Yesterday was a fun-filled day of Witt Nation activities, and by activities we mean mostly driving. We woke up early to the space needle on our right and The Sound on our left in the not so rainy city of Seattle. We quickly cleaned out the van to transform it into the president's motorcade. On the way to Portland we discovered that President Erickson enjoys the musical styling of Robby Williams and Michael Jackson, he even shared a few youtube videos with us. After an entertaining three hour drive, we arrived at Meriwethers Restaurant in Portland. We had a surprisingly large and lively crowd with alums ranging from the class of '43 to the class of '05. After a lot of great conversation, we sat down for lunch and listened to President Erickson give a few updates on the University. It was exciting to see so many people this far away from campus interested in staying engaged with their alma mater. After the event we took a few minutes to explore the Alphabet District in downtown Portland. We bought a few trinkets, loaded up on coffee and got back on the road heading toward McKinnleyville California, for the night. We were on our way to meet up with Chris Heiliger '03, Beth '97 and Tim Dominick at the home of former Wittenberg employees Chuck and Nancy Dominick. After Chris's expert advice to try to get through 199 before dark, we mastered the art of holding your bladder. We arrived at the Dominick's to a warm welcome of pizza and beer... are they true Wittenberger's or what? After a great night's sleep and a quick breakfast of delicious homemade muffins, we headed to the beach to enjoy some fresh air and soak up the local scenery. On our way out of town Tim, Chris, and Chuck gave us a tour of Tim and Beth's organic coffee business Sacred Grounds. We sampled the coffee, learned a little bit about the business, and Chris gave Ben a burlap coffee bag that has become his new suitcase. The coffee was so amazing that Ashley P. has now turned into a coffee drinker! We highly suggest that everyone look into the coffee and support a great Wittenberg family business. Thanks to some Witt Nation CD's made by Chris, we now have a new playlist for the road. We are so happy right now! We are now on our way to Sonoma, a little more awake and a little more convinced that Wittenberger's across the nation are just awesome!
~ The Ashley's 

 Click this link to see photos and videos from the Portland event!