Public and Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest

August 19 - 24, 2010
Air, Hotel & Tour Package
From $1,979*

Presented by the

*Price is per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement is an additional $471. Airfare from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport is included. If you are not from the Minneapolis area, we can offer you the land-only price and assist you with air from your city.

Explore the private and public gardens of Portland and the Pacific Northwest with Cole Burrell, noted designer, award-winning author, photographer, naturalist and educator. The Pacific Northwest is a gardener’s paradise, full of lush, green foliage and a myriad of plants that bloom year round. Portland is considered to have the most beautiful and diverse gardens of any American city. Throughout the tour, you will benefit from Cole’s expertise and connections to the Portland Gardening community. Cole will be able to take us behind the scenes to see some of the most diverse and inspiring private gardens and to talk to their designers. Be sure to bring your camera and notebook.

Mr. Burrell has devoted a lifetime to studying native plants in the wild and in gardens. He received his M.S. in Horticulture and a MLA from the University of Minnesota, where he was also an instructor.

Thursday, August 19 - Depart for Portland:
Upon your arrival at the Portland airport, you will be transferred to the Hotel Monaco. Depending on your arrival time, you will be able to secure your luggage and begin exploring Portland on your own. Cole and Robin will be there to greet you and assist you in finding a restaurant, planning your free time, etc.

At 2:00 PM we will begin our exploration of Portland gardens and meet the avid gardeners who create and maintain them. Our first stop will be at Dulcy Mahar’s garden. She is a garden columnist with the Oregonian newspaper and has artfully re-imagined the existing structure she inherited with vivid color combinations designed for comfort and enjoyment. A short walk leads to neighbor Rosemary Ellis’ garden. We’ll stroll through a bowered side garden to a densely planted back garden designed for year-round entertaining. We end the afternoon at the home of Lucy and Fred Hardiman. Lucy is a garden designer with a passion for color and a wicked sense of humor. We will enjoy wine and delicious appetizers as we stroll through the exuberant plantings that wrap around their Victorian “painted lady” home from the public streetscape to the intimate interior. Dinner, if you are still hungry, is on your own at any of Portland’s fabulous restaurants. R

Friday, August 20 - Urban Portland:
Today, garden designer and national treasure Lucy Hardiman joins us on our tour of intimate gardens in the dynamic urban neighborhoods that ring the heart of Portland. Each garden is different in style and ambiance, but all are created and maintained by their owners. We will visit Lynn Youngbar’s tiny garden of choice plants that replace lawn with dramatic combinations. We will visit with avid gardener Susan Fries and view her garden artistry. Following that we will visit the side-by-side gardens of Joanne Fuller and Linda Ernst. These gardens are joined by a gate for fluid access to both. Festive colors and creative artwork make each distinctive.

Lunch is at Garden Fever, an innovative retail shop offering a wide range of plants as well as everything a gardener could desire, from tools and organic fertilizers to books and unique gifts. After lunch, we’ll visit local neighbors Debra Meyers and Nancy Goldman who, while sharing their passion for gardening, have created gardens as distinctive as their personalities. Debra’s garden is a quiet and restful refuge while Nancy’s playful use of recycled material and exuberant plantings will keep you giggling. Our last stop will be a contemporary urban garden, created by Michael Schultz, where architecture and plants are artfully orchestrated. B L

Saturday, August 21 - Public Parks and Gardens of Portland:
Portland is famous for its public parks and gardens, which make it one of the most livable cities in America. Start the day by sleeping in or strolling through the innovative parks of the Pearl District, which celebrate the regional landscape and demonstrate sustainable design. Or visit the Farmer’s Market, which brings together local growers offering everything from the famous Willamette cherries and loganberries to grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon. Enjoy a delicious lunch on your own before meeting back at the hotel at noon to begin our tours of the public gardens.

First, we will have a guided tour of the famous Lan Su Chinese Garden, built by 65 artisans from Suzhou, China, and planted with 500 different species of native Chinese treasures. From there we will visit the Japanese Garden, regarded as one of the best in North America. Sequestered in a forest of Douglas fir, the tranquil stroll garden is artfully planted and meticulously sculpted. We will then stop at the famous rose garden that gives Portland its moniker, “The Rose City”. Over 10,000 plants of 550 varieties grace this hillside site above the city with dramatic views of Mt. Hood. We’ll end the day with a private garden dinner. B D

