Portland, OR

Day 23: Wed 13 Aug: Another beautiful day.

In my over-scheduled first four week plan of this trip, I was to leave San Francisco on Sunday, spend only one day in Portland, and three nights in Olympic National Park. I spent an extra day in SF, and, now, an extra day in Portland. Michael said, "Stay! Don't you want to go skinny dipping at Rooster Rock?". I'm glad I did.

East of Portland, off I-84, is Rooster Rock State Park. It's three miles of sandy beaches along the Columbia River, some of which are officially designated clothing optional. Michael called around, and a group of seven of us ended up caravanning there.

On the way there, I saw Mt. St. Helens to the north, and Mt. Hood to the east. With views like that, why would you want to live anywhere else?

The beach was beautiful. One the hike there, we picked blackberries, the Oregon state weed. The river was not too cold, the sun was hot, and the view immense. The Columbia River valley formed in a catastrophic event a million years ago called the Missoula Floods, and the geology of the region is striking. We had fun swimming and playing on the beach. There's a mile-long sand bar in the middle of the river that was too far for me to swim too, but the river was low enough that downstream you could walk onto it. "Sand bar" is a misnomer, because it is an island with deer, beaver, and a full-fledged forest on it. The downstream sandy section is a dune about fifty feet high. Xzom, Saguda, and I walked around the island. It was bigger than it looked. It was a classic "three hour tour". The upstream end of the island was blanketed by rushes and grasses. The rushes weren't so bad to walk through, but the grass nicked my legs enough that when we got back to beach, the cold water felt really good. By the time we got back, the sun had set (beautifully, in the west, in the downstream channel), everyone had packed up and was waiting for us on the beach. It was a fun adventure.

Even the locals said the day, and the sunset, were spectacular.

We headed off back to Portland for dinner at the Laughing Planet, which was really good. The outdoor seating in the back made for a good time.

Michael, Eric, and I headed back home, where we watched a little bit of the Olympics (synchronized men's diving!). I didn't last too long before I had to crash.