Today, I also part with my traveling buddy. After sending him to the airport, I am on my own again, just like the way it all started. It’s also the day when I had to tell myself to just go for it and finish it up.
To be honest, I am tired. A big part in me just want this to end early, but a bigger part in me wants me to commit to my own goals. This is what defines me. I live up to my own promises.
Driving towards the west seems pretty much the same at first. Desert landscape with shrubs much like east Idaho and much of northern Utah. One thing was a little different. Cops. Today marks the 10th anniversary of September 11th and everyone is tightening up security whether there’s a need or not. Today, there were a lot of cops on the Idaho-Oregon border. State Trooper patrol car with K-9 unit parked on the side of the free way that stopped a dark grey Prius and trip searched the car. The driver and passenger just sat on the hood of the cop car a few steps away from their Prius and looked helplessly while the cops flip the car inside out with a black Labrador standing by. What were they searching for? Explosive? Drugs? I don’t know, but it looked unusual.
Of course there’s the regular patrol catching speeders. I just wonder if this really does anything for the security of the state, or was it just to show to their supervisors that “someone is doing something about it”.
As I drove towards westward on the highway, I found myself going up and down, left and right through a mountain pass. It is still desert and there wasn’t much green, but it was interesting to emerge from the mountains into a flat plain, only to be followed by more twist and turns.
The Columbia River Gorge followed. At first, it was rather boring. Just cliff face with bare rocks. The sun was beaming down and the air was hazy, so it made the day looked hotter than it really was. Driving along the river gorge, there was nothing around it. It was much like the Pacific Coast HWY where you have a road and very little flat land because of the vertical cliffs. However, the river seems to be a very popular spot for water sports as there were many docking locations with people jet skiing on the seemly calm water.
Portland.
It was also interesting that there were many loading docks for the ships with huge silos. I am not sure what was being harvested and transported. I can only imagine it being rock material from the gorge. There was also a “dam” that doesn’t hold water. I think it just used the moving water to generate electricity in the middle of the river.
As the drive nears Portland, the landscape changed. The green became more lush. The cliff face became more populated with vegetation, and shrubs were replaced by tall pine trees. Suddenly, it looked more like Gui Lin in China.
Half way through the drive, I looked at the clock. Initially, I planned to stay over at Beaverton because most hotels at Cannon Beach are extremely expensive. However, I really want to capture the sunset and some night shots at the beach, so I stepped on the gas pedal to the metal and gunned for it.
So first, I had to drive through Portland. I have visited Portland once before and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I am not stopping this time. I was really going for the sunset!
The GPS says I will arrive at 7.24pm. I don’t know what time the sunset will be at. I looked at the sky and there is the sun in the clear cloudless sky. I kept telling myself that I am going to make it. So while dashing through the forest twisty mountain road, I was trying to strike a balance between the fastest I could go without being pulled over. It is Sunday night and every one is going home from their weekend destination. This means I was almost the only one on my side of the road while the other side is jam packed. Good for me, and I was flying. The sun kept dropping lower and I kept starring at my GPS telling me how much distance I’ve left. Then I climbed over a ridge and suddenly, the sun was gone. Everything was white. Foggy, grey and dark. What happened? Soon enough, I was approaching Cannon Beach (after 1.5 hours of mad driving and anticipation), and then I realized that there’s a strong front that came in and covered the entire beach with low clouds with really strong wind. All that effort I put in trying to make it through the forest proved to be worthless. I was stuck with a lousy windy weather with no sunset and no stars. Plus, it’s cold here.
So I went to get some food. It tuened out to be the worst meal of my trip ( Considered I had tons of grocery store deli sandwich, bad Chinese buffet and instant ramen). I had KFC for dinner.
Shower pressure is strong and internet works just fine. I guess I can’t be more glad.
Affording Experience
It is interesting driving from Cannon Beach to Seaside, two beach towns just a few miles apart. Cannon Beach is filled with high end resorts with high end stores and restaurants. There’s not a single franchise business that I could find. Everything is private. The streets are filled with older folks who can afford this kind of accommodation, and I just seemed to be out of place.
Seaside, however, has many motels and fast food restaurants. The streets are not as well maintained, more casual and definitely, affordable-looking to me. Checking into the hotel, I was waiting for a couple who was in front of me at the desk. The guy was in suit and the lady was in a gown. Not the high end suits and gown. Perhaps, something that I won’t even consider wearing. Well, here’s a newly married couple, probably just got out of the church checking into the motel for the night. The guy paid in cash. Probably very hard earned cash, and the lady can’t wait to get off the gown and get some food.
Then, I ran into them at KFC.
I guess the world is indeed very big and there is also a wide range of people and resources. It is interesting that whether you are a billionaire or street bum, when you get married, you want “the” experience. The experience of getting married in a church, wearing gowns and have some fun in a desirable location as honey moon. The difference is the scale. But, you just gotta have it.
The world is just so real, so cruel sometimes. Luxury condo beside the slum. High end vacation resort beside tent city. Million-dollar wedding beside a brief session at the chapel and a $90/night room with KFC for dinner. Everyone wants to have dreams. Some live in it, some drown in it.
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