Next, we made our way to Boise, ID to visit Neil's sister and attend a wedding just across the border in Adrian, OR. The wedding was small, quaint, and cute with some very unique aspects to it. Most notably, all of the music in the ceremony was from the Muppets. While in Boise we were able to enjoy the Boise farmer's market and walked around downtown with Neil's sister and her friends. We then played Frisbee golf in a local park.
We then flew to Portland, OR for two days to explore the city together. There, we met with one of Neil's old friends, Erin, and Matt's friend, James. We payed homage to Tabor Mountain, the Japanese and Rose Gardens, Rimsky's Korsacoffee, and a math rock band by the name of the Ahleuchatistas. We stayed at a nice hostel in China town, The Society, not too far from Voodoo Donuts. Overall it was great walking around downtown Portland along the river and across the bridges.
From the Portland train station, we headed up to Seattle to visit Neil's family and some friends. It was great having meals with Beth, Jeff, Rosemary, Don, and Neil's dad as well as with Julie and Beryl. With the noise and congestion, it was clear that Seattle is experiencing a development boom. We explored some of its greatest hits, including the gum wall at pikes place market, the REI mother-ship, the bridge troll in Fremont, and the Ballard Locks. This time of year is the peak of the Chinook (King) salmon migration season.
Very early Saturday we left for a 3 day trip to watch the total eclipse of the sun in Eastern Oregon. On the way we managed a 5am hike at Mount Rainer. We were able to hike up to Camp Muir by 10 am, beating the rush, with a good pace of 4 miles, 4,000 feet in 5 hours. The best part was, with out a doubt, the glissade down. We were only able to do ~ a quarter of the way due the limited snow pack.
We were ready for the grand finale of the trip. A total eclipse of the sun east of nowhere in Fox, Oregon. Again waking up early to beat the traffic, we made it to "eclipse butte" and set up our operations. We had a shade tent, multiple binoculars and cameras on mounts, to capture the experience. In truth, the picture can not do it just. Shadow bands. Temperature change. Pink Floyd, Total Eclipse of the Heart.
