The Rickmans

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View from atop the chairlift at Mt. Hood!

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I haven’t updated in the last couple days as our trip is coming to an end. We’ve been busy hopping all over and exploring new places.

The last time I checked in, we had arrived at the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. We stayed at the lodge for a night, and took time to enjoy the mountain. The lodge was built in 1937 by the WPA and has since stayed preserved and operational. It was a beautiful lodge with huge timber and wrought iron throughout. It was cool to stay in a place with such history, a place built by regular people who needed jobs after the Great Depression. And the building was gorgeous, as was the view.

We had a clear view of Mt. Hood from our room, could chill out on the patios with a relaxing view, and were able to take the chair lift up the mountain. The chair lift was a bit nerve racking for a girl who doesn’t like heights, but was such a cool experience. The views were spectacular: there really is no way to describe it.

We went from the mountains to the ocean. We did have to drive back through Portland - the mountains and ocean are in opposite directions from Portland - and just had to stop for more food. We stopped at Pok Pok, whose claim to fame is their wings. Another thing that was too spectacular to describe! The recipe comes from Vietnam, includes fish sauce and a whole host of amazing flavors. Yum!

We ventured on to Cannon Beach to settle up along the coast. This was my first visit to the ocean: very cool to see! Our hotel was a “quick” mile long walk from the infamous Haystack rock. We happened to visit the rock at low tide, so we were able to get up close, examine the anemones, and play in the tide pools. When we visited Thursday night, it was cold/drizzly, but it cleared up Friday and we were able to spend more time down there.

From Cannon Beach, we ventured further up the coast to Astoria, where one of Chad’s favorites movies (The Goonies) was filmed. We ate a fun Cafe, visited another brewery (we were still in Oregon after all), ventured into the Oregon Film Museum (aka…the Goonies Museum), and drive past the Goonies house.

From there, we had to head back to Portland for one last delicious dinner and to get ourselves to the airport. We took a red eye Spirit flight back to Chicago.

We had to extend our trip a bit for a visit with Chad’s family in Ohio, and are now on our way back home with a load to Ohio beer.

This had been such a fun trip; we’ve done so much in less than 2 weeks! We’ve created another set of unforgettable moments, have experienced the luxury of train travel, and have fallen in love with another city.

Michigan here we come!

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Today marks 5 years of marriage to this guy, and we're just wrapping another whirlwind road trip. I love that the two of us can have so many grand adventures together. Happy Anniversary Chad! #TheRickmansTravel

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Our adventure in Portland has ended, and now we've landed at the historic Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood! therickmans.tumblr.com #TheRickmansTravel (at Mt Hood)

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Portland: where young people go to retire.

And after just a couple days here, it’s clear why. This city has such a great vibe and is full of good places to go. Amazing food choices are around every corner, the coffee standard is Stumptown, and the breweries are top notch.

And, everyone is super-friendly and helpful. It’s norm to share tables and have conversations with strangers. We were treated as if we lived there, which was great.

And, at least the part of of Portland we explored, was super relaxed. The city wasn’t loud during the day, the cars respected pedestrians, and we felt safe everywhere we went. The Tri-Met was easy to use, and the city was very walkable. I’d really describe it as a larger west coast version of Grand Rapids.

In the last couple days, we’ve hit major landmarks like Powell’s Books, Voodoo Doughnuts, and Deshutes Brewery, as well as found some smaller Portland quirks.

A quick rundown of where we’ve been:

Powell’s is a bookstore that spans a city block, and goes up 4 stories (I believe). Each genre had its own room!

Voodoo was fun, but overrated like many of the lists we came across suggested. Chad had a doughnut with Capt'n Crunch, and I had one with Oreos and PB.

Breakfast was nothing short of amazing: Brunch Box, Byways Cafe, and Kornblatt’s did not disappoint.

Brunch Box had some crazy breakfast sandwiches all day long: with the option to add grilled cheese as your “bread.” Spam was also on the menu. This one had Chad written all over it.

Byways Cafe was a fun, quirky diner with amazing breakfast. Chad enjoyed some delicious biscuits and gravy, and I had a wonderful scramble with tomatoes, cheese, jalapenos, onions, and avocado. AND my coffee mug was from Clare, Michigan!

This morning we made our way to Kornblatt’s, a Jewish NY style deli. The bagels were delightful!

Lunch/dinner have blended together, and once again, have been great. We ate at a fabulous Mexican restaurant, and perhaps the best Chinese restaurant we’ve come across (Kung Pow!).

We spent last night exploring some of Portland’s better-known breweries. We started with 10 Barrel Brewing, which had a beautiful roof top and a great blueberry sour. We then hopped across the street to the legendary Rogue Taproom: amazing selection! And then, just down the street was Deshutes, so we ventured there as well!

And let’s not forget Pip’s Doughnuts! Doughnuts will never be the same. These “mini doughnuts” are made to order and various toppings are added. Cinnamon sugar, sea salt, AND Nutella, anyone? Or how about strawberry rhubarb?

Sadly, this leg of our trip is over. Portland, I’m sure we’ll see you again. Now, onto the rest or Oregon!

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Views from our 4T adventure (Train, Trolly, Trail, Tram) this morning. Longer hike than expected, but the views were well worth it! <3 #TheRickmansTravel (photo cred: Chad)

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Digging into Portland's beer and bragging about Michigan's. #TheRickmansTravel #beerlove #beersnob #mibeer (at 10 Barrel Brewing PDX)

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Just finished The 4T Trail! Train, Trolly, Trail, Tram...great views of the city! We made it to the highest point via trail, and back down again: roughly 4 miles on foot, then down the Tram and back on the Train. Full post to come.

