After prying ourselves away from Eugene, it was back on the open road again.

In route to Portland, we made an impromptu stop in Salem. For those of you that remember your 5th grade state capitols, Salem is the capitol of Oregon!
I’m a bit of a Government/Public Administration nerd, so stopping to stare at the capitol building was actually quite amusing for me.

It was quite cold out, but I was all grins! State capitols, oh boy!

Fall foliage makes me happy!
Although New England might be my favorite place to watch the leaves turn, Oregon didn’t disappoint. There was this cool mixture of vibrant greens and orange, red and yellow leaves as far as your eye could see.

Onward to Portland. Our first stop was to check into our hotel, River Place.

River Place is aptly named as it is located just a few feet from the Willamette River. At first, we were a little miffed when we got shafted to a dinky room with a broken door. But luckily, due to the door snafu, they put us in a room that didn’t resemble a broom closet. The rest of our stay went off without a hitch, so hotel complaints shall stop…now.

After checking in, we explored downtown Portland for awhile.

We were told that Portland has a kick-ass Niketown (psst…San Francisco’s is bigger and better). But I got a pair of awesome new running pants out of it, so who am I to complain?

We spent a good deal of time looking at old buildings, getting a little lost, and admiring the city’s public transit system, the MAX Light Rail.

As night began to fall and we felt a definite chill in the air, we grabbed dinner at Huber’s Restaurant, Portland’s oldest restaurant. It was good food and great fun!
Recommended: The Roast Young Tom Turkey (basically a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings), and the Spanish Coffee (they give you a cool tableside fire show, free of charge). Next…we explore my ancestry, fall in love with a bookstore, and eat, drink, & be merry!