Onward and Upward, Edgefield Bound

The first night in Portland was a great way to start the trip. Good food and good drinks are a solid foundation on which to build a day worth remembering, and that is exactly what we did on the first day of the Dirty Thirty Extravaganza!

The only thing that could have made the evening more memorable would have been to see one the ghosts that are said to haunt the White Eagle. I did my best to keep an open mind and get in touch with my Spidey senses (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Spidey+sense) as to be ready if and when the ghosts decided to stop by.

In the end it did not take long for both of us to fall asleep, so even if we had had a brush with the paranormal we were dead to the world and too deeply entrenched in our dream world to have known the difference.

After a restful sleep we were up and at ‘em and ready to get the party on the road. We knew that we still had some time to kill before we were to meet our friends at Edgefield, so we decided to take the opportunity to do a little bit of shopping. Shannon had a purse and shades in mind and I, a birthday cap.

We did not have a rigid game plan for this shopping trip, we thought we would more or less wander around and see if we could find what we had on our minds. We got such an early start that many of the stores were yet to open. While we waited we made the decision to scope out the area so that when the stores do begin to open we will have a list to follow.

Our first stop was TJ Maxx. We found some good deals, but not for what we wanted. It was not until a few stops later that we found the type of purses that Shannon was looking for. This is not to say that we didn’t find nice purses at the other stores but we didn’t share the opinion of the target audience that a nice purse with worth more than our year old car (I am obviously exaggerating but not as much as you might think lol).

Though I was supportive of Shannon’s trek for a new purse, I was not overly interested in the endeavor. The one thing that I did find quite amusing was what she did with her old purse on the way out of the store.  As I looked back while holding the door for her as we left the store, I saw that I had lost her a few metres back. She was crouched next to the garbage can pulling items out of the old purse and transferring them to the new one. She wasn’t wasting any time J.

After it was completely cleaned out she crumpled up, the now barren, old purse and tossed it in the trash. Everything about the situation made perfect sense, the old purse was not in any kind of shape to be saved for another occasion, but it still seemed odd to toss, what from the outside still looked like a very usable bag, into a department store garbage can.

Needless to say she was quite content with her new purse and had accomplished her shopping goal since it was an either/or list for the purse and the sunglasses, and she was satisfied with the purse we picked up for her.

Now it was time to find what I was looking for. I found a few shops that had fedoras and other alternative style caps, but I could not find the style of newsboy cap that I was looking for. I had all but given up when we passed by a boutique style shop that caught my attention. I turned to Shannon and said “that is where I will find the hat I want.” I had asked the universe to find me a hat and I believed the answer to be in that shop.

We walked in and sure enough, on display, on the back wall of the shop, was the cap I had been picturing in my mind. It was the right style, the right design and everything! It was exactly what I wanted. I took it off the display, placed it on my head, caught my reflection in the mirror and it felt right. All I needed from that point was a price that fit my budget and it was a done deal. I took a hesitant and nervous glance at the tag and…..it was exactly what I was looking to spend. How awesome is that!! Everything about the situation was happening exactly as I had hoped….right up until I paid for the hat.

I asked the shop owner if they had any other sizes and she said that was the only one left. That was ok with me, it fit quite nicely I thought, but I had not had any other sizes to compare it to. It was not until Shannon mentioned that she figured it would look better once I grew my hair out a bit longer, that any form of doubt started to creep into my mind.

As we left the shop I put my old cap into the bag and the new cap on my head. I wanted to show off my new purchase just like my wife was doing with her purse. We did one lap around the block of food carts before I started to feel like the hat was too tight. I didn’t want to admit it to myself considering what I good story I had to tell about how I found the perfect hat, but how perfect is it if you get a headache every time you wear it.

So no longer than 10 minutes after I bought what seemed to be the cap I was destined to have, I returned that same cap to a very confused shop owner who didn’t seem to understand what could have happened in a period of 10 minutes to make me change my mind. I did my best to explain that if it is tight now how will it be when my hair is long again, but I she still didn’t seem pleased about the whole thing. Oh well, she did the exchange and that is all that really matters J.

