It is dangerously hot....

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It's in the triple digits here in Portland. A little strange for this area. So far it's been mostly Simpsons-clouds and blue skies, but I guess occasionally (everyone here attributes it to global warming) it gets pretty hot. With no a/c in the house, I'm glad to be sitting in class! Although, it definitely could be worse. Like Texas heat.

Currently, July 18th, it is nice and no more than 85 degrees so far this week. Just about perfect!
So this will be my last entry for the meantime as I guess I'll be here for some time (and no, Mr. C- even though I don't know what I'm looking for I may have found it here, so the traveling and rambling will come to an end. but no worries, i have plans for more to come just in case i don't find what i might be looking for. really, the traveling, it's more about what you discover about yourself, not in search of anything, perhaps more adventures? may be when i find the shangra-la inside myself, i will stop. but until then and the end of this program for now, i may continue to be semi-nomadic 😊 see, i did think about it, but nothing came to mind. it's very zen you know.... ).
I've spent the past couple of weeks trying to get my office up and running (anyone in the Hillsdale area, please do come by for a visit! hope it's okay to give a short ad for my new office Ali), which has been a whole new adventure in itself. I'm looking foward to just seeing patients instead of running around Portland lost, confused, and wondering which bridge I've found myself on. Ok, it hasn't been that bad, but SW Portland is definitely a challenge as the rest of the city is on a grid system and this part of town more or less was charted out by a group of herb-friendly engineers. The public transportation is wonderful though and there's much to see on it in this city that is much alive with festivals and markets galore during the short but very sweet summer months.
I had to wait until I experienced my first NW hike before posting, as I wanted to make sure that I had really made it here. It's been a month and so far I'm lovin' it! I know, talk to me in October or December or February, I may have very different things to say. But at least now I know why people are willing to live through those dreary, mizzle-filled months! It reminds me quite a bit of NZ with the landscape (mountains, green, fog), even some of the flora (douglas firs, pacific silver fir), and even some of the people (although, I have yet to see folks drinking before breakfast at a bar watching rugby in ballerina tights....may be in October?).
So if you're ever in the area during the next couple of summer months, give me a holler, we'll go get some microbrew before breakfast 😊

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Photos

Mt. Shasta
Off the 5, you see this huge snowball of a mountain. It's incredible to see the mountain after seeing flat brown from Sacramento on. Yup, listened to Vienna Teng and her Mt. Shasta song!

WEED!
Northern California. Weed in the next 3 exits?!?! Who says America isn't liberal? Heh heh....Sorry Annie, didn't find any of your delectable brownies here....

Stellar Seals
The largest cave according to the people here with a huge colony of seals. I could actually smell the comorants and the seals from the lookout point sitting just above the cave.

Green (and clouds too...)
but it cleared up. this is what most of my drive through oregon was like. lots and lots and lots of trees. i think mostly of the douglas fir variety. my liver is feeling rather happy with all the green. my brain isn't accustomed to registering all this green and green in so many different shades! it's wonderous what a bit ok, lots, but not as much as one may think, of rain.

hecta head lighthouse
one of the eight lighthouses along the oregon coast

Multnomah Falls
The famous falls just outside of Portland. Multnomah is either derived from the Native American tribe found in this area by Lewis and Clark, the Mulknomans, or the word nematlnomaq, meaning down river.

Hairy Tree Arms
Reminds me of NZ and all its green! This is the typical NW as everyone told me. I think I might really like this place!

Typical NW
This is it! Typical NW in the summer. Hot above the trees, nice and cool underneath with a stream and lots of green!

Mt. Hood (3429m/11,249ft)
The fantastic view from Larch Mtn (1236m/4055ft) of Mt. Hood. Yay! Another mountain to attempt to climb!! This time with other crazy folks. Met a French dude (Frenchy Gil) at the top who trail runs and ran up Mt. Hood in 6 hours from the trail head and then skied down. It took us 3 hrs to hike up Larch Mtn. and Frenchy 1.5hrs- May be next time?

Comments

[Dara]

Hey, what an adventure you're having...wonderful pics, must be better in person! so your traveling days are winding down? are you setting up in oregon or going back to texas? let me know sometime!