The Washington Side of the Gorge: Fort Cascades Trail

A nice place to wander to experience the mossy forest, learn about Columbia River fish and a little bit of Pacific Northwest history is the Fort Cascades Historic Site. This shady trail is located one mile downstream (west) of the Bonneville Dam and is reached from the Dam Access Road on Hamilton Island, off of Washington State Highway 14. Parking is free.

Cool, Mossy Fort Cascades Trail

Fort Cascades was an army fort built in 1855 to protect a portage road around the lower cascades rapids of the Columbia River.  The fort burned down in 1856 and the area was abandoned in 1861 and then flooded out in 1894. Pick up a brochure at the kiosk at the trailhead so you can follow the interpretive markers along the trail.

The 1.5 mile Fort Cascades Trail will take you past historic sites (don’t expect to see remains of buildings) where you can look for abandoned wheels and metal equipment among the beautiful mossy rocks, ferns, and woods. The trail eventually leads into the town of North Bonneville if you do not follow the trail looping back.

Remnants of the Portage Railroad

You'll catch some great views of the dam upstream and learn about fish hatcheries and the protection of fish in this area of the Columbia River.
 

Bonneville Dam

It is a lovely flat trail to take on a warm day because of the shade. Pets are allowed on leash. Map

Discovering Portland’s Alberta Street: Food, Murals and Tiny Places to Stay

Saturday the weather was mild enough to head out to north Portland and enjoy a 5K walk starting at McMenamin’s Kennedy School. The Columbia River Volkssport Club has a tradition of hosting a “Pre-Superbowl Walk” annually.

We chose the route taking us along colorful Alberta Street. As I walked, I realized the street had changed during my time in the Portland area. Once a neighborhood where mostly African American ship workers lived, it was now an eclectic arts district with a hipster vibe.

History
Alberta Street was first developed by immigrants in the 1880′s and expanded during the era of streetcars. The Vanport Flood of 1948, just across the bridge from Vancouver, Washington’s shipyards, resulted in many African-Americans and low-income families having to move out of the area and seek low cost housing. The Alberta area was not far away. Ultimately the Alberta area became known as an African-American community.

By the ‘80’s the area fell into disrepair, banks wouldn’t lend to people settling there and it became known as a dangerous crime area. Urban renewal shifted neighborhoods. African-American families moved out of the area.

The Arts District
Many neighborhoods in Portland have been revitalized, gentrified and no longer affordable. Alberta was one of the neighborhoods where people organized to create this transition yet keep the sense of community. Artists found affordable studio space, small businesses opened up where once shop windows were boarded and community events like the monthly Art Walk were planned to bring in customers to the business area.

Alberta Street was the center of the activity. The community feel remains. Art on Alberta, a non-profit arts organization, was formed by a small group of art businesses and artists who first met in 2000 to secure a grant for fabric banners for the street and organize the first spring Art Hop.

The Community Cycling Center was established over 20 years ago as a place where people could learn to repair their bikes and kids could get free or inexpensive wheels. Now it’s a great place to find a used or even new bike and their charitable mission continues.

The Murals
When you walk down Alberta Street and peer into alleys you’ll start discovering the murals. There is fanciful art and art depicting the diverse tapestry of cultures found in the Alberta area. Community Cycling Center has an amazing mural on the side of their building depicting fun bike riding experiences and animals.

The public art extends to ATM machines and newspaper racks. Walk slowly and discover the art.

Fun and Fanciful Businesses

One of my first experiences in the new and revitalized Alberta food scene was the Grilled Cheese Grill. They make such innovative cheesy delights as The Hot Brie… Melted Brie, Roasted Red Peppers, Fresh Tomato and Spicy Brown Mustard on Sourdough and The Cheesus, where TWO grilled cheese sandwiches serve as a bun for a 1/3 pound burger! You can eat outside on a picnic table or in their converted school bus.

And then I discovered Bollywood Theater! Bollywood Theater serves up freshly made to order East Indian street food. Once you taste their carefully spiced foods, you’ll never want to eat at an Indian buffet again. When you’re there, be sure and visit their Bollywood inspired restrooms complete with movie.

