We started the day with a shower that had only one setting: 'flay'. By 9am we were on the road. By 11am, the choice of religious radio broadcasting or country music was making us all drowsy, so we stopped for Big Macs. Dale had a peanut butter McFlurry. That stuff is like catnip to this kid.
In early afternoon, we passed Eugene and arrived in Portland. It's a pretty city. Like most places out here, it's pretty sparse in terms of traffic, people and action, but we enjoyed wandering around the city centre and picking up retro memorabilia in the thrift shops. On the way in and out of Portland, the weather was positively biblical. There were hailstones the size of Cadillacs.
The highlight of Portland for us, however, was Powell's Books. A book store rumoured to be the largest in the world. Four floors of books stretching as far as the eye can see. Dale was enchanted by this magic forest of paper and disappeared into it for a long time. When he returned, he looked exactly the same, but we had all aged seven years.
In late afternoon, we drove another hundred or so miles to Astoria, the beautiful coastal city situated near the mouth of the Columbia River. We had a fabulous meal on the water front and checked into a motel. Before heading to Seattle tomorrow, I imagine we'll indulge our 80's movie nostalgia on these here Goondocks.
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