Clear Lake is located in Mount Hood National Forest and it is just about 60 miles East of Portland. Clear Lake itself is one of the largest lake in Mount Hood National Forest and people often bring their boat here to enjoy the day. There are also several camp grounds around the lake for spending over the night. Clear Lake is also very accessible. It is pretty much just off Highway 26 and the day use area is directly at the shore of the lake.
My friends and I decided to go to Clear Lake during this clear sky Saturday night to do some stargazing. We left Portland around 7PM and headed towards Mount Hood. The drive at night in the mountain was not as bad as we thought and there were very little car on the road. We had high beam on most of the time to keep our eyes open. We got to Clear Lake around 9PM and it was so quiet at the lake. We got out of the car and it was pitch dark. Luckily we were prepared with flash light and lantern to check the surroundings. Other than hearing cars running through the highway, we could sometimes hear the sound from ducks.
We walked toward the lake and was able to see the milky way in the sky. It was just amazing. There were just so many stars in the sky and it was unbelievable. We enjoyed taking as many photos as possible and also tried to shine flash light into the sky and form a light beam.
While we were there, there were also cars driving by but they did not stop for some reason. They came and stopped for few seconds, then made a u-turn and went back. We felt a bit odd and thought maybe they just wanted to find a quiet place just for themselves. There was also an RV driving by and headed to the campground. We spent around 30 minutes at the lake and headed back home afterwards.
Overall, it was an amazing place to do stargazing and to watch meteor shower since Clear Lake is very accessible. We were also surprised that there wasn't any mosquitos flying around. We recommend to bring warm clothes since it is always much colder in the mountain especially during the night time. Also, flash light is definitely necessary since it can light up objects much further than what a cell phone can do.
Timothy Lake is one of the largest lake within the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. The Lake is located about 60 miles East from Portland and take about 1.5 hours to get there. Timothy Lake also offers a lot of camp ground sites for recreational purpose and also allows motorized boat to be used on the lake. It is one of the most popular camping site within Mount Hood National Forest.
On the last weekend of September, right before the start of the raining season in Oregon, we decided to head to Timothy Lake to enjoy the last hike of the year. We left early around 7AM in the morning and instead of heading directly to Timothy Lake, we headed to Little Crater Lake instead since it is very close to Timothy Lake hiking trail.
The Timothy Lake hiking trail is around 13 miles around the lake. We started our hike around 9:30 in the morning and hiked along the East shore first. For the first 3 miles, we did not run into anyone and it was so quiet in the forest. As we approach towards the camp site, we started to run into people who are jogging and fishing on the lake. Since it was almost autumn season, many tree leaves started to turn red and yellow color. It was just amazing scenery.
As we approach the half way point of the hiking trail, we reached the dam at the South end of the lake. The dam is operated by PGE and we could see it draining the water to generate electricity. We also read a post on the sign saying the Oregon government is try to evaluate the ecosystem of the lake and have place many trouts with RFID tag on them. Whoever catches those trout can respond to survey on the web and could possibly earn $50 per trout! No wonder there were so many people fishing here!
While we hiked along the Northwest shore of the lake, we started to see more color changes of the tree leave. It was amazing. We loved the color of the maple trees that are grown between the evergreen trees.
We finally completed the hike around 4PM in the afternoon. Since we did take our time enjoying our lunch and took our time to take pictures, the whole hike took about 5.5 hours. Other than being a long distance hike, the trail is pretty easy with pretty much no elevation at all. We highly recommend visiting Timothy Lake and enjoy the time hiking on the beautiful trail!
Spork is a fusion restaurant located in Bend, Oregon. It is along the street where many brunch places are at. Spork offers variety of types of food including Thai, Mexican, Chinese, and American. On many of the restaurant review sites, it is ranked as the number 2 restaurant to go to in Bend. Since Spork is so highly rated in many review sites, we decided to give it a try when visiting Bend.
We got to Spork around 12PM and parked our car along one of the side street in the neighborhood. The restaurant was not very obvious to find. We actually drove by it and had to walk back. The Spork sign is on its door and the restaurant offers both outside seating area and indoor seating area. It also has a logo that says "fire" in Chinese Like many Oregon restaurants, customers order the food first at the cashier and then find the table to sit down. We were given a stick with a picture on it after we placed our order and the server delivered the food to us.
