Just an everyday normal web geek trying to figure out how to live life. I thought I would document the journey and help those who might be doing something similar. Posts tagged with “travel”
What were we thinking?
Vintage photos are pretty hot right now, thanks to instagram and other similar apps, everyone who has an iPhone is taking photos that look like they are were taken 40 years ago.
Really?
I am not really sure why, but for some reason, when you apply cheesy filters to your ordinary smart phone photos, something happens and the photos look pretty good, or at least better then they did. I don’t know why, but I will still try applying these filters, until at least they go out of style.
Our Favs in Portland
Portland is a fun place. Both Tanya and I love this place, and why not, it has all the stuff we love, cyclo-culture, amazing beer, foodie options, cool districts, chilled out just enough and just a little rough around the edges to make it interesting.
This isn’t an extensive list, we only had two days in Portland and one day was July 4th (everything was closed). These were our favorite activities.
- Rent bikes, if you have a little ones, go Dutch with Clever Cycles
- Get away from the heat in Forest Park
- Buy a baguette from Ken’s artisan bread and and fill it with goods from City Market
- Go to Hop Works Bike Bar
- Eat a Swedish breakfast at Broder, show up early to avoid a line
- Check out Alberta Street
- Eat ice cream from Salt and Straw
- Check out some of the many farmers markets
- Drink coffee in one of the cafes and think up skits for the next season of Portlandia
Other options?
Tanya and I are foodies and our travels usually have a food and drink spin, so if that isn’t your thing, download a copy of Travel Portland Magazine for many more options of what to see, do, and eat.
Ice Cream
While walking down the Alberta street in Portland, we noticed this queue of people. At first we thought it was for some new night club, but it didn’t look like a night club. Upon further investigation, we found that people were waiting 45 minutes for ice cream. Tanya being the ice cream lover she is just had to find out if it was worth the wait. So we waited in line.
Worth the wait?
It was pretty good ice cream. Rich, creamy, full flavour, I guess it was worth the wait. I have waited over an hour for seafood, why not ice cream?
Forest through the mist
Trees…and fog, in Glacier National Park.
From the Summit Logan Pass
The summit of Logan pass is pretty spectacular. Wind swept trees try to survive the harsh conditions, rugged mountains form the background, with snow and trees filling in the rest, what a great view.
Snow?
While standing on a glacier, we came to the conclusion that we had the wrong footwear.
Aspen Trees
I have never really enjoyed the look of Aspen trees. When I was in forestry, I thought if them as a weed. However, in Glacier National Park, the aspen trees are different. The stress of the wind and short growing season creates some of the coolest looking aspen trees I have ever seen.
Green Pastures and Jagged mountains
The scenery along the cowboy trail.
The Cowboy Trail
The Cowboy Trail (hwy 22 & 6) was one of the last things we saw while we were in Alberta. It starts in Mayerthorpe and heads south to the USA border through Waterton National Park. This slower, scenic route is definitely worth the drive. Bright green hills on the left and jagged mountains on the right, this is what I think when I think of Alberta scenery. This is also a great way to end the Alberta part of our holidays.
Alberta Beef
Both Tanya and I never really understood all the fuss with Alberta Beef, we thought that it was like most beef that is produced in North America. But this is no normal beef, and our drive down the cowboy trail was proof of this.
Upon the hundreds of thousands of acres that we saw while driving, we saw many cows eating grass (which is what they are supposed to eat). With the ability to roam free and walk about, this is the reason Alberta Beef tastes so good.
Why does this matter? Most of the beef that is produced in North America is produced in a feedlot. Fueled by corn and 24 hours of light, cows are jammed into a small building to produce what some call meat. Even though this meat is cheaper, I avoid this meat as I don’t agree with its practices.
This trip has changed our view of Alberta Beef, and thanks to the cowboy trail, you can see real cowboys (really, we saw a bunch herding cattle) creating some tasty beef.
Lamp Post
Notice how the signage was chosen to specifically resemble the personality of the neighborhood. As a font and design geek, I quickly noticed this sign and felt the character of Garneau.