Went to the City of Roses--Adventure in a Parking Garage

[slowp]

The following is what happens when you spend most of your time in a small community of 2 minimarts, 3 restaurants, and one small grocery.

A co-worker and I had to drive down to Portland in Oregon today.
I took my woods going, muddy pickup because I noticed that people generally don't pull out and do stupid things around it on the roads. Or honk and flip me off. We made it to the I-5 bridge OK, then it was stop and go. I took a more creative way than MapQuest said to get to our objective. Well, there was a detour for construction. Then finding a parking place started.
We saw a PARKING sign and pulled in. The parking garage attendent pointed out that I was about to take off their ticket machine. I backed up and worked around that ok. Then the noise started. We were testing the magnetic holding power of the CB antenna on the low parking garage ceiling. We tested it 5 floors up and then again 5 floors back down. It even held up well when it hit a light! The magnetic base passed the test.

Did I mention the only parking spots available said COMPACT ONLY? So I compacted the Chevy into one.

The purpose of this trip was to get fingerprinted and photographed for super secure IDs. My finger would not match the print it made minutes earlier for some reason and it took longer. Now we are The Borg and have been assimilated.

We left and a Mike Piehl pickup passed and was in front. We discussed running him into the ditch so we could ask him questions. We decided not to do so. But it was tempting.

The rest of the adventure turned back into a trip. Either the pickup was getting blown around by the wind, or it already has developed the shimmy that pickups get after driving around in the woods.

I think the muddy pickup strategy is a good one. Just stay out of parking garages.:greenchainsaw:

 

[2dogs]

I used to have a 1980 Chevy pu with big tires and a lift kit. It looked like heck when I bought it and I didn't change a thing. The guys I worked with called it the WAR TRUCK. No one parked near it for fear of the truck having a life of its own. That was actually quite nice.

My 98 Dodge is turning into another war truck but only by accident. I get flipped off all the time because of my"Palin 2012" sticker

 

[ak4195]

My 98 Dodge is turning into another war truck but only by accident. I get flipped off all the time because of my"Palin 2012" sticker

Do yourself a favor and scrape off the bumper sticker.I live in the land of Palin,not only will I be lucky to see in my lifetime one spade shovel of dirt thrown on the $40billion pipeline started (the one she gave license to the canadians along with a $500million check,who have publicly stated it will be DECADES before its started), not only do I not get to swivel neck and watch Russian bombers fly overhead probing our airspace here at "The Tip of The Spear",but I cant even see russia.In fact theres perhaps only a few hundred at best in the whole state who can see russia on a crystal clear day.
That carabou barbie done wore off her lipstick round these parts to anybody that pays attention.Im waiting patiently for a woman to stand up and say "you embarass our gender." Its just a matter of time.....
But we're all entitled to our opinions,which is what makes this country great
ak4195

 

[lfnh]

The following is what happens when you spend most of your time in a small community of 2 minimarts, 3 restaurants, and one small grocery.

A co-worker and I had to drive down to Portland in Oregon today.
I took my woods going, muddy pickup because I noticed that people generally don't pull out and do stupid things around it on the roads. Or honk and flip me off. We made it to the I-5 bridge OK, then it was stop and go. I took a more creative way than MapQuest said to get to our objective. Well, there was a detour for construction. Then finding a parking place started.
We saw a PARKING sign and pulled in. The parking garage attendent pointed out that I was about to take off their ticket machine. I backed up and worked around that ok. Then the noise started. We were testing the magnetic holding power of the CB antenna on the low parking garage ceiling. We tested it 5 floors up and then again 5 floors back down. It even held up well when it hit a light! The magnetic base passed the test.

Did I mention the only parking spots available said COMPACT ONLY? So I compacted the Chevy into one.

The purpose of this trip was to get fingerprinted and photographed for super secure IDs. My finger would not match the print it made minutes earlier for some reason and it took longer. Now we are The Borg and have been assimilated.

We left and a Mike Piehl pickup passed and was in front. We discussed running him into the ditch so we could ask him questions. We decided not to do so. But it was tempting.

The rest of the adventure turned back into a trip. Either the pickup was getting blown around by the wind, or it already has developed the shimmy that pickups get after driving around in the woods.

I think the muddy pickup strategy is a good one. Just stay out of parking garages.:greenchainsaw:

lol, so now you're an unidentifiable employee - yikes!!
Had the same problem with prints a while ago. They decided working concrete had whittled down the whorls, so good prints weren't possible. Bad prints are still there. Go figure.

 

[Humptulips]

The following is what happens when you spend most of your time in a small community of 2 minimarts, 3 restaurants, and one small grocery.

A co-worker and I had to drive down to Portland in Oregon today.
I took my woods going, muddy pickup because I noticed that people generally don't pull out and do stupid things around it on the roads. Or honk and flip me off. We made it to the I-5 bridge OK, then it was stop and go. I took a more creative way than MapQuest said to get to our objective. Well, there was a detour for construction. Then finding a parking place started.
We saw a PARKING sign and pulled in. The parking garage attendent pointed out that I was about to take off their ticket machine. I backed up and worked around that ok. Then the noise started. We were testing the magnetic holding power of the CB antenna on the low parking garage ceiling. We tested it 5 floors up and then again 5 floors back down. It even held up well when it hit a light! The magnetic base passed the test.

