PUBLISHED NOV 12, 2026 · WASHINGTON
WSU Gave a 500-Pound Grizzly a Root Canal. His Sister May Be to Blame.
The surprising veterinary story behind Adak's two-hour procedure and the WSU team who helped him return to normal life.
YOU FOUND PNW PASSPORT PORTLAND / THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
THE NORTHWEST IS WEIRD.I HAVE QUESTIONS.
Somewhere in the Northwest, somebody is doing something so wonderfully strange that I have questions. I'm Larie. I dig for the real story, talk to the people behind it, and bring back the places, food, events and oddities worth leaving the house for.
True stories. Actual places. Unreasonable curiosity.
Original reporting from Portland, Oregon · How we verify what we publish ↗︎
✳ FRESH FROM THE NEWSROOM
New stories. Real people. Excellent questions.
Our newest published reporting, updated as we publish. The latest stories live here; the editor favorites below are handpicked to stay.
Newest published story: NOV 12, 2026Swipe for more fresh reporting
PUBLISHED NOV 12, 2026
Morchella Is Back in Portland. Two Best Friends Brought the Forest to Hawthorne.
Portland's award-winning wild-food restaurant returns to Hawthorne. Chefs Cameron Dunlap and David Stevenson share the friendship, foraged candy-cap dessert, and new kitchen hours behind Morchella 2.0.
PUBLISHED NOV 11, 2026
Portland's Misfit Toys Are Getting Their Own Puppet Show. Meet the Artist Who Built Their World.
Meet Davis Wohlford, the Portland artist whose handmade Misfit Toys are taking the stage. Free Nov. 13 puppet show at imperfecta, with North Pole Studio's story.
THE EDITOR'S NINE · STORIES WITH STAYING POWER
Stories I hope stay with you.
A river coming back to life. A bat with a movie-star name. A tiny theater hiding in a shop window. And the day a spa changed how I saw myself. Come for the weird. Stay for the people.
KLAMATH · A RIVER COMES BACK
The Klamath's Salmon Are Coming Back. The People Who Fought for the River Aren't Calling It Finished.
After four Klamath dams came down, Chinook returned quickly. Yurok Fisheries Director Barry McCovey told us what he noticed first, what surprised his team, and what the river still needs.
PORTLAND · A PERSONAL STORY
Cascada Spa, Portland - Oregon: For the First Time in a Long Time, I Didn't Want to Hide My Body
I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to shrink into spaces that weren’t built for women like me — not just physically, but emotionally. I’ve stood in dressing rooms avoiding mirrors. I’ve untagged photos. I’ve chosen the towel instead of the pool. And I’ve told myself, si
SALISH SEA · SCIENCE + WTF
The Salish Sea Has a Sea Spider That Can Barely Groom Itself. The Other One Removed a Hitchhiker.
UBC scientists described two extraordinary little sea spiders. We asked researcher Cormac Toler-Scott how they found them, what they eat, and why one species spends its life on another animal.
TIGARD · OREGON ART
Tigard Built a 12½-Foot Flower That Opens When the Sun Comes Out.
A giant metal flower that waits for sunshine? I asked sculptor Ben Dye how Solar Bloom works and found a story about patience, weather and clever engineering.
PORTLAND · FREE AFTER-DARK ART
Portland Hid a Tiny Drive-In Theater Inside an Empty Storefront.
Downtown Portland's empty storefronts are becoming free light-up works of art. We asked Nightlab what is really installed and where to find a miniature drive-in theater after dark.
OREGON · A VERY HANDSOME BAT
Oregon Crowned a Bat Named Ryan GosWING. His Ears Are the Real Story.
Oregon’s pallid bat Ryan GosWING won the BLM’s 2026 Bat Beauty Contest. We asked the agency where he lives, what he eats, and why those magnificent ears matter.
PORTLAND · PEOPLE + ART
Portland Let a Stranger Photograph More Than 200 Junk Drawers. Then He Made a Book About Them.
Michael Apruzzese photographed hundreds of the city's most private piles of batteries, keys and mysterious cords. His book Junk is a strange, funny portrait of being human.
WASHINGTON · WINTER COAST
Westport Is Releasing Real Japanese Fishing Floats Into the Surf. If You Find One, It's Yours.
Washington's South Beach has a wonderfully old-fashioned winter treasure hunt: genuine Japanese glass fishing floats, surf, and a lot of very patient beachcombers.
YACHATS · A MUSHROOM TREASURE HUNT
Yachats Is Hiding Handmade Mushrooms Around Town. First, You Have to Find the Tiny Clay Disc.
A small Oregon coast town turned a winter walk into a mushroom treasure hunt. The prize is made by an artist, and the real reward might be getting out the door.
✳ THE MONDAY DETOUR · FREE WEEKLY LETTER
Your inbox deserves a better Monday.
Five good things to do, one unexpected rabbit hole, and something I couldn't fit into the story. Straight from our Portland newsroom.
