The morning started with some speed, as we planned to traverse the Coastal Mountain Range in the electric vehicle and wanted to get to the Pacific Ocean beaches with plenty of time to enjoy them (and the possible need to recharge). This was the most extended and boldest trip with Air VW the Gray I had tried. We got a 100% charge (93% once we hit the highways), which meant an over 200-mile range. The trip to Astoria was 83 miles one way, giving me more than enough range for there and back and some sightseeing.

We had breakfast before heading out. We had bagels with Nova Lox (smoked salmon) and cream cheese. We also brought trail mix-like snacks. I put my boots in the car, as it is always good to be ready when traveling the passes. I had newly purchased socks (traction devices) in the EV. Like the Volvo, the VW can do socks or snow tires, not chains. It being Wednesday, there was some traffic, but once we started into the forests and hills, the traffic was light. As always, it is a lovely drive, and the moss in the trees gets heavier closer to the coast. There was light snow at the highest elevation, about 1600 feet (487m), but nothing on the road, and the temperatures were never near freezing.

We arrive at Seaside, Oregon, in just over an hour. On my navigation, using the one that comes with the EV (not Maps), we can see some chargers on the map, but none are near beaches and are long walks from anything interesting. We find parking near the main tourist drag and walk to the beaches by way of a coffee place.

We walk on the beach and look for sand dollars, but mostly, we find 1/2 broken ones, which we call half-dollars. Over the years, I have found one whole sand dollar, which I have at home. We had one sneaker wave that we had to run away. It threw water fifty feet further than any other wave, and we managed to run before getting our shoes soaked. It was not large enough to knock us down, but it was a strong reminder to always keep one eye on the ocean on Oregon beaches, especially in the winter.

Once we had spent a long time and were quite cold, we walked down the street with a fine collection of shells and looked at a few stores. Salt-water taffy was acquired for Z. I always get Z a bag.

We next took the EV to Astoria and saw an excellent charger, but again, it was a walk, this time up and down the large hill in Astoria! Nope. We parked in the old town, walked, and enjoyed the area. Deborah commented on the upscale feel compared to the primary t-shirts, candy, and usual tourist junk for sale at Seaside. We went to the Supper Club for lunch and had excellent salads with meat, steak for Deborah, and crunchy chicken for me. The food was outstanding. I had a Diet Coke as I had to drive, and I was feeling off just a bit (too much coffee).

We stopped at Godfather Books (mostly new with some used bookstores), and I found Graham Kerr’s book there for $12. He was one of the first chefs on TV and was famous for all the wine he drank while cooking. His show was The Galloping Gourmet.

The trip home was by Nav, which sent us to Highway 202, Nehalem Highway, which was twisty and full of sunken grades. It was not a fast-driving route but more direct and fun. Air VW the Gray handled very well. When we were close to Jewel (sort of a town in the Coastal Mountains), there were elk herd preserves. We stopped to take photos of a large herd, like all good tourists, but there were places to do this; thus, we did not block the roads or do a dangerous pull-off.

On the Nehalem Highway, there were guardrails here and there, as well as babbling brooks, creeks, and even rivers next to the road along the passes. The snow was a few inches deep in the forest as we crested some pass on 202. The speed signs for the turns were not suggestions but often the highest survival speed. And sometimes there were no signs like they just got tired of repeating themselves. The sign could have been, “Again.” Or if you are still with us, you will likely make it and don’t need signs.

Once 202 became 103 and then 26 (also known as the Sunset Highway), we were back on the familiar roads. We reached the house with a thirty-five percent charge. Plenty! It was just dark. We reheated the prime rib from a few nights ago. I also made some asparagus in the new veggie steamer (my old one broke), and I microwaved some potatoes and fried some ham while the beef heated in the oven (Best to bake to get it back to normal, if you have the time; microwave would be less effective).  We watched a few episodes of Silo together while we enjoyed our leftovers and my extras.

With the walking, travel, and food, we soon were sleepy. A good day!

Thanks for reading.

