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toosutoOur train boarded just shortly after 2 am on Friday, Aug. 19. We were tired, worn out and ready to go back to bed. Thankfully they were turned down and waiting for us. Rona didn't really get to sleep until a good hour after we left (it took me at least a half-hour myself). The view out of the car was beautiful as we pulled out of the city, the late night lights and then the moon over the hillside.
About 20 minutes outside of Vancouver we came up behind (in front of? I'm not sure) a Burlington Northern train that because of one of it's cars was reduced to "walking speed." We took an extra hour and a half to move out of the way and wait for the tracks to be cleared to we could continue on to Portland (only a half hour away once we started moving again. We almost could have walked.
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portlandpiglet picked us up from the train station and took us to meet gin314 at their local greeasy spoon hangout for some much needed lunch (the dining car had gone to Seattle when they slit the train in Spokane and the lounge car had stopped selling food for "inventory accounting" purposes before we were delayed). After a lovely meal and chat gin314 took us to the hotel to check in. That's when we discovered the Red Hats and their "funvention." Hundreds of older ladies everywhere decked out in red and purple. The horror, the horror.
We lugged all our stuff to the front desk to get in line behind all the RHs. Me with the baby and the back pack and multiple suitcases andsecret_hippie with bags suitcases etc. Just as it is finally our turn to check in a gaggle of old biddies jumps the queue and we have to wait while the 3-5 of them bogart our concierge! Eventually we got checked in and attemped to find space on the elevator. Still no respect from the old ladies. They jump into elevators like piranha jumping on a piece of meat. Eventually we manage to get into an elevator with a number of other non-RHs that were also politely trying to get upstairs. The doors have issues closing for some reason and once we finally get the damn things to start to close a couple of RHs catch the door and just about start throwing elbows to get on to our tightly packed elevator. Upstairs I declare that "no little biddy is getting between me and a piece of sausage" tomorrow at breakfast. We decide to order breakfast in our room. Friday night ends on a low-key note, we nap, we eat and make our official plans™ for the zoo the next day. I also daydream about how many Red Hats I can take out before they take me down.
Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast (Rona didn't get up until our food arrivedaround 7:10 or so. She especially liked being able to crawl back and forth across the bed to get whatever she wanted for breakfast from us. Apparently a number of our Portland friends had been out and had no inclination to ride the MAX with us.portlandpiglet met us in the lobby and we headed over to the MAX stop a half-block from the hotel. We hung out and made jokes at the expense of the old ladies back at the hotel.
The zoo was a quick 20-25 minute ride where we met up with the rest of our party. We got all ticketed and in the zoo by 9:30 am. Here are a few pictorial highlights from the zoo (more photos in my photostream):
Bats!
Giraffes! What looks like their knees is really their wrist and elbows! Crazy!
Babies!
Riding Hippos!
Lemurs!
Monkeys!
After we left the zoosecret_hippie, Rona, portlandpiglet and I caught the MAX back to the hotel. We were meeting Sara's high school friend and mother for lunch and Rona had only slept for about 40 minutes at the zoo. She was going to need a much better nap.
I have no pictures from dinner on Saturday. I was too busy just having a good time. In addition to Ginnie, Beth, Chris and Kira, Jason and Laura Baca (nee DeGeer) joined us with their son Gavin who is a total cutie. We had well cooked chicken (it was FINE don't worry over it any more OK Gin?) We hung out.portlandpiglet and Chris wrote a song for Rona. All of a sudden it was nine o'clock and time to turn into pumpkins. We hitched a ride back to the hotel. Sara and Rona took a quick swim and then we crashed.
The real shame of the Portland trip was the complete disinterest in Rona. I mean no one really seemed to even notice her.
We all went to this nightclub slash diner that had some fine fine food in the morning. Monsiuer Kristan was a bit late but we were glad to see him none the less. After breakfast we wandered our seperate ways. Chris had call for his outdoor Shakespeare and Sara and I hadn't yet been to Powell's. We managed to show restraint while we were there and only got a book apiece and five for Rona (including Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb which I had completely forgotten about. We stopped off at Mio Gelato and had ice creamy-like goodness. From there is was pretty much prep to leave town. We shopped for dinner for the train and wen to the Station.
We all hung out until we had to board. They were re-launching the Empire Builder and so there was free cake and old timey music with a banjo and a tuba. These are my favorite pictures from the whole trip because I love candid portraiture (there are more in my photostream).
