Onwards from Portland

The Northwest was determined to make an impression, it seemed. Our plans had turned out well, but Oregon and Washington had some surprises up their sleeve. Our drive out of Portland took us east for a couple of hours to take in the mighty Columbia River gorge. We sped along to Hood River before turning back to stop off at Multnomah falls. The chill of winter still hung in the air, and autumnal hues framed the surging waterfall with its fairytale bridge. We hiked up to its top, where the vertiginous drop roared. Who knew this was America's second highest waterfall?

Back in the car and we skipped through Portland revisiting the New Deal cafe for a spicy burrito lunch followed by cardiac arrest banana and cream pancakes, smothered in maple syrup. By the end of the day we'd have sped all the way to Astoria on the recommendation of Owen and Terra, our Portland hosts. And we were there for one reason: The Goonies! We drove to Canyon Bay and felt the childish flush of excitement at seeing the rocks that had pointed the way to One-Eyed Willies' treasure. Canyon Bay itself is stunning, and we took a stroll on the beach and around the lookout points to breathe it in.

The next day, we hit the Goondocks and I did my obligatory truffle-shuffle obeisance. I swear as we got in the car to move on, I was a little choked, and there was a tear in my eye. After all , I'll never be 8yrs old watching The Goonies for the first time ever again.

But the Northwest coast STILL wasn't finished with us. The Lewis and Clark exhibition over the incredible Astoria bridge, is situated at the end point of their journey. In the late 18th Century, Oregon was completely unmapped, terra incognita to Europeans. In 1804, Lewis and Clark undertook an 18month overland journey to map the frontier. Thomas Jefferson asked them to go in peace to the native inhabitants and link the country coast-to-coast. They succeeded, and the incredible bounty of the land was soon opened up to migrating Americans. Along with the California history museum, and the Oregon history museum, we'd really learnt a lot about Western America and its people. Firstly, the natural resources here were mind-blowing: men literally caught salmon as they leapt up stream, there were so many. The timber resources were (and still are) vast - the oldest and biggest trees anywhere in the world. Beavers were so plentiful and their pelts so valuable, they became known as 'soft gold'. It is a testament to the courage and ambition of the American frontiersmen that this wealth was harnessed so quickly in what began as total wilderness. The mentality of men like Lewis and Clark, not only to explore, but document in daily diaries and collect thousands of specimens, in the face of severe hardship still propagates today in some of the best American qualities - their entrepreneurship, their optimism. But the rapacity and self-interest is also evident: Settlers poured into the West rapidly after Lewis and Clark's success. The biodiversity and wealth of the Northwest is still great, but also greatly diminished. And the treatment of Native Americans was terrible - and generally continues to be, despite the immense strides Canada has made a few miles away with their integration of the First Nations. There was no crystal ball in 1804 though, and the staggering journey that took 24months round-trip was amazing to uncover.

Art in our hostel, City Hotel

As the rain clouds gathered, we closed in on our final American destination - Seattle. Starbucks, Microsoft, Nordstrom clothing, Boeing: The city is home to some of the most successful businesses of the moment. A diverse and variegated economy, with massive success and the continued creativity in the arts, particularly music and food: it's no wonder that its poster boy is the smug intellectual Frasier crane. But Frasier is balanced by his dad, Arty, and likewise we found a super-friendly and approachable city amongst the skyscrapers and riches.

Pikes Place Market was our first stop, and we took a tour with Seattle Bites. Our excellent guide Kristin displayed such infectious friendliness and enthusiasm that we couldn't help but be swept along. The fact that it was backed up by serious knowledge about the history of the market, delivered to us as we grazed around the finest eateries on offer, made for a superb morning out. We stopped at an artisan creperie run by an immigrant Dominican family; a Goan had set up an Indian stall with the finest tikka masala; Ulli's Bierstube offered the best in German sausage (actually better than any I'd had in Germany...), and locals had perfected their soups at Pike Place Chowder: so good that they were banned from national competitions. The market is not only a great melting pot of cultures and cuisine, it is a real lesson in incubating start up businesses: it is here that Starbucks opened up its first hole in the wall coffee joint. And indeed any Starbucks in Seattle has a much more independent, organic feel than the carbon-copies shipped out for export. Like Guinness, it doesn't travel well but at its source you can see why it's such an institution.

