And so it comes to an end...

One more delightful fountain, this one in Jamison Square

As the song goes, "all my bags are packed, I'm ready to go". I'm sitting here about to put the last few things away (namely the laptop I'm writing this on) before I head down to the MAX light rail and out to the airport. Remarkably I think I've managed to fit everything inside my suitcase and two carry bags, including my new pot/pan acquisitions that have served me well over the past three weeks.

It's been a relatively quiet week in terms of meetings, so this has allowed me to get out and see a little bit more of Portland. Last Sunday I decided to head up a couple of hills behind me, which was a bit of a shock to the system coming from flat old Christchurch. But it was great being able to freewheel down the other side...

The view from Oregon Health & Science University (and this was only halfway up the hill). Any sane people take the "aerial tram" (shown in the middle) rather than bike up to it...

Portland's famous rose garden, near the zoo

As well as the sightseeing, I also met one of the regional councillors on Monday to talk about Portland's regional transportation planning. And on Wednesday I gave a seminar to ~20-30 people (well, in the room; sounds like there were quite a few online as well) about some of my cycle research - if you want to see me in action you can even get the video stream of it here! (presentation starts about 30 seconds in)

So that's it for Portland, and indeed the entire study tour. It's been a fantastic experience; I've learnt a lot (and 1500-odd photos to show for it...) that I think will help me immensely in future years. It's going to feel a bit strange to be back in Christchurch in less than 30 hours, although I'm really looking forward to seeing the family. I've been trying to adjust to NZ time this week by going to bed about 2am, getting up late, and eating my meals late, so hopefully the jetlag won't kick in too much...

OK, signing off; I hope you enjoyed our blog!

Tanner Springs Park, a neat little urban green space resurrecting the wetlands that used to inhabit the Pearl District before industrial development covered over it.

Busy times in the "Rose City"

Me and Portland City engineer Peter Koonce relax near the river after a busy day touring the city

Well it's been a busy time since my last post, mainly because of PSU's Pedestrian & Bicycle Planning/Design course held all this week. The university's Ped/Bike Innovation Centre hosted 16 participants from all around the US and Canada and gave them an intensive week of lectures and field trips on best practice for providing for walking and biking. I think the most appreciated aspects were the field trips, that invariably ended up at a brewery for a beer at the end of the day!

Checking out some of the new South Waterfront development on foot...

...and some of the Inner Southeast by bike (part of a bike boulevard shown here)

I sat in and tagged along for much of the week and then on Friday gave them a presentation on some NZ research and practices that might be of interest over here. Also on Friday afternoon I gave another seminar in the Civil Eng Dept about some of my road safety (PhD) research; so Thursday was a busy day getting two presentations ready! Also this week I've caught up with a couple of fellow academics for lunch to compare notes about research projects. And I FINALLY finished the reviews/edits on my major cycle research report and was able to get rid of that - now onto the next job on the "to do" list...

Today I've been able to catch up on some much-needed sleep this morning and then visit another Portland institution - the Saturday Farmers Market. This is a long-standing event every Saturday almost all year round, where 2-3 parkland blocks in the heart of PSU are opened up to a wide variety of food/produce stalls and other entertainment like music, balloon animals, etc. It's very popular and today was no exception as I squeezed through the crowds and picked up a punnet of strawberries for my pantry.

Some of the action at the Portland Farmers Market

Well it's hard to believe there's now less than a week before I'm on a plane and heading home. I have another seminar next week as well as a meeting with one of the region's councillors to discuss their transportation programme. In between that there are plenty of other "to do" tasks to work on, as well as one last look around the city before I have to surrender my bike. The temperatures are also coming down - today it's not even getting past 20 deg and tomorrow, heaven forbid, it might even rain!

