Go Off-the-Grid and Get Centered At Breitenbush

by   November 12, 2019 with No Comments
· Reading Time: 3 minutes

River carries life with spawning salmon

Trees dappled with autumn golds

Spirits soak under canopy of branches

Water nurtures and mends

Silverware clinks with satisfaction

Cell phones uninvited

Time only regulated by faraway gongs

Sanctuary surrounds

Peace holds within as you leave,

Hearts full and souls revived.

THE DAY STARTS WITH A GONG

At Breitenbush Hot Springs, the gong reverberates throughout the retreat space to signal meal time is near. Farm fresh, organic, vegetarian meals are thoughtfully crafted for all who visit this off-the-grid sanctuary. Special diets are honored with care and ingredients are listed for each meal.

TIME TO SOAK

You can opt for a yoga class in the morning followed by soaking in their natural hot springs or treat yourself to a therapeutic massage. They don’t mess around at this place, one and half hour massages are your only option, so book and know that self-care is important to your health. When you check in, they ask you, “Is this a personal retreat or are you here for a workshop?” When you attend just to visit, it is a personal retreat. Which means, you do what you want to do. The only timelines that you want to note are meal times and if you have a massage booked. Besides that, enjoy the solitude and natural surroundings of birds, the river, sunlight streaks through branches and buzz-bing-ding free zone.

EXPLORE

Short hikes take you around the resort, crossing log bridges covered in a canopy of greenery. One and half mile hikes extend to five mile hikes with steep inclines and a payoff of beautiful views.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Be prepared for rustic cabins with optional half-bath facilities. Group housing in shared bunk facilities are available for the bargain-hunter and a few lodge rooms are also available if you want to be near the action.

Travelers from around the world seeks this place out for it’s unusual healing waters and off the grid (no cell reception) environment that we all crave and need.

After soaking in the spiral tubs that range from warm to very hot, take the cold river plunge in the giant wooden tub and relish in the endorphin rush.

 

GET QUIET & REFLECT

If quiet is really what you need, they have a silent soaking pool that overlooks the meadowlands. Walk the meditative labyrinth or lay near the riverbed and stare up at the sky as the rushing water centers you back to who you are as a human on this planet.

In the summer they have camping options as well—vehicle camping, tent and platform tents with mattresses from Memorial day to September.

BOOK NOW, NOT LATER

Booking is difficult and this place sells out. Two nights feels like one week  so imagine what a week would be like. I’ve only stayed two nights but 3 nights is on my bucket list.

TRAVELER NOTES

Things to consider, clothing is optional in the soaking areas. No hair dryers are allowed due to the energy it sucks. It is a drug-free/alcohol free zone. You will need to bring your own coffee. It is a long gravel road up to the sanctuary—the winter time can have really heavy snow. There are no televisions and no cell reception.

Downtown at the Duniway

by   November 19, 2018 with No Comments
· Reading Time: 2 minutes

With my BFF in town, I wanted to book a fun hotel downtown where we could stay close to everything and have some nice perks. I have stayed at the Hilton Downtown Portland before and had been amazingly surprised at the service that we received. It was clean, remodeled, and is also a big conference center. When I searched the hotel for rooms it offered me a special to stay at the Duniway, across the street from the Hilton. It is a boutique hotel with a rooftop patio (called Abigail’s Hideaway) on the eleventh floor with a small gym and indoor pool. When I looked at the photos of the luxe beds and swanky bar, I jumped on it.

We checked into the hotel and were put into a room on the 19th floor with a peek-a-boo view of Willamette River and Pioneer Square. The rooms are very modern and comfortable. The bathroom mirror is beautiful and lit well for make-up application, it had a single sink and no drawyers, but it did have a small shelf. The shower and bathroom were small but adequate. The bath towels and robes are wonderful! They could do more to think of women staying at the hotel. For it being named after an Oregon trailblazer, Abigail Duniway, the should have more mirrors and storage. Besides that, I loved this hotel!

I was so happy with the Nespresso-type coffee maker and mini fridge. If you are a Hilton Honors member (free to join) you get the first free bottle of water and wifi. I went up to the 11th floor where the mini-gym is and refilled my water with their filtered water at the gym. Pro tip: The hotel gyms typically have free filtered water for gym users, if you are in a city with poor water quality, use that for your water!

The restaurant, Jack Rabbit, is definitely high-end, we didn’t eat dinner there but did enjoy the breakfast! The valet, concierge and lobby staff are super friendly and accommodating.