What is the lesson that I learned from this experience? Next time I ask the universe for a favor I will remember to specify what size I need J.

Shannon and I were all shopped out at that point, so we shifted our attention to finding a way to satisfy our rumbley tummies. It was time to take a second lap around the food trucks!

There were so many options, so many choices, so many different types of food. How can you make the right choice and avoid food regret (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCWJk-mosz4)!! After more than a little humming and hawing we had made our decisions. Shannon being a sucker for dumplings went with Dump Truck’s unique take on the Chinese staple (http://www.dumptruckpdx.com/). I, on the other hand, being a sucker for noodles went with the classic, and economic, Pad Thai from the E-San food truck (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/e-san-thai-food-cart-portland).

While we waited for the Pad Thai to be served we munched on the dumplings together. While we were doings this we were approached by an older gentleman that we assume was trying to ask for money but we could not really understand what he was actually saying. He then proceeded to reach out his hand, looking for me to shake it. Funny thing is that you are conditioned from a young age to always shake someone’s hand when they extend it to you. This being the case, even though one of my hands was holding the tray of dumplings and the other was holding chopsticks, I struggled to get my hand free to engage in the handshake.

As Shannon saw me struggle and almost drop our food on the ground, she came to my defence by telling the guy we don’t have any money to give him and to please let us eat in peace. Initially it seemed a bit harsh but he really was making a nuisance of himself and it would have been super aggravating if we had dropped our food because I went to shake the hand of a panhandler who would have asked for money that we didn’t have to give. We do well to compliment each other and help each other in situations where we could use some support J.

The rest of our meal was uneventful apart from what was happening in our mouths J. It was a taste explosion!! I cannot go as far as saying that it was the best Pad Thai I have ever had, but it was a great choice at the time, and it was enjoyed to the fullest by the two of us that were indulging.

A quick glance down at the watch and we knew it was time to get going. We had friends that we needed to meet at the destination for the next leg of our Adventure. It was time to reunite with Edgefield for the second time! 

Let the Madness Begin!!

On this particular trip Shannon and I got an early start. We decided that we since we were both able to get the time off, that we leave on Friday morning to start our journey instead of the usual Friday after work.

This was a great way to go about it!! But I guess there are few people in this world that would prefer to work rather than go on vacation. Sure there are people that think that they should be working rather than taking vacation, but I would argue that is not because they enjoy it more, but rather a feeling of obligation or of necessity. I have met few others than my Father that would rather work than go on vacation and that is not a feeling that we share.

Needless to say there was no arm twisting involved in getting me to agree to take the Friday off. I know that it was not a popular decision since it was right in the middle of campaign time at my office, but I had made the plans for the trip a year in advance and months before I even started working the new job that I am working now. So I thought that was enough of a reason to not really care too much about how people felt about me not being present for that week’s campaign meeting J.

Leaving Friday morning was a pleasant change from the ordinary. It allowed us to treat Thursday evening like the beginning of the weekend. In our household, this means staying up a little bit later, snacking a little bit more, and sometimes even including a night cap or two since we would be able to sleep in slightly more than we usually would on a Friday morning. It sounds great and it was great!

After a relaxing and rejuvenating Thursday evening we woke up on our own without the usual help we get from our alarm clock. Not to say that I have any issues with our alarm clock, because as far as alarm clocks go, I think we have found a great compromise (http://www.philips.ca/c-m-li/light-therapy). It wakes us up on time like it should, but it does not do so by using the same scaring techniques used in horror films. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer not to be woken by a simulation of an air raid siren that has me diving under my bed seeking protection!

This year we woke up at a decent time and we got ourselves collected and ready to go in record time….well at least record time in relation to how things went down on our last trip. We had a quick but adequate breakfast, enough to get us going and then we were on our way. Shannon also insisted that she be the one to drive on this occasion as a birthday gift to me. This was a lovely surprise! It is rare that I ever get the chance to be a passenger on a road trip and honestly I wasn’t quite sure about it.

I didn’t know how I was going to occupy my time just sitting there for a 6 hour drive. It didn’t take long for me to make the adjustment from driver to passenger and I have to say, it’s a welcome change to hand over the reins of the chariot every once in awhile. Thanks again Shannon for being my chauffeur!!

