Very mini.

Drove down yesterday, went in quest of designer yarn barns for knitting demon/spouse. Found same.

Pricelined into the Benson (4 stars - classic grand hotel type place) for $60 or so, found street parking hence no $20 parking charge

Met old friend, took the streetcar to Papa Haydn's on NW 23rd - famous for killer pastry and desserts, also good-to-very good non-dessert food. Pate, salmon salad, burger-avec-Tillamook, all excellent, unpronouncable French chocolate-hazelnut-stuff-stuff cake (us) and Panna Cotta (him) later we emerged pretty endorphin-saturated for the tram back.

Breakfast today at the Red Star, the restaurant attached to the 5th Avenue Suites (another fine hotel) - excellent as always. (We didn't want to stand in line for Bread and Ink, our other must-breakfast place - on Hawthorn - because it was too late to beat the crowds.)

Drove around Mt. Tabor Park (volcanic cone with killer views of downtown and various other volcanoes) then decided it was such a nice day that we'd blast up to Mt. St. Helens and see what's smokin'.

Johnston Ridge Visitor Center is closed because of grumbling mountain, but the views from the Coldwater Ridge center were more than adequate - the volcano obliged with a few puffs of steam for us. Noted that federal budget cuts have decimated visitor activities in the park - volunteers doing most everything at present. My tax dollars not at work...

Glorious day, no snow at 3000', scary warm (my lawn is starting to get real nervous about the summer). Empty roads and trees in bloom, a gazillion dafodils on the roadsides. Not a bad couple of days.

Yes, Mt. Tabor is a fun place to go. Other places with great views of the city are Council Crest Park (the highest point in Portland) and Pittock Mansion, both in the west hills. From Council Crest you can see not only Mt. Saint Helens and Hood but also Adams and (I think) Ranier. You can see the PDX airport off in the distance. On the west side of the park you can see the sun setting over Beaverton.

Andrew

Speaking of knitting-demon spouses, my wife suggests Yarn Garden on Hawthorne, and Lint on NW 23rd as the places to buy here. Sounds like you may have found at least one of them.

No we went to some espresso/yarn/knitting place on Division, then a mill store (size of your average airplane hanger) on McLoughlin somewhere in Milwaukie. We walked past the NW 23rd place after it was closed. Oh too bad.

Spouse spent her first 10 years living on Mt. Tabor so it was a periodic visit to diss (once again) the current or previous owners of her ex-house over the (admittedly terrible) job of remuddling they'd done.

Hmmm... I don't think my wife knows about the mill store. And I don't think I'm gonna tell her! We've already enough yarn around for scarves or shawls for half the west side of Portland.

Glad you caught us on a good day, Gardyloo.

I drove up to Portland yesterday too - from Eugene- and explored the bike trails by the river- it was very fun- discovered the Springwater Trail- would like to know more about that- I hear its a 40 mile loop- I only rode it to Sellwood.
What a beautiful day for biking.

Sunbum--The Springwater Trail is nice. I don't know exactly where all it goes, as we have only ridden/ran it out in the Gresham area. I know there is a website for it though, so maybe that would help. Out where we use it, it is paved, then turns into a dirt path and I don't know if that is considered part of it or not. Regardless, we enjoy it also.