Sunday, August 22 - Private Gardens and Nurseries West:
More private gardens are open to us today. We will head west out of Portland to visit with designer and garden diva Laura Crockett, whose innovative garden has been featured in many publications. Panels of steel and screen act like louvers to reveal or conceal views into the gravel courtyard planted with dramatic, architectural forms. Our next stop is Joy Creek, a retail and mail order nursery offering a mind-boggling array of herbaceous and woody plants set among acres of meticulous display gardens. Clematis and hydrangeas are a few of their specialties. A picnic lunch will be available for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Next, we will head up the Willamette River back towards Portland for a visit with designer Susan LaTourette. Her passion for conifers and broad-leaf evergreens is evident in the myriad textures that blend with artfully placed architectural elements. We’ll end the day at the oft photographed garden of Virginia and Arnie Israelet, graceful architecture and elegant plantings set on a dramatic hillside with a stunning view of Mt. Hood. B L

Monday, August 23 - Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge:
Today we will strike out early for a drive up the scenic gorge of the Columbia River, the fourth largest gorge in North America. The dramatic gorge was carved through the Cascade Mountains by glacial melt water. We’ll pass multiple waterfalls and stop at Multnomah waterfall, the highest in the gorge at 620 feet and the second highest in North America. We’ll press on up the gorge as the river widens and the land settles to rolling hills blanketed in orchards en route to Mt. Hood. Rising 11,245 feet to form a perfect cone, this volcanic peak is always capped in snow. Our stop is the famous Timberline Lodge, an arts and crafts marvel built by the WPA in the 1930’s. There we will have a guided tour of the lodge and eat lunch. After lunch, we have ample time to stroll through garden-like sweeps of alpine vegetation awash with color. Lupines, phlox, lilies and penstemons carpet the ground. After our hike, we’ll board the bus and head back to the gorge for an evening cocktail and dinner cruise aboard the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. We sail the wide, smooth channel of the Columbia beneath the Bridge of the Gods, an amazing steel structure perched 135 feet above the dramatic river landscape. We will arrive back to the hotel around 11:00 PM. B L D

Tuesday, August 24 - Departure for Home Cities or Extension Program Continues:
For travelers completing the tour today, the early morning will be free for last-minute shopping or personal touring. You will then board a shuttle for transfers back to the airport and flights for home cities.

Extension Opportunity to the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast
Tuesday, August 24 - Travel To Eugene, OR:
For those staying with us, we will drive south from Portland through the fertile Willamette River Valley. The valley is one of North America’s largest centers of nursery production, accounting for 23% of production nationwide. The nurseries give way to bucolic landscapes of lush pastures on rolling land supporting sheep and cattle. Our first stop is the plant collector’s garden of Cassandra and Bryan Barrett. Their garden is filled with conifers and choice perennial plants. We will eat lunch on the bus as we drive to our next stop, the Sams/Steelman’s small urban garden, which is a paradise of plants. We end our tour at the celebrated garden of Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne. Famous for their exceptional hybrid hellebores, the garden is a pastiche of choice collector’s plants set among a detailed composition of warm colors and exhilarating textures. We reluctantly depart the O’Byrne garden for a scenic drive through wetlands and over the Coast Range to the mouth of the Siuslaw River for a night in the coastal town of Florence. Dinner is on your own. B L

Wednesday, August 25 - Scenic Drive North along Oregon Coast to Cannon Beach:
Today we will set out on a leisurely exploration of the scenic Oregon coast. We start our day looking at seals, seabirds and a scenic lighthouse at Haceta Head. Heading north past beautiful rock formations in sheltered coves, we stop to observe basking seals and sea birds such as the curious tufted puffin. Our next destination is the Darlingtonia Wayside, the northernmost site for the rare and fascinating California pitcher plant or cobra lily. The tall, hollow leaves designed like flared cobras are deadly traps for the insects the plants digest to survive in the poor soils of the bogs where they live. Our next stops are two private gardens that benefit from the cool summer temperatures and ample rainfall. We will then stop at the Gerdemann Botanical Preserve, which offers a collection of rare plants in an intimate garden setting. We will eat our lunch on the bus as we continue our scenic journey north to the coastal resort town of Cannon Beach. We will stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for an ice cream break and shopping. B L

Thursday, August 26 - Free Day in Cannon Beach:
Today you will be on your own to explore the charming resort town of Cannon Beach. Nestled around a graceful cove, just off shore is Haystack Rock, one of the most photographed icons of the Oregon coast. The town is like a giant garden. Every business and residence is enlivened with colorful gardens, from hanging baskets and window boxes to charming cottage gardens all visible from the streets. If you want a wild experience, be sure to visit Ecola State Park, with its woodland trails and stunning view of the harbor with Haystack Rock as the focal point. At low tide, take a stroll along the beach for a close-up view of Haystack. Artisan shops abound for the shoppers and seafood is readily available at many fine restaurants. We will celebrate the end of our journey with a traditional Pacific Northwest dinner. B D

