McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel - Wed., May 26 - Thurs., May 27, Days 5 & 6

Warning! I WILL go on and on and on about this hotel. Why? Because I think that it the most unique accommodation we’ve ever stayed at – it’s interesting and it’s FUN. A lot of fun. When was the last time that you stayed in a hotel that was so much fun you didn’t want to leave it? That’s the way it is in the McMenamins hotels.

McMenamins is a family/company that takes old buildings destined for the wrecking ball -- schools, nursing homes, even a “poor farm” and, while preserving the architectural integrity throughout, create wonderful, whimsical accommodations that go far beyond the sterile sameness of chain hotels boasting water slides and free continental breakfast in the lobby.

We stayed at the McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel – the old Kennedy School. It is in an established neighbourhood in Northeast Portland and has been part of the community since1915.

Original classrooms are split in two to form guestrooms. There are no TV’s but there are chalkboards. Bob and I had some great games of Hangman and X's and O's on ours. Nothing X-rated ... honestly.

The hotel is filled with art – it’s almost as much a museum as it is a hotel.

There are four pubs on site and a large restaurant. The pubs are all very unique in their style – there’s even a cigar pub where smoking is actually allowed! The restaurant features a crazy array of light fixtures – no rhyme, no reason – just random prettiness. A very small sampling of the craziness is pictured below. The courtyard off the restaurant features a huge fireplace with three giant chess pieces on top. In the evenings, people sit around the fireplace having drinks. It's nice.

The hotel boasts its own microbrewery on site and they do turn out some wonderful craft beers. The bartender at the Beachcomber Pub in Florence told me to order a “Rubinator” – a combination of their Ruby Ale and their Terminator Stout. Mmmmmmmm …. Hoppy-yummy! In fact, so yummy that I brought some home. The picture below is of one of the pubs -- it's the Boiler Room. It's like a Shop Class gone wild. The other pubs are the Detention Bar (the cigar bar), the Honours Bar (tiny) and the Cypress Room.

There is a beautiful outdoor hot soaking pool -- by itself, it can be described as an elegant ceramic work of art surrounded by lush gardens. It’s definitely well used, though we didn’t.

One of the coolest things that the hotel has to offer is the movie theater. For hotel guests, it’s free. For the public, it’s about $3.00. The theater holds about 300 people and has a full sized screen. Instead of standard seats, it’s furnished with sofas, love-seats, recliners, coffee tables, end tables. You can bring your jug of beer, or your bottle of wine in to sip while watching the movie and anything from munchies snacks to burgers and pizza will be brought to you. It is absolutely the most civilized movie experience ever. We saw “Shutter Island”.

On the second night, there was entertainment in the gymnasium – a four piece band. It was really neat – there were tables and chairs set up all around, and families – hotel guests and otherwise – were enjoying the music with some drinks and snacks. Little kids were up dancing.

The hotel has beautiful gardens all around it. Behind the property is a community garden as well. The plants and trees that surround the hotel, and are present in the courtyard and around the soaking tub are beyond spectacular.

What I really noticed and appreciated is that the hotel is very much integrated and welcomed into the neighbourhood and the neighbourhood is welcomed into the hotel. People from the neighbourhood and beyond come to enjoy a pint, or a meal. For a small price they can enjoy the movies, the soaking tub and the events in the gymnasium.

McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel was absolutely one of the highlights of an already fabulous trip. By the way, this particular hotel was voted #1 Quirkiest Hotel in America by TripAdvisor – but that’s quirky in a really, really good way. We definitely want to return!

Let's Go To Portland -- Wednesday, May 26, Day 5

Heading to Portland.

Allen at Home By The Sea gave us directions that were different from the route we’d planned to take from Port Orford to Portland. I’m glad we followed them.

We took Highway 38 East to I-5. It was beautiful and peaceful – lush green growth on the side of the road, and a wide, clear river to follow. There were small, lovely communities all along the way. I wish we’d stopped to take pictures, but the highway was just a two-laner and there was the odd dork trying to climb into our trunk, so photo-ops were limited.

The first major centre we came to was Eugene – home of the University of Oregon (beautiful campus). We were hungry. Across from the University, we found a Wendy’s. This Wendy’s was, at the time, journal-worthy, and now, a month later, it’s blog-worthy. Why? Because it was immaculately clean, tables cleared off and cleaned, with pleasant staff who actually seemed to give a rat’s rump about our satisfaction. Could we send every employee in every fast food restaurant in Canada there?

Going north along I-5, we sensed that we were getting close to Portland. The traffic was INSANE!!!.. Bob was kind of white-knuckling that gigantic Yukon along the I-5 into Portland at what we thought should be pre-rush hour.

