Category: Travel

  • Ice capades

    Our little trip to Portland over the weekend went well, except for the ice storm that hit Saturday. We stayed indoors the whole day with our friends (who we were staying with, fortunately, otherwise we’d have really worn out our welcome), and pretty much any other plans we’d had were shot.

    On the other hand, our friends introduced me to the BBC comedy The Office, which is insane but entirely plausible—I’ve known people (and offices) that are exactly the same way. It’s hilarious, check it out. Amazon has it for about 42 bucks.

    Our drive back Sunday was uneventful; the ice was already breaking up in Portland and the farther out of town we went, the better it got—even over the mountains. Back in Bend, you wouldn’t even know anything had happened. All’s well that ends well, they say.

  • Back to the Rose City

    Seems like we just can’t get enough of Portland; we’re heading there tomorrow (Friday). It’s part follow-up to our son’s eye surgery, part vacation-y trip. Always fun. I’d like to get in a trip to Powell’s Bookstore, but I don’t think we’ll have the time unfortunately.

  • This week

    Yes, I’m finally back posting. It’s been a week.

    The eye surgery went very well, as good as it could have gone, and except for red eyes, you wouldn’t even know our son had surgery. The only real issue we’ve had is a bit of a struggle when we give him his eye medicine (topical ointment). Other than that, everything went through with flying colors.

    Coming back from Portland Wednesday we ran into some snow and a short delay on the Santiam Pass. Right about at the summit, in the worst of the snow, traffic was backed up on a corner because somewhere up ahead (out of sight) a truck or snowplow or something had apparently spun out. Otherwise it was a fairly uneventful drive.

    Thursday and Friday were catch-up days at work, and it didn’t help that I had my employee review Thursday morning (nearly two hours shot) and the annual company meeting Friday (the entire first half of the day gone). So I’m still behind on some stuff and that won’t go away as I have six more days off this month (three holiday days and three vacation days). Incidentally, my review went fine.

    Did some Christmas shopping today. Picked up a few things, need to get more. We have “Secret Santa” at work next week and I have two of five gifts so far.

    And to top it all off, my right wrist is hurting like a son-of-a-bitch. All going blind jokes aside, it’s been sore all week and since yesterday it’s just killing me; I don’t know if it’s onset carpal tunnel or a pinched nerve or what, but the source of the pain seems to be the base of the thumb joint at the wrist, and I can’t make much of a fist nor grip anything with any strength. Nor is there really a full range of motion without it being painful. Typing is not terrible, but not great. Gah. Must be getting old.

  • In Portland

    Sitting in the Red Lion Inn at the Convention Center in Portland tonight; we’ll be here for the next couple of days. Not a pleasure or casual visit, though; tomorrow our son (he’s three) has corrective eye surgery for esotropia.

    It’ll be his second such surgery (our daughter, who’s five, has also had two eye surgeries). It’s simultaneously a minor and a major surgery; minor because there’s nothing being transplanted, or amputated, or anything like that, and major because he will still be fully anesthetized and getting the full surgical “treatment.”

    The gory details? The lateral muscles of the eyes—those attached to the sides—are moved forwards or backwards on the wall of the eyeball to correct the respective alignment problem. Yes, this involves removing them from where they attach and sewing them onto a new location. Freaky? You bet, but at the same time utterly amazing at what can be accomplished in this day and age.

    Anyway, that’s the latest in case blogging gets light the next couple of days. (Though tonight I’m blogging a bit.)

  • The weekend in Portland

    I’m pleased to report that Portland is still where it’s supposed to be. Or at least, it was when we left on Sunday, I can’t really speak for any time after that.

    We stayed at the downtown Residence Inn over the weekend, which despite being located right next to I-5 is a rather nice hotel. Our room had been upgraded to a two-bedroom suite at no charge after my wife told them the sob story about our miserable night in Stockton next to the freeway, so we ended up with two full bathrooms, three TVs and a full kitchen. They have a very good breakfast for guests, beyond the typical continental breakfasts of juice and muffins you usually see. The only drawback (aside from the freeway) was that they have road work and construction of some kind going on literally all around the hotel, so getting in and out is a hassle and confusing at first.

    No WiFi in the rooms, though. They do have high speed internet access, but it’s ethernet-based and sadly, I don’t have a card for that in the laptop. So be warned.

    Oh, the other thing was that I forgot to take my own pillow with me; I can’t stand hotel pillows and just have the hardest time getting a good night’s sleep with them. I figure I must be getting old.