Free to read. One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime. See what you'll get.
COMING UP · OREGON + WASHINGTON
Put something strange on the calendar.
Real upcoming dates, not last month's festival wearing a fake mustache. Events are sorted by their start date; check the organizer before making the drive.
PORTLAND · ARTSFRI NOV 13 · 4–5 PM
Portland's Misfit Toys Have Their Own Puppet Show
Davis Wohlford built a cast of handmade misfits with personalities and stories. Now those characters are getting a stage. The artist and North Pole Studio behind them make this a story worth following.
Portland, ORFree listing · confirm
Official event details ↗︎PORTLAND · WEIRDFRI–SUN NOV 13–15
A Dark Burlesque Festival Is Bringing Throb Zombie to Portland
A goth burlesque festival with horror drag headliner Throb Zombie, late-night music and a Sunday Dark Market. After Halloween, Portland apparently decided to keep going.
Portland, ORTicketed · age rules check
Official event details ↗︎PORTLAND · SCIENCESAT NOV 14 · 9–10 AM
OMSI Is Teaching Preschoolers to Investigate Sasquatch
Little scientists learn how their five senses work by investigating Oregon's most elusive celebrity. It's bilingual and hands-on, not a claim that Bigfoot finally RSVP'd.
Portland, ORTicketed · ages 3–5
Official event details ↗︎WASHINGTON · CULTURESAT NOV 14 · 10 AM–10 PM
Seattle Hmong New Year Celebrates the People Keeping Traditions Alive
Hmong families mark the harvest and the year ahead with traditional clothing, dance, food and performances across generations. A free celebration that deserves your attention.
Seattle, WAFREE · public event
Official event details ↗︎OREGON · CULTUREFRI–SUN NOV 13–15 · TIMES VARY
Yachats Has Bagpipes on the Point and Free Celtic Concerts
The Oregon Coast town is filling small venues, even the little log church, with Celtic music, dancing and jam sessions. There's a piper on the point because apparently the ocean needed a soundtrack.
Yachats, ORFree sets + $10–$35
Official event details ↗︎OREGON · WEIRDSUN NOV 15 · NOON–4+ PM
Florence Is Throwing a Memorial for Oregon's Exploding Whale
In 1970, Oregon tried to dynamite a beached whale. Florence is marking the 56th anniversary with costumes, awards, a mermaid and a 3:45 memorial toast. The explosives have, wisely, been retired.
Florence, ORPublic · price not listed
Official event details ↗︎Choose a rabbit hole.
Here for dinner, a day trip, a little wonder or an actual plan for Saturday? Pick a door. I'll show you what I've found.
✳ THE ESCAPE HATCH · A PNW PASSPORT ORIGINAL
Your next adventure shouldn't require a group chat committee.
Tell me your mood, time, budget and where you want to go. I'll match you with a real place and a reason to leave the house. The planning tool is free, and the weirdness is included.
THE PNW PASSPORT FIELD GUIDE COLLECTION
I did the planning. You get to have the fun.
Two complete Portland playbooks for the next time somebody asks “So, what are we doing?” Or, worse, arrives with a suitcase and expects an answer.
NEW • FIELD GUIDE NO. 02
I HAVE VISITORS. SEND HELP.
Ten genuinely odd, already-planned Portland adventures. Real WTF stories, exact routes, food stops, maps and rainy-day pivots. Your unpaid tour-director career just got easier.
46 pages · 10 missions · Digital PDF
Explore the Visitors Guide — $27
FIELD GUIDE NO. 01
WE NEEDED A DATE THAT DIDN’T SUCK.
Ten complete dates for people who are done spending their evenings negotiating restaurants. Timing, budgets, reservation notes and the odd little Portland detour.
74 pages · 10 dates · Digital PDF
Explore the Date Guide — $27
Every guide helps keep PNW Passport independently curious. No subscriptions. No planning committee.
HI. I’M LARIE.
I came to Portland to rebuild my life and accidentally built a love letter to the Pacific Northwest instead.
I grew up in Hawai‘i, spent years in New York, and came to Portland looking for a place to start again. I found people who could make a meal feel like a welcome, a festival that pulled strangers together, and local customs that made me laugh before I understood them.
I'm Larie Pidgeon. PNW Passport is my independent little newsroom. Sometimes I come back with a story that makes you laugh. Sometimes it sits with you for a while. And whenever there's somewhere you can go yourself, I try to give you the address and the practical details, too.
One story I still carry with me: the Portland dinner that made me feel welcome →
ONE MORE THING FROM LARIE
The more I dig around Oregon and Washington, the more I realize how many wonderful stories are sitting right under our noses.
FOR PRESS + PARTNERS
For the places with a story worth telling.
I'm Larie. I report, write, shoot and build useful stories for readers who save them, send them and make plans around them. If your destination, restaurant or brand has something worth investigating, here's how we can work together.