Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 4 Wednesday July 15: Portland, Beaverton, Wilsonville, Salem, Keizer

LAST UPDATED: December 20, 2025

This is the 4^th of a series of posts dealing with my 2015 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”.

Sorry again about typos; Sleep deprived and ton of ground to cover.

[NOW: Typos hopefully all corrected for the blog version].

At two for some reason my body decided it didn't want any more sleep. I tried to fight it but gave up around 4:30. I think my body was reacting to the last trip to Salem where I couldn't get a window seat so it woke me early to get me on an earlier bus.

I walked downtown to kill time. I got a daypass at Pioneer Square North Station and took a Blue MAX train (TriMet) to Beaverton Transit Center Station in Beaverton, hoping to catch a 5:30 train to Wilsonville. There was no such train so I wandered around the area a little and then took a 5:58 WES tain (TriMet) to Wilsonville WES Station and dashed to the 1x bus at Wilsonville Transit Center (all buses to/from within Salem and Keizer, Cherriots Transit). The 1x only had a couple windows seats left, one on each side but one was one I might have chosen anyway if the bus was empty, so that was lucky.

I took this 1x bus to the McDonald's in Salem near the Capitol.  I ate breakfast at this McDonald’s and then walked to the capitol, where the fountains weren't yet on. I walked to the downtown core where I noticed that the Downtown Transit Center had undergone a mostly nice overhaul, with all the buses in rows together instead of around the block. I bought a daypass. I say mostly above though because I was waiting to use the bathroom, but there were two people before me. When the first left the second reacted so badly to some mess, I decided to move on.

[NOW: The fountains are actually at Oregon State Capitol State Park, very close to the capitol].

It was still early so I crossed a bridge to West Salem, part of Salem but in a different county. Around this time I noticed my memory card was getting down. I started to wonder if these really do hold 128 GB. I visited Wallace Waterfront part and found the empty space that had been Blockbuster before Blockbuster went under. Or did it?  Hmm...

[NOW: See day 5 for my tease. I later determined that I was indeed taking enough photos to fill 128 GB fairly quickly. The bridge I took over was Center St Bridge].

I crossed the same pedestrian / bike bridge that I had entered West Salem in 2013 back to the east end of Salem (Union Bridge). Some outdoor market was setting up. I visited Book Bin. No DVDs there this time around but there was a napping cat. At downtown Transit Center I took a 17 bus east to Lancaster, visited the more spacious Book Bin East (they had a hardcover telling of the bible using photos of Lego pieces that I might have bought had I not bought so many DVDs). I also visited a f.y.e. (for your entertainment) and took an 11 bus north to Keizer Station in Keizer (most people got off at a college along the way).  There was a wait before my next bus and tried to find the Target in the Keizer Plaza  across the street but wherever it was, it wasn't as close as it appeared given the sign, so I returned to Keizer Station. One place in 2013 wasn't open at opening time so I was going to go there after a further place but decided to take them in order. So I took a 189 to a stop by a DQ, recalling from my research that there was a stop near my first destination in this area. Luckily it was the right DQ and my destination, Tony's Kingdom of Comics opened as I arrived. A dog there was friendly until i took its photo and then it didn't like me anymore. I got a seltzer at Rite aid and walked to Mr Video where I bought more DVDs. I took a 19 south back into Salem at the Downtown Transit Center and transferred to a southbound 6 bus.

[NOW: The bridge back was Union St Bridge. The college was Chemeketa Community College in Hayesville. Book Bin East and Portland's f.y.e. closed. Both Tony’s and Mr Video, while still in Keizer, moved further south before also closing.]

I overshot a stop because Cherriots uses Google maps and Google gave the wrong name for the stop, so I doubled back and found that Comic Connection was gone. I ate at the McDonald's in the area and then took a 1 bus (not to be confused with the 1x bus) north to a few blocks from Escape Fiction. My next destination was a fair ways away but downhill and no bus coming immediately, so I decided to jog eighteen blocks to the Paperback Exchange and from there Harvest Music, which was a tight squeeze inside. Also the prices were okay by regular standards but high with the dollar difference. Returning to the downtown core I visited Northwest Comic Gallery and Borderland Games.  I had forgotten to put Book Cellar but on the list after a hard drive crash in 2014, but remembered it anyway.

[NOW: Paperback Exchange, Harvest Music, Northwest Comic Gallery, Borderland Games, and Book Cellar have all since closed down.]

