THE TRIP TO PORTLAND.....and back!

We made plans to meet our friends, Larry and Diane, at the Kennedy School, in Portland, OR. The Kennedy School was to be the end of their train trip across the northern USA with a stop at Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, something happened to the tracks in North Dakota and they had to re-arrange their trip but we met in Portland anyway. The Kennedy School is a hotel in what used to be an elementary school. When enrollment declined in the 70's the school was closed and after some time it was purchased by the McMenamins brothers and converted into a hotel. Upon arrival you check in at the "Front Office," get your key and find your way to your room. The halls are very wide and many rooms and hallways have blackboards in them - with chalk and erasers! If you ever go there be sure to request a "Blackboard Room" or you may be booked into the new section of the hotel. The new section is very nice, but the original room we were assigned was VERY small. The sink was in the sleeping area and there was barely enough room to walk around the bed. The construction of the new section is very well done with beautiful woods and windows but the rooms are very tiny. 

Our journey started on Tuesday, June 3 when we left Hemet and headed north. We traveled as far as Woodland California, which is a little north of Sacramento. It was a very long ride and we were happy to check into the Best Western Shadow Inn, have some dinner and relax until it was time to sleep. On Wednesday morning we headed out to Grant's Pass, OR, the second stop on our trip north. As we drove along Interstate 5 we passed Mount Shasta. Very beautiful! Grant's Pass claims to have a climate as nice as California - as the big sign over the main street lets you know. They also have a fondness for bears who grace the main and side streets.

Mount Shasta

The Logger Bear

The Vineyard Bear

The Farmer Bear

The Dancing Bears

The next day was suppose to be a short journey to Portland - however, as we traveled north on Interstate 5 we decided we should stop in Salem as it it is the capital of Oregon. We followed the signs to the "Capital," found a parking lot - FREE - and followed the posted maps to the capital building and beautiful grounds.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of the Portland trip!