State of Origin fan in Portland

Portland Oregon

Weather Max 15 Min 6

A slow start today and then I headed off about 11 ish to ride the Portland Aerial Tram. The tram carries commuters between  the South Waterfront area to the Oregon Health & Science University and it only travels 3,300 ft or 1 km and back again. It was built with much controversy, opening in December 2006. It cost $57  million  - 4 times the original estimate.  Many of the houses beneath the tram were worried about property values and loss of privacy saying they own the air space above their houses. One man even put up a sign saying  "FUCK THE TRAM" on his roof and the authorities had no power to make him remove it as it couldn't be seen from the road. 

Portland Aerial Tram

File picture from Google - I'm not
 sure if the sign  is still there

It was  quite an overcast day but the scenery was still very impressive.

From the sky tram

The actual ride made me a bit squeamish - it sort of swung a bit and there was lots of "bouncing" while docking. I didn't feel the need to ride it more than once :)

Regardless of the weather there are many cyclists who still brave the roads 

After surviving the Aerial Tram I caught a Street Car and felt much more grounded :). I wandered around the Pearl District for a while and I must admit - it really is a pretty city, regardless of the weather.

From the Street Car

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I needed to find a post office to post Lee another gift so I turned to Mr Google for help.

Do you think this one is BIG ENOUGH!! lol

US Post Office

It was getting a bit chilly and my warm, dry, cosy feet wanted to offer the same advantages to my cold, dead hands. I noticed an outdoor shop - sort of Khatmandu type store - and walked in to check their wares. As soon as I did the guy behind the counter yelled out "State of Origin - Maroons". He was pointing at my scarf. Seems he had been following Jarryd Haynes (Aussie Footballer - Rugby) when he was playing in the USA and he got hooked on our football and especially the State of Origin. It was great to have a chat with him and all the people who worked there all came over too. A good old time :)

Brendan - Game of Origin Fan

Random - I went into a Riteaid for supplies and all along the shelves there were magnifying glasses attached to them to help you read all that tiny writing on the back of bottles and packaging. What a great idea.

I returned to the hotel as it started to get dark and before the protesters came out again and did some more washing in preparation of travelling to Seattle tomorrow.

I'm still not a 100% but am getting better and looking forward to seeing Seattle again