I returned to the Capitol where the fountains were on, but a group of teens asked me what I thought happened after you die (class project). I was spooked because they sneaked up on me, I was hot, and I was in the mood to enjoy my vacation not dwell on mortality so I declined to answer. Another group started to ask me soon after. I moved to the second set of fountains and set down.  A third group started to ask me. I took more photos as I started to leave and a fourth group came up to me. I started getting testy in my response, suggesting that the groups not all cover the same ground at once. I moved to a third set of fountains a little off to the side where a fifth group approached me. I got even more surly and repeated by earlier comment.

I visited Waterfront Park, switching memory cards as a steamboat arrived (too pricey and too cutting it close timewise to go on the boat). I was looked for a store I saw earlier and stopped at Rite Aid, where I got a lime seltzer. I passed through Salem Center, which I had passed through earlier looking for a restroom. 

I wandered around some more looking for the store and a sixth group approached me. By this time the seltzer had cooled me off and this group was at least in another area, so when they asked me, I playfully speculated with a smile that when we die we go to some purgatory where different groups ask us the same question over and over. That settled that matter and I headed to the Downtown Transit Center, ironically around there finding the store I had been looking for, Ranch Records. I crossed the street to the transit center and, after a short walk around took the 1x bus back to Wilsonville. The bus was hot and packed so my mind started entering a dream state and I kept having to wake myself to get photos. At Wilsonville Transit Center I walked to Wilsonville WES Station. 

 

[NOW: Ranch Records has closed.]

The WES train (TriMet) was air-conditioned and spacious so I had no Trouble staying awake on the trip back to Beaverton WES Station at Beaverton Transit Center. I took a Red MAX train (TriMet) downtown and had dinner at Sbarro (sic) at Pioneer Place. I visited Mill Ends Park, Salmon Street Springs (this time the water was shooting to the center, creating a half dome effect). I wandered around downtown and saw art pieces such as a nude woman in cloak statue (someone had stuck gum on a nipple), animal fountains, a giant egg beater, the elephants from before on the north end, etc). I visited Powell's and Everyday Music again before returning to the hostel.

[NOW: Sbarro has closed. The nude woman statue is Kvinneakt, the animal fountains are Animals in Pools fountain, what I referred to as a giant egg beater is probably Whistlestop for an Organ Teacher but not sure, the elephants statue is Da Tung & Xi'an Bao Bao in North Park Blocks.]

Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 3 Tuesday July 14: Olympia to Portland, Plus Vancouver WA

LAST UPDATED: December 20, 2025

This is the 3^rd of a series of posts dealing with my 2015 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 turned in before 9 because I was seriously sleep deprived from the night before. Some sounds in the night but overall I managed to get caught up on sleep.

This morning I left at 5:10 am and wandered to the Capitol, then to Capitol Lake. I crossed a bridge to the west side and then another to the east to get some waterfront area photos. I wandered downtown some more. I one section the west-east streetlights were off and the north-south ones were blinking. I walked back to the hostel, passing Sylvester Park along the way. Soon breakfast, maybe another short walk, then to the first of the two larger sections of the trip. Have a great day everyone!

[NOW: The above was written in the morning. The rest was written in the evening. The first bridge was at 4^th Ave W, the second at 5^th Ave W.]

For anyone wanting to hear about the $4 deal at Oregon Zoo today... I did my best to fit it in but there were other things I was more excited about doing and despite my best efforts to get ahead of the game the timing just didn't work out. Since I don't want to pay $7-$8 extra to go on a different day, well, some other time perhaps. It would have been great to do on my last day in Portland but today I was still in full explore mode.  So, here's what I DID do today:

[NOW: The Oregon Zoo is in Portland, specifically Washington Park].

On a whim I took the free 101 Dash bus (Intercity Transit) around Olympia and chatted with the driver a bit; the bus passed through the Capitol twice. I returned to Ground Inn, got my key deposit back, then walked to the Greyhound. I was early so went across the street for a little bit and then returned to the Greyhound Depot where I found out I had to check in. One woman was upset that the bus hadn't arrived 5 minutes after the schedule time; I pointed out that with Greyhound five minutes late is considered punctual. The bus finally arrived. There were no window seats left so I asked people generally if someone could trade. No takers. One person did finally offer a left side seat after I found a right side seat where I could shoot at the window without getting anyone's head so I decided to stick with that. In Centralia though, the woman I was sitting beside offered to trade so I got a window seat on the right side after all; right is better than left to get sign markers. In Centralia there was a brief layover so I got a pop at the Chevron Station store there. The bus stopped briefly in Kelso before, as expected, arriving in Portland half an hour late.

