usa: oregon: portland

I will admit that two of the main reasons I came to Portland had nothing to do with traveling. One, there is no sales tax in the state of Oregon, so I intended to make some bigger purchases without getting snagged with more money on the bill. Second, there was a medical procedure I wanted to have done.

It was definitely an added benefit that Portland is a cool city, and I have at least one friend living there. I drove down from Seattle, discovering (yet again,) that road construction is no fun, and a time suck.

I knocked off my first goal that afternoon, buying a new mobile phone. Based on a recommendation from a friend, I decided to go from iPhone to Android, I bought a new Samsung phone. The camera in the new phone was better than what I'd had before, though I knew the whole thing was going to take me a while to figure out. In addition to the phone itself I got a phone cover, SIM card, and monthly prepaid plan with AT&T.

I ended up arriving at the home of my host late afternoon, only getting lost once on the way there.

This was the second time (out of two,) that I was able to stay with a friend from my days in Garmisch. Carrie was part of my first group of friends in GaP, we've stayed in touch ever since. I got to her flat, and we spent a couple hours catching up before walking to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Portland is a foodie town, there are heaps of restaurants with really good food.

I slept well that night, even though I hadn't been very active. I enjoy road trips and driving and catching up with friends, but it's also tiring, if that makes sense.

The next morning we got up early, the plan was to take care of my medical stuff, then go for a hike. The medical stuff did not work out at all the way I imagined, so the idea of hiking was abandoned. Instead we went to Blue Moon donuts, a well known gourmet donut place in Portland. It's the type of place with 'weird' flavours like maple bacon, I felt like I should try it because it is local to Portland. All in all, I don't think I'm a huge fan, as the prices were fairly high for what were still just donuts.

We also stopped at the grocery store, to get food for dinner that night. Carrie has been eating healthy and working out for a while now, it was nice to explore the healthier food in a grocery store instead of just the processed junk that I love so much.

When we got home I took a nap while Carrie went to her gym, it worked out well for both of us. I would've preferred to hike, but the medical stuff ruled that out. Argh.

After eating dinner we went for a walk, it was nice. Portland is full of fun neighborhoods with quirky decorations, I got to see some of those with Carried. Why not carve faces into trees, and paint a mural into the middle of an intersection?

The next morning I packed up and we said our goodbyes. I'll definitely be back to Portland, and I hope it isn't another bunch of years before I see Carrie again.

usa: washington: seattle

Getting from Charlotte to Seattle was supposed to be easy. I was supposed to have a flight around noon, a layover, then another flight, landing in Seattle in the evening. When I woke up in the morning I discovered my first flight had been cancelled, which totally changed the plan. I didn't receive any notification from the airline that my flight had been cancelled, I only found out because I checked online to see if it was still scheduled to be on time. I don't know what I would've done if I'd gotten to the airport and found out then. 

Since my first flight was cancelled, I called the airline to find out what they were planning to do to get me to Seattle. I was really glad I'd booked directly through the airline, it made figuring out the changes a lot easier. I was on hold for 30 minutes, then three minutes of talk time got everything sorted out.

My first flight ended up being around 1800, with a layover in Houston. When I landed in Houston I discovered the new second flight had been delayed, argh. It all meant I landed after midnight in Seattle, making for a very long day.

I'm grateful for my friends, (Lynnae was one of the very first people I met when I moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2001,) as the one who was hosting me was still willing to pick me up at the airport at that crazy time of night. She drove us to her house, then we stayed up way too late talking before going to sleep.

The next morning I was woken up by her three sons coming to meet me. They'd all heard about me, and they'd read the postcards I'd sent, so they were curious. The last time I'd seen the sons, there had only been two, and the youngest had been just a month old. 

Now there were three, with the youngest at five years old.

Lynnae cooked breakfast, and we all hung out. The boys were out playing in the backyard for a bit, loving it. When weather is good, it's always a good idea for kids to be outside, amusing themselves.

When we were all organized, Lynnae was kind enough to load everyone into the van and drive us into the city center. Traffic in Seattle is a mess (like any big city,) so this was no small feat. I'd booked myself a hire car, and it was heaps cheaper to pick it up in the city center than it was to pick it up at the airport.  

