One reason to come to Portland is because I’m a fan of a guy here who learned bread making in France and pizza making in Italy.
He’s Ken Forkish and he has a bakery and a separate pizza place in Portland. His book Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast won a big award and I use that book.
He also wrote The Elements of Pizza and that book has changed how I make pizza. So, I went to the bakery again today. I stopped by yesterday. Got a loaf of country bread, a croissant and a slice of bacon quiche.
Went to a Fred Meyers grocery a few blocks away also. Groceries sure are expensive.
Here are photos of Ken’s Artisan Bakery and of my goods.
My hosts, David and Buddy, took me to the Hoyt Arboretum. It’s a park that is a “library of trees” from around the world. There are cedars, redwoods, spruces, cypress, dogwoods, pines, magnolias and a lot more. Very nice place and very popular with runners and walkers.
David is an expert on the Arboretum. He wrote a little guide that I bought on Amazon a couple of months ago. The book covers interesting bits about the park within the much larger Washington Park.
In his book, David described Mt St Helen’s eruption in 1980. He watched it explode from Pittock Mansion which is on a hilltop not far away. It must have been like watching the world ending.
There’s a trail in the Arboretum, the Wildwood Trail, that’s 33 miles long. So, pack a lunch.
David and Buddy took me to Pittock Mansion for great views of downtown Portland and Mt Hood. The mansion sits on top of a hill 900 ft above downtown. Mostly locals know to go here to watch the sun go down on Portland.
David and Buddy are great hosts.
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