Coddiwomple Stardate 180523

Thursday morning 17^th May, we were on our way to Portland Oregon by train. It was about a 4-hour trip. I asked one of the staff at King Street Station what is the best side of the train to sit on. He suggested the right-hand side to see more of the water. It was a good choice. As we left Seattle we passed the Boeing factory and further down there were plane fuselages on trains. Something you don’t expect to see. Once out of the suburbs the train followed the Pugent Sound. There was nothing else between except water on our right and forest to our left. We passed what looked like Borneo where they have villages on the water. There was plenty of old derelict jetties and occasional wrecked boats to be seen. The shore was rocky with no sand. Sharon was fast a sleep and missed most of the scenery.

In the brochures for Amtrak Trains I’m sure they have a picture of the train going through this area. You see the photo and say I want to see that. Of course, you can’t because a lot of advertising these days are photographs from drones. Unless you are in a helicopter you are never going to see the same panorama.

As we headed inland the train passed plenty of roads and towns. The train horn just seemed to blow continuously. There were many houses to be seen with plenty of trees in between.

When we caught the train from Melbourne to Sydney. Before anyone boarded the train, which had just arrived from Sydney a cleaning crew cleaned the whole train reversed the seats in a very short time. The Amtrak train arrived from Portland and no cleaning was done at all. There was plenty of rubbish from the previous passengers on board.

When we arrived at Union Station Portland we caught a taxi to our Airbnb. I thought this easier than trying to get our bags on public transport in peak hour. We arrived at our accommodation in Kenton just after 4.00pm. We were greeted by our hosts Sarah, Joslyn and Cooper the dog. It is a lovely narrow 3 story house. We have a very nice room with our own bathroom and sitting area.

Friday we caught a bus, then their light rail called Max into the City of Portland. They have a transport card called Hop, but they still accept cash. We purchased an all-day ticket for $5 each. Portland has a fantastic transport system and you can travel a great distance on your $5.

First stop was a tourist centre. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic staff member and walked away with lots of brochures and information. First stop was the Lan Su Chinese Gardens. The gardens were created by 65 artisans from Suzhou China and opened in 2000. They conduct hourly tours and we joined one. The guided tour was very informative and made you appreciated what the garden represents.

Next was lunch at the haunted pub called Old Town Pizza & Brewery. The old tunnels beneath the pub is meant to be haunted by old Chinese. Then a hair cut for me and a pint of beer at the barbers. Shortly after paying for my hair cut on my mastercard I received a receipt by email. Very Big Brother because I never gave them my email address. Next was the number one tourist destination in Portland. Powell’s bookstore. It is the largest independently owned bookstore in the USA. It takes up a whole city block with multiple levels. After this it was US Bankcorp & Plaza. We went up to the 30^th floor to a restaurant bar called Portland City Grill. We just wanted hot drinks and take in the view. Sharon wasn’t happy with the way her tea was presented and proceeded giving a staff member lessons on serving tea. They appreciated Sharon’s lecture so much we didn’t have to pay for the drinks and bonus no tip required.

Saturday, we caught the Max rail out to Washington Park. You go through a tunnel that runs through Tualatin Mountains it is the deepest tunnel in the USA. It’s 4.7km long and Washington Park station is half way through the tunnel. When you leave the station, you need to catch a lift to the park. When you enter the lift instead of having floors it shows your depth above sea level. We were at 450ft (137m) when we reached the top it showed 710ft (216m). We caught a free shuttle around the park which takes 30mins. The park is magnificent and a must see if visiting Portland. The shuttle goes through a very beautiful leafy suburb called Arlington Heights. Properties here have sold for up to $4,500,000 USD. After our one lap we got off at the Hoyt Arboretum. There are walking trails everywhere and loved being back in forest. Next the rose garden. Unfortunately, not many roses out yet. Still about a month away.

Sunday Sharon was still suffering from her cold she got from the cruise. I decided to go to some museums and go back to Washington Park. There were 2 memorials I wanted to see that Sharon was not interested in. The first was a Vietnam memorial dedicated to all the people from Oregon who lost there lives in the Vietnam war. It was a truly well-designed garden covering a few acres. Next one was a memorial to the holocaust. This was a very moving site. They had scale bronze objects on the pavement that represented the lives of the victims. There was a book, reading glasses, toys, suitcase and a violin. On the granite wall was one of the most descriptive stories of the holocaust I have ever read.

