We’ve been in Portland, OR for a week now, I have been meaning to write a post about the trip we took from Minneapolis all the way to Portland but have been distracted by Thanksgiving and a new wonderful place.
The journey was long but along the trip we ran into beautiful scenery as well as interesting people. It’s been a joy of mine to talk to everyday people, the residents of the towns we pass through are intrigued by our project and excited to share their passions. I spoke with a woman, Lori, at a grocery store and told her about the 7 cees, she immediately dove into her love which was collecting rocks at the Yellowstone River. As I continued to work she ran out to her car and gave me 5 beautiful agates all different colors and shapes.
The generosity of everyone we have come into contact with so far has been astounding and continues to reinforce our ideas and goals. I was able to take some nice pictures of the sun setting over the vast stretches of Wyoming and Montana land. The iconic smoke stacks looked especially nice with the sun silhouetting the beautiful pollutant.
We have had our first really cold nights with my water freezing on more than one occasion. On the way we briefly stopped at Wall Drug, there was a stegosaurus overlooking the highway, we pulled the bus next to it and I snapped a few shots of it’s head poking through the center of the vans. We rumbled across the stretching westward roads riding The FF Sloth to Portland. Through snow, rain and a little bit of open road we made our longest drive yet and settled down to focus on: Create Portland.
Where are you at in Portland? We’re here in the Portland (suburban) area but haven’t seen any PR or coverage. I know it’s tempting to just perch in some arty or micro-brew area and stay close to your peers, but consider as you drive around that it’s really the kids in school that are the most fun. Speaking as an old art & technology codger from back in the dark ages, the 20-somethings (Ok, you’re exempted) and the so called “creative class” think they are interesting, but often are really boring and for the most part already lost. Try to visit some high schools before you leave town. Also – Have you considered going to Evergreen State College in WA.? Once upon a time they had some pretty creative programs and might host you. Also, try not to miss the Oregon coast if you haven’t been there, but be prepared for weather. Consider also visiting some of the South coast towns; They are the kind of places that can really benefit from something like your project instead of just hovering around “arty” Portland. Good luck and best wishes for the rest of your trip.
Tom, thanks for your suggestions! Indeed you wouldn’t have seen any PR or coverage… we’re still putting together our ‘press package’ so to speak. Hopefully we’ll catch up enough to get some coverage before we leave town.
While I have to disagree that 20-somethings are boring, I see your point that we can get a little self-absorbed and think that because we’re in the crisis of figuring out what to do with our lives for the first time we’re the only ones whose problems matter. Duly noted that we should be aware of this.
Right now we’re in NE portland on Cleveland ave, but we’re putting together an event called Create Portland more centrally that will be open to all and targeted not only at our age group. We’re hoping to find some high schools to visit- do you know any teachers in the area that are particularly open to this sort of thing? We’ll take care to check out some of the coastal areas too.
Cheers, Mike
We saw your van yesterday when we were driving from Oakland to Sonoma, California. The innovative bus and the logo caught our attention and I decided to look you up! I wish you could have been at an art opening in NYC a few weeks ago. “Art Connecting Spirit Through Dance”. A project of several entities collaborating to bring 2 young activists’ art works to the “big show”. One of the artists is in Berkeley, Ca. doing very large murals there for the university. If you are still in that area, they are worth seeing. Best wishes for the new year!
We saw your van yesterday when we were driving from Oakland to Sonoma, California. The innovative bus and the logo caught our attention and I decided to look you up! I wish you could have been at an art opening in NYC a few weeks ago. “Art Connecting Spirit Through Dance”. A project of several entities collaborating to bring 2 young activists art works to the “big show”. One of the artists is in Berkeley, Ca. doing very large murals there for the university. If you are still in that area, they are worth seeing. Best wishes for the new year!
We saw your van yesterday when we were driving from Oakland to Sonoma, California. The innovative bus and the logo caught our attention and I decided to look you up! I wish you could have been at an art opening in NYC a few weeks ago. “Art Connecting Spirit Through Dance”. A project of several entities collaborating to bring 2 young activists art works to the “big show”. One of the artists is in Berkeley, Ca. doing very large murals there for the university. If you are still in that area, they are worth seeing. Best wishes for the new year!