We ordered a Pozole Rojo Mexican dish and a Dan Dan noodle Chinese dish. The Pozole Rojo dish was a bit small and did not come with many chips. The taste of Pozole Rojo was not as good as what we had in Portland either. The chicken could have been more tender as well. The Dan Dan noodle is mixed with a lot of green onions, peanuts, and minced pork. When we say a lot, we actually meant A LOT! The entire bowl of noodle is covered under green onions. The noodle is actually made out of rice, which is a bit different. The minced pork however is a bit tough to chew on. The restaurant itself is pretty much a self-serve restaurant. We get our own water and also place the food plate back into the disposal bins.
In addition, there are 3 washrooms at the restaurant and they are all on different side of the wall. So if you are waiting on a washroom, it would be wise to go around and check to see if the other 2 washrooms are available or not.
Overall, we were quite disappointed at the food that Spork offers. We had high expectation from Spork since it was rated as the second must visit restaurant in Bend and it turned out to be disappointing. We may give this place another try next time when we have a chance, but may try other brunch places first.
Other than the famous Crater Lake in Oregon, there is also Little Crater Lake at the Northern side of Oregon. Little Crater Lake is not as well known to people, and not even that well known to local Oregonians. Little Crater Lake is located in Mount Hood Forest National Park, about 2 hours away from Portland. Unlike Crater Lake, Little Crater Lake is not formed by volcanic eruption, it is formed from the collapsed ground from underground water. This creates a deep vertical drop and formed a lake when the water poured in.
During the weekend, we originally wanted to visit Clear Lake, but the water was mostly dried out at Clear Lake, thus we decided to visit Little Crater Lake. The drive to Little Crater Lake was relatively smooth, it was all on paved road with few bumps here and there. The day use area is right beside the camp ground and there were limited parking spaces. We parked our car and headed to the trail to get to Little Crater Lake that is just 250 yards out.
We got to Little Crater Lake and we were stunned by how clear the water is. We could see all the way through to the bottom of the lake. The water was just so clear. The water was also very calm and reflects the sky and trees onto the surface of the lake. It was simply amazing. We went around the shore and got a feel of the water and it was freezing cold. It was said to be 34 degree Fahrenheit, which is essentially at freezing point. there are also signs indicating no swimming is allowed.
At this time, a black Labrador showed up. He was so friendly and cute. The black Labrador walked around the lake, dipped his front paws into the lake and looked around. We bet he was feeling a bit cold. Then he moved further in and got his whole body soaked in the water, but he got out immediately. We were guessing the water temperature was still too cold for him.
Little Crater Lake is a nice place to visit, even for elderly people since the trail is well maintained and very close to the parking lot. The drive to there is also very convenient with well marked signs. If you would like to have a longer hike, the trail does go all the way to Timothy Lake and crosses with Pacific Crest Trail.
Smith Rock is one of the Oregon Seven Wonders. Smith Rock is located in central Oregon, about 30 minutes North East of Bend. It is one of the most popular tourist destination for people visiting Oregon. Smith Rock is known as a volcanic rock and also a popular location for rock climbing enthusiasts. There are also several hiking trails in Smith Rock State Park and most of the trails are quite easy with very little elevation gain.
We got to Smith Rock State Park at around 8:30AM in the morning to avoid the crowd. The parking space at Smith Rock State Park is very limited, so it is better to go there early than late. The unfortunate part is that Northwest Pass cannot be used here. We had to spend $5 to purchase a day pass. The ticketing machine is on the right side of the information center.
Smith Rock looked beautiful at early morning with the sun light shine on the side of the beautiful rock. We walked down the ridge to the bottom along the river and went across the bridge. There are few trails after crossing the bridge. The most difficult trail here is the Misery Trail that heads right up the ridge of Smith Rock. We chose to hike the Misery Trail since it is more interesting. The Misery Trail has a lot of elevation gain along the 1 mile trail. We got up to the ridge within an hour and the view from the top is beautiful. We could see the farm land on the far side and the Cascade Mountains as well.