I got the car, figured out where I wanted to go next, then drove out of the parking garage.

My destination was the Seattle campus of the University of Washington. It was somewhat painful to go there, as I grew up as a Wazzu (Washington State University) fan. Howeva I'd seen a photo online of a reading room in a library on that campus, I wanted to see it for myself. I'm a sucker for old school reading rooms in libraries.

The hardest part of visiting this campus was finding parking. Like many major university campuses, it was built long before the average student had a car. Like many major university campuses, the idea is still that students come to class on campus, still without a car. It makes sense when you are a student, and are able to use other forms of transport, but when you're a visitor, it's not very convenient.

After circling around at least twice, I finally found the entrance to a parking garage, and parked. I followed signs on the walls, hoping I was heading in the right direction. Suzallo Library is named for Henry Suzallo, who was the university president when construction on the library started. It was formally named for him after he died in 1933.

The entrance area wasn't anything special, but the stairs going upstairs were quite grand. Stained glass, stone stairs, etc.... The reading room was everything I hoped it would be.

Vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows, old school green lamps, bookshelves along the walls, etc... Beautiful.

I didn't want to fork out a fortune for parking, so I didn't spend much time on campus, though it was temping. It's a pretty campus, not that I want to admit something like that about a school that is a rival to one I support. I was lucky with the weather that day, it was clear, and I was able to see Mt Rainier from a fountain on campus. Gorgeous.

I drove from the UW campus to another iconic place in Seattle, the REI flagship store. It's not just an REI store, it's an experience. For anyone who doesn't know, REI is a store/company for outdoor gear and clothing. Chances are, if you need something for an outdoor adventure, they have it. They have their own brand, but also sell tons of others. There is a climbing wall in this flagship store, the whole thing is incredible. Every year they have at least one massive clearance sale, devotees get super excited when that rolls around. I spent money of course, more than I should have spent, but I loved everything I got.

Normally you can park at the REI store for two hours for free, howeva the day I visited they had free parking all day long. For me, this was practically an invitation to leave my car there, in a somewhat secure location, for free!!

I walked to my next sight, stopping on the way for a cool drink at a coffee shop. It didn't take me too long to get to Chihuly Gardens and Glass, a well known place in Seattle.

While it is classified as a museum, this is basically a giant art exhibit, showing the work of Dale Chihuly. He has a very distinctive style of glass sculpture, the whole thing was totally worth the $30 entry fee. 

I don't know if it was done intentionally, but each sculpture is set up in a social media friendly way, in that you can take photos without other people in the photos.

Half the museum is indoors, then you walk through an atrium with more sculptures hanging from the ceiling. Then you head outside to gardens with sculptures placed throughout grass and other landscaping. Though I loved the whole thing, the indoor section was my favourite.

When I left the museum I realized it would be good timing to walk back to the car, and drive to Lynnae's house. 

I didn't know what rush hour traffic is like in Seattle, and I didn't want to find out.

That night I got to hang out with the whole family: all three kids, Lynnae, and her husband Colin. I met Colin when he and Lynnae got married, but obviously I didn't get to know him well at the wedding.

The next morning another GaP friend picked me up, bright and early at 0600. It wasn't too hard for me to get up at that hour, since my body was still mostly on east coast time, which was three hours ahead. I'd only messaged Chelise the day before about getting together, I basically got really lucky that she wasn't working the whole time I was in the Seattle area.

We drove (well, Chelise drove, not me,) to Mt Rainier national park. Since we were on the road so early, we got to see beautiful rural areas without a lot of traffic. We also avoided the crazy number of people who visit this national park, thank goodness.

Chelise had picked out a hiking trail, and figured out the best park. We got to see some great views on the way to the parkplatz, which I loved. She'd chosen a trail called Emmons Moraine, which took us to viewpoints of this moraine, as well as a beautiful lake filled with glacial water. There were a couple points in the trail where we 'turned a corner' and were presented with stunning views, we were both in heaven.

Surprisingly, I managed to stay on my feet the whole time, I didn't fall off a mountain, or a hill. (I'm just coordinated enough to do such a thing.) We saw a small waterfall while on the trail, and could feel the cool air coming off the water. I wish I had a week or more to hike different trails around the national park.

