The TP1 is about to begin. But it starts in Seattle which is on the left coast, far from Fort Myers. So to position us for embarkation, I decided Marlene and I should spend a few days in Tillamook OR with my sister and her family.
The trip started with a flight to Dallas, then another to Portland, then renting a car and driving 90 minutes. It all went pretty well (with the exception of a very rough landing in Dallas – I think the plane actually bounced off the runway) with the flights being on time (a minor miracle nowadays) and relatively smooth. The walk from the gate to the baggage claim to the car rental was about a mile but the car rental process was a breeze and the weather was dry. We arrived around 11:30pm PST which was 2:30am body time. But we weren’t fatigued – we stayed up another hour to chat with my sister (I think she was more tired than we were). When we finally went to bed my body insisted on waking up at 3:30am (6:30am body time). I went back to bed but slept fitfully until 6:30am PST.
We spent most of the first day touring the Oregon coast by ourselves. We drove south to Pacific City, had lunch at the Pelican Brewery (delicious fish and chip), then spent some time at Cape Meares.
The second day we traveled to the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City OR. I won 4 cents; Marlene lost more than 4 cents. She called it the “worst casino ever” though I suspect she would have had a different opinion if she had won a bunch. We then had lunch with my sister, Lois, her husband, Chris, and her son, Michael. Wonderful lunch, as always, at the Blue Heron. Then we visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory, took the self-guided tour (really interesting!) and had some ice cream. We then topped the day off with a pint of craft beer at the Pelican Brewery in Tillamook (where they actually make the beer).
Many thanks to Lois and Chris to providing accommodations for three nights. And some wonderful meals.