On the final day of our trip together Sarah and I were able to explore much of the city of Portland. In the morning we started off by driving a ways down the Columbia River Gorge to visit the famous waterfalls in the area and go for our runs.
Wahkeena was the first waterfall we passed. Here we just took a minute to gape at the beauty before continuing down to our main destination.
Coach Taylor the day before had told us that we simply had to visit Horestail Falls for our runs. The main attraction was the Upper Horsetail Falls (pictures below). We both went for a run and then hiked back up to the upper falls to take some photos. The run was amazing, winding back through the gorges, up and down steep slopes, and past multiple waterfalls, all of which were awe-inspiring.
Certainly seems so.
The trail as it approaches Upper Horsetail Falls. The trail actually went behind the falls underneath a monstrous rock structure. Can't say I have ever run on a trail such as this...amazing.
The rock faces of the gorge surround the gushing falls.
Sarah waves from across the way, this picture really shows the size of the rocks and how small we are in comparison.
Sarah observes the falls from cave-like cut.
Sarah and I along the trail.
A close-up of the lip of the falls.
Hiking back down we got a great view of the Columbia River Gorge.
The Lower Horsetail Falls was also stunning.
You can definitely see where the name "Horsetail" came from.
The last falls to visit was the most well-known. Multnomah falls was also by far the biggest and was more built up with a restaurant and shop at the bottom.
Pretty tall if you ask me.
We had to stand pretty far back to be able to fit the entire falls into one photo.
The Upper Falls turning to mist as it cascades down the rocks.
A view back towards the entrance from the bridge above the lower falls.
The Lower Falls from the bridge.
A nice woman offered to take our photo. We were hoping to hike up to the top of the falls where there is a lookout, but the trail was closed to maintenance, and the $500 dollar fine for walking past the construction didn't exactly seem worth it.
This photo was pulled from a video. It is hard to see in the image, but it is an Osprey gliding above the falls.
Our first stop in the city was Stumptown Coffee. Sarah found the place online listed as a must-go-to spot. The coffee was excellent.
The three photos above are all from our walk along the riverfront esplanade. A very pretty walkway that went for several miles and made a loop with a few of their famous bridges. I was amazed by the sheer number of people biking, walking, and running. It seemed as if the entire city was exercising at once.
About says it all.
Our next stop was Powell's Books. Taking up a full city block, this massive bookstore is just a lot of fun to casually browse.
We stopped for lunch at Little Big Burger. The burgers were smaller than what you would expect, but present the perfect lunch sized meal, and were just delicious. We also split some of the truffle fries which my brother and I (I went with my mom and Paul when we were in Portland) are the best fries we have ever had, hands down.
We just had to stop at Voodoo Donuts later in the afternoon. This eclectic place was hopping with a line well out the door, a crazy selection and tasty donuts sealed the deal (my butterfinger donut on the left, and Sarah's blueberry pie donut on the right).
Our next stop was Washington Park above the city where we visited the Rose Gardens.
Not much else to say, just lots and lots of beautiful roses.
Sarah strolls through Forest Park. This park is absolutely gigantic, offering miles and miles of trails. It reminds me of the Buttermilk and North Bank portions of the James River Park system back in Richmond.
