Well, I took my time with writing this post. You can soon expect the next one as my stay in Chicago is already nearly over =)
Off to Portland
Before we set off to Portland we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at our motel. Probably for the last time on my travels I had the pleasure to enjoy a waffle machine that delivers wonderfully tasting warm waffles. After having filled our bellies we were on the road once again. The only major stop before we reached our motel in Portland was at a Premium Outlet – mainly to buy shoes.
Portland
We found a well-rated but affordable motel that was bordering the core of downtown. Ideally for checking out what the nightlife of Portland offers. As it turns out not that much. Even though it was Friday we had trouble finding any good clubs and were practically forced into the club we finally chose, as it was the only one that played good music and had decent reviews.
I have learned from stories told to me that after a few beers and some distilled liquids people tend to no longer care where exactly they party but rather that they keep partying =) We both had a very good time and even got to keep a little “souvenir” to enjoy during the next day. One of us a little bigger one and the other a smaller one =)
Trail Blazers
The main reason for our stay in Portland was the activity planned for the second night. This late in the year they no longer play baseball in the MLB and the tickets for (American) football games we would have been able to see are excessively overprized – if you are not a die-hard fan and just want to watch a game because you are in the country.
Therefore, we decided to watch the fourth of the 4 main sports: Basketball. The Portland Trail Blazers played against the Miami Heats. In some ways, the game degrades over time. For example, it seemed to me that the “flow” was best in the first two quarters but gradually worsened as the game came to its end. At first, the players were practically only running forth and back over the field and scoring one point after the other. But as the game progressed they became more careful and were waiting more for a good opportunity to play the ball.
On the other hand, the atmosphere and tension grew over time. Luckily, the game wasn’t one-sided and both teams had good chances in winning. That created a natural tension grow as the result wasn’t foreseeable.
Those changing playstyles and tension levels created a great experience. Simplified, the teams played for fun in the first half and became serious in the last two quarters and began to play more tactical. Ahh, and the Portland Trail Blazers won in the end =)
Back in the Snow
Not far away from Portland is the next interesting national park, the Mount Rainier National Park. In the summer, you would see the massive Mount Rainier (4392 m) outshine the surrounding. If you are lucky with the weather in the winter, you would be able to see its full glory. But our luck was just enough to keep the street open.
Fortunately for us, the snowfall in the night wasn’t high and the rangers were able to open the street in the park. During our drive to Paradise (a tiny village in the national park) it snowed quite heavy. Our all-wheel-drive saved us from mounting the chains – lucky us. As you can imagine we didn’t see very far in this weather but driving around in this small blizzard was fun enough. Some guy on Flickr shot the picture below of the Mount Rainier. Just to give you an impression of how huge and lonely this mountain is.
Mount Rainier in the background
We resided in a beautiful little bunkhouse in a room that is best described as small and cozy. That created a feeling of being in a small hut somewhere high up in the snow.
But the best part of our residence was the hot tub on the outside. Before we went to dine in the only restaurant with customers in it for miles we relaxed in hot sparkling water. A nice thing to do after a day in the snow =)
Seattle
Our thoughts for the last days together on tour were: “Gönn dir”. We found a wonderful apartment in a high-rise apartment building in the middle of downtown. We slept in two separate rooms, had a spacious kitchen, washer and dryer and a beautiful sight out of the window – and all of that just in our apartment.
In addition, we could use the billiard table, gym, and swimming pool with adjacent hot tub. And that’s exactly what we did =)
Seattle is much like the other cities I came across here in America but a little more modern. There isn’t much to tell about the things we did; an elaborated listing of some of them will do:
- Visiting a Harry Potter themed gingerbread house display
- Watching an IMAX film about the wonders of the sea
- Enjoying a 360° view of Seattle from the Space Needle
- Strolling through a glass museum
- Dining in a Hard Rock Café
Sadly, after an exciting month it was time to say goodbye to two beloved companions. To one of them for good, the other one I’ll see in January or even sooner =). The one I’ll never see again is our Volvo. It really was a wonderful car and for sure in a better category than we booked – a car you could even drive in Europe without having to fear too many judging eyes =).
