Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hello from Portland

I write this from the kitchen table of my dear friends Wendy and Tim, with whom I'm staying while in Portland. Follow me as I travel here.

We got up at 4 am this morning. I say "we" because Younger Daughter was able to come with me this time, yay! I hauled the poor kid out of bed long before dawn.


The back of the car was packed to the rafters.


We pulled out well before sunrise, but were treated to a beautiful full moon...


...which followed us as we headed south through the Palouse.


This is one of my favorite vistas. I try to stop and take a photo every time I hit this spot.



Through the wheat fields.


Distant farms.



On Hwy. 395 south.


In the town of Connell is this grim-looking prison.



There are signs on the highway instructing drivers not to pick up hitchhikers.


Crossing the Columbia in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) area.



We crossed a loop of the Columbia a second time...


...and that brought us into Oregon.


Younger Daughter was fascinated by the huge size of these behemoth windmills that line the Columbia River Gorge.


Not many trees in this part of the world...


...but it's amazing how this mighty river crawls through the driest desert.


But we saw the occasional oasis of green. This is a huge farm/orchard across the river, irrigated entirely from the Columbia.


As we got closer to Portland (say, eighty or ninety miles away), the cliffs along the side of the road rose higher.


Mt. Hood looms above the John Day Dam.


That is one impressive mountain.


The absolute highlight of the trip was our stop at the magnificent Multnomah Falls.



We walked the short distance up to the Benson Footbridge, which straddles the lower falls.


And when I say straddle, I mean straddle. Here I'm looking straight down at the lower falls.


The view from the bridge is jaw-dropping.


Below us, people had pitched coins into the water. I suppose technically this is littering...


...but I confess the overall effect was lovely, especially when the coins glinted in the sun.


Half an hour later, we were in downtown Portland. What a contrast.


Shortly after posting this, I'm off for the first day of sales. Wish me luck!

12 comments:

  1. Excellent!!

    Patrice, have you gotten a new camera or maybe a new lens?

    Your photos are almost always really good, but recently they seem to be sharper and the detail is amazing.

    Thank you for taking us along! I look forward to seeing the booth...especially the progression shots of all that inventory going away.

    A. McSp

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  2. Good luck, Patrice!

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  3. Best of luck! Hope you sell out on the first day!

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  4. Good Luck!! May the force be with you! Sell, sell, sell!

    Doing shows for a living can be grueling. You're brave to head into a big city like Portland.

    Just Me

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  5. I have a question for you Patrice, where in Portland can I pick up one of those tankards? Those are pretty nice! I can't make it down this weekend but I might be able to have my sister come over and pick one up for me.

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  6. Wishing you luck! Hope y'all have a successful fun time!

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  7. May you sell out, and bring nothing home, but orders from people willing to wait!

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  8. Good luck! May God bless your income.

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  9. Nice travelog! I spent the first 59 years of my life in Boise, Moses Lake, Salem and Vancouver and traveled the 3 state area extensively. After 8 years in Tennessee it is nice to take that trip again with you. Thanks!

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  10. I love driving 395 along the Columbia Gorge, the vistas are awesome! My inlaws live in Walla Walla, WA, so we've driven that way a few times.

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  11. Thanks for sharing your trip. I am always amazed at how the scenery changes from state to state.

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