OK, another of Portland's incredible fountains (and some topless guys for you, Dianna!) - Lovejoy Fountain

Why Portland is a great little town

Some of the animal fountains near Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland (with the MAX light rail in the back)

So I've been in Portland for just over a week now. I've settled into my apartment and a routine of various "meals for one" (pasta, eggs, and rice have been the main dinner options). Also caught up with various people at university (although many have still been in and out on summer break); I now have a pokey little office at PSU to hide away in and I have a few seminars and lunches lined up in the coming weeks. Much of the week has been focused on (finally) getting my NZTA cycling research report finished off, but I've also been able to get out and sample a bit of city life as well. I now have a bike, courtesy of Miguel and Sarah (thanks!) so I can explore a little further afield.

The greater Portland area has ~1.6 million people, although only about a third live in Portland City itself. Compared with many other cities in US/NZ/Can/Aus, the thing that strikes me about downtown Portland is how well they do the urban environment. From a transport perspective it's great to see the investment in public transport and bikes, but it's also about the wonderful street-scapes. Nice wide corridors provide a lot of room for both function and form; often the two go together, so you get street art that's also useful (e.g. as seating or a water fountain). Within a single city block you're likely to see a modern bus shelter (with real-time info), drinking fountains (the famous "Benson bubblers"), raised flower beds, trees, seating, bike racks, rubbish-bins, street lighting and some sculpture; yet still there's heaps of space to just walk. Then there's also the many squares and park blocks and the numerous fountains scattered around the city bringing relief on a hot day.

Keller Fountain, downtown Portland - it was about 36 degrees when I took this!

Today I visited the SE part of Portland for another growing institution - Sunday Parkways.  These take place at various locations throughout Portland about once a month, and involve closing off a loop of ~10km of streets for 5 hrs so that people can walk, ride, scoot, skate, whatever without the distraction of motor traffic (yes, if you're a local you can still access your house, although they encourage you not to drive if you can avoid it). At parks along the way various stands, food-stalls and events are set up; many enterprising local residents also join in the fun with their own lemonade stands, garage sales, or sprinklers to ride through (much needed today!). All in all, tens of thousands of Portlanders (and me!) come along for a very fun day - and apparently are always asking when the next one is. Perhaps we could try one in Christchurch?

Enjoying the fun on a traffic-free Ankeny St

Did I mention it was over 30 degrees again today?

The joy of staying put...

As the rest of the family are no doubt appreciating back in NZ, there is something nice about NOT having to get up, pack/shift bags, travel long distances, and set up camp somewhere new by the end of the day. For the next 19 days I have that luxury, as I have now made it to my final destination, Portland State University. The ability to sleep in this morning, not get showered and dressed before lunch, and generally just potter about all day was a long-missed gift!

But first, how I got here. Leaving the hot climes of Redding last Wednesday, I first visited the local "Sundial Bridge" and surrounding Turtle Bay recreation area (odd name, since it's actually on the upper Sacramento River). This unique pedestrian/cycle bridge was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, whose amazing works we have already seen in Valencia and Lisbon. The glass-decked bridge deck is cantilevered via cables from a large leaning pylon that happens to point due north; hence its shadow is also able to indicate the time by markers on the ground.

The Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

After admiring the scenery there, I headed a short distance up the road to view the mighty Shasta Dam, the second largest in the US. Built in the 30's and 40's the dam has created a massive lake that provides both recreational opportunities and spare water for parched southern California. What followed over the next few days were some long drives to Seattle via Eugene and Corvallis, interspersed with visiting some colleagues at Univ. of Oregon, Oregon State Uni, and Univ. of Washington. The temperatures slowly went from the 30's down to more comfortable 20's by the time I hit Seattle. Then it was time to bid farewell to the trusty Toyota Sienna that had served us well these last three weeks. Another bout of lugging bags (I'm down to a suitcase, backpack, briefcase and a shopping bag!) and I was on a train to Portland on Saturday morning (and Amtrak were ONLY 20 minutes late today); ~5 hours later and I was lugging the same bags for the final time (in a while) up to my new little home.

