The "Home" Stretch

So, we're back on the road once more, for the last leg of our journey. Idaho was pretty boring, and we didn't really drive through it for long (only the southwest corner). We did see some pretty awesome wind farms on our way out, though. I have a fascination with windmills... I could just watch them for hours. For some reason I assign human emotions to windmills when see them. They seem like soldiers that go out into battle, standing up and enduring the elements to protect us from ourselves. Like no matter how tired they get, they never lose sight of their purpose, and they just keep going round and round.

Then, finally, our new home state: Oregon!

The eastern part of Oregon is pretty flat and is mostly farmland. It doesn't get green and "Pacific Northwest"-looking until you are almost to Portland. And, most of the road-side attractions are part of the Oregon Trail historic route.

Tangent: Does anyone remember that old computer game 'Oregon Trail'? We used to play it all the time in elementary school and I don't think I ever made it to Oregon. I'm pretty sure I was the one who always died of dysentery or had to kill all my oxen or something. Here's a screen shot because I'm feeling nostalgic:

We had heard great things about the Columbia River Gorge, which is just outside Portland on I-84. We didn't think we could make it all in one day, so we decided to stop in a little town called Pendleton, which appears to be the largest town in Eastern Oregon. That way, we could leave early the following morning and take our time driving through the gorge. On our way out, we passed this sign:




I'm not really sure what the signifance is, or why anybody really cares, but, I guess I care since I went to the trouble to take a picture and put it on here. I did a little research and the 45th parallel is a great place for grape-growing and wine-making. Apparently, the Bordeaux region in France is also located along the 45th parallel. I have not yet delved into the world of Oregon wines, but even before moving here, I always knew that Oregon reds are often the best. So, I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Anyway, Columbia River Gorge. I actually was slightly disappointed with the scenery in the gorge. It was still pretty brown, and there was a lot of industrial traffic: trucks, trains, etc. However, there were definitely some things that are worth discussing. First, the train traffic is crazy. There are tracks on both sides of the river, so we were constantly seeing freight trains going back and forth. We saw one train so long, it had SEVEN engines pulling it. !!!

Also, the river is HUGE. And we saw at least 3 dams along the way...I'm sure there are more. Here's a picture of one at The Dalles (a city in Oregon):

There's another place along the Columbia River, near the town of Hood River, that is famous for windsurfing. There were TONS of windsurfers out (like hundreds) and it looks super fun. I'll definitely have to try it out.

So, once you're almost to Portland, and if you look back the way you came into the gorge, it is absolutely beautiful... lush and green:

After we came out of the gorge, Justyn and I started to get pretty nervous and excited. It's a bizarre feeling to be driving into your new home city, having never seen it or been there before. Every mile we got closer, we both inched toward the edge of our seats, our shoulders tensed up a little bit, and our eyes started darting back and forth, trying to take in every detail. Our original apartment was supposed to be downtown on the river, so we headed downtown right when we got there. Downtown Portland is cool... it's located right where the Columbia River and the Willamette River meet, so there are tons of bridges, and it makes for a cool skyline.

There it is, folks. Portland. City of Roses. The "greenest" city in the U.S. (yay!). To Portland, we say, "Nice to meet you, hope we get along." And it says to us, "Welcome home."