Nothing lasts forever except for the day before you start your vacation.
This is where we stayed while in Portland Oregon. We stayed here except for our first and last nights in Portland when we wanted access to the free airport shuttle service between Crown Plaza Hotel Convention Center and the airport. There is the very inexpensive MAX light rail train that services all of Portland Oregon with three lines (red, green, and yellow lines) but we had plenty of luggage to carry around so the hotel shuttle service was much more convenient. MAX light train tickets cost $2.75 for a ride or $5.00 for 24 hours use. People often ride the trains for free because there are no turn stiles to go through and no ticket check points any where. I did pay because I think we should support a train system that helps us get around the city (even to the zoo, the Japanese Gardens, and the planetarium) so efficiently.
The Royal Sonesta Hotel is often rated in the top five hotels of Portland Oregon. The day after we left the hotel to go to Canada,we contacted them because Reno left his charger plugged into a socket in the room but the phone charger could not be found. When we returned to the Royal Sonesta Hotel after Canada, we asked them again if they ever found the charger. We were told that they did not find it and the housekeepers are very good at checking for such things. They also told us that they would be able to look in the room one more time. I was bringing our luggage from Rayhends' car into the lobby area of the hotel when Curtis, the hotel butler or concierge or whatever they are called here in the USA, found me and handed me two containers that had phone charges in them. There were cords in the containers that will charge any phone you may have. I am not sure what the job description of Curtis is but he was not working behind the check-in desk. I asked him how much the chargers will cost and he told me; "They are on the house, no charge". So there was no charge to charge (ha ha). He was out in the lobby and he was outside of the hotel. That is why I used butler to describe his job because that is what his job seems to be. Anyway, Curtis at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Portland Oregon made our stay there unforgettable.
The entrance to the Royal Sonesta Hotel is at 506 SW Washington Street. This is a gorgeous hotel with a lot of vintage furnishings. I was only hoping for a restaurant where I could relax for breakfast but they do not have that. They have only a small restaurant that serves lunch and dinner from a small menu. It is called the Finch on Fifth gastropub. What they do have on the menu does sound good though. We just did not try it out.
Olympic National Park Washington State USA
Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce are two of the dominant species here. These trees are often old growth trees that have grown to 312 feet (95 meters) high and 23 feet (7 meters) wide. Also in abundance are Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Big Leaf Maple, Vine Maple, Red Alder, and Black Cottenwood.
There are so many species of animals in Olympic National Park that I can not list or even know all of them. Some of the larger species are Coyotes, Red Foxes, Bobcats, Martels, Canadian Lynxes, Cougers, Northern Spotted Owls, Roosevelt Elk, and Black Bears. How many of these did we see? We saw none and in fact, I did not see even an ant. I guess I was too busy admiring the old growth trees, mosses, and ferns.
Farida kept complaining that she could not stop taking photos and videos. I must admit that I also had that same difficulty. I used up my cell phone gigabytes storage space between Olympic National Park and Capitano Suspension Bridge. Maybe I should get more professional equipment. I am not a professional so that is probably not going to be in my budget any time soon.
This Hall Of Mosses trail is an extremely accessable trail that ends just about where it begins as it is a loop trail and the elevation gain is only around 100 feet so this is one really easy trail. It is also extemely beautiful. Just go to the Hoh Rain forest visitor center and the path will lead to a junction with a sign. this sign will point to three different trails. The Hall of Mosses Trail will be the shortest trail. .
The Paradox Hotel is at 1161 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC Canada. It is a quirky hotel that has Valet Parking in the alley behind it. It is a beautiful hotel with extremely heavy room doors and rather dark colored hallways. There is a rather expensive restaurant caled Mott 32 which is referred to as serving top quality chinese haute cuisine. There is also a cool bar here. It is called the Mansion Club. It is loud and colorful but the sounds are not audible in the hotel rooms that are far above it.
Coal Harbour / Canada Place / Harbour Air Seaplanes.
There are videos of this seaplane tour on the page called MY VIDEOS.
Dave Perry is the Flight Operations Manager who has been with Harbor Air for over 10 years and he has flown thousands of flights. He says that one of the favorite destinations for flights is Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. To quote him; that destination is "obscenely beautiful". I guess I better google this place and plan a visit there some day.
The plane we boarded for our tour is also known as a floatplane. Harbour Air has about 40 planes. I do not know the types of planes except that Cessnas, Beavers and Turbo Otters are included in their fleet. I am guessing that we flew on a DHC-3-Turbo Otter because they have more than 20 of those in their fleet. .
This is Coal Harbor between the seaplane marina and the free shuttle stand. We stopped here to take a few photos before going to the free shuttle stand for the ride to Capilano Suspension Bridge. The walk is only about five minutes. I had bought a ticket that includes the seaplane tour above Vancouver Metropolitan Area and the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
The totem poles in the area were really made by the indigenous people of the region. They were carved at Kia'palano by the Coast Salish, Haida, Tsimsian, and Tlingit peoples. They were carved within a time period of about 20 years. Totem Poles are also known as Story Poles. Kia'palano is traditional, native land next to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The name means "Beautiful River".
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area includes many extra phenomenal waterfalls like Multnomah Waterfall and Horsetail Waterfall. Mount Hood is just 70 miles south.
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon. As can be seen, it falls 620 feet in two sections with a bridge between the sections. It is also one of the tallest waterfalls in the USA that runs all year. It is in the Columbia River Gorge. Just take highway 84 east from Portland Oregon through Troutdale and the road signs will clearly lead the way.
This is the start of the pathway to Latourell Waterfall. The pathway leads towards the left of the road at a constant decline to the waterfall pool. This pathway is a lot longer than the paths we took to get to the other waterfalls except for Mutnomah Waterfall which was about the same distance as this pathway.