Oregon Coast to Canada...and back - Day 13

Tuesday Oct 11

We were both up by 6:00am and lounged an extra hour before heading down for our continental breakfast. Oatmeal and energy bars along with a strong dark roast coffee would set us up nicely for the day. By 9:00 am we were wheels rolling, southward towards Oregon…Portland to be exact. Downtown Portland  is where we will spend most of the day, not all but most.

First stop was Washington Park, smack dab in the middle of town

Once we found a place to park we headed for the zoo, leaving Rosie to guard our stuff (don't worry, we were parked in the shade with all windows cracked open…Rosie was comphy). At the zoo we saw a nice variety of wildlife including, bears, lions, elephants monkeys, gazelle, a mountain goat, bald eagles, turtles, an anaconda, a semi trained hippo named Pops,  and we even saw a three legged hyena. 

Around noon we headed downtown to try and find somewhere to eat lunch. Great people watching...

Once we found a convenient parking spot the three of us walked around in search of a great meal. We walked and pondered display menus and walked some more. Then we finally made our decision..we settled for our old faithful eatery. A twelve inch subway was split between the three of us…and it was good.

There is a waterfall about 30 miles out of town that Kerry always wanted to see. I tried to argue it was too far out of the way, but like a politician, she debated her opinion and won by a landslide. We were now off to the Multnamah Waterfall. Irony…it ended up being the best part of the day for me. 

Once the awe was absorbed and the photos shot, we headed to our last destination for the night, a state park called Champoeg, just outside of Salem Oregon.

This was a beautiful place to call it a day. While I set up our van Kerry got to visit with a camping neighbor, a young family who recently moved here from South Africa. They were looking for a better life, and judging by this beautiful campground, they found it.

She actually told Kerry that they were living the life of gypsies, and they enjoyed the freedom that this lifestyle offered them.

It was interesting when later on Kerry and I took Rosie for a bedtime walk. As we approached our campsite we noticed the entire gypsy clan sitting outside of their camper, socializing by the camp fire. On the lawn standing by herself was a young girl playing the violin. Yupp, they were gypsies alright. Have you ever seen the movie "The Red Violin?"

By 7:30pm the sun was down, our meal was consumed , our teeth were brushed and a nice leisurely walk-a-bout wore us out just enough to insure a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we continue south on the I 5. Tomorrow might be the last day of our vacation…maybe, or maybe not!