Monday Sharon still wasn’t well, so she had to go to the doctors. We were told to avoid going to a US doctor because of the exorbitant price. Sharon hasn’t been well for over 3 weeks now. We had no choice. Another downside to cruising to many sick people come on board. After a 10min visit and anti-biotics in hand it cost us $235 AUS. We have an excess of $250 on our travel insurance.

I wanted to go to Wells Fargo Museum yesterday but being Sunday, it was closed. Most Wells Fargo branches in US capitals have a free museum. It was a fantastic display of the history of Wells Fargo with many artefacts including their oldest original Stage Coach built in 1854. They also had many stories about them being robbed.

Next it was to pick up our hire car, so we can go further out of Portland. We were upgraded to a Malibu Chevrolet. So off we go up the exit ramp when another car wanted to come down. No room to pass so I had to gingerly back around the underground car park while driving on the wrong side of the car. Then we were out for our first taste of driving on the right-hand side of the road. It was now peak hour traffic which took us about 45mins to cover 5 miles.

Tuesday, we drove to Astoria. A town on the mouth of the Columbia River. It is famous for quite a few movies filmed there. The main one was 1984-The Goonies. Sharon was very excited about going here. We had a look at the Old Jail where one of the scenes were filmed and has been turned into a small film studio museum. Over the road from the jail was Flavel House another short scene was filmed here. After this we headed down to Cannon Beach. I ended taking a wrong turn and ended up on Astoria-Megler Bridge and crossed the border into Washington State from Oregon. The bridge is 6.75km long second longest in the world. We had to turn around at a historical site called Dismal Nitch. This is where Louis & Clark got delayed by a severe storm in November 1806. Then it was back over the bridge to see Cannon Beach. Another scene from the movie. After this a drive along the coast to Munson Creek Falls. A 319ft (97m) shear waterfall. Then back to Portland. We only did a short section of the coastal drive. It does go all the way from Seattle to San Francisco. What we did see was a very shear stunning coastline. The drive to the coast and back to Portland was also picturesque. There are hiking trails and campsites everywhere.

Wednesday and it was a drive along Columbia River heading East. On the way we stopped at the No.1 tourist destination in Oregon. It is the Multnomah Falls. The top falls are 542 ft (165m) & the lower one is 69 ft (21m) Unfortunately there where many closures of sites due to a fire in September 2017. Started by a 15-year-old letting off fire crackers. He burned out 50,000 acres through this area and many destinations are closed for repairs. Including the top bridge of the falls.

Next was the Bonneville Dam. I had no idea what this was about. It turns out navigating upstream of the Columbia River was hazardous with many cascades that the steam boats had to manoeuvre around. During the depression years they decided to build locks to create employment and to make navigating the river safer. As a bonus they also created a hydroelectric power station. This power station was used to manufacture war equipment during the second world war and was heavily fortified against attack. I have read about Salmon numbers decreasing because they cannot get upstream to spurn because of all the dams blocking their way. I asked the information guide and explains to me that when they designed these dams back in 1930’s the salmon numbers were already on the decline. They had to be designed back then to allow the salmon and other species unhindered travel up the Columbia river and many other tributaries. They created salmon ladders, so the fish can still get up stream. You can go down and view the fish as they make there way upstream. There is also a counting room for fish as they go past.

Next stop Starvation Creek Falls, Trillium Lake then onto Mt Hood. Mt Hood is only 80km away from Portland but with a height of 11,235 ft (3425m) they have that much snow they can ski all year. There were a few people snow boarding when we were there.

Wildwood recreation site was on the way back to Portland. It was a small mention in one of our brochures. It was still quite early so decided to give it a try. It was another fantastic state park on the Salmon River. There was a beautiful walk bridge over the river and boardwalk along the wetlands also another viewing window to see underneath one of the streams. Black Bears have been seen in the area and a warning to pay attention.

We leave tomorrow on the Starlight Train to San Francisco and California. I have absolutely loved Oregon. I could easily spend the whole 3 months of our visa here. There is just so many fantastic hikes and gorgeous scenery to take in.

We are finding driving on the opposite side of the road easy enough we are both having trouble judging the edge of the car on the right-hand side. As a passenger we both get concerned how close we get to objects. We have been travelling now for 12 months the last two days have tested our patience with each other to the max. Unfortunately, too see everything we have in the last couple of days you cannot do this without a car.