Welcome to Woodland Way!

Welcome to Woodland Way!

I’m really excited to have you here, and I hope you enjoy your stay in my place. If you need anything (or anything below is unclear), I live next door, and will be happy to help.

Quick links:

House Rules

Please make yourself at home, and let me know if you need anything, especially paper products or refresh on the batteries in the remotes and other gadgets.

  • Please, no smoking in the house.
  • No outside shoes on the upstairs carpet.
  • Please use the kitchen fan when cooking, and don’t cook smelly stuff like seafood.
  • No events or large parties. While I installed good insulation, and music and voices shouldn’t travel, please be considerate of the me and the neighbors after 10 p.m.

Thank you!

Emergencies

Obviously, dial 911 for any emergency.

Please note I’ve installed a fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink.

The bathroom contains a first aid kit on the top shelf.

The electrical panel is located in the Game Room behind the painting on the South Wall (by the ping pong table).

Check Out

I would appreciate when you leave:

  • Leave dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and we’ll start that.
  • Don’t bother making the beds, but please make it obvious what bedding needs washing.
  • Place used towels, wash cloths and used linens on the bathroom floor or in the bottom basket in the bathroom shelf.
  • Close all windows.
  • Turn off the heat or air conditioning.
  • Turn off lights.
  • Lock the doors, and place the key back in the box.

Thank you!

Garbage / Recycling

To declutter your stay, you are welcome to use the garbage bins in the driveway. I’m sure you are confused by the many colors of bins. If you wish to participate:

  • Glass (without lids) and recyclable drinking cans go in the orange tab behind the small green can.
  • Paper bags and boxes, as well as tin cans go in the blue bin.
  • All other refuse goes in the smaller green bin (including lids from glass or plastic bottles, jars or tubs).

Clackamas County asks that I show you their recycling details. However, when in doubt, just use the smaller green bin.

Internet Access

If you are reading this online, you probably already figured it out, but we have smashing wifi:

  • ssid: The Cottage
  • password: welcome2woodland
airbnb-wifi.png

Lights

Most lights are dimmable. Press the big button to turn on/off, and the smaller buttons on the right side to adjust the brightness.

The stairs have a night light feature, press the big button twice to activate it. You can adjust the brightness of the night light with the smaller buttons, too.

The night light outside the bathroom door turns on/off automatically … it is also the WiFi, so if you unplug it, your wireless access will drop considerably. If you would like the light to stay off at night, let me know, as I can control that remotely.

Climate Control

Each room has a Daikin mini-split that does both heating and A/C, with separate temperature controls.

Hopefully the room is comfortable when you arrive, but use the remote to adjust On/Off and the temperature.

You shouldn’t need to change any of the other settings. However, click here for the details for the remote control. Quickly:

  • Snowflake : Air conditioning and cooling
  • Sun : Heating

Note: The three units need to be in sync, as you can’t have one acting as a heater and another being an A/C.

I recommend using the Econo / Quiet setting, as the rooms are small enough, that with that setting, the machines will be quiet and keep you comfortable.

Entertainment

On the black shelf in the main bedroom, you’ll find some fabulous games. Rules are in the boxes. If you find a missing piece, please tell me, as I still play them all when no one is staying the apartment.

TV

  • Power and volume can be altered on the Roku remote and on the front of the TV.
  • The Roku has a Guest Mode where you can put in your Netflix and Hulu passwords, and Roku will forget them on the date of your departure.
  • If you change to something other than the Roku (see below), press the Input button (second from the right at the front of the TV) and select Digital HD.

Wii

  • To play the Wii (that’s right, the original), turn it on by pressing the top button the white console.
  • Next, turn on the TV (button on the far right)
  • Press the Input button (second from the right at the front of the TV) and select AV1.
  • Point the remotes at the TV and move the hand icon around to select what you want to do.
  • Press the eject button (the upward pointing triangle) to eject the Wii Party (I recommend it, as it is fun and simple).

DVD and VCR

  • To watch a DVD or VCR, first turn on the TV (button on the far right)
  • Press the Input button (second from the right at the front of the TV) and select TV.
  • Use the remote for the VCR to change between VCR and DVD.

Arcade

You may have noticed the “Arcade”, that big black box in the rumpus room. A fun summer project was built by my son and I when he was in Middle school. It has many of the classic games you’d find in the arcades back in the 70s and 80s. It also has games for the original Atari VCS and other systems.

See my Arcade Instructions for playing games with it.

Where to Go / What to Do

How long do you have and did you want to keep to the Oak Grove area, explore the City of Portland, or visit our beautiful countryside? Notice I have more focused destinations with QR codes on the board when you first entered.

