5.16.2006 – Portland, Oregon

I have had glorious (and unprecedented) weather for this brief trip to Oregon: beautiful clear blue skies, but Mississippi-like temperatures. The record highs for the date in Portland yesterday and today were not just exceeded, they were shattered. The previous record high for May 15 was 86; yesterday it was 93. Meanwhile, it has been Oregon-like weather for a week in Mississippi.

The trip began with an extremely slow-moving security line at the Jackson airport, and they never came to get out of line people whose flights were about to leave. As a result, my name was being called over the P.A. to come to the gate immediately while I was passing through the metal detector. I grabbed my stuff, didn’t stop to put my shoes on, and ran to the plane.

When I arrived at the hotel in Portland, I was given about a half hour to eat, shave, and change clothes before being whisked off to the studio for taping by Red Door Films for the Oregon Public Broadcasting series “America’s History in the Making.” I went through a (much-needed) extensive makeup process. The taping, which lasted for a couple of hours and dealt with two segments, one of the Depression and one on the 1960s, went very well.

When I got back to the hotel, I was so exhausted that I went to sleep at about 6 PM, without even eating dinner. This morning I taped another segment, on the late nineteenth century.

My responsibilities with OPB fulfilled, I headed out into the Columbia River Gorge. It was impressive when I drove through it in February, but it was overcast then. It was much more striking today. I spent some time at Multnomah Falls, which is supposed to be the second highest permanent waterfalls in the United States (exceeded, I assume, by Yosemite Falls). Then I went on to Horsetail Falls, just a short distance further into the Gorge. There I hiked a short way up to the Upper Horsetail, or Ponytail, Falls, which you can walk behind.

Then I drove on a road that circles around Mount Hood. The snow-covered volcano stands in splendid isolation, towering above the surrounding foothills and valleys. Against the brilliant blue sky, it was truly magnificent. I debated trying to go out to Mount St. Helen’s in the late afternoon, but decided I wouldn’t get there in time. Mount St. Helen’s, which is easily visible from Portland and from the air coming into or out of Portland, is something to see. It was, prior to its eruption in 1980, almost as high as Mount Hood. Then the top third or so of the mountain blew off, leaving it much smaller than Hood and with a flattened top.

One benchmark on this trip: I paid more than $3 a gallon for regular gas for the first time: $3.08.

This evening I went with some of the historians working on the project to a Lebanese restaurant. It sounded like a good idea to me—a way to get ready for that part of the world, as Anne and I leave for Turkey this coming Sunday. I had goat for the first time, and it proved to be delicious (at least the way it was prepared there). The Lebanese red wine was also excellent.

RSM