Yellow Backpack Adventures

Hey Adventurers!

I know, long time no post. The last couple of months have definitely been a time of transition. But I can finally say that I’m officially an Oregonian. Now that I’ve had time to settle in I figured I’d give a recap of my move. 

Moving cross country is definitely not an easy feat. Luckily, I had assistance from my job, which made it much less of a hassle. This was also my second move in 10 months, so let’s just say I want to be done with moving for a while.

In the process of moving, I’ve definitely encountered some interesting things relative to living in Oregon:

-Left turn on red: Here in Oregon, it is legal to make a left turn on red, as long as you are turning onto a one way street,

-Long Summer Days: I moved towards the end of summer. I was shocked to still see the sun slightly visible in the sky close to 10pm, and then the sun was back up the next morning at 5:30am.

-Wildfires: With the lack of rain in the summer months, the landscape is more prone to wildfires. Thankfully, I have not been in any evacuation zones this season, but the air quality can get pretty bad. The sky gets super hazy and the air thick with particles from the fire. I even had a return flight to Portland delayed because of heavy smoke paired with strong winds. I’d definitely recommend having an air purifier in your home during wildfire season.

-Rainy Season: Each time I had visited Oregon prior to my move had been during the month of August. I like to say I was spoiled, because the weather was always perfect! Although there was a bit of an extended summer this year, once the rainy season arrives, it’s here to stay for months on end. It’s not always a torrential downpour. Some days it’s just a consistent sprinkle of rain. But either way, the cloudy gray skies paired with cold temperatures and rain can make for some pretty gloomy days.

-License/Tags: Getting my license switched over was a pretty simple process, but my tags were a whole different story. As part of the title application Oregon requires an emissions test on vehicles, unless they are under 4 model years old. Luckily, my car was brand new so I could skip this step. Also required, is a VIN inspection, which cost $7 at my local DMV.

Unluckily for me, since my car is new I don’t own my title. This added in an extra step that required me to mail all of the required documentation and payment to my bank, who then had to include a physical copy of my title, and then mail that back to the DMV in Oregon.

While waiting for all of this to occur, my previous tags were set to expire. Oregon has what is called a Vehicle Trip Permit. This allows licensed and ensured drivers to operate certain types of unregistered vehicles on Oregon roads. Drivers are allowed to purchase two of these permits in a single calendar year. Thankfully my tags arrived after only having to purchase one permit.

-Traffic is crazy: There’s really only two routes into Portland, and the main is a major highway. Going into the city, Highway 26 takes you through a tunnel which leads into a three way spit. This is the origin point for most of the traffic, and once you make it past your commute is much more smooth. (P.S. I’ve heard people honk their horns going into the tunnel to scare off any ghosts 😄.)

Although this move was a bit chaotic at times, I am super grateful to be here. Living in Oregon and having access to so much nature was a dream, and I can happily say I am now living that dream. If you are an Oregonian or have visited the Portland area, drop some of your favorite places to eat, hike, or visit in the comments!

Disclaimer: This is a recap of my individual experience. For information on policies, procedures, and Oregon laws/traffic rules, please visit the Oregon DMV website.