We headed down the Misery Trail and decided to take the Summit Trail to have more fun. The Summit Trail has less people there, and it is very easy to hike. We enjoyed the scenery along the trail. After reaching the summit, we headed back down the trail and went back to the bridge by taking the Riverside Trail. The Riverside Trail is quite crowded with the rock climbing people and people with kids. The hardest part is the part heading back to the parking lot. This is a lot of elevation gain and we had to take a rest at the half way point.
Smith Rock is quite an amazing place to visit and definitely did not disappoint for being one of the Seven Wonder. We highly recommend to visit Smith Rock while visiting Bend since it is so close by. Just keep in mind to go there early to avoid the crowd and get a good parking spot.
Sparks Lake is one of the largest lake along Cascade Highway. It is located South of South Sister Mountain and right beside Devils Lake. To get to Sparks Lake, it is about 40 minutes away from Bend and is very accessible. Sparks Lake is also one of the lake that offers great trail for paddling. Many people come here paddling around the lake for the whole day.
We left bend and headed to Sparks Lake around 5PM in the afternoon. The reason that we headed there late in the afternoon was because we wanted to stay till sunset and gaze the stars. We got to Sparks Lake around 6PM and the beautiful sun lights shined on South Sister Mountain and Broken Top Mountain. The reflection of the mountains were beautiful on the lake.
When we go there, most people were already packing and leaving. The water level of the lake was lower than early summer. Since the water level is low, we were able to walk around the shore of the lake and go very far along the lake shore by stepping on the lava rocks. However, some lava rocks were lose, so extra attention is required when stepping on the lava rocks.
The sun set was at around 7:40PM and we started to see the twilight among the sky. It was just beautiful. At this time, more people start to come and setting up tables and chairs along the lake. Some people even brought electricity generator. We sat along the lake for about 1 and half hour and the stars start to appear in the sky. The Milky Way started to show up right above us. The star reflecting on the surface of the lake was just amazing. We were able to see the polar star and the Big Dipper.
Overall, this was a lovely experience. It was our first time staying late in the wild. Sparks Lake is a perfect place for stargazing since the lake is right beside the parking lot and we did not have to hike to the lake. We would definitely go back to Sparks Lake again and enjoy the night there.
Japan is one of the advanced country in Eastern Asia. Kingdom of Japan is located at Northeast of Asia and it is an island nation. Japan has 4 main islands and thousands of smaller islands that goes from North of Hokkaido all the way to the South of Okinawa. Japan has been known for many of its advanced electronic brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Canon, and many others. Japan's car companies are also the most popular car brand in the world. It is fortunate that there is a direct flight from Portland to Japan, operated by Delta Airline. Thus we decided to go on a one week vacation in Japan.
The Delta flight leaves around 12:30PM from Portland and arrives at Japan Narita airport around 2:30PM in the afternoon. We were very satisfied with Delta Airline's service. We were served with Ben & Jerry ice cream! It was our first time having ice cream on the airplane.
Once we got off the plane, we first rushed to the travel agency at Narita Airport Terminal 1 to get our JR Rail Pass exchanged. JR Rail Pass is for foreigners only and it offers amazing discount to use all JR owned railways. While we were there exchanging the JR Rail Pass, we also booked the Narita Express train to Shinagawa, and then take the Shinkensen to Kyoto.
On day 1 when we arrived in Japan, we immediately took Shinkensen to Kyoto. The ride was about 2.5 hours from Shinagawa to Kyoto station, but we enjoyed the ride a lot because it has a lot of leg rooms. The only thing we forgot was to purchase bento box and enjoy the food. Once we got to Kyoto, we grabbed some bento box at Kyoto station and immediately checked in to Hotel Granvia Kyoto, which is right beside Kyoto station. There are so many people at Kyoto station and it was crazy!
On day 2, we woke up very early at 5AM and went to Arashiyama. It was quite easy to get to Arashiyama from Kyoto station by taking JR train. We got to Arashiyama at around 7AM and there was not many people there. For lunch, we went to Taisho Hanana to try its famous bream fish sashimi. After lunch, we went to Ranzan Sakuramochi for crashed ice dessert. We then took Kyoto city bus to Kinkaku-Ji to check out the famous golden temple. Afterwards, we went to the famous and oldest temple in Japan, Kiyomizu-Dera, to look around and shop around the area. At night, we got some buns and went back to hotel to enjoy dinner.