After hiking we drove back to town, where Chelise dropped me off at Lynnae's house. I hung out there for a few more hours, watching the boys entertain themselves. In the evening Lynnae went to work, and I went with Colin as he took the boys to their lessons at a local YMCA.

On the way home from the lessons we picked up Mexican food for dinner, yum.

The next day was the end of my visit in Seattle. Lynnae lives in a suburb, so after breakfast we took the boys down a few streets to get to the shores of Lake Tapps. 

It's quiet, it's pretty, and if you're rich it's a nice place to own a house. (I'm never going to be rich enough for a house on this lake.)

Some people swim in this lake, but this summer there is an algea growing, and it hasn't been decided yet whether the water is safe for swimming. Wading around is okay, but full on swimming maybe not. I waded around, but didn't swim.

Not long after we got back from the house I had to say goodbye and get on the road. 

At the end of my two week trip to the pacific northwest I ended up driving back to Seattle in the morning and spending a few more hours in the city before turning in my car and heading to the airport. 

When I first arrived I decided to go to the Japanese garden, it was fairly easy to find after arriving from out of town.  This garden is in the southern end of the Washington Park Arboretum. Seattle is a big city, but in this garden it is quiet, and almost spiritual. 

No photo equipment is allowed, so I didn't use my tripod, but I was able to ask strangers to take my photo.  

This garden has been around for quite a while, plans were made for it starting back in the 1930s. Construction was finally completed in 1960. Each rock, tree, and flower has been put in a particular place. It is a really peaceful place to spend a couple hours. 

From there I drove to another neighborhood, to a cemetery. The grave of Bruce Lee is easy to find, and Brandon Lee is buried right next to Bruce. Bruce Lee was a well known Hong Kong-American actor, martial artist, and more. His grave is decorated, of course, and people leave offerings. While I waited to take a single photo, one guy had his friend take at least 10 different photos of him standing next to the grave. 

I had two more things to see, both were statues of a sort. The first was the winner of an art contest in 1990, the Fremont Troll.

The Fremont Arts Council sponsored the contest as a way to help clean up the area under the bridge, which apparently was getting to be pretty bad. It's an iconic spot in Seattle, but there is no parking nearby, which I think is a good thing. People are all there to have their photos taken with the troll; for the most part they are polite and everyone waits their turn. 

A quick five minute walk from the Fremont Troll is a statue I never expected to see in the States: Lenin. 

Wikipedia tells me this particular statue was made and displayed in the Czech Republic in 1988, a year before the Velvet Revolution toppled the government and changed everything. In 1993 a rich American found the statue in a scrap yard, so he paid to have it shipped to the States. I'm not sure what his specific plans were, but he died before carrying them out. More Wikipedia reading tells me it has been on 'temporary' display since 1995. 

I walked all the way back to my car, (I'd parked more than a mile away,) then dropped the car at the garage near the hire car office. From there it was an easy and short walk to catch the train to the airort. 

I will definitely be back to Seattle.  

usa: north carolina: charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina calls itself the Queen City, as it was named after royalty, though not the one you think. Charlotte was named after Princess Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, when she was the Queen Consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Though not the state capital, (which is Raleigh,) it is the most populous city in North Carolina. It is a major metropolitan area, with professional sports teams, and big business.

Charlotte has around 2.5 million people, it is the 17^th most populous city in the country. It was mentioned in Spanish historical documents as having been settled in 1567. 

This is before the beginning of the United States, the citizens at the time were part of the Catawba tribe. The biggest population of Catawba in the area ended up being around 18000, but after Europeans arrived, the number fell all the way to just 110.

When settled by Europeans, the area was filled with Scottish and Irish folks. The city is now 40% white, 35% black, 13% Latino, with a whole bunch of others with smaller percentages.

I ended up spending two weeks in Charlotte, North Carolina. I took it pretty easy most days, not even going into the city center. 

On some days I laid out at one of the two pools in John's neighborhood. On some days I went to the gym in his neighborhood.

