Saturday 16 June 2018 – Portland

The day started out chilly, cloudy, but soon turned sunny. Our morning destination was the “Saturday Market” near Skidmore Fountain. Breakfast on the way was at Voodoo Doughnuts – lines out the door! I felt guilty the rest of the day. The Market spread towards the waterfront and had some clever/interesting local wood crafts. Otherwise, pretty much the usual stuff.

The main event for the day was a bike tour of the downtown area by Pedal Bicycle Tours. Kirin, our guide, did a nice job, but 13 people in the group was a little too much. We had a few sprinkles, but it was mostly sunny. We learned about the origins of the city on the banks of the Willamette River. Lewis and Clark’s expedition was key to establishing the route and the potential of the area. Two of the founders flipped a coin to decide on the name of the city based on their original hometowns. The guy from Portland, Maine won.

New pedestrian, bike and tram bridge

 No lunch after the doughnuts, but we splurged for dinner at Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant. It features mostly local seafood and old fashioned décor and well-seasoned waiters. Lauve had a shrimp dish, me the steelhead trout – delicious! We topped it off with one piece of tasty, crunchy Upside Down Walnut Apple Pie – yum.