Category Archives: Peaceful Places in Portland

Paul is working on a Fall 2012 book called “Peaceful Places in Portland”

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Peaceful Place: Elk Rock Island

Another in the ongoing project called Peaceful Places in Portland — a book I am supposed to be writing, am way behind on, and which (ironically) is stressing me out!

Elk Rock Island

It can be easy, when living in Portland, to forget that the Willamette is a river.

I know that sounds odd, because what else would it be, but how often do you look at that body of water downtown and think about currents, and drainages, and riverbanks, and islands? It just seems kind of like some water to get across on the way to work, right?

Well, it’s a river, and if you want to get just a little glimpse of it in that form, head out to Elk Rock Island. First you have to find tiny Spring Park in Milwaukie. It’s a nice enough place, but follow the trail into the woods. Yes, you’re headed for the riverbank. And when you get there, if the water is low enough, you can walk right out there to the island-m-across a land bridge that  is thought to be 40 million years old.

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Peaceful Place: Leach Botanical Garden

This week our Peaceful Place in Portland is Leach Botanical Garden.

Leach Botanical Garden

Category: Parks and Gardens

One way to look at Leach Botanical Garden is that it’s a beautiful little piece of creek-side nature just a couple minutes from the Pick-n-Pull on SE Foster. In that respect alone, it’s remarkable. That so few Portlanders seem to know of its existence adds a certain air of discovery to your first trip.

Continue reading →

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Portland’s Butterfly Park

One of the great things about writing is that it makes me go out and discover stuff.

For example, when I was writing 60 Hikes, I walked the whole Willamette Greenway Trail and found out Portland has a Butterfly Park. Bet you didn’t know that. So now I get to explore and learn more about it, so I can put it in my Peaceful Places book.

Here’s the chapter, with a few photos, that I just did about it.

 

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New Project: Peaceful Places in Portland

I have started on a new book called Peaceful Places in Portland, to be released in the fall of 2012 by Menasha Ridge Press. For an example of what it’s all about, check out their Peaceful Places in New York book.

And so now I have a blog, where I will share some of my discoveries as I work on the book — and also seek your suggestions. Check it out over at PeacefulPortland.com. There’s even a Facebook page for the book. And for my own little intro to what it’s all about, read the first blog post, called “What is ‘Peaceful Places in Portland?‘ “