After SX, Stephen and I were pumped to have planned a trip to McKinney Falls with the Gates and Kasprzak fams. We've been wanting to go to McKinney Falls to camp for some time and were excited to see how the boys would do. The last time we went, the boys were still showing their age a bit and not able to hang with the big kids as well. But, now, no pack n play, no diapers, no naps, all fun! Right?
RIGHT!! The boys did amazing! They were able to play on their own or with the group with little assistance from the adults. Apart from some potty breaks, they were off doing their own thing. So great to see them all play together in their own creative world - all blissfully happy.
We typically rent campers when we go because, up until now, we didn't feel the kids were old enough for us to use it to it's full potential. But, after seeing how great they did, it was decided.
We planned this way back in 2019, but had to cancel because of the dumb pandemic. Becky, Beth and I were all so excited we finally got to explore the plan of Portland again once Covid calmed down. Thankfully Becky saved all of her research, so it was really just finding a new place to stay, booking our flights and off we went.
The flight was easy and before we knew it, we were there. We left in the afternoon so by the time we made it in, it was already dark. It's hard to get a good first impression of a place you've never been to when you arrive at night. Particularly when being dropped off at your airbnb (which got amazing reviews btw) to find a group of homeless people right across the street. A little jarring to say the least. But, thankfully, we were able to contact the home representative and they advised us to the best areas and streets with restaurants easy for walking.
The house itself was adorable and perfectly setup for guests.
The "neighbors" had us pause a minute, but once we woke up in the morning, it was a non-issue. The area we were in was great and we didn't have a concern after that.
The first morning, we set out on a hike and none of us could believe how green it was and how amazingly huge the tree were. It was truly one of the most peaceful places I've been. Full of character, this hike had some fun stops.
The hike we chose took us to what Porlandian's called "The Witches Castle". It was covered in moss and graffiti and just overall super unique.
"Every stop ends as a ghost story"
Portland letter boxing? Check.
Beth found a geocache pretty close to the hike so we tried to score not only the letter box, but the geocache as well. We looked EVERYWHERE, but Beth's direction kept on changing each step we took.
Total fail. We were starving so we called it quits.
We found this super cute neighborhood cafe and had some brunch. It was clutch. HUGE mimosas and delicious food. Probably my favorite food place we went. An awesome addition was their flying super heros and toys as the door opened and closed. Pretty hilarious.
Something we didn't anticipate was how beautiful the homes in Portland would be. Such pretty architecture and the landscaping was incredible. It's like all homes came with professional landscapers. Obviously, that's not the case, but it was just crazy to see unique flowers you'd find in a bouquet just growing in someone's front yard. Insane.
After brunch, we grabbed some scooters and headed over to the Japanese Gardens.
Portland has cool architecture all around - homes AND water fountains.
Ok SO. Maybe we didn't get the directions quite right. But, we came to this staircase on our scooters and thought the gardens would just be up the staircase. So, we ditched the scooters and headed on up. Little did we know, it was not just the one set of stairs. It was a million followed by an incredibly steep hill. We were all tired, sore and when we finally made it, we realized it was $20 admission. UGH. We already made the trip, we had to see what it was all about.
It was pretty and all. But honestly, kind of a let down. Especially for 20 bucks.
For dinner, we decided on the "big pink building" as the locals called it. It's in a random location compared to the other tall buildings, but had a bar at the top with amazing views.
The bar was open seating, so when we got there, we grabbed a table and waited patiently for a window table to open up. Apparently, so was everyone else. We tried (I don't know how many times) to grab a table and failed every time. We each took turns making our rounds and each made the embarrassing walk of shame back to our table. We got close a few times but were either sharked out of the table by someone else, duped by someone saying the table's guests were coming back (and then sitting down!) and the best was the stand-off between Beth and another patron. They both got there, both sat down and it was a stare-off between the two before Beth said F it and gave up.
All in all, it was hilarious, embarrassing and made for some funny stories after the fact. I call that worth it.
Our "view"
The actual view
The next day we grabbed some scooters and toodled around Tom McCall park. They are known for all of the cherry blossom trees, but unfortunately, it was too late in the season to see them at full bloom.
Random pink building in the back. See? So weird it's all alone.
We tried our hand at finding another geocache and right when we thought we had failed again, Beth found it!! It was TINY, hidden in a little bolt. Hiding in plain sight where noone thought twice about it. Insane find!
"Secrets never cease"
Can you see it? Just sitting there. Hadn't been found since 2016. *Pats on the back*
After some down time, we went to check out the Kennedy School. It's an old school they've converted into a hotel which has a restaurant, bar, gift shop. The whole ordeal. Super cool. So odd how the smell of a school hits you in the face as you walk in - even after all this time.
Each classroom was converted into a guest room
The boiler room was converted into a bar, but they left all of the piping and machinery. Very steam punk
That night was our last night and we'd pre-bought tickets for a local comedy show. We were all excited for some laughs, but when we arrived and NO ONE was there.... yea.... not quite what we were expecting. I'd say the best explanation would be watching comedy class in high school. It was hard to sit through.
We left at intermission. Yall... it was bad.
So, back to the house we went, bottles of wine in tow and ready for a fun night in.
The next morning, we packed up and headed back to Austin. It was such a fun trip and I'm already excited to plan the next one. :)