One day I went for a walk to 'the church that Jimmy built.' One of the founders of the Calvary Church was actually Frank Graham, the father of Jimmy Graham, a well known pastor. It's a big church, one that has a couple thousand people show up for a regular Sunday service. I just wanted to get close to the outside of the church, which is unique. The church is surrounded by a large flat lawn, with healthy green grass. I didn't go in, but I should have.

One day we walked around downtown Charlotte, which is a curious mix of older, smaller buildings, and tall and shiny skyscrapers. There are quite a few photogenic places in the city, I wanted to come back and wander more but it didn't happen during this visit.

John likes to play pick up basketball so I went with him a few times to watch while he played. One of those days I walked around the rest of the park while he played. Creativity did not extend to those who named the park, as it is named after the street on which it is located, called Park Road. So yes, the park is called Park Road Park. Sigh.

One day we went to a minor league baseball game in the city center, the Charlotte Knights are a 3A team, in the farm system of the White Sox. They were playing against the Indianapolis Indians that day, leading to divided loyalties for me and John. Both of us are from Indiana, so we wanted to support Indianapolis, but he now lives in Charlotte, so shouldn't he support the local team?

The stadium has a fantastic view of downtown, and good ticket prices. It's a great place to come with family and/or friends for an afternoon or evening.

I used a travel app one day to find a couple pieces of art worth seeing around the city. One was a head sculpture by David Czerny, the Czech artist. I have no idea why this sculpture is in Charlotte, it sits in a business complex near the edge of the city. This head looks just like the one in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

We also visited a bunch of bronze bulls laying around the lawn of another business area. 

It was a hot sunny day, so climbing on the bulls was out of the question, they'd soaked up the heat and were hot hot hot.

I'll definitely be coming back to Charlotte.

usa: north carolina: pilot mountain and fort dobbs

While I stayed in Charlotte, John and I decided to visit a couple places out of town, so they're getting their own post here.

The first place we visited was Pilot Mountain State Park. The state park is built around Pilot Mountain, which is what remains of a really really old mountain chain. It's quite a sight, one you see from far away; it sticks out over a thousand meters above the surrounding countryside.

It took us a couple hours to drive there, as traffic is always lousy on a weekend, and we started from the south side of Charlotte. We drove up to the parkplatz at the top of the mountain, though you can park at the bottom and hike all the way up, following a trail.

We only had to walk about twenty meters to get to a great viewpoint, yay! We weren't the only ones there of course, but the way it has been set up, you can look out over the area without having to look at everyone else who is visiting.

From there we walked to another viewpoint, on top of the so-called Little Pinnacle. It gives you a great view of Big Pinnacle, which is what people see from miles around as they're driving by.

Off to the side of this viewpoint is a trail that goes around Big Pinnacle, but not up to the tippy top. As far as I can tell, the only way to get to the top is by climbing, and this spot is closed to climbers. The trail that has been built gives you heaps of opportunities to see the layers of the rock, to see how it has shifted over hundreds and thousands of years. 

I loved the area, and would've been happy to wander for hours, or even all day.

At that point John said we were done, so we drove back to Charlotte, having dinner out somewhere.

The other place we visited out of Charlotte was a place I found on a travel app. Fort Dobbs is a historic sight near what is now Statesville, North Carolina. It was built in the mid 18^th century on orders from Governor Arthur Dobbs, and was to be used as protection as well as a trading post for the surrounding area.

During the French and Indian War it was used as frontier defense for the British civilians in the area. (Remember we weren't an organized country just yet, there were plenty of British soldiers all over the colonies.)

The area it protected was actually quite large, as it was the only fort on the frontier between Virginia and South Carolina.

The fort didn't have a long life, as it was abandoned in 1766. After being abandoned all the materials disappeared, as people came and took the wood and stones.

Archeological work in the 20^th century, and research in 2005 and 2006 led to the exact location of the fort, as well as what it probably looked like. Decisions were made to rebuild the fort to the way it used to be, and build it in the way it would've been built back then.

The fort is quite small, we actually drove past the area the first time we thought we were in the right place. There is a small parkplatz, and the whole thing is visible from the road.