We finally made it to the hotel – still speaking. Ahhhhh …. The hotel. Much, much to be said about the hotel. But first … a beer -- the legendary “Rubinator” that I’d been told to ask for while we were at the Beachcomber in Florence.

********** sigh **********

On the Road to Port Orford -- Tuesday, May 25 - Wednesday, May 26 -- Day 4, beginning Day 5

Leaving Heceta Head was sad. We knew we were going to miss that place. We also knew we’d be back.

Our next stop was Port Orford. The day was rainy and bleak at times, but the drive was still stunning … along the coast … the water, the trees … endless horizons. We drove along the coast, through Port Orford (where we’d be spending the night) down to Gold Beach. If we ever drive that far south again, we WILL be staying at Gold Beach. It’s incredibly beautiful. It’s also very close to California and the Redwood Forest which is a “must see”.

But we had reservations at Home By The Sea B&B in Port Orford, and so we must return. More about that later. What I will do now is just show, without narrative, some of the scenery we saw between Heceta Head and Gold Beach.

The B&B in Port Orford was quite lovely. I could honestly never have imagined a more incredible view from the bedroom window. I spend a lot of time just sitting in the chair looking out at the amazing beach. I had heard from reviews that Allen was a most gracious and attentive host. He was very much that. Allen was very proud of Port Orford and very knowledgeable about the community. He took us on a tour of the town. Anyway … Allen has the distinction of being the only person who ever did or ever will take a picture of Bob and I standing in front of an old Coast Guard boat with the stars and stripes proudly flying over our shoulders. And no – I am not posting it here.

What follows are pictures from our guest room window of the beach below as well as the sights around Port Orford. It really is a lovely place.

A dinner at Paula’s Bistro where we met other diners and had a nice time … back to the B&B to have a glass of wine with Allen, and off to bed … with the window wide open. I wasn’t going to miss a moment of that sound.

Off to Portland in the morning!

Heceta Head Lighthouse Inn, Sunday, May 23 to Tuesday, May 25 -- Days 2, 3 and starting 4

Heceta Head Lighthouse Inn. There just aren't words to describe this amazingly elegant inn, high on the cliffs overlooking the waters and rocks, with the stately lighthouse.

The Inn – you enter into the “guest kitchen” which is equipped with snacks (honour), wine glasses, soft drinks, umbrellas, suggestions on where to go and where to eat in the area.

The house itself used to be a duplex but the dividing wall has since been removed and the two sides of the house are now mirror-images of the other. Each side has a parlour with fireplace. The dining room is central.

Our room was “Victoria’s Room”. Small but very lovely with a tiny bathroom (used to be a closet) and a view of the garden. The bed was very high up – I needed a step-stool.

After resting up and having a glass of wine, we headed off to explore Florence. Along the way, we stopped to watch the sealions on the rocks below. This was approximately half a mile from the Inn. They were amazing! They’re huge … fat … lazy … noisy… smellysmellysmelly … wonderful.

And who knew that Florence had a “Rhododendron Days” festival. Yep. It’s a lovely flower, and it is literally everywhere. So, yes. They have a festival – a fair along the waterfront and all. I have to say that Florence is an enchanting little town. It’s big enough to have a Fred Meyers and a Safeway, but still small and charming. We were a bit hungry and dinner wasn’t for a while, so we stopped in the Beachcomber Pub. That was a treat! It was just your basic pub … nothing fancy or trendy about it, but great atmosphere and a wicked beer list – 17 craft beers on tap and a whole pile more in bottles for off-sales. It was there that I was introduced to and fell in love with … Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. (Happily I’ve found it for sale in Edmonton. Phew.)

The restaurant we went to for dinner – Feast – was a disappointment. I had really looked forward to it, but they changed their menu for “Rhoddy Days” and it was not what we’d expected. Oh well …

We came back to the Inn and relaxed with a glass of wine by the fire with some of the guests. We even played a little Male vs Female “how well do you know your partner” kind of game. Interesting to play that with strangers, but fun.

Off to bed and a sound, wonderful sleep …

Next morning! Showered, dressed, and eagerly anticipating the 7-course breakfast. But first, Bob couldn’t find his keys. He had put them on the night-table the night before, but they weren’t where he’d left them. He found them … tucked behind the little ceramic horse on the table. This was not a place where Bob would put keys. And remember, Bob is the King of the Skeptics when it comes to the paranormal. Did we have a visit from Rue?

Breakfast. How do you describe breakfast? Amazing. Wonderful. Spectacular. And that’s just a start. Breakfast on Day 1 at Heceta Head was:
Fruit cup – gala apples, nectarine, strawberries infused with an orange water / honey mixture.
Raspberry bread
Crab cakes with an amazing sauce.
Raspberry sorbet
Puff Pastry filled with scrambled eggs with several local cheeses, sautéed asparagus and button mushrooms.
Swedish potato sausages.
Oregon blueberry cake
Pink lady apples, local cheese, and homemade caramel sauce.
And coffee, coffee, coffee.

