BrewCycle!

With Uncle Gabe & Maureen in town, we wanted to do something special. We want them to like P-town, and we wanted to have a good time! Really, none of us get out enough. We found BrewCycle on Facebook and thought it was the ultimate Portland way to experience the breweries. Bikes, brews and quirkiness are what we are known for.

The BrewCycle is a bicycle built for 15. Twelve people sit around a picnic table-like contraption and ten pedal, with room on the bench for three or so more. We had Randy sit inside on the cooler, you know, to keep it safe.

Once we had our seats, I worried it would be like spin class, but since so many of us were peddaling, it was easy. We went a few blocks to our first stop, Lucky Lab. They had a great cider and everyone got into the atmosphere. Or maybe we got a buzz on from the vodka soaked gummi bears (slimy!) or jello shots.

Getting on and off the BrewCycle was the hardest part for me. Once we were aboard we steered over to Caps & Corks. They have an amazing selection of hard-to-find beers including blueberry cider and cherry lambic. Yes, they have guy beer too.

The weather was gorgeous, so we soaked up the sunshine a bit before gliding over to Bridgeport. They use a cowbell to warn motorists that this rolling picnic table is on its way, and by this point Jeff had appointed himself the chief cowbell shaker. I should have taken a video. Bridgeport had Strawberry Tart, so I was happy. They don't always have it, and while I like Summer Squeeze, there is just something about Strawberry Tart. Yum.

After the BrewCycle brougth us back to the beginning, we went back to Lucky Lab for a snack. And more cider. It was good!

  

Shake The Glitter Off Your Clothes..

We survived the Las Vegas girls-only weekend! The highlight had to be the Katy Perry concert. AMAZING. Totally worth flying to Las Vegas for.

The staging was mindblowing. One set felt like we were in the middle of a video. Plus, she brought out her grandma so she could dedicate Firework to her. I just love Katy.

We'd booked the cheapest package we could find, which put us on Spirit Airlines. It's cheap up front, because they charge for everything. The plane reminded me of Southwest before they made all their money. I'd fly with them again, especially in the big front seats.

Once we got to Vegas, we had a limo take us down the strip so the Vegas Virgins could get their bearings. Then we had our pic taken at the Welcome To Las Vegas sign. Big Bird was there too. Vegas is full of people in old Halloween costumes you can take your picture with for a dollar.

There were lots of giggles on the trip, like when we explored the wedding chapel, spied the sexy Santas, giggled in bed late night like tweens at a slumber party, and when Tina fell off the moving walkway because she was Facebooking from her phone!

I had fun at the ice bar -- which was more decorated walk-in freezer than the igloo-esque space I was anticipating. And the fur coats and hats were made of Muppet fur. I had to laugh at the entire expereince.

We found some favorite restaurants -- RiRa Irish pub @ Mandalay Place and Sugar Factory @ Paris.

I really liked the helicopter ride. I think I'll try to talk Jeff into it when we go to Hawaii or take the kids to the Grand Canyon. It's such an amazing perspective.

We had a special dinner at Pampas, the Brazillian restaurant @ Planet Hollywood. Somehow, we managed to score a private dining room! Such fun having the servers come in our room with their swords of meat. Definitely a place to go when Gabe-fest comes to Las Vegas.

Madame Tussaud's wax museum was more fun than I expected. and not just because I can say I got in bed with Hef. It was silly fun to pose with the statues. Tina texted a pic with the Will Smith statue to her daughter and she saw through our ruse. Which is probably good...otherwise she'd want to go to Vegas too!

I left my phone in Portland on accident, which really showed me how much I depend on it to stay connected. With Matt in the hospital in India and waiting to hear on a book contract, it was quite frustrating. (Matt is in Budapest and on the mend, I scored the book contract). And it made my ADD rage since I didn't have the distraction to keep me centered. I tried to caffienate, but when I forgot my camera battery on day 2, I knew I actually considered picking up an iTouch so I could let the other girls shop while I tried not to crawl out of my skin! But, I made it through. And next time, I'll triple check that I have the phone with me. And will probably drag the laptop along.

Ridin' The Riverboat

I'm not sure what I expected from a dinner cruise aboard the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler. I think of river boats and my mind either goes to the swanky casino boats on the Travel Channel, or Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

This was definitely a middle ground - a much used space with two dining levels and an observation top deck. Most of the passengers were outside of our demographic, but there was one family celebrating a 50th anniversary that had a few people I might find at a PTA meeting.

The dinner cruise was a great way to see the gorge and learn a little about the area. The Seattle harbor cruise we did during Spring Broke was much more informative, as was the drive through the gorge during our snowshoe adventure.

Dinner was okay, you can't really expect much from a galley kitchen. I did think the cheesecake shouldn't be frozen, but what can you do?

 

I had fun taking pictures and watching the sternwheel spin. Things didn't really line up for the sunset shot I'd hoped for, but that didn't stop me from taking pictures until the memory card filled up!