Day 76
Current Location: Portland, Oregon (USA)
Total Countries visited: 2
Total Miles Driven: 11,596
Fellow followers -
It is the end of an era.
A crime has been committed. The culprit, myself. The weapon, a hair clipper.
The victim: Mr. Beard.
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| Unsuspecting beard about to be slaughtered. |
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| The crime scene. |
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| And yet he walks free. |
Farewell, Mr. Beard. As a token of gratitude for all those great moments we have spent together, I have composed the following obituary:
ODE TO A BEARD
by Moebius
My dearest, grizzly beard
Why have you left me so soon ?
You might have made me look weird
But you always made the girls swoon
I know you will never forgive
The atrocities I made you endure
For you may no longer live
Except for what ended up in the sewer
At times I found you irritating
A little bit rough, that's for sure
You seemed to enjoy giving me the feeling
That I was licking sandpaper
I must ask for forgiveness, mon ami
To cut you out like that was cruel
You will never stop growing on me
And for that I will always miss you.
Trip update
I am now in Portland Oregon, finally heading South towards kinder climates. The last section of my trip has been a lot of fun. I finished the Northernmost portion of my trip in the mountains and glaciers, then headed West towards the Ocean.
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies are fully as majestic as the American ones, with a nice bonus - lots of glaciers and snow-capped peaks all year long. I really enjoyed my trek through the Banff and Jasper National Parks. The towns of Banff and Jasper are lovely resort towns with plenty of amenities and night entertainment, close to most of the hiking trails.
The most amazing and famous of all the sights is definitely Lake Louise which is almost fluorescent turquoise because of the minerals picked up by the glacier water that falls in the lake. I have never seen water so clear or colourful.
Whistler is also a fun resort town, and the village is filled with shops, restaurants and bars. I promised myself to go back in the Winter for some great skiing.
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| Train heading to Banff |
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| Lake Louise and its turquoise waters |
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| Lake Moraine |
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| Angel Glacier in Jasper Park |
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| Mountain scenery in Jasper Park |
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| Mt. Robson, highest peak in the Canadian Rockies |
Great West Coast Cities
After I crossed the mountains I headed straight towards Vancouver - and the Ocean. I was very anxious to get to Vancouver... quite a milestone on my trip. I have crossed North America from coast to coast, quite an accomplishment !
Vancouver is a town gifted by nature. It has everything of beauty - mountains and water, all accessible to walkers and drivers alike. My visit was short but memorable. I will be back.
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| Old lantern in Gastown |
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| Beautiful Fall day on Granville Island |
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| Butchart Gardens |
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| Find the intruder |
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| Butterfly getting hot n heavy |
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| Gorgeous Victoria sunset |
The next town down the coast was Seattle. Seattle has some similarities with Vancouver, being so close to it - however it has a slightly different feel. Perhaps not quite as gifted by nature, Seattle more than makes up for it in arts and culture. The people of Seattle truly make the difference (at least they made an impression on me). I spent a few days there to rest a little and soak up in the welcoming vibe. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate - I had 4 or 5 straight days of rain, perhaps my longest bout of foul weather since I left Chicago in August. Perhaps Seattle was giving me the cold shoulder for not visiting more often... I shall be back, under sunnier skies !
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| I wonder if they can deliver to Large Marge |
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| The famous Pike Place Market |
And that brings me to my current location of Portland, Oregon. The road between Seattle and Portland was beautiful, following the coast, with rugged beaches and cliffs overlooking the ocean.
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| Playing at the beach |
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| Cannon Beach |
Portland is truly a world of its own. I had heard of its reputation, but never expected it to be this "weird". It is a very liberal city - homeless and semi-homeless are everywhere, with adult establishments neighboring the most conservative restaurants and landmarks in some kind of makeshift harmony. Everything fits but not quite. Nevertheless, I had a great time here - partying it up on Saturday night, meeting some great locals who showed me a jewel of a little Motown Bar called the Candlelight, and hiking up the scenic trail earlier this afternoon.
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| Portland Saturday Market, largest in the country. |
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| A world of peace, minutes from downtown. |
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| Monster even made a friend. |
One notable thing to mention is that on my way back from the bar yesterday (I will not comment on my state of sobriety) I literally stumbled into the "Occupy Portland" tent city - hundreds of protesters had set up their tents in a park downtown, all under the watchful eye of the authorities. It may have been past midnight but many people were still up, wired on coffee, and strategerizing about how to take over the world (or at least get rid of rich people and the government). Somehow I stayed there for about 3 hours, chatting up some very interesting folks, trying to understand their state of mind (I also showed my support for the cause by washing some dishes and helping make coffee). I really do agree with the cause, but I don't necessarily agree with the way they go at it. There were a lot of drugs going on (not for me, thanks) and one of the folks I spoke with had been contaminated by a dirty needle while picking up the trash. I also heard of daily fights, theft, and otherwise shady individuals lurking for some kind of prey. Either way, I'm not sure if it opened my eyes, I left the area unconvinced. I hope they clean up their act a little bit, for the sake of change - otherwise it will be hard to take them very seriously.
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| 99% of the way there. |
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| I wonder how they will make it stop. |
That's it! I am heading South again soon, destination San Francisco !
All the best,
DMR
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