PDX

We’ve been at the Columbia River RV Park in Portland, Oregon, one week as of today.  The park is convenient (a quick drive to the MAX, Portland’s light-rail system), has a decent WIFI connection, and a laundry room with lots of machines.  The downside is that we’re near the airport.  The flight corridor takes planes over the Columbia River instead of neighborhoods -- that's supposed to help keep noise down in neighborhoods.   But like I said, we’re at the Columbia River RV Park, so the planes fly right by and make a heck of a lot of noise.  So much noise that our dog has a couple of times wedged himself between the driver’s seat and the gas/brake pedal. (He's OK and has returned to his favorite sleeping spot:  on top of our dirty laundry.)

But when we stay at a private RV park, we don’t spend much time exploring the RV park other than the laundry room.  We explore the city, and Portland is a great place to explore.

So far we've hiked in parks and the Portland arboretum (175 acres, 700 kinds of trees and shrubs), had lunch at brew pubs (I seem to be on a hummus plate kick; I've had it at all three pubs we've visited), walked all over the city (did six miles yesterday), and got to see family again. 

Son Paul and Bev in front of Paul’s northeast Portland apartment.

Paul and Jim. 

After lunch at a park with Season and her boys,
grandson Owen showed off his muscles.

Nearly six-month-old Connor.

We also dropped in on John and Debbie's son, Dane,
while he was at his job at downtown Portland's Hotel
Modera.

Bev at the waterfront park along the Willamette River, 
which runs north through the middle of Portland and 
separates the east and west sides of the city.

We went to Portland's Navy Reserve Center to check out 
getting new military IDs.  Jim was here when Mt. St. 
Helen's errupted in 1980 and watched the smoke 
and steam from the second floor balcony of this 
building.

Jim and Cooper walking through Lauelhurst Park 

on Portland’s east side.  Another of John and Deb’s 

sons, Matt, is getting married  nearby in August.

And of course, it rained here, too:  a view out our 
windshield while driving around.

I also heard a new (to me) weather phrase:
sun breaks.  Here's one as seen out the
window of our RV.