About a 10 minute walk uphill from the International Rose Test Garden is the Japanese Gardens.   There’s an entry fee (less than $10).  The garden doesn’t take up that much space – it’s fairly compact.  …

Entry to the Rose Test GardenEntry to the Rose Test Garden We visited the International Rose Test Gardens in Portland.  Getting there was easy with a car, but would have been a little difficult on public transportation – (the last bus you have to take is on an hourly schedule).&

Part of the Saturday Market is under a bridgePart of the Saturday Market is under a bridge We were looking forward to the arts and crafts Saturday morning market, but we ended up being a little disappointed by it. …

Night View of downtown towards Portlandia and the Portland Building from our room at the HiltonNight View of downtown towards Portlandia and the Portland Building from our room at the Hilton We enjoyed our time in Portland. …

House in the Pearl DistrictHouse in the Pearl District We walked from downtown to the Pearl district.  It wasn’t the most pleasant walk, but once we got there we enjoyed the shopping and wandering. …

When we researched where to stay cheaply in Portland in August, we found that there were seveal motels near the airport in the $60 range.  Even though there is excellent public transit, we weren’t too excited about staying half an hour (on public transit) from downtown. …

We wanted to stay for a night on the oregon coast, in a hotel overlooking the ocean.  Most properties like this are pretty expensive, even during weekdays.  The Windereme Motel was more reasonably priced, at $120 a night during the summer. …

About 10 minutes off the 101 is the Brandy Peak Distillery.  This is a small family-owned business, and they offer tours and tastings for $5 a person.  The tour took about 15 minutes, where they gave a good explanation of how brandy is made and showed us the equipment and process they

Our room at the EconolodgeOur room at the Econolodge On our way up the coast to Oregon, Eureka made a logical stopping point from the Bay Area. We tried to use Priceline to get a good price on a room but were unsuccesful.…

Tonight it was 100 degrees inland so we headed to the coast for a picnic. We stopped at Arched Rock Beach on the Sonoma Coast State Beach.  Here are a couple of pictures.…