The Hubs and I went to the Edgefield McMenamins near Portland (Troutdale). On our way, we saw a great view of Mt. Hood… Please excuse the zoomed in picture – the colors were just too pretty to miss! We did try to keep freeway traffic, etc. out of the picture, hence the Big Zoom.
The Edgefield is a fantastic getaway for adults. I know people bring their children there as well, but I don’t know that I would (if I had kids). Most of the buildings are 21 and over – a distillery, pool hall, wine tasting room, etc. They do have a soaking pool that kids are welcome to enjoy with adults, but the kids have to be out by 8pm.
Below is our room, the Etta James. You can see they give you robes to use, because they assume everybody will use the soaking pool – and they’d be fools not to! It’s common to see people walking around the campus in these robes.
Our room had a nice sitting area. Many of the rooms (ours included) do not have bathrooms – they use the common bath areas at the end of the hall, etc. There are ladies’ lounges (and I assume men’s), as well as common bath areas that have several toilet/showers in individual rooms with locking doors. You will always have your privacy (in other words, no stalls except for in the public bathrooms).
For dinner, I chose the wild boar in a pomegranate balsamic reduction with broccolini and pureed sweet potatoes. YOU GUYS. It was amazing. I couldn’t finish it all, of course, and was sad for it!
Like at all McMenamin places, they have interesting artwork on the walls.
Not the best picture, but you get the idea about the soaking pool. Please go look at the website to see how big and pretty it is! https://www.mcmenamins.com/edgefield
More fun artwork on the walls. This one depicts their red water tower.
For breakfast, the salmon gravlax for me! I had this the last time I visited, in June, and absolutely loved it.
Look at these angels! This is my favorite mural there, I think.
After packing up from the Edgefield, we decided to go for a hike in one of Portland’s parks. We chose Powell Butte, and what a great view!
Powell Butte has a maze of trails that take you on pavement trails (above), gravel trails (below)…
…and dirt trails. There are so many trails here, you could do multiple variations for months, and not to the same exact trail! Of course, I’m no mathematician, but I think you get the idea.
We dipped down into a sweet valley that had a small stream running through it. I’m sure that stream doesn’t exist in the summertime.
The sun actually was out while we were in Portland! It was a nice change of pace from the clouds, fog, and rain.
Some of the path was wider, and there were areas for people to mountain bike.
I loved the trail signs – they were very clear and solid. These signs are built to last!
Pretty little ferns, shining in the sunlight. That light felt good for all!
We didn’t find any of the mountain bikers to be zooming fast or cutting people off. They seemed to be understanding of the many hikers taking their time. And there were a LOT of people in this park! But it’s the middle of January and there was sun – what do you expect?
There were different landscapes along the way, making it interesting the entire time.
After the hike, we went to Lardo for what is possibly my favorite sandwich: the Korean pork shoulder sandwich. This is amaaaaaazing. It has kimchi, pork, a tasty orange sauce, cilantro, and a soft bun. I absolutely love this sandwich!
Overall, if I lived in Portland, I would visit this park (and probably many others) often. It was beautiful, varied, and felt safe.
Distance: 3.6 miles, Elevation Gain: 542 ft.
The Happy Viking 