Portland

Being a tourist is hard work.

After our failed attempt to see Mt Hood we went to Portland and turned East to see the parts of the Columbia River we had missed. The awesomest there is the Multnomah falls, over 600 feet high. From there we went to downtown Portland.  There is so much to see. We soon discovered that driving an RV in downtown Portland is not a good idea. For one, there are not many parking places for RVs. So we went back to our campground and the next day took a taxi to Enterprise-Rent-A-Car and rented a red Mini Cooper. Finally we were able to see Portland.  We went to the Saturday Market with hundreds of vendors selling food, artwork, clothing, pet accessories, etc. Right around the corner is Voodoo Donuts with the line extending for about a block. They say the secret is in the hole, whatever that means. We also saw Chinatown and Powell's Bookstore, which occupies a whole block and is 3 stories high.

On the second day with the rental car we were going to see the Japanese Gardens but it was raining too hard so we went to Ikea instead. I had never been to an Ikea before.

The next day we returned the rental car and took a taxi back to the RV. The taxi driver was from India. He asked if we wanted the radio on and I said i would like to hear some music from his country, so he played a CD of Indian music. Diane and I said we liked his music very much. When we got back to the RV he gave us his CD.

On the way out of Portland we did go to the Japanese Gardens. It was very peaceful in contrast to the rest of Portland.

We had lunch with a friend of Diane, but I'll let her tell that story.

From Portland we went to Astoria on the west coast. There we saw the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. They built a replica of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Cark temporaroly settled in 1805.

We also saw the Columbia River Maritime Museum, a very impressive and educational museum. We learned the history of the Columbia River, its importance to the economy of the area, what makes it so dangerous for shipping, how river pilots guide ships on the river and how the Coast Guard rescues boaters in trouble.

Stay tuned.