From the Inn, we needed to get to Portland to stay with the sister in law’s sister. This called for Gretta the Jetta. A beautiful beast. Loaned from the kind folk at budget rent-a-car. An unusual method was employed. We rented our car online at one location. We got to that location to find a couple of staff dealing with people who had come for their cars, all booked in advance. However they didn’t have any cars. They did however know of another local budget rent-a-car, that had plenty of cars but no staff, only one guy was working. So our guy drove us and another Japanese lady from their empty car rental lot, to the other guy with his abundant cars, only no time to do anything with them.

You would have thought the prerequisite for a car rental place would be rental cars. But this turned out not to be the case.

We mounted our trusty grey steed and headed for the coast.

We stopped off at a diner, ate one meal between two of us (grilled cheese and tater-tots. We had no idea what Tater-tots were, but they turned out to be delicious nuggets of deep fried potatoness, what’s not to love. Anyway, someone offers you something with a name such as Tater-tots, it is imperative one must give it a whirl). We have learned that man portions, despite my overly healthy apetite, are big enough to feed the two of us. It really is no surprise we have seen some especially large units over here. One could very easily become a hefty specimen in no time I fear.

Long Beach.

Not California, Oregon. It boasted Labor Day crowds, the worlds worst nachos with rubber cheese and an arch to the beach contentiously claiming to be the World’s Longest Beach.

It was a long beach indeed, but I have a feeling that is a spurious claim on behalf of the Long Beach tourist board.

We got ice cream. Conny opted for the junior option(a classic mint choc chip choice). I thought the single would be appropriate. I was wrong. Never have I seen such an awkwardly disproportionate globule of frozen delight (Root beer float flavour, ‘twas delicious) sat atop such a tiny wafer construction. Plus, I am a bearded man. When said ice cream is as big as ones face, one can not help but look somewhat the fool. I was however a delightfully messy fool as we strolled to the beach.

The beach, on Labor day, allows Pick Up Trucks. This was taken advantage of in the fullest. Ginormo beasts with huge kites (A big squid among them no less) attached to them and fires galore. Now the fires despite the signs saying that they must be 100 metres from the dunes started about 10 metres in. I think this is the golden accepted ratio, as at many restaurants and rail stations similar signs say no smoking within x amount of distance, for example 20 metres, for the most part I think it is considered appropriate to go exactly 10% of the stated distance and you’ll be grand, most smokers make it 2 metres at a 20 metre sign.

We departed the lies of Long Beach and headed South. A night of rough sleeping. I say rough, hardly, but Conny is not keen on sleeping in anything but a bed. I however used to regularly sleep in my Fiat 126 with my legs out of the window, back in the good old days after a session and no way to get home.

We parked, facing the sea and a great bridge across the estuary. We watched a movie. Then curled up for the night. Me in the front, Conny in the back. It was a bit cool, a bit of dead leg here or there but all in all, Gretta was grand. Conny I fear would beg to differ. She will never do such a thing again.

However, waking up to the view on the morning was pretty fantastic. We headed off with the intent of hitting the first diner we could for breakfast.

We were not let down. Diner breakfasts are awesome.

On to Portland, slowly, we were the only people observing the speed limit all the way. We drew some frowns, and 55 is ridiculously slow, but hey, I don’t want mahussive fees on my card now do I.

Gretta made it, we were soundtracked by my youth with a 90’s Alt Rock radio station all the way. Pretty good day I’d say.