Day 6: Portland to Newport

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After an hour at Acura of Portland, Sam and his technician informed us the adaptive cruise control was working fine even though they had no idea why it had not been. None the less, they assured us we would be able to tail gate safely across the great Northwest. Seeking serenity, we headed for some the oriental calm of the Japanese Garden at Washington Park. And it was serene. Feeling at one with nature, we strolled across the tennis courts to the International Rose Test Garden and enjoyed the sight and smell of thousands of roses in full bloom. Having nurtured our souls we needed to feed our stomachs and found the Newport Seafood Grill where Rodney had a salmon blt and I had risotto with scallops and prawns. Both were wonderful and would have been competitive in a Top Chef competition. Next stop Salem to see the capitol. Interesting building, kind of like a tomb, a block of white marble with a gold statue on top of an Oregon pioneer. There was a fountain outside with people playing in the water. Still wanting a little more relaxation we went half a block away and did what we do best, went to a movie. Even got a parking place downtown right in front of the box office. As always the pop corn and big drinks were great. Hancock was not. From Salem we cut across to scenic route 101 and headed south down the coast to Newport and arrived in time to check into our hotel on the beach and eat. The halibut with crab and shrimp sauce was good and the eyelash I found in my dish garnered us a complimentary strawberry cheese cake neither of us needed - but ate anyway. To help digest the superb meal, we went for a walk on the beach and dipped our toes into a very chilly Pacific Ocean. Very windy and cold. We finished the evening with a swim in the indoor pool that was way too hot to be enjoyable and made the sit in the hot tub anti-climatic. A great day and a virtual day off for Rodney. We drove less than 150 miles.

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