The Great Northwest is second only to Sweden in places I want to be during Midsummer. I am in Portland now, enjoying long summer days and pleasant temperatures.

There are many things to do in Portland, as I’ve written about previously, but this time I had the good luck of being in Portland during the Portland Art Museum’s special exhibit The Shape of Speed.

As a Father’s Day treat, we attended with my father on a beautiful Sunday.

The Portland Art Museum special exhibit is The Shape of Speed: Streamlined Automobiles and Motorcycles, 1930-1942, and runs through September 16th.

The exhibit features 19 rare streamlined cars and motorcycle, including a 1934 BMW R7 concept motorcycle.

My favorite car of the show was the 1938 Delahaye 135M Roadster.

The exhibit was well done, allowing photos and very close views.

https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/shape-of-speed/

PARKS

Portland is known as The City of Roses and is famous for the Portland Rose Gardens. But that isn’t the only place to see the roses. In north Portland, Peninsula Park is a popular gathering place.

Portland has many parks, and we enjoyed an early morning dog walk in Cathedral Park, under the St. Johns bridge, a Portland icon.

On a hot afternoon (it hit 87 F in Portland this particular afternoon) you can find cooler temperatures in Pier Park, where the trees are very tall. Fans of the NBC television show Grimm may recognize some of the park scenery. Many of the Grimm episodes were filmed in Pier Park in Portland’s St. Johns suburb.

WINE TASTING

No trip to Portland would be complete, for me, without at least a quick foray into the Willamette Valley wine region, now home to hundreds of vineyards. Not technically Portland, some of the vineyards and tasting rooms are quite close.

My newest favorite tasting spot is David Hill Vineyards, very near Forest Grove, and just a short distance from Portland.  They encourage you to sip your favorite wine in the chairs surrounding the old farm house, repurposed as the tasting room.

I quite enjoyed their Estate Pinot Noir Rose.

https://www.davidhillwinery.com/

OREGON BEACHES

Another pleasant spot near Portland is Cannon Beach.  About a two hour drive, it is dog friendly, campfire approved, and you can even enjoy your favorite beverage right on the beach.  The Oregon beaches are the beaches of YES.   The Florida beaches, in contrast, are the beaches of NO;  no campfires, no dogs and no alcohol.  So grab your best friend and your favorite bottle of wine, and head west.