At the Portland Bazaar, I had the distinct pleasure of being introduced to a certain Amy Merrick. She was attending the event as Design*Sponge’s resident floral expert and wreath instructor, and it just so happened to be the girl’s first time in Portland. Ever.

So of course I had no other alternative but to show her around the local sights.

Since she was staying at the Ace Hotel which has a Stumptown attached to the lobby, and is located a mere block away from Powell’s bookstore, I decided to just skip the city and bring Amy to where the real awesomeness is around Portland: the Columbia Gorge.

First stop was a super secret location and one of my favorite places in the entire state. It’s deceptively trixy to get to even though it is about a stone’s throw from the highway. The undisclosed island boasts a diverse set of quintessentially northwestern landscapes (All Earth Was Once Sky was shot there too) and a fantastic view of the river in one little compact area, which made it a great place to give Amy a sweeping impression of all that is Oregon.

After a brief tour of things, though, we were forced to start back towards Portland, but not without a stop by Multnomah Falls.

All in all, an exceedingly pleasant adventure. Ms. Merrick is a bona fide sweetheart, and that’s the truth.

Oh, and fyi – Amy also runs her own bit of internet called An Apple a Day, so go say hi.