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29 Jun 2020

Portland, OR 2020





Portland has been known as the Rose City, since 1888. They have thousands of rose bushes lining 20 miles of streets. 






We visited Washington Park,  a popular Portland tourist destination, with more than 9,500 rose bushes representing over 600 varieties. I was disabused of the notion that there were just red roses and a few yellow ones.




 
We called on Robyn Luchs and husband Perry Kenin, Crystal Cruise buddies, and absolutely loved their beautiful Portland woodsy home.


 
Robyn prepared a lavish five course feast that was worthy of a gourmet restaurant meal.
 

 
I have known for years that Perry dabbled in pottery and glass art. I had no idea how accomplished he is, nor what a major studio he has. 


 
The big kiln could only fit outside. He built it himself since there was no way to bring one in.


 
His pièce de résistance is a huge beautiful piece of glass art that hangs over their fireplace.
Thanks for hosting us.








28 Jun 2020

Bend, OR; Kayaking 2020

We had a half day to spend in Bend and did not want to waste it. After considerable research we signed up for a kayak tour with Wanderlust Tours. 
As alway this trip, we were quite concerned (due to Covid) about being with a group. They accommodated us quite well, in that we had our own kayak and we followed their group shuttle in our own vehicle to the lake.
Just the 45 minute ride up to Hosmer Lake would have been a worthwhile, gorgeous side trip. Mount Bachelor and two other mountains were right in our face.
Believe it or not I fell in to the lake. Our terrific guide Katie asked me to turn around and smile for a photo. She said it was the first time she ever saw one of these kayaks capsize.








27 Jun 2020

Boise, ID 2020

Yes we actually passed through Boise, and had a great day.

We have been on the road for about a week and Boise is the first big (pop. 228,000) city we have visited. To do something different, I put together a unique eclectic tour for Allyn featuring many of her interests – prisons, art, Jewishness, and humanitarianism. However, the biggest treat was our evening with our friend from cruising, Cathy Tai. 

Congregation Beth Israel, founded 1895, is the oldest continuous running synagogue west of the Mississippi. 

Moses Alexander, mayor of Boise and governor of Idaho, was an early leader of the congregation.

In 2003 the building was moved from its original location. During the move, documentation was discovered showing that it was partially financed by Marshall Field and Levi Strauss & Co.



 

Freak Alley is said to be the largest outdoor gallery in the Northwest, and has been a Boise institution since 2002. 

 

 

 

 

The Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is a .81-acre educational park inspired by Anne Frank's faith in humanity. Etched in the stone throughout the Memorial, the quotes are from diverse regions and times.  The words memorialize the universality of the struggle against injustice and oppression. 

 

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise has been named one of only 11 United States sites to receive a sapling from the actual Anne Frank Chestnut Tree in Amsterdam. The sapling is planted in the Memorial.

 


The Old Idaho Penitentiary opened in 1872 to some of the West’s most desperate criminals. They closed 101 years later. They had 500 prison breaks of which 90 were successful. Juviniles were housed here.


 

 

The beautiful rose bushes were always there and tended by the inmates.

 

 

Here we can see the indoor gallows trap door from the viewing room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









26 Jun 2020

Shoshone Falls, UT

 

Don’t miss Shoshone Falls next time you are in Twin Falls, Idaho.

 

 

Shoshone Falls is one of the largest natural waterfalls in the United States. They are higher than Niagara Falls. 

 

Shoshone Falls is located on the Snake River.

 

 

They were formed about 15,000 years ago by a catastrophic flood that sent about 1,500 times the average annual water down the Snake River in just a few weeks. That is why the canyon is so deep and dramatic.

 

 









24 Jun 2020

The Arches National Park

Today we visited The Arches National Park. It houses the largest density of natural sandstone arches in the world. We took an off road tour in order to see things generally not available. 
The Arches lies atop a salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area. This salt bed is thousands of feet thick in places and was deposited some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated.
The short story – arches are formed by corrosion which doesn’t stop and eventally they fall down.
The beauty doesn't stop.
You can guess why they call this rock Nefertiti.
The white top of some of the rocks came from the Pacific Ocean which shows there was a major climate shift millions of year ago.
 
They even have many actual dinasaur tracks in the park.