Going to P-Town...

 How does one, or three, get to Portland when one doesn't drive into Portland?  When one, or three, have never taken public transportation?
One inquires where and how to catch the I-5 Portland Express in Vancouver.
Then three catch the "On and Off Trolley" (the Hopper to me) to zip around Portland.  


The Three Sisters in Portland, OR.
Kate, Betty, Gram G

I have never officially "toured" P-Town.  Of the 13 possible stops we picked two while completing the circuit from Pioneer Square and back again.   

First excursion, The Japanese Gardens
We joined a large guided tour group.  I was here recently but learned quite a bit more this time.  Like this was the former site of the zoo and that many parts of the buildings were built in Japan and shipped here for reconstruction.  And that it's possibly the most authentic Japanese Garden outside of Japan.  
Ah, the green of it all!!

              
           Across the street is the FREE



There are over 600 varieties of hybrid roses.   




The garden was somewhat dry and pale in color from the hot, no rain summer, but still lovely.

We have a brother, Peter, who died from cancer several years ago.  He grew roses back in Indiana. He would have loved to visited here.

Not a rose tree, but still colorful and charming.  

Hopping on the Hopper which stops every hour.  On to view the many acres of Washington Park and gaze at the showier homes in the hills.

This one fit for a wealthy Hobbit!!







A restful late lunch at Riverplace Marina along the Willamette River.

Happy to see the 5:20 Hopper arrive about 5:40...the last one of the day.  Kate was already plotting her walk several blocks back to Pioneer Square in case we had missed this trolley.



Once there, a couple block walk and we were lined up just in time for the I-5 Express bus back to Vancouver.  We went a different route, over the Fremont Bridge, saw new sites and after 1 hour and 15 minutes in Friday evening traffic we were back to our transit center, ready to a climb into Ted for our 20 minute ride home.  All's well about 7:15PM in spite of thick smoke haze.  A good day from leaving the house at 9AM.  
Bonus!!  Gram G has a new sense of independence, knowing how to get herself into Portland if she ever so chooses!

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Today, Tuesday, Sept. 26, was a glorious PNW fall day! Clear, blue sky.  I spent several hours outside tidying up the Hobbit garden, watering trees,cleaning up and setting Kate's and Betty's stepping stone, enjoying a "super salad" outdoor lunch and picking off old buds from the porch petunia plant!  Ahhhh... Life is good!!  Even photoed a tiny green tree frog...

   
This has been a good 5 "going to P-town" days in the life of Grandma G.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." (Isaiah 26: 3-4) (ESV)