Blogs from Portland, Oregon, United States, North America - page 6

Today we head for Portland. I got up early to go for a walk down by the river. Interestingly, the river was calm with no wind, not at all like yesterday. Many of the locals get their morning exercise by paddle boarding. Back at the B&B, we continued our conversation from the night before, with another couple about windsurfing and kite boarding. We really enjoy B&Bs because of the people you meet. They had become amateur meteorologists, and assured us that 30 minutes down the road, Rooster Rock would have great windsurfing conditions. Unfortunately, we took too much time hiking, etc and missed seeing them windsurfing at Rooster Rock. It's only an hour away by interstate, but there are any number of waterfalls and overlooks to visit. Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls is a very popular ... read more

I didn't want to spend my last morning in Hong Kong sitting around the hotel room, so I packed my bags and then went out for a walk. I strolled along past little shops selling everything you can thing of: a tiny hardware store, a large number of shops selling dried seafood products (anchovies (I think), slices of fish, seaweed, and several items I couldn't identify), a money exchange office, a 7-11, a Starbucks, a shop that appeared to be selling 4x8 pieces of plywood, and others. After a while I hopped on a tram that runs along one of the main streets and rode it to the Bank of China building. I had my passport with me, so I was able to go up to the observation floor. Clearly the view was more impressive back ... read more

"The function of ritual is not to control this baffling universe but to render homage to it, to bow to the mystery" (Alvarez). The students and their graduate student instructor have just wrapped up several intense and successful weeks of fundraising. It’s a relief for me, and I’m sure even more of a relief for them, that they’ve hit their fundraising goal. Through many fundraisers and the generosity of a matching donor, they've raised the not-inconsiderable amount needed to pay for the court and their participation fees. We’re at the point where you just keep turning in assignments (or if you're me, grading assignments), knowing that soon you'll be able to sleep on a nice, long plane ride. I've also been busy trying new gear and packing rather differently from my usual, since I expect to ... read more

Weaving Through Oregon Crossing the border into Oregon, there are 3 things that I immediately noticed... The coast line becomes even more rugged (if that is even possible).... The speed limit lowers... and The roadside signs are suddenly both more prolific and blatant. In California all the roadside signs seemed to almost want to have a conversation with you... Watch Out For Deer Crossing or Caution - Heavy Congestion Ahead Once you hit Oregon they prefer to just beat you over the head with their messages like... ELK Sometimes words are even just too much hassle so you just see a picture and hope you never actually encounter the monsters that your imagination conjours out of them. Continuing up the 101 slowly winds you along the coast past dense forests and around jagged headlands that... read more

A few notes about new gear, which is my enduring obsession. 1. Tiny s-biners. Use these to latch zippers that you want to secure but don't want to keep locking and unlocking. Deters theft, though not as well as a lock. These worked pretty well, though they have a certain tendency to spring off. The variety that's got a plastic component seemed particularly prone to this. Double-check that they're secured. http://www.rei.com/product/860182/nite-ize-s-biner-microlock-keychain-2-pack 2. Double-cable luggage locks. Intended to keep thieves from prying open and then resealing a continuous loop zipper by affixing the lock to a handle. They work pretty well in this regard, but are hard to read in low light, prone to resetting themselves at a new combination (both K and I had this experience on this trip), and are easily cut with wire clippers. ... read more