backwards.reverse.whatever

:: We crossed the border at about 9pm last night. Tired. Yeah. But it was still a wee bit of a drive back into the city, and we hadn’t eaten yet so we stopped for some chicken. Mmmm… chicken.

:: Karin drove from (Everybody Loves) Raymond, Washington through Seattle on the I5 and up back into Burnaby. That was a crazy drive, with the traffic, and the darkness, and the little.twisty.windy.road.things…. yarg!

:: We crossed this big whomping huge bridge across the mouth of the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington. Astoria, located at the south end of the bridge was not only home to the “Astoria Column” which we climbed to look across the world, but also — apparently — the home to the invention of cable television, and where they shot such award winning feature films as the Goonies, Short Circuit, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3.

:: Driving west from Portland, we hit Seaside, Oregon where there is a gi-normous beach, and a funky tourist trap. The seafood was passable, and the waitress thanked us everytime she came by the table. “Here are your waters. Thank you.” “How is everything? Thank you.” It was very odd.

:: On our way out of the city yesterday morning, we took a slight detour in Portland/Beaverton to find gas. You can’t pump it yourself anywhere in the state, but when we asked for a fill the guy only pumped it to half a tank. I thought that was pretty cheap gas…

:: Supper with Alice and Zach, Josh and Jenny consisted of homemade pasta and a nice seafood sauce. Zach introduced us to blueberry tea as we all watched Iron Chef reruns on their TiVo.

:: Touring the city included: The Rose Gardens, the Japanese Gardens, and the Pittock Mansion. We also managed to find a nice mall with ample parking before finalizing our afternoon in The Grotto, a monastary/sanctuary atop a secluded giant rock in the middle of the city. It was our day to play tourist.

:: Started the day post.wedding to a complimentary continental breakfast in the hotel sitting room and a tour of the local Powell’s Book Store, the ultimate, king.of.the.world, would.drive.back.just.for.that book store. Imagine if Chapters suddenly revealed some secret back room where they kept all the really good stuff — the old, musty books, and catacombs and endless passages of books. Sigh.

:: Wedding: small, elegant, and overlooking the city in a posh 30th floor restaurant. It’s one of those things that deserves more than a few sentences here, so you’ll need to request the details from Karin. My memory is slightly clouded by the rainbow of drinks that I consumed over the evening.

:: Karin had a nap prior to the wedding and we almost came late. Should have wrapped that gift sooner! And next time: bring scissors!

:: The Oregon Museum of Science and Technology. See the previous entry. We’re really just big kids.

:: Wandered around downtown for the morning, visiting various malls, galleries, markets, and parks. And we had lunch at a little brewpub somewhere there. It was a relaxing morning. This was Saturday and we had really barely arrived in the city. All those neat stores I only ever hear about on Fox: they were all there!

:: Friday night Wine and Cheese (and little sausage) party at Zach and Alice’s nifty apartment. Pizza came later, but I’d eaten too many veggies with dip to scarf much of that. Karin and the bride.to.be played Dance Dance Revolution on the PS2 and big.screen TV. I have photos and they will be going up for auction in the near future.

:: Followed the I5 from the border to Portland, with only a minor detour to avoid Seattle at rush.hour. Highlights include the mini.electonic.Yahtzee game, a nice view of Mount Rainier, and the Tacoma Dome. Grrrr… Pulled into Portland around 5ish.

:: Escaped the country at around noon, after going back only once to pick up Karin’s outfit, still hanging in the closet. Yeah. Whatever, right?