No, what I do it isn’t touring interesting restaurant bathrooms in the Portland, Oregon area despite the photos. That would be weird.
Click to enlarge
One of the ways I escape from the anxiety of politics is to combine trying to find unique restaurants within a 60-90 minute drive from my home in a Portland, Oregon suburb and exploring the beautiful Oregon and southern Washington countryside.
While sometimes I just drive into the countryside and choose more or less at random a city or small town I’ve never been to and look for places that look interesting Yelp comes in very handy as a tool for finding these restaurants. I’ll look at a map, pick a town some distance from home which I’ve never been to, and search for the best restaurants there.
In early November I turned my blog from one which previously basically linked to my Daily Kos diaries and had a few links to other political stories to just being a way to share my travels in pictures and little stories. I update the blog as often as I write diaries for Kos.
I hate to think that because of the rampant increase in Covid cases due to Omicron I’ll have to give up these excursions.
Not to despair, though. There are also many beautiful state parks where, weather permitting, this old man can go for what passes for a hike with these rickety legs. For example Silver Falls State Park, below:
If you find yourself in a rut and feeling on the verge of being overwhelmed by worries I suggest rallying your energy and, if you haven’t already done so, break free of your usual routine and get the hell out of Dodge and find something new to do. Of course, it doesn’t have to be an adventure like finding a unique restaurant or going to a wilderness park, which I do recommend, but I suggest that even if you go to one of your usual haunts just book it outta there.