On Top of Old Smokey

Well, I drove all the way to Portland only to find out they cancelled the volcano. Doesn't that just figure. No rock, no ash, no steam clouds rising ominously into the sky, no James Mason and Pat Boone - just hundreds of rangers and policemen to keep all the damn fools like me off of the mountain. That's the way it goes, I guess.

But then again it's not a total waste. After all, I'm in Portland Oregon, the vacation capital of the world with plenty of other sights and attractions to keep the out-of-town visitor occupied. Like, um...let me see. I'll think of something.

Actually they're expecting a beautiful day tomorrow so I'm going to be headed off to the great outdoors to get in a little hiking. Multnomah Falls sounds interesting or maybe Mt. Hood. I did some hiking around there when I was a kid so it might be fun to see if I can still find some of the old trails. Of course, after tomorrow the sunshine ends and they're expecting a rainstorm to blow in. Huh, what else is new. Guess I'll just head back to California when that happens.

Damn volcano! If I had gotten here yesterday I would have made it in time to see Mt. St. Helen's last little ash eruption, but I was a day late and a dollar short on that one. Still it was a nice drive, sunny in California and cloudy once I crossed the Oregon border, but easy going for the most part. Too bad so many people take to the roads in the summer when the weather is hot and the highways are crowded. It's much better to go in the early fall when the traffic is light and you can just cruise down the road and listen to the Mike and Dana show on the radio, or was that the Bob and Larry show, or the Wayne and Miki show, or the... I don't know. There are so many of these buddy-buddy shows on the radio these days it's getting impossible to tell them apart.

Speaking of the radio, I'm sorry to say that one thing hasn't changed over the years. I mean it was true thirty years ago and even truer now. When you're out of range of the big cities and/or markets the only people on the radio are preachers and cowboys. Well, that and an occasional golden oldies station. I hit one stretch of road where there was one country station and about five or six different preacher shows. Sheesh, I don't know what these people who live out in the middle of nowhere do for entertainment, but I guarantee you it's not listening to the radio. Come to think of it, maybe they live out there to get away from all that, and, you know, after listening to the Bob and Larry show (or whatever it's called) I'd have to say they're not missing much.

And that's all I have for tonight. Like to stay and chat a while but I've got to go see what's in the mini-bar.