Beer, Berries, and ‘bama: Portland Wrap

I don’t know why it takes me a whole day to recover from these trips. I returned from Portland (with a pause at Sea-Tac to pick up my parents, who had been in Florida) on Monday, and I’m only getting to all the e-mail I’ve missed today (Wednesday). I can only imagine what will happen when I return from Europe in September.

Going around Portland the second time, I explored a lot of the northeast area, which is where my friend is living and graciously offered a spare bed for me. It’s an area I wouldn’t mind living in, as it has a similar vibe to East Vancouver, particularly Commercial Drive. The northeast area also leans heavily toward Barack Obama, as the lawn signs and bumper stickers were plentiful. I even passed a neighbourhood BBQ/Obama supporter gathering while driving around the area the first time. In fact, I think I only saw one sign for John McCain, and that was on rural Sauvie Island.

Sauvie Island is only 30 minutes northwest of central Portland, but it’s as rural as it gets. I, my friend, her boyfriend, and his siblings all drove to Sauvie for some berry-picking and picnicking. It was a mainly cloudy day, so it was amenable for the occasion.

The day before Sauvie, I went to downtown Portland for the Oregon Brewers Festival. Ostensibly, it allows you to sample independent breweries’ products. It was more like a beer garden. I didn’t mind that part; I’ve been in my share of beer gardens, and that was the atmosphere I was experiencing there. And the beers I did try were pretty good.

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip through the Pacific Northwest. From Seattle to the coast to Portland, all of it was great to see. It was what a holiday should be.

One more picture: I dare you not to emulate Homer Simpson when you see this street sign.

Roadtrip update

This was the real “road trip” part of my Seattle/Portland trip, and it was exhausting. This was not a straight drive down I-5, but rather a coastal diversion that more than doubled the usual travel time.

On Wednesday, iIt took me about three hours to get from Downtown Seattle to Westport and Westhaven State Park, on the Washington coast. Most of the people visiting the park came to try out the waves, and they were not disappointed, as it was windy enough to create some significant waves on the Pacific.

I then stopped at Raymond, a small-enough town. I was drawn in to this cafe strictly for its wifi access. There was even a small booklet full of humour, such as adjusting to the mentality of rural Washington state, and variations of “Kids Say the Darndest Things”.

I followed US 101 into Astoria, Oregon, using a very long bridge over the Columbia River. The speed limit is supposed to be 55 miles per hour, but luckily we weren’t going that fast, which allowed me to attempt these photos. Seriously, don’t ever try it – just take photos from the ground instead, like the last photo.

Even on the approach to Portland on US 30, I was surprised at how rural the layout was when I saw a sign that read “PORTLAND 20″. 20 miles (~30 km) outside downtown Portland, and it’s still the middle of nowhere. I got to my accommodation almost ten hours after I set off, and needless to say, I was tired. Nevertheless, it was an experience.

Somewhere in Seattle

Actually I know where I am as I’m typing this: a Belltown branch of Cherry Street Coffee House. With the free wi-fi and general atmosphere of the place, it just seems a good place to sit down for a few hours while I catch up on things that require a computer and an net connection, such as this blog.

Before I left for this roadtrip, I just knew that I would forget something, and that something is the connecting wire that would upload my digicam photos to my computer. So pictures will be forthcoming – this post will be updated when I return.

On Monday night, my brother and I watched the Mariners take on the Red Sox. On the way to Safeco Field, I picked up a Red Sox hat on a semi-whim. When you see me with my hat and my brother in his Mariners jersey, it’s strange, but luckily Red Sox Nation was out in force for this game – Boston fans almost outnumbered Seattle fans. Boston won 4-0, but then that was probably expected.

So far, in my trips to Seattle, I’ve slowly expanded what neighbourhoods I’ve been to and taking in sampling the culture, as it were. Last year, in two separate trips, I’ve done Pike Place Market, Belltown, Seattle Center (for Bumbershoot) and Capitol Hill. In this trip, I’ve gone to Chinatown, the U-District, Queen Anne, and Ballard, and drove through Fremont. Going through all these places shows Seattle’s diversity in terms of the geographic layout – there are a lot of hills, at least compared to Vancouver, where I’m from. Last year, Seattle was a bit of a comedown after visiting Portland first, probably because I just loved Portland on the first visit, and that might be why I’m spending longer there than in Seattle.

Next stop: a diversionary drive along the coast, and then Portland!

Vegas Wrap

Vegas. That word conjures up many different things to different people. For me, one of those things is over-the-top decadence. Now that I’ve returned after my first visit, another thing that pops in my mind is IMMENSE. My group stayed at Planet Hollywood, close to the middle of the Strip, and that place was massive. But every casino-hotel we visited was like that, and there were plenty of them. The first time I saw the place at night, with everything lit up, particularly Bellagio and Caesars Palace, the two behemoths of the Strip, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed.

 

One highlight would have to be the Voodoo Lounge, on top of the Rio. I don’t think I’ve ever been 51 floors off the ground like that, and the views are impressive, and that sort of offset the $24 G&Ts. Forgive the poor quality from the iPhone camera:

The mantra going into this trip, which is a bachelor trip for my cousin and his friend (marrying separately later this summer), is “Go hard or go home.” I’m sure we all did that, and other things that would warrant that other saying: “What happens in Vegas…”

Since I wasn’t involved in organizing it, I had to go with the flow. Since all of us were grouped together most of the time (or otherwise lounging lethargically around the hotel during the day), there wasn’t much chance for independent roaming about, which was the only disappointing thing I had from the trip. I didn’t even declare anything when we crossed the border back into Canada, which of course brought the higher-than-usual scrutiny from Customs.

Overall, though, Vegas lived up to the hype. I will come back, hopefully on my own terms. Surely there’s a lot more to explore.

Overkill?

Am I over-thinking my destinations? Keep in mind that this pile doesn’t even have guides for Paris, which is where I’ll end my journey in September.

 

Introduction.

It has been more than a week since I’ve left my job, which I have done for almost five years. What follows is, for me, a journey of discovery.

The British have this term called the “gap year” [wiki], where twelve months doing anything but work is almost a rite of passage. Almost always, it involves travel, and is done done before or after university. For me, as a Canadian, I didn’t have the chance for a gap year, even after finishing my undergrad, mainly because I had no funds to support myself.

Now that the opportunity has presented itself, I want to take at least six months off, and some of that will involve travel. And that’s the inspiration of part of the title of this blog: a half gap year is better than none at all.

It starts right away, as I’m heading to Las Vegas on Thursday with my cousin and his friends for his bachelor trip. I then take a roadtrip to Seattle and Portland later this month.

And in August, I fly to Glasgow to start a 38-day trip to Scotland, Ireland, Wales, London, and Paris. This is one I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and now I get the chance.

Expect photos, descriptions, and general awe as I make my way around all these places. It will be fun. Let the half gap begin!