Cycling The Oregon Coast Would Be A Great Trip

Oregon is a great place to be if you enjoy cycling. In fact, I've read about how Portland is a big bike culture place. And before visiting there, I always wondered how that was possible since that region of the United States is known for getting massive amounts of rain. Of course, I later learned that other areas of the country get more rain per year than this region, but it was still a thought that I used to have about the area.

So anyways, when I first made it to Oregon, I did see a lot of people out on their bikes. It was also the first time that I saw people wearing some cool unique cycling jerseys. Before that, I was just used to seeing people wearing the standard solid color biking jerseys or the ones that are bright yellow for the Livestrong charity that Lance Armstrong was associated with. But apparently there are all sorts of really cool and fun cycling jerseys out there because the people I saw riding bikes in Portland were wearing all different types of them.

After spending a little time in Portland and other areas of Oregon, I couldn't help but think that it would be cool to take a cycling vacation in the state. There is a lot of great scenery there, but I think that my first choice would be to do a little cycling trips along the Oregon Coast because I love beaches, but I also love mountains and there seems to be a great combo of that along the coast there. Plus, it would give me a chance to revisit some of those location where they filmed my favorite movie, The Goonies!

Since I do not have the funds to take that cool cycling trip right now, I did a little searching online. It seems that this cycling route is one that is quite popular with people who like to bike long distances and who like to bike on their vacations. To give you an idea of how awesome this scenery is and what a great ride this would be, check out the video that I found of someone else's cycling trip down the Oregon coast line. It is available for viewing below.

Looks pretty great, eh? I also found a bike trail map that the state government offers. Find it here.

Portland's Japanese Garden In Photos

When I was in Portland, I unfortunately did not get a chance to go and check out the Portland Japanese Garden. I've seen photos of it before and read about it on travel blogs, so I was really bummed that I couldn't make it fit as part of my trip itinerary. So, to make up for it, I went and searched for some really great photos of it on the interwebs. So, for now, seeing the Japanese Garden from Portland in photos will have to do.

Check out how beautiful the entrance is (photo by Rosa Say):

This place looks so relaxing. I'd love to be walking by this (photo by szapucki ):

I was overwhelmed by the all the greenery and almost missed the bridge in this one (photo by Roger Isabell):

Here's another great image of the garden that I just love (photo by JavierPsilocybin):

And, I just love these stone stairs that go up in all that greenery (photo by TheOtter ):

Best Thing About PDX Airport - IKEA!!

When I first drove away from the airport in Portland, I was super stoked to see an IKEA right there by the airport. I love me some IKEA and when you don't live near one, seeing one out of the blue like that is pretty exciting. And I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't stop there....because I did...but I didn't buy anything until I returned for my flight back home!

Yup, there it is - like a bright blue and yellow beacon in the distance.

To make matters worse (or better?), I actually stayed at the Hyatt Place PDX Airport hotel before my flight left, so I was super close to the IKEA. That hotel is actually really nice too. The bed was comfy, people working inside were super nice and best of all - it was quiet. Kind of surprising since it was so close to the airport, but it was nice.

Now, back to the airport. The airport in Portland, Oregon is actually kind of small. I was a bit surprised by that as it seems like a fairly large city along the same size as Nashville maybe. But I think the airport in Nashville is larger, so that was a bit weird. Nice airport though. Sometimes you get to an airport and think to yourself  "a long layover here wouldn't be all that bad" and this was definitely one of those airports. Totally different from, say, Newark Airport in Jersey, where I always seem to encounter delays and that is a really terrible airport.

All in all, I think I would love for PDX to be my local airport, except that it would likely result in the addition of new IKEA furniture after each trip home from the airport!