Day 5 in Portland

Our fifth day in Portland comprised of two main activites, the Widmer Brewery tour and the wedding of our friends Eric and Katherine. It was a relative scorcher in Portland (80 degrees by 10am and 90 plus by 4pm) so we had a quick workout in the hotel gym.

Then we hopped in the car for what should have been a quick trip across the river to the Widmer Brewery. Unfortunately we got stuck behind the same slow train twice and ended up getting to the factory and gasthaus a few minutes after the video. At the nice hour of 11am, we were sampling Widmer's award winning Hefeweizen, winner of the Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup. We also tried the Halo IPA, Drop Top Amber, and the Crimson Wheat seasonal. Then we were off to tour the brewery. (Pictures to be posted later.) It was a great start to the morning that we finished with lunch at the gasthaus with some nice beers. You gotta love beer at noon! Even better, we received free Widmer beer glasses and bottle openers just for attending the tour! (Tours are given on Fridays and Saturdays only. Reservations are required.)

After lunch, we drove over to visit the store version of my favorite catalogue, Title 9 Sports. I had the chance to try on and purchase some running gear that I drooled over in the catalogue months ago while W patiently waited and gave fit advice. We need a Title 9 in Chapel Hill!!!

We ran back to the hotel to freshen up and change for the wedding, setting out at a little before 4pm for our short walk to Eric and Katherine's wedding site on the waterfront. It was a lovely ceremony with about 60 people in attendance from all over the country. We hopped on the eco-shuttle for the trip to McMenamin's Edgefield, the reception site. We met up with the honeymooning couple, Brian and Meredith, and stopped at the winery on site for a quick tasting before the arrival of the wedding party. Dinner and dancing ensued on the 3rd floor of the Power Station, where we met some new transplants to Chapel Hill - Kristin and John. We caught up with friends both new and old, and partied late into the evening with the bride and groom at Jerry's Icehouse and the Distillery Bar. Late in the evening (or early in the morning depending on your point of view) we caught up with a friendly cabbie and went back to our hotel in Portland.

The wedding whirlwind of the summer is officially over....next stop Huntsville, Alabama for Arch and Sarah's wedding in November!