June 2006

06.20.2006 Comment...
Welcome to Oregon
Well. I am finally moved in and somewhat settled. And, I got my Internet hooked up, so I can function like a normal American again. If anyone has any desire to visit Portland at all in the next few months, let me know, you are more than welcome to stay with me. More about the apartment, neighborhood, city, etc coming soon. For now, on the way up here I went to Crater Lake National Park and drove through the Cascade Mountains. Here are some pictures from the drive through Oregon...


This was my first glimpse of Crater Lake. I'd entered the National Park from the south about half an hour earlier and drove up the mountain to get to the rim of the volcano. There were snow banks on either side of the road up to twenty feet high at times.


This is Wizard Island, a volcanic mountain growing out of the lake. The cliffs that surround Crater Lake rise 2,000 feet above the surface of the water. It is the deepest lake in the United States - over 1,900 feet deep.


As you can tell, I was totally unprepared for the temperature to hover around 40 degrees in the middle of June. The road around the eastern side of the rim was still closed due to snow, and the western rim road that I drove around had just opened for the year.


This is the view looking south from the rim of the volcano. Mount Shasta in California is to the left of the mountain in the center of the picture, but its peak is obscured by clouds.


I saw this waterfall off the side of the road while driving through a pass in the Cascade Range.


These train tracks were along the side of the road near Oakridge, Oregon during the descent into the Willamette River Valley.

06.14.2006 Comment...
Farewell, Arizona
Tomorrow morning I am moving to Portland, OR. Rather than lay out all the details in another lengthy celebration of self, let me reprint a (mostly) translated interview I recently gave to the French edition of GQ magazine that emphasizes the "fast facts".

GQ: Bon jour. How are you?

GB: Not bad, thank you. You may not know this, but I am moving to Portland in mid-June, and I have been very busy preparing for "all that".

GQ: Superfantastique! How long will you be up there?

GB: Until autumn at least, we'll have to see. I'm moving to escape the Phoenix summer heat and see some new scenery for a little while. When the rain comes I'll have to evaluate my ability to cope with less than perfect winter conditions, to which I am not accustomed.

GQ: Why Portland?

GB: Well, I've visited Oregon before on vacation and it was very nice. Cool and sunny during the summer with lots of parks and trees. Plus there seemed to be a lot to do downtown between festivals, art, and a great bar scene. I found an apartment near downtown in the Northwest District, which is a kind of quaint cafe and shopping neighborhood. I'll be about a half mile from the Willamette River and a half mile from the Portland Rose Garden in Washington Park.

GQ: Tres bien! So you are leaving tomorrow?

GB: Oui, I am driving up in my car and taking whatever will fit in it. Accordingly, I'm going to have to acquire all new furniture when I get up there - which should prove to be a hassle as I haven't got a truck or any means with which to move large items.

GQ: Ah, bonne chance mon ami!

06.08.2006 Comment...
The Old Testament Circus