts of house boats posted up alongside the river.
What to Pack for January in Oregon
This was the most difficult part of my trip. I never want to overpack, but I hate being unprepared. Despite it being in the low 40s, it was still cold. It was also the rainy season (not sure if that ever ends) so you will need: a warm waterproof coat/jacket and waterproof shoes.
The overall vibe of the area is very laidback. I'm talking joggers in the club kind of laidback. You could wear a trash bag and be fine...and you'd also stay dry. I ended up wearing my ski jacket for a majority of the trip despite bringing two other light rain jackets. Umbrellas are a no go because the rain isn't that heavy and the umbrella is just too cumbersome. Other than that, just keep yourself warm, dry and cozy.
Beaverton
Beaverton was our home base. Fortunately for us our friend lives in a beautiful Japanese style home. I would have taken more pictures of his lush landscaping had I not broken my wrist on the trip (more on that later). Beaverton is the home of Nike, but they unfortunately don't tour to the public. However, this growing little suburb is just a quick 12 minute drive into downtown Portland. Many of the PDX food hotspots also have second locations in Beaverton!
Timberline Lodge: Mt. Hood, OR
Mt. Hood is a huge mountainous area. Well, huge for anyone who never grew up with mountains nearby...
We drove up to Mt. Hood from Beaverton around 6am (far too early to be awake on vacation) to ensure that we could get to the lodge just as it opened. We also needed to stop on our way for rentals and breakfast burritos. For the rentals we stopped at Next Adventure in Sandy, OR. The staff were super friendly and took the time to make sure we had the right gear.
We then drove up the mountain to Timberline Lodge. There are several places to ski and snowboard on Mt. Hood, but we chose Timberline since it was recommended by our friend. You can rent your gear through the lodge but since we had ours already, we hopped on the mountain right as the lifts opened. For a Thursday there were a good amount of people there, but it wasn't crowded by any means. Unfortunately, my ride was cut short after I caught an edge and summersaulted out of my skis.
Ski patrol was readily available though and wrapped my wrist up with a splint and some ice. My husband and I headed to the bar while our friends shredded some more. They had some awesome local craft beers and an amazing view of the mountain top.
One thing to note: You will need a car that is good in the snow! It is super slick as you drive up. We rented a Turo which was conveniently dropped off and picked up from our Beaverton pad.
Downtown PDX
When this trip was originally planned, we designated the Friday of our trip as our day to bop around in the downtown. This was carefully constructed because we anticipate being sore after our day on the mountain. Obviously, one of us was more than a little sore. Nonetheless, I persevered and stuck to our loose itinerary. First stop: a local winery.
If you did not know, the Willamette Valley of Oregon is really known for their Pinot Noir. And it did not disappoint. We popped into Amaterra which has a beautiful estate, tasting room...just everything felt elevated. The flight and snacks were so good we stuck around for a bottle. And then things started to get a little fuzzy...
Next stop was Great Notion Brewing. They had some of the best sours I have ever had on draft. You could probably tell that we needed a little break from all the day drinking. So, we dropped into Pistil's Nursery. It was so cute, but we were honestly just window shopping. After the cute plants, we thought: how about some more wine? And went over to Fullerton Wines. This family owned and operated wine bar was small and filled up quickly. But it was definitely worth it.
At this point we were desperate for food. I had heard of Por Que No? but knew it was going to be tricky. They don't take reservations, we had a larger (7 people) group, and the seating is minimal. Oh and it was off and on drizzling. Very PDX. We rolled the dice and walked up to a massive line. Like 40 people long. But we waited and it was delicious. Margaritas, tacos, rice, beans... you name it, we ate it. We ended the drinking fest at Ecliptic Brewing, but to be honest, I barely remember being in there...
Tillamook & The Oregon Coast
Ah...Tillamook. Where to begin. I love cheese. Just as every sane person does. When I learned that this cheese (and ice cream) mecca was just an hour and a half away...I packed an extra pair of leggings. And rallied the troops. Our Saturday in Oregon was supposed to be a day of cheese and hiking. In reality, I was in a sling and everyone was still feeling yesterday's wine. That did not stop us from making it to Tillamook. The only reason I even woke up at a reasonable time was to make it to the creamery.
The drive to Tillamook from Beaverton was gorgeous. I should have taken more pictures but was limited with my one hand. The creamery is huge. Earlier in the day we bought tickets for a guided tour (you will need to buy them ahead of time because they well out...but they are cheap... only $10) and cheese tasting and we arrived right on time for the tour. The guided tour is MUST DO. You can tour the facility on your own for free and there are samples of the cheese, but this was just next level. After our tour we were brought into a small room to taste aged cheeses. We tasted cheeses from 2019 all the way to 2012! We had not eaten lunch prior to arriving so we headed to the café where I got an ice cream flight of some of Tillamook's finest.
My stomach was definitely feeling all the dairy, as was everyone else's, so we headed to Pacific City to walk it all off. It was about 30 minutes south of Tillamook and right on the coast. At this point it was late afternoon and the views on our mini hike were breathtaking. We finished our coast trip at Pelican Brewing for a sunset dinner.
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