Portland bound

We're off to Portland, possibly our last flight on Northworst Airlines before its absorbed by Delta, to visit No1 Son as he goes about the business of setting up his own business. Portland Design Works is set to begin selling commuter bike accessories, anything that will make it more comfortable, safer, easier, or more efficient to use your bike to get from point A to point B, sometime this spring. He and his lady friend will be taking time from their busy schedules to hang with the old man and the VOR for a long weekend. The only firm plan is a trip to the Oregon coast to check out the Cannon Beach area. As much as I'd like to take a paddle in the Pacific again, I don't think time will permit on this short trip. One thing is a given however, and that is my goal to take as large of a slice out of the Portland craft beer scene as time and brain cell availability allows.

My first trip to Portland was on business about 15 years ago. I am in the habit of not booking lodging ahead of time because I never know if I might run into something more interesting than the usually bland spot the company would normally reserve. That trip I ran into something called the Portland Rose Festival. I had no idea that there was a rose event that was not held on New Years Day and featured no football game. The bad news was there was no room at the inn anywhere in Portland. The really good news was that I was directed out of town and up the Columbia gorge to a new lodging called McMenamin's Edgefield. It had been the county poor farm and then the county home before closing in 1982. The McMenamin company opened it as a B&B that featured......drum roll.......a craft brewery and bar. So once again procrastination had taken me from the mundane blandness of a Holiday Inn or Ramada to the funky and eclectic wonder of a room at the brewery. I was so impressed that I returned a year later with my former spouse and the WoodenOne. Northworst once again managed to botch the flight and the WoodenOne ended up joining us via Seattle and Alaska Air. We had all boarded in Minneapolis and the gate agent came rushing down the jetway to inform us that he had boarded one too many passengers. FormerSpouse was the only passenger not seated, looking like a cross between a deer in the headlights and the loser in a game of musical chairs. The WoodenOne gallantly volunteered to be redirected. After getting to Edgefield in a rather surly mood the ambiance and 24 tap handles of the onsite pub managed to restore our equilibrium.

I'm not sure what the trip will bring but thats the great part. Planning is vastly overrated in a trip of this nature and we hope to drift from place to place taking our own sweet time. I can only hope the travel is lubricated with some fine craft brewed beer. I understand a person can even find some real ale taps in the Portland area. You don't need a plan but its great to have a goal.