As we left California, we were worried that we might be leaving the eccentricities we had really enjoyed so far. Both Oregon and Washington have a more serious, straight-laced reputation.

Oregon does host some of the most spectacular scenery along the Pacific Ocean Highway but when we (and when I say 'we', I mean me) heard that Oregon was the one state that was bombed from the air during WWII we knew there had to be a few more twists and turns to be found. Our first stop was the Chetco Community Public Library which houses the Samurai Sword of the Japanese pilot who bombed Oregon- in the late summer of 1942, Nobuo Fujita dropped four incendiary bombs in the forests of southern Oregon, near the logging town of Brookings (his tiny plane had been launched by catapult from an offshore Japanese submarine). The bombs did little damage, but Nobuo always felt bad about it. Exactly 20 years later, on September 9, 1962, Nobuo returned to Brookings and presented the town with his family's priceless 400-year-old samurai sword. Apparently he planned to kill himself with it if the people of Brookings were still mad at him- they were not and Nobuo was made an honorary citizen of the town. You just can’t make these stories up.

So does Oregon have a weird side:

- Oregon has lots of love for llamas, in fact one-fourth of the country’s total llama population lives here.

· Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state in the country. There are over 60 of them, including deserted gold mining towns.

· Portland’s name was decided with a coin toss. Had the coin landed on the other side, the city would have been named Boston.

· Portland is home to the annual World Naked Bike Ride, in which over 10,000 naked cyclists take part. That makes it the largest of its kind in the world (with her knee problems DH is supposed to be riding a bike).

· Portland is also home to the most strip clubs per capita than any other city in the country.

· The state of Oregon has one city named Sisters and another called Brothers.

· Oregon also has a town named Boring—which is the sister city of the Scotland town of Dull. They even have their own state holiday "Boring and Dull Day."

· It's illegal to box with a kangaroo in Oregon.

· Ministers in Marion aren't permitted to eat garlic before beginning a sermon.

· If you enjoy fishing, be careful what you bring as bait. It's actually illegal to use canned corn as fish bait in the state.

· In Portland you're not allowed to whistle underwater.

· No more than two people are permitted to share a single beverage in Stanfield.

· When the only bank in town closed in 1933 Bend printed their own money, on wood. It’s still considered legal tender, and worth a lot more than its face value.

· In Oregon babies may not be transported on a car's running board.

· In Marion you cannot eat a doughnut and walk backwards on a city street.

As someone who views ‘Wet Paint’ signs as an invitation to touch, DH is now planning on whistling underwater in Portland and is watching for a feisty kangaroo.