 

[NOW: Ground Inn is now closed. The Olympia Greyhound Depot has moved.]

I thought I had missed a 77 but towards the hostel so bought a daypass from a MAX Light Rail machine instead of the bus and therefore just missed the bus.

[NOW: The hostel I stayed at was Northwest Portland Hostel].

I walked to the hostel where I put my stuff in storage before going to the nearby McDonald's. In an effort to try to fit everything in, I ordered lunch to go and then walked east and then dashed to an arriving Yellow Line MAX train (TriMet Transit). I took the train to Delta Park/Vanport Station just in time to see a 4 bus (C-TRAN; all 4/44 buses this day C-TRAN) bus leave. The next one arrived (unlike their CSPAN express buses their regular buses take TriMet passes) and took the bus to downtown Vancouver WA.

[NOW: It’s now the 60 that connects at the above MAX station, not the 4].

I visited Lucky Loan Pawn Shop and Esther Short Park before returning to the bus stop. At that point I  had decided to skip Barnes & Noble but still wanted to visit f.y.e., in part to get the photos of Vancouver from the bus. I therefore took another 4 bus to Vancouver Mall and got a couple DVDs at f.y.e.

 

[NOW: Lucky Loan Pawn Shop has closed.] 

A 4 bus was leaving 12 minutes before the 44 so even though it arrived back at Delta Park/Vanport later I decided to take it. But then it stopped at the Barnes & Noble at Vancouver Plaza and I realized I could actually save time stopping at Barnes & Noble. I was too late to get off but I got off at the next stop and doubled back to Barnes & Noble for a quick look and then took the 44 bus to the station.  I took the Yellow line (all remaining transportation this day TriMet) to N Lombard Station and walked to VideoRama, where I bought some DVDs. I took a 75 bus west to another VideoRama that was closing down and bought... too many DVDs, mostly cult classic. The guy handling the DVDs seemed a bit of a stoner and didn't think before purchase to remove the security cases from the DVDs I had stacked, which would have saved me some time had he done so before purchase. They had no bags at all, only a box so I crammed all the DVDs into my backpack just in time to miss a bus. I walked to McDonald's, had dinner, and to a 75 back to North Lombard Station and a Yellow MAX train downtown.

[NOW: The entire VideoRama franchise has now closed.]

I visited Mill Ends Park (world's smallest park, located in the middle of a crosswalk) and Salmon Street Springs, erroneously listed in 2013 trip reports as Bill Naito Legacy Fountain. The water was coming out this time almost looking like a white wedding cake. I briefly returned to Mill Ends Park and then took a Blue Line MAX train to Providence Park Station, the stop closest to the Hostel. It had a different name in 2012. Does anyone recall the old name? Answer Saturday or when someone guesses correctly whichever comes first.

[NOW: No one guessed JELD-WEN Field MAX Station.].

I returned to the hostel to drop the DVDs off, get my bags out of storage, and snag a lower bunk. I walked to Burnside and took a 20 bus to near the waterfront hoping to find the real Bill Naito Legacy Fountain. I left my backpack but recalled it was supposed to be in the area. Much to my shock I found it almost right away despite partly flying blind. It’s an okay fountain with jets from the ground. I walked along Burnside, grabbing a strawberry pop from a convenient store and passing the park with the elephant sculpture that looks more like a camel. I visited Powell's and Everyday Music before returning to the hostel.

[NOW: The park is part of North Park Blocks, and the statue is Da Tung & Xi'an Bao Bao.]

Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 2 Monday July 13: Port Angeles, Forks, Amanda Park, Hoquiam, Aberdeen, Olympia, Lacey

LAST UPDATED: December 20, 2025

This is the 2^nd of a series of posts dealing with my 2015 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”.

A bit sleep deprived (see below) so pardon if some of this is hard to understand.

[NOW: typos hopefully all corrected before posting to blog].

Oh, note to friends in 20s/30s: remember I'm a 44 year old guy. So remember, anything I can do in a day you should all be able to too. Try it!

[NOW: 49 now].

Last night, one woman was debating whether to visit Victoria so I suggested using Google Maps street view to get a sense of the city. She seemed to like that idea. The deer came back but by the time I got my camera only got distance shots.  Unfortunately didn't get to sleep before someone who snored really loud started up so that kept me awake most of the night.

[NOW: This was at ToadLilly House International Hostel, now closed.]

