The Alphabet District in Portland

These photos were taken in October 2014.

The Alphabet District is my favorite part of Portland OR, a city I have visited often.  It is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Portland. Much of the architecture is quite charming, built between 1890 & 1950. It has an impressive retail district, with many shops & restaurants on NW 23rd Avenue, somewhat fewer on NW 21st Avenue & W Burnside Street. The Alphabet District is named for the alphabetical arrangement of streets from Burnside to Wilson across the district. These same streets also run through the Pearl District & Old Town/Chinatown, within walking distance.

John H Couch staked a claim to the square mile directly north of Portland in 1845. When laying out his claim, he used the same 200 x 200 foot blocks as the original plat of Portland. Streets were given numbers & letters in alphabetical order, later named in 1891. He followed the bend of the Willamette River in orienting this grid, creating angled & misaligned streets along W Burnside Street. The original plat went as far as west as 8th Street & north to Glisan Street. Subdivision reached NW 16th Street by 1865. This grid was later extended to most of Northwest Portland.

The Alphabet District is part of the Northwest District & also called Nob Hill. The North South Line of the Portland Streetcar runs through the district on NW Lovejoy & NW Northrup Streets as far as NW 23rd Avenue on its was to & from the Pearl District & Downtown Portland.

South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Lysichiton americanus (Skunk Cabbage) 

Trillium ovatum (Western Wakerobin)

Lysichiton americanus (Skunk Cabbage)

South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in April 2014

The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a very rewarding stop along the Oregon Coast near Coos Bay. It features hiking trails through lush & beautiful native forest, along rushing streams, down moist ravines that are filled in spring with blooming plants including Trillium ovatum (Western Wakerobin) & great masses of Lysichiton americanus (American Skunk Cabbage). Before long, you reach boardwalks that lead out through the grasses that fill the edges & fingers of the slough.  It feels like quite a journey, yet takes little time. The reserve supports informed management of the Coos estuary & provides a model for coastal management everywhere. There are 5,000 acres in the natural area located here. The reserve was created in 1974 as the first unit of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, a network of estuarine habitats established by Congress in 1972 as part of the Coastal Zone Management Act. You can visit the interpretive center here & walk on a number of different trails.

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint

Heceta Head Light Keeper's House

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) Forest

Heceta Head Lighthouse.  All photos taken in April 2014

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint can be found on the Oregon Coast north of Florence, OR.  It is right off the US 101.  The beach, sea stacks, headlands & forest are actually more spectacular than the lighthouse.  This is an excellent place to walk on the beach in a cove at the mouth of Cape Creek.  There are natural caves & tide pools.  Native plants grow lushly all along the beach & up into the headlands.  The short trail to the lighthouse passes through a dense forest of Picea sitchensis (Sitka Spruce) filled with wildflowers in April.  The views from the lighthouse are stunning.  Picnic tables & restrooms are available near the beach.  This one of the most scenic places to stop along the Oregon coast.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head.  All photos were taken in April 2014.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is truly outstanding.  The head is a model of scenic beauty.  Cobble Beach is an excellent place to peer into tide pools surrounded by birds & seals on the rocky islets & towering headlands.  The visitor's center is polished & informative.  It is set in a beautiful little valley between the high outcroppings of basalt that comprise the headlands.  There is ample parking.  Yaquina Head is easy to find just north of the Newport, OR city center on US Hwy 101.

View from the Visitor's Center.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site

Darlingtonia californica (Cobra Lily)

Darlingtonia State Natural Site in April 2014

Darlingtonia State Natural Site is a quick & interesting stop along the coast highway (US 101) in Florence, Oregon.  The site is a bog filled with a large number of cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica) a carnivorous plant.  An opening in the stalk of the plant leads insects to nectar inside. Once inside, the insect is trapped by downward-pointed hairs & falls into a pool of water at the bottom of the stalk.  It was once believed that this variety of pitcher plant did not produce any digestive enzymes & relied on symbiotic bacteria & protozoa to break down the captured insects into easily absorbed nutrients. Recent studies have indicated that Darlingtonia secretes at least one enzyme that digests captured prey. 

The cobra lily is unique among the three genera of American pitcher plants. It does not trap rainwater in its pitcher. Instead, it regulates the level of water inside physiologically by releasing or absorbing water into the trap from the roots. Cobra Lily is the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae (pitcher plants).  It is designated as uncommon due to its rarity in the field.  The plant was discovered in 1841 by the botanist William D. Brackenridge at Mount Shasta. It was named after the Philadelphia botanist William Darlington (1782–1863).   

