Portlandia

Yesterday I awoke on the bus to the flat, barren landscape of western Wyoming. We had been driving since 2 a.m. from Salt Lake City. Soon we would would see the Columbia River, and the landscape would change from dry yellow to pine forests and steep hills as we entered to the Columbia River Gorge, some of the beautiful scenery on earth. It was Elissa's birthday and when everyone was up, we had a bottle of champagne and sang Happy Birthday as the bus rolled along.

Left: Christine, Elissa and Fiona

After we reached Portland (where it was raining and has continued to rain), we set out to do laundry and explore the Pearl District. We found the country's first Icebreaker store. It is all NZ wool outdoor apparel (my sister knows that brand from living in NZ) and Elissa being from Patagonia was very interested in learning about the brand and the sustainability angle. We also visited the Patagonia store in the Ecotrust building, which is their biggest. Along the way we got our laundry done and sampled some of Portland's best local coffee (Stumptown Roasters). Even though we didn't get into Portland until 2 p.m., we packed in a lot and even fit in a nice (wet) run along the waterfront before taking Elissa out for a nice birthday dinner at The Farm, a small restaurant on the other side of the river serving all local organic fare.
Today we have a wet show in St. Helens, OR. I think I am getting used to the rain.....