Our breakfast companions that morning were an animated and interesting group. Even a veterinarian and his wife from Louisiana.

With very, very full bellies, we explored the coast. It was an on and off rainy day, but we drove and saw amazing sights.

We went to the Sealion Caves. Wow! Those creatures are amazing. The bulls can weigh 2400 pounds and reach 12 feet in length. The noise was incredible, but oddly the smell wasn’t nearly what we thought it would be. We suspect that they pump a lot of fresh air into the caves. Otherwise, I think it would be an unpleasant place to be.

We saw the dunes. There is no way to describe the dunes. You HAVE to see them. We did some hiking on them, but I’m a little out of shape and the effort of walking on the soft sand was a bit of a challenge. Still, it’s an experience I’m so happy that I had.

We saw so many wonderful things. Every twist and turn brought something new and magical into view. Besides the heart stopping beauty of the coast itself, the growth along the highway is beautiful – lush and green. So very, very green.

We returned to the Inn, freshened up and headed to dinner – again in Florence. This time it was at the Waterfront Depot Restaurant. Verdict? Wow! We had reservations and were brought to a window table where we could watch the river and see some of the dunes. Dinner was amazing. I had their signature dish – Crab Encrusted Halibut with a sweet chili sauce and a salad – for only $11.00. Bob had a pasta dish with so many kinds of seafood. Smoked salmon appetizer … bottle of wine … tab was $70.00. What a treasure!

It was raining as we returned to Heceta Head, and walking up to the Lighthouse seemed like a great idea, and it was. It was rainy, but we had umbrellas and flashlights. It was so dark … all you could see was what was right ahead of you in the flashlight’s beam. But off to the side, you could hear the waves crash against the rocks and the bellowing of the sealions. Then suddenly … gradually … the beam from the lighthouse began to filter through the trees and suddenly you were there! Captivated by the light. It truly was magical. It was an unforgettable experience.

Back to the inn and off to bed.

Another wonderful sound sleep. The beds there are heavenly. You sleep … ummm … like the dead. Bob checked his keys. Yep – exactly where he left them. However, I had folded my laptop lid over the night before, as I always do. I opened the lid to log on and …

… on the keyboard was a candy! It was one of the two little wrapped candies that were in a little dish on that table the night before. My jaw dropped. “Someone” was having some fun with us.

The breakfast crowd on morning 2 was more subdued than the previous morning’s guests, however we did have a young couple on their honeymoon. They’d gotten married the day before – at VooDoo Donuts in Portland! How cool.

Breakfast #2:
Fruit dish topped with white chocolate Frangelico
Banana bread with hazelnut praline topping
Bagle, lox, cream cheese, other toppings
An incredible egg, gruyere, cheddar, seaweed, broccoli yumminess (called Eggs Heceta)
More of those amazing sausages
Cheese blintzes with Marionberry compot
Apple, pear, brie
And that wonderful coffee!

How will we leave this place?

It was a wild and windy morning and I wanted so much to just tuck in with a good book, a blanket, a fire in the fireplace, and savour the view – the pounding waves along the coast. But sadly, we had to leave. But I took my memories with me.

This is a picture that Bob took on our last morning there. Truly stunning.

I will miss the breakfasts, the walks, the ocean, Rue, the cats – fat tabby Mary who is a dear, sweet soul, and sleek, mysterious Sheba, who apparently just showed up one day acting like she owned the place and walked straight up to Victoria’s Room. The staff have “suspicions” about Sheba.

Mostly I'll miss the sound of the waves and the smell of the salt air.

We will be back. We have to.

Heading to Oregon - Sunday, May 23 - Day 2

Mmmmmm ....

Waking up in the Shelburne Inn on Sunday morning … lying under the comforter on that cozy bed … listening to the rain. Ohhhh … with every fiber of my being, I wanted to stay warm and snuggly in bed. But wait! Is that bacon I smell? And coffee? I’m up!

Showered in the amazing deep claw-foot tub. The shower curtain was a little confining, but all was good. The shower was great. Packed up our stuff and down to breakfast. Breakfast was quite a treat. The quality and quantity of food was incredible. Four eggs perfectly scrambled with grated cheddar and crumbled feta on top, bacon extra crispy as I requested, potatoes, “real” toast, fruit, and coffee, coffee, coffee. Bob had an incredible omelette filled with Italian sausage, wild mushrooms, cheese. Reluctantly we finished up our breakfast and checked out, promising to be back.

