Day 33, Tuesday June 25th:

Day 33, Tuesday June 25^th:

We woke up and checked out of the hostel and then took one last trip to the casino for poker tournament that Ravi and Jeremy played in.  Keith played some more roulette and then got a glorious massage nearby.  Ravi made the final table and finished 8^th place in the tournament before using all the winnings on the black jack table afterwards. In the end Jeremy left Vancouver with more money than he started with, Keith left with more money also and felt relaxed, and Ravi was very happy.  We got some nice parting gifts from one of the pit bosses, a tie for each of us.  We spent the rest of the day in the car before arriving to Missoula, MT at 3am.

~Jeremy, Keith, and Ravi

Day 32, Monday June 24^th:

The first night sleep at the hostel was a little uncomfortable compared to the previous hostel we had stayed at.  The room felt much smaller with squeaky beds and it was extremely toasty in the room throughout the night.  After waking up we grabbed breakfast at a crepe restaurant down the street and then explored  the city.  With it raining the options we had were limited but we wondered around none the less.  After getting lost a few times we found what we were looking for, Granville Island Market.  This was a market place like Faneuil Hall on steroids with many shops and vendors located under a bridge.  

Even on a rainy Monday morning this place was still packed with people!  There were lots of interesting foods on display along with many souvenirs. Ravi purchased himself the most expensive pepperoni stick he could find and Keith tried Candied Salmon for the first time!  Soon it began to rain even harder and we decided this may be a good time to try one of Vancouver’s six casinos.  We went back to the hostel to get directions and then headed out. We got lost again…. After a few hours we finally found the Edgewater Casino (it was on the water).  Although small compared to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, this casino had everything we needed.  Jeremy played blackjack, Keith played roulette, and Ravi played poker.  All three won money at their respective games which was something to celebrate.  Not often on these casino trips did everyone become a winner.  Time flew by and it was soon time to head back.  We walked back to the hostel for some dinner and drinks and then went to bed with a long travel day ahead of us. Let it be known, Ravi, while intimidated, DID survive these two nights in a room with several large German travelers.

~Jeremy, Keith, and Ravi

Day 31, Sunday June 23^rd:

Unfortunately when we woke up the forecast was for rain meaning our original plan for going to Olympic Park would not work out.  Instead we decided to go to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners play the Athletics.  It was extremely easy to get there and get in which was nice, but the atmosphere in the stadium seemed to be lacking compared to others we had been to.  

From there we left to pack the car and head to Vancouver, Canada.  We arrived at the hostel after driving around the blocks many times to find parking which apparently is a hard thing to find in Vancouver.  Everyone we have spoken to since recommends not trying to drive in the city due to the lack of parking.  We settled in and went to grab dinner at the pub in the hostel called The Beaver.  We all got burgers with Ravi being disappointed by the lack of Bud Light and French Fries.  In Canada they have other light beers and wedges instead.  As we were talking to reception we were told about a Jazz Festival that was in the city this week.  We hit the streets and walked to Ironworks which is where the late show was being held.  As we arrived we realized this was not an outdoor area or a bar, but an art building.  We bought tickets as we realized we were also extremely out of place here with everyone else looking more fancy and artsy than us.  We went straight to the room where they were serving alcohol and Ravi asked for a Bud Light.  Once again he was disappointed.  We each got a Stella Artois and waited for the show to start.  The show we bought tickets to see was a performance by Sylvain Kassap, Viviane Houle, Stefan Smulovitz, Didier Petit.  We were warned right before going in that this was going to be an experimental interpretation of Jazz.  We sat down on a nice leather couch to the font left side of the stage and the show began.  

This was a unique experience as the music they were playing were from a combination of sounds caused by actions such as screaming, gargling, playing multiple clarinets at once with one blow, dragging the cello on the ground and playing it like a drum, and what we think was gibberish and not just us not understanding the language.  After the truly wonderful and unique experience of this show we headed back to the hostel to call it a night.

~Jeremy, Keith, and Ravi

Day 30, Saturday June 22^nd:

We started our day by trying the public transportation system and hoping on the light rail.  The train station was very clean and the line ran very smoothly. 

From there we hoped on a monorail (they do exist) and ended up back at the Space Needle.  We first checked out the EMP Museum which has exhibits for Jimi Hendrix, Icons of Science Fiction, Nirvana, Fantasy Worlds of Myth and Magic, The Lure of Horror Films, and Women who Rock.  The museum was very cool and had a lot of interactive and informative aspects to it. 