 

After the late-night return on Monday via Amtrak, we slept in and went slow in the morning. I cooked a late breakfast of bacon and a cheese omelet. I still had trouble judging salt; the omelet needed salt, but otherwise, it was good. I did not find time to write the last two days of blogs in the morning.

I discovered that the EV had only charged 84% in the garage. On a level two charger, the usual setting is 80% as physics demands that the power to charge to 80% is needed to get the last 80%. Completing the charge takes a lengthy time because a level two charger cannot increase its output. I thought my settings were set to 100% on Air VW the Gray, but no. I want 100% for longer trips, of course. I have made this mistake before and wonder if the rate is resetting. Hmmm.

Deborah and I boarded the EV and headed to the Columbia Gorge. With a later start, I refocused the trip to the closer items; Hood River will have to wait for another trip. We reached the Gorge without issues, though traffic was often below the speed limit until we reached I-84 and the higher speeds in the Gorge (60 mph). We took exit 22, Air VW the Gray climbed five hundred feet on windy roads without issue, and reached the Women’s Forum Overlook. This view is of the start of the walled sections of the Columbia Gorge and is a lovely, if not stunning, view. You can see Vista House, another overlook, from there. We soon took the crazy pasted-on-the-side of the cliffs road to park next to Vista House, which was closed. The view was just good.

We returned the way we came, with twisty roads and sometimes missing or broken railings. Back on I-84, Multnomah Falls was only a few more minutes away. We parked the EV next to no car, with three spots on each side and 3/4 up the parking lot where no cars were. Later, someone parked next to the brand-new vehicle!

We visited the base of the falls, and it was cold and breezy. However, the view is always impressive, as it is a 500+ foot drop. Next, we took the not-that-easy trail to the Benson Bridge, and Deborah marveled at the moss and plants; the area had recovered from the fires. The cold was intense as we got near the falls. This is snow and glacier-melt waters, and they were cold. The noise is unexpected, and the mist covers the area. We climbed the much more rough and angled trail to the view of the Gorge and I-84. The mix of rough trails, small fallen rocks, and the sudden drop off at the edge can be intense for those not used to trails; that would describe us both.

We found the descent harder than marching up the trail. Nevertheless, we reached the bridge without incident and felt some relief. We took the trail slowly and were passed by many; we did not care. We again marveled at the plants and trees and enjoyed the area. We reached the trail’s end, and Julie was just walking up.

Julie (also from Laingsburg, Michigan, but lives in the Pacific Northwest) agreed to meet us for dinner at the Multnomah Falls Lodge. We got a table with a view of the falls, talked, and ate. Julie and Deborah have kept up and met here and there over the years. We talked about our lives and plans for retirement.

Deborah let the cooks rework a sandwich so that she would have salmon instead of turkey breast (the waiter suggested). My food was OK. Julie tired the club. We talked for over an hour until the places started to close (it closes at 6; there are no lights on the falls, and the trails are not usable at night). We promised to keep in touch (we follow each other on Facebook).

Air VW the Gray got us home without issue. Deborah read and was on her phone while I wrote two days of blogs. I was tired and had nodded off once while resting for a few minutes. When I got to bed with everything published, I soon fell asleep.

Thanks for reading.

 

The day started with us rising early. We soon connected with Dondrea and agreed to watch Pike Place Market open on this holiday Monday, President’s Day. We met in the lobby, walked a few blocks to the Market, and entered The Crumpet Shop. I had a ricotta and lemon curd-covered crumpet, while everyone else selected savory crumpets. We all had tea, and I had an excellent Irish Breakfast blend.

We then walked through the Market. Deborah missed the one chance to see the fish being thrown —she just missed it—but she did hear their call; they only throw fish they sell. The holiday Monday was getting only a limited bunch of well-heeled tourists. There was limited fishthrowing today.

We wandered down to the magic shop—one of my favorites, The Market Magic Shop—and Z got to be their first audience for a few tricks. They also pointed out she could acquire one of their fake tongues, record it licking the gum wall, and have some horror reactions. This could be edited into a video and shared for fun and profit. Z demurred.