It's always so much harder to take photos of yourself when it's just you... (Shasta Dam, CA)

I'm staying in student housing right on campus while they're on summer break. So I have my own little modern self-contained apartment on the 5th floor with a kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately the kitchen only extends to a fridge, sink and two hotplates, and doesn't come with any utensils. Although I brought a reasonable amount of cutlery, plates, cups from our previous travels, I've had to shell out at the Safeway grocery for a small pot and pan to make it a workable kitchen. Still, it was a nice feeling to be able to whip up a pasta and mince for tea tonight (with some carrots on the side, dear!).

Some pics from my new home for the next three weeks

It's also been nice to get out and walk around a bit downtown, being so handy to everything where I am. Portland really is a fantastic walking environment, on top of having an extensive cycle network and widespread lightrail system (free in the CBD!). I'm not sure if it aspires to be like many of the European cities we saw previously, but it's certainly going the right way abut it.

One lazy day over the weekend was fun, but tomorrow it's time to get back into things. I'll catch up with my colleagues here at PSU, plan a few other meetings and presentations, and work on a few research papers/reports. Two other important things to chase up are (1) my PSU user account so I can access the internet easily, and (2) to borrow a bike so that I can look further afield!

And then there was One...

Well it's been two days now on my lonesome since leaving the family at San Francisco airport. Of course I've done this "single traveller" routine many times before on previous trips, but it certainly seemed a bit strange this time to be leaving the family three-quarters of the way around the world... Nice to hear them again since, thanks to the magic of Skype!

So now it's back to more of the "work routine", and week one involves getting myself and the rental car back up to Seattle. Along the way, so far I have visited safety researchers yesterday at Berkeley University on the outskirts of SF, and today had a lovely ride around Davis (near Sacramento and often considered the "bicycling capital" of US) and lunch with an academic colleague from UC Davis. Davis has about 65,000 residents and very well-planned out neighbourhoods with interconnecting pathways and many underpasses or overbridges, making riding a very pleasant experience. Mind you, the temperature was getting into the high 20's by the time I was done, so I wouldn't have wanted to stay out there for the afternoon heat...

 The pleasant way to cross six lanes of Interstate in Davis

 They even have roundabouts on the bike paths!

Back on the road again, and it certainly got hotter as I drove further north and inland. As I approached my evening destination of Redding, the car's display told me that the outside temperature had just tipped 104 deg F - that's 40 deg Celsius for those of you playing at home... Fortunately at the wonderfully-named Thunderbird Lodge where I'm staying they have a pool, so I took advantage of that!

Although Redding at first glance seems like a non-descript junction town (six major roads run through here), it's actually quite a pleasant place nestled on the upper Sacramento river. And with Lake Shasta just up the road and Mt Shasta looming over everyone (still with snow on it) there's a lot to do in the area. Tomorrow I might sample a little bit on my longish journey up to Eugene, Oregon (~500km away).

Dad the bird-stand...

Are you sure this is the car park?

We have come to the end of our trip...

Ah, Starbucks, saviour of many a day... (in this case, Portland)

This post may take time to get to you, as we are having a few issues with the website at the moment. Anyway, today is our last day of the trip, tonight the kids and I are getting on a plane back to NZ. And we are looking forward to it - especially these last few days in this hostel! But unfortunately, when you are booking budget accomodation, and leave it to the last minute to do so, you can't be too fussy about what you end up with. There are not enough bathroom facilities here, and when I say that you could wait 3-4 hours just to use the toilet, that is NO exaggeration! The shower rooms are alive with mould, the kitchen is dirty, and our beds had dirty linen on them when we checked in. We won't be recommending this place to anybody!

So the last few days.... well, we left Crescent City and drove through the redwood forest, along the 'Avenue of the Giants', and that was spectacular! The trees were just huge, and we even fitted our car through the drive'thru tree. It would have been lovely to have an entire day to drive that road. We could have easily stopped more frequently to get out and explore.

