OK, so for whoever is reading this, and it may just be this solo Cosmic Tripster, I am jumping for joy because I finally DID IT!  On May 14, 2016 I became an official McMenamin's Cosmic Tripster.  At this point I am not going to go into the nitty gritty details of all the many, many miles that I drove in order to attain my elite status! 

I feel good to know that I made it, and on my very own too.  I took trains, buses and automobiles, stayed at hostels and airbnb's along the way.  It really was just as much about the journey as the destination. 

So one of my rewards coming up this month is the Official Cosmic Tripster Party held at Edgefield on Sunday, September 18th.  I will take the train to Portland on the 17th, most likely stay at the Hawthorne Hostel that night, then bus it to Troutdale on the 18th in great anticipation for the party.  I even found an adorable new bathing suit to bring along at Marshalls.  Oh boy! 

So I may be able to go to a concert with Grif next summer, depending if they choose my name from a hat.  I am putting it out there that they do!  We will receive 3 free nights at any of the McMenamins as well.  I am not sure right now which 3 it will be.  Maybe Anderson School, Elks Lodge when it is completed and one more in Oregon, not sure which though.

So GOOD FOR ME!!! I did it, I did it, I did it, YAYHOO I did it.  My sister Celia has been so supportive of my quest.  She even sent me a card of congratulations.  I was and am so touched by that.  She seems to understand how important this has and is to me.

So this is going to conclude this blog for now.  My next post will be a report on the Tripster Party.

Until then, keep on exploring and wandering!!

October Driving Quest

For this Tripster Adventure I planned to cover Portland West Side, the rest of North/NE Portland, White Eagle Saloon & Hotel to be exact, Southwest Portland, Grand Lodge (where I stayed) and Hotel Oregon.

This was quite a grueling trip.  I had no idea it would be so grueling!  I started out around 9:00 am I believe it was with GPS ready to go for all my many, many stops along the way.  Well, I-5, being unforgiving as it is, had a big wreck on it Southbound and it took me nearly two hours to reach Lakewood, which normally would take 15-20 minutes.  With all my stops it turned out to be a 10 hour day on the road.  For a person like me who detests driving, this trip really confirmed why I detest it so much.  If I were to strictly take buses to all of the McMenamin places I need to get to, it would take me WAY longer than driving to them.

My first stop of White Eagle in NE Portland was the start of my frustration.  There was no parking to be had!  I parked in an iffy spot across the street and checked with the staff about it. They told me that if I were to park there most likely I would get a ticket.  Great!  So I went to move my car and drove around and around and around for who knows how long until I finally got a parking place.  It should not have to be this difficult!

I was pretty wiped out by the time I reached The Grand Lodge at 7:00 pm or something like that.  I had redeemed for my garden burger from Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and brought it back to the lodge.  I went and got a beer and had it with my burger in one of the common rooms on my floor.  After that I hit the soaking pool, which I really needed greatly to de-stress.  I met a nice woman in the pool who was there by herself.  She is from Arizona and was visiting her son and family in Forest Grove.  She came for the first time last year and stayed at The Grand Lodge and loved it so much she came to stay again.  Her name is Donna.  I kept running into her here and there around the property.  We listened to music together on Friday night (I will explain later about why I was there on Friday night).

So it was Wednesday, October 28th when I arrived at Grand Lodge.  My original reservation was for two nights.  Well, I ran into a McMenamin Manager (sorry, I forgot his name!) at one of the Pubs along the way that I got my stamp at.  He saw me come in with my Cosmic Tripster On the Quest t-shirt and exclaimed, "Tripster!"  I am like, "Tripster Wannabe!!".  So we got to talking and I told him that the next day I will be going to McMinnville and getting my Hotel Oregon stamps.  OMG, I am so glad I ran into him!  He informed me that The Cellar Bar there is not open until 4pm on Fridays and also the same for Bob's Bar at the Grand Lodge.  Oh Sh..!!  I was so upset since it had been such a grueling trip already and I really did not want to make it again.  So I figured the best thing to do would be to add another night onto my stay.  So that is what I did, which is why I was there on Friday night when I was supposed to be at home at a Halloween Party.