We did visit the disgusting gum wall.

Dondrea and I bought a bottle of mead from a local seller at the market, and Deborah and I bought spices at the Souk. We looked through many shops and enjoyed it as the market started at about 10 and late opening shops at 11. One of the late opening places is Athena, and soon, we had a lovely table looking over the bay there. Deborah had fish and chips with salmon, and Dondrea and Z had cod. I had the Market Price Crab Louie Salad. It was fantastic. I like our local crab, Dungeness, cold and plain, and Maryland blue crab hot and drowning in spices. Softshell in a sandwich.

Everyone loved their dinner, and Z discovered Malt Vinger on her fries. We soon headed out of the Market and put our purchases with checked bags at the hotel. We had all checked out of the hotel, and they held our bags. The desk clerk directed us to the old Monorail, and after a few blocks, we boarded and took it to the Space Needle. I had not been on the Monorail in years and it was fun.

Dondrea got us discounted tickets for the Museum of Pop Culture, and soon, we were in the SciFi Hall of Fame and looking at some interesting relics from SciFi, Rock, and even horror. Star Trek, Star Wars, Dune, Dracula, Dungeons and Dragons, and many others (and their respective writers) are honored with impressive displays. I did not get many good pictures, including Captain Kirk’s chair (from the original TV show), that I did not know still existed. Next time!

(Me scared too death in Horror)

(Captain Picard’s uniform)

(Lost in Space)

I can recommend the museum.

We soon returned to the hotel with more purchases. We also tried the hotel restaurant Ben Paris for Happy Hour appetizers and drinks. We had credit for our stay. We ordered fried Brussels sprouts, and they shaved a fish over them that seemed to wave and move. It was good but disconcerting at first (see previous museum).

We toured the closing Pike Place Market but just missed the deli for sandwiches to return with us.

We took a real Uber after resting in the Hotel Lobby (after they opened the doors for us again now that we were checked out). The driver parked in the street (not the curb), and we had to avoid the car in the street to board. I gave him a large tip, which I thought did not go through (it was a short trip for four people). I ended up paying the tip twice. Now I wait until after the trip to tip!

We were soon at the Amtrak station. Amtrak accepted my offer of $16 each for the business class seats—you can bid on seats—and we learned that there was no steward for us. We were comfortable and alone for most of the trip. Dondrea and Z got hot dogs. I had a grilled cheese and Deborah some oatmeal. We were all happy. After the three-to-four-hour trip, we arrived at 11:35 in Portland.

Our Uber drove by us, and I watched as it circled and returned; we were early. The guy told us he had another fare before us when he returned. We were a bit surprised to wait for the same Uber.

We arrived at Dondrea’s house without issue, and Air VW the Gray got us home at about 1AM.

Thanks for reading.

I made a pot of coffee and bagels with thinly sliced salmon, capers, and cream cheese for breakfast. We finished our packing and managed to be ready for church. We boarded Air VW the Gray and reached the church just as it started. The previous service had overrun, making the Methodist service start a bit rocky.

Deborah and I sat together, and the service ran a bit long for Methodists. Pastor Ken’s sermon was focused on the Hebrew Scriptures again and its rules for Justice and the responsibilities of cities found this time in Isaiah 58 and 60. The sermon series is based on the Hebrew Scriptures and the concept of a righteous city (my words). We are called by God not only to live a good life but also to ensure that the poor are fed, clothed, and cared for. That Justice is proved by the status of the stranger, orphan, and widow in a nation’s cities, not their wealth or confidence in God. Ken covered this from multiple angles, and to be fair to him, I was rushing and kept hoping he was done.

Dondrea covered the offering (I often fill in for the ushers), but I did help put away the money, checks, and so on with Jack after the service. It is a two-person job to ensure they are not mishandled. I did this while Deborah got introduced to a few folks after church. Dondrea and Z were ready, and soon, Deborah and I headed to Dondrea’s house in the EV. Arriving just after Dondrea and Z arrived, we moved our bags to Dona’s Lexus (Dona is Dondrea’s mother). Dondrea took the wheel and got us to Union Station in Portland within sixty minutes of our train leaving. Dona then drove back home following navigation; Dona was still new to the area.

