Today started with a steady rain on the beach at Seaside. After breakfast, we packed and headed to one of Louiza’s vantage stores. It was only 15 minutes from the hotel so we got there fairly quickly. After browsing for few minutes, Louiza bought a couple of tiny things and then we were off to a farm outside of Portland where they sell lavender flowers and other fruits and vegetables. The rain did not let up the whole way until we entered Portland. The terrain between the beach and Portland is pretty hilly and I needed to be very alert. I also understand why Oregon beaches are cold and dreary, it is because of the proximity of the mountains that seem to block the low clouds and keep the rain on the beaches. The higher clouds make it all the way through to Mt Hood and so it rains in the valley between the beaches and Mt Hood. After Mt Hood it is pretty much a desert landscape. This same situation exists in South America between Chile and Argentina where most of the moisture falls on the Chilean side while the Argentinian side is dry, the Patagonian step. The farm Louiza picked was on Sauvie island, it is a small inland island in Portland. The farm was full of people picking all sorts of things, from flowers to vegetables to fruits. Louiza picked lavender while I picked some Marionberry Raspberries which is the most grown raspberry variety in Oregon. After the farm, we headed to our hotel driving through downtown Portland. The traffic was rather heavy. Once at the hotel, we put our stuff in the room and headed to a restaurant for another late lunch, this time it is Mexican food. By late afternoon, we were back in the room to rest after a tour of a neighborhood downtown.
Today was a very different day... and tomorrow will be too.. ..
