Day 49 Albany, Oregon

Left Jon and Beth's yesterday morning for my next stop - only a half hour away Beth said. But my GPS led me into one of those traffic snarls that I get into in big cities, like Minneapolis and Vancouver. I just keep going in circles because of congestion and lots of traffic, a few one-way streets, and then throw in a detour and some road construction - you get the picture. At one point I nearly got in a queue for trucks to unload their container cargo. Had a fleeting image of my van being hoisted into the hold of some ship, but with quick thinking I backed into a bare spot before the next semi hemmed me in (I did get honked at this time). So after I have gone around and around a few times, I found a place to stop and tried to re-program the GPS around the trouble spot. It just didn't seem to have a clue. So I turned it off or ignored it and watched the traffic and took the first road that looked like it would be an exit. As I was going up the ramp I noticed I was going north when I meant to go south but I did not care as long as I got out of the maze. After a few miles I turned the GPS on again and we got re-routed and on our way. The upshot: it took me an hour to go 17 miles.

After my research was done in Tacoma, I headed for Forest Grove, west of Portland. I really did not want to drive in Portland in rush hour traffic but there seemed to be no good alternate route but to go to Portland and then west. I stopped in Longview, WA, for supper and it was dark by the time I got to Portland. I made the turn off the Portland loop and onto the west heading okay and then all I wanted was to stop driving. My intention had been to go to the Forest Reserve in Forest Grove, but I knew I would never find it in the dark, so I turned down a side road and just started looking for a place to park. I saw a sign for Verhoort and remembered seeing it on the map and turned in. Small little town. I parked across from the Catholic Church, well off the street. Flood lights in yards at either end of the block but no street lights shining on me. And lovely church bells to waken me - and the whole village - promptly at 7.

I was only 12 miles from Hillsboro Aviation, where I had a 9:30 appointment this morning with Amanda for a helicopter ride. I expected traffic to be bad at that hour but it wasn't and Hillsboro is well out on the west fringe of Portland, so I was early. Amanda is a helicopter instructor, with 900 hours flying time under her belt and looking for 1000 when she can then look for a job flying helicopters. She is a excellent instructor, talks all the while she is doing pre-flight checks, explains everything. We lifted off so easily it hardly seemed like any effort at all, went up about 600 feet and cleared the housing project so we could fly over farm land. She let me feel the controls a little, said all the quick turning, jerky helicopter movie stuff just was not possible. I can see why her students like her. Great gal! Great ride!

I'm about ready to make for the Oregon coast and spend a day or two traveling down the coast. Have some research in Coos Bay and will be heading for sister Martha's in Lemoille, NV by the weekend or before. My stop in California got cancelled which shortens my trip a couple hundred miles, which is probably a good thing.