Travels with The Rayman

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen,

So, I penned this blog a few days ago(Sept 8th) but it sounds relevant so I will share it with you.

It’s our first full day in Portland, Oregon.  We landed here yesterday afternoon.  Under sunny skies and half a talk of gas in the Dog House.  The way we got here was via highway 20 out of Sisters, Oregon headed west.  Then we veered off and headed northwest on highway 22.  A beautiful drive that had us following along a river for many miles as we descended from 4500 feet to 125 above sea level.

There was plenty of trees to see, however, there was a stretch of highway that I’ll refer to as Cutback Mountain.  Or Burnedback Mountain.  Looks like the area had either been ravaged by fire or clear cutted.  Or both.  Not very attractive.  However, the rest of the ride was a visual delight.  We saw reservoirs, rivers, road kill and rest stops.  The West is so special.  Beautiful rides on the backroads.  A truly magnificent mash up of miles that delight the eyes and the nose.  The smell of conifer in the air.  The whiff of skunk.  Oh, dear.  Poor skunk.  And poor raccoon.  And poor deer.  And poor opossum.  We saw them all laid out flat on the blacktop.  Just glad we didn’t have to witness their demise.

And what is it with deer crossings?  How do they know where the deer cross?  The sign says, Deer Crossing Next 18 Miles.  A sign like that strikes fear in my heart.  OMG.  The Dog House cannot be stopped on a dime.  Or a deer, for that matter.  To ponder the outcome is to induce a sense of panic.  What if Bambi bolts out into the street?  Okay.  That’s a question I cannot answer.  So, let’s just hope those deer steer clear.

While wandering north on 22 we drove through agricultural land.  Fresh, berries, eggs, corn, peaches for sale.  We saw wineries here and there.  And then we saw a sign for the Frank Lloyd Wright house and a garden.  While we’re here, we’re gong back to visit there.  It looked lovely.  And Silverton was a cute little town.  Another place to snoop around when we have time.

Eventually, the road #22 gave way to the freeway.  And on to the Interstate 5 we roamed.  And before you knew it we were in Tigard, OR where the RV park is located.

We only got lost once, a new record perhaps.  And here we will be until Sept 25.  Then we need to move so the plan is to perhaps head north to Washington, the state.  Until then we will be in an RV site that has the Tualatin River running beside it.  It’s a bit noisy because of the highway traffic near by, but we can live with that as the highway is above us in the form of a bridge that spans the Tualatin River.

The fun news is that our friends, Al and Charlie, are here until Saturday.  So, they had us to their RV last night for a delicious salmon dinner with all the trimmings.  Steamed rice, broccoli cooked perfectly, salmon with pesto and tomato on top.  And a great salad to finish off the piece de resistance.  For our part, we brought wine and a pie from Sisters bakery.  Charlie (that’s a she) asked Al to put the pie in the oven to warm it.  She thought he had turned off the heat.  When it was time for pie and ice cream, Charlie discovered that Al had left the oven on 400 so the pie was more than a little hot when it emerged.  We let it cool off for about 2 hours.  Just kidding.  For a few minutes and then ate it with great gusto.

Over dinner we made plans for today.  They took us on an adventure today using public transit.  We rode on a bus, a streetcar, a trolley, and streetcar.  We walked delightful neighborhoods and took in the sights, including all the great people watching.  The first place we went was Pine State Biscuit restaurant.  It was so good that we ate around 9 something, it’s 3:30 now and I’m still full.  Just saying.   Yummy.  A certain amount of waddling occurred after eating all the food.  Quite a meal.  Then we just walked around the neighborhood looking at how it was arranged.  Portland reminds me of a European city.  You live in a neighborhood and you get to know it quite intimately.  Each neighborhood has it’s own groceries store, bar, brewery, ice cream shop.  The Wal-Mart affect is not evident in Portland.  Lot’s of small shops.  Quaint, cute, interesting.  Here’s some pictures.  If I could live in a neighborhood like these, I think I could be more than happy.  The diversity is refreshing.  The vibe in young and that’s a good thing.  Fun time was had by all.

Al bought the tickets for the transit system on line and then just flashed his phone as we jumped on the various modes of transport.  Very slick.  And each bus stop had a sign telling you the time of the arrival of each bus/trolley.  They really have this down and the ridership is impressive to this visitor.

Tonight we meet Ryan, number one son, for dinner.  Very much looking forward to that.

And the beat goes on.