Washington Park...........

Portland is known as the city of roses, which we did not know. City of bridges....yes. But roses? New to us. (Hey...we're from the east coast)! The International Rose Test Garden is located in Washington Park, and what a beauty if you can get there when the roses are in bloom (June)! The scent alone is worth the trip. The roses are just gorgeous. All 10,000 of them. For more information on Washington Park and all it has to offer, click here.

The International Rose Test Garden is a testing ground for new rose varieties. Since we are not rose connoisseurs, we enjoyed the gardens simply.....for the beauty of the flowers and the fragrance they emitted. Besides being one of the top attractions in Portland, we also had a two thumbs up from Judy and Linda, who visited the gardens on their recent trip to Portland. You can read more about the rose garden by clicking here. By the way, there is no admission charge to visit the rose gardens.

International Rose Test Garden

a beauty

I never saw so many roses!

love the color combo

rows and rows of roses

ahhh...can you smell them?

beautiful

most are in full bloom

so sweet

what a beautiful place

another section

Tom can even smell the roses (he has a limited sense of smell)

this place is gorgeous

just sayin'

in the Shakespeare Garden...lots of cool flowers there too

of course you can take our picture together....thank you!

how cool is this little number?

the smell is intoxicating

so pretty

are there enough roses here?

lots more over here too

What? Purple?

love the colors

hats off to whoever planned this garden and to all those volunteers who work here

so many roses....so much fragrance.....really nice!

Also located in Washington Park, across from the rose gardens, is the Portland Japanese Garden. Another stunner. For more information, click here. To upkeep the gardens, there is a charge of $9.50 for all entering. This garden was very different from the rose gardens...it was serene and quiet and not nearly as crowded. No cell phones, dogs, or picnics allowed so that it can be as peaceful an experience as possible for all visitors. That was different for a park! The gardens were lovely and peaceful.

its getting hot...time for the cooling kerchief!

interesting features everywhere you look

quiet and serene gardens

so cool...

uh oh!

meandering through the "pool" area

so nicely landscaped, including the brick work

cool and refreshing area

another cool meditative garden

pretty

enjoying the gardens?

photo op on the bridge

even the walkways have interesting and peaceful features

great colorwork!

the koi pond

peaceful

tranquil garden (certainly imitating nature at the Columbia River Gorge)

are we getting lost and going in circles?

pretty

very nice gardens....lots of labor involved!

After a morning of gardens, we wanted to check out the Hoyt Arboretum, also located within the park and free of charge. For more information, click here. There are miles and miles of trails throughout the park, or you can take a free shuttle bus to each location throughout the park. We opted for the trails, of course, and we were so glad we did. What a pleasant hike right in the city! WOW!

By the time we got to the Aboretum, it was lunchtime and we picked a nice spot in the shade to eat and figure out which trails to take. The trails at the Aboretum are looped and named for the trees that grow there. Examples include the fir loop and the oak loop. We combined trails and walked for a few miles, mostly in the shade (thankfully-since it was getting pretty hot). The trails were pretty well marked so we did not get too lost-hahah! We just LOVED the giant redwoods and cedars...again, amazing in the middle of a city.

ready Susie?

for some reason, we are having a lot of trouble finding our way in Oregon...even in the woods here

nice shady walk

nice hike! right in the city!

going that way!

which way?

sweet

giant red cedar

these trees are huge!

looking way up to see the tops of the trees!

great trail at the aboretum (well, they are all pretty good)!

this was interesting

didn't see a sign...not sure what it is

cool!

lovely shaded forest section

the giant redwoods

boy do I feel little! (well, short anyway!)

hundreds of years old

so so tall

great hike through this section

I think these are even taller!

wow!

peaceful, right?

Mount Hood in the background

What a lovely day exploring the park. We still didn't see it all! We thought about going to the zoo, but it was getting just too hot. 

Portland has a little something for everyone. There are so many choices for a variety of interests and time limits! Its safe to say, we earned our "Portland Visitor Merit Badge"...hahahah! 

one of our "sources"

earn your Portland visitor merit badge.....we did ok on this! haahah!