After parking we walked onto the field, and were soon approached by someone wearing the clothes that would've been worn during the time the fort was 'alive.' He asked why we were there, where we were from, and other general conversation. He gave us the explanaton of what we could see, as well as the future plans for the fort. The powers that be hoped the reconstruction would be finished by April, which is the anniversary of a battle in which the fort was important.

We enjoyed learning a bit, then took a walk on the nature trail in the woods behind the fort. I'm pretty sure not many people go back there, as we had to fight through several spider webs across the trail. Still, it was nice to see the land as it would have looked in the 18^th century.

I'd definitely go back to Fort Dobbs, just to see how it will look when it is completed.

usa: road trip from Columbus, IN to Charlotte, NC

The original plan was for John to pick me up on Thursday morning, then we'd take our time driving back to Charlotte. That plan was delayed by a little over two days, but such is life. John picked me up after lunchtime on Saturday, and we started driving.

Our first stop was in Columbus, Indiana, for lunch. The pizza was good, and I saw a business with my last name :) I've done a day trip to Columbus previously, but didn't get to see everything. This quick stop reminded me that I want to come back and see more.

We kept going until we got to Cincinnati, Ohio. I got to drive much of the way, which was fun. Though the U.S. doesn't have a good public transport system, it does have a good network of highways. (Notice that I didn't say that all this infrastructure is in good shape, because it isn't.)

Cincinnati is a city of almost 300,000 people, founded in the late 18^th century. Wikipedia tells me it sits at the confluence of the Licking and Ohio Rivers, I only knew it was on the Ohio River. Clearly I need to go back and make sure I see the Licking River, just because it has a fun name.

I grew up going to Cincinnati every summer to watch the Cincinnati Reds play at Riverfront Stadium. The stadium has a different name now, but it will always be Riverfront to me. We parked the car near the riverfront walkway developed by the city, and started walking. We didn't get far before deciding to cross Roebling suspension bridge. Crossing the bridge took us over the state line into Kentucky, a state in which we had zero desire to spend any time.

The water of the Ohio River was not particularly good looking, it was a shade of brown as far as I could see. Yuck. Somehow I doubt it ever looks all that great.

Just after coming off the bridge I realized I was rather dehydrated, and needed water quickly. I'd heard about an ice cream place called Graeter's that was originally from Cincinnati. It has now spread to other cities/states, but the fact that it was originally from Cincinnati made it okay for me. (My general rule being to avoid national chain restaurants.)

I drank a bottle of water really fast, then enjoyed two scoops of black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. I would most definitely go back for me the next time I'm in Cincinnati.

From there we wandered around a little bit of the city center, enjoying the architecture of the sky scrapers. We didn't wander far, heading back to the car soon enough. I've since checked a couple travel apps and found plenty of things to do and places to see in Cincinnati, I'd like to go back. (With plenty of water.)

We started driving with no end point in mind for the evening. We pulled into a hotel parkplatz a little before midnight, after having crossed state lines into Knoxville, Tennessee.

The next morning we decided to explore a bit of Knoxville, just because we could. I'd been there once before, when I was 18 years old and trying to decide where I would go to university. I don't remember much about that trip, it was nice to go back and basically see the city from scratch.

We found a free parkplatz downtown, near a pedestrian street. The street was nice looking, everything had been developed nicely. This pedestrian street was mostly lined with cafes and restaurants, nothing too extraordinary.

We walked to the end of the street, circling around a few streets down there. One of the buildings we saw was the old county courthouse, it still has a war memorial on the lawn. Another building we saw was one of the most boring government buildings I've ever seen. We also saw a church or two. As it was the middle of summer, flowers were blooming, and everything looked lovely.

Finally we saw something we'd seen while driving into the city center: the tower of the convention center. There is a gold ball at the top of the tower, the whole thing is really eye catching. The rest of the convention center wasn't anything great, which wasn't much of a surprise.

The bottom of the tower was near a small body of water, which had also been redeveloped nicely. There was a splash pad, steps by the water, etc... Not too far away we found a war memorial for the soldiers of east Tennessee. Very nicely done, with maintenance done regularly.

