On plane from Dallas to LaGuardia and then onto Montreal for the start of our (first) Canada expedition. Early flight (for me – 9 a.m.!) which always brings its own travel challenges – but Tom, Theresa and I are on our way, two heavy suitcases each (Tom under protest but I said I needed a…
Author: pjvillareal
On the Road to Seattle
We left Astoria in the morning of July 6th, going over the Astoria Megler Bridge for the third time in 24 hours but this time deliberately to drive to Seattle!
Northern Oregon Coast – From Manzanita to Astoria
After breakfast with Nick Williams, Colin’s first boss at Wells Fargo, we drove to the Oregon Coast which is only 90 minutes away. We stopped in Manzanita and walked to the beach after lunch at the Dune Sand Inn – great comfortable pub-like restaurant. The beach is beautiful as is the small town. We want to look at Manzanita more for future trips! We then drove to Cannon Beach, the most popular area on the Northern Coast and it had a Nantucket-like feel to it. The town is right on the beach with houses and condos on streets that end on the beach area.
Astoria, Oregon: Along the Columbia River Bank
We drove to Astoria, Oregon arriving near sunset. The beautiful bridge goes across the Columbia River from Astoria to Washington State. Of course, I ended up on the wrong exit and we did a trip across the bridge which is very high and very long! And then had to turn around and come back! Exhausted,…
Tour of Oregon Wine Country
Great day with Fred Gunton of “A Nose for Wine” tours. He picked us up in Portland and we visited three wineries in the Willamette Valley – Elk Cove, Fairsing and NativeFlora. Great wine including Pinot Noirs that the Valley is best known for – generous tastings! At least six at each winery and we…
Lazy Day in Portland
We, of course, started the day at Powell’s Books and stayed to explore for quite a while. Their collection on four floors is overwhelming and we left with a (new) tote bag full of books. We moved to lunch at Deschutes Brewery and to watch the Iceland vs. France Euro 2016 game. Unfortunate result but…
On First Leg to the Pacific Northwest
In Admirals Club in Phoenix on way to Portland, Oregon. Tom enjoying Euro 2016 and Italy vs. Germany game – not sure what he is going to do with himself after Euro is over! Our connecting flight is running late but funny thing – don’t really care! We are meeting Bob Klonoff, an old Jones Day friend of mine, for dinner and then tomorrow we will begin to explore Portland again. We are doing our first trip to try to find perhaps a place to spend the summer months when hell descends upon Dallas and Austin. Very few plans and time to explore! My first blog post – still miles to go – add pictures and actually get this published and shared!
Portland Rose Garden
Visited the Rose and Japanese Gardens in Portland. Beautiful clear day and a drive up into the hills surrounding Portland.
The Roads We Travel 