PORTLAND, Ore. — Those who live in this part of the world have a saying that seems to be unique to them.
When the sun is out and the clouds are gone, they will say, “The Mountain is out.” Meaning, of course, Mount Hood, the 11,245-foot sentinel that towers about 50 miles to the east of Portland along the Cascade Range.
I’ve been here for a couple of days and the Mountain isn’t out. It is hiding under a thick shroud of clouds that continues to douse the region with rainfall. Furthermore, there is no apparent window for when Mount Hood will present itself in all its snowy splendor.
Mount Hood isn’t the only such landmark to grace the horizon. Portlanders also get to gander at Mount St. Helens, the active volcano that, on May 18, 1980, blew about 1,300 feet off its summit in a spectacular explosion that killed 60 or so people, some of whom refused to heed warnings to vacate their property.
Mount St. Helens is shrouded, too.
These are the kinds of sights that those who visit this gorgeous part of the country come here to see. These days? They’re all, shall we say, “sh** outta luck.”