Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland – Travel Portland's Staff Blog

TriMet’s new online resource will help you hit the trail at Forest Park, while keeping your car parked at the hotel. Photo: Julia Grieve.

TriMet, the Portland region’s public transportation agency, just launched a cool transit-to-trails guide that makes it even easier for visitors to enjoy the outdoors. 

This new online resource, which highlights more than a dozen outdoor experiences throughout the region, illuminates — and exemplifies the very spirit of — The Intertwine, Portland’s system of interconnected parks, trails and natural areas. 

In other Intertwine news: Oregon Public Broadcasting recently aired an interesting piece about the mural that looms, like a large-scale field guide of sorts, over Southeast Portland’s Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

Our pals at Travel Oregon have unveiled a cool new website dedicated to outdoor activities. The highlights include:

• information on cycling, golf and outdoor adventures in the Portland region – and around the state;
• a list of budget-friendly travel deals, including our own Portland Perks hotel package; and
• the “Win an Oregon Adventurecation Contest.” Among the prizes: a cycling tour of Portland and the Oregon wine country. Enter to win by July 18, 2010.  See website for contest details.

Need further inspiration? Check out TheIntertwine.org, an online guide to the Portland’s regional network of trails, parks and natural areas.

Marc Maron

This weekend, the third annual Bridgetown Comedy Festival brings a slew of funny folks to the clubs, bars and street corners (probably, eventually) of our fair city.

The lineup is truly staggering, featuring Big Names — big to comedy geeks, anyway — like Lizz Winstead, co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show; Marc Maron, formerly Air America’s morning show host, currently the neurotic genius behind the WTF podcast; Scott Adsit of 30 Rock and Moral Orel; Comedian of Comedy Maria Bamford; and many, many others. Scan the performers page and be amazed to learn the names of those previously known to you only as “That one guy” and “You know, her.”

The festival runs Thursday-Sunday, April 22-25. As an avid Maronite, I’m most looking forward to the live WTF taping on Friday night at the Mt. Tabor Theatre. The Live Wire Radio show on Saturday will also be a hoot — the show and its cast are always hilarious, but with guests like Maria Bamford, Lizz Winstead, Scott Adsit and Michelle Shocked, this week’s edition will be something special.

A Waterfall Near Wahkeena Springs

The inspiration to travel can come from just about anywhere. It took a music video by a band from San Francisco to motivate me to take a hike near Portland. The video shows some incredible footage of the Columbia River Gorge, highlighting the beauty of the trees and river, even (and especially) beneath the clouds. The perspective gained by hiking high above the world below is breathtaking.

To follow in my footsteps, begin by walking up the Wahkeena Falls trail, then pass multiple waterfalls (pictured) on the ascent. You’ll be rewarded along the way by incredible vistas of the forest and gorge below. I highly recommend taking a map with you, such as this one, which simplifies the waterfall loops in the area, and allows you to design your own hike depending on time and fitness level. (more…)

Travel Portland / John Hughel

The accolades for Portland’s bike scene are flattering and many.  However, flying with a bike can strain your wallet … plus, there’s the additional stress of carting a bike and tools through the airport.

Thankfully, Portland’s bike-friendliness extends to its plethora of bike-rental options.  Mountain bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, even cargo bikes — you can rent them here for an hour, a day, a week or even a month. Some hotels even include a free bike rental when you stay. There are so many rental options, we created a guide to them all. Here are details on some of my favorites: (more…)

A recent visit to the Lan Su Chinese Garden left me feeling refreshed, inspired and a little poetic.

Let me count the ways:

• Your design is artistic, authentic and exacting: Each sightline is marvelously framed, each stone and plant precisely placed.
• You’re great on a sunny day, but even better when it’s wet. The rain-kissed pond, and the rivulets of water that drip from the roofs, introduce beguiling new patterns.
• As a garden in the heart of Portland’s urban core, you are a metaphor for the city – and a literal escape from it, offering moments of quiet reflection. (Unless, of course, our friend Cheryl VanClacken is tagging along.)
• You engage all five senses. In addition to your calming sights, delicate fragrances and hushed sounds, you offer an experience that is both tactile (note the different textures of the garden’s various walkways) and tasty (be sure to carve out some time to relax in the teahouse).

That’s what I love — what’s your favorite part of the garden?

Takohachi Tako performed after the spring kura blessing at SakéOne

I can now check off one item from my top 10 for 2010, since I attended last month’s kura blessing at SakéOne, the only American-owned producer of saké in the world, based in Forest Grove, approximately 28 miles west of downtown Portland. 

Spring is when we begin to see new life emerge, whether it’s the blossoms on the trees or the flowers that we planted last year, and it’s when SakéOne holds its kura blessing, too. Literally, “kura” means storage or treasure house, but in this context it refers to where the saké is made. (more…)

Richmond Fontaine frontman Willy Vlautin's third novel will be released April 13. Image: vivianjohnson.com

For your reading pleasure: Willamette Week has a nice profile of Portland musician and writer Willy Vlautin. The piece includes an excerpt from Vlautin’s latest book, Lean on Pete, which will be released April 13.

For another preview, check out this cool video, which features music by Willy’s Richmond Fontaine bandmates.

Sun and rain over west downtown, Portland in spring

OK, it’s no secret that we have … some rainy days in Portland. However, even locals tend to go overboard when describing the weather here. April is one of our rainiest months, but even now we get our share of sunshine.

Portland actually has what’s referred to as a Mediterranean climate. Yes, we have unpredictable winters that inevitably include rain, and a bit of snow (and some wonderful sunny days!), but we have beautiful summers that are relatively dry.

Wikipedia has a good climate table about Portland…

Oregon.com also has some good information.

Image courtesy of Carrbridge Films

What is it about March Fourth Marching Band and Portland videos? They must be a perfect match, because they keep showing up together. March Fourth was in our love letter to Portland earlier this year and now we hear them again in this video from Carrbridge Films. (Shared in our Twisitor Center.)

Interestingly enough, I had no idea until I read the information on the YouTube page that there was a World Porridge Making Championship, let alone that the newest champion is Matthew Cox from Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods right in Portland’s backyard. Who knew?