Portland, Oregon

The drive from Seattle to Portland was nice. This was the first time that we really weren't in a big rush. We didn't really know what we were going to do or where we were going to go once we reached Portland which was a new feeling for me. Up till this point I've meticulously planned each step of the way and I decided that I need to just let go and ride the wave. We took highway 30 into Portland and we took our time.

We arrived in Portland around noon and we headed for the city center which is the oldest part of town. We ate at a historical landmark called the Dan and Louis Oyster Bar which started in Portland in 1907 (http://www.danandlouis.com/). The food was amazing and the price was right. We wandered around and soon headed for Voodoo Doughnut for dessert. (http://voodoodoughnut.com/). After standing in line for over half an hour for a voodoo doll and a banana caramel fritter we weren't sure what to do. Our first impression of the city wasn't that great. What we saw of Portland was a huge industrial area and a TON of homeless people. It was dinner time at the mission so we were fighting through crowds of vagrants (not fun). We were getting fed up with the begging and we were preparing to head out of dodge when we spotted the Lan Su Chinese Garden (HTTP://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/). We spent hours wondering around the small garden paths. We were like children stopping to admire each and every bonsai and every flower. We spent time in the tea hut sipping rose tea while gazing out into the lilly pond. We stayed until the garden closed and I noticed as we were leaving that all the stress that my body normally stores in between my shoulder blades had completely melted away. I felt more buoyant and much more at ease. Taking a time out was exactly what we needed.

To our surprise the Portland rush hour traffic wasn't that bad. My dad got us hooked up with an old friend we were in the small town of Tualatin in no time. Our hosts for the evening were amazing. I think this night has been one of Alan's favorites so far. Scott and Lisa treated us like family. Our dinner was great and the boys (Scott and Alan) had a great time being big kids. We even got to do some Jeep off roading! We spent a few hours out by the campfire sharing stories and then I was off to bed to get my beauty rest.

Alan wasn't feeling too hot in the morning (hmm I wonder why) but, I was ready to go exploring. Scott was a great host and he took us to his favorite sushi house for brunch (breakfast for Alan). Sushi train was so much fun! We picked what we thought looked good and we all shared. I enjoy this method of sushi eating simply because you get to try so many different rolls. We had a great time taking turns to grab the plates as they passed by on the train.

At lunch we had a chance to chat about the city of Portland. Scott explained to us that we were just in the wrong part of town. The homeless people flock to the old town area but there are cooler areas such as the Hollywood District, we just didn't know. Scott also explained that there are tons of micro-breweries in Portland. Well, that just brightened our day. Rather than taking the time to hit up each and every one of the micro-breweries we just opted for the micro-brew store where we were able to buy single bottles of whatever sounded good. Needless to say, we loaded up. Maybe we like Portland after all? I think we're both willing to give the city another chance unfortunately we just ran our of time and we had to hit the road. Portland will have to be a vacation for another time.

We are so happy and grateful for our gracious hosts. We both feel like we've been blessed. So far everything has been perfect and the people we've met along the way have been amazing. Thank you Dad (for hooking us up with your friends) and thank you Scott and Lisa for being so darn cool. We said our goodbyes and we headed down the coast for the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. On our way we stopped by a helicopter company so Alan could say hello. We slowly worked our way down the coast to the Umpqua area. The coastal highway in the southern part of Oregon is so beautiful. We pulled over several times to admire the view. Sharp black rocks randomly jut out of the bright blue ocean and the white tip waves crash onto the cliffs right below the road. The breeze was so strong and the fog sat so low it was like a blanket that covered the tree tops. The air was so crisp and cold with faint pine and salt aromas. We drove down the windy coastal road until it got dark. We found a random little hotel right on the bay and when we woke in the morning all we heard were the seagulls outside chatting to each other. The gloomy weather outside made it hard to get moving. Eventually we found motivation and we hit the coastal route again. This time we were Humboldt bound. As we were driving we would wind around a tight turn and I would look over the edge but there was nothing there. It's scary to know that the road drops off with no guard rail but you cant see it because if the thick fog. By the afternoon the fog had mostly burnt off and we soon arrived in Arcata, Ca.