Whew, y’all. I went to Portland, Oregon a couple of weeks ago to visit friends. And as someone who appreciates some good ambiance, I have to say— I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I was going to enjoy myself, anyway, because I was in the company of good friends. But the natural beauty took me over the moon.

Now, I am determined to keep it real on this blog. And in doing so, I have to mention a glaringly noticeable thing with Portland— ain’t no black people. Well, I should say, there aren’t many black people. My friends and their adorable children are black, so that makes four people. That doesn’t come much into too much consideration when visiting a place for me, but I would imagine the lack of melanin could be a struggle if I was living there. After all, I do want to see someone who looks like me on a regular basis.

Now, as a plus size girl, I was definitely in the minority for that as well. Everyone is skinny in Portland. Well OK, maybe not everybody. But you can definitely tell that people get out and exercise more there. I’m not sure how you couldn’t— the mountains beckon you. Which is a beautiful thing— my friends and I actually did a little mini-hike on the last day, and I felt so invigorated afterward.

All in all, I think Portland should definitely be on your list of places to visit. The cool, crisp air will do you some good. The people will be kind and cool. The food will be on point. And when you’re driving through the mountains and your view fills up with babbling brooks and moss laying on the trees like velvet, you’ll start thinking about your next trip up there.

Riding in the mountains surrounding Tillamook.

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