I am taking my wife and 2 year old to blade west. it is a 12 hour drive from salt lake. what else is there by blade west for them to do? any museums, amusement parks?
any input is apppreciated.

thanks b
Bruce,
these are the suggestions I am looking for.

Head up and see Multnomah Falls and the Bonneville Dam, both are within an hour or so of Portland. Maybe there will be some fall salmon/steelhead running up the fish ladders. There's also the Bridge of the Gods and further up you can watch the windsurfers up near the Dalles. Loop around and head up to Mt. Hood and the views can be spectacular. You can hike up near Timberline lodge into the glacier fields. On a clear day you can see down south to Mt. Jefferson and north up to Mt. Ranier and also Mt. St. Helens.

Heading down Mt. Hood toward Sandy, Oregon there used to be a little trout farm on the left. The kids catch'em, they clean 'em and you pay by the pound. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

kraz, thanks for the suggestions. sounds like there is a lot to do outside

It's 100 miles from Portland (and the main bridge is closed for the year, requiring an alternate route), but you and the family might enjoy Maryhill. Great views of the Gorge, a full-scale Stonehenge, and lots of Rodin sculptures. Worth checking out on the way.

You can also go to the beach. The Oregon Coast is beautiful, and its only an hour or so away from Portland also. Just take HW26 West, its pretty easy to get there.

You can explore the Portland area, we are home of one of the Largest inner city parks in the US (Forest Park) and the smallest inner city park in the world (Mill Ends Park).

how far is portland from blade west?thanks verbal 213 and mhr <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

depends on how you define 'portland'. according to google maps, it's 11 miles from downtown and 12.7 miles (19 minutes down i-205) from the airport to the show hotel.

Hey gents... I live in portland, what do you know! Anyone attending blade west, feel free to PM me with any questions about Portland and I'll be happy to answer them. I've lived here for the last 17 years (i.e. all of my life) and I know my way around.

The knife show is happening in a portland suburb/ satellite city called Clackamas, which is probably 25 minutes from downtown Portland. The city has many such satellite cities like Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Tigard. The Portland Zoo is one of the nicest in the Northwest, and they've recently had a baby elephant born, so I would recommend that for kids. If the wife is coming and wants to shop, there are two main areas I would recommend. NW 23th Av. downtown is a major one, with a great deal of boutiques and restaurants. The rather trendy "Pearl District" is very hip and has a LOT of cool shops, as well some great breweries and some FINE beer. In fact, Oregon is a national center not just for knives but also for beer making, and its microbrewery are famous (Henry Weinhard, Full Sale, Widmer being among them). The Pearl district, as any Google search will tell you, occupies an area near the river and is right in the heart of downtown. The museum scene in Portland is pretty good, with the main museum in town being the "Portland Art Museum", which isn't life-changing but is rather nice. Portland has both a Japanese Garden and a Classical Chinese Garden, which are both really nice. As for amusement parks, Portland isnt really the best place for that. The only one I can think of is Oaks Park, but its not very impressive if you've ever been to Six Flags or Disney Land/World. If you have only a day or two, i strongly encourage you to see what else Portland has to offer, rather than going to the amusement park. The real amusement parks of Portland and Oregon are its forests and mountains. Just 45 minutes outside of Portland is Mt. Hood and the surrounding forest, which are mostly old-growth and amazing. I would ESPECIALLY recommend the Columbia River Gorge. As for geography, the Columbia River forms most of the border between Oregon and Washington and carries all of the shipping traffic that sustains the Port of Portland. Starting about 45 min. outside of Portland, the Gorge offers some of the most scenic and rugged terrain in the northwest and has many sites worth seeing. A large hydroelectic dam (Bonneville) offers tours and is impressive for kids and adults alike, and Multnomah Falls is the largest in Oregon. A bit further into the Gorge is Hood River-- the windsurfer's mecca. This town revolves around wind/water sports (the gorge is very windy) but also had a lot of cools shops and places to eat. If you like fine beers, the Full Sail brewery in downtown hood river offers a full tour of they brewing and bottling facilities and typically gives you a free Pint glass afterwards. If you're there with kids or on your own, be sure to check out Mike's Ice Cream Shop at the top of Hood River's main street (its very good).
In the opposite direction of the gorge is the Oregon Coast. Forget whatever images you have of beaches or fun in the sun. At that time of year, the weather may be cold and the water is frigid all year long. That disclaimer aside, the coasts of Oregon are spectacularly beautiful and rustic and I think that, provided you bring both a swimsuit and a raincoat, you'll really enjoy it. Of the town nearest to Portland that are on the coast, my favorite is Cannon Beach. Other towns like Newport (which is further but has an awesome aquarium) and Seaside are also nice, but Cannon Beach is a beautiful little town with awesome beach views and cool shops. Also some very good saltwater taffy.
Although Portland is a sizable city, I still think it feels like a small town. The crime rate is very low, and the city is alive during the day and at night as well. If you have extra time during your stay here, I hope you get a chance to check the city out. Again, if you have any more specific questions, please feel free to PM me any time

-Cloak

Are you guys literate?

Some friends came from Boston because the youngest daughter was competing in the rock climbing nationals. The one of my recommendations that was a spectacular success was Powel’s Books. Some say it’s the best used book store in the world. I only say I don’t know of a better one, or one that comes close to matching it. Powel’s kept the family happily occupied for half a day. One of the daughters wanted to move to Portland just for the bookstore.

Powel's Books

Spell Check Poem
Also know as…
The Pullet Surprise Can Did Ate
(Read it out loud!)

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea,
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight for it two say,
Weather eye and wring oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long,
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.

Eye have run this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no,
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

-Sauce unknown

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