July 4th in Portland, Oregon

 

When I got up on the 4th of July, I was very happy to see that my daughter Shannon and her husband Brian had made it to our campsite. I think they got in about 2 in the morning. After they got moving, I took them out to see the massive old growth forest. Brian had never seen trees that large or mountains. Many of the things we were planning to do over the next few days were firsts for him. It is awesome to see the amazement in his eyes. We all enjoyed sharing those experiences with him.

We got in their rent car and drove historic Hwy 30 to see some of the waterfalls. We started with Multinomah falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is nice to have someone else available to take pictures of us. Shannon is expecting our 8th grandchild in October. She was still game to take a hike up to see Latourell falls. We did need to take a few breaks and rest.

At 249 feet, Latrourell Falls is one of the larger falls in the area. Kim enjoyed getting cooled off in the waterfall spray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a shot of Brian hiking up behind the waterfall. He also came back pretty wet, but with the near 100 degree day, he didn’t mind either.

We then went to Vista House. It is a rest area and visitor center for the Historic Columbia River Highway (Highway 30) The views of the Columbia River Gorge are awesome.

We then went into Portland to find something to eat. The place we wanted to go was closing, so we just got a sample and then found a bar/grill and had a burger. We then headed into downtown and parked in one of the parking garages. We were headed to the Portland Blues Festival. We were able to find a place to put our blanket and then go find some shade. We listened to some music and tried to stay cool for the late afternoon.

When the sun went down, the music got much better. We enjoyed the last two bands from our blanket.

Then it was time for the fireworks. With it being Shannon’s Birthday, she has always said the fireworks are for her. We let her believe that. Kim requires that I take her to see fireworks each year. Both girls really enjoyed this show. Brian and I both thought it was one of the best firework displays we have ever seen. He got some great pictures of the fireworks. Mine did not turn out. I will steal some from his facebook page and insert them here.

That was the first day with Brian and Shannon. We got back to the campground around midnight. That would be about average the entire time they were with us. We packed in as much as we could in each day. Come back for the next entry that shows the result of an explosion larger than 10 atomic bombs. And unlike most of the things we have seen, it happened in our lifetimes (well all except Shannon).