We ended up Lyfting to NW 23rd to shop at Sloan, Francesca’s, Keihls and Halo Shoes and walked down to Piazza Italia for dinner. After standing in line for ice cream at Salt & Straw we hit the easy button and grabbed a Lyft again back to the Duniway where our bathrobes and rooftop heaters were waiting for us. We enjoyed the sunset reflecting off of the building as we drank wine and watched people play corn hole.

I loved this hotel and look forward to another fun weekend here! If you can afford a nicer price tag, the Riverplace Hotel is where it’s at for river views, amenities and service. The Duniway is a nice option for you otherwise. I’m hoping someday in the near future I can write about my adventures at Riverplace! For now, I just stop by and sip wine with good friends like I did while Shannon was here and rocked in the river view rocking chairs.

Time Travel at The Vintages Trailer Resort

by   August 27, 2018 with No Comments
· Reading Time: 6 minutes
1950’s Retro RV

The Vintages were a bucket list place to stay after driving by on a girls’ wine tasting weekend. I’m a fan of glamping and thought it would be the perfect place to stay while celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary.

This place did not disappoint. The vintage trailers are all unique and are marked by adorable street lamps that line Chardonnay Lane. The larger the number, the farther back off of the highway.

While ours was number 15, the highway noise was minimal and offset by beautiful views. The 1951 M System Special Deluxe is old school and a bit more masculine than I like. I kept picturing Don Draper from Mad Men sipping a gin martini in this baby.  I really wanted to stay in one of the Airstream’s but the M System was the last spot available. The bed sloped down so I rolled into my husband all night (which isn’t the worst thing in the world).

After booking our place, I then googled for a ‘hop on and off’ wine tour bus. To my amazement, there is a new company, NW Wine Shuttle, that has answered our prayers for wine tasting in beautiful Oregon! I tried using the word, Vintages, for the discount code and ta-da, it worked and took off ten dollars. Super proud of myself, I booked it like I stole it and then found out they had a special on Living Social for sixty. Darn it! Pro tip: Always search Living Social and Groupon first! NW Wine Shuttle picks up at the Vintages at 9:55 am and they also do round trips from Portland. Yay!

It felt like we were transported to a bygone era where kids played in the streets and people sat on their front porch to say hi to neighbors.

TIPS AND OBSERVATIONS

  • They do not have pots or pans to cook anything on the BBQ (bring skillet or griddle if you want breakfast).
    • The stove inside the trailer doesn’t work.
  • Bring your adventure hat – this is still RV camping after all!
  • No outdoor fireplaces – but they do have a beautiful gas fireplace lounge and you can rent your own mini gas fireplace for your spot.
    • The outdoor fireplace lounge closes at 10 pm.
  • They have real showers and bathrooms.
    • Bring a shower cap if you don’t want to wash your hair. The shower head is made for very tall people and hit me right in the face the entire time – not the most pleasant experience.
    • They don’t have plugins in the bathroom, so don’t expect to dry your hair there.
    • They have great robes to go back and forth – and slippers!
  • The fridge is small so I suggest bringing a cooler as well.
  • Bring your own throw blankets – get cozy
  • The trailers have A/C and a little electric fireplace.
  • Not all beach cruisers are created equal–call and reserve good ones! We got two beat-up ones and were jealous of the cruisers with cup holders and baskets (ours had neither).
  • Bring extra hangers for your clothes – it is tight quarters and can get messy. With built-in closets, it’s a great way to organize your belongings and make it a better experience.
  • The laundry room doesn’t have laundry products, so bring your own supplies. But it has a secret library!

The Vintages is a small part of a larger RV park full of full and part-time residents. We had a great time riding our bikes through the park and saying hi to everyone along the way.

The twinkle light trees, vintage trailers, and whir of bike spokes transport you back to a different era.

SUNSET AT THE VINTAGES

The twinkle light trees, vintage trailers, and whir of bike spokes transport you back to a different era. It felt like we were transported to a bygone era where kids played in the streets and people sat on their front porch to say hi to neighbors. We sat in our Adirondack chairs and sipped our local wine while waving to fellow campers and watching the pink sky fade to black. We will be going back to this place again! I can’t wait to stay in a different trailer and compare it with our M System Deluxe.

WINE SHUTTLE IS THE WAY TO GO

Wine Tasting with NW Wine Shuttle – They have two buses that pick up and drop-off, starting at the tasting rooms by Babica Hen. We enjoyed an incredible breakfast at Babica before venturing out wine tasting for the day. Babica Hen is a place that you would find in Portland – fresh food with a great palate. The service is slow so be prepared to check your patience and just enjoy the time.

