At this late stage in the endurance marathon that is the US Presidential election campaign, neither of the candidates for leader of the free world was scheduled to be traipsing through the woods of Maine or sipping soybean drinks in a corner of Oregon in an effort to meet voters.
Vice-President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush would both have preferred commanding leads; failing that, however, both expected to be campaigning in large states like Ohio or Illinois.
Instead, both candidates have been forced to turn their attention to the smaller states where only a handful of electoral votes may determine the outcome of the closest US presidential election since 1960.
The reasons for this are many, but key among them is the presence on the ballot of the Green Party candidate, Mr Ralph Nader, a veteran consumer and environmental advocate who has no chance of winning the election but who may siphon enough votes away from Mr Gore to alter the outcome.
In Maine, polls show Mr Nader winning 11 per cent of the vote, with 42 per cent for Mr Bush and 37 per cent for Mr Gore. In Washington state in the Pacific north-west, where Mr Gore leads Mr Bush by just 45 to 43 per cent, Mr Nader is pulling in 5 per cent of the vote, which could be decisive.
It is the same story in Minnesota, Oregon, New Mexico and Wisconsin, where Mr Nader is getting 5 per cent or above.
And so Mr Gore spent part of this week walking down 23rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon, a street of trendy shops that has benefited from eight years of economic prosperity.
He sipped that soybean drink at Oregon Chai, a local tea company started six years ago. He wandered the aisles of the New Renaissance bookshop, buying a few books with environmentally acute titles such as Meetings with Remarkable Trees and Children of the Earth, a children's book that he said he was going to read to his grandson, (who, by the way, is under the age of two).
Next week, Mr Bush will make his third visit to Oregon. Meanwhile, his vice-presidential running mate, Mr Dick Cheney, made his fourth trip to Oregon, visiting a bus factory in Junction City.
It is of extreme concern to Mr Gore's campaign, and does not bode well, that the race is so tight in Oregon and Washington, two small states on the west coast. Both states voted solidly Democratic in the 1992 and 1996 elections. They were even carried by the Democratic nominee, Mr Michael Dukakis, in 1988 when he lost the election and won only 10 states out of 50.
But both states, with their vast redwood forests and open space, are fiercely concerned about the environment, and Mr Nader has been able to make serious inroads. In addition, there is in Washington state a backlash against Democrats stemming from the administration's lawsuits against Microsoft, whose headquarters is just outside Seattle. The software giant is a major employer in the region, and a vital part of its economic and cultural life. The US Justice Department's suit, which sought to break up the company, has been blamed for hurting the company's stock price and profits.
But it is not the Microsoft history that is bedevilling Mr Gore in places like Auburn, Washington. This is a working class city of 42,000 people, halfway between Seattle and Tacoma. It is not a high-tech centre, and has none of the New Economy glamour of places like Bellevue. The median household income is $46,000 or about £38,000. Its voting record mirrors national results in the last three elections.
Here, voters say they are not thrilled with either candidate. Neither Mr Bush nor Mr Gore has won their hearts. Mr Gore is an uninspiring leader; Mr Bush is likeable, but his policies favour the rich.
Mr Nader yesterday denounced US support of Israel, bucking a tradition among US political candidates of offering unconditional support for Israel. Mr Nader criticised Mr Gore for his pro-Israel stance, saying the US needs to befriend both Israelis and Palestinians. He said "the burden of restraint is more placed on the Israelis".
Mr Nader also criticised "the devastating economics sanctions on the people of Iraq, including 5,000 children who are dying every month."