Canadian Buffoon's Back to Front Vacation - Update! 05/18 - Falling Down

[docsoliday1]

You stopped sashaying?! I guess that view really was breathtaking. And sashaytaking.




Your photos this update were incredible. Your entire trip has made me want to pack up the car and road trip

Come on down. I'll give you the same offer I made @vamassey1 . back yard and tent. (and cheesecake since I was told[psst, don't tell @pkondz. I don't listen to his school house rules, I just want to be nice] I must.)

 

[vamassey1]

Come on down. I'll give you the same offer I made @vamassey1 . back yard and tent. (and cheesecake since I was told[psst, don't tell @pkondz. I don't listen to his school house rules, I just want to be nice] I must.)

The cheesecake offer makes all the difference!

 

[Tracy161]

Nothing stops a good sashay
for very long.

I should hope not!

Come on down.

You had me at cheesecake

 

[Steppesister]

Nevermind, can't be impotent.

I hope NOT!

I did see it!

Being a macro girl at heart, I love this but,....

I REALLY love this one!!

For about the next three
hours, my view was similar
to this:

Yeah, suuuuper boring stretch.

I was prepared to be disappointed.

I was not.

There is a good reason it's our #1 touron attraction.

I was there in December and got some Wintery shots. Oblige me?

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]

 

[Steppesister]

You'll like it, I think.
Say hi to @Steppesister when
you're there.
Looks like I'm just missing her
in May.

Well, shoot! I'll be in EPCOT, AK, and MK, but not a lot in any parks. Mostly doing ADRs and special meals with Mom around property.

Dismeet with Liesa. I believe she lives somewhere in that of the world. She's probably worth a detour. Maybe....

Yes, I do, and I probably sweeten the proposition of a Meet with a personal tour guide and recommendations for a nice dinner out. If the stars align I might also be available to offer free rooming.

While you're right that
I wouldn't be in the area
without the invite from them,
I was specifically in Portland
for another reason.

Oh sure, fine.

You and Alison are partially correct.
Liesa (and Kari) were the reason
I was in the area, but there
was another reason I detoured
south to Portland.

I'd say we are pretty great reasons.

 

[pkondz]

I should hope not!

You had me at cheesecake

He's going to have a veritable
stampede of DISers coming down
if he keeps offering cheesecake!

 

[pkondz]

I hope NOT!

Worried?

I did see it!

Not really "hidden", but...
you have to know it's meant
to be part of the overall group.

Being a macro girl at heart, I love this but,....

I REALLY love this one!!

Well, I'm glad I posted
it then.

Yeah, suuuuper boring stretch.

But compared to Saskatchewan...
A rollercoaster! Thrills! Chills!...

There is a good reason it's our #1 touron attraction.

Hey... Wait a sec...
You're calling me a touron?

Well, I suppose I did stop
at a place brimming with people.

I was there in December and got some Wintery shots. Oblige me?

Yes!
And thanks for those!

I saw that (like all photos on the DIS)
from top down.
At first I thought, "Oh, this must
be a photo that she enlarged."
(Because of the blur.)
Then saw the sharp foliage in
the bottom corner.

Well, shoot! I'll be in EPCOT, AK, and MK, but not a lot in any parks. Mostly doing ADRs and special meals with Mom around property.

Have fun with your mom and
say "Hi!" for me!
Maybe we'll meet up another time.
We've met... what... four times now?
Twice in California, once at your folks
and once at... well, that's coming up
in about two chapters.

Yes, I do, and I probably sweeten the proposition of a Meet with a personal tour guide and recommendations for a nice dinner out. If the stars align I might also be available to offer free rooming.

I got none of those.
True, you weren't home, but...

Oh sure, fine.

I think you were already up in Seattle?

I'd say we are pretty great reasons.

Definitely you are!

 

[cindianne320]

Well, poop!




Very possible!

I do post my route
when I drive.
Keep an eye out and
next time I'm by,
let me know.



