Wish You Were Here

Archived discussion from Toril-2.
Ashiwi
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Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2001 5:01 am

Wish You Were Here

Postby Ashiwi » Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:17 pm

I went to visit an old high school friend who lives in Portland, Oregon, this last week. I went up from Wednesday (Halloween) through Sunday. I really wanted to contact some of the people who live up there (Laurel!) but when he gave me a clue of what our schedule was going to look like, there was no way I would have had any time for anything besides the occasional "Oooooh" and "Aaaaah."

The basic schedule was:
Wednesday
Get up at 4 am to fly out
Arrive
Go eat Indian food at Swaggat's (really good)
Take a tour of Portland including the artsy neighborhoods and the rose garden
Notice that there is not a single straight road anywhere in the city
Go shopping for wet weather gear
Find FANTASTIC coat at Goodwill
Leave FANTASTIC coat on rack and buy ugly rain slicker
Buy really cool Oregon grunge knit cap with Swedish pigtail ties at Bax
Be drug up the side of Mt. Hood (Me: pant, pant, how much farther? Him: only a quarter mile Me: I hate you) so we can scout the trip for the next morning's sunrise tour
Not see a thing from top because of fog
Eat Mexican... yes, the food
Drink tequila
Drink more tequila
Drink margaritas
Go on another tour of Portland, only this time underground for Halloween spookiness
Drink tequila
Pass out until rude 4 am awakening

Thursday
Get out of bed, get showered, get dressed, get in car
Wake up when "get X" finally becomes "get coffee"
Drive, drive, drive
Climb, climb, climb
Damn it's dark
Pant
Ask again "how far?"
Hate him more
Get to top of Mt Hood AGAIN and notice I'm not seeing anymore than I did the day before because fog is so thick there is no sunrise... there is no sun... there is nothing but white fluffy marshmallowy Oregonian goodness on a mountain top
Climb, climb, climb, other way this time
Hate him a little less on the way down
Drive, drive, drive
Look, a waterfall
Look, another waterfall
Repeat untold more times for Multnomah, Fairy, Horseshoe, Blisteredfoot and every other trickle of water within a 1,000 mile radius of Portland.
Drive, drive, drive
Stop for a chat with God overlooking the lip of Mt St Helens
Drive, drive, drive
Stop for breakfast, as it is after 2 pm Halibut and chips is better than bagels
Finally get a nap for an hour
Drag butt out of bed
Drink margaritas until somehow I'm back in bed

Friday
Holy crap, is it morning again????
Load car
Load coffee
Eat breakfast, have potato pancakes, praise Oregon food
Drive, drive, drive
Are we there yet?
Drive, drive, drive
Take tour of every single beach along the west coast between Portland and Newport, damn there are lots
Notice there is not a single straight road anywhere in Oregon
Get to Newport and realize it is too late to see the aquarium
Find home and collect my keys (see picture below)
Finally get to Beverly Beach state park, where we are going to camp for rest of weekend, the one place I've been looking forward to more than anything else in the world, the pentultimate aspect of my trip to Oregon, what I have been dreaming of, what I have been longing for, a fulfillment of everything I have worked up to in this trip so far
Find out that reservations were never made and campsite is full
Punch him in the arm so hard the park ranger offers him an icepack
Find a hotel with a beach view
Watch sunset on beach
Eat the most amazing blackened ahi tuna
Leave his dinner alone and eat my crabcakes
Drink tequila
Ditch him at the hotel and take a moonlight stroll on the beach alone
Sit on cold sand until well into the early morning hours watching waves roll in

Saturday
Uhhhhhh, what?
Oh hell, morning.
Dress in everything in my suitcase (three pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants, two sweaters, a jacket, five pairs of socks, Betty Boop flannel underwear and super cool Oregon grunge cap with Swiss miss pigtail ties)
Drive
Phew, what's that smell?
Arrive at docks
Leave docks and go get coffee
Wander around docks and listen to barking seals
Scold him for blaming that on the seals
Find our boat and contemplate seasick remedy
Throw seasick remedy overboard and dare ocean to do its best
Stand in prow of boat in classic "Titanic" pose all the way out the bay and on to the ocean
Catch largest black bass in boat and preen.
Praise him and pat on head when he catches largest lingoncod on boat since he hates fishing and needs encouragement.
Keep mouth shut when 14 year old on boat catches larger one
Get back to docks and pick fish up with fingers to take pictures
Find him something to pick fish up with other than his fingers
Clean, vacuum pack, freeze
Celebrate great morning with fresh fried scallops
Drive, drive, drive
Roll in late
Drink margaritas
Make more margaritas
Finish off tequila

Sunday
Oh
My
Gawd
Load car
Get coffee
Load me
Contemplate hawking ticket at airport and taking job as fish cleaner on Newport docks
Board airplane anyway
Go home

I loved every moment of my trip, even when I was cursing him (not so silently) for every blister on my toes. Luckily, he and I have very similar senses of humor, so he figured the louder I was cursing, the more fun I was having, and he endeavored to push it farther. He was right. It was a whirlwind trip, and the scenery was breathtaking. I can't wait to do it again. The only thing I intend to change for next time is my own physical shape. I've been quit smoking for a year, so it must now be time to drop the weight I put on after I quit.

Oh, and I'm going to take a helicoptor tour of Mt. St. Helens the next time I go.

Pictures!
http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j113/ ... 7/?start=0

Oh, and that remark about home...

As Lilira likes to say...

Roundtrip tickets to Oregon, $275.00
Shopping for foul weather gear, $125.00
Enough tequila for two for five days and some of the best seafood in the world $I'd remember if I could

Finding home and picking up the keys to my personal offices...

Image

Priceless.
Gormal tells you 'im a dwarven onion'
Gormal tells you 'always another beer-soaked layer'

Inama ASSOC:: 'though it may suit your fantasies to think so, i don't need oil for anything.'

Haley: Filthy lucre? I wash that lucre every day until it SHINES!
rylan
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Location: Hudson, MA

Postby rylan » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:57 pm

Oh wow I didn't know that you were in Portland this weekend.
I'm up here for the week for work, and got in Sat evening!
kiryan
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Location: Los Angeles, CA and Flagstaff, AZ
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Postby kiryan » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:23 pm

damn, sorry we missed you ashiwi.

rylan you up here all week? Laurel and I could probably come up and see you if you have time. call me at my office: 541.768.4707

michael
Dalar
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Postby Dalar » Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:35 am

afk crank calling
It will be fixed in Toril 2.0.
Aremat group-says 'tanks i highly suggest investing 20 silver in training weapons from cm to cut down on the losing scales to shield'
sok
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Location: santa ana, ca, usa
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Postby sok » Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:40 am

wow! sound like an awesome trip. mike, next time i'm up there we need to hit mt. hood and go fishing.

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