Clare and I had been talking about visiting Oregon for years—mainly for the wine. As avid wine drinkers, the Willamette Valley had long been on our list, especially with its reputation for producing some of the best Pinot Noir in the country. So when we signed up for a Road Scholar trip in Oregon, we made a simple decision: let’s go a couple of days early and explore the Portland area on our own.

That extra time turned out to be the perfect way to ease into the trip. It gave us the freedom to wander, sip, and settle into the rhythm of the region before the more structured part of the programme began. And of course, our first stop had to be wine country.

Before diving into more wine tasting, we made a stop in Newberg to visit the Hoover-Minthorn House—Herbert Hoover’s childhood home after he was orphaned. It’s a quiet, modest place, but rich with history, and it added a thoughtful pause to the start of our trip. Not long after, we met up with the Road Scholar group and shifted gears into the organized part of our journey. One of the highlights was our visit to Mount Hood and the Timberline Lodge, which was built during the Great Depression. The lodge is striking, both in its architecture and in its location. Our Road Scholar guide, who was wonderfully knowledgeable, didn’t hold back—pointing out that the lodge was actually built in the path of potential volcanic activity. “Next time Mt Hood erupts,” he said, “it’ll be gone. So enjoy it while you can.” Not exactly comforting, but definitely memorable.

Back in Portland, we visited the International Rose Test Garden—a must-see if you’re even remotely fond of flowers. That’s me in the photo with the statue of a Royal Rosarian greeter, one of the city’s official ambassadors during rose festival season. The history of the garden is fascinating: during World War II, there was real fear that many European rose varieties might be lost to bombings and destruction. So, cuttings were sent to Portland for safekeeping. Portland’s nickname, the “City of Roses,” suddenly makes perfect sense. We also spent time wandering through the nearby Japanese Garden, which offered a different kind of beauty—quiet, serene, and incredibly calming. It was the kind of place where you just slow down without even realizing it.

We also spent a day exploring downtown Portland. It’s a quirky, creative city with so much to take in—museums, parks, murals, little surprises around every corner. One signpost stood out to me in particular, with arrows pointing to far-off cities and destinations all over the world. It was a fun reminder of how many places there are still to explore—and how connected we all are.

We also took a trip out to the coast, where the scenery shifted dramatically. Our guide shared some sobering facts about the potential for tidal waves to hit the Oregon shoreline. Out on the water, it looked like a perfect day for surfing, but the signs along the route told a different story. One stop in particular stood out: a tsunami assembly area—directly in front of a cemetery. Equal parts eerie and oddly poetic. From there, we made our way to a Lewis and Clark encampment and watched a musket-firing demonstration that gave us a glimpse into what life might have been like for the early explorers.

Another day was spent travelling up the Columbia River Gorge, and this part of the trip completely fascinated me. The geography of the area is unlike anything else, and learning how the gorge was carved out by ancient floods gave me a real sense of wonder. Our guide brought us to some stunning waterfalls, each one more beautiful than the last. Later, we travelled eastward to see Oregon’s drier, more rugged landscape—a real contrast to the lush greenery along the river. Our final stop was at the Bonneville Dam, where we got to watch fish swimming up the ladders behind large glass panels. Something about seeing nature and engineering meet like that was unexpectedly captivating.