Alrighty folks, after around 3,000 miles and 46 hours on the road, we have made it to the West Coast, and Portland.
This is special for a multitude of reasons, firstly, I have finally reached the west, and secondly, I am here visiting one my my closest friends from back home, Cora.
Looking at those numbers, it doesn’t make any sort of sense that we have made it this far already. Granted my first night in Ann Arbor feels like an absolute lifetime ago, but this trip is flying by. I still have a lot more time on the road, and am so excited to continue this memorable journey.
For those of you super unfamiliar with Orleans County, New York it is very, very rural. Cora and I both graduated from Medina High School and have been good friends for six or so years now.
Not many people from our area really leave western New York, but she moved out to Portland last year. Each of us knew we wanted to live outside the region, and it is so nice to see that we are both loving our own lives.
Even though neither of us lives in Orleans County anymore, it is always nice to catch up and talk about things happening back home. We chat about how life is different (both pros and cons) from where we currently live, and how pizza is always so much better in western New York.
I can’t really remember the exact reason that spurred me to do this trip, but getting out west to see Cora’s new life here was certainly a big reason for it.
A very common theme so far is just seeing some old friends again. Moments like this have made the 46 hours on the road so worth it.
It’s been nice to see that even though our lives have changed so much, we are still so similar as people and our friendship still works. I’m starting to sound like a broken record but I love seeing the lives my friends are now living.
We need to talk about Portland more
Another fun aspect of this trip is seeing the big differences in each city or region I visit too. Portland has certainly been a memorable stop so far, with the city having the most stereotypical millennial people I have ever seen before. I am not saying that is a bad thing, but it is certainly a fun little quirk of the city.
I am shocked by just how big Portland is. In my mind, since they were only the Trailblazers of the NBA and an MLS and NWSL team it was on the smaller side. But Portland has over double the population the Pittsburgh has.
I am staying near the beautiful soccer stadium downtown and was able to catch some of the Portland Timbers game Saturday night. The atmosphere at this game was unlike anything I’ve seen in the United States before. Soccer is certainly on the rise here, and I think that is going to make the atmospheres at other sporting events that much better (also I like the scarfs).
Yeah, it also has it’s downfalls (probably just google them) there have been some great spots we have been to so far.
Oregon is beautiful
The drive through Oregon was yet another visual stunner. Most of the drive on Highway 84 was along a river with mountains surrounding my car on either side of the river.
Somehow, each drive I take gives me the most charming views imaginable and it just doesn’t make sense to me. I grew up with farm fields and flatlands on every road, and to see this will always leave my jaw on the ground.
I have to give this ride an 8.7 with the only faults coming from the lackluster views in the eastern part of the state.
4 Responses