The shuttles pick you up around every 30-45 minutes and are stocked with bottles of water to keep you hydrated! Currently, the bus stops at 14 different vineyards and tasting rooms. Pro tip: you can stay and ride to your favorite winery before stopping off at the others. We skipped the first one and then came back to it at the end of the day. We picked up some nice Rosé at Tertulia Wines and a pretty bottle of Pinot at Angela Wines and a divine bottle of Chardonnay at Domaine Serene and Reisling at Stoller.

You can store your wine with NW Wine Shuttles and pick it up at the end of the day. We packed a lunch for a fun picnic but found it difficult to picnic anywhere with the yellow jackets out in full force. It made it impossible to eat without being swarmed. I think next time we will just enjoy a beautiful platter of food served up by one of the wineries and skip the hassle. Stoller has the best place to picnic if you have your heart set on that.

Make sure to get on the correct bus – we ended up getting on a bus heading back to Portland. They had no announcement of any sort or markings for the bus. Thankfully, we noticed right away and said something to the driver. They are a new operation so they are working out the kinks-so just make sure this doesn’t happen to you!

All in all, the NW Wine Shuttle was affordable and easy.

All in all, the NW Wine Shuttle was affordable and easy. Their app doesn’t work and the timelines are not predictable, but what I do know is that we didn’t have to drive and they really care about you having a great experience. A shout out to Andre who decided to start this service for all of us. Let’s keep using them so we don’t have to Uber or Lyft! Make sure to have a few dollars in your pocket to tip the drivers.

We can’t thank the Vintages and NW Wine Shuttle enough for making our anniversary a great one!

Glamping Girls Weekend at Pampered Wilderness

by   August 30, 2014 with No Comments
· Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Pampered Wilderness is located in Millersvania State Park. They have six cabins to choose from – the one we stayed in was called the Country Cabin with two full-size beds.

When they say that you don’t need much more than your clothes and food, they are not kidding. This place has everything you need to kick back and camp. When you drive through the entry point of the Millersvania, you don’t need to pick up any shower coins or pay for parking. They have you covered! We purchased another set of shower coins but found out that we didn’t need them and walked around passing them out to the non-luxury campers.

ITEMS WORTH SCHLEPPING: (Besides the typical sunscreen and swimsuits, etc.)

  • Your own cooler with food and drinks – they have a small fridge that can hold some food.
  • Bug spray – we didn’t have issues but it is always a good thing to bring!
  • Extra pillows and throw blankets
  • Beach towels
  • Water supply

They have a cute little lake in the park where you can rent paddleboards, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes.

They have a cute little lake in the park where you can rent paddleboards, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes. We opted for a day on the lake with kayaks and had a GREAT time! They have a bunch of junker bike cruisers that are fun to ride around the park. They will give you a code for them when you check in.

THINGS TO KNOW:

There is one tiny grocery/quick mart called Scott Lake Grocery with a small selection of food and supplies. Pack before you go: there is nothing around this park.

There is a GREAT beer garden in the park, Lakeside Grill & Boats. Absolutely stop by this place and enjoy some good food. We ended up buying sandwiches and quesadillas and bringing them back to the campsite. It’s tucked up behind the lake. Lakeside, where the boat rentals are has ice cream and sandwiches, etc. They also stock lighter fluid, toothbrushes, charcoal, shampoo, etcetera at the grill.

Boat hours: 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (last boat in)

Grill hours: 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Scatter Creek Winery is about a 10-minute drive by Google Maps but is more like 15-20 minutes and is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. They have a restaurant along with beer (and of course wine!).

 

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Views of Portland at Pittock Mansion

by   August 30, 2014 with No Comments
· Reading Time: 2 minutes
The road is windy and narrow as we drive up the hill to meet the treetops. Greenery and fresh air meet you us as we slow down and open the sunroof. Smiles start to form as we turn down our internal city tempo to a peaceful pace.

Parking is FREE up along the hiking trail parking spots and up at Pittock Mansion itself. There is a two stall unisex bathroom next to the gift shop and ticket booth-stocked with soap and toilet paper! Yay!

Pittock Mansion is a must-see place if you are visiting Portland and a right of passage for any local resident. It was built in 1914 by Georgiana and Henry Pittock. They have some cool events that go on throughout the year that I just learned about. I think as one gets older, we appreciate these things more.

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