world's longest drive to oregon and world's smallest park

i think montana is pretty, but i really have no idea.

yesterday morning, we woke up in rapid city and took off for mount rushmore. we didn't feel like paying for parking or dealing with the millions of patriotic tourists, so we drove by it. it's smaller than i thought it was. also there was a sign that said "north by northwest movie filmed in this area." can you imagine if they did that anywhere else? that's just cause it's the only movie filmed in south dakota, ever.

after mt rushmore, we got lunch in a little place called "the hop" in newcastle, WY. so weird! it was literally run by one woman, who called us and women older than she was (she was about 45) sweetie. she took orders, made the food and beverages, delivered the food and took the checks. there was one busboy who was about 50 but i think i saw him clear off one table out of about 10, while i saw the woman clear off at least three of them. meanwhile she still had the time to take a cigarette break while STANDING AT THE COUNTER and putting together place settings. we got malts and the best burger i have had in forever. the whole restaurant was decked out with sort of pseudo-50s diner crap and coca-cola memorabilia (although it served only pepsi products, which i thought was funny). also it was filled with locals, who all knew the waitress and were ridiculous people. i.e. more trucker hats and plaid shirts. i think it was a mining town of some kind. right before we left, this cowboy-type dude came in. i mean, literally a cowboy. he took off his hat and tossed it on the counter (NOT where he was sitting) and put his feet (clad in boots of course) up on a chair. he was dusty and heavily suntanned and he had an accent. in wyoming, people kind of talk like they are from texas - must be a ranch thing. he hit on the waitress sort of and chatted with everyone there, including us. kind of out of control.

we drove off, heading for yellowstone. it was far away and we had a long way to go. we originally planned on driving to it via montana, via the little bighorn monument, etc. but we soon realized that we didn't really have the time. instead we decided to cut through the mountains directly for yellowstone, hoping to get there before sunset. the mountains were gorgeous and random - looking a lot like utah, which i have to say totally validates my entire theory about utah and wyoming. they sometimes looked like bryce, sometimes like zion. sometimes even like parts of arizona and the painted desert. we came out of the mountains ages later (after being stuck behind the worst driver ever who i honestly think was drunk, they were driving like 25 mph and weaving into the opposite lane) into a giant plain. again, random. more driving, we hit cody, WY, which is kind of the gateway to yellowstone.

as we drove out of cody, however, about 50 miles away from yellowstone, we saw a sign that said that the east entrances were closed at 8pm. it was 7:45.

so needless to say, we didn't see yellowstone. we're too alternative for that.

instead, we drove north, up towards montana, changing our whole route to oregon. we happened to drive through the most gorgeous little area ever - lots of mountains and the prettiest sunset i think i've ever seen. the whole sky was pink, even the side OPPOSITE of where the sun was setting. i really haven't ever seen that. i couldn't stop talking about it and dan wanted to kill me.

our plan was to drive through all of montana, idaho, washington and oregon to portland. in one night. without stopping. we are road warriors.

so hence not seeing montana. i think it was pretty - in the dark while i was driving, i could vaguely see white mountains and lots of trees and some river, but i really have no idea. the only thing i know about montana is that i saw two hitchhikers (the first on our trip), one of which was wearing a poncho and walking along the highway at 1 am, and that i was vaguely hit on by an old creepy gas station attendant who apparently was from whittier/socal. it was kind of bizarre.

dan and i switched driving again a few miles from the idaho (idaho? no, udaho) border and when i woke up from my nap, the sun was rising and we were in washington... in the flattest, yellowest fields ever. like what you imagine south dakota is (although SD is actually greener because of all the farms).

we drove and drove, eventually crossing into oregon and driving along the columbia river which is really awesome. at first it's kind of arid looking, but as you drive further west it gets greener and greener and more forested.

we arrived in portland at 10 am ( almost 24 hours of straight driving, not counting breaks for food and gas). i was pretty much fading, but we couldn't check into our hotel until 3, so we headed for downtown. we went to powell's bookstore, which i am OBSESSED with (so many books) and which i spent a little too much money in (on a very eclectic selection of books i have to say), although the no sales tax thing in oregon is pretty much the best thing ever. after bookshopping we had vietnamese food for lunch and eventually made our way back to the hotel. i napped for HOURS, only waking up when beth called us from downstairs around 7:15.

we finally made it out of the hotel room and to our restaurant around 8:30. we went to this place called mirage, which serves cajun food in a chic place underneath a bridge. beth said it was funky, so i expected it to be sort of like the magnolia cafe in austin, or like a non-chain version of TGIF that sold cajun food. instead, it was a really pretty and classy inside, but just with a funky twist. (incidentally, that seems to be the norm in portland, hipster heaven. i really like this city, it's got a totally unique feeling.) there was a cubist version of the last supper up on the wall, in a gold-painted macaroni frame, in which jesus was picking up the check. and all the waiters and waitresses, when you get something in a doggy bag, wrap your food up in unique shapes like a rose and a bird.

oregon is far from california in spirit. it's funkier, more independent, less commercial, less corporate. beth wanted to take us to the 24-hour (but "usually open from 5-11") "church of elvis" which has apparently closed down but used to be a woman's house with elvis memorabilia, an elvis impersonator who would come in once an hour, drink a beer and watch tv, and 25 dollar weddings performed by the owner and consummated by a ride on a wheeled couch around the house. unfortunately we couldn't go there since it went out of business. damn.

instead, we went tonight to the world's smallest park - about 20x20 inches. it's got a great story - http://www.parks.ci.portland.or.us/Parks/MillEnds.htm - and apparently changes appearance pretty often, because i expected a couple of flowers, but instead when we got there we found a little cactus in a planter of sad-looking dirt. i wasn't disappointed - i just had that kind of feeling you get when you go to a pound and want to take home all the kittens, or when you have to box up your stuffed animals and start to feel sorry for them because you aren't treating them well anymore. i want to adopt the world's smallest park and have it for my own and put leprechaun ferris wheels and fairy flowers in it, and hold little miniature pipe-playing concerts.

i'm weird, i know.

last note of the day before i go to bed - sadly, the horns are looking kind of done for. as we drove to the restaurant tonight, we noticed them bobbing up and down, not pointing steadily ahead as usual. in the parking lot we checked, and sure enough, they had been cut. for some reason someone clipped the tape/rope that was holding them up on the front grate, but didn't clip the bottom rope, and so we still have the horns, they are just loose. we're going to fix them tomorrow and ride the rest of the trip out in style. road warriors, you know.