Over 30 days during the trip from Jackson, NH to Portland, OR we had one rainy day. Upon our arrival in Portland, the weather changed to unsettled, wet and cold. As we pack up Stargazer tonight, the skies are clearing and Portland will soon be experiencing nice spring weather!

Even with rain and cold our time in Portland with Paul, alias Yogi, and Sandy has been exceptional. Just spending time together talking is so wonderful; the bonus being amazing meals, including Dungeness crab! and a variety of excursions. Also Stargazer has gotten a well earned rest, as well as an oil change in preparation for the trip home.

One evening, great pal Julia “JKT” King Tamang (co-designer with me of the Woo Woo Test) joined us for dinner. We did lots of catching up and marveled at the wonderful work she is doing as Resident Lama at Dekeling, a Buddhist Meditation Center in Portland. As excepted a necessary chunk of time was dedicated figuring out if there really is a perfect dish of nachos.

Activities with Paul and Sandy included wine tasting, exploring gardening stores and yarn shops, dinner out by the Willamette River, a visit to the Portland Art Museum (Oscar Howe’s art was AMAZING), playing Apples to Apples game, and time wandering through Powell’s Books, the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Yogi and Sandy are wonderful hosts, friends, and mentors.

Most important, Yogi provide me, Rocket, an in-depth training on how to negotiate a Fred Meyer Store. I did make some initial errors, such as forgetting to pick up ice, but Yogi was emphatic and provided remedial training opportunities.

We are now well rested and ready to head back to Jackson. Due to snow, especially in the Yellowstone National Park area, Yogi and Sandy have helped us design our trip through Washington and Montana. We are so thankful for having friends such as Yogi, Sandy and JKT.