Thanks!

We're in Buffalo- just off of 94! (And on 55,25,12- pretty west central between St. Cloud and Minneapolis.)

 

[pkondz]

We're in Buffalo- just off of 94! (And on 55,25,12- pretty west central between St. Cloud and Minneapolis.)

At first I thought,
"Buffalo? That's far..."

Then the nickel dropped..
"Oh! In MN!"

Yeah, I go by it all the time.

 

[docsoliday1]

At first I thought,
"Buffalo? That's far..."

Then the nickel dropped..
"Oh! In MN!"

Yeah, I go by it all the time.

I did the same thing when I saw Buffalo. Then I saw Minneapolis and realized, there must be a Buffalo, MN as well.

 

[pkondz]

I did the same thing when I saw Buffalo. Then I saw Minneapolis and realized, there must be a Buffalo, MN as well.

I actually Google Mapped it.
(To Buffalo, NY).
Was thinking, "Well, I was
just there last year..."

Then... oh.

 

[pkondz]

Port Land

It's one of those updates.
I have no idea where to begin
or what to say.
I did a grand total of two things.
All day.
I saw one thing.
I ate at one place.

And both of those statements
aren't even accurate.
I had some breakfast at the hotel,
I presume.
I am positive I ate at two other
places... but only took a photo from one.
I also drove, so that's something,
although not as much as the last couple days.

I still don't know where to begin, though.
Except it looks like I already did.
So that's a relief at least.

I got up at some point.
I know this. Because I'm awake
right now. Ergo, I woke.
(Not that you'd guess that from
the quality of the writing thus far.)

I really only had two things on
the agenda for today.
One tourist spot in Portland to hit
before making my way up to
Seattle for the PNWMM.
(Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet)


First... time for a random picture.

I don't know much about
this baby rabbit.
But two things are obvious.
This baby rabbit must be
filled with wisdom...
And obviously a Kung Fu expert.
How could it not be?


Okay. Now for the shocking
reveal as to why I stopped
in Portland instead of going
straight to Seattle.


Well... straighter.


I know you're going
to be completely
flabbergasted by this.
And only because
"flabbergasted" is also
a fun word to say.


I went to Portland's
Japanese Garden.



I know! I know!
"Oh come on Ponzie!
Not another one!"

Yeah, Yeah... I know.
Last one.
I promise, okay?


I arrived in the morning and
had a bit of a surprise finding
parking.
I just assumed it would be
easy, I guess.

It meant a bit of a walk back
towards the gardens, but...
It was a nice walk.

Along the way I saw these...
Flowery type things.
(Actually, no. I'm not a botanist.
But I could play one in a movie.)

See? Flowers.


I got to the ticket kiosk
and paid for my two tickets.

Two? You ask.
Yes. I needed one for moi.
And one for my camera tripod.

I kid you not.
They gave me a tag
to affix to the tripod.

After some thought,
I actually didn't mind that much.
It prevents the park from being
cluttered with people using them
I suppose.
If you really want to use one...
then you're willing to pay for
the privilege?
Let's go with that.

After paying for that privilege,
I immediately set up the tripod
to take a photo of the entrance.

Gotta get my money's worth, don't I???

Could I have taken that shot
without the tripod?
Actually... no.
There were a lot of people
coming and going and
that particular photo
is actually an amalgamation
of four separate photos.
Each taken to reveal an area
not cluttered up with people.

There was a path that zigzagged
up from that point to the building
that you can just make out
through the trees at the top of
the hill, in the above photo.

It was not like any Japanese garden
that I had ever seen.
They really incorporated the natural
flora into it!

I was almost relieved when I
finally found a Japanese snow lantern.

At the top of the hill, I bypassed
the building to visit the bonsai
plants that were on display.

I love bonsai. I find them fascinating.
You can use native or non-native plants.
And some can be quite old.

