Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Image courtesy of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce

Seated at the confluence of the Columbia River and the fertile Hood River Valley, the town of Hood River is perfectly positioned to allow visitors to pick and choose from exhilarating activities and delicious food. These two offerings are highlighted each year with the Hood River Harvest Fest (Oct. 19-21). The weekend-long, old-fashioned fall celebration has been happening for 30 years and offers many ways to get a taste of Oregon, no matter which flavor is your favorite. (more…)

The Quest for Fire team at the 2008 Portland Urban Iditarod.

I admit it. I’ve been slacking. Maybe that’s too harsh – I’ve been too busy promoting Portland and Oregon to really enjoy it myself. If I were the kind of person to make a resolution, it would be to get out and see more of the city I love. I’ve gathered so many great ideas from our Twisitor Center on Twitter and there are some things that I’ve simply never tried.

So, in no particular order, here’s my Top 10 for 2010:

10. Visit Mill Ends Park. I work in downtown Portland and I’ve never been! But this is the year that I check out the world’s smallest park (and only leprechaun colony west of Ireland), located at S.W. Naito and Taylor.

9. See the Portland Urban Iditarod. As a former Alaskan, I feel it’s my duty to watch the Portland twist on this classic race.  (more…)