Portland

 

   Before our current trip out west, I had been to 48 of the states. I was missing only Oregon and Hawaii to complete the puzzle. It was with satisfaction that I crossed the Columbia River recently on the train into Portland. Now if someone will invite me to a destination wedding in the Aloha State, I'll have something cool to put on my gravestone. 

  We had come to Portland to get on a riverboat that would take us upstream to Lewiston, Idaho. The cruise ship would leave from Vancouver, Washington, so we really didn't have to set foot in Oregon at all.  But I'd always wanted to visit Portland and this was my chance. 

  Did you know Portland was almost named Boston? Two of the city's founders, one from Boston, the other from Portland, Maine, flipped a penny in 1845 to decide what the name would be.  This sounds like a "really dad?" story, but it's a well documented fact, taught in all the schools. The famous penny is on display at the Oregon Historical Society.  

  We had left Wannaska four days earlier. We drove across North Dakota, and Montana, and left our car at the Spokane airport. We took the train the last leg of the trip along the Columbia River which we’d be cruising back up in a few days. 

  But first, Portland. People had told us about the homeless in the city, making it sound as though the place was no longer worth visiting. It is disconcerting to see someone sprawled unconscious on the sidewalk.  It was cool out and this guy was lightly clad. The expectation is that he will wake up and move on. If not, some charitable group or the police will take care of him. If he keeps up this lifestyle he’ll die younger than he needs to. 

  We hauled our suitcases over the bumpy streets the half mile to our downtown hotel. An old warehouse had come down and this new Hampton Inn has sprung up in its place. What a contrast our room was to the tent encampments on the nearby side streets. These encampments were not everywhere, but you didn’t go too far without seeing one. 

City camping

  Despite the homeless bummer, the city was full of life and prosperity. There were all kinds of interesting shops and exotic eateries. Pick a cuisine and it would surely be found here. 

  We walked up to the big Washington Park that hangs on the steep hillsides above the downtown. Gigantic Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar trees loom over the winding trails. There was not a tent to be seen. Probably for the same reason there are no fish in the middle of the ocean. Nothing to eat there. 

Washington Park

  A guy we met at the hotel breakfast room told us he was walking to the Tilikum Bridge and then taking the tram back. I checked the map. The bridge was two miles away. We like to hike, so we decided to copy him. I planned a route across the Willamette River on a different bridge, returning on the Tilikum. Google Maps said this was doable.

  The trouble with phone maps is that they don't always correspond to reality. You could cross the bridge on a wide sidewalk on the northbound side, but the narrow sidewalk on the southbound side that we were on ended in a construction zone halfway across. And once you were halfway across there was no crossing to the other side through the rushing traffic. Oh well, all steps are to the good.

  Once across the bridge, we hiked a path along the shore. We had to watch out for speeding bikes on this busy Saturday afternoon.  The Tilikum Bridge opened in 2015. It’s the first major bridge in the country designed specifically for bikes, walkers, and public transport. There are wide sidewalks on both sides and a tram line runs in the center.

Portland Joe

Teresa checked her Fitbit when we got back to the hotel. We had walked just under eight miles today. Yesterday in the park we had walked a little over eight miles. We’re in training for our pilgrimage in Spain next year.

  Tomorrow we cross the river to Vancouver, Washington to start the cruise up the mighty Columbia.