The above photo is a good example
of both of those notions.
The one to the far right is a
Japanese White Pine, and is
fifty years old.
The large one on the left is a
Rocky Mountain Juniper...
And is 500 years old!
That's almost as old as
most of my jokes!!
(See? I told you I could play
a botanist. You think I just
know this stuff? Thank you
little cards describing them!)

I continued to wander about,
just enjoying the various
types and styles of bonsai.

Eventually, I'd seen everything
that the Portland Japanese garden
had to offer.
I went inside the building and
perused the (inevitable) gift shop.

I still haven't quite decided if
these stairs are really cool...
Or a law-suit waiting to happen...

By now I was getting a bit
hungry, so I went and sat
at the small restaurant they
have there.
I ordered something, no idea what.
(This is crack TR reporting folks!
You're not going to find a more thorough
TR anywhere else on your screen right now
until you gratefully tab to another one.)

While I waited for my food to come
I noticed a pamphlet sitting propped
up on the table.
I glanced at it and started to laugh.

I had seen all that Portland had to offer
at their Japanese Garden.
Small-ish garden, bonsai, gift shop...

It was only then, when I looked at
the map enclosed in the pamphlet
that I realized that I hadn't even
seen the garden yet.
The entrance was just around the
corner from the café I was sitting at.


I finished eating my delicious
meal of unknown substances
(no! really! it was wonderful! or not! who knows!)
and set out to see the real
Japanese garden.
The rest had been... just
an appetizer.

Okay... approaching the real entrance...

As I passed through, I glanced
upwards and saw this small
Bonsho bell.

The gardens themselves...
were spectacular.
And large.
I was met with sight
after beautiful sight.

And the colours of some of the
trees were stunning.

I sashayed along the path
to the back of the tea house.

The large area in front
was to accommodate the
groups of people that would
stop to admire the view.

I give you... the view:

(Yes... marred by the tall buildings,
but still pretty remarkable, nevertheless.)

I told you that Mt. Hood
would make another
appearance in this TR.

But did you listen?
Noooooo!!!

It was about this time,
that I noticed I'd lost
my tripod tag.

Oh well, big deal.
I mean who is going...

"Excuse me. If you want
to use your tripod, you need
to pay for that at the ticket booth."

I turned around to see a young
man wearing what was obviously
an employee uniform, gazing
at me myopically.

I explained that I had purchased one
(and even remembered the tag number.)
The young man quickly got on his
radio and announced that a guest had
lost a tripod tag and to be on the lookout.

I wasn't quite sure whether to be
shocked that the tripod rule was
enforced or amused by it.

I was assured that if they found it,
they'd return it to me, but in the meantime
my description had been passed to the others.

I never did get my tag back,
but I wasn't bothered again either.

I took this next photo for @Steppesister .
I know she likes light fixtures and I thought
this one was particularly appealing.
Or should that be "enlightening"?

Of course, no Japanese garden would
be complete without the requisite
Zen rock garden.
This one was over the top pretty with
the perfectly sculpted trees/bushes
surrounding it.

The grounds were huge.
Easily the largest Japanese
garden I'd ever seen.
It covers an astonishing
twelve acres.
(By contrast, the one
I previously visited in
Lethbridge is just under
four acres.)

I'll just let the photos do
the talking...
(You're welcome.)

All in all...
This garden was amazing.
I definitely need to come
back again some time.

I returned to me car
and reluctantly left.
I didn't have nearly as long
a drive ahead of me as I
normally did.
But I still had some miles
to cross.

About two and a half hours
later, I stopped in Olympia, WA.
I'd done a quick Google search
for someplace to eat between
Portland and Seattle and the
Iron Rabbit Restaurant and Bar
came up.

I parked my caboose in a booth
and perused the menu.
It wasn't overly necessary
since I already was pretty sure
of what I wanted.
I ordered the Drunken Sailor
(blackened spiced tiger shrimp,
Alaskan true cod; rum cream sauce,
pepper jack cheese, garlic mashed
potatoes, house-made focaccia)
with a side of Dungeness crab bisque.

