We decided that having the 2010 Winter Olympic so close it would be a shame not to make the trip north.  Sure, our hotel room would probably costs a quarter of what it does today but even if we don’t get to an event (ticket off in our future), the atmosphere is great.  Watching the USA Hockey beat Canada (5-3) on the flat screens in the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel just blocks from the Olympic Cauldron almost justifies the trip by itself.   Google says it is just over a five hour drive to Vancouver, BC from Portland.  We were in Seattle in under three hours where we met the usual downtown traffic even mid-Sunday.   With toddler-stops and lunch, it took just over seven hours in North Vancouver.  The wait at the border might have been 90 seconds.

Portland: 90 minutes to the beach and mountains, three hours to Seattle, five to Vancouver and so much to do in between.  What will you do with your day off?

Olympic_Cauldron