A Very Special New Year…in Portland with Elysa & Dan!
Susan & Ron flew in from Memphis, Tina & Paul with Marj & Ellis took the train from Los Angeles for a glorious several days of fun and celebration!
The following pix are of the overnight train trip [the “Coast Starlight”] out of Van Nuys on 28 Dec to Portland…a thirty-hour sojourn through some of the most spectacular country and scenery.
After a night’s sleep in our “Roomette” compartments, We arrived Portland (a mere 4 hours late) the afternoon of the 29th; picked up our rental car and drove to the suburb of Beaverton where we had reservations at the Marriott Courtyard near the home of Elysa and Dan.
In the morning, Susan, Ron, Elysa and Dan joined us for breakfast.
The shot below is of Mt. Hood which is viewed just outside Elysa and Dan’s great condo in Beaverton
On Saturday night, the 30th, we dined at the Wildwood restaurant in Portland…a festive evening.
Next morning, we walked along the Willamette River front. Portland is a marvelous town that clearly expresses a love of nature and beauty. People are out-of-doors jogging, bicycling, exercising, etc. The architecture is eclectic and exciting. The streets are clean; the shopping is fun…including a tour of one of the largest book stores in the U.S.: Powell’s. At the end of these “stills”, click on the video to see a startling sight of geese overhead!
New Year’s Eve !! Elysa & Dan host their family for celebrating the Old Year out and the New Year in!
So, on New Year’s Day 07, we went looking for a Mexican Restaurant to enjoy…and here’s what we found…
The trip home was also spectacular. We were able to see scenes that, on the outbound trip, had been traversed in the dark. One of the most memorable segments of the return trip was through the mountains as we approached San Luis Obispo. In some places the train wound around on itself in a 180 degree turn…a special treat was seeing Bonnie and Harold awaiting us as we briefly stepped out of the car at SLO.
All in all…it was a fantastic happening…being with our family on the New Year and, particularly, visiting with Dan and Elysa in their warm and inviting home. It was surely a Happy New Year!!