By this morning the rain had stopped, but everything was wet and low clouds hung on the surrounding hills. This was the Oregon I remembered. We were nearly to Portland before the sun came out.
Nancy and I moved to Portland on Memorial Day in 1978 and lived there until the end of 1983 when we moved across the Columbia River to Vancouver, Washington. Back then I really loved Portland. After Nicole was born in the summer of 1984, we got to Portland less and less until finally we hardly went there at all. Each time we did, however, my love affair with the town died a little. Californians, tired of the pollution, traffic jams, and long commutes, had discovered Portland. The influx, of course, just turned Portland into a smaller version of LA with all the same problems.
In order to avoid as much of the Portland traffic as possible, I opted for the I-205 by-pass, even though it meant driving seven miles further. When we got off I-5, the traffic was already getting on my nerves, and initially the I-205 traffic was noticeably lighter. All too quickly, however, the volume swelled to unacceptable levels, and I was not glad to be back here.
We had picked an RV park near the Vancouver Mall. When we arrived, the office was locked. We read the info posted outside, called the number listed but only got an answering machine, then drove around the park just to check it out. When we got back to the office, we stopped to figure out what we wanted to do. There was a second RV park in Vancouver, though not as conveniently located, and we had started the engine to head there when the lady who manages the park suddenly walked up to the RV. We decided to stay and have paid for the next four nights.
I'm glad we did. The park is clean and quiet and the location is fantastic.
Day 72
Sutherlin, OR to Vancouver, WA
Daily Mileage: 189.1
Total Mileage: 12,162.5
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