Oregon road tripping: Everyone knows it's Windy!

Yes, it's that time of the year...time for my spring road trip! Actually, it officially started yesterday, but it was spent driving to Portland, OR. After saying my goodbyes to my cat, I headed out. Things didn't start out so well, though. I planned to take an early lunch at Wendy's, but they couldn't serve food until they got a replacement cook! I drove a little further down the road to another Wendy's that WAS serving food. Things still didn't go my way because their Coke Freestyle machine didn't have my favorite Dave's orange cream soda! I decided to try the berry vanilla root beer...I know, a weird combination. When you have your heart set on something and the alternative just isn't up to snuff, it's somewhat of a downer. It was raining on and off from the time I left home, but as I crossed into Oregon, it was SUNNY. The sun was shining and the mid-60s temps actually felt HOT to me. Of course, part of my discomfort was probably the raincoat I was wearing.

Before going to bed last night, the weather forecast in western Washington and Oregon was ominous. Gusty winds and rain all night and into the next day. Things didn't look bad when I left my Portland hotel. It was breezy and I could even see blue skies. I decided to skip the hotel breakfast, opting instead to grab something sweet from the famous Voodoo Doughnut. I ate a Portland Cream in the car and saved a Voodoo Doll to eat later.

After a quick side trip to Uwajimaya in Beaverton to pick up snacks, lunch and tomorrow's dinner...where I'm staying has very few places to eat...I headed over to the Oregon Zoo. When I arrived, the weather continued to be quite pleasant...a little breezy and no sign of rain. The Oregon Zoo is fairly small compared to other big city zoos, but it more than makes up for it with large enclosures, quality displays and a nice collection of animals.

Mountain Goat

Amur Leopard

Amur Tiger

Hadada Ibis

Southern Ground Hornbill

Naked Mole Rat

When I entered the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit, I arrived just in time for the lion enrichment presentation. To keep the lions happy and stimulated, the keepers place ground meat all around a small enclosure, then let them find the treats. No doubt, the lions look forward to it!

After I exited the building, the skies opened up and the rain came down. I already noticed most of the animals chose to the spend the day out of the weather. That included these two cheetahs who looked very comfortable snuggling up together. 

The Oregon Zoo's Elephant Lands exhibit, displaying five resident Asian elephants, is the largest and best in the country. A huge facility with multiple habitats allows the elephants the freedom to roam where and when they want. Meadows, water pool, mud wallows and feeding stations simulate their natural environment and they are free to interact with each other.

 

The elephants didn't mind the rain, but the same could not be said of the California condors in the Condors of the Columbia exhibit. The three birds on display cannot be released into the wild, but are part of Oregon's successful condor breeding program. After the rain stopped and the sun came out, the condors took full advantage and spread their impressive wings to dry out.

I had my sushi lunch in the car, then encountered the forecasted gusty winds and more rain as I drove south to my pit stop for the night. Tomorrow, I'm planning another zoo day and some Oregon coast scenery. The weather forecast looks a lot more promising compared to today. Crossing my fingers that I see lots of sun, which makes picture taking much more pleasurable. Oh, and in case you thought that I got over my disdain for hotel half pillows...I haven't! This is what greeted me yesterday when I entered my hotel room. Like usual, it made no difference because I brought my own pillow.