Around that point I realized that yet again I'd let myself get dehydrated. We walked back to the pedestrian street and found a local cafe. The server brought water, which I drank immediately. We asked for a full pitcher of water, she brought another glass for each of us. I drank that fast as well, finally feeling closer to normal again. When she saw how fast I was drinking she realized I had asked for the pitcher of water for a reason, and finally brought it. Our food was fine, and the air conditioning felt good :)

Before leaving town John found a cigar shop to visit, but didn't buy anything because he didn't want to spend that much on rolled up tobacco leaves. I had no idea cigars can cost more than $100!!!

From there we went back to the car and got back on the highway. Our next stop was Asheville, North Carolina, because I was craving ice cream. I found a place listed on a travel app, it was okay, but not as amazing as I wanted it to be.

From there we drove to Charlotte. I'd never been there before, it was completely new to me.

I would definitely return to Columbus, Cincinnati, and Knoxville, as there is always more to see and do :) Road trips are the best.

the States: midwest: chicago to kokomo to bloomington

As usual, when I came back to the States, my first stop was Chicago, or rather a suburb of the Windy City. Kelley and Jon have been a refuge for going back years and years. They recognize that coming back to the States is often overwhelming for me, so they let me adjust at my own pace, which is a relief.

We didn't stay there long, the next afternoon we started driving east, toward Kokomo, Indiana. We made it there in a bit over four hours, after a stop at Portillo's for dinner. I'm not usually a fan of chain restaurants, but for Portillo's I'll make an exception.

That first night in Kokomo we stayed up later than we should've chatting and catching up. I've known Rhonda and Chip for over 20 years, they've been part of my chosen family the whole time. It took me a few more days to get onto the local time zone, which means getting really sleepy at strange times, and being wide awake at strange times. Being in Rhonda and Chip's house is another perfect place to decompress, we never have a schedule to keep.

The only thing of note I did while in Kokomo was go to Mom's Homemade Pies, to buy three pies. This might sound excessive to everyone but me, but I love pie, and this place has the best pies. Lots and lots of fruit in the middle, and the perfect ratio of fruit to crust. It's good and bad that I don't have access to this place more often.

It wasn't easy to find an affordable way to get from Kokomo to Bloomington. My original idea was to rent a car, but picking it up in one town and returning in another town was out of my budget. I ended up booking bus tickets, much to the horror of pretty much anyone I told.

Unlike the countries in which I've lived for the past 17 years, there isn't a good system of public transport in most cities of the U.S. Argh. To get from one city to the next, I had to book bus tickets with a layover in the middle.

Kelley and Jon drove me to the pick up spot in Kokomo, which was a petrol station. Yes, it was a bit scary. As I boarded the bus I took one of the seats near the front, as I'm less likely to get motion sickness that way. Just before taking off the bus driver made an announcement that he was watching specific passengers, he expected them to follow the rules. Apparently they hadn't done so on previous rides, and he wasn't going to deal with it.

The bus ride itself was fine, arriving on time in Indianapolis. While I was in the bus station in Indy I spent most of my time on my phone. Kelley and Jon and John were freaked out that I was there for hours in the middle of the night, they didn't want me to sleep. I must admit, the variety of people I saw in the bus station was amazing.

Thankfully, my bus left Indianapolis on time, and arrived in Bloomington on time. Since it was still rather early, (before sunrise, at 5 something or 6 something in the morning,) the bus station in Bloomington wasn't open yet. I ended up sitting on a bench and waiting for a couple hours. I did get to see a pretty sunrise, and reflect on the fact that this was the first time I've ever arrived in my hometown by bus.

After a couple hours I walked from the bus station to the car hire place. It was warm and humid, I'm pretty sure I was drenched in sweat by the time I walked into the office. They didn't open until 0900, which is why I had to wait at the bus station. Picking up the car was easy enough, and made my life a lot easier.

Over the next week I didn't do much of anything of note. I went to a park I've never visited, I spent time with family members, and I did exactly one athletic thing. Jumping on a trampoline for nearly an hour is definitely a workout! It reminded me that I'm not anywhere close to as fit as I once was, sigh. 
I also did 'chores' like apply for a new drivers license, only to find out I didn't have the right documentation. That meant I had to apply for the right documentation, and wait. Bureaucracy is not fun.
It was a very low key visit to my hometown, the whole point was just to spend time with family.