On day 3, we woke up even earlier at 4AM because we have a long day ahead of us. We first went to Fushmi Inari Taisha to check out its hundreds of Toshiis lined up together. Then we went back to Kyoto station to take Shinkensen to Himeji to visit Himeji Castle and Koko-En Garden. It is around 1 hour of train ride. After that, we took Shinkensen again to go to Shin-Osaka station and visit the famous Osaka market at Dotonbori to try its famous Takoyaki at Juhachiban Takoyaki.
On day 4, we left Kyoto and headed to Hakone. We first took Shinkensen to Odawara station, then take Hakone Tozan train to Kowakudani and checked in to Manatei Hotel. Since our room was not ready yet, we took Hakone Tozan ropeway to visit Owakudani and checked out its black hot spring egg. We then went down to visit Lake Ashi and took the pirate ship cruise to the South side of the lake to check out Hakone Shrine. At night, we had dinner at Hayakawa, which is included as part of the stay at Manatei Hotel.
On day 5, we went to Hakone Yumoto by taking Hakone Tozan train. We visited Gyokuren Shrine and made our prayers there. Then went to Yama Soba for lunch to try out its amazing cold noodle soba. Later we then went to Gore Park, which is a less popular place for tourist.
On day 6, we took Shinkensen to Tokyo station. We got to Tokyo around noon and went to Meiji Jingu. Then we went to Sakuratei to try making Okonomiyaki ourselves. After having a great lunch, we went to Nishimura Fruit & Parlour for an amazing luxurious dessert. Then we checked out Shibuya and tried the UFO machine, but unfortunately did not get anything.
On day 7, we took Shinkensen to Utsunomiya and then take the train to Nikko. At Nikko, got to try out Kimono and visited the famous temples. We also tried Gelato Rusk ice cream. In the afternoon, we went back to Tokyo and went to Sushizanmai for dinner. Its tuna sushi was the best sushi we have ever had.
On day 8, wen visited Senso-Ji and shop around Asakusa. At lunch time, we went to Ichiran Ramen. We have wanted to try it out for so long and finally had the chance to do it. In the afternoon, went to shopping at Shinjuku. At night, we went to Akibahara to play the UFO machine again and caught 3 prizes! We were very lucky that night.
On day 9 and it is the last day, we headed to Narita Airport and get ready to head back to Portland. The schedule of this Japan vacation was quite tight, but we enjoyed it a lot. We have visited a lot more places than we wanted to. After visiting Japan, we were most impressed by Japan's railway network. It is so convenient and we did not have to take bus at all. If we had the chance, we would visit Japan again and try to catch more price with the UFO machine!
Ichiran Ramen is a popular ramen franchise in Japan. It has also opened many franchise stores in other countries as well. It is known for serving amazing ramen with a single soup base and you can adjust ramen's flavor however you like.
Since it is so popular, we decided to give it a visit while we were in Japan. The Ichiran restaurant that we visited is at Asakusa. We got to the door of the restaurant around 10AM in the morning and it appeared that the restaurant is located in the basement. We were not sure whether the restaurant is open or not. We walked down stairs and pressed the button to open the automatic door and found that there were already many people in there. We were greet with a sweet smile from the server and she told us to buy food ticket from the vending machine.
The vending machine has all the menu items that Ichiran offers. All customers need to purchase the food ticket from the vending machine first and then give the food ticket to the server after filling out the form that indicates what kind of flavor that you want. We got our food ticket, and filled out the form to specify spiciness, saltiness, and noodle thickness.
The ramen was served quite quickly. We were guessing that they always had the noodle and soup ready, and just had to put them together in the bowl. The soup seems to be a pork bone flavored soup. The thickness of the noodle is about right. Not too thin and not too thick. On top of the noodle, green onions are spread on top of it, which is nice. The pork meat is good. It did not have too much fat on it. One thing that was interesting is the egg. When the egg is given to us, it was still in the shell. We needed to peel off the shell ourselves and then put it in the ramen soup.
We finished the ramen rather quickly and really enjoyed it. Before we leave, the server asked us whether we are interested to purchase the ramen and cook it ourselves at home. Apparently the restaurant also sell its ramen in the restaurant. So we could try to make Ichiran ramen in US if we purchase the ramen set.