As you walk Alberta be sure and check out the Tiny House Hotel with tiny home accommodations surrounding a convivial courtyard. And across the street we noticed they have expanded! They now rent those tiny teardrop campers so you can continue your tiny experience as you explore the out of doors. Choose between Rosie, Miles and Sunny at $80 - $90 a night.

Continue down the street and you’re likely to see a restaurant with a permanent line. That’s Pine State Biscuits and the line is part of the culture there. They have more than biscuits including pies, fried chicken and chicken pot pies.

Year Round Walking
Alberta Street, between NE 33^rd and NE 11^th is a vibrant area for a walk even on a rainy day and even when the shops are closed. Enjoy the murals and plan a lunch stop.

If you don’t mind some crowds, Alberta businesses pack in late-night crowds during the monthly Last Thursday street extravaganza. Expect some of Portland’s best people-watching there (especially in the summer months, when the road is closed to traffic and crowds fill the street). The Alberta Street Fair, held in August, features live music on multiple stages, more than 150 local vendors, kids’ activities, a beer garden and more.

Bypass Shopping and #Optoutside this Black Friday

I love it. REI has it right. This year, they are again closing their doors on Black Friday and paying their 12,000+ employees to spend time outdoors. And they want their customers to spend time outdoors too. After all, you can shop REI, and everywhere else on Black Monday.

But seriously, after a day with family or a day dining out, or a day of serving the poor, a day outside is just what the doctor ordered. Being outside is good for the soul. And standing in line at your local big box store IS NOT!

Spending a day outside gets you in the right frame of mind for the holiday season… the true meaning of the holidays. Fighting others for the right to purchase a huge TV DOES NOT!

Spending a day outside helps you connect with your family, your friends and your pets. Grabbing for cheap toys at the local big box store DOES NOT!

I belong to an organization that puts on non-competitive walking events all around the US and the world. And they invite you to join in on their walks on Black Friday and discover your outdoor world on foot. Just look up their walk events for that date on the AVA website.

I’ll be walking with a local AVA club on Hayden Island the Friday after Thanksgiving. Francesca, the coonhound will be with me. Cinnamon the Coonhound will be home sleeping off her special holiday dinner!

So look for an outdoorsy opportunity on the REI website, and get outside the day after Thanksgiving. You’ll be thankful you did!

Vancouver Washington Murals: An Illustrated Walk Through History

Total disclaimer here. I live in Vancouver, Washington. I love the history, the vibrant community and the brightly colored murals. I thought I had seen them all until I did a mapped mural walk with the All Weather Walkers. What I discovered, were more murals, more local history and a great walk on a sunny September day.

The club was set up in the parking lot across from the Columbian Newspaper building. Of course that was my first surprise. I had never seen the newspaper mural! A paperboy delivers his papers as a dog runs behind him. In the background is the history of the newspaper that started out as the Vancouver Columbian.

We walked through Downtown, through Uptown, crisscrossed the route so we wouldn’t miss one (I still did!) and returned to the starting point via the somber Remembrance Wall chronicling the wars and contributions by civilians on the home front. Vancouver was the site of a huge WWII shipyard.

As I walked, I realized that Vancouver is one of those cities where you can walk around downtown feeling safe. New construction and an influx of businesses such as brew pubs adds to the positive vibe of the city.

I looked beyond the grape vines at Cellar 55 and saw, for the first time, a mural celebrating Columbia River life… salmon, huge sturgeon below the water and busy barges above. I’d been to Cellar 55 but always was inside and missed this piece of art.

I rounded another corner and, only because I had a route map, found a delicate painting of dancers practicing at the Barre, a Degas look-alike on the side of a building housing a dance studio.

Another find was on the side of the Leupke Florist building. The Leupke family no longer has a flower shop there but there is good news. A developer purchased the art deco building and plans to revitalize the Luepke building and the florist shop and turn the area into “Luepke Station,” a downtown area with a coffee shop, wine bar or tap room and upscale eatery eventually rounding out the building. A bit of Vancouver history will be saved.

My favorite murals were no surprise. I’ve studied their detail before as I visited downtown.  The Columbia River triptych at 115 W. 7th St. Vancouver, WA has a little  bit of history, a colorful depiction of Columbia River boat traffic and a fanciful mural of recreation on the building. What I enjoy looking at are the details… how the artists incorporated aspects of the building like windows and pipes into the art.

