To Portland and back...

On friday night I got home from work after only working half as long as usual. I found Jen still awake getting ready for the trip, and no sign of M., who was supposed to spend the night. It wasn't until after I had gone to bed (for once earlier than Jen) that M. trudged in. He had fallen victim to our poor public transportation system, and had walked for three and a half hours from the nearest train station. His feet were sore. In due time we were all asleep.
In the morning we left the three older kids in the able care of Unka Jay and piled ourselves, Willow, and our belongings into the van. An hour later we arrived at G's in Berkeley to pick up G. and Steve. It was about eleven O'clock. We had decided to take the scenic route, so we crossed the Richmond/San Rafael bridge and headed north on 101. The buildings gave way to fields and farmland. We passed hills dotted with oak trees and cows. None of the cows waved. Our first minor setback came when we tried to take 128 to cut over to Highway One. The entrance was blocked off by police. We traveled further north and took 253 instead. Heading westward, we passed into and under the redwoods, which Steve had never seen before. He was beginning to wonder what California didn't have. We all thought for a moment, and more or less simultaneously arrived at "space and low prices." It was also pointed out that California is home to a lot of less than pleasant people, but I guess that could apply to anywhere. It is hard to think of the down sides of living here when you are floating along under the redwoods.
Soon we arrived at Highway One, and turned northwards, marvelling at the sea mists and isolated beauty of our surroundings. We began to feel the need for sustenance (other than the trail mix we had been voraciously consuming) and a bathroom break, so we pulled into the parking lot of a little market/gas station on the seaward side of the highway. They didn't have a bathroom. Steve headed for the field, and the rest of us gradually wandered inside to check out what kind of food was to be had. We found a lovely selection of sandwiches and coffees which would have been right at home in a college town, but seemed a bit out of the ordinary for a little seaside market on an out-of-the-way section of coast. As we started ordering, Steve rushed in and calmly told us that the field was full of all sorts of snakes. We forgot our orders and rushed out to see for ourselves. He had indeed seen snakes, and soon all of us but Jen and Willow were rushing around after them. In the end we caught five, and missed two. We also missed a good sized Alligator lizard. It was harder to catch each additional snake because the ones already in our hands were demanding attention. They all proved to be Garter snakes, but from Steve's description of one he'd seen initially, I think there may have been Western Racers about. It was a great deal of fun, and an uncommon experience for Steve, who currently resides in a snakeless country.
We moved on, and slowly wound our way inland. The next stop was at the junction of One and 101 where the Chandelier Tree grows. Once upon a time, somebody carved a tunnel through it and now people pay three dollars to drive their cars under it. We were no exception. We dawdled a bit and then hit the road, realizing that we had a long way to go. It grew dark as we shot northward. At one point we saw a coyote dash across the road. At another we interrupted a pair of crows as they pulled at a bit of roadkill. Inside the van a rather eclectic succession of cds followed each other through the cd player. We stopped in Crescent City for dinner, which was filling but unremarkable. The main selling point was the coffee, which I needed in order to finish the drive. We left Highway 101 soon after that, and headed for Grant's Pass on 199, which we arrived at around midnight. Then we whipped northward on I-5 for another five hours or so, and arrived in Portland just as it was starting to get light. We flubbed the directions and circled around a bit down the confusingly laid out city before finally finding the hotel, which had been booked in advance by the as yet unmet people who run Beta-lactam Ring (the label that Steve's new record is on). In the room, we discovered that they had thoughtfully provided us with trail mix and cookies, as well as bottled water and beer. There were copies of the new record and cd on one of the tables. Also on hand were a couple of t-shirts and limited edition prints to go along with the record. These were the things that would be on hand at the record release party the next day, at which Steve was to be the main attraction. We smiled and crawled into bed. Jen and I curled up on either side of Willow, and soon all was quiet, except for some snoring.

It's late, so I'll continue this tomorrow.

cds I listened to while getting back to the old grind: Cronos "Venom", Vintersorg "Till Fjalls", "Odemarkens Son", and "Hedniskhjartad", Mother Destruction/Sixth Comm "Fruits of Yggdrasil", Antony and the Johnsons "live at Cafe Du Nord, November 1st, 2002", Six Comm "Turn of the Wheel", and The Gathering "Souvenirs"