Salem may be Oregon’s state capital but Portland is the city everyone knows. It’s got that fresh forest air mixed in with salty sea winds. Gulls squawk over progressive neighbourhoods with slogans that wouldn’t be out of place in Southern California. I visited the Oregon Historical Society and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. With so many state-level museums there, it’s no wonder why people confuse it for being the state capital.
The Columbia River that separates Portland from Vancouver, Washington is the only river that runs east to west across the Rocky Mountains. Spiky Mount Hood and exploded Mount St. Helens stand guard behind the city’s skyline covered in snow all year round. The Pioneer Courthouse is the oldest federal building in the American Northwest built in 1869, it still serves as a courthouse today.
