Ryan Snyder

Found a great new hike today - Mount Mitchell. From the top you have a astounding view of Mount Hood, Mount Adams and Mount Stubby. It's just south of Mount Stubby, right off 503. Take 503 east past Cougar, turn right onto the road just beside the END 503 sign, turn left onto FS10, turn right at the wishbone 4 miles in, and park where the road ends. It's a 2,500 foot climb that peaks at a 4000 foot elevation, is very steep at the bottom and evens out towards the top. It took 5 hours to hit the peak and back, would be considered a trail with a medium difficulty, and most importantly is scarcely trekked (only ran into 4 hikers). Highly recommended!

I'm constantly being asked to recommend restaurants, etc. around Portland. My top 5 is ever-fluctuating, depending on recent experiences, the season and reviews from my foodie peeps. Here's the current top 5 for Portland restaurants...

1. Clyde Common
2. PokPok
3. Le Pigeon
4. Clarklewis
5. Castagna

Recently dropped off the list:
• Park Kitchen - Negative reviews from a couple foodies
• Paley's Place - Haven't been there for 6 months; great experience last time I was there though

Haven't tried yet:
• Nuestra Cocina
• Simpatica
• Toro Bravo

I needed a special Mexican dish to make for a celebration this weekend, and a buddy of mine recommended making Puerco Pibil, the dish Johnny Depp's character orders at every single restaurant he visits in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. It took 3 hours of grocery shopping, 1 hour of preparation, 6 hours to marinade and 4 hours to cook, but when we finally ate at 10pm, it was divine. Here's the director's video on how to make the recipe:

My buddy Sam Keen was recently featured on Portland on Fire, a website dedicated to the discovery of Portland peeps. Check out his profile here:
Sam Keen @ Portland on Fire

Crappy hotel room. $310.
Nosebleed seats. $230.
Sitting in the stadium, watching the game with my brother, whom I haven't seen in a year. Priceless.

My little bro, Chad, flew into Seattle for the OSU-UW game. It was a good game... UW played great in the first half, but the Buckeyes ultimately triumphed. UW is going to be a great team in a couple years!