Just a quick note on our great fortune with the weather. Two years ago, we nabbed a flight to San Francisco on the way to Sydney that left the Saturday before Christmas around 8a. PDX shut down that day at noon – they ran out of de-icer for the planes (our plane had to be de-iced twice). Our trip would have been really messed up if we’d missed that flight.
Two weeks later in New Zealand, we started our 3-day trek on the Routeburn on something like the 15th straight day of rain. It tapered off that afternoon and we then caught 3 perfect days – 2 to finish the trek and the next to see Milford Sound (the second rainiest place on the planet).
Last year, it snowed in Portland while we were in Mexico for Christmas with Leena’s family. This year, it snowed in Portland again a couple of days after we left for Argentina. It only snows in Portland a couple of times a year (at most). Some years, it never snows.
And we’ve had perfect weather here so far on this trip. Hopefully this keeps up. We just looked at the Portland 7-day forecast: rain and highs in the low to mid 40s. And we (I) need to buy sunblock tomorrow…