Marquam Trail birthday hike (6/7/14)

After Saturday's morning bike ride, Brad and I crashed for a short nap and then got ready for birthday adventure No. 2: a hike with the fam!

We had a great time last year with our Gorge hike and cheese buffet. This year, we chose the Marquam Trail from the Oregon Zoo to Council Crest - short, fairly flat and with a great view.

The trail was a bit urban, with a short jaunt on the Highway 26 freeway on ramp at the zoo and a section in a ritzy Southwest Portland neighborhood.

It was in that neighborhood, right across the street from St. Thomas More church, that Mom stopped watching her feet and tripped over a curb and careened to the pavement below. Fortunately, she was OK - a little embarrassed but OK :)

After the tripping and a potty break by Dad, we finally made it to Council Crest. We took in the mountain views and then spread out our cheese buffet dinner in the sun and got down to business!

Man, that was some good grub!

It got a little chilly as the sun set and the wind picked up.

Group summit shot:

Mom gave me this little balloon for the trek:

Back at Hoyt Arboretum, we tried to get a picture of the hill we just hiked. That hump in the middle in the distance, lit up by the setting sun:

A great day - a great birthday! :)