Our trip to Oregon started with an early evening flight from Chicago's O'Hare. After a 4+ hour in the air, a time-change, and a long wait at the Hertz counter we made it to our downtown hotel around 8:30. The Embassy Suites, where we stayed, used to be some grand hotel back-in-the-day. Tonight it was a few blocks from a bar Dave targeted. The closest microbrewery per Yelp! was Tugboat Brewing Company.
Found on tripadvisor.com
Tugboat was more a bar than a traditional microbrewery and set the tone for Portland. The place was small, dank, had a mix of colonial paintings and other eclectic items around. The music playing was hip-hop. We didn't try any of their own beers because they were all some derivation of an Indian Pale Ale (a beer style that tends to be very bitter) - probably our least favorite style. Luckily they had other guest taps (beers from other microbreweries) available and we found some some stouts to our liking. We spent a few minutes talking to another patron, whom was very interested in chatting, then moved to another bar across the street.
Bailey's Taproom was the complete opposite of Tugboat. Minimalist design, white walls, clean lines. They had an electronic menu that displayed what was on tap, with alcohol content and IBUs (how bitter a beer is), and how much is left in the keg. Once again very IPA-centric, but we found a couple of dark beers. Unfortunately, one of them was Seven Bride's Kelly's Hot Chocolate which seemed to have been made with 12 scotch bonnets in each glass. The guy next to us started a conversation. Lesson one: People in Portland are friendly.
Lesson two: This sign is accurate. Portland prides itself on its eclecticness. A lot of residents seem to be trying to out-unique each other with clothes, piercings, tats, etc.
We were tired so headed back to the hotel. On the way back we found a few blocks that contained food trailers and trucks. Very few were still open at that time, but we saw everything from donuts, to Mexican, to Greek food offered. We also discovered that right by the hotel was another street full of bars and a Voodoo Doughnuts.
Lesson three: Voodoo Doughnuts are good.
Voodoo Doughnut features over 70 doughnuts served with a ton of kitchyness. Their flagship donut is shaped like a voodoo doll and squirts raspberry blood from it's center along with pretzel stick pins. Everything else in the shop was just as unique. Think about your childhood favorites on a doughnut. They've been featured everywhere on TV and you can find a ton of videos on YouTube. We were stopped by two people in our hotel asking us where we got the doughnuts.
We waited in line about 15 minutes and bought 6 doughnuts for our long drive to Bend.... Find out which flavors in our next post!
Given the family-oriented nature of "The Chain" many of our dining-out choices are limited to places serving sandwiches, pub grub, and pizza. One of the best places in our opinions to get those items is The Sandbar in Antioch, IL. This is not to be confused with Sandbar just over the border in Twin Lakes or the Petite Lake Sandbar where 100's of boats tie-up and party on the weekends.
The Sandbar is on the south side of Lake Marie, near the Bluff Lake Channel. To get there by car you'd have to drive down a long country road and find the right narrow side-street to make it lakeside. The bar itself is in a smaller building with low ceilings. Back when Illinois allowed smoking indoors we avoided the place. Now we love dining inside in the winter when you can look out the picture windows at the crazy people ice fishing. There's more outdoor seating than indoor seating. During boating season you can sit at picnic tables in the sand or on the concrete patio.
For entertainment you can watch people attempt to dock at their long and narrow rickety piers or enjoy watching boats launch from their ramp. You often see kids playing in the sand (making messes and getting yelled at by parents).
On weekends they offer a Chicago hot dog cart for a quick bite. New this year, Hawaiian shaved ice on Fridays and Saturdays. The Sandbar makes great chicken sandwiches and burgers. It's one of the few places in this area offering bison burgers as an option, along with sloppy joes. The pizza and calzones are great. They will half-bake pizzas for you to take home for later. Daily specials are a good deal. Dave's favorite is Saturday's BBQ ribs special. $10 Half-rack, $15 full.
Great place summer or winter. We'd link their website, but they don't have one.
It's almost September which means it's time to leave the summer fun of Illinois behind and open a new race season for Holly. Her next race is the Sunriver Marathon in Sunriver, Oregon. The race takes place around the Sunriver Resort and neighboring community.