Just before 5 I started off and walked to Gateway Transit Center, doing just a slight detour to get a few shots I wanted to get yesterday. Most of the first four bus rides were trees, trees and more trees. The first bus I took was the 14 bus (Clallam Transit) and it took me past the huge (not Great Lakes huge but huge for this area) lake Crescent Lake. The bus passed Sappho and the Lake Pleasant stop that was apparently in Beaver (don't snicker; a beaver's a perfectly nice animal) before arriving in Forks (Forks Transit Center). I asked the driver about breakfast at that time of the day and another passenger suggested the nearby Shell Station. I nearly made it before deciding it was cutting things too close and returned to Forks Transit Center; saw a bit of Twilight stuff there so it hasn't entirely died off. The numberless Olympic Connection bus (Jefferson Transit) was one of the small "community" type buses. The driver had music on loud but understand when I mentioned needing to make a connection. If you  ride this bus, wear the seatbelts because it's a bumpy ride. There was a brief stop at Koloch where people were allowed to get off (timing point) though ironically we then fell behind about the same amount because a wheelchair needed to get on and it's pretty involved with that kind of bus. Nevertheless, while late, the bus made the connection at Amanda Park.

[NOW: No disrespect intended for the person in the wheelchair; these things happen. Due to the bus to Forks leaving later, it no longer connects with the early bus to Amanda Park, with snowball effect. You can still get to Olympia in a day from Port Angeles using this method; it’s just a lot later.]

There, I transferred to a 60 bus (Grays Harbor Transit, no apostrophe). The bus passed Quinault, etc. before arriving at Hoquiam (Hoquiam Transit Center). I could have connected directly with my next bus here or at the next transit center (see below) but there was a long layover, so I got out and headed east. A short bridge was temporarily closed to bikes and pedestrians, so I had to detour a ways to a longer bridge but finally made it easily across the river. I continued east and ate a late breakfast at McDonald’s. Going east once more, I passed a Statue of Liberty and later visited a Rite Aid and then crossed the street from Hoquiam to Aberdeen (there were a couple of places I could have gotten a ride and I was weighed down but I was on the bus route anyway and wanted to do the walk).  I visited a Visitor Info Center and grabbed some booklets. I made it to Aberdeen Transit Center, but walked around some more and grabbed a seltzer from the Rite Aid across the street. Rite Aid apparently changed their rewards system again, but I didn't want to update things this close to my bus.

[NOW: The preferred bridge crosses Hoquiam River at Simpson Ave; the detour bridge was at Riverside Ave. Rite Aid is now defunct.]

At Aberdeen Transit Center I took a 40 bus (also Grays Harbor Transit). Among the places it passed were the now-unfortunately named Montsano, Brady (I wonder what's its story), Satsop, Elma, and McCleary, finally arriving at Olympia, where it got stuck in traffic a bit before arriving at the Greyhound Depot. I wandered to the hostel (Ground Inn) and dropped off most of my stuff.

 

[NOW: Ground Inn is now closed.]

I ate lunch at a McDonald's, passed the Star Wars Mural, visited the new location of Last Word Books (took a bit to find because it's by the 300 block but the address is 111 NE Cherry).  I visited Browser's Books before heading to Olympia Transit Center. I got on a 47 bus (all remaining buses this day Intercity Transit) and got a daypass. I took the bus to the west end where I visited Half Place Books Outlet (got some DVDs) and Barnes & Noble before heading north to the Safeway by where the Blockbuster used to be. I got on the 37 bus, which passed by Capital Mall (apparently the renamed Westfield Capitol/Westfield Promenade). As it headed east I passed by a few places the 40 bus had passed, but I didn't want to stop there earlier with all my stuff. Back at Olympia Transit Center I switched to the 66 bus.

 

[NOW: Intercity Transit is now free.] 

The 66 bus passed the cemetery near Phoenix Rd before arriving in Lacey. I visited Olympic Cards and Comics, noticing along the way that my next stop, Boomerang had moved nearly. Glad it moved to where I was already walking.  Boomerang is now closed on Mondays.

 

[NOW: Boomerang is now closed.]

I took the 64 bus back to downtown Olympia where I visited Orca Books (got a couple of shots of the cat that always sleeps except when it's napping). At Rainy Day Records I got the blu-ray of Psycho (50th anniversary). I considered a couple of comic trades at Danger Room comics but the dollar now offsets most of the sale price and I wanted to minimize books when I have too highway buses to come with their space restrictions. I visited Heritage Fountain (jets from the ground) and cooled off there just before the jets stopped for 90 minutes. I accidentally left my fanny back behind in my sleep deprived state but managed to recover it.

