Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral - Take Your Pick

I love Portland. Always have. But it's hard to pick what I love best.

Just up the gorge (the Columbia River Gorge) is Bridal Veil Falls. Beautiful view, beautiful place. I love waterfalls, especially surrounded by forests.

And in town - it's a toss-up. If I only have time for one, which would I choose, OMSI or the Zoo? Hard to know. OMSI has lots of mechanized fun. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Hours of fun. And that's just watching the omnitron. Hands-on exhibits, an entire wing of children oriented activities, a navy sub, and a walk-through heart. What more could you ask for?

The Oregon Zoo has its own wealth of fun. There's the zoo train, of course. And the elephants. And polar bears and penguins and - well, you get the idea.

How would you choose?

Home, Home is So Strange

I am in Oregon City today.

The highlights of the city for me? Riding the elevator was always fun, even when I was very small. I loved to ride up then walk down the Singer Hill stairs. I didn't enjoy looking out the observation deck windows so much - but that had more to do with my fear of heights than with the view.

Another great option for fun in the city is the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Giant covered wagons, circled where the pioneers circled their wagons for the last time before seeking out new homes. Come see it when you are in the area. I think you will be as impressed as I am.

Of course, the biggest highlight of Oregon City is my family. They live just outside the city limits, and are my favorite part of any trip to Oregon.

A bit of history

Today I made it all the way to Champoeg State Park. I would include a description here, but I haven't been there yet, and they haven't answered my email. Anyone been there that is willing to share? See my first post for my email address and I'll happily include your description (with thanks).

Gleneden and the Garden

I arrived safely in Gleneden Beach today. My friend lives here and has a beautiful garden. Might even rival Grandma's (there is such a thing as family loyalty, you know!). It was nice to see her and visit. Made for a good rest.

I'm also glad I made it in time for the Gleneden 4th of July parade. It was a true slice of Americana, the kind of parade that reminds you why we love America and small towns and the spirit of patriotism.

What do I see at the Beach?

Fish, of course!

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a great place to visit. Once home to Keiko the whale, it now has a really cool walk through fish tank instead. But I have to say, my favorite is the touching tank. Slimy and weird and amazingly non-slimy creatures, all within reach of my fingers. Shivery fun!

The Roaring of the Lions

Have you ever heard a sea lion? There's a reason they're called lions. They roar. Imagine a full-throated sea lion roar, multiplied by a hundred (at least!) echoing back at you. Okay, it's hard to imagine. But it is loud!

At sea lion caves, you take an elevator to a viewing platform. You are inside the cave, and all you can hear are the sea lions. I wouldn't even try to talk.

Outside you might see this

Or this:

But what you came to see is this:

It's really impressive, an experience best experienced, not read about. Check it out if you are ever on the Oregon Coast. It's worth the drive.

If you can't go in person (or even if you can), check out their website. Don't forget to take the sea lion challenge! I passed :) See you at the beach!

Butterflies in Elkton

Today I arrived in Elkton, Oregon - home of the Butterfly Pavilion. I'll post pictures as soon as I have them! Next - on to the Coast!

Beasts, Birds, and Butterflies

Today I biked just over 18 miles. I started from Sunny Roseburg in Southern Oregon. Just a few miles south is the Wildlife Safari in Winston. I wandered around the main area. Only closed cars allowed in the animal compound. Shame. If I'd been able to go in, I might have seen something interesting, like this:

As it is, I did get to see this:

And in case you wonder what I look like:

Pretty skinny for a fat lady!

After wildlife safari I returned to Grandma's house and rested up, just a little bit. On Monday I'll head up to Elkton, Oregon, home of the Butterfly Pavilion.

Start at the beginning

Hello! I am Meme (aka Melanie Emry) and I am taking a virtual journey. Why? Well, why not?

Actually, there is a reason. Some time ago I decided I needed someplace fun to put my brain. Yes, it's actually in my head, but I keep spending time thinking about things that are stressful, worrisome, or just plain negative. I needed something healthy. So I am taking a virtual trip. That way I can plan where I will be next, or imagine myself where my virtual journey has taken me so far.

I make progress by exercising and losing weight. I decied that I bike at 50 mph (hey, this is a fantasy, right?) and walk at 4 mph. (actually, I walk about 3 mph, but 4 is easier to divide). And if I lose weight in any given week, then I'm happy that week and happy people walk faster - so for that week I get to count extra distance (for every 4 miles walked I get to count 6). There you have it.

I am starting in Roseburg, OR. My grandmother lives there, and I like it there. I'm heading north from her house towards my parents in Oregon City, then I'm going to spend a while exploring Washington State (where we currently live). We'll see where we go after that.

So, welcome to Roseburg!

For my contacts

I am taking a virtual tour. For every hour I exercise (and every step I take during each day), I get to count travel distance on my imaginary trip. I want to visit interesting places, some of which I may have actually seen, some which I never have. Hopefully I have photos of the places I've been which I will post to make my virtual trip more interesting. However, there are many places I have never been.

If you are connected to one of these places (or you would like me to visit your place on my virtual trip), I want to post a description of what I would see along with a photo or two and maybe a link to your own website. I hope to make this trip interesting to readers so other people can be inspired to take their own trip, real or imaginary.

I can be reached at virtually meme @ coastaccess.com (I inserted spaces to fool spam engines). Please feel free to email me there if you want to be included and are willing to give me pictures to dress up my post. If I can, I will include your location in my trip (and I probably can. - one of the joys of the virtual world, I can go back and rewrite my trip!)

See you in the virtual world!