The trip went as smooth as we hoped it would. Traffic was a breeze since we had a head start on all of the other travelers the might have had their eye on getting into the States later that day. There were limited slow-downs in Seattle and Tacoma…much better than last year once again. The 6 hours went by very quickly.

One thing that I would recommend for any road trip is getting your mitts on some new music before you embark on the journey. It takes your mind off the other aspects of the trip that might usually get your attention when you are listening to the same music that you have been listening to in the car that you have been for the past year.

Another tip for long road trips and what you play on the radio, try new things that are not necessarily music. We have tried audiobooks in the past and that was very successful. You get so wrapped up in the book and what is going to happen next that the hours of the trip just seem to melt away.

Something that was suggested to me by my younger sister, who also road trips on a regular basis, was to listen to comedy acts. This was a brilliant idea! Shannon and I downloaded the new Louis C.K. stand up and loved it! He had us smiling and laughing for an hour straight. It is quite difficult to get aggravated in traffic when you are hearing the comic genius that is Louis C.K. I cannot believe that I have not thought of this before! All I can say is try it!

During our trip we encountered a déjà vu scenario. We must have had close to the same amount of gas in our tank at the beginning of this trip as we did the last time we went to Portland just a couple months back, because we engaged in the same “how long can we go on one tank of gas” game and we ended up pulling off at the same exit as we did on our last trip.

We rolled up to the exact same gas station as we did the trip before. The same gas station that Shannon left her only pair of flip flop sandals outside the car as we pulled away to drive the last leg of the trip. All of this was completely unplanned but strangely amusing. Shannon even went to see if they had a “Lost and Found” to see if she could recover her long lost sandals. She did this not because they were particularly special, but rather as a “wouldn’t that be crazy if they were still there” exercise.

Unfortunately they were not there waiting for us to come and save them. Though the woman behind the till was wearing a pair that looked very familiar…..I joke, I was not even in there to see. The experience allowed us to get the gas we need to finish the drive and the closure needed in the lost sandal saga. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors cheap and well used Old Navy flip flops!!

With the chance of running out of fuel no longer an obstacle we were back on the road and headed to our sleep quarters for the night. We decided to spend the first night in downtown Portland since none of our friends were going to arrive until noon the next day. So Shannon found us an eccentric, reasonably priced place in the industrial area of downtown Portland. I was happy to experience yet another McMenamin’s hotel, this one called White Eagle Saloon and Hotel (http://www.mcmenamins.com/WhiteEagle) at least until she did some further research and found out it was haunted.

I am going back a little bit in our timeline because this was something that I had forgot to mention.

During our enjoyable, relaxing evening that we spent enjoying our time together and getting excited about our trip, Shannon started to look further into our first night accommodations and found out it had a haunted past. This was not something that I took well initially. Why would I willing spend a night in a place that I know has ghosts? I don’t know a whole lot about ghosts but from what I know most people’s experiences with them are not overly positive. They involve being scared and creeped out and in some cases being sexually assaulted (http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/Ghosts_Demons/ghostspictures/sexualmolestation1). None of these are situations that I would knowingly put myself in the position to experience.

This being the case, my first reaction was to ask Shannon to cancel our reservations and book us a new spot. She responded by saying that it’s too short notice and that we wouldn’t be able to find any other place that was so reasonably priced in that area…..I wonder why they are so much cheaper than everywhere else lol?

My second reaction was to take a deep breath and come to grips with the fact that we are going into ghost territory, and I decided that I was not going to be scared, because, I mean, hey are you really going to be that surprised to see a ghost if you were told before hand that they might be stopping by? I was now more excited than nervous, and I was ready to see some crazy stuff and have more exciting stories to write about on my blog J.

So back to our trip, we made it from the gas station to the hotel with little incident and we checked in, and even lucked out and found a place to park in the busy lot… and we didn’t even have to pay. Score!

I have once again run out of time so I will save the rest of the story for another time. Hope you enjoyed it up to this point and I hope I have you interested enough to come back and hear the rest of it at a later date!