Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Pacific Northwest Trip 2017 Day 6 Friday July 21: Portland, Gresham, Boring, Sandy

UPDATED: February 12, 2021

This is the 6th of a series of posts dealing with my 2017 trip to Portland, Seattle, and vicinity. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of two years later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”.

I slept soundly for three hours until 12:40. I went to switch batters but noticed that two had been knocked off charger and I couldn't locate the charger with batter that was plugged in separately (someone had plugged something else in there). Then I noticed that my pillow had been knocked off my bed when I got up and  I didn't want to wake the guy below me. Front desk didn't have a spare pillow but I finally clued in that the person below me was outside the room so I managed to get the pillow back and later got some more sleep.

I woke up around 4:30 and soon after someone turned on the light to pack up and leave. I rested a bit more and then got up for the day myself. With the light on I found the missing charger and started charging that battery again.

I walked to McDonald's for breakfast. I considered having breakfast elsewhere but wanted a bit of light when I rode the train. So after McBreakfast I got a daypass and rode the Blue Line MAX train (with one exception all transportation today TriMet) to Gresham Central Station in Gresham. There an earlier 84 bus than I'd planned to take. I took it to an area south of Gresham that I don't think is technically in a municipality.

At this point I should mention that less than a week before my trip I spent $35 to get what I’d hoped were a better than usual pair of runners from Walmart and they started falling apart even before I left town. So bear that in mind below. I began a long trek that I would do once at the most if I didn't really like the destination, as it was lots of up and down hill into an area with no buses.

I finally made it to the core area of the town of Boring (surname of town founder; they're aware of the name's main meaning and have partnered with Dull Scotland). I took a picture of myself at SE Andy St, visited Green Food Mart, passed Boring Mini-Storage, the new Boring Brewing, Boring Square Garden Center, and,  across the street,  the Not So Boring Bar & Grill. I got a soft drink from Boring Shell. Since I had an itch to scratch I decided to walk to Boring Industrial, further west than anything else. Unfortunately the sign at the turn off was faded. I did however walk to nearby Damascus very briefly before re-entering Boring. I then ran downhill and eventually made it to my favourite place in Boring: Boring Middle School.  I took photos of myself there.

I visited Boring Station Trailhead Park and McCall's store. Before heading out I revisited Green Food Mart and Boring Middle School. Lots of amusing signs in Boring of course. Heading east I passed the Boring Postal district. Unfortunately the Boring fire District was now Clackamas Fire District, so the tower and vans no longer proudly proclaim Boring Fire (the tower might have said something similar but the vans said that in 2015). In smaller letters both sides of a sign do however say Boring Community Fire District.  I passed Boring Bark & Landscaping as a Boring Bark truck was leaving. Some signs say Boring  Oregon City.  Having been to Oregon City in 2015 I quite agree.

Time for another long trek, leading south, mostly all downtown. I  made it to Sandy where I visited a Dollar Tree and then got a large $1 pop from McDonald's I then got some DVDs from Blockbuster Video, hence my not so subtle remarks a couple days ago. When the core business folded there were 50 left because the owners licensed the Blockbuster named but they weren't  owned by them. According to a Blockbuster tracking site there are 10 left: 6 in Alaska, 3 in Oregon, 1 in Texas. I did a brief bit of exploring of Sandy, passing AntFarm Café, Sandy Chain Saw(!), and Sandy Bicycle. I visited the Visitor's Info Center then passed Sandy Liquor before getting a SAM/Sandy Area Metro bus, which doesn't stop in Boring, back to Gresham.

[NOW: The Sandy branch of Blockbuster is now closed. Only only is left in the world, in Bend, Oregon.]

I got some DVDs from CD/Game Exchange, took a Blue MAX train from Cleveland MAX Station to Gresham city Hall Station.  At Big Kmart I got some more DVD sets. Returning to the latter station I got off at Beaverton Central Station ion Beaverton; places visited Things from Another World before lunch  at McDonald's which was being renovated in 2015. I prefer the old look. I visited Powell's Books, got a DVD at Everyday Music,  then happened upon a 62 bus to Kmart. This Kmart (unlike the others I visited this trip lacking the Big Kmart designation) has horrible Yelp reviews. I found some DVDs and did find it odd that the cashier has to set the debit/credit machine to closed between customers, but no problem  buying the DVDs. I walked to Millikan Way MAX Station and took a Blue MAX train to Pioneer Square North station. At TriMet Visitor Info got some bus schedules. I would have been behind schedule but had done the Milwaukie part of the day Tuesday so was ahead.
 
[NOW: CD/Game Exchange, both Kmarts, and that Everyday Music have closed.]

I took a Red Line MAX train to a park across from Lloyd Center. At the center I visited Barnes & Nobles and saw the new version of the center’s ice rink; smaller and rounder. I visited Suncoast Motion Picture Company and got some DVDs. As it's owned by f.y.e. it's essentially the same store. I passed the milk company with the giant rotating cartoon on the roof and made it to east Portland's Everyday Music. I then walked to the comic shop Future Dreams. There were multiple places to enter to get to the store. Since the owner was an older guy I told him to his amusement it reminded me of the opening to Get Smart.

[NOW: The park is Holladay Park. The giant rotating milk carton was at Sunshine Milk, now closed.]

I walked west and crossed the Burnside Bridge across the Willamette River. I then walked to Bill Naito Legacy fountain and then worked my way to Salmon street Springs. Being a really hot day I walked into the water jets and cooled off. I rested a while and then walked to Mill Ends Park, then Director's Park. I had dinner at Pieology, another “build your pizza” place. It was the first time I tried cranberries on a pizza; not bad. I took a Blue Link Max train to near the hostel. I found that the one battery had been knocked off the charger but it seems to have been mostly charged. 
 
[NOW: That Pieology has closed.]

This concludes Oregon except for Portland, which I still have lots to explore and I think I've covered all the Kmarts I plan to.

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