Portland's Pizza Week provided an ideal opportunity to sample $2 vegan slices at Sizzle Pie and Straight From New York Pizza. Another recent find close to home featured tasty South American empanadas by Epif.
My birthday weekend coincided with Easter Sunday (and Earth Day!), which made for a busy but fun couple of days. Friday night celebrations included German beers at Zoiglhaus Brewing Company (#15) and Kyle's homemade chocolate cake, while Saturday featured vegan truffles and game night with Tom and his friends. As you might have guessed, Tom is the new man in my life. Cheers to 27!
Aunt Judy and I spent Sunday in Hood River. The Mt. Hood Scenic Byway skirts Oregon's tallest peak though enchanting fruit valleys and thick fir forest. At 11,245', the mesmerizing snow-covered, glacier-caked summit of Mt. Hood is the fourth highest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range. The dormant stratovolcano last erupted in the 1780s. The challenging climb is officially on my bucket list!
Blessed with beautiful weather, Aunt Judy and I climbed aboard the Mount Hood Railroad. For over 30 years, the Fruit Blossom Special has showcased the Hood River Valley's blossom season.
The 4.5-hour train ride travels through acres of apples, pears, peaches and cherries produced in the Gorge region.
The narrated tour includes a one-hour layover in Parkdale with a stop at one of the fruit orchards.
I give credit to Aunt Judy for finding this lovely activity, as well as for several photos in this post!
Finally, congratulations are in order to my sister, Rita, and her fiancee, Patrick, for their recent engagement!
