Last chance to see...

[Hairnet600]

Was it like watching Messi

Or rapinhoe

 

[Big Geordi]

Wow! What a trip and write up fair play to you

 

[LOLGEOFF]

Sandwhich? These Americans are twisting my melon again man...

 

[MikeO]

Sandwhich? These Americans are twisting my melon again man...

You missed the Moster Burger...

 

[MikeO]

Was it like watching Messi

Or rapinhoe

Ted Lasso...

 

[MikeO]

7th October 2023

A slightly restless night's sleep - probably not unconnected to eating too much Mexican food (or at least, this is Jorge's opinion

).

After abluting, I set up shop on the decking, and start writing hotel reviews for all the places I have stayed for the past several weeks. I've been lucky with my choices (or - in a couple of instances - have stayed somewhere I have had good experiences before), and it's always easy to write a positive review.

It'll be interesting to see if they publish the picture of the 'No Prostitution' sign from my review of the Cameo Motel, though...

EDIT - they did!

Jorge has decided to contact Module Masters in Idaho on Monday, just to confirm they still offer the $350 ABS Module rebuild advertised on their site.

Jorge and Carolina go out grocery shopping, leaving me in Aster's care.

I want to take them out for dinner, but Jorge suggests I just pay for some groceries and he can cook at home. This will never be a snag - I've yet to have anything short of an excellent meal when Jorge is in the kitchen.

When they get back we have some pizza for lunch...

Excellent

I venture up to my room to sort out my laundry - always a challenge to a domestic washing machine...

More later...

 

[MikeO]

It's a beautiful day here in Portland, and I spend much of it on the rear deck, being ignored by Aster (as usual) and waiting for Jorge's mammoth washer and dryer to cope with three-plus weeks of my laundry.

...at around 1700, we declare the sun is over the yardarm (this being a Saturday) and Jorge makes G&Ts...

Interesting flavoured gin - Bergamot gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive taste and aroma. Jorge makes tonic by diluting a quinine syrup with San Pelligrino water...

...which makes it an interesting colour - it tastes great...

In a whirl of activity in the kitchen - tapas is produced - and eaten using tapas forks...

Aster looks on hopefully...

Having drawn a blank, she pointedly goes to look for squirrels in the garden...

The sun's going down - and Jorge has his chef's hat on - the barbecue grill is lit and I have a Radler (American for shandy)...

Dinner is served...

Chicken in a delicious spicy Korean Gochujang marinade, asparagus, and new potatoes...

...and a couple of bottles - in case you wanted a cheeky Nando's...

What a great meal...

And, for dessert...

...a little recreational cannabis...

Jorge has the idea of playing Scrabble...

...using the Scrabble set that his grandmother used to play with him, to improve his Spanish vocabulary. It's an amazing set - the board has wheels...

If you've never played Scrabble when high, I can thoroughly recommend it. I honestly can't remember laughing so much in years. This gummy was way more potent than the couple I tried last year.

I eventually turned in after a great day - turn off the light and sleep until 0945

Aster's already sunning herself on the decking. I shower and dress, then retrieve my laundry from the dryer and start folding it and organising it for tomorrow's flight home...

My motorcycle jacket drip-dries above the decking...

More later...

 

[Hairnet600]

us tv really must be garbage if youre playing scrabble when wasted

 

[MikeO]

8th October 2023

The weather continues to be beautiful - 25C today and sunny...

Hot dogs for lunch

Aster's favourite (apparently she gets one of the sausages whenever these are on the menu)...

I retrieve the last of my kit from the laundry (including the motorcycle jacket) and take it up to my room to see if I can jam it into my checked and cabin bags. After doing so, I think, "I'll just have five minutes" - and wake an hour later...

Jorge has had a new gadget delivered...

...a 90-degree plug adapter to turn his MacBook's power supply around - and save it from getting kicked out of the main socket inadvertently...

I checked, but they don't do one for a UK plug (yet)...

