Currently in Idaho, some place called Mountain Home? Would be partying but accidentally ate enough to nearly die. Do not try and out eat Americans. Seriously I spent two hours with all my chest and stomach hurting so bad. Such a bad idea. I am never trying food again unless I know exactly what is in it and how many calories.
Anyway what I have been doing:
I spent a few days in Redmond WA with Jovana. Basically a satellite city of Seattle funded by microsoft for it's employees for the nearby employment centre thing. Still obviously under construction, dunno if I'd like it there in say, 5 years time but otherwise was totally just a bloody fairytale story of urban planning. A five minute walk from her apartment in the town centre and we were picking blackberries! Also the only place I have been and not seen homeless people!
Picked up the rental vehicle from SeaTac and after a few days of practising driving (scaring the crap out of both Jovana and myself several times) I headed south down through Washington to Portland, Oregon.
Portland is not the prettiest city, but it's South (maybe?) side has the prettiest gardens and the rest of it is ugly but very interesting. Stayed a couple of days longer than I originally planned and saw loads of cool stuff. The second hotel I stayed at was too trendy for me. They were cheap but fun and aimed at young people who like fun things.
Also Portland has a lot of second hand book stores. Yeah :/ That's another package home when I hand in the rental.
Headed East on Thursday because I wasn't sure I could handle a night of drinking with backpackers in full party mode. The drive was amazing. I am finally starting to understand the whole rolling hills concept.
Spent last night in some town called Pendleton, it's primary industry seemed to be two large prison factories. Like apparently the two prisons are how all the laundry gets done and jeans get made. Which er, is a little scary! Taking into account America's high rates of incarating the mentally ill and african-americans... plus a habit of avoiding industries moving offshore through allowing privatised prisons to provide cheap labour... I mean it's great that you want to buy locally made guys, but if it's locally made by a prison, trapping people from low socio-economic areas into production lines and low-skill labour with no training... Is that actually better for _anyone_?
I'm not painting a pretty picture here. But that's kind of what most of America is. The most picturesque things surrounded and built up by some pretty horrific layers underneath. Two speed economy is a phrase that gets bandied around a lot in The West etc... with Australia's mining boom, but I think we hide ours in the suburbs a lot better and maybe aren't as desentised as America seems to be. Also we got nothing on the level of how it happens here. We should probably keep it that way.
Still the people in the town were scarily friendly, just like people all throughout the rest of Oregon. Seriously, Canada has nothing on those people. It was starting to freak me out. I cannot emphasis enough how well everyone, except for the backpackers, treated me.
Mountain Home is nice enough. The speed limits went up by 10 miles and the roads got a lot worse when I got to Idaho (so you know, at least that isn't a problem just in Western Australia) but the rest stops got nicer and the views got prettier. This is the smallest town I've stayed in so far. Only 14k! I still don't really feel like I've hit anything I'd call rural exactly, but I am getting weirder and weirder looks for both the crazy hair and the fact I'm a girl by myself.
I am loving the driving though. Now that I've got the hang of it a bit more. I know when Chris travelled he did a lot more socialising and group stuff. But I guess that's the difference. He is a quiet person that quite likes socialising... whereas I'm quite loud and obnoxious but really prefer doing my own thing. Other travelers I've just found quite tedious. Plus seem to scare away the interesting people that otherwise come up and chat to me for whatever reason. Even if it's in Oregon and they're worried that I look lost and confused.
Heading some more East-ish tomorrow. I want to drive up to and around where-ever is pretty in Yellowstone before heading down to Salt Lake City and then to Denver to see another friend. That is if I get any sleep tonight. Dude next door to me is snoring his arse off with the tv turned RIGHT up.
I might go back to Oregon if I have time after New York in mid-October. I feel like I barely scratched the surface and I am a bit more in love with it than the other places I have been.
No comments:
Post a Comment