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Oh, and we don't have the humidity of landlocked states. And mosquitoes? I go all summer without a single bite. . .
Let's see if I can thing of more wonderful things about Oregon. . .
We have waterfalls.
Mountains.
Skiing.
WINE. GOOD wine. Not that Midwestern sugary stuff.
Aloha and welcome, one word that describes Oregon weather, bi-polar lol at least as of late
I've lived in the Portland area for 7 years now, DavePhan. It's hard to accurately characterize the climate here. People always throw around this stereotype that it's always raining. Like constantly. And we all know that's BS. I truly believe that one's characterization of local weather patterns is directly related to their level of optimism. So, the grinches will say the winters are long, miserable, wet messes. I'm no optimist, but I'm not a grinch either. Pull up a 12-month weather history for Portland and most would be surprised. It's really darn nice here.
That wasn't my personal experience "It's really darn nice here". In the summer of 2010, a friend of mine got funding for a startup and wanted my help. The money was off the chart - and combined with lower cost of living, my wife and I figured, we can give it 3-5 years. I visited a few times in the summer, secured an apartment at the Indigo in the Pearl District with sweeping view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St Helens and walking distance to everything. And yep, the weather was nice - with late sunsets, sitting outside with drinks, etc.
Moved in September - and still very nice. I remember telling coworkers - wow, it is so nice here. They all said in unison, just wait. And sure enough, I was wrong. The switch flipped in October and the rain never seemed to stopped (and we got a decent snowfall right before Thanksgiving). Sunrise was late - Sunset was early - quite frankly, the lack of sun got depressing. When asked how people dealt with it - many said they went to tanning beds. I walked to/from work and more often than not got drenched even with an umbrella. While I appreciated the cheap eats, no sales tax, gambling, skiing - after 5 months of not seeing the sun we decided to bail and move back to Hawaii. One last excursion we need to the Pacific Coast in the Spring - only to get hailed on. From November to May, I think we got a decent view of the mountains less than 5 times from the all glass windows of the building.
Just wasn't for us. (and people talk of the homeless in Hawaii - it seemed over the top out of control round the pioneer square area with drugs way out of control and laying on the cardboard boxes right at the entrances of stores)
Interesting perspectives on the Oregon weather... Maybe I'll have to do more research. I've always heard it is rainy, cold and clammy all winter, and depressing for all winter. Same thing with Seattle. Summers from May through September are about a month longer than Minnesota, but still seems short to me. Maybe the different perspectives are comparing different years and climate change. Minnesota is famous for the extreme cold and snowy conditions. But actually Minnesota has had winter relatively little snow in the winters for many years. The last time we got really dumped on with feet of snow was back in 1991, 24 years ago. I've lived here all my life. The past 20 years is much different than it was 20 to 55 years ago. Winters were much worse here back then compared to more recent years.
Back to the OP of this post and the saga, moving to the Big Island...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rex Chetco
@Gk
Looked... unfortunately, $21 a day per person (current non-resident totals) is simply not an option... I probably wouldnt pay it if I was rolling in dough... and my buddy is inherently a penny-pincher, who also aint rolling.
Btw
From a reaction I got a while ago, while simply passing thru Costco's lot after closing, I feel I must clarify: I am NOT crashing at or on Costco property.
I suppose it could be that they just have troubles w such things, but I got the nagging feeling that the employee who warned me off the property as she was leaving, had read these posts. Then again, I could just be a ninny...
RC
I'm lost here, or I don't understand at all what is going on. It costs hundreds of dollars to fly to the Big Island, even from the west coast. The cost of living is very high and even higher for new arrivals and visitors staying in temporary housing. If $21 is too expensive, I don't think the OP will last very long. $21 a day is chump change.
I would expect that temporary VRBO housing or hotels would cost about $1,000 a week for at least 2 - 4 weeks while figuring out where to live, renting a more permanent place to live, buying a car locally or waiting for the car arrive from the mainland, dealing with the drivers license hassles, getting car insurance, licensing, inspection, and setting up a new household. The move could cost from $10K to $20K or more. Perhaps far less than $10K if almost nothing is moved. Only $21 a day is absolutely dirt cheap.
Maybe I'm reading it wrong and the plan isn't to fly to the Big Island, sleep and live in the car, camp out somewhere on a unoccupied beach somewhere, or on a park bench, or in some business parking lot. If that is the case, I guess that's a life choice to live like a homeless person. But maybe there's something left out of the story or I'm missing something.
Back to the OP of this post and the saga, moving to the Big Island...
