The Oregon Diaries - Day 2

Got up early yet again but was determined to sleep until 8 am. This is vacation after all. Had my puris for breakfast. Drove south to Canby to see the Dahlias farming. The drive was beautiful – the up and down of the highway, the river near the highway…nice slow drive. The farm was 2 miles inside Canby – it was lovely – just farms everywhere. Unfortunately the dahlias were not in full bloom (have  to wait till mid-August for that). There were still a lot of flowers so took a lot of close ups; but did not really see the rows and rows of flowers as I was hoping to at the actual farm that was advertised in the tour book. The gift shop was cute too! Stopped at another dahlia farm (much smaller) to take some pictures. Hopefully they will come out nice.

Drove up 99E to get to near Reed College to see the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. Stopped on the way at Dollar Tree to get some water and snacks.

Driving here has been quite crazy – somehow I missed the exit I was hoping to take, so took the next one that said Reed College. Found the gardens. After the $5 entrance fee I walked around the garden.

It took about 40 mins or so. The layout was beautiful. There were a lot of ducks in the very large lake. There were some small falls here and there. Only few of the rhododendrons were in full bloom. The entire garden otherwise was quite green – no flowers. It was a nice walk (looong walk!) – but I enjoyed taking photos and just relaxing. (Note: Monday and Tuesdays are no ticket days – if I had known that I would have gone then!)

Then it was time to see the Grotto on Sandy Blvd. Getting there was yet again fun! Drove on Powell Rd east and decided to stop for a Subway sandwich. This Subway was so nice – good furniture and really comfortable looking – not the usual bare kind. Good sandwich. Time to get to Sandy Blvd – oh adventure awaits. And yes – it was fun as I went in the opposite direction on Sandy. Took a turn at KMart and ended up buying freshly picked strawberries from the farmer in the parking lot; only $3! And he was sweet to throw in another handful! Good detour. Finally got on track to Sandy and made it to the Grotto.

Grotto was amazing! Spent more than an hour here just soaking in the ambiance of the place. There were beautiful statues everywhere and the Grotto itself was magical. Just sat there absorbing the silence. Decided to get the $5 ticket to see the gardens. It took about an hour to see the gardens. It was peaceful. Again there were no flowers but the layout was beautiful and there was the story of Jesus and Mary around the whole gardens. There was a labyrinth which I walked in completion saying the Gayatri mantra. It was a good feeling. Finished the walk and then it was time to go shopping!

Drove to the Cascade Station. Another confusing drive but I did not get lost! Its only 4 pm so I have all evening to spend here. First stop IKEA! I always forget how large this store is! Walked through all the predesigned bedrooms and offices etc. and came to the luggage area where I had some great finds. The IKEA restaurant was right there so decided to have a little snack (soup and dinner roll) and coffee. All was tasty. Then went off for more finds in the kitchen and organizing area. I can always find stuff in the kitchen area. By now my feet are just killing me! Walked down to checkout but had to walk back up again to the luggage – yikes! I had forgotten to pick up the neck pillow. Finally got out and stopped at Marshall's and Ross as well. These are in Palm Beach also but their goods might be different. I don’t know if they were or not – but I checked them out and bought some stuff too. It was around 7 pm now – it’s really time to go home now. My feet are exhausted. I am not! I could have gone to downtown more if it were not for my feet.

The last drive home was also adventurous, as I first missed the direction for 82^nd St. and then completely missed Sandy Blvd so had to take Burnside all the way back to the hotel. The drive was not too slow. It was not a bad drive – lovely houses with flowers and ups and downs on the road. The only problem was that I was driving towards the sun and there was street parking almost all the way – so it was just a little stressful.

All in all a good day. One thing I would say is if I had known beforehand about the beautiful Grotto, I would have skipped the Japanese Garden completely. I don’t think it was as peaceful as the Grotto was.

Total walking distance today – 7.5 miles!!