Portland Oregon

It was raining my entire stay in Portland so the glasses through which I view my Portland excursion are grey. I stayed with Christy Ann and George at the Embassy Sweet's by PDX which stands for Portland International Airport. The hotel was nice. I ate lunch twice at a Bistro called Mother's Bistro downtown Portland which was excellent. I'm amazed by Portland's mass transit system or light rail. It's extremely efficient and if your in the downtown perimeter it's convenient and free.

Downtown Portland has many beautiful bridges that I suspect date back half a century or better. The buildings downtown are kept up generally in good shape. I encountered more transient people in Portland than I anticipated, but the warmth and friendly personalities of the north western locals more than made up for their homeless problem. The locals report that Portland gets a considerable amount of rain throughout the year. Moss and wild Brier patches grow anywhere soil and sunlight exist.

Empress of the North will be my new home for a week or so. Empress of the North is a Paddle Wheel steamboat from the American Steamboat Company that will mother us on our treacherous Lewis and Clark journey down the Columbia river. O.K. maybe that's a bit dramatic. However, traveling is one of my favorite past times. I enjoy learning about other regions, cultures, food, people etc. I suppose I could travel full time and be completely content.

I will update everyone on my expedition as the journey unfolds. Until then and from the grey dismal Pacific North West, enjoy the sun!

USMCCowboy de San Diego