I have always been a firm believer of “perception is reality”.  Through years of movies and post cards, I’ve come to expect paradise to be somewhere full of palm trees, blue waters and rum infused drinks and I think many of you would agree with me about this. 

Recently, my wife and I made a huge move and packed up the house and the dogs and drove across the country from Florida (paradise?) to Portland, OR.  Cloudy days combined with slower than average drivers, clogging the streets and highways, made me recognize why people go down south for their vacation in the sun.  And then the clouds rolled away along with the moving truck and we got settled into this new life of ours in the Pacific North West.  I wanted to say “this isn’t so bad, after all.” but found myself with the perception of “this is actually pretty perfect.

I know the locals don’t want too many people to believe this sort of talk about their beloved PNW but this land is likely some of the most beautiful and dramatic that I’ve ever ridden or driven through.  Never mind Portland’s never ending offerings of food and drinks, because that is unparalleled by most cities in the US, but the natural offerings of this corner of the country are far beyond what I’ve seen in one geographical place, any other place that I’ve been:  Wine country? Fine.  Mountains with curvy roads? Fine.  Hiking? Fine. High deserts with endless starry nights? Fine. Water features? Fine.  Your options are never ending. 

My perception of this State has turned into that of paradise.  Sure, there aren’t that many palm trees, but that mountain air will clear your lungs out and get your thought-wheels spinning about how you can better enjoy this Earth and, ultimately, protect it for your own selfish consumerism.

So, I’m going to start exploring this place and write about it, mostly so I don’t forget where I’ve been.