Portland Oregon

So yeah, no jetBlue flight to Portland, I took the Amtrak Cascades down and it was a great scenic trip. I kinda geeked out seeing the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Galloping Gertie is still there, though a newer bridge has been built beside it.

Pulled into Portland with no real plan. There isn't a public health program I'm interested in at Portland State University, so this was just a stop to see a new city, and see Sarah, who was lovely to let me crash at her place. First thing I've noticed after now visiting Seattle and Portland, their public transportation is so much better than the T in Boston.

Using my Museum of Science ID again, I checked out the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), and you'll see a trend coming up: dinosaurs! OMSI had the fossils of Samson, an almost complete t-rex.

After finding Sarah's place, I had time to catch up and meet her girlfriend Stefanie. I hadn't seen Sarah in years and since she was in Ithaca. Inspired by remembering visiting all the gorges there, I rented a car to drive out to Mt. Hood and see the Multnomah Falls. This place looks just like Rivendell!

Again, it was overcast and rainy, so I never saw Mt. Hood either, even though I was just a few miles away. I headed west next for the coast. Oregon's coast is stunning, I went up the coast from middle of the state all the way up to the tip, where the Columbia river forms the border with Washington.

So even though Portland wasn't a campus visit, it did do something important for me. I realize I'm kinda in love with the Pacific Northwest, but more than that, places that have mountains, lakes formed from volcanos, waterfalls, etc. It has been the best part of this trip so far seeing such amazing nature, and I need that access. If I went to Columbia in New York City, not so much. So I've crossed off Columbia as a school to apply to. I want real jungles, not concrete jungles of Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Up next, the concrete jungle of Chicago!