 

[MikeO]

us tv really must be garbage if youre playing scrabble when wasted

Where isn't TV garbage?

 

[MikeO]

Carolina's speciality - Spanish Tortilla for dinner - with a great salad and the leftover Korean chicken from yesterday...

Superb...

I check in online - my flight departs Portland International at 1910 tomorrow...

 

[Doc]

Nice write up Mike. Enjoyed reading plus the pics.

 

[MikeO]

9th October 2023

I sleep well (without the aid of recreational drugs

) and wake just before 0800. I shower and dress, putting my washkit and other stuff into my checked bag, then go downstairs where Jorge has been talking to the chaps in Idaho who service BMW ABS Modules. Yes, they are still doing it, but it's a three to four weeks lead time. They will strip and refurbish Jorge's Module. Jorge has ordered a vacuum brake bleeder, which will make draining the entire system of brake fluid much easier.

It's much cooler today, and (accurately) forecast to rain at around lunchtime for a couple of hours. Looks like I'm heading home just in time...

Time to go out shopping for a couple of last items - Jorge and I take the Discovery and I wander around the stores we visit looking at things we don't seem to have at home in the UK...

First up - a cigar store. Jorge smokes a cigar about four times a year, but he's got a couple of friends coming around on Friday, so needs to make a purchase. The store is like a Whitehall club - all leather armchairs and polished wood. There's a not unpleasant smell of cigar smoke...

In the next room, accessed by a sliding door, is a walk-in humidor, with hundreds of different brands and sizes of cigars offered for sale...

The storekeeper has a detailed knowledge of each type...

Not sure about Bones and Knuckleduster, though...

Having made his purchase, we depart for the next store - but I can clearly taste cigar smoke. What it must be like spending all day in that environment I dread to think...

Next up - an organic produce store. I wondered what these were - I don't think I've ever seen fresh dates before...

Tomatillos - I'd not heard of these before - they are used in Mexican cooking and are part of the tomato/nightshade family...

This is how I'm used to seeing dates in the UK...

...I'm not sure what you use whole dried limes for (Jorge says it's likely for Persian cooking)...

It's getting closer to Christmas - got your Frankinsence in yet?

They have a UK section!

Dammit - I could have had HP sauce with my breakfasts...

Halloween is getting well under way here...

I buy the only thing I need - a four-pack of Mexican Coke. Made with cane sugar, rather than high-fructose corn syrup, it tastes like Coke used to when you were a child...

Shopping completed (Jorge also filled two five-gallon Jerry-cans with petrol, to power his generator, should it become necessary in the next few months), we arrive back at he house and I try to work out how to fit 50lbs of stuff into my checked bag, and everything else into my cabin bag.

Making life easier, I am taking my crash helmet home, and can use it as second cabin bag, with all of my chargers, cables etc in it.

By about 1345, I'm done and write the last of my journal from the house. Jorge will be driving me to the airport - we'll leave here at 1615 - my flight is scheduled to depart at 1910, but seems to be running a little late.

More later...

 

[MikeO]

Jorge and I carry my bags down to the Discovery at about 1615. I carried the heavy one*
We set off for Portland Airport and have to take a roundabout route to get there (rush hour).

Always something to bring a smile to your face in Portland, though…

I try, completely unsuccessfully, to tell Jorge how much his support over these last few weeks has meant to me. He waves it away and just tells me to get myself better…

He drops me at BA Check In and we say our farewells.

BA Check In, as I may have mentioned before, is at the furthest point in the terminal from D Gates TSA.

My step numbers are looking great!

After going through security, I find a seat and have a breather - security was like a mosh pit…

More later…

*This is a complete lie...

 

[Arsey]

“I slept for a couple of hours on the flight , ablute and then look out of the window to see an old girl buried in the ice far far below me in the Greenland permafrost…..

Anyone know year and make ? “


Welcome home Mike. Hope the flight wasn’t too unbearable ?