From there we got another look from the top of the Space Needle, this time in daylight. 

We then walked to the Gas Works Park where the Summer Solstice Parade was being held. This parade started off by hundreds of painted naked bicyclists riding around the streets.  After an hour of that the floats and dancers for the parade came by.  This was a truly unique parade experience for us.

After the parade we went to pick our companion Ravi up from the airport.  Glad to see our friend for the first time in 8 months we immediately went out for dinner and a show. 

We explored the city to find the Pink Door which is a restaurant and lounge famously known for its Burlesque Show.  We got in line at the door which opened promptly at 9pm.  We got there just in time as a large line began to form behind us.  We got a seat right in front of center stage and ordered food and drinks.  We quickly noticed that we were severely underdressed for this establishment.  Ravi looking at the menu felt the need to ask for a hamburger, bud light, and red bull. Unfortunately they had neither of the three.  In the end we were very happy with what we ordered.  At 11pm the show started which was again a very unique experience for us.  We had a great time and saw many aspects of Seattle culture this day.  Happy Solstice everybody!

~Jeremy, Keith, and Ravi

Day 29, Friday June 21^st:

After getting up in the morning Emily took us to downtown Seattle to experience Pike Place Market.  For people in Boston, this was very similar to Faneuil Hall on steroids.  The streets were packed with people and we followed the crowd to begin our exploring. 

We first stopped for coffee at a local popular shop. 

We then grabbed a cup of the world’s best mac and cheese.  They did it!  Jeremy got drawn into a vendor playing the Ocarina of Time and had to buy it.  Keith was fascinated by some of the local art.

After a few hours we left for our next destination which was and ice cream tour hosted by Emily.  This consisted of 4 ice cream shops within a few blocks of each other.  This proved to be an extremely difficult task, and for the first time we felt like we may have had too much ice cream.  We made a rating system for each place we visited with the winner being the last location which served beer with their scoops. 

Exhausted from the events of the day we went back to the house to get a nap in before the night.    For dinner we met up with Emily and Aaron at Steelhead Diner which was back near Pike Place Market.  From there we grabbed drinks at a scotch bar in the area called the Bookstore.  Afterwards Jeremy and Keith went off on their own to see the Space Needle and get a view of the city at night.  The sky was clear and the view was fantastic.

~Jeremy and Keith

Day 28, Thursday June 20^th:

Waking up in time to check out from the motel we immediately went to breakfast at the famous Voodoo Doughnuts.  Unfortunately when we got there they were closing for the next hour for a staff meeting.  We waited by the door and after an hour we found ourselves first in line of about 100 people waiting to get in.  When the store opened the options were overwhelming.  We had to get what had been recommended to us which was the Maple Bacon Donut.  We also ordered a couple others that caught our eye, such as, the banana firtter with chocolate and peanut butter drizzle, the voodoo donuts mascot which is a chocolate frosted donut with a face and a pretzel stick rammed through with a rasperberry jelly filling, an oreo stuffed AND topped donut, and several others….

After we ate, we rolled our way to the  Japanese Gardens.  This was another one of Portland’s attractions which was right next to the International Rose Test Garden.  This was one of the most peaceful places we have ever experienced even with a crowd of people walking through.

After walking and digesting (yea right) we decided to grab another bite to eat and stopped at another food truck lot.  Here we ordered a variety of food such as pad thai, reindeer sausage, and a smoked salmon wrap.  Feeling overly gluttonous we started our trip to Seattle, although we did take a detour on our way and traveled along the outskirts of Forest Park.  We didn’t save time to stop and hike the trails, but we did drive past some amazing houses with great views of the city.  Upon arriving in Seattle we met up with Emily and Aaron (Keith’s cousins) who has been kind enough to let us stay with them.  We talked about how the last month has gone and then went out for dinner at a local Vietnamese Restaurant. This meal ended in tremendous fashion with an avocado smoothie for Keith and some sort of heat wave (or something like that was being talked about on the tv in the background).  After dinner Keith and Jeremy went to see the new blockbuster World War Z staring Brad Pitt. It was good. We made plans for what we would do over the weekend and relaxed for the rest of the night.

