Current destination: Portland, Oregon
Next stop: Crater Lake, Oregon (with a waypoint to pick up a friend in Medford)
Mood: Underwhelmed
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I didn’t blog last week because it was a strange week of travels (read my last post to find out where we were), but I’ll share good news before we get down to the get down (i.e. why Portland sucks). Casey had a brain MRI last week and the brain tumors are shrinking and there is no new growth! Huzzah! And for good measure (and because I love them and loved seeing them), here’s a picture of my family in matching hairstyles.
And now I’m just going to say it, controversial though it may be – I hate Portland. Or rather, I hate downtown Portland. All I’ve ever heard about Portland is how weird and cool and trendy it is, but all I saw was how cramped and dirty and run-down it was. The streets were narrow and would have been nearly unmanageable, even in a sedan, and there was no parking. There were people EVERYWHERE, including a very crazy homeless man who stood on his jacket in the middle of an intersection, screaming at no one and everyone, and talking into his shoe. The only place I knew I wanted to visit for sure (Powell’s Bookstore) was on the corner of a super busy, awkward intersection and I couldn’t figure out how to maneuver or park near it (see above point in reference to parking). In the end, we decided to call it a day and head to Washington Park towards the zoo (which we did not go to) and children’s museum (which we did).
Honestly, I’m sure there are plenty of cool places in and around the city (and I’m doubly sure that everyone who loves it will be aching to tell me about them and enlighten me on all the reasons I don’t know what I’m talking about because people are weirdly obsessed with Portland), but I didn’t enjoy my trip into the city. It made me feel itchy and anxious and claustrophobic. And I was so put off initially that I didn’t really feel like exploring it much further and attempt to prove myself wrong.
Even the children’s museum was only okay (but to be fair, the Houston children’s museum is really freaking incredible). The coolest place we went was a motorcycle coffee shop called See See and I can’t wait to hit the road tomorrow in search of greener pastures (and craterous lakes).
On an unrelated note, I’ve discovered something rather curious about pulling a trailer on this trip. Since Casey doesn’t always feel well, I do most of the driving. I’ve driven on straight, flat highways and through mountains, on curvy backroads and through cities, and I’ve noticed that every place has one thing in common: people do not like campers. Actually, they don’t like any vehicle that isn’t a standard car, truck, or SUV. Because they also hate motorcycles, semi-trucks, and trucks hauling anything. Like, really hate. I’ve been tailgated, flipped off, honked at, driven madly around, and just generally treated poorly for no other reason than I’m driving. Somehow my being on the road with a camper is seriously affecting the general driving populous in a very negative way and they are determined to let me know it. But joke’s on them because I’m going camping for the next few months and they’re going to work. Suckers!
Michelle Underwood 