Monday, September 18, 2017

Pictures from Oregon

I spent a lot more time in Oregon, but actually didn't manage to get a ton of pictures.

First I raced all the way down to Detroit, OR, to meet my friend Josh who had flown into the area specifically to see the eclipse. For me, on the other hand, it was a happy accident. I'd rather not detail why (frustrating), but he and I actually didn't run into each other until after the eclipse. But it was still fairly ... magical? for both of us, and an unforgettable experience to be sure. And also, where better for two friends from Michigan to meet than in a town called Detroit? (I don't think there is a Grawn, OR. I could be wrong.)

Then we went back up to Portland, where I stayed with my cousin Lance and his girlfiend Carlin. I hadn't seen Lance in years, but it was so, so nice to see another familiar face, and family, at that. They were great hosts, and I had a great time with them. I stayed just shy of a week. They helped me celebrate my birthday in style -- and I was semi-dreading it -- and it came and went and was painless. (Well, finding my way back from the porch took a little doing.)

I then drove about 100 miles south to Eugene, and stayed with my friends' Maria and Corrinna's aunt and uncle, Rachel and Tom. They were also super nice, and great hosts. I only thought I was going to stay one night, but sure enough, it was three. So in 10 days I really only made about  100 miles of progress south.

Stopped at Crater Lake, and since pretty much the whole west coast is on fire, the park was too smoky to even see the water. Maybe the biggest disappointment of the whole trip. I was really looking forward to it.

I did, however, give a lift to Taro, a guy from Japan who was backpacking pretty much all of Oregon (north-to-south). We drove through the park together and talked, and compared travel stories (he has many more of them than I do). He bought me dinner and it was pretty cool. If you're reading this back in Japan, Hello Taro! It was really nice to meet you!

Anyways, pictures! The order got kind of messed up again, but, again, can't be bothered to fix.




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