Europe 2014

Portland, 7-15 July

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		As we were approaching Zürich, Lynn saw this power station producing a spectacular plume of steam. *
		The main reason for visiting Portland was to see our son, his wife, and the 3-year-old grandson, Ryden. He was far more interested in his sand pit than in us. *
		We visited Cathedral Park on the banks of the Willamette River, under St John's Bridge. *
		Salt & Straw is an ice cream shop of some renown in Portland. *
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		Ryden eventually managed to devour all of this giant donut. *
		We had booked two nights on the Oregon Coast, but when we arrived at Cannon Beach it was wet and windy and cold, even though Portland was sweltering in 38° C. †
		Ryden took shelter under an umbrella and played with sand again. *
		Eventually the weather became so unpleasant that we decided to head south towards our accommodation at Rockaway Beach. *
		We stopped in the little town of Wheeler to have a coffee, and found it quite beautiful in the late afternoon light. †
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		The next morning, it was still a bit windy at Rockaway Beach, but not enough to stop a small boy. *
		This was our apartment block, seen from the beach. *
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		We went into the town centre to get some food, and saw the preserved steam train. †
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		By late afternoon, the weather had improved. †
		Back in Portland, we visited Pittock Mansion in the hope that the weather might be clear enough to see the volcanoes that surround Portland, but no luck. †
		At least the roses were in bloom. *
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		Cam and Nick. *
		Back in town, we had lunch at a very traditional New York Jewish deli. *
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		As we were at Portland airport, waiting for our flight to Vancouver, we finally managed to get a look at Mount Hood. *

That finishes our travels, but there are some notes on our hotels.