Oregon Adventure thru the Eyes of a Miniature Schnauzer

Sun: On Aug 23, 2004 we began our road trip to Oregon . Since I was not old enough to drive--besides I was not tall enough to reach the pedals—I was the back-seat driver on this trip. Okay, I was more like the back-seat sleeper. This was a special trip as I was celebrating my one-year birthday with my parents Stephen and Theresa. By the way, my name is Hänsel--the dog with the umlaut :-)

Other than looking outside the window I did a lot of power napping.

After several breaks for gas, lunch, and coffee and about 7 hours of driving, we arrived at Ashland, Oregon. http://www.oregoncitylink.com/ashland/attract.htm

After a long drive it was good to stretch my legs--remember that I have 4 legs to stretch out! Ashland is famous for its Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It’s also chockfull of restaurants and shops that catered to tourists. I did get the chance to go inside this store (Northwest Nature Shop: 154 Oak Street) to help Mom pick out an astronomy book for Grandpa Rush’s birthday. We started to take advantage of the fact that Oregon does not have sales tax!

We walked around town and found Pasta Piatti (858 E. Main St.). Though there was a nice patio area for dining, but they did not allow dogs. I was so disappointed. I had to sit outside the gate while my parents were dining on Dungeness crab ravioli. I did have a good time greeting tourists that walked past me and felt sorry for me. Yes, I was a "people magnet!"

After dinner we walked along the Bear Creek Greenway. Though I was not allowed to walk inside the park we did hike along the periphery of the park. We even got to enjoy a free concert at Lithia Park. I did not think these two musicians are quite ready to compete in "American Idols."

Mon: After a nice evening of restful sleep, we had breakfast in the nicely landscaped garden. Okay, I had my regular dog food. My parents enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast of fruit parfait, Belgium waffles, and sausage. My Dad would not even allow me to have a cup of tea. We stayed at the Patterson House B&B. http://www.patterson-house.com/ 

On the way to Crater Lake we stopped at the Rouge River Gorge. I was very impressed by the rushing and thunderous water.

My mother was not too impressed with Crate Lake . She thought the drive was too long. The weather was too cold and cloudy. The park rangers did not even allow me to hike on the trail. However, my Dad and I had a good time enjoying the scenery.  http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/or_crate.HTM 

One of the highlights of the day was sitting on my mother’s lap while on a rocking chair at the front of the Crake Lake Inn. I was a "rock" star :-) It was a pity that I did not get the chance to sample the hamburgers that my parents were having.

After a long drive home my parents surprised me by bring me to the Ashland Dog Park . It was the best dog park that I’ve ever been to because of the vast lawn. I got to play with a number of dogs. The Dog Park is located just off West Nevada Street behind the Ashland Greenhouse and Nursery.

We then walked around town in search of a good restaurant. We found it at Bull’s Eyes (Ashland Springs Hotel 212 East Main St.). I enjoyed looking at the passer-by’s while my parents sipped a Cosmopolitan, a glass of Pinot Gris, and a glass of ice cold Oregon brewed beer. I just don’t understand why I was stuck with my regular dog food while my parents enjoyed their dinner of grilled salmon, sautéed prawns, and a fabulous dessert of Banana Foster. "Waiter, where was my dessert? Don't forget to bring a skinny double de-cafe cappuccino with sprinkles of cinnamon!"

Tue: We did some window shopping at Ashland . We then drove to Weisingers Winery just to the south of Ashland. We had a great view of the Rouge Valley . My parents also bought several bottles of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Merlot. ( http://www.weisingers.com/ 3150 Siskiyou Blvd)

Exploring the historic Jacksonville was interesting. I got some water to quench my thirst while my parents had ice cream for lunch. They even bought a bamboo chopping board at a boutique kitchen store. Remember, no sales tax!

Shopping and wine tasting may be fun for my parents. However, going back to the Ashland Dog Park was something that I truly enjoyed. Fortunately for my parents I did not jump into the pool to cool off. The tub does resemble a huge water bowl.

My parents then had dinner at the Plaza Café. Dad had an interesting fresh King Salmon baked with peaches, plums, and berries.

I was so exhausted from the day’s activities. I did not mind going to bed early while my parents enjoyed “A Raisin in the Sun.” This was a very powerful and moving African American play. They saw the play at the Angus Bowmer Theater. ( www.osfashland.org )

Wed: How much begging do I have to do in order to get some breakfast around here? Surely I deserve a nice strip of bacon.