 

I love how the window became a bird!

The murals continue to be painted. The Clark County Mural Society website provides the history, a map of the murals and news on future murals and opportunities for artists.

And it all started with a desire to draw people to central Vancouver. The founders talked about a small town in British Columbia, Canada which had revived its economic fortunes after the local mill downsized by painting murals on every available downtown wall. That town was, and is, Chemainus. Murals have an important role in drawing people to Vancouver’s vibrant downtown and Arts District today.

Montrail Fluid Balance Shoes - For all weather walking, travel and hiking

So what's to do when you find a great trail shoe, it lasts all summer during your travels, your walks and your hiking, and the weather turns rainy? The mesh on my Montrail Fluid Balance shoes was not going to keep the water and mud out. But the fit was great so I wanted another pair that would make my feet feel good even after a 10 or 11k walk.

So I was pleased to see that Montrail offered a waterproof version called the Bajada Outdry Trail Runner. This shoe has OutDry brand waterproofing. I found that Columbia Sportswear actually owns OutDry and uses the technology in many of their products.

So I look forward to dry feet while sloshing down the trails of the Pacific Northwest and walking the streets during events such as the Portland Christmas Ships Walk.

Walking and traveling friends never change

Many years ago I had two friends that belonged to a long distance walking club with me. We traveled up and down the West coast, and, sometimes, across the United States to do Volkssport walking. Our times together walking and traveling involved quality hours of walking, talking, sightseeing and, finally, a well-deserved meal.

Our times together were memorable and although we did not see each other for years, all it took was a walk, or an outing, to put us right back on the friendship track... where we were many years ago.

It was such an event that brought my friend from Wichita Falls, Texas and I together after all too many years apart. We chose a volkssport walk event for our reunion. The Vancouver Volkssporters hosted a Cherry Blossom Walk. 

It seemed like time had stood still and it was just the weekend before that we had walked together. We walked, took pictures of the cherry blossoms, got lost from the course and were happy to reach the end of the route... just like old times. We talked about her Walking Adventures trip to Egypt, and my experiences in the Southwest, about our families and the dogs. And we walked.

Walking is a great way for families, friends and couples to spend time together, reconnect and enjoy quality time.

Volksmarching is a fun, family-oriented walking sport. The term, Volksmarching, at first glance, brings up a mental image of goose-stepping military units. But not so. Volkssport, sport of the people in German, is actually a very fun, self-paced walking sport enjoyable for all ages. Most volkssport events are walks but there are also a few bike, ski and swim events.  And, there are over 300 non-profit volksmarching clubs in the United States putting on events that you can enjoy. Many avid walkers travel the United States and the world attending these fun walking events.

Club members and those who participate in the walks, understand the saying, “Fun, Fitness and Friendship.” It truly is a social sport. More information on volkssporting.

 Photography copyright: Elizabeth Rose Photography

Back to the Future: Exploring Los Gatos California with the South Bay Striders

You can never go back, they say. Everything changes and nothing will be as you remembered. But that doesn't stop travelers from going to class reunions, military unit reunions and touring their childhood home towns. Is it all reminiscing or can the journey to the past be much more?

The Invitation: 25th Anniversary Reunion
I don't go to class reunions but this reunion piqued my interest. 25 years ago I founded a very special walking club in Santa Clara County, California... The South Bay Striders. Our first walk was in the quaint, historic town of Los Gatos. Founding member, Helen, researched all the lovely Victorian homes and wrote up a turn by turn description for this historic walk.

I once lived in San Jose and loved going to Los Gatos to walk that six mile historic walk route and then reward myself by sitting in a sidewalk cafe thinking about how much fun our walking sport, called volksmarching, was in Europe. After living in Europe for three years, I had some trouble adjusting to the strip malls and fast food joints of San Jose and loved getting away to Los Gatos which reminded me of a European village. Walking helped me adjust to a new community, gave me and my family some fun outings, and enabled me to make new friends. The club provided interesting walks and a great social outlet.

So when I received the invitation to the 25th Anniversary celebration, I thought it would be a great way to see Helen again, reconnect with the people who walked with me on those trails many years ago and explore the post-earthquake (1989 Loma Prieta) Los Gatos. Although I am not much for reminiscing, I wanted to experience the weekend with friends whom I had met as we formed the non-profit walking club. And, I was curious about how the area had changed.

High Tech Surprises 
I flew in to SJC, San Jose's Mineta Airport, and was amazed by the size and high-tech feel of the terminal. Oh yes, this was now the center of Silicon Valley, not the sleepy agricultural town of San Jose!

My friends, Ken and Helen, met me (they hadn't changed a bit) and we were off through San Jose. I no longer recognized the terrain as new shopping centers had sprung up. Soon we were on Hwy 17 and then I recognized the trees, the green highway signs and knew which exit to take to downtown Los Gatos.

We drove slowly down the main street of Los Gatos so we could  comment on what was new and what was old.  I looked forward to exploring the boutiques and stores lining the streets. We passed an enormous electronics store selling iPhones in a stark contemporary setting, slightly out of place for this street full of frou-frou decorator stores and upscale boutiques.

Some things were the same and some were different, but I have to say that the changes were enticing. The town had kept the upscale boutique type look but the fashions were all current. There were no big box stores that I could see.  People strolled the sidewalks just as they did 25 years ago and it was clearly a draw for young professionals and their trendily dressed offspring.

On to the New
I was chomping at the bit to explore the treasures of this little town but first, a well-needed rest. I could have stayed at the Los Gatos Garden Inn, which is where we stayed in the "old days." It didn't look like it had changed much. But enough of trying to re-live the past. I was excited about today.

I opted for a new, beautiful Tuscan-style hotel just across from the Los Gatos High School. Hotel Los Gatos & Spa was just down the street from the main shopping and dining areas and was not far from where our celebratory walk event would take place the next day.

I enjoyed the warm Mediterranean decor, comfortable suite and excellent service. I was glad to experience the new hotel in Los Gatos and leave my memories behind. I dined in the adjacent restaurant, Dio Deka that night. The cuisine was excellent.

25 years prior, we thought dining at The Chart House in a renovated Victorian (previously a funeral home) was the best place to go to celebrate special occasions and it was... then. I noticed  that the restaurant had been taken over by another. Things do change and evolve as time goes by.  After enjoying the lamb dinner at Dio Deka, I had to say that things had evolved well in Los Gatos and, after 25 years, my tastes had become more discriminating.

Walking Los GatosThe next day I awoke to mist hanging in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was a beautiful sight. The air smelled of redwood trees and the rain that had washed the foothill town over the night.

I met my friends at "Never Never Land," a small cabin used by the Boy Scouts on a piece of property behind Los Gatos High School. It hadn't changed a bit! Some of the club members had aged, but so had I!. The walking event was held in the same manner as we held it 25 years ago. Register, sign a waiver and go out to follow a marked trail.

After a brief session of reminiscing and looking at some old photos, we chose the 10K trail and, accompanied by the original planner of the event, strode out down memory lane. Or, in my case, on a trail of discovery.

As we walked, we noticed that elegant Victorian homes, once brought to their knees, shaken and broken by the Loma Prieta quake, were now freshly painted and new looking. Homes, still historic with the tell-tale Los Gatos cat bell plaque beside the door, were remodeled and beautiful.

We found the route to be a new experience. We quickly became tourists in what once was a familiar town, enjoying the gorgeous homes and quaint shops. Only occasionally lapsing back to what used to be, we found ourselves thoroughly enjoying the sunny fall day, admiring the depth of color in the fall leaves and stopping for lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

Our day became more of an exploration of a lovely town and less a walk down memory lane. As a travel writer, I found so much material for future articles. I decided that Los Gatos was a destination for those wanting to explore this part of California, for shoppers and discriminating diners.  There was so much to think about and explore that memories remained faded and new memories were made.

Reunions Are Not Just About the Past 
What I discovered that weekend was that my original walking club friends were still great people to be with. As I had grown and changed careers, so had they. They were vibrant, interesting people and our talk of the past soon changed to the current.

The reunion was just a vehicle to get me back to California to explore Los Gatos and to have friends to enjoy the experience with.

More Information
Hotel Los Gatos and Spa
Exploring Los Gatos California
South Bay Striders Walking Club
American Volkssport Association
Baby Boomers Travels Down Memory Lane