Intro
Far too much has happenned already to detail it here and now, so please bear with me and expect little in the way of plot for the time being!
Today we've been walking in the woods near Rachel's parent's house. The trees are tall and more often than not covered in ivy or moss, small wooden bridges ford streams bound for the river; it's tranquil and very beautiful. This has been our first opportunity to draw breath since we arrived here just about a week ago and it's much appreciated!
I guess I could start with a geography lesson:
Portland lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Columbia, which flows from the East and continues West to the Pacific, and the Willamette which flows from the South. To the North of the Columbia river is the state of Washington, and to the South, on either side of the Willamette, sits Portland. Follow the Willamette further South and you're in wine country. Follow the Columbia East and you're in an enormous river gorge - hiking country with impressive views and some equally impressive waterfalls. About fifty miles East of Portland and capped with snow lies Mt Hood, where everyone seems to go skiing. It's volcanic. Several other volcanoes are also visible form the city on a clear day. No-one seems in the least bit concerned about this. About 90 minutes drive west is the Pacific coast. Long sandy beaches, often with rocky outcrops, often very misty.
About 500 000 people live in Portland, making it about twice the size of Brighton and Hove. It's a really wonderful city - more on this another day. Rachel's parents (Leon and Linda) live about 7 miles South of the city in a town called Lake Oswego. In fact they live right on the lake front and sometimes take their speedboat to go shopping at Safeway - which is fun. I'll be working in a town called Hillsboro which is about 15 miles East of Portland. When we move to the city I'll be able to take the train to work, but for the time being I'll have to drive. It should take about 45mins or so. There's sweet FA in Hillsboro of note except for the Intel headquarters which is enormous and sprawling and seems to comprise about half the town. Around and about lie perfectly civilised but anonymous suburbs which remind me a lot of Denver.
More soon!
Today we've been walking in the woods near Rachel's parent's house. The trees are tall and more often than not covered in ivy or moss, small wooden bridges ford streams bound for the river; it's tranquil and very beautiful. This has been our first opportunity to draw breath since we arrived here just about a week ago and it's much appreciated!
I guess I could start with a geography lesson:
Portland lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Columbia, which flows from the East and continues West to the Pacific, and the Willamette which flows from the South. To the North of the Columbia river is the state of Washington, and to the South, on either side of the Willamette, sits Portland. Follow the Willamette further South and you're in wine country. Follow the Columbia East and you're in an enormous river gorge - hiking country with impressive views and some equally impressive waterfalls. About fifty miles East of Portland and capped with snow lies Mt Hood, where everyone seems to go skiing. It's volcanic. Several other volcanoes are also visible form the city on a clear day. No-one seems in the least bit concerned about this. About 90 minutes drive west is the Pacific coast. Long sandy beaches, often with rocky outcrops, often very misty.
About 500 000 people live in Portland, making it about twice the size of Brighton and Hove. It's a really wonderful city - more on this another day. Rachel's parents (Leon and Linda) live about 7 miles South of the city in a town called Lake Oswego. In fact they live right on the lake front and sometimes take their speedboat to go shopping at Safeway - which is fun. I'll be working in a town called Hillsboro which is about 15 miles East of Portland. When we move to the city I'll be able to take the train to work, but for the time being I'll have to drive. It should take about 45mins or so. There's sweet FA in Hillsboro of note except for the Intel headquarters which is enormous and sprawling and seems to comprise about half the town. Around and about lie perfectly civilised but anonymous suburbs which remind me a lot of Denver.
More soon!
posted by Richard Tammar at 4:20 PM
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