Cool Oregon

It was hot and dry when I was in Portland in August, but it’s still extremely cool in Oregon. The Pacific currents that sweep down from Alaska make the water along the coast freezing — in the low 50s — although that doesn’t seem to hamper anybody’s enjoyment of the beach. Above, Cape Lookout State Park. Although the air temperature in Portland is 10 or more degrees warmer than it is on the coast, it’s still an exceedingly cool city, from the ubiquitous bicycles to the hip bungalows and the overflowing produce stands of the downtown farmers market. Below, a night cyclist in the Clinton section of southeast Portland and the Columbia River Gorge at Hood River. Click here for a slideshow of Portland and some of the coast and the Coast Range.