Things got off to a good start...I slept in and the weather was sunny and warm when I crawled out of the camper. I've got hot coffee in the thermos, so I can have a cup right away.
There's Wi-Fi here, so I thought that I'd post to the blog and clean up my inbox. Now there was the first "inkling" of a troublesome day. The upload speed here at the KOA is absolutely dreadful...every time that I try to unload photos to the blog, I get kicked off the server. So...I have to upload them one at a time, and each one takes ten or fifteen minutes. It takes me three hours to finish two posts...then I have to pack up because it's check-out time.
I have a nice short and scenic drive today from Astoria to Portland...about 100 miles on Route 90. It is, indeed, a scenic drive...along the Columbia River and through some low mountain ranges. All along the way, there are small towns...and much activity. Counties are having their County Fairs, little towns are having arts and blues festivals...and today is the Seattle to Portland bicycle race (something which necessitates very careful driving as bicyclists are all over the highways).
After a few hours, I'm coming down a steep grade off of the bluffs above the Columbia and into downtown Portland.
This is where the trouble starts. There's construction, and I am detoured off of my planned route and onto a bridge...a giant suspension bridge towering high over the Columbia...it's the kind of bridge which, with my "bridge phobia" just scares the living hell out of me. On the "Bill Thee Pants-Wetting Scale", this bridge comes in with a solid "9""...very scary.
But I make it over safely and, soon, I'm at the Jantzen Beach RV Park. More bad news...although I have reserved a few days at this park, they have no record of my reservation. And...they are full up...so sorry...can't help.
So now, I'm sitting in the parking lot with my Woodall's Campground Guide in hand. I call another Park, and they have a vacancy. Back on I-5, but there is massive construction, and I am stuck in traffic...an hour to move a mile. Plus...I'm on the "wrong" side of the Columbia which means crossing the "scary" bridge again. No...absolutely not. I stop at a gas station and get directions that will take me across the Columbia on a different, less scary, bridge...a nice bridge, low to the water, with no suspension cables. It's twenty miles out of the way, but well worth it.
Soon, I'm at the other campground on the southeast side of Portland...it's another "Good Sam" Park. I fill out all of the paperwork and pay for three days. Everything fine until they come out to inspect my "rig". I am then told that I can not park a "teardrop camper" at the campground. State law, they tell me, every "RV" has to be equipped with a "black water tank". I show them my "pee bottle" that I use for those late-night "emergencies"...not good enough. This is all bullsh**...there is no such "state law". Oregon is the "teardrop" capitol of the world, and I have never, ever, had any problem getting into a campground with mine. Still, now I'm back in the office while they credit my card. Back to the Woodall's Guide. Fortunately, there is another campground just a few miles away.
It's not the best-looking place...lots of "older model" RV's and lots of "long-term" rentals. Nobody at the office at 45:00PM on a Saturday), so I call the number on the office door. I get the weekend manager (she's cute...name is Roxanne). Everything looks good until she sees the teardrop...now she has to call the owners to see if it's OK...man...what's up with this whole teardrop thing!! But, with Roxanne's help, I'm in...finally.
I have not eaten a single thing all day, so dinner is the very first order of business. Food & Wine magazine has a section every month devoted to "Hot New Restaurants", and a place called Pok Pok, here in Portland, was mentioned in their May issue. It's "upscale" Southeast Asian cuisine...right up my alley. And...it's only ten miles away from the campground. You know a place is good when the line is out the door and down (way down) the block. There's a two-hour wait but, because I'm a "single", they have a spot at the bar...right this way. I have a glass of wine and look over the menu...everything looks good. The bartender, a friendly sort, recommends the spicy Vietnamese wings, and the grilled pork "collar". These are served with stalks of mustard greens covered with shaved ice...to cool the "heat" of the food. Both dishes are excellent...lots of flavors and textures going on...hot, salty, sweet, savory, crunchy, greasy (in a good way). I share one of my wings with a guy from California sitting to my right. He's up here doing some repairs on a house that he owns. So...grat food, good wine and nice company...a great dining experience. I've still got room for dessert, so I order the "condensed milk ice cream on a sweet bun"...very good...it looks like an ice cream hot dog.
Back at camp, I'm relaxing with a few beers now that the day's tension has melted away. A local couple from Portland, camping for awhile, stops over to share some beers. They have lots of good tips on things to do and places to eat here in Portland.
We talk past midnight...the beers are going down easy (very easy).
Time for bed.
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