Since this is our first time to Oregon we decided to spend a few days in the area and take in some sights. We are landing in Portland late so there will only be time to check-in, grab a snack at a nearby microbrewery, then head to bed. The next morning we have a 3.5 hour drive to The city of Bend in Central Oregon.
Bend has been described as "The New Boulder". Lots of great local businesses, an environmental focus, and great outdoor activities. It's also a very beer-focused city (surprised we're going here?) and to learn more about their 10+ breweries in the area we are taking The Bend Brew Bus Tour. We're getting picked up at our hotel, the Old St. Francis, that is attached to a microbrewery!
We're spending the rest of our trip at the Sunriver Resort, which is a half hour from Bend. We'll do some biking, drive to some local nature things (lots of State Parks), and do a few more things in Bend. We need to get our passports stamped at all the stops on the Bend Ale Trail. We have plans to do some Stand Up Paddleboarding along the river. Thanks to VisitBend.com, we've lined up a free fly fishing course. There's about a 90% chance Dave gets a hook stuck in his finger and a 95% chance he'll tangle the line beyond repair.
So get ready for a race report, food and drink reports, ugly photos (and some good ones too), and some fun over the next few weeks!
One good thing about living in a "summer home" area is the fact that there are places catering to folks who want to have a good time. Summer is short in these parts so we take advantage of it every way we can. One place to definitely have a good time is Blarney Island
As the name implies, this bar is on an island in the middle of Grass Lake in Antioch, IL. We're not sure if there's much physical land left to the island, but it's a good size thanks to all the decking and docks built around it. You can get there on your own boat, or take the Blarney Island Shuttle from their sister mainland restaurant, The Port o' Blarney. It's only open from May until Early-October.
Photo borrowed from the Lake County History Blog
Originally, the island was built as a small fishing resort In 1906 under a different name. Visitors were also drawn to the area by the big beds of lotus blossoms. "The Island" at one point used to be connected to land, but when the dam went in downriver, Grass Lake rose and left the rest of the property as an island. You can read more at the Lake County History Blog and see some other great photos.
Lotus blossoms today
Nowadays it's a party destination. There are several themed weekends like "Key West Fest", Parrotheads, Blarney Gras, and 80's. There are some night parties like New Year's Eve, Pirates, and Pimps and Hos. We've never been to that last party, but we've seen some revelers at The Port and they really fit the theme. Thursday nights they host drag races. Hundreds of boats come out and anchor to watch the action. The last weekend of the season is the Drink Us Dry Party. Why lug it all back?
Bead tossing during Blarney Gras
Blarney Gras is the biggest weekend. The bands are a bit better than usual and during parts of the event they throw beads from the roof. Sometimes body parts are revealed. According to their marketing Blarney Island is "The Key West of the Midwest" and "A Mile Away from Reality". No wonder people feel safe throwing their inhibitions.
Top: The Island about ten years ago. Below: More recent picture.
Bonus if you can find Dave
We've seen changes over the last ten years. Food used to come from a small BBQ grill and be limited to burgers and brats. Today they have a full kitchen and serve a fine chicken sandwich and the best chicken tenders around. Beer was Bud or Miller. Then Bud had exclusivity for seven years (known in our house as "The Dark Days"). Now MillerCoors has exclusivity! The main floor used to be one one level with picnic tables. Now it's nicely tiered and we have pub tables. There's over 350 boat slips and a helipad.
What makes Blarney Island fun for us is the people-watching and live music as early as 2pm on the weekends. You see everything here: bachelorette parties, expensive boats, young folks partying hard, and some bad dancing. For some that grew up here, the first trip to Blarney as a 21 yr old is a rite of passage. We've been going to Blarney Island for ten years and we still can't believe how entertaining a day here can be.
Here's Blarney Island's promo video. We are in it toward the end, but you need to look really hard for us. This was filmed during a Blarney Gras - it's not always this crazy this early!
RunDisney has a race series that rewards participants with an extra medal. It's called The Coast to Coast Challenge. If a person participates in a Florida RunDisney half or full marathon, and a California RunDisney half marathon in the same calendar year, they get a bonus medal called the Coast to Coast Medal. This special medal features Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse as viewed as the Partner's Statue in Disney Parks. Holly got her first Coast to Coast Medal in 2010. We're both getting one (fingers crossed) in 2013.
