I'm a 4th generation Colorado native who has lived here for a just about a year and a half. I do have deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, and spent most summers with my grandparents up on Pender Island in BC, and have ancestry in Oregon and Washington. My wife was born and raised in Klamath, so this was coming home for her (sort of, she didn't spend much time in Portland). It was a stressful move for many reasons, and just before winter in the middle of a pandemic, so it was a tough beginning. We didn't really get to spend much time enjoying what Portland and Oregon are known for, like being outdoors or the great food. Plus we were both having to work a lot of hours. But this last summer we were able to get out and start exploring more.
I love the water, but was a little disappointed that there wasn't a lot of boating close to Portland other than the rivers. So far the Columbia has tried to kill us twice. Ok, that is hyperbole, but I've spent a lot of time on the water, and learning to navigate the Columbia is a whole new experience. Going to spend the late winter and early spring trying to learn sturgeon fishing on the Willamette.
Even though the coast is an hour an half away at best, that is still 1200 miles closer than it used to be! I love being able to take a day at the coast.
So far I can't shake the Oregon curse when it comes to fishing, but I am excited to get it figured out, because there are so many opportunities. The idea of catching a fish where 4 feet is a small one is amazing! Plus salmon, smallmouth, walleye, and steelhead all available in the rivers, and kokes a couple hours away. And that doesn't even count salt water.
I'm disappointed in the trash in Portland. And not even the homeless, just the amount of trash that gets dumped. There is a strip mall between me and my work that has had two boats dumped in the parking lot. The first one took less than a week to get filled up with bags of trash other people started throwing in it. I've seen toilets dumped on the side of the road, my wife had an old hot tub dumped in her work's parking lot.
The homeless make me sad, I think it is terrible people are in that position, regardless of circumstance. And it does make it difficult to enjoy going downtown with the amount of tents and camps. But Denver is starting to get bad too, it's not just an Oregon or west coast problem.
This summer I hope to spend a lot more time exploring the outdoors, and more time fishing. Oregon is very beautiful, and has so many different options to explore.