We thought Bend, Oregon needed another day or two of exploration, but the road called and we were excited to head to Portland, where my (Andrew’s) cousin Geoffrey, his partner Anna and their beautiful four-year-old daughter, Elise, awaited us. Before departing Bend, we enjoyed one of our best breakfasts of the trip at Cafe Magie, took a quick dip in the hot tub (Hotel Oxford didn’t have a pool, but the kids insisted on a swim) – and piled in to Bessie. 

We drove out of high desert and into thick green forests which climbed the eastern Cascades, heading straight for the towering prominence of snow-covered Mt. Hood. 

We were debating lunch spots when the sign popped up for a sharp right turn to drive straight up Hood to Timberline Lodge. We had to take it! We climbed higher and higher, to almost 6,000 feet,  into the 38 degree air and snow. 

Timberline Lodge was always a great Northwest destination, even before it was made famous by the creepiness of The Shining. Its features were formed and fashioned by great craftsmen from another time – specifically FDR’s New Deal, from 1936-1938. Every rock was carefully chosen for its hearths, and every newel post was hand-carved with northern woods creatures. Even the furniture was still original, down to the restaurant’s heavy handmade chairs. 

We felt blessed to be together in yet another special place. But the real blessing awaited us, down the the western slope of the Cascades in Portland. 

Geoff Rogers is my cousin. He is a few years older, and I always looked up to him when I was a boy. He would visit us often, and I remember how excited my mother would be when he would come over, because he was so bright and conversational and interesting. 

Geoff has lived in the Pacific Northwest for almost 20 years, and called Portland home for the past 17. One of the greatest gifts he and Anna gave us was their home, which they moved out of to give us three bedrooms, our own kitchen and a washer/dryer (an essential for a traveling family!). 

It wasn’t until our second day in Portland that we found out they’d moved into a home under heavy renovation so we could have an entire house to ourselves. We have rarely been so humbled as we were when we stumbled upon the single room Geoffrey, Anna and Elise were sharing and discovered they’d be sleeping on a pullout couch while we luxuriated in beds of our own. 

Our time with them was memorable in so many ways – sometimes you don’t know how much you miss someone until you have the opportunity to spend quality time together again. 

On our first full day in Portland, we took a page from our Bend playbook and decided that finding the kids an awesome place to stretch their legs and their imaginations should be first on the agenda. 

We drove to Portland’s heavily-wooded Washington Park and met Geoffrey, Elise and Towles’ friend from college, Ashley Cartmel, who arrived with her boys, to play on a fantastic playground there. 

After sufficient sliding, running and hiding, we walked up to Washington Park’s world-famous rose garden. We were lucky enough to wander into the garden during the “coronation ceremony” of this year’s Rose Queen. 

Afterwards, we found a great little Italian place with homemade pastas, and the kids enjoyed some splash time at a downtown fountain. 

That evening, we arrived at the home under renovation for a cookout, where we realized just what a sacrifice Geoff, Anna and Elise were making for us. I confess I welled up with cousin-tears. 

We took to the Columbia River Gorge in the morning. The Gorge is deep and wide and has a great sense of history. We climbed the old observation house to look upriver and see Beacon Rock, named Broken Rock by Lewis and Clark when they finally completed their Northwest passage 200+ years ago. 

We then hiked to the famous arch bridge of Multnomah Falls. There, Geoff, Towles and I rotated carrying Elizabeth and Peter on our shoulders and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the waterfall. 

Afterwards, we had lunch overlooking the river at the Bridge of the Gods. True to form, the lunch place was unassuming enough, and cafeteria-style, but offered locally sourced meats for their burgers and gourmet quality soups – an Oregon characteristic we couldn’t get enough of. 

On the way back in to Portland, we stopped at the Bonneville Dam to see the salmon run and take in the sheer volume of the northern spillway. 

Later that night, we were able to go out with Geoff and Anna to a great tapas restaurant called Toro Bravo, where we enjoyed more of Portland’s excellent epicurean sensibilities. 

In the morning, we would head to Seattle via Cannon Beach, along the rocky Oregon shoreline, after one more breakfast with our generous hosts. 

We can’t wait to come back!