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[MikeO]

The incoming 777 was late getting airborne from LHR, so was late arriving at PDX.

The crew had made up some time on the turnaround, but we’re still over 45 minutes late boarding and getting airborne.

My luck seems to be out, and I take my seat in my assigned aisle seat - the seat pitch is ludicrous - not helped by the chap in front immediately reclining his seat fully.

They dim the cockpit lighting before takeoff...

Salvation arrives in the shape of Peter, the Cabin Service Director, who tells me that my BA Godfather has worked his magic and, as soon as the seat belt signs are turned off, he invites me to change my seat to 14K - deep in Club Class territory - Yahoo, and so forth...

Club Class in the 777 is way more advanced than that used in the 787 - not that either are uncomfortable, you understand.

In the 777 you get almost a little room to yourself. Huge TV, lots of nooks and crannies to store the rubbish we all travel with. I buy Wi-Fi (text only) for the length of the flight for £4.99, sending my first thank-you text to my BA benefactor.

Danielle brings me a G&T, in a crystal glass, then brings me the menu.

I have mozzarella with tomatoes to start, and seared salmon fillet for main course.

I settle down and peruse the film menu. Since it’s a long flight, I decide to watch the Indiana Jones thing. Much too long, but quite good fun.

The cabin lights are turned down as everyone gets ready to try to get some sleep. I recline my seat to almost flat and start watching Snatch - whilst drafting this update on Notepad. I try to sleep, but despite the fold flat bed, I’m too tall. I doze a bit, but that's all...

Ultimately, just over an hour and a half before touchdown, the lovely Danielle brings me breakfast - chorizo and egg sandwich, with a warm croissant, fruit salad and coffee - delicious...

Adrian texts me to say he’s safely parked on the M25 and will see me in an hour or so.

We land, and I'm amongst the first 15 out of the door, cleared the automatic biometric border control in under a minute, then wend the labyrinthine way (via a train at one point) to baggage reclaim. Last year I had to wait an hour - this time I was rolling my baggage through. the 'Nothing to Declare' Customs door within 15 minutes.

I meet up with Adrian just outside, and we load the bags and my crash helmet into his car and set off towards Norfolk. The trip back is uneventful and ~Adrian drops me at home at about 1630, pausing to make sure my Škoda would start, after four weeks idle - it did. Thanks, Adrian - breakfast is on me on Saturday...

I drive over to Marnie's dog sitter Vikki's house and collect a very happy, but very skinny Marnie...

I intend to start making inroads into curing her skinniness straight away, something Marnie seems to be approving of wholeheartedly...

 

[MikeO]

“I slept for a couple of hours on the flight , ablute and then look out of the window to see an old girl buried in the ice far far below me in the Greenland permafrost…..

Anyone know year and make ? “


Welcome home Mike. Hope the flight wasn’t too unbearable ?


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

Very comfortable, Martin - many thanks mate...

 

[Arsey]

Pleased you got looked after .
But I must take umbrage with your “777 seats are better blah blah blah !!! “
The 787 club seats are mainly of the newer design whereas some 777s still have the old club seats .

Anyway, so pleased it worked out and sorry that the outbound flight was chokka.

Hopefully can accommodate you next year .

The motto of this years trip- down but not oughton !!!

You’ll bounce back .

Perhaps try get hold of a smaller/ lighter bike for next year ?


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[diplomaticdanny]

Pleased you got looked after .
But I must take umbrage with your “777 seats are better blah blah blah !!! “
The 787 club seats are mainly of the newer design whereas some 777s still have the old club seats .

Anyway, so pleased it worked out and sorry that the outbound flight was chokka.

Hopefully can accommodate you next year .

The motto of this years trip- down but not oughton !!!

You’ll bounce back .

Perhaps try get hold of a smaller/ lighter bike for next year ?


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

You don’t know anyone at Air Canada by any chance

 

[Arsey]

You don’t know anyone at Air Canada by any chance

Nope, sorry


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk