Okay, a bad pun that one of my third graders told me many years ago.
(Incidentally, it’s “you da ho”. As Bob Curran in the Buffalo Evening News used to say, “For worst effect, read out loud.”
I crossed into Idaho and headed for Boise for a few days. I was in Treasure Valley, which is the area where the six smaller rivers drain into the Snake River and is them out populated region of Idaho. Now, according to my preferred source, the valley had been known historically as the Lower Snake River Valley or the Boise River Valley, but it was dubbed “Treasure Valley” in 1959 to reflect the treasure chest of resources the region offered.
I am sure that the Interstate highway system, which was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, must have had something to do with increasing the value of the resources of the region, as I-84 went right through the region.
I checked into my campground, Hi Valley RV Park. It had nice level sites, great showers and, in season, the photos of the pool looked lovely. Unfortunately, it was still multiple layer season when I was there.
I was parked right next to a rig called a “toy hauler”.
A toy hauler has a back door that lowers down so people can haul their “toys” inside. Sometimes the toys are dirt bikes or motorcycles. So, what toy was this guy hauling?
A Jaguar!
This guy had a porch on the side, with a TV and one chair. That’s a whole lotta RV for one person! I thought Flo was a bit of overkill for me, but I didn’t have to take my Jaguar along with me…
A friend from Kalamazoo was from nearby, and her parents still lived on the family spread. They invited me out to visit.
Talk about a million dollar view!
We chatted and I heard many interesting stories about how the family got there. They offered me a tasty lunch along with the pleasant conversation.
Their house was so homey. Dom and Jody were partial to basset hounds,
They had collections of them tucked here and there around the house.
The hospitality is such as gift! I certainly appreciated my time with Dom and Jody. The weather was starting to look heavy, so I thought it best to head back to Flo.
Another day, I decided to investigate the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, which was right across the street from my campground.
It was a scenic place to be laid to rest.
It had some features I had never seen in veterans’ cemeteries before. For one thing, I don’t remember seeing things on the markers like Dennis Leonard Smith has: “Texas Red, Beloved Husband, Father & Papa, Gone Fishing”. It’s really quite charming.
Another charming thing is the burial of the spouse. On the other side of the Dennis Leonard Smith’s marker, you can see that his wife, Dale Marie Smith, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, was buried with him.
It was a chilly day, and I figured I had seen all there was to see. After all, this wasn’t a tourist destination. I got in Bart, the Big Assed Red Truck, and got ready to leave.
And then I saw this sign. Scattering Garden. I wonder what that could be? I parked the truck and went over to investigate.
There was a part of the cemetery dedicated to the scattering of ashes. This is the view from the platform.
This is the main marker.
Each person whose cremains are scattered have a marker.
And with that, I went back to Flo.
It was as good a time as any to add Idaho to the map.
I am sure there are better travelogs than this one for the next stretch of my trip. I had kind of wanted to overnight in Walla Walla (remember my Pogo reference from a post or two back) but settled on Yakima.
Now, I picked Yakima because my friends once told me that they were putting the Yakima on their car. I had never heard of a Yakima before – I assumed it was some sort of groovy new flotation toy, like a kayak. I was a little surprised to learn that they were talking about something more like a luggage carrier.
Anyway, I never forgot the name, so when I saw Yakima on the map and I saw that it was on my way, I decided to stop at the Yakima Sportsman State Park for the night.
It was so nice to have some dry weather! I made camp and then went to replenish my larder. My map app showed that there was a Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in town, so I decided to head over there. Some Facebook friends had said that it was a great place with wonderful prices. I don’t remember ever seeing this chain before, so I thought I check it out.
I swear Tops is following me around! I found a Tops store in Redding, California. Tops is a supermarket chain that we shopped at in my hometown.
Yep – Tops never stops!
I didn’t have much that I needed to do in Yakima, but I did have one thing that I needed to do before I left Washington.
Washington on the map
I needed to put Washington on the map!
It was my 42nd sticker and Washington was the 42nd state to join the union.
The next day, I hitched up Bart and headed out.
There were some scenic roads ahead.
The climate changed. I had heard that it was drier on the east side of the state, and you can see that it is.
I rolled into Oregon. I stopped for gas at the first station I saw – well, the first station that I could pull into easily. Of course, I jumped out of the cab and went to pump my own gas. The attendant came out and greeted me, and I said, “Oh! I forgot that you pump our gas for us in Oregon!”
While I was standing there, a local resident came over and wanted to talk Airstreams. I’m always happy to talk to Airstream enthusiasts. It turns out that he has one, and it’s even longer than Flo. He claims to get 20 miles to the gallon.
Yeah, right.
I paid the attendant and got back on the road.
Beautiful land.
The cloudscapes were so dramatic.
I finally got to the Snake River and crossed over into Idaho.
After stretching my legs at the rest stop, I rolled on toward Boise.
Sunshine and blue skies were such a welcome treat after all the gloom and precipitation I’d experienced – oh, since about when I left Sacramento several weeks earlier.
I decided to head out to Olympic National Park. Yeah, the mountain roads weren’t open yet, according to the information, but I might as well head out and see what I could see.
As I zipped toward the park, I kept seeing these unusual signs with flags on them. I pulled over to check out the view and I got to see one of the signs up close.
They weren’t warning signs about construction or some road obstacle – they were low tech aids for crossing the street!
Isn’t that clever?
The blue sky really made the water beautiful. Look at the snow on the peaks behind the row of pines.
Another defunct dock. It amazes me that such things are just abandoned. Think of how much work went into building them in the first place, much like old farm houses and barns that are just sagging into the ground all across America.
Now this is what I call a picture window!
They also work well for selfies.
I arrived at the visitor center, and, yes, the road was closed if I went much further into the park. Visiting the visitor center would have to do.
Right by the entrance to the center was a marvel of dendrochronology. (Click on the link if this is a new word for you. Personally, it’s one of my favorite words.)
Working backwards from when the tree was cut, scientists determined that the tree started growing in 1349 – 669 years ago!
That is some timeline. Of course, the tree recorded events that were relevant to it – years of good growing conditions and poor, diseases, most likely the forest fires it survived. Humans overlaid the natural timeline with one that reflected their own interests,
I ventured inside the center.
Now, this might be a Roosevelt Elk. There are two reasons I say that this might be a Roosevelt elk:
Olympic National Park is home to the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest, and
I took a photo of this sign:
Thank goodness for my habit of snapping photos of signs!
I wasn’t sure what sort of feline this was until I scoured my photo files a little more carefully. It was a cougar.
In addition to the Roosevelt elk and cougars, up in the mountains there are also bears. In one corner of the visitor center, they had bear cans that campers could check out.
Just in case you are not sure how to use a bear can, these instructions were provided.
The thought of having to take such precautions makes me thankful that I am “camping” in the middle of a city!
There was a cool 3-D map of the peninsula. I imagine the white area of the park was probably snow-covered when I visited. This part of the map was white was due to people touching it over the years.
And with that, I decided that I had seen enough of Olympia National Park – at least for this visit. Maybe I will return some day when the campgrounds are open and the roads are free of snow.
Or maybe not. The world is so full of places I have yet to visit.
By Lyn Topinka (USGS) – http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/Rainier/Images/Rainier84_mount_rainier_and_tacoma_08-20-84.jpg [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=337686Once again, as I was heading home, this great big mountain popped into view. How had I missed it the whole time I was in the area? This isn’t my photo and it wasn’t quite the view I had, but once again, I was unable to pull over and take one. By the time I was able to take a picture, I couldn’t find the mountain. How does one lose a 13,000 foot mountain? If you want to know more about Mount Rainier, click here.
(Incidentally, rainier is a great name for this mountain, as I have rarely encountered a rainier place earth.)
In any event, it was time to head back and get Flo and Bart ready for the next day’s travel. It was time to start heading east.
Another day, I decided to drive over and explore Olympia, the state capital.
Am I the only one who has difficulty remembering the difference between capital and capitol? Or Capitol? Most likely not, but if you are now scratching your head, clicking on this link with take you to an explanation.
I consulted my HISTORY Here app and made my way over to Olympia. I found parking and stopped in at the Visitor Information Center.
The helpful folks inside told me where to go and how to get on a tour. I headed over.
I checked in and found I’d have a short wait until my tour started, so I spent a few minutes looking around. There are always things to see.
For instance, this is one end of the vestibule where I was waiting. How grand!
There was this statue of Marcus Whitman, who was a medical missionary from New York State. He had wanted to be a minister, but didn’t have the funds for the necessary education. Instead, He apprenticed himself to a doctor for two years. My, how times have changed in the world of higher education.
In 1843, Whitman lead the first large party of wagon trains along the Oregon Trail, which helped establish it as a viable route for the settlers who used the trail in the following decade. He established a settlement near the location of modern day Walla Walla.
I can’t hear the name, Walla Walla without thinking of Walt Kelly’s Pogo comic strip. Dad used to sing this to us. I never quite understood it, but I remembered it. And now I live in Kalamazoo!
But, I digress.
