Arrival in Portland.
Day 9
In my opinion I stepped into Portland Oregon with a need to locate WiFi first and the need for a shower second though it was probably the other way round if you were to ask anyone else. The train ride was good, the staff and fellow passengers were friendly, the food decent and the views spectacular but sitting for 44 hours wasn't the best way to keep hygienic and it also stiffened the bones more than riding a bike all day so a nice refreshing shower would be very welcome. First point of call, Starbucks. I never thought it would happen but I now have a loyalty account. Please don’t judge me by this alone..... Portland in July is hot, a lot hotter than I expected. We were touching 90 on the dial in down town so not only was the free WiFi very welcome but also to get out the sun for a while. I purchased a coffee off a stunner off a girl. She was so pretty I also went back for a toastie then back for a bottle of water. I could have got them all in one go but that would have spoiled my fun. I think the old boy has still got it as she came and chatted when she was on her lunch break. She did make the school boy error though of asking where in Australia I was from. Still, I turned that negative into a positive with some witty banter and enjoyed the company for a while. Before I got into my emails I made a face time call to Cassie back home as the poor girl was worried sick seeing that I hadn't posted for two days. From now on I have been ordered to face time every three days or else!!!!. I feel like I am back sitting next to her being bullied. My email regarding a room request had been successful and I had the address of a house just out of the city centre. I'm loving my experience of warmshowers.org and strongly recommend it when travelling. I had a wander around down town and went to Powell’s book store. I have been in city libraries that are smaller than this store. If I didn't have travelling to do for the next 80 days then I think I could easily spend them in Powells.
Next stop was an 80’s & 90’s retro arcade with games like Pac-man, Donkey Kong and Yi-Ar-King Fu. If only they would have had Gauntlet then my day would have been complete. I have twice been told to go to a store called Voodoo Doughnuts, I was unable to find it this time but before I leave I will find if and sample it's wares.