Tuesday night we made what has now become an annual pilgrimage to Chapman Elementary School in NW Portland to witness the spectacle of thousands of tiny birds swirling and diving and peppering the sky before shooting into a giant chimney on top of the school as the sun sets.
When we last left off, Heather and I were in Elko, Nevada visiting my brother and his family. On the return trip we decided to make a stop at Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake, which neither of us had ever visited.
We arrived early enough to secure a camp site at the Lost Creek Campground, the more rustic (i.e. no RVs) of the two campgrounds within the park boundaries. Our original plan was to spend two nights there but the bugs were the worst we’ve experienced in the past two summers of camping, the sites were small and close together and surrounded by dead or dying pine trees, and both of us were due for a shower. So we changed our plans. We would spend one night, explore the park, then hit the road.
But we had enough time to do the rim drive with frequent stops, have lunch at the lodge, and make a reservation at the Old St. Francis School hotel in Bend.
Neither Heather nor I are interested in rigorous hikes, so we stuck mainly to the road, with our longest trip on foot the 1 mile saunter along the Pinnacles trail. We stopped at countless awe inspiring vistas, which were particularly beautiful in the morning sun.
As usual, Heather has blogged the hell out of our visit to Crater Lake at Mile73.com!
Tank Full Of Gas (Multiple), Chapter Nineteen, Part 4: Crater Lake
2012 Oaks Park Oktoberfest info here!
Three words: Wiener dog races. That’s really all you need to know, but in addition you will also enjoy imported German beer, sausages, all the oompah music you can stomach, and chicken dancing until the wee hours! Yup, the Zenner’s Oktoberfest at Oaks Park takes place this weekend, from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27th.
A variety of Paulaner beers will be on tap to accompany the schnitzel and locally produced Zenner’s sausages. Check out the Oaks Park site for the schedule of activities, including pretzel tosses, condiment art contests, and sausage eating contests, each day. And the Polkatones are back! (Download the live music and stage schedule here – pdf.).
This Oktoberfest is one of my favorite fall festivals. The setting at the river front Oaks Park is fantastic – while you’re at the festival you can go on the rides, enjoy the midway, or go roller skating. With two giant festhallen, you can stay dry if it’s raining, shaded if it’s sunny. And of course nothing beats wiener dog races for sheer squeaky toy excitement!
Wiener Dog Race (2008 Oaks Park Oktoberfest)! from Mile73 on Vimeo.
Thanks to Heather at Mile73.com for the video! She also blogged last years festival here:
Oktoberfest: Beer, Wiener Dogs and Schnitzel
Admission is only $5 ($3 for seniors, $2 for kids under 15), and the beers and food are reasonably priced.
The 17th annual Portland Juggling Festival begins this Friday evening, September 25th, and runs through Sunday the 27th.
Prop manipulation, juggling, and unicycling workshops take place throughout the weekend at the Reed College Sports Center. General admission
for the entire weekend is $35. Student, child, and senior discounts are available, as are single day tickets. More information can be found on the festival website.
Saturday at 7pm the Juggling and Vaudeville Extravaganza takes place at Benson High School. Performers include Sean Blue, who will be showcasing his unique blend of technical juggling and object manipulation with artistry and dance, Jeremiah Johnston and the Poetic Motion Machine, and the Stanford Juggling Research Institute. Visit the festival website for ticket information.
I have never made it to this festival, but two years ago my friend Lesley watched the Extravaganza and kindly wrote an informative and entertaining review for this blog:
Entertaining, silly, endearing and creepy: A Juggling Extravaganza to remember
The Polish Festival is one of Portland’s best annual cultural events (and one of my favorites), and it takes place this weekend: Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27th.
Below the masthead on the festival website are the words: the best kept secret of Portland, Oregon. Well, the secret is out. According to the press release, last year over 12,000 people attended, making it the largest Polish festival in the Western United States. To meet demand this year, for the 15th annual event, organizers have ordered over 25,000 pierogies and 6000 bottles of Polish beer. And of course there will be plenty of kielbasa, gołąbki (cabbage rolls), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), and other delectable options available to festival goers.
The Polish Festival also features non-stop music and dance performances, a street dance, and polka contests too.
Krakow Cafe & Pub (3990 N. Interstate ), one block north, is joining the fun this year, with live music on the sidewalks between noon and 9pm, featuring Russian folk singer Natalie Hougin, jazz duo Barry Glick and Jim Putnam, folk singer Carley Baer and Dale Miller.
Heather and I both attended last year and wrote up reviews:
The festival is not a secret anymore – it’s one of the premier fall festivals in the Portland area.
Entrance to the Polish Festival is free. It takes place Saturday, September 26th, from 11am to 10pm and Sunday the 27th, noon to 6pm, and is held on North Failing street, east side of Interstate, between the St. Stanislaus Church and the Polish Library (3900 N. Interstate). To get there take the 4 to Mississippi and Failing and then take the Failing Street Pedestrian Bridge across the freeway and you are there. Or take the Yellow Line MAX to the Overlook Stop – Failing street is two blocks north up Interstate. Check out the festival website for more information.