Pondering Portland

one of the many beautiful waterfalls we visited in our day around the greater portland area

Journal Entry
January 22, 2006
Portland, Oregon, USA

We made it to Portland! The guy at the bus station in Seattle double charged me for my ticket. I noticed the error before we left but didn't have the time to get the refund before the bus left. It's a difference of about $85 so he said they could refund it in Portland. They did, it wasn't a problem, but we had to sit in the Portland bus staion for an hour waiting for the supervisor and his over-writing powers. I was slightly annoyed to know that I was waiting because he was watching the football game. Seattle Seahawks are going to the superbowl for their first time in franchise history...CONGRATS! How about my refund? Oh Americans and their football.

At least I wasn't alone. I'm travelling this leg with Michael from Australia. It's a good thing too cause Portland's bus station is definately full of randoms. I feel for the security guard there, especially since, through chatting with him, we discovered he's a pretty cool guy. It seems half the people in that station have something to bitch about and he gets to hear, and deal with, most of it.

Before I left Seattle today I checked out the Experience Music Project. I wish I'd had more time there cause it's definately a really cool place. I guess I'll just have to make a return visit to Seattle, which is totally fine with me cause I quite like it there. The little bit of Portland that I've seen so far seems really nice. I can't wait to get out during daylight hours and walk around tomorrow.

I'm definately glad that I've got a travel buddy right now. It's that time in the trip where homesickness strikes and I'm feeling it for sure. What's interesting to me though is that I'm not missing home so much as I'm missing Vancouver and Whistler. I really do think that come the fall I'm gonna want to be on the west coast. This trip has really just reinforced those thoughts and feeligns inside me. The next few months will change me, there's no doubt about that. So, I guess I'll just have to see how those changes pan out. Of course I'm always gonna be me but this trip will certainly spur lots of growth within. As does every day we go through life I suppose!

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Journal Entry
January 24, 2006
Portland

It's about 7:30pm and I'm sitting in the hostel dining area killing time before the long bus ride to San Francisco. I think it's like 12 hours to Sacramento, then a few more to Frisco. Needless to say I have many hours on the bus to look forward to tonight. Hopefully I can get some sleep, otherwise, I've got music, Sudoku (which I am so addicted to now) and thankfully a travel partner to get me through it. I just went to Fred Meyer to stock up on some snacks and made a couple calls home and to BC. Talked to my parents, Andy and Steph tonight.

It's always a bit harder to be on the road after calls home. That fact reigns particularly true at this juncture in my trip. The homesickness vibe is definately on at the moment. I feel a bit lonely at times but I'll survive! It was especially hard last night when I was left with no minute to minute television broadcast of the election coverage to watch. I did check in here and there online though, so I wasn't completely in the dark. Just wish I could have gathered 'round the tele with the family, but I shouldn't complain. The bad news is that the devil himself, Steven Harper, is our new Prime Minister. The good news is that Jack, Olivia and 27 other NDPers are in house to fight him every step of the way. The NDP made huge gains last night and that's something to cheer about.

Our first full day in Portland, yesterday, was pretty relaxed. We mostly just walked around the city looking for points of interest...and finding very few. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice city, just not a lot to do when you're a traveller on a budget, passing through. It's fairly small, the kind of city I think I could live in but doesn't have heaps of things to do as a visitor.

Today, however, was entirely different. We rented a car and headed out to the scenic Columbia Gorge District, along the historic Columbia highway, in search of waterfalls and we were not disappointed. Found many a spectacular waterfall to gawk at. It was the perfect day for it too. Clear, sunny, and downright beautiful. You couldn't ask for a better day, especially not in Portland where, much like Vancouver, winters are generally rainy and grey.

Hopefully today's sunshine is a sign of what's to come for me in the next few months.