We woke up around eight and got ready to head out. Although there was a continental breakfast at our hotel, I grabbed us coffee from 7-Eleven and we headed west. We had originally planned to go bird watching at the Fern Ridge Reservoir before heading north, but as we approached the reservoir, the skies clouded up and it started to spit rain. It was definitely not weather that was conducive to bird watching or photos, so we added it to our “do on a future trip” list and continued on towards Portland. We decided to continue on the back roads as we made our way north – paralleling the Interstate. When we reached Albany, we were forced to jump onto the I-5 and fight with the Labour Day traffic.
We arrived at the Woodburn Outlet Mall just after noon. If we had been able to see how busy the parking lot was before we got off the highway, we would have continued on our way. It wasn’t until we were on the overpass, that we could see that the traffic wasn’t being delayed by construction – it was the insane number of cars heading to the mall. By this point, we were committed – or maybe we should have been committed – so we continued into the parking lot. We were just about to give up and find a quick escape route when I located a parking spot (near where we normally park). Deciding that this was the fates telling me that I was meant to shop today, I whipped the car into the spot.
Mum headed to Pendleton and I made a beeline to Columbia – with us planning to meet up somewhere in between. I lucked out and was able to not only get my winter jacket, but also a pair of rubber boots. Mum met me as I was finishing in Columbia and we headed to the kitchen store to grab a couple of things. Then, after sticking our heads in a few more stores, we headed back to the car. When we got to the car, we looked at the highway and saw that it was at a standstill due to traffic. One quick look at my GPS showed that I was able to go “out the back way” and totally avoid the Interstate. It still took us almost fifteen miutes to get out of the parking lot – it would have been longer without the patient flaggers that were helping control the flow of traffic. After we escaped the mall, we headed towards Portland on US-99E, stopping in Aurora at the city park for a picnic lunch of last night’s leftovers.
After lunch, we continued on US-99E until it met up with I-205, and then we were back in the Labour Day traffic. Luckily, it was a short drive and before we knew it, we were arriving at the hotel. We checked in and while chilling in front of the TV, searched for possible Food Network places that we could have dinner at. As it was Labour Day, our choices were limited. We decided tonight would be our annual Portland Red Robin visit. This was our third time to the airport location and the first time I didn’t get lost trying to get there – I was quite proud of myself.
There was a 10-15 minute wait for a booth, so we grabbed a table in the bar instead. Mum decided on the Bruschetta Chicken Burger with salad and I chose the Pig Out Tavern Burger with fries – with pretzel bites as an appy, of course. While we were waiting for our food, we played some trivia on the Ziosk at our table. I have to admit, we did quite well. After dinner we head back to the hotel and watched part one of the SYTYCD season finale before packing it in for the night.
Tomorrow we are planning on exploring Washington Park. Although this is our fifth stay in Portland, we have never explored the gardens and other attractions of the park. Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures to make up for my lack of any today.
Thanks for reading and I will talk to you tomorrow.
L