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We found the smallest brewery in Portland! #TheRickmansTravel #beersnob (at Tug Boat Brewing Co)

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Books for days! #TheRickmansTravel #PortlandOrBust #powellbooks (at Powell's City of Books)

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Unfortunately, there was no Metropolitan Lounge this time...little tired...

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Traveling often means meeting the unexpected and running with it. We finished our first train leg in Sacramento yesterday afternoon, said goodbye to our lovely attendant Sue, and were left with 9 hours to kill before hopping aboard the Coast Starlight. The environmental lobbyist we had met lived in Sacramento and recommended Old Sacramento as a good way to use up some time. It was a short walk from the train station, so we went for it. No joke, Old Sacramento is the Western version of Mackinac Island. Complete with hokey shops, dated saloons, and carriage rides. The only thing missing was the fudge. So, after a quick tour and a beer, we wandered into downtown in hopes of finding something more entertaining (and something that was open past 5:00). We wandered, wandered, and wandered some more, and only came across the courthouse, a shopping plaza under construction, and a forgotten IMAX theater. We were even approached by another couple from LA asking where all the people were! Luckily, Google helped us find a fun bar with vintage games, pool, and skee ball. We ended up playing pool with another couple from the area, and soon learned Sacramento in fact wasn't dead. It's always so fun to meet people along the way, and it amazes me how kind strangers can be. We've met some cool people throughout our travels. We hung out for awhile, and went to another bar, Low Brough. Then we had a delicious BBQ dinner at Tank House. The brisket, ribs, and dirty tots were to die for! After all that, we headed back to the train station and did all we could to keep ourselves awake until midnight, when we boarded the Coast Starlight, which will take us up to Portland.

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"Riding the rails" just might be our new favorite way to travel! We left bright and early yesterday for Chicago. We had a little extra time, so we hung out at Millennium Park for a bit, and enjoyed a free concert.We boarded the California Zephyr in Union Station in the afternoon, and were surprised by a luxurious waiting lounge, complete with snacks and "refreshments!" And now, just 24 hours later, we are traveling through the mountains in Colorado/Utah. The the train is relaxing and the views are gorgeous! We've gone through 43 tunnels (one was 6.3 miles long), under the Continental Divide, and have mooned by over ten people along the Colorado River (apparently that's thing). We have a "roomette" on the train, so we have our own little room. It's small, but a nice space to relax...and we each have our own bed. We've spent time in our room, watched spectacular views in the lounge car, and have enjoyed some great meals with new friends! We are free to move about, and our meals are included. We had steak for dinner last night, omelettes and French toast for breakfast, and burgers for lunch. They fill tables in the dining car, so we've eaten with different people each time. Thus far, we've dined with an older couple from New Zealand, an IRS forensic document scientist, an environmental lobbyist, and an older couple from DC (one of which is a retired teacher). I (Kaitlyn) even made friends with a 4 year old, who was more than happy to sit next to me and point out all the people in the river. We also talked about circle time, butterflies, and how hats keep the bugs away. :) This is an interesting/understated way to travel. We're not squashed in here like we would be in an airplane, people are more than happy to converse, and we're not responsible for anything! We've got one more day left on the train before Sacramento, then we hop onto another to train to take us up the coast!

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Rickmans out! #TheRickmansTravel #PortlandOrBust #ThreeDaysOnATrain (at Chicago Union Station)

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Saying goodbye to Europe this morning! It's been such a lovely trip! I will say though, I'm ready to come home: where the English is clear, the roads make sense and have stop signs, and where I can have my own space on the sidewalk.

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Lessons from the last 2 days in Prague: there is a thing called a beer spa, Czechs love their fireworks, all roads lead back to Old Town Square, and cars can drive pretty much anywhere (like through the middle of a VERY busy Old Town Square).

We’ve slowed down on the tours and sight seeing as we’ve settled into Prague. We visited another synagogue, saw the life-altering astronomical clock, and have found ourselves wandering throughout the city. We’ve found some fun shops and things to do along the way.

We spent our New Year’s Eve at a Kosher restaurant, a beer spa, and what seems to be the heart of the city, Old Town Square. Hearing from travelers and tour guides that NYE gets “mental,” and restaurants are already full with reservations, we decided to eat a somewhat early dinner at a lovely Kosher restaurant around the corner. We ordered a sampler and ended up with a bunch of amazing food(see an earlier post). It was absolutely delicious!

After dinner, we wandered around looking for something to do and found ourselves back in Old Town Square, which is where the Christmas Markets are and where we have spent a great deal of time this week. We happened across a very entertaining concert. I’ll try and post a video to give you a taste, but just picture an old Czech man rockin’ out to some great 80s rock songs (which the Czechs really seem to enjoy). What a hoot!

After that fun, we went back to the apartment to warm up, and Chad surprised me by telling me he had a reservation at a beer spa. My reaction was an odd one, as this was something I’d never heard of and I had NO idea what to expect. It turned out to be much like a normal spa, with a beer twist. After relaxing with hops, a sauna, and complimentary beer, we found our way back to Old Town Square to countdown the end of 2014. The city doesn’t put on a fireworks show, so it’s up to the people of Prague. And man do they live their fireworks! Fireworks came from all directions in the square, and a live DJ kept the party going. It was the perfect way to close 2014 and start 2015!

We took things easy today, as it’s our last day here. We wandered over the river to explore the shops and buy some souvenirs. We even revisited our favorite restaurant, Krcma, for dinner.

This has been one wild and fun trip. We’ve seen a lot of history, explored 2 great cities, found some amazing food (and beer), and have enjoyed our time together. It’s been great to experience other cultures, listen to other languages, and explore new things.

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Happy New Year everyone!!