Collecting Darlingtonia is illegal in Oregon.  It can be ordered online & grown outdoors in USDA zones 7-10.  The easiest way to do this is to put it in a pot of sphagnum moss & submerge the pot in a bowl of water or fountain.  Unglazed terracotta works well for this purpose.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls December 2012

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

 Multnomah Falls December 2012

Multnomah Falls can be found along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon.  It is not far from the City of Portland, on the Historic Columbia River Highway.  The falls drops in two major steps, one much longer than the other. The total height of the waterfall is 620 feet.  The whole thing is really quite stunning.  This is the tallest waterfall in Oregon, fed by underground springs.  In contrast, Niagara Falls is only 165 feet tall.  Snoqualmie Falls is 268 feet.  A foot trail from a large parking lot leads to Benson Footbridge 105 feet above the lower cascade. The trail continues to a platform at the top of the upper falls.  The way to the bottom of the lower cascade is not far from the parking lot.  There is also a trail to Wahkeena Falls from the lodge adjacent to the parking lot.  Wahkeena Falls are definitely worth seeing.  You can walk or drive.  The falls are most abundant in winter & spring.

Wahkeena Falls

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls can be found along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon.  It is not far from the City of Portland, on the Historic Columbia River Highway. A short trail from the parking lot leads to a stone bridge crossig the main part of the falls. The trail continues east to Multnomah Falls, where there is a much larger parking lot, & a lodge with a restaurant & restrooms.  Although Multnomah Falls is more famous & has a longer drop, I think Wahkeena Falls is more immediate & exciting.  You can get quite close to the water, which sends great clouds of mist across the bridge.  The rock formations remind me of a Chinese scroll painting.  It is also much less crowded with tourists.  But please see both falls while you are here.  You can walk or drive between them.  The falls are most abundant in winter & spring.

Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Click here for more photos of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Although I have visited a number of Japanese Gardens in the Seattle area & in California, I can't say that I know very much about them.  All I can say about the Portland Japanese Garden is that it is the largest & most beautiful Japanese garden I have seen, perhaps the most beautiful of any garden I have visited.  I imagine that everyone that visits this garden is delighted & amazed.  The description below is from the Portland Japanese Garden website.

The Five Gardens

The 5.5 acre Japanese Garden is composed of five distinct garden styles. When we enter a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. In a deep sense, the Japanese garden is a living reflection of the long history and traditional culture of Japan. Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, there is always “something more” in these compositions of stone, water, and plants than meets the eye.
Three of the essential elements used to create a Japanese garden are stone, the “bones” of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants, the tapestry of the four seasons. Japanese garden designers feel that good stone composition is one of the most important elements in creating a well-designed garden. Secondary elements include pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors, and bridges. Japanese gardens are asymmetrical in design and reflect nature in idealized form. Traditionally, human scale is maintained throughout so that one always feels part of the environment, not overpowered by it. As Professor Tono wanted to incorporate native trees in our Garden so that it would blend naturally with its environment, some of the plantings here are on a larger scale.

• Flat Garden
• Strolling Pond Garden
• The Tea Garden
• Natural Garden
• Sand and Stone Garden

Portland Japanese Garden

Stone lion near the entrance to the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011. 

Near the Pavilion (9) at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

Water fountain at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

Sand & Stone Garden (7) at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

Stream between the Strolling Pond Garden (2) & the Lower Pond
at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

The Zig Zag Bridge (4) at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

The Heavenly Falls (5) at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

Beautiful pavement at the Portland Japanese Garden May 2011

Click here for more photos of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Although I have visited a number of Japanese Gardens in the Seattle area & in California, I can't say that I know very much about them.  All I can say about the Portland Japanese Garden is that it is the largest & most beautiful Japanese garden I have seen, perhaps the most beautiful of any garden I have visited.  I imagine that everyone that visits this garden is delighted & amazed.  The description below is from the Portland Japanese Garden website.

