Page 177 - WDT INTERACTIVE

Trail, a route followed by members of the Lewis and
Clark expedition in 1806. On this latter trail, I bathed
in the evergreen forest, imagining those explorers on
this very same spot more than 200 years ago.
Driving south along Highway 101 from Cannon
Beach another day, I found the coast dotted with
day-use state parks inviting exploration. I stopped at a
couple — Hug Point and Oswald West — to hike short
trails through the coastal forests to the sea.
Driving back to Portland, I headed north up
Highway 101 to Astoria to take Highway 30 back to
the city. I wanted to see some of the Lewis and Clark
National and State Historical Parks — one of the
nation’s newest national parks. This park consists
of 12 different areas that mark milestones on Lewis
and Clark’s expedition during the winter of 1805-06.
I visited Fort Clatsop, which was the group’s winter
encampment area. A recreation of the fort is fascinat-
ing, and some easy trails wind through here along the
Netul River.
In Portland, I based myself at the Heathman Hotel,
built in 1926 and centered on a two-story-high lobby
library that encourages lingering. It also offers some
sweet extras, like complimentary bicycles, a pillow
menu, and room delivery of Portland’s famous Salt
& Straw gourmet ice cream. Located on Broadway,
the Heathman is within walking distance of virtually
everything in downtown’s center city. It is just a
couple of blocks from the wonderful Portland Art
Museum, where I went a couple of times.
But my favorite thrills in urban Portland involved
more forest bathing.
My highlight was the Japanese Friendship Garden
set within Portland’s Washington Park. I took Uber
to get there; free shuttles to the garden from the
Washington Park MAX light rail station operate only
from April through October and I was there Nov. 1.
Designed in 1963, Portland’s Japanese Friendship
Garden covers 12 acres with eight separate garden
areas. “Upon entering a Japanese garden, the hope is
to realize a sense of peace, harmony and tranquility,”
it says. “Three primary designs are used in every
Japanese garden design: stone, the ‘bones’ of the
landscape; water, the life giving force; and plants, the
tapestry of the four seasons.”
On that Nov. 1, I was literally agape at the bright
reds and oranges and yellows among the Japanese

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 177