I'm lost here, or I don't understand at all what is going on. It costs hundreds of dollars to fly to the Big Island, even from the west coast. The cost of living is very high and even higher for new arrivals and visitors staying in temporary housing. If $21 is too expensive, I don't think the OP will last very long. $21 a day is chump change.
I would expect that temporary VRBO housing or hotels would cost about $1,000 a week for at least 2 - 4 weeks while figuring out where to live, renting a more permanent place to live, buying a car locally or waiting for the car arrive from the mainland, dealing with the drivers license hassles, getting car insurance, licensing, inspection, and setting up a new household. The move could cost from $10K to $20K or more. Perhaps far less than $10K if almost nothing is moved. Only $21 a day is absolutely dirt cheap.
Maybe I'm reading it wrong and the plan isn't to fly to the Big Island, sleep and live in the car, camp out somewhere on a unoccupied beach somewhere, or on a park bench, or in some business parking lot. If that is the case, I guess that's a life choice to live like a homeless person. But maybe there's something left out of the story or I'm missing something.
Dave, that ship has sailed -- literally! He is here, and he is apparently planning to live in Ocean View with a friend. Yes, he did ask a lot of questions initially, and he is now giving it a try. A lot of people live on a lot less in Ocean View -- did you drive through there when you were here? Interesting place!
Dave, that ship has sailed -- literally! He is here, and he is apparently planning to live in Ocean View with a friend. Yes, he did ask a lot of questions initially, and he is now giving it a try. A lot of people live on a lot less in Ocean View -- did you drive through there when you were here? Interesting place!
That's great everything worked out. It wasn't clear what happened. I've seen the homeless people in Hilo wandering around, picking up cans for the deposit money, and eating out of garbage cans. Not the kind of life I think people should be living. But those people seemed friendly, even though I don't think they would have much to be thankful for in life.
We meant to cruise around Ocean View and check it out, but we ended up driving by on the south route around the island back to Kona and then back to near Honokaa where we were staying. We did eat lunch in Pahoa and explored the area towards the coast from there. We liked the topography around that part of the island and the vast open areas. The huge fallen Albizia trees right next to the roads were amazing to see. We were thinking of exploring other areas along the way like HPP, but we ended up just driving past. Too bad. The previous visit we stayed in Waikoloa Village, also up north. We also explored the northern areas a lot too, putting a lot of miles on the rental car. It's kind of tough to explore the south unless we stay down there. A week is just too short and goes by too fast. There's way too much to see and do on the Big Island in only a week. The next visit, we plan to stay somewhere in the south and stay longer, so we can spend more time exploring that part of the island.
Location: Southernmost tip of the southernmost island in the southernmost state
982 posts, read 1,164,671 times
Reputation: 1652
Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoPearls
Oh, and we don't have the humidity of landlocked states. And mosquitoes? I go all summer without a single bite. . .
Let's see if I can thing of more wonderful things about Oregon. . .
We have waterfalls.
Mountains.
Skiing.
WINE. GOOD wine. Not that Midwestern sugary stuff.
Having travelled the US, I can say that winters in Portland are not bad and spring is amazing. Now about that whole "no pumping your own gas thing"...
Moved in September - and still very nice. I remember telling coworkers - wow, it is so nice here. They all said in unison, just wait. And sure enough, I was wrong. The switch flipped in October and the rain never seemed to stopped (and we got a decent snowfall right before Thanksgiving). Sunrise was late - Sunset was early - quite frankly, the lack of sun got depressing.
Oh my goodness, it's all making sense now! I remember the dreary winter of 2010! So THAT's why it was so long and dark-- WhtViper1 was HERE with his little black rain clouds of pessimism! In all seriousness, though, I think I made my point earlier that Portland's winters can't be judged by a single season. Hold on a sec. . . back in a minute. . . Okay, that's better; just had to close the blinds here in my office-- sun is BLINDING this week! Too bad it's interfering with my view of Mt. Hood.
Anyway, can't blame the viper -- or anyone- for wanting to head back to Hawaii. It is paradise, after all. And deliciously warm. Which is why the OP headed over there with meager reserves, despite all the forum's pessimists warnings of failure and poor planning. But he's happy, excited, grateful, for the shirt on his back and the warmth of the Hawaiian sun. Congrats! Way to go, Rex Chetco!
