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I have created some entries on Worldisround where you will find pictures from my trip:

Highlights

Olympia

Thursday November 25 -

No rush to leave this Thanksgiving morning.  After all, most things in downtown Portland would be closed for the holiday.  So I left late morning.

At Olympia I left the interstate and headed into town to see the Washington state capitol.  I have stopped here a couple times before, but I always seemed to get grey skies.  However, this November day was actually sunny - especially surprising during rainy season - so I took advantage of it, spending the better part of an hour exploring the grounds and getting some pictures.  The pictures turned out alright, but the sun is so low in the November sky that I got a lot more shadow than I would have liked.  I'll get back to Olympia some sunny summer day sometime.

For my next stop I decided to check out Mt. St. Helens from the Johnston Ridge Visitor Center - if the road was still open.  I had been to this National Volcanic Monument back in June when returning from an Oregon trip, but on that trip I visited the Windy Ridge side of the park.  I began heading east on Washington Highway 505, but soon it became apparent that the mountain was probably in the clouds, so I decided to only go part way.  On my way back to the interstate, I took Highway 504.  I stopped at a lake - Silver Lake, I think - for some late day pictures of cloud reflections on the lake.  Late day?  Well, it was after three, but at this time of year, the sun sets before 5PM in these parts, so I had little more than an hour of daylight left.

I reached Portland at around 4:30 and checked into my usual hotel, the Marriott City Center.  After dropping off my stuff in my room, I headed out to figure out my Thanksgiving dinner plans.  I ended up at a classic bar & grill-type restaurant, the Virginia Cafe.  The cafe had been at that location since 1922, and it showed, giving the place a great vibe.  The food was good, service good.  It would become one of my Portland dining spots for later trips (it was targeted for demolition in 2007 to make way for a new high-rise - sigh).

I walked around downtown to get some night photos of the city's holiday decorations.  Back to the room to read the paper.  Then I headed out for Latin Night at Silverado.

Portland

Friday November 26 -

I began the day joining the crowds lining Broadway in front of my hotel for the Meier & Frank Holiday Parade.  It was the usual mix of local groups and marchers, several clearly in the Christmas spirit - as opposed whatever other holidays that the parade name might have suggested.  Of course there was also the usual mix of Huh? groups in the parade - the Southwest Washington Llama Association paraded some decorated llamas down the street.

After the parade I headed over to the Oregon Historical Society Museum for its general historical information as well as to check out its display on the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which of course spent the winter in Oregon before heading back east.  I wasn't as impressed by the museum as I had hoped I'd be, but I did enjoy it.

After getting some lunch, I headed over to the Portland Art Museum.  As with the the historical museum, I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with this museum, either, although I did like seeing the Northwest native artwork on display.  

Neither museum took all that much time, so I headed out for a city walk.  I probably would have enjoyed it more if it were sunny out, as that would have made it more photo-friendly.  It took some creativity to finish filling the afternoon.

That evening I joined the crowd at Pioneer Courthouse Square to watch the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree.  Which after seeing tree-lighting ceremonies in Seattle and Dayton I have to say is not nearly has dramatic as the organizers of these things seem to like to play up.

Dinner.  More nighttime photos of the downtown decorations.  A bit of shopping.  Some down time back at the hotel. 

Nightlife at Three Sisters Tavern and Silverado.  And that was the end of my very easy-going Portland day.

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Heading Home

Saturday November 27 -

I planned my drive home based on the weather.  I had considered the possibility of a swing by Mount Rainier on the way home, but I awoke to overcast skies.  With my own holiday decorations to put up, I ended up taking the direct I-5 route.  I was home by mid-day.

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Souvenirs

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