I hung out most of the day in McMinnville on Friday, which was fun.  Of course I had to wait until 4:00 pm to get my last stamp there.  I got lost going back to the Grand Lodge.  My GPS on my phone was not working, only to realize later that I did not have my mobile data on.  Oh darn!!

So I got back there exhausted.  Once again, a dip in the soaking pool in order before listening to the music.  I think that was the order of it.  Whatever, I make it back there and it was time to relax.

The drive home went so much better than the drive there, 2.5 hours vs 10 hours!!  Oh, maybe it was almost 3 hours since I did stop off in Portland at the Market Street Pub to get a stamp there.

Since this last adventure, I found out I need another stamp from a newly opened location - 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop.  At least it is in a part of Portland that I frequent when I am in town so that is not so bad.

Recounting all of this gets me pretty tired.  I have mixed feelings about being a Cosmic Tripster Wannabe.  I am so far into now though that I have to keep going.

What do I have left?  Let me tell you, it is pretty good and do-able.  Maybe not by the Spring time and maybe not in time to go to next year's Tripster Party, but at least it is do-able.

I have to complete Hawthorne Blvd. since the 3 bars I need stamps for do not open until 4pm.  What is it with this 4pm nonsense??  I still have the Mission Theatre in NW Portland.  I have the Portland Eastside and Suburbs including Gresham.  Oh my.  Then there is Salem, Corvallis, Eugene and Roseburg.  That is at least two more trips.  I will combine Salem, Corvallis, Eugene and Roseburg.  I might even end up in Ashland at the end of it all!  Could be more airbnb locations in my future and maybe even hostels.  I recently joined Hostels International and see that there is a nice looking one in The Hawthorne area.  Yay!  I may do that to save on money.  The good thing about doing all of this and spending the $ to do all of this is that I enjoy doing it overall!  I get to meet other Tripsters and/or Tripster Wannabes and we get to share stories.  I love that.

Here's to me eventually becoming a McMenamin's Cosmic Tripster Wannabe!

I would like to thank the Manger whose name I forgot for letting me know about the limited hours on certain pubs.  That helped so much.  I would also like to thank Craig Owen who I met at The Grand Opening of The Anderson School.  He has been so kind to me, thanks so much!

Cheers!

August Portland Area Tripster Quest

Since this was awhile ago now and I have been neglectful of my blog, I am going to go by my best recollection of this quest.

I did stay at an Airbnb place that was close to The Alberta District in Portland.  I got around solely on public transportation.  I took the train to Portland and the bus to the Alberta District.  First though, I hit some of the Pearl District spots to get my stamps.  I completed The Crystal Hotel & Ballroom page.  Fortunately, I was able to attend a tour of the ballroom that replaced the "ticket" requirement otherwise. Yay!

As far as downtown and NW Portland, I got all my stamps but one - The Mission Theatre.  I was not there in the evening since I wanted to be back in the Alberta area for The Street Fair.  I was disappointed by the Street Fair so I could have actually gotten the stamp but how did I know.

I even took the bus over to North Portland to St. John's Pub for my stamp.  It was getting late so I did not stay for a beer, just headed back to the Airbnb.

This quest is fun and it is also tiring!  I am going to be so happy to be done and get the Grand Prizes.

So I got as much accomplished in two days as I could.  I know I have more of the Portland area to cover, which is another trip, which will be my next post.

Pictures to come, as I make sure I have them on my laptop to share.

Cheers!!

It is almost the 4th of July and I have not been blogging!  Not much to say right now really.  The end of August will be upon me before I know it and then I will have more to report on.

I will say that I am amazed at how booked the various McMenamin Hotels are this summer.  My husband Grif and I are staying at Gearhart Hotel for just one night in September.  I want to stay two, especially to get an extra night on the Frequent Stay Program.  Not available!  I keep checking the website though just in case there is a cancellation.  I am hopeful there might be by September.

The rates have really gone up too at all of the locations.  It used to be you could get a bunk bed room at Olympic Club in Centralia for $40.  It is now $70!  A lot of the standard rates are $150-$200.  I used to believe that these McMenamin Boys were out to make it both FUN and AFFORDABLE at their locations.  It no longer seems that way.  I am just a little bit leery right now.  I still want to complete my Passport eventually and eventually might be quite a while.