The Five Gardens

The 5.5 acre Japanese Garden is composed of five distinct garden styles. When we enter a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. In a deep sense, the Japanese garden is a living reflection of the long history and traditional culture of Japan. Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, there is always “something more” in these compositions of stone, water, and plants than meets the eye.
Three of the essential elements used to create a Japanese garden are stone, the “bones” of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants, the tapestry of the four seasons. Japanese garden designers feel that good stone composition is one of the most important elements in creating a well-designed garden. Secondary elements include pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors, and bridges. Japanese gardens are asymmetrical in design and reflect nature in idealized form. Traditionally, human scale is maintained throughout so that one always feels part of the environment, not overpowered by it. As Professor Tono wanted to incorporate native trees in our Garden so that it would blend naturally with its environment, some of the plantings here are on a larger scale.

• Flat Garden
• Strolling Pond Garden
• The Tea Garden
• Natural Garden
• Sand and Stone Garden

Portland Japanese Garden Map

Lan Su Chinese Garden

Lan Su Chinese Garden, A. Courtyard of Tranquility. May 2011

Lan Su Chinese Garden, D. Knowing the Fish Pavilion & E. Reflections in Clear Ripples (also known as the lounge house) May 2011

Lan Su Chinese Garden, F. Flowers Bathing in Spring Rain (6 panels carved from Ginkgo wood) May 2011

Lan Su Chinese Garden, Mahonia fortunei & Podophyllum pleianthum. May 2011

Lan Su Chinese Garden, J. Tower of Cosmic Reflections (tea house) May 2011 

 Lan Su Chinese Garden, Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis' May 2011

 Lan Su Chinese Garden, I. Moon Lacking Pavilion & L. Painted Boat in Misty Rain. May 2011

The Lan Su Chinese Garden occupies an entire city block in Chinatown, very near Downtown Portland, Oregon.  It is such an amazing place that it really feels as though you have stepped into a different world.  The brochure is a small book to guide your journey.  Let's take the tour, using the brochure to instruct us.  I have abbreviated it considerably.

A. Courtyard of Tranquility: It's 16th century China, & you're standing in the entry courtyard of the private home & garden of a wealthy government official & scholar.  The garden around you is his spiritual utopia, a peaceful & soothing place designed to help him escape the problems of everyday life & discover his true self by connecting with nature.

B. Hall of Brocade Clouds: This is where the host meets & entertains guests.  Take a moment to gaze through the beautifully-framed lattice doors & windows to the open view of the garden.

C. Terrace: Scholars aspired to be hermits in the mountains, surrounded by nature.  Since affairs of state & family required living in the city, nature was brought to them on a smaller scale.

D. Knowing the Fish Pavilion:  The name comes from a conversation between 2 ancient scholars.  Scholar #1, 'The fish look happy.'  Scholar #2, 'You aren't a fish.  How do you know they're happy?'  Scholar #1, 'You aren't me.  How do you know I don't know they're happy?'

E. Reflections in Clear Ripples: In this room, also known as the lounge house, the scholar's family would gather for music, painting or playing games such as mahjong.

F. Flowers Bathing in Spring Rain:  6 panels carved from Ginkgo wood illustrate actual ancient gardens in Portland's sister city of Suzhou.

G. Scholar's Courtyard: This is an extension of the scholar's study, a quiet place for reflection & inspiration.  Plum trees near the study's entrance blossom early, signaling the coming of spring & symbolizing endurance & hope.

H.  Scholar's Study:  The study was a refuge, a place of comfort where the men of the family wrote poetry, practiced calligraphy, read, entertained fellow scholars & took naps.

I.  Moon Locking Pavilion:  On a clear night, your can see the reflection of the moon in the center of the lake, locked in by the pavilion's shadow.

J.  Tower of Cosmic Reflections:  Women of the house spent the day in this 2-story building from which they could view the garden & surrounding city.  At Lan Su, tea & snacks are served here.

K.  Rock Mountain & Waterfall:  The rockery is designed to appear as rugged mountains in the distance, complete with waterfalls & cascading streams.

L.  Painted Boat in Misty Rain:  This pavilion represents the boat of friendship that departed from Suzhou, made its way across the ocean & eventually docked in Portland.  From inside, you're meant to feel as if you're anchored on shore, rocked gently by small waves.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden also features a botanical collection of over 400 species & cultivars found in China.  Most of them are labeled.  The garden feels very lush with plants. Altogether, it is a very charming experience.

Here is a slideshow of more photos from the Lan Su Chinese Garden.

 

 Map of the Lan Su Chinese Garden