I hardly slept at all the night before I left, I had been planning that day for so many months that I was filled with nervous excitement. The overcast cloud layer did not burn off until 11 a.m. but I had some rare Northbound Tailwinds that allowed me to make a Non-Stop 5 hour flight to land in Troutdale on the East side of Portland. I chose that spot because there was a hotel right on the airport and restaurants just a few blocks away. When I called the hotel and asked for their best price they told me that $135 was the absolute best they could do and then during my registering I told them I flew in and they said oh we have a special price of $106 for Pilots!