I am considering taking the bus to Olympia in the next couple of weeks to go to The Spar Cafe.  I can have a bite and a beer and collect my free t-shirt for completing that page of experiences.

So many McMenamin experiences, so little time and money to do them!

I feel like I will get a lot of bang for my buck when I go to Edgefield in August.  There are lots of stamps to be had there.  If only something would open up there accomodation-wise besides the women's hostel, then I could do that as well as get another frequent stay.  I am going to take a look at the spa menu over at Edgefield in case I want to splurge on that with my $60 in free gift cards!

That is it for now.  Just thought to check in.  More Tripster Tails and Trails to come...

DELIRIOUS TO DILIGENT

I have been suffering from bouts of vertigo the past few days, which is why I called this post delirious.  I guess I feel somewhat that way!  I decided as I lay around in bed waiting to feel better, I may as well make good use of my time.  So I have decided to lay out all of the passport stamps that I need to get and as I get them I can go into my post and edit them as COMPLETE!

So here goes: (something rather than nothing I think).

Experiences that I need to complete.  For each 4 I will receive a $20 gift card to McMenamins.  I already have received two of the $20 gift cards that I may use for my upcoming August trip.

EXPERIENCES TO COMPLETE:

~ Attend a brewfest (ooh, that is a harsh one! :)

~ Relax with a spa treatment (maybe in August)

~ Attend a Specialty Dinner (may be a ways off for me)

~ Play golf at Edgefield or Gearhart (this will be with my husband).

~ Tour the Edgefiled Winery (August)

~ Try a Wine Flight (August)

~ Tour the Distillery at Edgefiled or Cornelius (one of the two, most likely Edgefield in August)

~ Try a Distillery Flight (ooh, may need to wait on this one, wine, beer and hard liquor do not mix well with me).

~ Make Merry at McMenamins on my birthday (March 24th) (Maybe I will train it to Centralia for lunch and a brew, that should count).

~ Buy a Growler Fill (may do that on my birthday or possibly before then)

~ Sample the Beer at a Limited Edition Beer Tasting (Just missed one at Kennedy School!!)

~ Ride a bike to a pub (take selfie wearing my helmet and show my server (Hey, maybe I can rent one of the new Pronto bikes in Seattle and bike over to Queen Ann where there is a pub!)

~ Have a pint with my pup - what if I don't have a pup?  Can I borrow someone else's for this? :)

~ Attend a Friends and Family Night

That there does it for the Experiences to be completed.  Next up is PUBS & LODGING;

  

HAWTHORNE BLVD.:

Bagdad Theatre, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland.,

Back Stage Bar, inside Bagdad Theatre, how handy!

Bagdad Pub, also part of Bagdad Theatre, 3 stamps at one location! 

Greater Trumps, 1520 SE 37th Ave., Portland 

Barley Mill Pub, 1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland

All of the above are all within fairly close vicinity of each other.  I just may be able to incorporate these into my August trip.  I just need to check out the public transportation between Alberta District

and Hawthorne District.  YAHOO!!!  For getting these stamps I will receive a basket of tots or fries.

On this note I must interject a funny story regarding an email exchange between myself and one of the McMenamin brothers.  The passport program had not gotten started yet.  He was telling me about the various rewards that would be offered.  He did not mention anything about all the other wonderful prizes, especially $20 gift cards!  So at the time I was under the impression that if I got a Passport book all I would  be rewarded with would be tots or fries.  I was like, oh, wow, why bother.  I guess he was just giving me an example of something you would get and did not realize how paltry the prize sounded :(

NEXT UP:  DOWNTOWN PORTLAND/NW PORTLAND:

Market Street Pub, 1526 SW 10th,  downtown Portland

Rams Head, 2282 NW Hoyt St., NW Portland

Blue Moon Tavern & Grill, 432 NW 21st, NW Portland

Tavern & Pool, 1716 NW 23rd, NW Portland

Mission Theatre,  1624 NW Glisan, NW Portland

Crystal Hotel & Ballroom, 303 SW 12th, downtown Portland

The good news for all of the above McMenamins is that I can explore each and every one of them when I get off the train in August.  I will most likely hit all the NW ones in one shot and maybe have lunch at one of them.  Then I will head downtown by foot or possibly streetcar if it goes downtown. I will go to Market Street Pub as well as Crystal Ballroom.  

