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Chasing Waterfalls and "Keeping it Weird": How MWR Recharged Crews at the Portland Rose Festival
Since 1907, visiting Naval ships have made their way to Portland’s historic waterfront. The Portland Rose Festival is exceptionally fortunate to be one of the few events in the country to play host to a joint courtesy visit from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy. Their presence marks a historic milestone in a Naval relationship spanning nearly 120 years, with more than 90 of those years spent celebrating alongside the Rose Festival community.
This year, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG-90), homeported in San Diego, made the journey up the Pacific coast to give the local community an up-close look at Naval capability and for the crew to sample some Pacific Northwest hospitality. While locals lined up for ship tours, Sailors and Marines took advantage of excursions organized by Navy Region Northwest MWR to explore beyond the pier.
Shannon Posey, Naval Station Everett’s Deployed Forces Support and LIBERTY Manager, and Ian Pratschler, LIBERTY Supervisor, traveled down from Washington to ensure the visiting crews received the quintessential Portland experience.
"Participating in the Portland Rose Festival for the first time was an exciting milestone for our Naval Station Everett MWR team," Posey said. "The Sailors and Marines on these trips were an absolute delight and reflected proudly on their commands throughout the week. We hope for the chance to return next year to continue offering unique experiences that connect our service members with communities and events beyond their homeport."
For the first excursion, the MWR team led a group of 20 Sailors and Marines out of the city and into the wilderness to chase waterfalls. Multnomah Falls, Oregon’s tallest and most iconic waterfall, plummeting a breathtaking 620 feet down two dramatic tiers of moss-covered basalt, served as the perfect backdrop for the day’s adventures. The group hiked past the historic Benson Bridge, climbing into the lush canopy of the Columbia River Gorge for panoramic views. The outdoor trek continued with stops at Horsetail Falls and Bridal Veil Falls before wrapping up with a riverside lunch overlooking the Gorge.
The trip even bridged generations. During lunch, a group of Sailors struck up a conversation with a Navy Vietnam War veteran who had participated in Portland Fleet Week in the 1970s. He said he was delighted to see the current generation keeping the tradition alive.
"After a long period of being underway and standing grueling 12-hour watches, MWR taking us out into the outdoors felt like a complete release of all the pressure of normal Navy life," FCA2 Max Cabrera said. "MWR giving Sailors and Marines these opportunities is a true value to the Navy to maintain our readiness."
The next day, Posey and her team welcomed a new group of service members and introduced them to the cultural heartbeat of Portland. The morning began in classic Pacific Northwest style with coffee and Blue Star Donuts, famous for its French-style brioche creations fondly known as 'donuts for grownups.'
Once everyone was satisfied and caffeinated, the group continued on to the tranquil pathways of the Portland Japanese Garden, widely celebrated as the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan. Even as the skies shifted to classic Pacific Northwest rain, the weather didn't dampen spirits. The crews explored the Pittock Mansion, a historic 1914 French Renaissance-style château that offers spectacular skyline views of the city, framed by the distant peak of Mt. Hood. The day concluded with a maze-like exploration of Powell’s City Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world.
The Chafee leadership was very appreciative of the support Everett MWR provided to their Sailors during their time in Portland.
"I'm truly happy the Sailors were talking about the events," USS Chafee Recreation Services Officer LTJG Sumer Thakur said. "The groups had the best time. Highly recommend you all do it every year if possible because they couldn't say enough nice things about it."
As the weekend culminated with the spectacular Grand Floral Parade, U.S. and Canadian service members spent their evenings discovering exactly why locals proudly say, "Keep Portland Weird." From hunting down the city's famous food cart pods to experiencing the vibrant local nightlife, this year's Portland Fleet Week was officially one for the books for Navy Region Northwest.