Friday, August 27 - Portland:
The morning is free for last-minute shopping or personal touring. We will board our bus for transfers to the Portland airport for flights to our home cities. B

R = RECEPTION
B = BREAKFAST
L = LUNCH
D = DINNER

• Roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Portland, Oregon
• Five nights hotel accommodations
• Breakfast daily
• Three lunches
• Private reception
• Two dinners including Columbia River Gorge Dinner Cruise
• Admissions to public and private gardens
• Opportunity to speak with avid gardeners
• Sightseeing and transfers as included in the itinerary
• Hotel taxes and service charges
• Expert hosts throughout tour— Cole Burrell and Robin Fox of Macy's Group Travel
• A contribution to the Minnesota State Horticultural Society

* Three night extension opportunity to the Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast avail-able upon request. Call for pricing.

Not included in the tour:

• Any airline fees for checked pieces of luggage
• Optional sightseeing activities
• Gratuities to guides
• Meals not indicated in the itinerary
• Excess baggage charges
• Travel insurance
• Any other items not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary.

To register for this tour, please contact:

Robin Fox at Macy’s Group Travel
700 On the Mall, MS-750
Minneapolis, MN 55402

You may contact us directly at 800-533-0324 or 612-375-3639
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm CST

$500 per person at the time of booking. Travelers will be provided with a deposit and payment schedule.

Cancellation Notice - All cancellations must be in writing and are effective upon receipt in our office.
Cancellation fees are as follows:

• 95+ days prior to departure: $ 250.00 per person
• 94 – 60 days prior: $ 500.00 per person
• 59 – 30 days prior: $ 1,000.00 per person
• Within 30 days of departure: NO REFUND

Trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended. Please contact Macy’s Group Travel at 800-533-0324 or click the image at the bottom of this section for insurance details.

PLEASE NOTE: Regardless of whether you have signed this agreement, retention of your Itinerary/Invoice shall constitute acceptance of all the provisions listed here as well as those terms and conditions set fourth in the announcement, brochures and circulars of the tour/package, charter, cruise or service.

PROOF OF IDENTITY: Proof of identity is required for all travel. Ask your travel consultant for assistance in identifying the travel documents required for your destination(s). Traveler's 18 years or older are required to have photo identification. Minors traveling internationally require special documentation. Please ask your travel consultant for details.

RESPONSIBILITY: Macy's Group Travel acts only as agent for the suppliers named in your itinerary or brochure. We are not responsible for their acts or omissions. Macy's Group Travel shall not be responsible for breach of contract or any intentional or careless actions or omissions on the part of such suppliers, which result in any loss, damage, delay or injury to you or your travel companions or group members. We have no special knowledge regarding the suitability for disabled persons of any portion of any tour, unsafe conditions, health hazards, weather hazards or climate extremes at locations to which you may travel. For information concerning possible dangers at international destinations, we recommend contacting the Travel Advisory Section of the U.S. State Department at 202-647-5225. For medical information, we recommend contacting the Centers for Disease Control at 404-332-4559. You hereby release us from any claims of liability or harm resulting in whole or in part from causes not within our control. ARC/IATA carriers used in connection with tours/packages are not to be held liable for any act, omission or event during the time the passengers are not on board their aircraft or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the airlines concerned when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the carrier and the purchaser of airline tickets or tour/packages.

Macy's Group Travel reserves the right to change the itinerary, class of service, and the method of transportation, all without prior notice, to the extent that such services and accommodations offered cannot be supplied due to delay or other causes beyond the control of Macy's Group Travel and further reserves the right to withdraw the trip prior to the date of departure. Further, Macy's Group Travel reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any participant (and the other members of his or her party) should such person's health or deportment impede the operation of the trip or enjoyment of any other participant. In such case, no refund will be made for unused land tour services should such person (and party) be required to depart the trip. Macy's Group Travel reserves the right to make changes that might become necessary or that are in the best interests of the tour members. No refunds will be made for any unused portion of the tour.

TOUR PRICE: Tour price is based on exchange rates in effect as of the printing date of the brochure, and is subject to change. Airfare and air tax is subject to change until ticketed. Should numbers fall below a minimum of 20 participants, Macy's Group Travel reserves the right to re price or cancel the tour.

SUPPLIER DEFAULT/BANKRUPTCY: If a supplier declares bankruptcy, cancels or postpones service or otherwise fails to provide or perform the services you have purchased, it is the supplier, and not the travel consultant, that is legally responsible to you. Refunds or reparations must come directly from the supplier or the bankruptcy court. Macy's Group Travel will do their best to assist you.