So now we are in San Francisco, we arrived on Friday night to cooler temperatures and a strong icy cold wind. Yesterday (Saturday) we took the streetcar down to the waterfront and looked at Pier 39 which is a great big shopping place full of craft shops, gift shops, various entertainment and cafes/restaurants. Very busy but a great atmosphere. In fact all of this city is very busy. Sometimes you just have to wait on the side of the footpath and give way to all the pedestrians!

Today once we check out of this dump, we are planning to go to Golden Gate park (which is bigger than central park in New York), and have a look round there before heading to the airport. The kids have seen a different side of life here too - lots of homeless people, some begging in the street, some sleeping at any time of day, in any place out of the way of the hustle and bustle. They have also seen a dodgy looking guy sitting on the side of the road with needles, injuecting himself full of drugs! And yesterday down at the wharf there were 2 homeless guys arguing and threatening to kill each other! Not to mention all the black people who seem friendly enough and don't seem to bother anybody, but many of them really do look quite intimidating.

Anyway, it has been an amazing 10 weeks with many highs and a few lows, but quite an adventure.Looking forward to seeing you all very soon....

Just a bit breezy near Golden Gate Bridge

Feeding the birdies at Oregon Zoo

USA! USA! USA!

Hanging out in Victoria, British Columbia

Well ive finished in Europe and are now on to America. Tomorrow we leave which is exciting but very freaky especially at the fact that this trip has been like a bullet. So anyway we landed in Seattle and had a few nights there and took the ferry to Canada. For my 1 and a half days i had there it wasnt bad.

After Canada we went back to Seattle, went up the space needle, went to Portland, went to Powells book shop,went down the Oregon Coast, had fun there and made it to Califonia and then to San Fancisco which is a cool place. In sporting ways America Sucks, they dont give a **** about their soccer. Although they do like their skateboarding which is good. Although while ive been in the States ive learnt asome of the USA teams and have 1 other soccer t-shirt.

One thing I have tried and liked in the States is Dr Pepper. It tastes like a cherry coca cola. The weather in here has been up and down which has been ok. Another thing i have noticed in America is everyone says that America has this and that and has all the new good stuff. Well it doesnt. Its like any other country. I mean it has still got stuff that NZ doesnt have but still it is really no better.

It's the Seattle Space Needle!

Feeding the birds at Oregon Zoo

Enjoying Crater Lake

Last 2 weeks!!

OK, let's feed the pigeons one more time (Golden Gate Park)

spending the night at frankfurt airport was interesting.....i was probably the only one who actually got some sleep there!! the flight to seattle was the best long flight i've had because i didn't have a headache the whole way. seattle was really cool and had alot of awesome shops but the best part was going up the space needle, we could see very far from every direction and the gift shop was really big. in seattle we didn't see much of jeremy the pigeon - speaking of jeremy, he now has a very big family. we spent a night on victoria island and i enjoyed the city and harbour and our hotel was comfortable. as we drove closer to the coast it got colder and we got the sea breeze blowing at us alot but the sand dune in cape kiwanda was VERY tiring. when we got to californa i really enjoyed looking at the huge redwoods a.k.a the tallest trees in the world!!! also in californa we DROVE through a redwood, it was difficult for dad to fit through it but he did it. a couple of days later we drove over the golden gate bridge to get to san francisco and fortunatly there are lots of pigeons.

well the trip is about over and i REALLY ENJOYED the time we had around the world and all the wonderful things we saw and did and i hope i never forget the things i learnt and all the special memories i have had.

Lunch with the girls in Golden Gate Park

Fitting inside the walk-thru redwood tree (northern California)

Climbing up the sand dune at Cape Kiwanda

Lucas: thoughts at the end

Hanging out with the bats at Oregon Zoo, Portland

Future rock stars at Experience Music Project, Seattle

Digging all the way to China from Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

Made it to San Francisco!

i have had a realy cool trip especially getting to meet a few (feathery) friends called jeremy jenny kuzco freckle snowpea kaboom donut nugget pepsi diamond snapper noddle sprinkle muffin chowder oreo and tulip; and i reckon that the trip has gone really fast.