Oak Grove Neighborhood

We are in Oak Grove, a neighborhood town in Clackamas County. We have a “downtown” that is not the McLoughlin Blvd you drove in on. 🙂 The city of Milwaukie (just North) has a very cute downtown and some great restaurants and shops. Also, Oregon City (to the South) is a also a nice destination for dinner.

Neighborhood Walks

Oak Grove is still quite rural, and few streets have sidewalks. That said, most streets have light traffic.

If you would like to walk without driving, walk North (as Woodland Way is a dead end). At Oak Grove Blvd (at the stop sign), turn left (west) to get to our Downtown area (just follow the road as it jogs a bit north), or follow these Google directions.

oak-grove-downtown.png

Past the Awakenings Coffee Shop, the “street portion” of the Trolley Trail goes North or South. Here are the routes to follow for each trail head:

North towards Wilwaukie : Turn right on Arista Drive to find the trail head three blocks north at Courtney Ave, or follow these Google directions for a 20 minute walk to the trail head. The trail goes to the MAX train station, but you can continue to walk into Milwaukie Bay park.

gmap-trolly-trail-north.png

South : Turn left to find the start of the trail 1/3 mile south (or follow these Google directions). This part of trail starts in a more neighborhood-y way, but winds its way down to Stringfield Family Park.

gmap-trolly-trail-south.png

If you continue west along Oak Grove Boulevard, you will run into a boat ramp into the Willamette River. Want to walk even further? We like walking along River Forest Road, follow these Google directions.

If you would like to drive and then stroll, the Milwaukie Bay Park has a great view of the Willamette River. A more rustic natural place to explore nearby is Elk Rock Island. Start by parking at the Spring Park Natural Area.

For Coffee

While there is a Starbucks nearby, we really like Awakenings (Google Maps) in the historic area of Oak Grove, as they also have live music and beer on Friday evenings.

Also Wind Horse (Google Maps) in Milwaukie is funky and always plays the best music. It’s location is prime for a bit of nerdy shopping (I purchased a vintage Apple computer from the 80’s in an antique store there).

Restaurants and Food Carts

McLoughlin Blvd has many restaurants and chains (like Subway). Check out Pho 360 for a locally owned family restaurant, and Arrivederci (Google Maps) serves up a variety of good jazz acts with their Italian fare and wine.

Can’t decide where to go? Portland is famous for its food carts. The closest is the Food Pod in Milwaukie, but if you need more variety and don’t mind the longer drive, check out the Corner 14 food carts in Oregon City on 14th Ave.

For details, see my Guidebook on the subject by scanning the QR code.

foodcarts.jpg

For Everything Else

The Fred Meyer that you passed has most everything you need. Use the shoppers card for in-store discounts.

City of Portland

While traveling in Europe, when people ask where I call home, I thought “North of California” would be fairly well known, as few people know of Oregon. However, almost everyone I met had heard of Portland. It has a mythic quality portrayed in the Portlandia TV Series.

After your Internet searching finds you wanting more, check out the list of places in Atlas Obscura.

If you are looking for some Nerdy places, might I suggest:

Surrounding Area

If you want to see the natural beauty of our land, here are my list of day trips:

  • Day 1: See my visiting guide to Multnomah Falls, and our scenic Gorge. Want to hike? Hiking Multnomah Falls is an obvious choice (and Eagle Creek is well-known), but the hike that begins as Lower Horsetail Falls is much more spectacular. Check out the website of The Friends of Gorge.
  • Day 2: Forest Park is an 8 mile natural area to the west of Downtown Portland, and contains lot of trails (see the list at AllTrails). I’d suggest the Wildwood Trail (see All Trails) if you are don’t mind some activity. Otherwise, park near the Hoyt Arboretum, and wander around there their gently sloping walks. I also recommend our Japanese Gardens (Google Maps) for 6 acres of walking meditation. If you want to go bird watching, visit Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (Google Maps) during migration season.
  • Day 3: You’ve probably seen the iconic pictures of Haystack Rock, so drive the 2 hours and have lunch in Cannon Beach. Drive South on US101 to the Devil’s Punchbowl. Keep driving South, as your goal is Pelican Brewery for dinner (see Google Maps) as they have excellent beer (don’t forget to stop at the Tillamook Cheesery). Yes, that would be a 3 hour trip there and a two hour return, but that is a gorgeous drive.

That’s my three day whirlwind. Let me know if you need more, for if you don’t mind the drive, Mt. St. Helens is an amazing journey back to the events from 1980 (head towards the Visitor Center if you do), and Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood (where they filmed The Shining) if full of great hikes and nature, but I assume you can look up good hikes on All Trails. 😉