Portland, Oregon

      The clouds were moving in today as we left the Gorge and made the short drive to Portland.  We have gone from train noise to airplane noise.  I am looking forward to camping on the beach!  Our drive was easy except that the navigator (not the GPS) thought that the campground was across the river so we took somewhat of a detour - still it was a short drive. 

     We had lunch and then went to downtown Portland.  My first impressions:  heavy traffic, lots of bikes (not always ridden with pedestrians in mind), homelessness, clean and green, rivers and bridges.  We drove to the Waterfront Park and were very impressed with all the people out walking and biking.  Lots of families enjoying the sun and playing in some very fun fountains.  There were also many homeless folks pushing their belongings in grocery carts and sleeping in groups on the grass.  Where do they go when it rains?  As we drove back to the campground and knew where we were going, we were able to notice roses planted everywhere.  Portland is the City of Roses and this is definitely the season for them. 

     We are staying across the street from Portland Harbor on the Columbia River near the airport.  With two major rivers (the Columbia and the Willamette) flowing in and around Portland there are lots of boats and marinas.  There are also some houses on the water - I only have seen people living in permanent houseboats in Seattle, although I guess there are a few along the Mississippi.  It seems like interesting housing but a type that would take a lot of maintenance.
     We spent the late afternoon talking to family.  It has been hard to coordinate our schedule and time zone with home, but it was great to hear familiar voices.  Soon some of them will be here!