And yes, you are correct.... For both of us to get a Coast to Coast medal Dave has to participate in two half marathons. Correct again.... He's never been in a half marathon. He's claiming this will be his first, second, and last half marathons. He's also walking both of them so that alleviates some of the fear.
5 days of races with 3:00am wake-up calls. That will be a busy ten days. We chose this crazy schedule because Holly's never participated in the Tinkerbell Half plus we didn't want to spend Labor Day Weekend in Disneyland to do their Disneyland Half again. Dave will only have one training cycle vs. two so this plan makes sense. He'll enjoy being one of the few men in the women-focused Tinkerbell Half.
These events are the center of our efforts for raising money to fight breast cancer with Team AllEars. We will be asking for your support again this year. Last year, you helped Team Tizzel contribute about $6,300 to the Team AllEars' total of $70,000+ through our Dress Dave Like Duffy Challenge. We don't have a stunt this year planned since Dave getting through all this and the training will be stunt enough. Got an idea for a stunt and willing to back it with a donation? Add your challenge to the comments section below or send an email.
We will release some milestone videos that might contain a funny or embarrassing moment we've never posted online. Follow our progress at the Coast to Coast 2013 tab on the top.
Visit our Support Our Fight Against Breast Cancer page to learn how to donate, or just click the button below to go straight to the online donation page. Be sure to place Team Tizzel in the personal note.
Last week in a "cop-out" post we let you know about a RunDisney Facebook Page promoting the 2013 Marathon Weekend and the special 20th anniversary Marathon Medal. So far, RunDisney has revealed the Half Marathon Medal and the design for the Family 5K Medallion.
Half Marathon Medal
Family Fun Run 5K Medallion
No word yet on The Goofy Challenge Medal (award for doing both the Half and Full Marathon that weekend).
A friend of ours did some snooping and found a post on Disboards.com that has a picture of the what could be the Marathon Medal. This is only rumor, so don't bank on this.....Word is RunDisney may be releasing the official medal design tomorrow. Here's the rumored design:
Rumored 20th Anniversary Medal
Looks like the center spins. We can't wait until the official release......
Update
RunDisney did confirm this is the official medal. Bonus: it's a double spinner. The face and quote ring both spin.
"The Chain" was put on the map as a recreation destination over 100 years ago. Busy Chicagoans took the newly expanded train route to Fox Lake in order to find a relaxing distraction from city life. One of the main tourist attractions in the area were the "Egyptian" Lotus Blossoms.
Back in olden tymes people would visit Fox Lake and Antioch to see the famous flowers that only grow in two places around the world: Egypt and The Chain o' Lakes, IL. There are a few pictures and old postcards online showing the blossom tour as a true attraction through the '40's and beyond.
Blossoms in the "K"
The "Egyptian" portion of the blossom is still a common myth today. We thought these flowers really were only here and in Egypt until we researched this post. Cooter's History Thing Blog quotes the 2010 Grant Township (Which Fox Lake is in) Historical Society:
Fox Lake, Illinois', official flower is the very fragrant lemon-colored Egyptian Lotus Flower. At one time, when the Chain of Lakes was much lower and boat traffic much less, huge lotus beds covered parts of the lakes.
Today, there are far fewer, primarily near Crabapple Island where the water is too shallow for boating.
The Chain of Lakes, here in northeastern Illinois, is the only place in the US where they have been found growing in the wild. No one knows for sure why that is.
The lotus, known as Nelumbo lutea, or American lotus, grow not only in the Chain O’ Lakes, but also in Illinois’ major rivers and lakes and ponds, and shallow water areas throughout the eastern United States.
We checked out wikipedia and it seems pretty clear that Nelumbo lutea is the flower in our lakes. No matter where they are from, they are very pretty and add character to the places they still grow.
With the blossoms in bloom we decided to take a boat ride and take a closer look. Here's a quick video we made from our tour and some pictures.
Some photos were sourced from the Internet for educational purposes. We do not claim the copyrights.
Voodoo Doughnut features over 70 doughnuts served with a ton of kitchyness. Their flagship donut is shaped like a voodoo doll and squirts raspberry blood from it's center along with pretzel stick pins. Everything else in the shop was just as unique. Think about your childhood favorites on a doughnut. They've been featured everywhere on TV and you can find a ton of videos on YouTube. We were stopped by two people in our hotel asking us where we got the doughnuts.