This should have been a very low-key day as we just needed to drive from Ashland to Portland . Everything was going smoothly. Mom was driving on I-5 just past Grant Pass. Dad was relaxing and reading the newspapers. I was really enjoying the scenery by looking outside the side and rear windows. “Houston, we have a problem.” Theresa exclaimed that we had a flat tire. Fortunately she calmly steered the car to the side of the freeway. There were numerous 18-wheelers thundering past us. Dad was able to reach the AAA emergency road service right away even though the cell phone was very low on battery. The tow truck came and changed our tires. We then drove into Grant Pass and got a new pair of tires replaced. After 3 hours waiting at Dairy Queen we were on the road again. It was very exciting.

What’s the worst part? The 3 hour delay? The flat tire? The expense of getting new tires? Nope. During all the excitement my tummy got so disturbed that I had a bad case of diarrhea inside the car! I tried to cover up the mess with a beach towel to no avail. Dad had to clean me, my bed, and the backseat up at a gas station. It was horrible. I felt so embarrassed. At least this has been a very memorable vacation so far.

[ Postscript: The Acura dealer apologized to my Mom profusely and has offered us $250 credit for the next repair bill. I wonder if I can sue them for mental anguish? :-)]

It was great when we finally arrived at Portland and checked into the Vintage Plaza Inn. I was very impressed by the room. It was one of the special “Starlights” room that has a slanted window that allowed a great view of the sky and the nearby skyscrapers in downtown Portland. The room also had an interesting exotic Arabian night theme. We stayed at room 1011. The room was very nice. 

Unfortunately one evening at 3:30 in the morning we were disturbed by all these yelling and swearing between a couple. As the argument carried on we realized that the couple was arguing on their honeymoon night! What a way to start a marriage. We nearly called the Front Desk after hearing a lamp being broken. However, things quieted down after the man stormed out of the room.  http://www.vintageplaza.com/ 

Thur: Despite the drizzling rain we were able to explore downtown Portland and even did a little bit of window shopping. In the afternoon we went to the best place on this whole trip for me. Mt Hood? Columbia Gorge? Crater Lake ? The highlight was actually visiting my parents' friends from college Annett and Mark because they have a large country home that had two goats, 8 chickens, and a large yard! I had so much fun visiting the chickens and running on the grass. I had a specially great time playing with Jonathon and David.

Fri: Fortunately the rain stopped. Portland is a great city to visit when it’s sunny and warm. We explored the Pearl district. Mom was especially impressed by the huge Powell book store and also the well stocked Whole Foods grocery store. This is a very upscale area. There is even a Doggie Day Care place. I got the chance to model a cow boy hat!

Since we were about half way done with our trip we decided to do laundry. Well, I was good to travel with since I did not have any clothes that have to be washed. I did help to make sure that the laundry was drying properly.

Here was an interesting movable sculpture that I was too short to reach, but my Dad could not resist the temptation to move it. This was outside the huge Powell Books.

Walking along the Waterfront was a lot of fun. I got to cool off from the afternoon heat by standing close to the mist. It was a good way to cool off a "hot dog" like myself.

We had a great view of the 6-7 bridges spanning the Willamette river.

We capped off the evening by enjoying an Italian Festival at the Pioneer Square . I even got to meet several dogs.

Sat: My cousin Eric came and spent the day with us doing the Mt. Hook Loop. It was fun traveling with him.

I was impressed by the Bonneville Dam. It was too bad that I could not get a taste of all these salmons that were swimming in the fish ladder.

One of the highlights of the trip was climbing one mile to the top of the Multnomah Falls. It was hot and exhausting. We were all happy that we made it to the top of the falls.

Cousin Eric and Mom (Gee, I guess I should call her Mother Theresa) were discussing the philosophy of life.

We were waiting for our table at Pho Van Bistro at Pearl District. This was an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in the Pearl District.

How come the waiter did not ask me what I wanted to eat?

When I grow up I want to be a Great Dane! Even when I tried to stand up on my hind feet I could not reach this big fella. This Great Dane was 120lbs. He ignored me; he must have thought that I was a small rat. Very humuliating for me.

Boy, I was sleepy. I loved taking naps at our hotel.

Sun: Hotel Vintage Plaza was a great hotel. I'm looking forward to many return visits to this pet-friendly hotel.

Portland Rose Garden was a place that I got to smell many varieties of roses. I even had a great view of Mt Hood on this clear and sunny afternoon.

We had the pleasure of dining with my Grand Aunt Diane and Grand Uncle Ray at Jake's Famous Crawfish. On this pleasant and warm Sunday evening we were able to enjoy al fresco dining.

