Red Truck Road Trip – WEST Coast Team

Today, after the trio arrived in Portland, the group split up and went their different ways around the town. Naturally, I somehow found myself in Mike’s backpack as he proceeded to tromp around the city with his dubious friend, Lia (I don’t like the way she looks at me… it’s kind of like the way in which a Sumo wrestler eyes a ham sandwich).

Mike’s been to Portland before, and Lia happens to be a local, so sightseeing during the late afternoon hours wasn’t a high priority for either person. Instead, they seemed more intent on picking up supplies, socializing, and filling their empty stomachs. Oh, sure: they promised that they’d take me around Portland tomorrow, but I wanted to see things today, dammit.

Our first stop, naturally, was the Pioneer Place shopping center, where Mike failed to locate a Sprint Store to pick up a wall charger for his phone. Admittedly, the shopping center itself was quite lovely, what with its glass ceilings, posh shops, and classy fountains; in spite of the lack of cell-phone supplies, the two seemed to have a good time wandering all over the place until they went and caught a showing of Transformers at the mall’s movie theater. Personally, I thought it made for a great Fourth of July action movie: Good vs. Evil, defense of home and country, aggressive promotion of domestic cars, and a lot of explosions all added up to a ripping good time.

After the movie let out, we all wandered around the nearby cityscape until the Terrible Twosome discovered Jax, a local restaurant and bar on 2nd Ave. Jax is one of those great places which featured some lovely live music and a great set of artwork by local artists on the wall next to our table. However, while sitting at the table, I got to meet some distant relatives from the other end of the Alcoholic Family: Guiness and Hefeweizen. The two were decent, as foreigners go, but I’m pretty sure that they would’ve robbed us if we’d let them hang around for too long… especially that Hefeweizen (never turn your back on a German, that’s what I always say). Thankfully, Mike and Lia drained them quickly and then proceeded to gorge on their salads. Shortly thereafter, Mike and I returned to our hotel room and settled in after the long day. We’re here until Sunday, so I’m hoping he takes me to Powell’s tomorrow… I’m not holding my breath, though.