Historic Lodging

We are suckers for historic buildings. We are currently renovating an 1850 Greek Revival. The house was a definite project. Ummm, an indefinite project is probably a better description since we have been working on it for what seems an eternity. The house was abandoned for a long, long time and was barely visible when we found it. It has a real bicycling connection because we heard about it when we went on a cycling tour with the local historian. We thought that since we were new to the area that we might learn something about it. I had heard of the little village where the house is because it is known for its Greek Revival homes. It even has a historical plaque that explains that it is a Greek Revival village, although it only takes a short drive to figure this out.

We equally enjoy staying in historic lodging places. I remember somebody once saying that an ideal tour would be traveling through Europe and staying in Holiday Inns. Holiday Inns can be quite convenient and practical, but talk about cookie cutter. Some people love hotels that have the same layout and the same decor. It instills a sense of security. They always know where the light switch is or which way to get out of bed to get to the bathroom. Others, like us, prefer the unusual. We especially like the architectural style and the sense of history that comes with staying in older hotels. Most importantly, we appreciate the fact that somebody saw the beauty in these old buildings.

So far, even though the itinerary is planned only about a week out, we will be staying in at least two such places. We are taking advantage of the hospitality of some WSLers and don’t know anything about their residences other than they have a spot for us to stay.
Our first historic hotel is appropriately situated in the starting spot of the trip, Astoria. Our journey will be as personally historic as those two captains and their Corps of Discovery. Hearing about the terrain of the first week or so, I hope that I don’t feel like the corpse of discovery after climbing hills all day.

The recently refurbished Elliot Hotel will be our home for the first night. From perusing the website, it looks like the perfect spot for starting our adventure. We are copying their warm stone floors in our own renovation project, although we will have heated Italian ceramic tiles.
The other amenity that caught my eye was the wireless internet. We will be carrying a laptop and updating, evaluating and recollecting our adventure on a daily basis. Not having to seek out wireless is a real bonus.

A few days later just outside of Troutdale and just before the start of the trip through the Columbia Gorge, we will stay at the McMenamins’ Edgefield Manor. A former county poorhouse, this establishment offers a wide range of lodging options including a hostel, which doesn’t look like a lot of hostels that we have stayed at. From the photos on the website, I would have to rate it right along with the New Zealand hostels, which I have found to be the best that I have ever visited. Not being from the area, I am not familiar with the many McMenamins’ breweries, but do see that the Black Rabbit Porter is one of the selections at Edgefield. What more could a cyclist want after a long day of pedaling?