Yeah... it was as good
as it sounded.
I'd go back.

I will admit that the bisque
surprised me a bit.
I expected white, not red.
But it tasted good, so I'm
not complaining.

I left, tummy full and happy,
and drove a short hour
and a half to Seattle and
my hotel for the next
couple nights.


Today's map:

In case you didn't see it
in the last chapter:

Did you see it in this chapter?

Coming up: Seattle, the first day.

Chapter 17. Melting Sand​

 

[docsoliday1]

I finally had time to load my pictures from Atlanta and downsize them. Looking back I really didn't get any good ones. I took some quick photos of the room because I felt it was so small and different than any room I've ever stayed in. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in the Buckhead area. It was in a really good area and very clean. No bugs. It was also less than a mile from the dance studio.

A few room pictures.
View attachment 388014 View attachment 388015
The coloring was very cool & relaxing. The artwork had an Asian vibe.
View attachment 388016
We saw this when we exited the elevator at our floor.
View attachment 388017 View attachment 388018

On the ground floor.

View attachment 388019 View attachment 388020

I think a little better than where you stayed.

He was downtown. You were in Buckhead.
All the difference.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Jackie (@missjackiemcg ) and I will be at MK most of the day too. I think we should be able to meet up around the times of our BOG ADRs, we can iron out the details in a PM. We are planning on leaving MK around 3-3:30 to head to Trader Sam's and then O'Hana dinner.

A chance to meet DIS-royalty?! Count me in!!

@pkondz I keep trying to follow along here and the DIS never gives me notifications when you've posted, so I was pages behind...again!! I'm LOVING your beautiful photography along the way!! I'll try to keep up, and look forward to a chance to mee you in May perhaps!

 

[docsoliday1]

A chance to meet DIS-royalty?! Count me in!!

@pkondz I keep trying to follow along here and the DIS never gives me notifications when you've posted, so I was pages behind...again!! I'm LOVING your beautiful photography along the way!! I'll try to keep up, and look forward to a chance to mee you in May perhaps!

Not sure if you're talking about @Pluto0809 or @pkondz that's royalty.

If the latter, I never realized the jester was considered royalty.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Not sure if you're talking about @Pluto0809 or @pkondz that's royalty.

If the latter, I never realized the jester was considered royalty.

Well, I've already met @Pluto0809 so...

 

[vamassey1]

He was downtown. You were in Buckhead.
All the difference.

We were in a very nice area.

 

[vamassey1]

Such beautiful pictures of a impressive garden. Everything is so lush and pleasing to the eye. How old is this garden? All the vegetation is mature. And the view towards Mt. Hood is amazing. I'm sorry you lost your bag, good thing it wasn't your phone.

 

[Pluto0809]

I went to Portland's
Japanese Garden.

Your TR is starting to remind me of Groundhog Day. Seriously though, I do love seeing all of your pictures.

Yeah, Yeah... I know.
Last one.
I promise, okay?

No that's about the emptiest promise I think I've ever seen.

(See? I told you I could play
a botanist. You think I just
know this stuff? Thank you
little cards describing them!)

I use that secret all the time in my TRs. I have lots of "behind the scene" pictures that I never post but help me describe stuff or just remember what we did in what order.

I sashayed along the path
to the back of the tea house.

I see a little alien!

I'll just let the photos do
the talking...
(You're welcome.)

Beautiful, all of them!

Did you see it in this chapter?

Yep!

Not sure if you're talking about @Pluto0809 or @pkondz that's royalty.

If the latter, I never realized the jester was considered royalty.

Well, I've already met @Pluto0809 so...

 

[KathyM2]

I went to Portland's
Japanese Garden.

I think even I could have predicted that one, and I'm not even much of a regular on the DIS lol

I told you that Mt. Hood
would make another
appearance in this TR.

Such a great pic!! I was in that area once about twenty years ago and have wanted to go back since. I hope to get a chance soon.