To see the gallery from the trip go here
The idea behind the trip was to see if Portland, Oregon was a nice place to live. Though the landscape was beautiful and the people were very friendly, the climate and the "City Urchins" (what the locals call them) were a bit much for us.
The only thing I'd done to check out Portland prior to the trip was rainfall from an official source. Most of it was all asking people, posting on Ask Metafilter and talking to people who'd visited, lived there, or knew someone who lived there. I've gotten used to people making things *sound* worse than they are and assuming it's not as bad as they say. So I took the reports of tons of rain and gray days as exaggerations.
Portland Factoid: 151 days of rain, 214 days of threatens to rain and the possibility of 64 days of sunshine. One person's comment was this: "If you can't see Mt. Hood (nearest mountain) it's raining, if you can see it, it's going to rain." See below picture as reference.
Though Portland wasn't what we were hoping for we had a lot of fun on the trip. I'd have to say that the Badlands in South Dakota was my favorite stop of the trip. We camped a couple nights out there and I don't remember the last time I saw that many stars. We also went to see Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse is HUGE! Mt. Rushmore will fit in the ear and hair of the Crazy Horse Sculpture. But it will take another 50 years to finish it.
by michelle | Driving | 4.19.08 | 2:38 pm
Drove through Santa Barbara Downtown and we’re at the Eclectic I.V. near UC Santa Barbara. Yummy food.
Stop the presses!!!!
We’ve found it. We have, we have… We have found:
THE SLOWEST MCDONALD’S IN THE WORLD
N 34.50696 W 117.34633 in Victorville, CA
Really… don’t go there. Or, don’t expect quick service if you do. So just go if you have an hour or so to kill.... for fast food.
We tried to save a lost dog in Fillmore. He didn’t want to be saved. And he yapped at Richard.
If you’re missing a chihuahua/corgie mix-lookin’ dog, he might be at N 34.39370 W 118.93643
Feisty dog.
Okay. Gotta get back on the road. I added more pics, but have to finish up more next time we stop and have WiFi.
Cheers!
~michelle
p.s., my brother and his wife had their baby boy last night! Congrats to them. (Send lots of pics, bobby!)
GEO: N37.80530 W122.41799 — Great little hotel in Downtown SF
Last night after driving up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway and finding every camp site full, we scrambled to find a cheap hotel. After about 10 calls, the Bayside Inn at the Wharf gave us great news.
It was 30 minutes before their closing time and we were 20 minutes away and they gave us a room for $69. We’d gotten quoted for anywhere from $89 to $140 at all the other places.
We were able to walk to Ghirardeli Square, the one that I went to when I was 14 and Pier 39 really quickly. We aren’t off the water but pretty damn close.
I of course got some chocolate and some semi sweet fudge sauce.
On Pier 39 we got clam chowder in a bread bowl. Quite yummy.
However, there was one other kink. At a gift shop, before eating, us both grumpy already, michelle left her camera on the register counter. She didn’t realize it until 5 blocks later at which I power walked back there hoping not another camera is lost on this trip.
I’ll let the suspense build and not tell you the outcome. Michelle can spring whichever news it is later on. I will add, that there are hundreds of pics and some videos on that card.
Later on we walked past many street performers, silver painted men doing the robot, one guy even had a sign that said “Why lie, I just want beer.” Also there was a guy called the Bush Man, he hid himself between two large strung together pieces of shrub and scared the crap out of unsuspecting tourists which was an attraction people even across the street huddled to watch.
On Pier 39 there was a guy that did a hilarious show, comedy and magic that we sat and watched. I gave him $10 so I got the DVD which I’ll share later. There was a kid who would not STFU and the comedian in a tactful but hilarious way wanted to know if his parents were anywhere to be found. Eventually he had to bribe the kid saying he’d get a dvd if he remained quiet and seated.
Well, thats it for now, until next time, when you’ll get the Camera Disaster Chapter 2 Conclusion.
{This was a post I wrote Monday night. Richard was supposed to post it last night when we had WiFi but didn’t.}
Sitting here in the van at Ainsworth State Park in Oregon trying to watch House but Richard forgot the AC adapter for his external hard drive so I think we’ll watch a movie instead. It’s raining. There are a lot of RVs around us. They have regular lamps inside. It’s strange to see them. It’s like a house on wheels.
Had soup we heated up on the propane stove Richard created way back. With Ritz crackers and sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery in San Francisco, it was a pretty good meal.
Well, we’re tired so we’ll watch a movie and go to sleep. These electrical hookups for RVs are neat. Just used a long extension cord so we can use Richard’s computer.
‘Night.
~michelle
p.s., The Camera Saga Pt. II: Richard kept you in suspense, so I guess I’ll spill the beans. The camera was still at that shop. I didn’t have pockets in my sweatshirt so had been holding the camera in my hand. I had to put it down to put the postcards we bought into my backpack and I must have left it on the counter. Considering it was mostly tourists in that shop on the Wharf, no one swiped it and they had it behind the counter when Richard got there. Oh, my. It’s going to take me days to upload all the pictures and video on that card. But there’s some great shots in there, so I’d better do it soon—at least before The Camera Saga Pt. III comes ‘round the corner. Richard says I should crochet a pouch for it so I can tie it around my neck. I think I might.
GEO: 45.55842 -122.56387 - Really nice and cheap hotel!
Here’s the weather for this month.. http://peckishwriter.com/gallery/roadtrip/Portland_Weather.jpg
I have to say, we’re pretty disappointed overall about this city. The lack of sunshine hasn’t helped my mood in the slightest. I understand that everywhere has overcast but the people out here laugh every time I’ve asked “How many months of the year are sunny?” I just didn’t think it was possible to have that much overcast.
Theres an interesting tale about the people out here but I’ll leave that one to Michelle because she articulates it better.
Overall conclusion is that we are not moving out here.
At least we’ve had a nice trip and seen a lot of nice places.
It’s been harder to post everyday than I thought it would be. Oh well. I’ll probably do a massive writeup when we get back.
I’ll have more to write on it soon. I’m sorry for not posting that much but I think it’s a thing where I’ve let my mind go. Kind of enjoying the ride as we go along and oddly enough, getting on the computer or using my cell has been the last thing on my mind.
I’ll write more about the last 4 days soon to catch it all up. I’m just exhausted and need to goto bed.