Starting Point: Eugene, OR
Ending Point: Portland, OR
Distance Traveled: 110 Miles
This morning I left Eugene around 5:30 AM. Sleeping at the hostel the night before was uncomfortable and sort of awkward. Maybe I’m just not used to it, but six grown men sleeping on bunk beds within a 10×10 room which in this case happened to be over 80 degrees throughout the night just isn’t comfortable. Also, because of my lengthy showers and early-morning routine I didn’t feel comfortable taking a shower, thereby awakening seven people at 5:30AM. So when I woke up at 5:30 AM after sleeping for five hours, I just bolted out of the hostel immediately.
I drove on the five freeway and made my way toward Portland. My first stop was Forest Park, of large forest within Portland that offers relatively flat, shaded hiking and running trails. The trails follow the ridge and go through greenery including huge trees, ferns, and brush which reflects the sunlight creeping through the trees. Most unique about the trail is the almost-complete shade and the majority of people were trail runners. I ended up hiking The cherry Trail, which is about 5 miles and one of the steeper trails in the park. However, I ended up getting lost or “intentionally wandering.” My ultimate route was Wild Cherry Trail to Dogwood Trail to Wildwood Trail to Adler Trail, and back to the starting point. Total mileage was probably around 5-6 miles.
It was really interesting that the “Leif” trail continues for 30 miles, providing a relatively flat, shaded, dirt road for trail-runners to log plenty of easy miles on.
After finishing the Forest Park hike, I communicated with Devidas and drove straight to his house which is in a high-income neighborhood about 15 minutes from Forest Park. Devidas was very welcoming, friendly, and a skilled conversationalist. He seems to have a knack for making small talk and also educated conversation on many different conversation topics. He must have amazing experiences as a host for hundreds (and probably even thousands) of Couch Surfers over the years.
After I took a shower and freshened up, I headed to Washington Park for a short drive/detour and then to Powell’s books and searched around the bookstore for about half an hour. The bookstore is enormous (probably at least 50,000 SF) and is overwhelming unless you have a general idea of a book/topic you’re looking for.
Afterwards, I spent a few hours at Starbucks organizing future trip plans, real estate work, and personal work.
After Starbucks I went on a walk for a few hours across the bridge from Downtown Portland in a quiet industrial area, crossing the bridge and connecting back to the “Old Town” neighborhood Downtown Portland. While walking, I came across Voodoo Doughnuts and recognized it from my earlier Yelp searches. There was a line of about 50 people and it was worth it. They had flavors such as Oreo, Fruit Loops, Portland Cream, and an Apple Fritter with Moist Banana flavoring on the inside. It was delicious and probably was at least 800-1,000 calories. However, I convinced myself it was worth it because of the experience of trying Voodoo donuts, eventually even deciding to add on a chocolate milk “for the experience.”
After eating at Voodoos, I strolled around the Downtown waterfront awaiting the 10PM fireworks shows. After a couple of hours of spending time in the area, the fireworks began and it was a beautiful show. Although I wasn’t with family or friends, it was a nice experience and a great atmosphere.
