Day 5: Finding the Oregon trail and arriving in utopia

So Thursday was my final day on the Oregon Trail. I left from Twin Falls, ID just after 8am mst and started my day by crossing Snake River Canyon on my way out of town - luckily the GPS did not entice me to turn off the cliff. What lay before me was probably the best day of all, nearly 600 miles of mountains, steep descents, pine forests, and rolling rivers.

Crossing the Idaho/Oregon border it just seems made a huge difference in the landscape of my surroundings. At every rest stop there are informational posts that give details about Lewis and Clark's voyage towards the sea, and the highway primarily follows what is deemed the Old Oregon Trail. Green forests line the highway, and the road wends it way across the state, eventually descending into the Columbia River Gorge which separates Oregon from Washington.

The Columbia River, the largest in the Pacific Northwest, flows from British Columbia, down to Portland, and out to th Pacific Ocean. It and the Willamette River are the two major waterways which converge between Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA. Driving along the Columbia presented some of the most magnificent views of the entire trip, including a fleeting glance at Mt. Hood National Forest, home to an actual volcano. Mount Hood (which is visible from nearly everywhere around Portland for mile and miles) is where the Timberline Lodge is located. Exterior shots of this historic building were used in Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining to represent the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King's novel.

Arriving in downtown Portland I quickly realized that the streets are all very well gridded and that there are also many one-way routes. It also is extremely important to remember that Portland is not a very car-friendly city, instead favoring bicyclists and pedestrians. The public transportation lines are ubiquitous though, and spending any time downtown shouldn't require a car. After a quick stop, I proceeded to make my way south to McMinnville, my final destination in the heart of wine country.

Making my way through several smaller towns, I passed from Multnomah to Yamhill county and arrived in McMinnville (or Mac) about an hour after leaving the bustle of the city (apparently there was a Ducks vs. Beavers game happening that I was unaware of, slowing traffic down a bit). On a side note, the Ducks won, and are headed to Pasadena to play the Ohio State Buckeyes (Ducks vs Bucks...) at the Rose Bowl. Ironic? Maybe.

Arriving in Mac after sunset I didn't have much of a sense as to how the town was laid out, but immediately took a liking to the more than adorable downtown area, lined with trees festooned in white holiday lights. Small restaurants, a book store, two coffee houses, a theatre, several wine related store fronts, an organic market, and varied other boutique shops. All with dark windows, but enticing enough that I couldn't wait for the chance to stroll down the main drag the next day. My friends Lynnette and Amy live just outside of downtown in a neighborhood called Hillsdale, and I arrived at their house just after 7pm pst.

We ha a lovely dinner (some of the best leftovers I've ever had - feta tarte, some squash gnocchi, and salad with an OR Pinot Noir of course. After talking for a while, I brought in some essentials for the night, saving the unpacking for the next day, and crashed in a very comfortable bed (high by bed standards, but even more enjoyed after a week of staying in motels!)

So here I am now in the Pacific North West. I've been busy since arriving and haven't even touched on all the things there are to do around here. I've got lots planned for getting myself established, people to meet, and places to visit. But today is the day for unpacking all of my things. Further adventures are sure to unravel I'm certain, and I'll be sure to post about as much as I can in the coming weeks and months.

For now, thank you to all of you for following me across the country while making my own Oregon Trail, and for all your warm comments.