Whitman’s adventure did not have a happy conclusion. The Cayuse, that he and his wife had hoped to convert, resented the encroachment of European Americans and the infectious diseases that they brought with them. A severe measles epidemic in 1847 resulted in high death rates, as the Native Americans had a lack of immunity to the diseases that came with the settlers. The Whitmans cared for the settlers and the Cayuse, but the Cayuse were hit particularly hard. Half of them died, including nearly all of their children. The Cayuse blamed the Whitmans for the deaths among their people.
According to my ultimate source, the Cayuse tradition held medicine men personally responsible for the patient’s recovery. Chief Tiloukaikt and the Cayuse killed the Whitmans in their home on November 29, 1847, along with twelve other white settlers in the community. They held another 53 women and children captive for a month before releasing them.
If you want to read about an impressive woman, click on this link to learn more about Mother Joseph.
Known as “the Builder,” Mother Joseph designed and/or supervised construction of 29 schools and hospitals, one of which was Seattle’s first hospital. She is recognized as one of the first architects in Washington Territory.
She was born Esther Pariseau in a farmhouse near Saint Elzear, Quebec. She was the third of 12 children and learned carpentry skills from her father. At age 20, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Charity of Providence in Montreal, and took the name Joseph in honor of her father. At least, that is what the source says. I don’t wonder if she took the name Joseph in honor of Saint Joseph, who was a carpenter.
She arrived in Washington in 1856 and set to work, feeding the poor, caring for the sick and orphaned, and teaching. As their space need increased, Mother Joseph designed new buildings and supervised their construction.
After a life of hard work and dedication, she passed away in 1902. In 1910, when the order once again needed more space they had to hire an architect for the first time. That was a talented woman!
I headed outside to examine the bronze doors. Notice the umbrella bags hanging by the entrance. I am sure they are made use of in the rainy Pacific Northwest climate.
These were some elaborate doors!
Even the door pulls were works of art.
The panels highlighted Washington’s geography. Mountains, waterfalls, trees…
…the rugged coastline that made transportation possible.
The lumber industry…
ranching.
I imagine that a historian could have told the story of Washington with these panels.
I kept my eye on my watch. I didn’t want to miss the tour, so I headed back inside.
I wonder how the people of Washington saw the future unfolding when they sealed up this time capsule in 1976? More than 40 years on, it would be interesting to see how accurate they were.
I thought this was a lovely memorial to President Kennedy.
And, with that, it was time to start our tour.
Our guide lead us into the rotunda. The building, designed by Wilder and White, was finished in 1928. Their design called for the dome to be fixed to the supporting structures by gravity. That’s right, they thought it was a good idea to just set a 29,000 ton dome on top of the building and trust that it would be so heavy that it wouldn’t move.
It did withstand several quakes. The cupola was so badly damaged by one in 1949 that it had to be completely replaced. A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in 1965 severely damaged the dome’s brick buttresses. A major aftershock could have caused them to collapse entirely. The Nisqually earthquake of 2001 caused the dome to shift, along with the sandstone columns supporting it. According to my ultimate source, the columns moved as much as three inches.
Three inches! Yikes!
Renovations completed in 2004 fixed the dome permanently to the rest of the building. I’m no architect, but that seems to make sense. I wonder what Mother Joseph would think?
By Eric Hunt – Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1318829
Louis Comfort Tiffany had a major role is lighting the rotunda. The lamps and Roman fire pots are the largest collection of Tiffany bronze in the world and they were his last large commission before his death in 1933.
The chandelier is amazing! They say it could fit a full-sized Volkswagen Beetle “if put in sideways.” I’m not sure what that means, exactly, but I can kind of see if with its front bumper facing the floor.
It weighs 10,000 pounds and measures 25 feet tall. They say it features life-sized faces, human figures and 202 lights. It is suspended 50 feet above the floor by a 101 foot chain. That must be some chain!
Our guide lead us up the stairs and continued sharing information about the building. Right behind the bust of Martin Luther King Jr, you can see a school tour.
We went over and looked back into the rotunda. In addition to a better view of Tiffany’s Roman fire pots, you can see another school tour.
And another one over there. All I can say is that it must have been field trip season. Keep your eyes peeled for more tour groups.
We walked down the hall to the Governor Jay Inslee’s office. We walked in and looked around the reception area.
And then we walked out.
In the midst of all the marble from Alaska, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy and all the elegant Tiffany bronzes, there was this scrap of leather in a frame just outside the Governor’s office.
I’m always curious when things don’t seem like they belong together. So, I read the sign next to it. It turns out that this is the leather embossed state seal from the Governor’s executive chair, which was made in 1927. The Governor’s executive chair has been re-upholstered twice. The first time, the original seal was carefully cut from the original leather and sewn on to the new leather. In 1999, the seal was removed due to deteriorating conditions and preserved in the this frame.