[NOW: Orca Books has moved. Addenda from day 3: Passing the waterfront someone had spray-painted "Everything is terrible." Oddly just before the trip I watched a South Park episode on goths and emos. Wonder which the spray painter self-identified as. One pub had a chalkboard sign in large letters "free beer" but when you got close enough to read the smaller print it was "Free Wi-Fi cold beer". The former addendum I’m not sure on the timeline, but I’m pretty sure the latter happened right after this paragraph].

Passing the Greyhound Depot and the later bus I had originally planned to get to Olympia, I walked to a Subway for dinner, the one where I normally have breakfast at during Olympia trips. I wandered the Capitol grounds a little and then took a winding path to Capitol Lake; from the top of the path you get a nice aerial view of the lake and vicinity. A fair was being set up near the lake and Heritage Fountain, where I rested again briefly.

[NOW: That Greyhound Depot has moved and that Subway has closed. Addendum from day 3: The fair being set up by the lake is Capitol Lakefair.]

Around this time I noticed I had been taking more photos than I thought judging from the number left on the card. I wandered downtown and rested a Sylvester Park; the Greyhound Depot is at the north end. A dog introduced itself to me. I wandered back to the fountain and got a few more shots, waiting until it turned back on for a bit before leaving. I got a drink from Capitol Lake Grocery and then returned to the hostel. Need to turn in early I think.

[NOW: Addendum from day 3: Bus prices in 2015: Port Angeles to Forks: $1.50, Forks to Amanda Park: 50c, Amanda Park to Hoquiam: $1, Aberdeen to Olympia: $3, and Olympia/Lacey daypass: $2.50. Prices same in 2021 except Intercity Transit is now fare free,]

Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 1 Sunday July 12: Victoria to Port Angeles

LAST UPDATED: December 20, 2025

This is the 1^st of a series of posts dealing with my 2015 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”.

First off my cell is basically just a timepiece/alarm clock in the US, no phone service so if you need to reach me try email or phoning the hostel (Ground Inn Tues, Northwest Hostel Wed-Sat, City Hostel Sun-on).

[NOW: 7-11’s Speakout cell service is limited to Canada; Ground Inn has closed. City Hostel Seattle appears to also be closed.]

Before the trip went to the Strawberry Festival in Saanich via the 72 Victoria Regional Transit bus. Weather was nicer than expected but my mind was getting a head start on the trip/getting an earlier bus tomorrow and my friend wasn't sure if she could make it so I went back downtown before they started serving ice cream and got started. I took the 75 bus which turned into the 30 bus (Victoria Regional Transit) back downtown. 

At Black Ball Ferry Terminal it was pretty crowded and there was some line confusion (I found myself in line for Immigration when I wanted the line to get a ticket) but it got worked out. Passing through Immigration the officer seemed suspicious that I was on medical leave but still employed by the government but after reading my history for a few minutes let me through.  On Black Ball's Coho ferry I sat beside a couple of nice women and saw three dogs on the ferry. The guy at Customs was the friendly guy whom I deal with the most so there was no problem there.

[NOW: I’ve been on medical leave for a long time as part of having Asperger’s, but volunteer at Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.]

I walked to ToadLilly House International Hostel and checked in.  It was threatening to rain so I made heading to Port Angeles Plaza my next priority, on foot because no transit on Sunday. At Big Lots there was a 20% off everything sale as long as you grabbed a coupon outside so I grabbed one and bought three blu-rays including once I considered from last trip. I grabbed another coupon on leaving as a souvenir. I also visited Rite Aid before leaving the Plaza for the McDonald’s across the street, where I had dinner.

 

[NOW: ToadLilly House International Hostel and that Big Lots have closed. Rite Aid is defunct.]

It started to rain before I reached Walgreen's and started to come down harder as I reached downtown, so I cut things short, not wanting to wreck my camera on the first day. I climbed the stairs by the not-open Port Book and News from 1^st St to 2^nd, took a few photos from the top of the hill, then continued on to Safeway then another Rite Aid before returning to the hostel early to keep the camera safe.

Computer was slow to turn on and then connect to the internet so if I do disappear for a few days, it's  the connection. Some people saw a deer but I didn't find out until it was gone.

[NOW: Again, Rite Aid is defunct. Addendum from day 3: At ToadLily hostel the sliding bathroom door had a tendency to come off its rollers.]

[NOW: The mini-notebook worked the rest of the trip.]