Seaview is a beautiful little town, and we will return to the Long Beach area. I actually did find out that during the whale migration in March, the area at the tip of Long Beach (Ilwaco) has the highest number of whale sightings along the entire Pacific area. It’s likely because it’s the spot where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific.

On the road we go …

… to that miserable God-forsaken Astoria-Megler Bridge. It connects Washington State and Oregon across the Columbia River. And it’s long. Very, very, very long. How long? 21,474 feet. That’s how long. It was built to withstand 240 km/h winds. That’s nice. I did take pictures, but I must have been so rattled by the thought of being on that bridge that I had my camera setting on “A” for Aperture Priority instead of “Auto”, so … no pictures. Just this one that I copied from the internet.

Oh yeah, I was on that. Yep … ME! With the bridge-phobia. Uh huh. Now, here’s the other kicker – just as we got off that bridge, went a couple of kms and … yes … another long freakin’ bridge. *sigh* I would find out that Oregon has a lot of bridges.

Driving along the coast of Oregon is absolutely amazing. I will use and overuse the words “amazing”, “magical”, “incredible”. And I don’t apologize for that. Seeing the things that we’d seen in pictures before – the Haystacks and Needles at Cannon Beach – is beyond description. Cannon Beach is breath-taking. It’s also a very popular photo-op location, so it was hard to get great pictures with no people in them. Actually, it was really hard for me because at that point, I hadn’t figured out my camera setting blunder yet. I “thought” I was getting some great shots. Back in the car, we discovered my camera glitch and happily, I was able to get some great shots of the rocks from the road.

There were so many wonderful little / medium / bigger towns along the way. We would love to have had time to do some exploring, but we had underestimated the fact that the road was slow and winding and wanting to make it to Heceta Head reasonably on time, we filed those places under “Next Time”.

Canon Beach and Oregon Coast

Washington State - Saturday, May 22 - Day 1

The day began as pretty much every Saturday morning begins for us -- with breakfast at ABC Country Kitchen, except this one was in Abbotsford, BC. Bellies full, we set out for the border -- our first attempt at international travel since the world became a paranoid place post 9/11. We inched toward the border crossing (almost an hour and a half) and finally were "the car". Bob and I are fairly nice people and were not prepared for the hostility and rudeness of the border guard who even questioned why we would want to visit B&B's instead of seeing family and friends. I guess the nice thing about being a border guard is that people can't really tell you to "eff off" even though, with every fibre of their being, they want to. Happily, that was the only asshole we would encounter for (hopefully) the rest of the trip.


The interstate, I-5, is quite an interesting drive -- slow and scenic in spots ... crazy fast in others. Somewhere along the way, starvation set in and we found "Ranch House BBQ", complete with an assortment of decorative pigs outside. I swear it reminded me of a BBQ House I saw on an episode of CSI. Anyway, despite the fact that you could literally hear arteries clog as you ate, it was one of the best damn cheeseburgers I've ever had, and the fries ....

What I have to say about Washington State is that you'll see vegetation -- lush and a shade of green that you'll never see anywhere else. It is so very beautiful.



We completed the rest of our drive, arriving in the little Pacific seaside town of Seaview on Long Beach, WA. We were staying at the Shelburne Inn, a lovely old inn on the main street of town. The Shelburne Inn was established in 1896 as a resort. There are so many lovely features in this home, like the beautiful stained glass windows throughout.



After the long drive, a cold beer was in order and we spent a little time in the pub at the inn meeting some of the locals and enjoying some interesting craft beers. I really liked The Kilt Lifter! We were so comfortable there, we almost reconsidered our dinner reservation.

So glad we didn't. The nice thing about a place like Seaview is that pretty much everything is within walking distance, including The Depot Restaurant. Now, as you can see by the picture, it sort of looks like the kind of place you'd drive by and say "Nahhh." But oh -- what a gem! We had the chef's table (because that's what I reserved) and for a foodie like me, it was pure heaven, watching this guy cook. He knows his stuff. We had Thai Calamari tossed with crispy won tons and Thai Peanut Cilantro Sauce, I had Peruvian Mango Sea Scallops -- three giant sea scallops on a spicy Mango Salsa and topped with pickled red onion (yum, yum, yum) and Bob had the Clams Bucatii -- pasta sauteed with chopped ocean Razor and Willapa Bay Steamer Clams, white wine, lemon, garlic and chili flakes. Dessert was wonderful -- hot apple cobbler with ice cream and home-made caramel sauce and a chocolate / black cherry pot a creme. And an amazing Washington wine -- Mount Baker Cab Sauv washed the whole thing down. A nice walk back to the inn, and a glass of wine with our "new friends" completed the evening. And the pleasant bar tender in the pub ... well, he actually owns the Inn!

Off to dreamland in a beautiful bed and a sound (and much needed) sleep.