We had four economy seats on 518 to Seattle (518 goes to points beyond, including Canada); this is part of the Amtrack Cascade line that runs north from Portland and south Seattle. I grabbed a sandwich, Deborah a snack, and Dondrea and Z a few items. We did not know how soon food would be available on the train.

Soon, we lined up, learned it was important to line up soon (we had), and walked across the tracks to our train. We then walked to the near end of the train. We found seats, two on each side, put our bags overhead, and enjoyed the large seats and excitement. Trains come with 120V plugs, and soon, items were being charged.

It took about four hours to get there, with quite a few stops on the way. Unlike my cross-country trains, there were no long stops with a walk/smoke break (I don’t smoke, but I still walked). Deborah and I tried the snack car, and it was a walk through three cars to reach it (Business Class is on the other side of the snack car). I got a beer, and Deborah got a Diet Coke.

Just about the time it was getting tedious, the trip ended. We were at King Station and found a guy waving to us. We decided to try him, and he took cash (Dondrea covered it). It took him about ten minutes to reach the State Hotel. The hotel is a boutique hotel a block from Pike Street Market. The rooms were smaller but nice.

We knew they had a strange locked door policy for their lobby, and soon, the clerk let us in. Deborah got to our room, and Dondrea and Z were quickly checked into their room. After getting our rooms in order, we returned to the lobby and decided to consider Ivar’s Acres of Clams on Pier 54 for dinner. But we are in the hills and must find a way down to the pier. We walk and spot a staircase. Neither Dondrea nor I remember stairs being here (we think they are new) and were happy to see them lead down to the piers by the Ferris wheel.

We soon found Ivar’s and got a table looking at the now-dark waters of Elliott Bay. There we had a wonderful meal. We discovered that Ivar’s splits their meals with flair, and Dondrea and Z split soup and their meal. We shared Coconut Crusted Shrimp. Dondrea and Z split Cioppino Seafood and I tried a whole one (I did send more shrimp to Z). Deborah had the fried clams, cod, halibet, and shrimp. She was dream back to Howard Johnson’s clam stips. These were quite good. We all had a great meal.

 

Next, we returned by stairs to our hotel using the stairs, this time through the Pike Street Market, and walked a few blocks to learn again where everything was. We then had to climb up one hill that was quite steep. I was not ready for that. Dondrea provided me with some painkillers as I had bruised my foot. I had pressed down on it while at dinner and on the train, a bad habit. Once we reached the lobby of The State Hotel (now able to open the doors with our room keys), we sat and chatted for a while. It was early, but soon, we said our good nights.

Thanks for reading.

 

I’m sorry. We have been busy, and the break to write the blog did not appear until Saturday night.

Saturday

When we returned home Saturday evening, most of the snow was gone. It is raining and warm, and the snow will soon be a memory. Deborah did comment that I had not overstated the interesting driving of the Greater Portland Area drivers.

Starting tonight and going backward, Deborah and I have just returned to the house after watching “Mrs. Harrison,” a play at the Armory Theater in Portland’s Pearl District by R. Eric Thomas. This is a two-woman play that was quite good. I sadly had trouble hearing one of the actors; I have hearing loss in my surviving ear (the brain tumor I survived cost me the hearing and balance structures on my left side) that overlaps some voices, predominantly female words. Sitting with me in row F in orchestra seats (it was not the distance), Deborah heard fine. While I had some trouble following it, it worked for me, and I only wish I could have seen it again. I was tired after a long day, and I know my understanding of words sinks in the evening–CC on some shows already helps me. I expect glasses and hearing aids will not be far in the future for me.

The play was at the Armory, and we arrived from Screen Door. We had chicken and waffles at the southern-style place, and I put my second piece and part of Deborah’s in a box. It is a lot of food. We had fried okra (a first for Deborah) for an appetizer. We were early and sent to the bar while our table was ready, and we tried their Sazerac. This is an easy-to-drink boozy drink created originally in New Orleans and a favorite of mine (and Dondrea). Deborah had one, too, and thought it excellent.

