First off,
I LOVE Portland.
And I've only been here a few hours. Looks very, very promising. :) Exciting!
Secondly,
Let me tell you how I got here.
I left Medford early/mid afternoon with the intention of driving straight through to Portland. I made it as far as Salem (some 50 miles away). I was so close I could taste it, but I knew I was pushing it so I stopped. I figured I could find a nice little park-spot in some nice little neighborhood in Salem.
Not the case.
Apparently in Salem, or at least the area I was in, hardly anyone parks on the street. They all have long driveways that leave the streets nearly bare. Needless to say I felt a little conspicuous parking my Little Hippie Truck in such conditions. Not to mention the "Neighborhood Watch" signs and the funky energy. Not feelin' it.
I probably drove around Salem for 20/25 minutes or so and was at this point nearing a delirious tantrum. My tired whining was annoying even me. Especially me. Ha.
Anyway, I make one final turn onto the main stretch, desperately scanning for a side street, a sweet spot, something- when I saw it. There before me, blue lights gleaming and in all it's Gawd-Awful Glory, stood WAL-MART.
I freaked out. I think I actually threw my arms up in the air in the 'Victory' position. I definitely hooted and hollered. Oh my. I have never in my Life felt such elation to see one of the most despicable capitalist strongholds of all time.
Let me explain.
WAL-MART has a nation-wide policy that permits people to park overnight without being hassled. Suh-weetness. I was so happy.
I go into said stronghold to use the bathroom (appropriate), and head back out to Home, Sweet Home. Before making it out the door, I check a clock, it's approximately 8:00pm.
I set up bed, do a little writing, and CRASH. It must've been about 8:30/8:45. I didn't even care, I was so tired. I figured, I'll get a good night's sleep, wake up just as it's getting light, and watch the sun rise on the final stretch to Portland.
I woke up, tummy rumbling, a little cold, but very much awake. No going back. I look outside and the first thing I see is the side of a bus in the spot next to me, it reads "RIDE FOR FREEDOM" and has the causes it rides for, listed. It was kind of cool. Definitely going to look into it more.
It's still pretty dark at this point- like, night-dark. But there are people on the road, I think to myself, it must be that dark right before morning, you know, 4:00 or so. Eh, it's cool, early start sounds good.
Know where this is going yet? I didn't.
I get behind the wheel and the Truck starts right up, humming. Yes. My first thought, Coffee. Now. I spot an Am/Pm down the street and stop, hoping it won't be too bad. It wasn't. It was surprisingly strong. As I'm paying, I check out the clock behind the counter.
It is 2 AM.
I started cracking up. Right in front of the guy working there. He probably thought I was losing it. Oh man.
So, I decide to hit the Road anyway. What the hell, right? Less folks on the Road and Artemis the Truck and I can hum along at our very comfortable 60/65 mph without being shamed by being passed by the occasional big rig.
Little bit down the Road and I feel the pressing need to pee. I pull off and see a Denny's. Cool.
The girl at the counter is warm and friendly and points me in the right direction. As I come out, I hear her frustrated mutterings as she tries to un-jam the receipt paper in the ATM machine. She looks at me, dead-pan, and runs her finger acrosss her throat- the universal sign of desperate irritation and frustration. She asked, mostly joking, "You wouldn't happen to have a knife, would you?"
Actually, I do. And some pliers. I bring her both and hang out for awhile, totally feelin' myself for being so handy. Mmhmm.
I visited with the waitress, a sweet motherly woman, who showed polite concern for a young woman traveling alone at 3am. She was very kind, I liked her a lot.
I had nowhere to be, so I hung out until Stephanie, the other girl, finally gave up on fixing the ATM machine. It was probably about 4am when I hit the Road again. Random. Fun. :)
I pull up to a hostel around 4:30am. Nap time. The sun and neighborhood noises wake me up, and I go inside to find out about a bed for tonight. Met some really friendly folks and walked down to The Fresh Pot, which is where I find myself sitting now. Coffee's alright and they're playing Erykah Badu, which is a Divine way to start your morning, musically speaking.
Now, I'm gonna go explore a bit and hit that shower! Mmm.
Love to All-
More (mis)adventures to come...!