If I take care of those on my first day, I will only have to go to The Chapel Pub around the Alberta area.  

I have much more to document here and will do so later.  There is lots of territory to cover and I need to pace myself both on paper and on foot.  

Just like this bunny, I will be hopping along the Cosmic Tripster T Trail!

IN HOT PURSUIT OF PASSPORT STAMPS

So I have some concrete plans for an August adventure to seek out some more Passport stamps!  I am hoping before then I will at least make it to Spar Cafe in Olympia, WA to complete my four stamps and receive a McMenamin's T-shirt! 

On August 26th I am going to board Amtrak bound for Portland,, OR.  From the train station I am in close proximity to a few McMenamin qualified places to get my stamps.  For sure I will hit the Crystal Hotel & Ballroom, Zeus Cafe, Al's Den, Lola's Room, as well as Ringler's Annex and Pub.  For all of this running around, I shall receive a Crystal Surprise.  Oh boy, I wonder what kind of a surprise I will get?  

Because I am a big fan of the Alberta District in Portland, I have reserved a B&B type place in that area through Airbnb for a couple of nights.  This will be a bit of a home base although not exactly.  I have already received all of the stamps possible from The Kennedy School, which is very nearby.  However, I spaced out the last time I was there recently and did not go to The Chapel Pub, which is right around that area.  So I will get my start on North/Northeast Portland and have three more stamps to go after that.  

Because I am a public transportation kind of Cosmic Tripster Wannabe, I will be a little bit limited on getting to as many places on this trip as I would like to.  

Like I said, I will spend two nights in the Alberta District at the B&B.  Staying true to my given name, The Budget Queen, I did get a really nice deal through Airbnb.  I had a credit of $25 given to me by my sister that was available to redeem with spending at least $100. I got two nights including all the taxes and fees (those add up) for $124.  That is only $62 per night and a light breakfast is even included, as well as available snacks and drinks.

While in the Alberta District I timed it so that I can partake in Last Thursday, a collection of Artisans, bicycles, music and characters.  Probably like an eclectic art walk.   Just my kind of attraction!

On Friday, August 28th I will bus it over to Troutdale to get a healthy dose of Edgefield.  The crazy thing is I have been to Edgefield many, many times.  Of course when I went there before the Passport was not in existence.  Oh, well, just means I have to go there again and endure the charm, the beautiful soaking pool, all the fun bars, the movie theatre, the spa, etc.  I will be more than happy to endure this, in fact I shall relish in it. 

I am doing something this time around that I have never done before - getting a women's hostel room.  It looks pretty decent on the website and it is only $30 a night before tax.  I plan to take in as much as I can while I am at Edgefield, including going to each of the bars, visiting the Winery and having a Wine Tasting, having a couple of meals in the Black Rabbit Restaurant & Bar.  It is my personal opinion that the Black Rabbit Restaurant has some of the best food of all of the McMenamins that I have been to.  It is so fresh and flavorful and beautiful presentation too. I may splurge on a spa treatment, depending on my budget at the time. 

There are ten total stamps to get at Edgefield.  The first four merit a prize of Administrator's choice and once all ten are achieved, there bill be another prize to be had.  This reminds me a little of a scavenger hunt! 

I will complete my Edgefield part of the Passport book on this trip.  I have barely scratched the surface so far although I will say it is more about the journey than the destination.  Of course reaching the destination will be quite an achievement with rich rewards. 

Until my next blog...

Kennedy School photos from 05/19 & 05/20/2015 stay.

Entrance to The Kennedy School in NE Portland, near
Alberta Street.  Our first overnight here and my second visit.

The Fun Interior of The Courtyard Restaurant with you got it, outdoor, courtyard seating!

My Kennedy School Brewery Tour

More of The Courtyard Restaurant

Fun and frolic abound at McMenamins

Front Entrance of Courtyard Restaurant