land, port

we'll here's to leaving the familiar again, in so much as three days can feel like home [ thanks meghan and eugene, oregon ], and heading out to the far and unknown...well, not actually.  i've been to portland before, LOVED IT!, and was very much looking forward to my return visit up until actually starting the drive.  i journaled, and i quote, ' perhaps i am not in a rush to get there because i have no one to go to..and most assuredly, with fond memories of portland past, i do not want to encounter dishearten and dissappointment '

i retract all above.  i found someone [ a friend, of a friend's cousin, lovely person ] and came to find myself fall even more for the city.  in took some number of hours to drive west of eugene, then back up the coast, and enter into portland from the east, but i'm glad that i took that time.  didn't have any cheese, but i saw tillamook.  photoed an interesting school bus stop, got ripped off for gas in a tourist trap of a town, and had lunch under the tall trees just as it was starting to rain.  all of this a precursor to meeting up with christa [ the cousin ].  though she was worried about the lack of sleep support due to a recent floor refinishing, i found her and her home to be very welcome, comfortable, and just my style.

with the rain setting the sun, she took me on a quick drive of portland, explaining some of the layout [ ne, nw, se, and sw quads ].  the mountains to hike, don't go there at night places, and the newly popularized food cart pods.  for the night, we settled on a dinner and movie idea at a refurbished theater.  they show second string line ups, but you get to enjoy no previews, drinks, food, and a movie all at the same time!

after said plan, we impromptued to the powell's book city.  an entire city block with multi-story book wonderland of wonders.  anything and everything, locally owned and open late.  i got myself a sade book and some trinkets for others...then we headed to the pods, food pods that is.  a street corner full of your curb side cart desires.  from pizza to poutines, whiffies pies to crepes.  all cheap and all delicious [ not that i ate from everyone, but i'm just saying ].  the next morning before heading to boise, idaho, i hiked up mt. tabor [ tay-bur ] where on a clear day you can see all the way to mt. hood a hundred miles away...i, of course, hiked in the rain per portland standard.

recommendations:
     just go visit the dang place.  your sure to find something you love, just don't carry an umbrella if it's raining.  you'll be spotted as a visitor, just as if you were six foot man in the midget circus.

notable oregon:
1.  that there is often no word 'limit' on the speed limit signs.  it just makes the font look weird and
     trips me out.
2.  the amazing flashing yellow turn lights.  genius quite frankly, because if there is no on coming traffic,
     you shouldn't have to wait through the entire cycle of the light.
3.  whatever the unusal yellow diamond pattern with swooshing side yellow lines was.  only ever saw
     it on one street with three sets of patterns in one city [ ? ]
4.  there are a TON of drive through coffee stops, typically 10' x 20' or smaller in size
5.  most of the highways are max speed limits of 55...and everybody follows that
6.  there are a ton of out of state license plates.  i know there are borders involved and that eugene
     is a college town, but there are still a lot...