Before this, we played video games at Ground Kontrol near Chinatown. We tried some old friends, like Space Invaders, Centipede, and the first version of the Asteroid games. We played a two-person version of the old Joust game with us, trying not to take each other. I tried some pinball and still am not good, but it lasts longer a few times. I tried the Doctor Who and Black Knight machines (The Addam’s Family machine was broken). Time flowed fast, and soon, we were headed to the Pearl District and dinner, as covered above.

Before this, we walked down to Chinatown and the Cheese-style garden. I have a membership with a visitor, so we got in for free. As we entered, the Lunar New Year celebration was winding down, but we still managed to get photos with the celebratory lions. Deborah loved the garden, and we made about two loops. You can make a multi-color print and buy some calligraphy, and Deborah selected some items. We finished with tea in the Tea House at the Garden; the garden closed at 4:30 this Saturday.

Before this, Air VW the Gray delivered us to Portland’s Pearl District, and we parked in a charging location. We would later move the EV to a regular space at 98% charge. It is unfair to leave an EV in a charging location when you are finished charging (and you can be charged for that). We walked to Powell’s City of Books and had a coffee there. A guy made flowers out of scrap paper in the coffee area at Powell’s and made the paper appear to dance and float in the air. I know the magic trick for this, and he did a fantastic job of the work. It is difficult to pull that off as street magic; excellent! Deborah and others were amazed by the show and his fantastic folding work.

Deborah and I headed upstairs to the Rare Book Room. At John King’s Books in Detroit, Deborah found some unique items and wonders. There is a strict limit to the number of people allowed in the room, so we had to wait. Deborah got a pass, and then I looked at something and returned to a line eight deep. I finally joined Deborah. There was a companion to the Hornblower books I loved to read when I was young ($150) and the identical translations I got at John King’s of Greek Tragities for the same price I paid ($100). Deborah discovered books that matched her personal collection of children’s books. Deborah noticed one of her items was mismarked, and while the price went up, the gal gave Deborah 10% off her purchase for her “sharp eyes.”

Powell’s had some miniature books made and sold in the Rare Book Room. I selected Henry V as a gift for Deborah. Deborah loved it.

Before this, we rose late, and I made scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon (extra crisp–but not burned–for Deborah).

Friday

Starting on Friday now and going forward, I woke to my alarm at 3:45 and texted Deborah. She was already at Detroit Airport (DTW) and headed to her plane to Seattle Airport (SeaTac). We texted back and forth, and around 4, I was out of bed. It was a difficult start. I followed along with Deborah’s progress, and she had WiFi on the plane, allowing texting once it was at cruise altitude. I used TripIt to track this trip, and soon, it warned of a delay in her second connecting flight to Portland (PDX) from SeaTac. A gate change also happened. Deborah arrived at SeaTac, reached her plane, and was about an hour late in PDX.

I took MAX into PDX as the winter weather still made transit complex and unpredictable. I parked Air VW the Gray at Willow Creek/185 MAX station and took the MAX in.  There were only a few minor delays, and I arrived there two hours early, plus the delayed time. I brought my Kindle and read.

Deborah appeared at the exit, and I waited in the stadium seating (I had gotten a Diet RC and pretzel at the Beer Hall as I showed signs of motion sickness). We were reunited and hugged. We got to MAX, and Deborah was impressed by our public transit. The snow was melting already. We reached the house without issue. The EV handled well in the snow.

Dinner was at Golden Valley Brewery (GVB) in Beaverton. For Valentine’s Day, we had prime rib, champagne, coffee drinks, and a shared dessert. Ross, who helped me set up the reservation, was our waiter. The food was terrific, and Deborah and I had a great time enjoying our first dinner in more than six weeks together.

We had a romantic two days and look forward to Sunday’s Amtrak trip to Seattle with Dondrea and Z.

Thanks for reading.