First day in Portland

Peter writes: Mom and Dad arrived in Portland this evening via the Bubmobile. About an hour later, I showed up at the airport. Problem number one revealed itself within 10 seconds of his arrival: the van is WAY too small for this trip. Or, put another way, we have WAY too much crap. Unfortunately, the situation is about to get much worse, for tomorrow two more people will show up with even more crap. Our haul to date: two tents, four folding chairs, one awning, two folding tables, pillows, blankets, four sleeping bags, mittens/hats/long johns, down vests, three bikes, two laptop computers, 20-25 pounds of Clif bars, powdered sport drink mix, boxes of cereal, peanut butter, soup, baked beans, dishes, Mom’s golf clubs (seriously–that’s not a joke) and enough cycling gear to embarrass a bike shop. And, oh, tomorrow we get another bike, a bike carrier, more cycling gear plus even more luggage. And two additional human beings. Now all we have to do is, first, raise the van high enough off the ground so it will move, and, second, get it, plus all of us, down to Reedsport, Oregon, which is circa 2.5 hours from here. Assuming we make it, we’ll do the wheel dip in the Pacific. And the ride will begin tomorrow evening. All vehicular concerns aside, we’re stoked!