No Sleep 'til Portland

"Supporting each other... is
vital to our own growth."

Location: Portland and its coast, Oregon

We apologize for the major delay in updates. Portland turned into a black hole of time for us, and we ended up staying much longer than anticipated. A friend from school, Lacey, and her family fed, housed, and entertained us while in Portland, and they were such gracious and amazing hosts, and human beings for that matter, that we just couldn't find ourselves back in the 2-door Kia, spacious and commodious as it is. The Mannex's were also wonderful in that they let us sleep as much as our hearts desired, and we could fully extend our legs, which as it turns out is a key ingredient to reposing successfully. We slept in Portland like we ate pizza in Sioux Falls: on a mission.

As for the latest causes we addressed in Portland, we primarily focused on two. The first is a cause that, for more than one of us in the car, is personal. The nature of the organization doesn't lend itself to outside influence or publicity, however, and we want to respect its mission. Please take our word for it though, we promise it isn't creepy.

The second cause is something we had not yet addressed, but is so integral to Portland's character and its overall vibe as a city it seemed only fitting to check out. On Lacey's suggestion, we went to a temporary artist colony of sorts, whose moniker was Mile Post 5. Mile Post 5 took over what was once a retirement home facility and gave over three stories of rooms, hallways, and the courtyard to different artists to create their own spaces and display their work. The entire operation was like one living, breathing installation piece, changing when you entered or left each doorway. Some of the art inspired us, some scared us, some we thought was putrid... but we're not critics or anything. Overall, Mile Post 5 was a scenic journey through many people's minds, one which we would gladly take again. Some of our favorites were Keith Rosson, Nicole Linde, and Eatcho. The overall goal of Mile Post 5, a two week event, was to raise money for the new accomodations that are to replace the retirement home once it gets torn down. In its efforts to keep Portland weird, the city (and its artists) are supporting building affordable housing condos where the retirement home once was, so starving artists can keep creating. And the word artist is not only confined to those that create on canvas or wood, with paint or pen or plaster, but to the larger definition of arts, like chefs, musicians and seamstresses. Mile Post 5 was an extremely enjoyable experience we were happy to donate to, and to the artists themselves, whose work we were happy to purchase.

Other artists to check out:

J. Shea

Brin Levinson

Scott C. Johnson

Brett Bowers