My First Visit to Portland and the Oregon Coast

Last month I visited Portland and the Oregon coast for the first time. It was actually my first real visit to Oregon, period. I’d only driven through the eastern part of the state on my way from Utah to Washington.

My plan was to spend a week in Portland, using it as a base for climbs of Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood. But you need a permit for Saint Helens (I didn’t have one and they’re reserved far in advance) and the route I wanted to do up Mt. Hood was in poor condition. As a result, I didn’t stay in Portland for very long, but I did spend a couple days there before heading down the Oregon coast to northern California and Mt. Shasta.

Windmills on a skyscraper. You’re in Portland, baby.

Can breakfast get any more beautiful?

Chinatown gate. For this to more closely resemble China, however, this street needs to be 120% filled with people, cars, bikes, and assorted farm animals. This looks like apocalyptic China.