I know, the thread is a month old, but I felt the need to chime in, here. I am a middle-aged native Oregonian, and speak from experience (12 yrs in the Portland metro area, 20-odd years in the eastern portion of the state, and grew up in the Coast Range. Now living on the central Oregon coast). The Willamette Valley--Portland metro area is at the north end--gets almost all of its precipitation in the Winter. This is where the saying, "Oregon--20,000 gallons of water with nowhere to go on a Saturday night" comes from. Typically, the wet season runs from November through March, with most of the precip happening during December and January. Even so, the temps are relatively mild. It only snows rarely, there, and usually not more than an inch or 2, which melts w/in 24 hours. Harsh winters are the exception, not the rule. It does, however, get draining for those of us with Seasonal Affective Disorder, with the long nights and short, usually dreary days.
The Summer weather in the WV (from the beginning of July through the end of September or mid-October) can be uncomfortably warm (temps in the low 80s aren't too bad, and probably quite comfy for people used to living in the warmer parts of Hawaii) with temps ranging from low 80s to over 100 F. Spring and Autumn are usually very pleasant. Spring weather tends to be rather schizophrenic ("Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes"), but the flowers and green grass and trees everywhere make it worth it. Autumn through October to mid-November is generally dry and fairly warm. The changing colors on the trees are gorgeous, and the weather here on the coast is incredible (and a lot more pleasant after Labor Day, when the hordes of tourists are back in Salem and Portland after their kiddos go back to school).
The entirety of the coast and the Coast Range gets approximately twice the amount of rain as the Willamette Valley. The southern Oregon coast is our "banana belt, but the weather along the entire 300-ish miles of coastline is generally quite a bit milder, temperature-wise, than all points east of the Coast Range.
The country east of the Cascade Range, which makes up 2/3rds of the state, is dry, compared to the west side of the Cascades. Low desert, the Columbia Plateau, and high desert, interspersed with mountain ranges like the Sierra, Blue, and Wallowa mountain ranges, make for very little precipitation, most of it arriving as snow in the Winter months. Summer temps are generally in the high 80s through the low 100s, with little to no rain, and when it does come, it usually arrives in thunder storms. Spring and Autumn are short-lived seasons that only seem to encompass no more than a month for each. Winter temps are almost always freezing or below at night, and freezing to just above (highs around 40 are the norm during the warmest days. Otherwise, -10 to mid-20s are what you'd expect on the colder days). The wind always seems to blow--except during the hottest parts of the summer, when it would be most welcome :-(. On average, rainfall totals east of the Cascades are about half to 1/4 of the rainfall in the Willamette Valley.
Approximately 3/4 of the population lives west of the Cascades and east of the Coast Range.
So, you see, it's best not to try and generalize about the temps, climate, and weather of the entire state based on what you find in the Willamette Valley. While most of the population is concentrated in that area, the Willamette Valley, and the PDX metro area, in particular, only makes up a small portion of the actual land mass and geography of the state, which has a large disparity in topography, temps, climate, and weather from the coast on the west to the far north and south east side of the state, approximately 450 miles away, where it borders Idaho and Nevada.
...but I'm still here!!
Been short on time and battery charging capacity. Had neither to spare for forums. Still don't, really... but thought you all deserved a short update... sorry I won't be answering queries, except to state that I have "started from scratch" many times, often on purpose.... and a search on my past posts may provide more data...
Slept out (I'm not "homeless", I'm "between homes") for a few weeks while dealing with gov. stuff/acclimation/bus system (atrocious)/etc., but am now fairly safely ensconced at my buddy's place in HOVE. Place is as one might expect after three decades of neglect, acid rain, thieves, and squatters (we actually have a resident squatter, who thought he had permision from owner... odd situation but buddy is giving him some time to clear out). Buddy already planting a garden, has radish sprouts two days after planting, still looking for pea and bean sprouts (recent rains should help).
Battery about gone so will update again asafp.
RC
PS.... keep an eye out for 1-2 uncles (me, younger taller tan hat/him, older shorter straw hat) hitching with white cardstock signs!
Welcome home :-). I hope that you find Hawaii to be everything you hope it will be. I hope you'll keep us updated. I like to hear if people who start from scratch in Hawaii really find the experience as awful and stressful as many posters (especially the chronically miserable and rude ones) say it should be. I wish you all the best, and hope you can make a go of it. And, if not, at least you tried. One gains nothing by not putting forth at least the effort to make a dream come true :-).
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(current non-resident totals) is simply not an option... I probably wouldnt pay it if I was rolling in dough... and my buddy is inherently a penny-pincher, who also aint rolling.
In all seriousness, though, I think I made my point earlier that Portland's winters can't be judged by a single season. Hold on a sec. . . back in a minute. . . Okay, that's better; just had to close the blinds here in my office-- sun is BLINDING this week!
Too bad it's interfering with my view of Mt. Hood. 
Way to go, Rex Chetco!
Yes... it's been a while...