Things I liked: the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, Seattle Space Needle, Victoria (Vancouver Island), Singapore (especially Sentosa), Legoland, Tivoli Gardens, and all the pigeons. Things I wanted to do but couldn't: go to New Yok, go up the Eiffel Tower and Leaning Tower, eat even more Macca's (!) and buy more things. Sometimes we didn't get the best rooms to stay in either. At home I am looking forward to playing with all my Lego (old and new), getting back to my friends and seeing all the pets.

California and last few comments

Hello again and yes we made it to San Francisco, California, America. America in ways reminds me a little bit like back home only bigger and the people here are quite friendly too. I do miss being in Europe but at least here we don't have problems trying to talk or communicate with people. Oh well anyway we are on our last couple of days here and I'm trying to soak up as much of the warm weather as I can before I come home to cold Christchurch. I have really enjoyed this trip and discovered so much about what it is like to be on the other side of the world. I've learnt more than what I thought I was going to and experienced different things in my life so far. You pick up heaps and learn not only about different cultures but history, language, people and society, and even maths believe it or not. It has been one of the greatest adventures I have ever done beforeand I would love to do it again one day.
Anyway I am looking forward to getting back home and seeing everyone again coz I'm getting a little homesick, in fact I think everyone is at the moment we all miss our pets, our beds, our house and comfort, and even our friends and family. Also I'm really tired.
As far as San Francisco goes its big and I haven't seen much of it yet but tomorrow we're going to fisherman's wharf so that should be interesting. And even better Xanthe found Jeremy, that's right Jeremy the fat pigeon with his fat pigeon friends. Also did you know he has a family according to Xanthe. Jeremy has a huge family with his wife Jenny and their 15 kids. Yep you heard me 15 fat,fluffy,feathery kids. Shes funny.
Anyway looking forward to home and this is probably going to be my last blog so bye for now and next time I'll hopefully will be home. Here are a couple of pictures and I'll leave it at that.

Me with a little friend at the zoo in Portland
(no it is not Jeremy!)

Me, Xanthe and Lucas under a Californian Redwood

Me by the Golden gate bridge in San Francisco

Into California...

The amazing Crater Lake

Well according to the road signs we have passed in Oregon, and the tiny bit of California we have seen so far, they are more worried about your litter than your life! Yes, depending on which county you are in, you could be fined anything from $92 - $147 for not wearing your seatbelt, but $500 - $6250 for tossing your lolly wrapper out the window!!! Really???

Anyway, we are nearing the end of our trip now, with 4 days to go for myself and the kids, and we can finally say that taking out insurance will pay off! This morning both Stefan and I had to visit the doctor, at a cost of around $400 NZ! And what a process! When we arrived I had to fill in 2 forms, which were then entered into their computer, my ID photocopied, then they printed out some forms which I had to read and sign, (I think I signed 8 pieces of paper for them!) then we were seen by a nurse who took complete medical history, checked all our vitals etc, and then we were seen by the doctor who went through much of this history again and was incredibly friendly and helpful. Then I had to sign 3 separate forms at the pharmacy before they would hand over the prescription, and got detailed instructions of all the do's and don'ts for the prescriptions from the pharmacist. During this process though, everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful, and very interested in where we come from, and our travels.

And the reason for the visit, well at one of our scenic stops on our journey the day before, I was eaten alive by bugs and had an allergic reaction to a bite on my right hand - yes, it looks like I've had some sort of implant under my skin. Can't see my knuckles anymore, and the kids are totally freaked out by it. Every time I hold my hand up in front of them they get all squirmish! And I thought that while I needed a doctor, I better get Stefan's foot checked again as the infection is not clearing, and he is still in lots of pain. Poor kid picked up this infection in Valencia, got some cream in Italy, antibiotics in England, and yet it still is a big problem. So, I have antibiotics which I'm not that thrilled about, and Stefan has been given a different cream which is supposed to be much better than what he had been using. The doctor seemed quite surprised that he had been given the tube he had been using. And she said it would still take another 3 weeks to clear! Fingers crossed!

