Just a bit more stress - yeah!

Landed in Portland relatively calm & relaxed - was able to stream a movie and had a decent amount of leg room. Portland airport claims to have won the best airport in USA for the fifth year running - any airport that sets aside an area for bike assembly is alright by me. That unfortunately is where the positivity stopped. Found the car rental and the guy seemed accommodating enough - no problem picking up the car early - omitted to tell us it was going to cost us. Then tried to, underhandedly land us with all sorts of insurance and rescue stuff. All rejected - apparently I was freaking out (man)
Eventually the paperwork was negotiated & we were told to pick any car from lot 3. This we did - a Focus. Much to the disappointment of the couple following. What did we do next? How did they know which car we were taking? Found a guy & he explained that the contract was sorted on exit. OK - on exit suggested that there were issues I wanted recording. She wasn't happy. Eventually established that anything under the size of a quarter was OK. Out into the wilds of Portland. Phone at the ready & for the most part it did a good job - just one missed turn. What was bad was the traffic & at 1.30 it suggests Portland was a busy old place. Worst driving experience since LA. Exiting from the motorway on the left or the right with little warning isn't great. Still we made it safely out but dread going back as surely we must. The cottage was about 90 miles away & there was a supermarket in Tillamook the nearest main town. Stopped to stock up. As we got close to the coast the mist thickened and the temperature fell. The cottage was found easy enough - perched precariously on the hillside looking out over the beach. Liz unpacked & I had a wander along the beach. Very quiet - nice.Read more