Portland, Oregon

They Stole This From Austin, TX

 Downtown Coffee Shop - They made coffee & tea while playing music on vinyl. 

So much Portland!

World Famous Voodoo Donuts

Underground Portland Tour
My walking tour that afternoon highlighted the more insidious & bizarre parts of Portland's history, which I always find most interesting in any city I visit. We toured half the downtown area, eventually ending in the 'Shanghai Tunnels.' So here's what I learned: The tunnels below the city were not built or used for kidnapping and smuggling sailors to ships waiting in the harbor. This act, known as 'crimping' (I giggled, too) was completely legal and supported by both the population and the local police force. While their spending was an important part of the economy, these ship crews were also considered 'undesirables.' (Except for the captains, they held a different standing.) So after a few days stay in port, local men made deals with ship captains to wrangle and return these ship crews to boats - any boats. The Captains would pay for 20 /21 men and then would leave port before they could abandon the ship. While morally ambiguous, it was completely legal.

The 'Shanghai Tunnels' were originally built to control flood waters each spring and as water cisterns. As the waters rose and the river flooded, the wells or pits would collect and store the water. In the event of a fire, the building's owners, occupants, and fire crews would use that water to put out the blaze. It wasn't until later that the tunnels were used for prostitution and opium dens. For safety purposes they were eventually sealed off - but that wasn't until a few decades ago.

The 'Shanghai Tunnels' are an important and interesting part of the city's history, but no where near as salacious as you may have heard.

Say Cheese!
Just an hour and a half drive west of Portland - out to Hwy 101 - is the town of Tillamook and their famous cheese factory. You may feel this an odd thing to tour, but I disagree. Not only is 'Tour a Cheese Factory' an awesomely quirky road trip activity, but as someone who grew up just a few minutes shy of Wisconsin, it felt like a necessity.

I was worried I'd walk in and be the only person there. After all, it was a Wednesday at 11:30am. But nope, plenty of weird people out there like me AND Tillamook has highly investing in their draw as a roadside attraction.

Still Milk...

MAGIC! Cheese!

 Smaller Cheese!

Exhibit Area with More Information Than I Could Absorb

Ad #1 - Not Sure This is Science

Ad #2 - If This Were True, I Wouldn't Be Battling the Plague Right Now

The most popular part of the tour was the cafe. Oh no, it's not a little stand. It was a specially built addition to the building that offers salads, burgers, and my favorite, an entire menu of grilled cheese sandwiches. 

A Classic with Tots

The cafe also hosts a VERY large ice cream bar with home made waffle cones, and giant sundaes that give Ben & Jerry's a run for their money. After my lunch I wanted to go small...

This Is a Junior Cone!

It was also some of the best ice cream I've ever had.

Whether or not you have an interest in dairy farming or quirky roadside activities, Tillamook is a great stop on your trip. If you need some convincing, most of the drive out goes through Tillamook State Forest with multiple trail heads and picturesque mountains with pine trees. A beautiful drive for a very tasty treat.

Next Stop: San Francisco, CA for a weekend of fun with family!