So anyway, back to our travelling, we left Eugene yesterday and drove further inland, first stopping in one of the many national parks, at a place called Salt Creek Falls (where I was attacked by bugs). But it was a beautiful peaceful place. We had a picnic lunch there and then walked down the trail to look at the spectacular waterfall which is the second largest in Oregon.

Di at the Salt Creek Falls

And Nicolette and Stefan

We then carried on down the road, straight into a storm (despite picnicking in 28 degrees 15 minutes earlier) and the car got pelted with some huge wild hail stones. The noise was awful and visibility was dreadful, so we crawled down the road for a while. The road and countryside around us was completely white with hailstones! Thankfully it didn't last long, and we got to Crater Lake which was amazing. Right at the top there were still several patches of snow dotted round the mountain, and Lucas and Xanthe jumped straight into it. The views of the crater were fantastic and we stopped at a few different points around the mountain to take in the views. Parts of the road around the mountain were a bit hair-raising, but spectacular scenery. We got into Klamath Falls at teatime, and the kids jumped into the pool at our motel the minute we got there.

Snow!

The kids near the Crater Rim village

This morning we were hoping to have a look round the town centre, but instead admired the inside of a doctors office, and by the time we got through that, collected our prescriptions, we grabbed some lunch then got back on the road to Crescent City, which is on the coast at the north end of California. We drove through some of the redwood forest on the way, and it was beautiful. Even the kids were overwhelmed with these giant trees. And we haven't even seen the REALLY big ones yet!

Anyway, looking forward to getting home now, and some home cooking again. All of our accommodations in the last week, and for the next few nights have been motel-like units which are comfortable, and have included a fridge and microwave! So at the moment, we are getting creative with microwave meals, but yes, really looking forward to home cooking!!! Not to mention my own bed with a few cats by my side!

Weird and Wonderful Americans

I am quite liking the American people, yes there have been some slightly dodgy ones that we have seen, but they seem to be in their own world and not really bothering anybody - like the half dressed ones in Pioneer Square in Portland who were dancing and making strange sorts of moves, but totally in their own world - possibly another planet(!), lots of homeless people holding up cardboard sheets with their sob story, and then there are the black people who seem to keep to themselves, but really fit the stereotype we see on TV. But overall, I have found that they are very friendly and polite people, very chatty, and interested in where we come from and where we have travelled to. And shock horror - I am even liking the American accent. Strangely, I find myself enjoying listening to it! I never thought I would ever say that!

Anyway, tonight we are in Eugene, and enjoying another hot evening. The coast was quite chilly, around 15 degrees, but strong cold winds blowing through. Our car has a thermometer on it, and it was funny watching the temperature rise as we headed inland again from the coast. We have gone from a cool 16 degrees to 31 degrees in less than an hour.

We had 2 nights in our log cabin in Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast, and yesterday enjoyed a lazy sleep-in, and slowly sorted ourselves out. The playground was right outside our cabin, all built into a giant sandpit, and Lucas enjoyed digging his way through to the other side of the world - well maybe just a hole deep enough that he could stand in with only his head poking up! We then headed across to the beach and climbed the giant sand dune which was really steep and hard work to climb, and we hired a board ($10 for 4 hours), and the kids enjoyed surfing down the dunes for the afternoon.

So now we are on the road each day, making our way south to arrive in San Francisco on Friday night, where we have 2 nights before the kids and I fly home. We are having some interesting stops on the way though.

Anyway, now that internet is working ok again, here are some photos:

Outside our hostel in Portland

Xanthe feeding a lorikeet at Oregon Zoo

Xanthe still feeding a lorikeet

Kids outside Portland market

Our log cabin at Cape Kiwanda

Stefan (in distance) surfing down the sand dune at Cape Kiwanda

Di at top of sand dune

Glen at top of sand dune looking down at beach below