35. Oregon

     Once we were sure Ben and Kevin were on their way, we could enjoy Portland. First on our list was Voodoo Doughnuts. There was a line out the door and we waited about 45 minutes before we entered the small shop. People were carrying out pink boxes of doughnuts and my mouth was salivating in anticipation. As we entered the shop we could see glass cases showcasing the choices. I new I wanted to try the signature voodoo doughnut and the maple bacon bar. I couldn't resist ordering a Captain My Captain doughnut. It was a doughnut covered in Cap'n Crunch cereal. Dennis ordered a chocolate crueller and the girl behind the counter went and dipped the crueller in melted chocolate. Yum Yum! She even offered to stop the rotating case and put Flat Stanley in it so he could have his picture taken with all the doughnuts. How kind and accommodating considering the line out the door. We took our doughnuts and headed to the car. We couldn't wait to bite into one of them. Dennis

said the crueller was one of the best he's had and I tried the Cap'n Crunch one first. Oh my, who knew the combination of doughnut and cereal could be so good. It was hard for me to leave a bite for Dennis but I did.

     I didn't realize Portland is the "City of Roses".  My aunt had told me about some roses so we found the International Rose Test Garden. What a beautiful and fragrant place. There are thousands of roses. We walked and smelled to our heart's delight. My favorite was the Cinco de Mayo rose. How lucky Portland is to have such a fabulous place to sit and relax in such a beautiful place. It was a nice distraction from

the bustling city and the homeless people panhandling in the streets.

     We boarded our plane with pink box in hand. You didn’t think we could eat all those doughnuts at one time did you? We did finally eat the other two doughnuts the next day. Even a day old, they were the best we’d had. The voodoo doughnut had a raspberry filling and yes that is a pretzel sticking out of it. The chocolate was more like the chocolate on an éclair not like a glazed chocolate. The thick maple icing combined with bacon was like breakfast heaven.  There’s just no comparison, these were the absolutely best doughnuts. I don’t think either of us will ever be able to eat another doughnut from anywhere else.

http://voodoodoughnut.com/index.php

http://www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfm