Portland, Oregon

I was up in Portland, Oregon earlier this summer.  I like Oregon and always have since I was a small kid.  Anyway, while there we were driving around looking for the meeting location.  The GPS unit sent us on a wild goose chase and we ended up in Oregon City.  I immediately sensed something about it.  The hair on my arms stood up and I did not know why.  I knew nothing about the history of the city.  I saw a plaque facing the Willamette River (yes, I'm one of those annoying people who likes to read the historical plaques) and we pulled over so I could read it.

As I was reading the plaque, I felt a whoooshing come over me.  I did not realize it was the first city to be established west of the Mississippi River and that it marked the end of the Oregon Trail.  I felt the eerie sense and presence of a young woman who died giving birth en route to Oregon.  To her, Oregon was the promised land and was so excited about starting her life there.  She was elated that she finally completed the journey.