First ever Starbucks...

The other thing about Pikes Place is that it operates as a real example of social history and the lessons to be learnt. When the US sent its Japanese American citizens into concentration camps in 1942, the market almost collapsed - these Americans had run 75% of the businesses. Their forced migration has left a legacy, and today there are no sushi bars or any Sino-American involvement in the market. A mural was added to the wall of the market to at least recognise that for the first 50years, the market's existence relied on these tradesmen. The market was also threatened with closure in the 1970s as supermarkets peddled their one-stop-shop approach that would end up dominating the Western world. In Seattle, the proposals to bulldoze the market for a car park started a grassroots movement that not only saved the market, but started Seattle on an long road to ethical living: it is recognised as the most environmentally friendly city in the US. And finally, its sordid past where 'seamstresses' plied their trade with gentlemen's trousers gave way to female led businesses; the first female owned business in the US was  registered at the Market and it continues as a one of the most liberal cities on women's issues. All in all, it was a real education - and a quick wine tasting at the end was the cherry on top.

The creamery is owned by Nancy Nipples. No Joke...

With such a foodie culture, we would have been remiss not to go crazy and eat out all the time. So we did. Top Pot Donuts were soft and moreish with mouth-filling jammy centres. Sutra was an epic vegan five course dining affair, a list of ingredients as long as your arm creating subtle and delicate flavours to an Indian inspired backdrop (complete with gong to start the meal and mini- Ghanesha on our table). We had our first ever real Chicago style pizza, so deep pan you get why they call it a pie, and with tomatoes so ripe you could taste the sun. And for drinks, we couldn't fault the Bathtub Gin joint: tipped off to a black door in a back alley, we entered the speakeasy and three hours later they had to pull us out at closing time as we clung to the bar demanding just one more drink...

It wasn't all gastronomic. We made time for EMP, where the history of Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana are laid out in glorious audio-visual detail. We saw the first guitar to ever blast out Smells Like Teen Spirit. We spent hours listening to rare recordings, talking heads from the time, and ogling memorabilia. To top it off, a little sci-fi exhibit downstairs  had geeky props on display: Mr. Pointy - Buffy's favoured stake, Captain Kirk's command seat, Neo's cloak-type costume. Yet again, just sober this time, we were dragged out at closing time.

Our final day was spent in Fremont, hipster central. Here the jeans are tight and the glasses big, and facial hair is the in-thing. Owning jeans that fit me, having a beard, and being a coffee nerd at all of the boutique artisan roasters in the area, I felt at home. Mhairi's Peruvian Llama jumper and Indian styled jewellery meant that together, we felt like we could rent a flat and run away to Fremont. The street art, the liberal culture, it all started to spoil us. It's not all of America, but it's certainly the nicer part that gets under-reported in the face of North Dakota style politics.

All in all, the US part of our trip had been really eye-opening. Little things make London living seem backwards - free wifi everywhere, free water every time you sit down, modern cheap public transport - the pure benefits of consumer society are easy to see. But the dispossessed also seem much more out in force - and those needing wheelchairs or crutches are often in poor relics from the 70s. Turning on the news channels, even in the blue states, is terrifying: and the continued drain on resources - lights on everywhere all the time, massive food waste from huge portions - is mystifying in the current global environment. With a better understanding of the incalculable riches of the American West, it is obvious that amazing things would happen. But with such a territory, could a post-Enlightenment state not have done better? Given equal rights for blacks and native Americans earlier? Or today have a more sound policy on immigration and income disparities? Used its resources more conscientiously from the start? Or today at least realise that SUVs are gas-guzzling waste buckets of cars? It's unfair to judge America though - it's too big, too complex. And generally the West Coast is on the right side, championing issues where it can. Most importantly though, it is a culture of hope - and given the cynicism of old Europe, it's perhaps the greatest lesson they have to teach us.

Lenin stalks the streets of hipster Fremont