Did I mention the only parking spots available said COMPACT ONLY? So I compacted the Chevy into one.

The purpose of this trip was to get fingerprinted and photographed for super secure IDs. My finger would not match the print it made minutes earlier for some reason and it took longer. Now we are The Borg and have been assimilated.

We left and a Mike Piehl pickup passed and was in front. We discussed running him into the ditch so we could ask him questions. We decided not to do so. But it was tempting.

The rest of the adventure turned back into a trip. Either the pickup was getting blown around by the wind, or it already has developed the shimmy that pickups get after driving around in the woods.

I think the muddy pickup strategy is a good one. Just stay out of parking garages.:greenchainsaw:

That Portland traffic is the worst. I've sworn I will never go there again.
I had to go to the ODFW office when the main office was in Portland. Great directions on their web-site and I got there no problem. Then when I went to leave I realized I didn't have a clue how to get out of there. I was panicked as the way I had arrived was all 4 lane one way streets and all going in, none out. I think that is what happened to the homeless people in the downtown. They used to be loggers or farmers or something like that. They some how had to go into Portland and were unable to find there way out. Doomed to spend the rest of there days wandering the streets looking for the way home.
Fortunately for me there was an Indian fellow working as a parking attendent. I asked him for directions. His words to me were " Go left, go right, many signs" I followed those directions and safely exited the City of Roses.
A friend of mine was not so lucky. He accidently exited into downtown Portland in a dump truck towing a cat on a tilt bed. I don't know what happened but he's never been the same since.

 

[slowp]

We too, asked the parking attendant how to escape via the other Columbia River bridge. He was Indian and told us go down turn left, turn left and was right on. They are making us go down in person, with secret passwords in hand to pick up the cards later. We'll go across the other bridge. Talk about spendiing tax dollars...multiply us times how many people have to make these trips and that's a lot of money. We'll be broke, but safely broke.

I know how to get around Portland on the Max and by foot. Perhaps the homeless theory is correct.

 

[Roy M]

Portland. Ahh yes, that is a driving experience. I was chugging through on I-5 during the 5 o'clock 500 in a Chebby crew cab pulling a 35' flat deck trailer that was used for hauling helicopters. On the Wilamette bridge a green tea slurping, seed eating, flax wearin' new ager in a Westphalia in front of me changed lanes then decided not to so swung back. He then STOPPED straddling the white line. :jawdrop: Things got a little entertaining for a few moments. Returning on Saturday morning without the trailer was a little better.

 

[Billy_Bob]

What I do when going to downtown Portland is park way out east at that shopping center area. Where is that? 102nd St. or thereabouts?

Anyway the MAX light rail line has "park and ride" parking lots all along it and runs past big shopping centers which have plenty of easy parking.

Then I take the MAX train to town. And they always stare at me and whoever I am with because we are always wearing filthy dirty Stihl hats, Carhartts, or whatever. (Their hats/shoes are brand new sparkling clean and never seen a day of work.)

Actually now that I think about it, best to park further east near Gresham. Because there is a place called "Donut World" out there (or used to be) and can't miss a stop there!

 

[Spotted Owl]

Come now P town can be fun. You just have to enjoy it no matter what happens. Every now and again I get to go up there for work also. We run a 40' strait truck that has a 10' over hang in front of the bumber 9' off the ground and a 28' equipment hauler, hoe's, tuggers, cats, you name it. Thats good times right there. Need to turn on to or off of one of them one ways, well just take all three lanes getting ready to make that turn. People really like that. Then they don't pay attention to the no parking signs up for us and we double beside them and then go to work. Sometimes we are away from our trucks for 6+ hours at a time. When you get back those boneheads are really fried about not getting out of there parking job.

Avoid that town like the plague unless needed for employment. Far as I'm concerned that town is a pimple on the backside of society. Everybody hasone and that is ours, the town/city in the state that makes all the rules for everyone else. A state like everyones 15/16 is a working state and this "green", hippie town decides how the rest of everyone should handle and conduct thier ways of life. We get there in the winter in the ice and nasties for work and that is it.

Sorry to here you will have to go back. How ever Billy_Bob is right some of the looks you get can be very amusing. Also when you hear the wispering, if you answer them or say something to the effect of what they are talking about, that can turn into alot of fun also. The dirtier the rig the better. If it's dirty enough or your clothes are the pan handlers don't even bother with you and they can be rough.


Owl

 

[slowp]

There is definitely a difference in what you drive. It seems like a pretty polite place to drive when I'm in the big pickup. When I'm in my Subaru or little pickup, I get cut off, honked at, etc. I'll do further research. We will take the little pickup next time, maybe and note what happens. We did lose the tip of the CB antenna. But it is working. Note to self: Next time unhook it.

 

[ak4195]

Compared to Seattle,Portlands a piece of cake,Id much rather visit there than the so-called Emerald City.Just saw an interesting show about superfund cites on PUget sound,(course noones talking about the old portland ship yards yet!)One thing I do remember about oregon,was the signage always seemed a bit lacking for clarity and or quantity.

ak4195

 

[oldford]

Oregon, I love it!,but portlands traffic, not so much.