After dinner we had some gelato. Too bad they did not serve any liver-flavor gelato for me. Dad did have a serving of chocolate hazelnut gelato. He was so impressed that Oregon is the hazelnut capitol of the world.

Mon: On the way to Newport we stopped at Willamette Valley Winery (8800 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR). After some sampling we left with several bottles of Viognier, Pinot Noir, Founder's Reserve Pinot Gris and Estate Chardonnay. Though I was too young to taste wine I could smell!

A fine view of the winery.

We arrived at Newport. I just love to watch birds. If only I could actually jump into the water and chase them, that would have been lots of fun.

I love birds. However, I was not so sure about these sea lions. They were loud, noisy, and smelly! It was good to keep a safe distance away from them. Preferably upwind :-)

Such injustice. While my parents enjoyed a great meal at Saffron Salmon and claimed that this was the best restaurant in the area, I got stuck waiting outside. I did not even get a bowl of clam chowder which my Dad said was the best clam chowder that he ever had. All I got was a bowl of water. At least I amused myself by watching this couple catching crab.

Who said the best sunset is at Hawaii? This is not bad! We had a fun sunset walk on the deserted Nye Beach. I even got to run on the beach without a leash.

The next day we had nice drive along the coast. This was Cape Foulweather. Fortunately this was a warm and sunny day. We also saw the Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area but were disappointed that there were no hiking trails. We also visited the historic Toledo on the Yaquina Bay. Most of the antique stores were closed, though. 

At Depoe Bay I got to quench my thirst with a bowl of fresh water at this "Canine Cafe." Oregon is a very pet-friendly place.

Up and down the Oregon coast near Newport were many scenic spots.

Yes, no sales tax at Oregon. Mom and Dad had fun shopping at a factory outlet. Dad bought two polo shirts from Big Dog, which is my favorite store! Dad also bought some snacks at the Harry and David. However, it was at the "Breach the Moon Gallery" at Newport where Mom and Dad bought their favorite purchase. They finally were able to buy a Moon Jelly glass sculpture by Richard Satava. ( http://www.satava.com/ )

Can life be any better than this? I just love to run on the beach without my leash.

I also got to meet many dogs too.

Nye Beach was a fun place to visit.

I even got to make a tile of my paw prints.

Mom also put my name on this tile. 

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Another sunset walk on the Nye Beach.

Boy, I could almost swim.

Since I had so much fun playing in the water and got so sandy I got to take a warm bath. I did not mind the bath; it's the combing that I hated. We stayed at the Beach House B&B. This was near the Newport Performing Arts Center.

On the way home we stopped at Oregon Dunes. It was just like a huge sandbox. We got to meet a nice couple and their dog.

On the way home we spent our last night at Ashland. We stayed at La Quinta Inn. I appreciated the fact that this pet-friendly place allowed me to stay. However, I did not appreciate all the flees. I was so itchy. At least I consoled myself by the fun time I had at the Ashland Dog Park. "Razzle Dazzle" was the name of this long-haired jack russell terrier. All the other dog owners were worried that their larger dogs would hurt this little 7-lbs dog. However, the owner of Razzle Dazzle assured the other owners by saying that "Don't worry about my dog. He is tough as nail."

Our last hike on our vacation was on the Bear Creek Greenway. Oregon, we will come back again.

List of Restaurants

Portland

• Pazzo Ristorante (627 SW Washington ): This is the restaurant that’s part of the Vintage Plaza Hotel. We got outdoor service. Our hotel room service is also from this restaurant. Theresa had Gnocchi, and Stephen had a delicately baked halibut dish.
• P.F. Chang’s China Bistro ( 1139 NW Couch St .) ( www.pfchangs.com) A nice lunch.
• Pho Van Bistro (1012 NW Glisan): Upscale Vietnamese. We had a great dinner with Eric.
• Jake’s Famous Crawfish ( Corner of 12^th and Stark) ( www.JaskesFamousCrawfish.com ). Theresa and Stephen both enjoyed Seafood Newburg with delicious shrimp and scallop.

Newport

• Saffron Salmon (859 SW Bay Blvd.): Our favorite place. Most upscale. Most yuppie :-)

• Kam Meng Chinese Restaurant (837 SW Bay Blvd.): Seems like the only Chinese restaurant in town. Pet-friendly patio.

• Sada's Sushi Bar (250 SW Bay Blvd.): Good food. Service was extremely slow, though.

I may not be a guide dog. I may not be a service dog. However, I'm a great traveling companion. If you want to bring me along for your next vacation, please make a reservation with my agent (Stephen). Please make your reservation soon as I am very popular :-)

So long for now.

Hänsel