~Jeremy and Keith

Day 27, Wednesday June 19^th:

We were ready to tackle the city at noon after sleeping in, and started by walking to Mississippi Market.  This is a parking lot full of roughly 10 food trucks.  Portland is well known for their food trucks and this was 1 of over 20 such lots that span the city.  We tried to take in as much variety from the trucks as possible.  Jeremy got the Portlander from one truck which is an egg sandwich.  He got a Short Rib Burrito from another truck and a Chocolate and Peanut Milkshake from a third.  Keith started with a crepe from one truck with a tea smoothie from another.  He finished his experience with breakfast fries from a third truck which was French fries with bacon and eggs on top.  

As we were eating it began to rain heavily as we sat under a canopy.  At that point we realized our plans for the day of exploring the outdoors may not be possible.  After looking at the weather report we both decided it was time to see another movie.  We returned to the theatre from the night before to see This Is the End.  After the movie it was still raining so we got tickets to see Star Trek: Into the Darkness.  With time in-between the movies we went across the street to a mall to explore and get a bite to eat.  Like most other malls there was a Brookstone and we spent some time testing out some of the equipment.  Jeremy had enough of the store and decided to leave as Keith was relaxing in one of the chairs.  He warned Keith that he was leaving and not to fall asleep.  Keith laughed thinking there was no chance he would fall asleep in a retail store because that would be ridiculous.  15 minutes later, Jeremy came back to see Keith soundly asleep in the center of the store.  10-15 minutes after that, Keith awoke and embarrassed, had a conversation with the store employees.  

They may have taken his picture to add to a collection of others who have slept in the store in the past.  While speaking with the employees Keith received some advice for what to do on a rainy day while visiting Portland.  The advice was to go to a Strip Club.  This was not the first time we had heard about the Strip Clubs in Portland.  Apparently Portland is well known for having the most Strip Clubs of any city in the country.  Here’s proof!

http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1975826_1975753_1975585,00.html

After some thought we decided that we had to do go to one of these clubs to get the full Portland experience in the spirit of the trip.  After Star Trek (which was phenomenal) we went to Devil’s Point which had good reviews on Yelp.  We seemed to pick a great night with it being 80s night.  After the club we called it a night with hopes of doing the outdoor activities the next morning, weather permitting.

~Jeremy and Keith

Day 26, Tuesday June 18^th:

Keith was up early for sunrise and what would become a highly emotional series of stops. His first trip was to Marshfield High School which is where Steve Prefonatine, the famed American long distance runner, discovered his passion for running. It was surreal to behold the sunrise over Coos Bay from the high school parking lot and to know that these views are what pushed Pre forward.

After the sun had risen Keith took a drive through Prefontaines childhood neighborhood where his presence still hangs thick in the morning air. From there Keith headed over to Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery where Prefontaine is buried. Paying his respects and having a conversation with this ghost proved much more emotional then Keith had expected. As a role model for all distance runners this hero had been the example to follow for Keith in high school.

Having shared his thanks, Keith headed out to Old Bandon to capture some photos of the harbor in the early hours. This was a much longer drive then Keith remembered from the night before.

Having much more success at the harbor in the morning then in his previous attempt, Keith got in the civic and doubled back for Coos Bay. Making a stop at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center in Coos Bay to see the monument to Steve Prefontaine was the capstone to this Coos Bay pilgrimage.

After Keith, Jeremy and Rob had a quick  lunch Keith and Jeremy  got on the road and headed towards Portland while planning a stop in Eugene.  In Eugene Keith and Jeremy walked around the University of Oregon Campus on a mission to find Hayward Field. Being in the hollowed land/center of the running universe commanded by Bill Bowerman and driven by Steve Prefontaine was awe inspiring. Being at the birthplace of the running boom was incredibly motivational.

While in Eugene we also found the crash site for Prefontaine in the back roads of a local neighborhood. Keith paid his respects to the American hero and after some words with fellow visitors returned to the civic and geared up for the drive to Portland.

We arrived in Portland around 5pm. After settling in Keith and Jeremy made their way out to the International Rose Test Garden. This public park is free admission and boasts several acres of breath taking rose arrangements and rose decorated tennis courts which are also open to the public. One of the great things about this area of the country is that it seems to stay light out until almost 9pm.

From the rose gardens we decided to have a lazy night and grab dinner and a movie.  We went to McMenamins, on a strong referral, and tried some of the local beers and whiskeys they offer. Both the food and the libations held up to their high reputations. Post dinner Keith and Jeremy went to see a late showing of Man of Steel in IMAX. Twas a late night…

~Jeremy and Keith