    Took the kids to see “The Incredibles” and then to Chuck E. Cheese’s on Saturday. “The Incredibles” was fantastic; my next entry will be about that. Chuck E. Cheese’s, well, it’s been awhile since I’d been there, so I’d forgotten just how crazy that place is. Like Vegas for kids, as my friend Justin said. I’ll probably let another year or two or three pass before I take the kids again :).

  • Gone this weekend

    Off to Portland this weekend. I may be online—we’re taking the laptop with the wireless card—but may not be, either; sometimes it’s nice to unplug.

  • Mission Beach

    When we were in San Diego, we of course had to visit the beach. So on one of our “off” days we packed up a picnic lunch and headed over to Mission Beach.

    It was a nice, sunny, hot day, pretty much what you’d expect for Southern California (even in late September), but you know what? The water was cold, which was a total surprise to me. Not Oregon beach cold, nothing quite like that, but much colder than I would have thought. Cold enough to shock you when you first hit it, and make your feet a little numb.

    You get used to it, though, and the kids and I were having a great time playing in the water. There were some nice waves too—I wish I’d had a bodyboard or something to try out. Not that I’m all that surfer-inclined, you understand—I love the ocean but the Oregon Coast is no place for that kind of stuff. I’ve seen guys in full-body wetsuits trying to make a go of it, but well…

    Interestingly, Mission Beach is also home to the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, a wooden coaster built in 1925 that’s still operating. Only “one of two original oceanfront roller coasters still operating on the west coast,” according to the website. We didn’t ride it, though; the kids are still too small. My brother swears that every time he’s ridden the thing, he’s seen bolts flying off. That’s comforting.

    After we cleaned up from the beach, we wandered around the shops a bit, and my wife and the kids got temporary tattoos from a corner shop on the boardwalk. We didn’t stay long after that, as the kids were tired and cranky. But we had a good time.

    Later, I told my brother we’d gone there, his response was, “Did you see anyone smoking crack?” Huh? My sister-in-law recommended the place; she reaffirmed that it wasn’t that bad, but then my wife chimed in and mentioned she saw someone dig a chicken leg out of a garbage can and eat it.

    Eh, whatever. It was a nice beach, no one hassled us or anything. I’d go there again. Might even ride the roller coaster of death. We’ll see.

  • Lodging

    On our trip to San Diego we stayed in several hotels while on the road, and with my brother and his wife while there. Here’s some thoughts on where to stay—or not stay—if you find yourself on the same or similar trip.

    Avoid, at all costs, the Best Value Inn just off the freeway in Stockton (California). It’s on our list as one of the top two worst hotels we’ve ever stayed at (the other was the Knight’s Inn in Ashland), and is definitely the skungiest, dirtiest one: the carpet has sticky spots (like gum, I hope), there were some dead ants on the bathroom counter, the bathroom floor just felt wrong—in fact, most of the bathroom just gave an icky vibe. It’s also right off the freeway, so you hear the traffic all night (no biggie for me, since I sleep just fine with white noise).

    On the way back, we stayed in Fresno. The Quality Inn there on Shaw Avenue off Highway 99 was the best of the hotels we stayed at: very roomy, free WiFi, good continental breakfast. And relatively cheap.

    The next night we stayed at the Railroad Park Resort in Dunsmuir, about 50 miles north of Redding. Neat little place, rather rustic, nestled up against Castle Crags State Park. Totally worth it for the kitsch factor, but you might want to avoid the restaurant they have there: I found the food to be entirely mediocre and a bit over-priced. You’d probably be better off finding something in Dunsmuir.

  • Back to it

    Yes, we’re back from our vacation to SoCal. Actually, we got back yesterday and today was back to work and routine, but I just wasn’t quite ready to “return” to the blog, as it were.

    It was a good trip, but tiring. San Diego is a neat city, but in general I wouldn’t want to live in Southern California; there’s too many people and too much traffic and it’s just too big… I’d go nuts. And it’s too damn expensive. I’m glad to be back in Bend.

    I’ll dole out travel stories gradually, rather than writing everything up in one giant blog entry. It’s easier on everybody that way :)

  • Vacation starts…

    Vacation is about to start. Once I leave work, we’re pretty much on the road, and while we’re bringing a laptop, there’s no guarantee I’ll be online much, so this may be the last post for a while. Or not; I’ll try to update from the road if I get the chance.

    Au revoir!