SJC to PDX

It’s been awhile since I have posted photos!

Here are a few images from our roadtrip from San Jose, California to Portland, Oregon. Disclaimer: these are from a point-and-shoot camera.

Here’s the upstairs bedroom we occupied for the first part of 2010 in San Jose. Ali’s parents’ master bedroom was directly below ours, and his aunt’s room was right across the hallway. It wasn’t exactly a private situation but we’re thankful for their gracious hospitality while we figured out what we wanted to do with ourselves.

Getting ready for the trip. Ali packed our little VW Golf Giorgio like a 3d Tetris puzzle. This time we had a few inches of vision across the top and out the back window (when we drove from Massachusetts we were a little more crowded). I was hoping to minimize the stuff we brought along on this trip since there’s a decent chance we might only be in Portland for a month or so, but when it came time to load up I had a hard time leaving photography equipment or office supplies behind even though I am mostly still on sabbatical.

Goodbyes with the family. Persian tradition is to accompany guests out to their cars, and as they drive or walk away, someone will throw a bowl of flower-water in their trail. Supposedly this is to make the path sweet so the guests return quickly. You’re usually expected to walk under the Koran three times as you leave the house, but luckily they didn’t ask us to do that this time.

We stopped for the night at a hip and eco-friendly hotel in Anderson, California. I knew about Gaia Shasta thanks to our friends Danielle and Matt who regularly trek up to Oregon with their two young sons. It was a unique place to stay and I absolutely loved swimming in the salt water pool and jacuzzi.

Day two of our trip felt more scenic. Day one, from San Jose to the top of California, was hot and dry. There was a lot of the dried-up fields of grass to look at. It wasn’t boring, but it was a lot of the same. Here’s what we got to look at for most of the time on the journey from Northern California to Oregon, day two:

We stopped for Thai in Yreka, California with a friend from Whiskerino who goes by the pen name CHUCK DAMAGE. He’s kind of a badass. We like him a lot. We also drove by the YREKA BAKERY which is a palindrome but it was closed and there was no good sign for a photo.

I’m the kind of person who loves to note interesting city names. I made sure to make a pit stop in Weed, California because I liked the name. We also passed Balls Street, and Edgewood Gazelle (might have been two different cities but I like them together), and Umpqua, OR.

We stopped in Eugene, OR to have dinner with my buddy Jay Eads, who is an incredible photographer. He’s currently getting client inquiries from as far away as New Zealand! He brought me horchata so now he is my friend for life.

Finally, after two days of driving, 1.7 tanks of gas, we arrived at our new tiny house in Portland. Everyone wants to see the photos, but photos do NOT do this place justice. It’s gorgeous. I can’t wait to share with you.

3 Responses to “SJC to PDX”

1. Juliet Says:
   August 3rd, 2010 at 10:23 pm

   Wow! That was great. Thanks for sharing your travels.. can’t wait to see your new place. Enjoy!!

   Juliet & Nyc

2. Rachel B Says:
   August 5th, 2010 at 7:05 am

   Bear crossing signs!!! Thanks for the update!

3. Chuck Damage Says:
   August 5th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   Thanks for the kind words. It was great seeing y’all again.

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