restaurants | Our Oregon Trail

Hiking the Horsetail

April 20, 2014 by kristikrass

When Jeff and I asked Lindsay and Daniel to join us on a day trip to Hood River to use our soon-to-expire $50 Full Sail Brewing gift certificate, they had two great suggestions: start with a hike in the Columbia River Gorge, and grab a taco pie at Pietro’s Pizza. Done and done! We began the drizzly Saturday before Easter at the Horsetail Falls Loop Hike, which might be my new favorite Oregon hike. Park the car, and boom: already treated to the trail’s namesake falls. Don’t even […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: gorge, hikes, hood river, restaurants

A Leisurely Walk Through PDX

March 29, 2014 by kristikrass

It was March 23. Clear blue skies, sunny with a high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Jeff was gone for the day, shredding down Mt. Hood, squeezing in one more snowboarding session this season. Me, I used the quiet Sunday for my favorite Portland activity: strolling (admittedly, to food and drink spots). Have I mentioned how much I adore the walkability of PDX? 🙂 This time around, I knew I’d be gone for hours and popping in and out of places, so unfortunately Cooper couldn’t tag along. (Yes, Coop […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: restaurants

Bend with My Bro

January 27, 2014 by kristikrass

My little brother. He is the rare bird who deliberately chooses February to visit us in Portland. The reason: the snow-capped mountains beckoning for snowboarders. Dave last visited exactly two years ago, and we covered a LOT of ground in a few days. This time we had a whole Tuesday-to-Tuesday to explore new places. Dave is our kind of guy: He loves his breweries and food. We kicked off his trip with a night at beer haven Apex, a pizza dinner at […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: bend, breweries, falls, mountains, parks, Redicks, restaurants, vacation, visitors

Books in the City

September 28, 2013 by kristikrass

It’s a girl weekend here. That’s right, “girl,” as in singular – just me! Jeff, his bro Rob, his dad, and family friend Mr. M. picked the gustiest, rainiest weekend of the year for a guys’ weekend at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, home to four of America’s top golf courses, on Oregon’s southern coast. I thought about getting a visitor out here but I didn’t get around to it, so it’s just Cooper and me holding down the fort – oh, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: books, restaurants

Feasting

September 28, 2013 by kristikrass

The Krass fam has been holed up in our apartment most of September, which explains the dearth of blog posts lately. Somehow we’ve hit a rainy stretch (blah) and Cooper is struggling through some issues that landed him at the emergency vet (the fantastic DoveLewis) twice in one week, and has kept us in frequent contact with his doggie oncologist, Dr. Cyman. Thickening of the bladder, it sounds? For now, I’m getting a lot of use of my rug steam […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: Cooper, festivals, restaurants

Dune Doggie

August 11, 2013 by kristikrass

Where in the world has the summer gone? Seriously, it’s almost September? The thought makes my chest clench up a smidge – it’s scary how quickly the time sails by. Jeff and I realized we need to get outta town and do something cool. What’s cooler than spending an impromptu weekend at the Pacific Ocean shore? (And I mean that literally: The temps at the coast are frequently in the 50s and 60s. Brr!) One other factor in the mix […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Cooper, lincoln city, pacific city, restaurants

First stop of Joey's visit: Clyde Common

Peoples in Portland

July 23, 2013 by kristikrass

Jeff and Joey “Peoples” met more than two and a half decades ago in their kindergarten class in Brighton, Michigan. Today, the two remain best buds – both West Coasters now, too – and Joey ranks high on my list of favorite people in the world, fo’ sure. Joey hopped a quick flight from Cali to PDX on Friday, July 19, and the three of us kicked off his second visit to Portland (his first trip was epic!) with our own […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: festivals, restaurants, visitors

Seattle’s Best

May 26, 2013 by kristikrass

Last weekend, the Krass family converged in Seattle – Jeff and me from Portland, Rob and Amy from Chicago, and Bob and Chris from Fountain Hills, Ariz. The visit marked the first time we were all together since Christmas, plus it spurred a milestone for Jeff and me: It was the first time we traveled via the Amtrak Cascades train along the coast. The train ride rocked. Unlike the slower-than-driving, constantly-delayed Amtrak routes that zigzag across Michigan and surrounding states, […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: coast, Krasses, market, restaurants, seattle, vacation, washington

Concert at The Cosmo

May 11, 2013 by kristikrass

I love Las Vegas. My obsession began more than a decade ago when a crew of barely-21, small-town Michigan girls hopped a plane (which felt like a party itself) and lived it up on the Strip like we couldn’t have imagined. Now, my goal is to make it a yearly trip: a quick, weekend dose of gambling, glitzy shows, overindulging in fancy meals and cocktails, and soaking up the sun. Our excuse this time was an intimate Zac Brown Band […]

Categories: Our Oregon Trail • Tags: concerts, restaurants, vacation, vegas

Our Oregon Trail

Portland through the eyes of a festival-loving, dessert-feasting, travel-addicted Midwesterner.

Tag: restaurants