Doing Oregon

Well, Howard went and did it again -- he travelled off to far-away lands in search of peak experiences. This time The Great State of Oregon was the destination -- or at least a significant portion of the state.

Along with Mrs. Howard, our three sons, a daughter-in-law and a middle son's girlfriend or--can I say?--significant other, we also spent a couple days touring with Mrs. Howard's sister and her family. Lots and lots of people. 10 of us when we were all together. Good thing Howard rented an SUV, though there will be karma to be paid later.

The itinerary was broadly conceived and expertly achieved. Portland, Salem, Eugene, Springfield, the Pacific coast including (chilled) swimming, sand castle building, kite flying, and a visit to a lighthouse, then an overnight excursion to Crater Lake, then a 2 1/2-hour bike ride through Eugene including a climb to Hendricks Park, followed by a guided tour of the Willamette Winery southeast of Salem.

And except for some tension as Howard attempted to advise his oldest son on automobile towing and repair options -- oh yeah, and when Howard tried to "educate" the same son on which routes to take on the bike ride though it was the son's hometown for the past two years -- other than all that, the trip was a total success. So successful that Mrs. Howard is now suffering from PVD -- post-vacation depression.

You can't ask any more from a trip. The best ones always leave you PVD'ed.

Howard will have much more to say soon on the subjects of biking the wondrous trails of Eugene, Crater Lake's stunningly blue beauty, Portland's stunningly awful drivers, and the unexpected merits of SUVs. Stay tuned...