Too many huge cuts? Here is is Princess Bride Style:
"Lemme 'splain. (pause.) No there is too much lemme sum up: we had a fantastic time visiting and were very sorry we had to leave.
About 20 minutes outside of Vancouver we came up behind (in front of? I'm not sure) a Burlington Northern train that because of one of it's cars was reduced to "walking speed." We took an extra hour and a half to move out of the way and wait for the tracks to be cleared to we could continue on to Portland (only a half hour away once we started moving again. We almost could have walked.
portlandpiglet picked us up from the train station and took us to meet gin314 at their local greeasy spoon hangout for some much needed lunch (the dining car had gone to Seattle when they slit the train in Spokane and the lounge car had stopped selling food for "inventory accounting" purposes before we were delayed). After a lovely meal and chat gin314 took us to the hotel to check in. That's when we discovered the Red Hats and their "funvention." Hundreds of older ladies everywhere decked out in red and purple. The horror, the horror.We lugged all our stuff to the front desk to get in line behind all the RHs. Me with the baby and the back pack and multiple suitcases and
secret_hippie with bags suitcases etc. Just as it is finally our turn to check in a gaggle of old biddies jumps the queue and we have to wait while the 3-5 of them bogart our concierge! Eventually we got checked in and attemped to find space on the elevator. Still no respect from the old ladies. They jump into elevators like piranha jumping on a piece of meat. Eventually we manage to get into an elevator with a number of other non-RHs that were also politely trying to get upstairs. The doors have issues closing for some reason and once we finally get the damn things to start to close a couple of RHs catch the door and just about start throwing elbows to get on to our tightly packed elevator. Upstairs I declare that "no little biddy is getting between me and a piece of sausage" tomorrow at breakfast. We decide to order breakfast in our room. Friday night ends on a low-key note, we nap, we eat and make our official plans™ for the zoo the next day. I also daydream about how many Red Hats I can take out before they take me down.Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast (Rona didn't get up until our food arrivedaround 7:10 or so. She especially liked being able to crawl back and forth across the bed to get whatever she wanted for breakfast from us. Apparently a number of our Portland friends had been out and had no inclination to ride the MAX with us.
portlandpiglet met us in the lobby and we headed over to the MAX stop a half-block from the hotel. We hung out and made jokes at the expense of the old ladies back at the hotel.The zoo was a quick 20-25 minute ride where we met up with the rest of our party. We got all ticketed and in the zoo by 9:30 am. Here are a few pictorial highlights from the zoo (more photos in my photostream):
Bats!
Giraffes! What looks like their knees is really their wrist and elbows! Crazy!
Babies!
Riding Hippos!
Lemurs!
Monkeys!
After we left the zoo
secret_hippie, Rona, portlandpiglet and I caught the MAX back to the hotel. We were meeting Sara's high school friend and mother for lunch and Rona had only slept for about 40 minutes at the zoo. She was going to need a much better nap.I have no pictures from dinner on Saturday. I was too busy just having a good time. In addition to Ginnie, Beth, Chris and Kira, Jason and Laura Baca (nee DeGeer) joined us with their son Gavin who is a total cutie. We had well cooked chicken (it was FINE don't worry over it any more OK Gin?) We hung out.
portlandpiglet and Chris wrote a song for Rona. All of a sudden it was nine o'clock and time to turn into pumpkins. We hitched a ride back to the hotel. Sara and Rona took a quick swim and then we crashed.The real shame of the Portland trip was the complete disinterest in Rona. I mean no one really seemed to even notice her.
We all went to this nightclub slash diner that had some fine fine food in the morning. Monsiuer Kristan was a bit late but we were glad to see him none the less. After breakfast we wandered our seperate ways. Chris had call for his outdoor Shakespeare and Sara and I hadn't yet been to Powell's. We managed to show restraint while we were there and only got a book apiece and five for Rona (including Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb which I had completely forgotten about. We stopped off at Mio Gelato and had ice creamy-like goodness. From there is was pretty much prep to leave town. We shopped for dinner for the train and wen to the Station.
We all hung out until we had to board. They were re-launching the Empire Builder and so there was free cake and old timey music with a banjo and a tuba. These are my favorite pictures from the whole trip because I love candid portraiture (there are more in my photostream).
Too many huge cuts? Here is is Princess Bride Style:
"Lemme 'splain. (pause.) No there is too much lemme sum up: we had a fantastic time visiting and were very sorry we had to leave.