The Beauty of Portland (and the greater Portland Area)

Portland is stunning. And the fact that you can drive an hour out of Portland and reach even more beautiful hikes, views, waterfalls, flora, ect. is amazing to me. Everything is green, lush, and gorgeous!

From the inner-city airport, which is overgrown with deep green, rich plants...

...to the top of Mount Defiance, from which all three of the near-by peaks are visible: Mount Hood (pictured), Mount Ranier, and Mount Adams, everywhere you look, it's worth taking a picture.

The reason I can confidently say that Oregon nature is one of my favorites is because it is so lush. Due to the increased moisture in the area, both in rainfall and humidity, all the plants are well-nourished and the forests are teeming with life. 

Lakes, rivers, waterfalls, dew on the leaves - there is water everywhere, which makes for a stunning place to explore and breathe in the fresh air!

Certainly, this is not the dry Bay Area I'm used to! Thick brush, wet ground, plant life encroaching from every angle, and moss covering most of the exposed dirt.

And waterfalls - they are sight of their own. 

Certainly, this is something I would imagine finding at the end of a rainbow :)

Mount Hood, Oregon's most well-known mountain, can even be seen from downtown Portland! (though this is a picture from the top of Mount Defiance)

Like I said...waterfalls!!!

And the vegetation is quite diverse. I love finding hidden gems like mushrooms!

In the late summer, it gets even better! There are wild blackberries growing virtually everywhere. I ate some from the side of the freeway, in a neighborhood just outside of Portland, and in downtown Portland itself! They are delectable and incomparable with the store-bought berries.

And flowers...don't get me started about flowers in this post. I'm going to have to put up a whole separate post just dedicated to these beauties. I have seen this specific variety of flowers along the sides of the freeway and in other over-grown areas, so they must be a weed...but they're still pretty!

So there you have it, Portland at its finest! 

And I get to live here and explore it all! Don't worry, I'll keep you all in the loop!

Watch for the next post about nothing better than...FLOWERSFLOWERSFLOWERS!!!

Thanks for reading :)