Portland, OR

 

I headed up the coast of Oregon with a destination of Portland. I was feeling pretty safe in what I figured was a bear free zone until I came across this sign warning me about "sneaker waves." What the?? As I was wondering if the malibu floated a big red pick-up truck all jacked up on those monster tires decided to ride right on my bumper. What a dick (sorry Dad) I thought. As soon as the road turned to 2 lanes, I pulled over to the right to let this spaz pass me. Well, once he got in front of me, hanging from his back bumper - I kid you not!!! - was a set of balls. Yes, he made it look like his truck had testicles. I tried to catch up to him to get a photo but he made a quick right turn into the woods. I briefly contemplated following him in 'cause I wanted that photo so bad, but then thought twice about following a self proclaimed dick into the woods. Here's a drawing of what it looked like:
  
I arrived in Portland and was greeted by friends Shelia and Kevin who I know from Chicago. Shelia's great friends with my sister. They live in this amazing old house!
 
I made the mistake that New Yorkers always do but never should. I asked about real estate prices. Which just throws anyone who lives in NYC into a brief depression mumbling about "geez, would be great to have grass... wow that's cheap... that would get you half a one bedroom apartment...gosh maybe I should move.."
 
Shelia and I took a day trip to Columbia River Gorge and did some hiking around some stupendous waterfalls. Here's Shelia and I in front of Multnomah Falls the tallest falls in the US.
  
So Portland is a pretty laid back city. And while I see plenty of coffee shops and I witness people drinking the stuff, the pace of the town is similar to early morning pre-coffee, minus the irritability. And they are extremely polite drivers letting you in at the slightest hint that you want to switch lanes. Frankly, you can really take advantage of these friendly folks in this way. But don't mess with pedestrians or cyclists! It's also a town way into the environment which I really like. Here's a band, Recycle Man and the Dumpster Divers, along with some wee fans playing along on some garbage.
 

They also seem to really like the Grateful Dead, a belief supported by these happy tie-dye undies:
 

There is also this interesting man who makes a lot of cool things out of kitchen utensils, like these glasses made from strainers:
 

Here he is with one of his creations:
  

Portland has more breweries than any other place in the US. And the beer is a lot stronger! Plus, they have a disproportionate amount of men with ZZ Top like beards. Portland is a cool place, you should come here.