So, now you know.
Now, I am not sure what is going on here. As I remember, the legislature had adjourned. I’m tempted to say this was another tour, but the people sitting down there don’t look like school children.
We left the lower house and went over to the Senate.
Do you see the tour? After we looked around the Senate for a bit, we headed back to the ballroom. I spied this mail chute on the way.
I always enjoy looking around and spying things I find interesting. Now, I am sure the vast majority of people are not fascinated by mail chutes, but I think they are interesting. In an era before email, they must have speeded up communication.
Oh, look! Another tour!
One of the members of my tour noticed me taking a photo of this mail box, and she offered to take a photo of me with it. Who am I to turn down a kind offer like that?
And that was pretty much the end of the tour. Now I was free to explore a bit before I left. I love just poking around.
Here is one of the Tiffany chandeliers. This one is hanging in a lobby.
Washington was the 42nd state admitted to the union, and the guide said that there were 42 steps here. I took her word for it. I was in search of the gift shop.
As I walked down the hall, I came across these marvelous historical shots of the construction of the Legislative Building. I love this old steam shovel! It reminded me of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2593915
For any of you not into kiddie lit, click here for some information about this important piece of literature. (Seriously, it is interesting – to me, at least.)
Here they are, working on that 29,000 ton dome. What I neglected to mention earlier is that the dome is 287 feet high, which makes it the tallest self-supporting masonry dome in the United States and the fifth tables in the world, surpassed only by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Global Vipassana Pagoda in Mumbai, and Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. (I’ve been to three of the four of these.)
Finally, it was completed. The Olmsted Brothers had a hand in planning the landscaping. Apparently, that part of the plan hadn’t been attended to when this photo was taken.
Finally! The Legislative Gift Shop!
They had the usual assortment of postcards and things related to the state and the state government, but I have to admit that I was a bit perplexed by the “Bring your wine to work day” socks.
I did pick up a T shirt commemorating the end of the legislative season.
I learned a Latin legal expression I had never heard before – sine die, which is pronounced “see-nay dee-ay” according to one dictionary I consulted. My ultimate source has this to say about it:
“It can be used in reference to United States legislatures whose terms or mandates are coming to an end, and it is anticipated that this particular body will not meet again in its present session, form, or membership.[3] A legislative body adjourned in this way may be called back into special session, a reason why sine die adjournment rather than dissolution may be preferred in some cases.”
After that, it was time for some light refreshment.
I always appreciate a side of activism with my lunch.
This flyer, that was left on my table, asked Senate Republicans to stand with Washington women and families, not the most extreme members of their party. Stop being a puppet! Cut your strings!
I wonder if that worked?
Thus refreshed, I headed back to my truck.
Oh, right! Even though I haven’t really seen it yet, I was close to the Puget Sound.
I headed over to the Farmers Market.
Not all of the stalls were in operation, but it was nice to see the fresh flowers for sale.
Fresh flowers and meat.
I love it when I see farmers’ markets that actually sell things that are produced locally, as opposed to the ones that have been converted to rows and rows of souvenir shops.
I headed back to the truck.
Speaking of things that are actually produced, look at all the lumber that is being prepared to be shipped.
This is the Port of Olympia.
And it was time for me to head back to my harbor.
The Washington Land Yacht Harbor, where my sweet Cora was waiting for me.
Since I had already played tourist in Seattle a few years back, I skipped it. I know, I know…but I just didn’t feel that the reward for figuring out parking or public transportation was worth the hassle, since I had already been there. So, what did I do?
I went to Everett, Washington to watch Boeing build some jets.
They tout this facility as the “world’s largest building by volume”. I can attest that it is a very large building. In fact, the buildings in the photo above are just where the finished planes go for painting.
When the facility is in full swing, they are building 747, 777 and 787 Dreamliners. There wasn’t a lot of activity the day I was there. It was an interesting tour, and if you like factory tours, I would recommend it, even though it wasn’t a free tour.
They don’t permit photography inside the factory, so I don’t have any photos that I took.
However, once you get to the Future of Flight, after the tour, they will take your picture and let you choose the background. It kind of looks like I’m inside the factory, doesn’t it?
In the Future of Flight portion, they have all sorts of bits and pieces that help explain their products. For instance, this is the GE90 engine.
There was this section of a Pan Am fuselage. I used to fly Pan Am when I would go back and forth to Guatemala. I still remember the deep voice of the announcer over the PA before the flights, “Pan Am le agradece mucho…”
The inside of this segment reminds me of an Airstream, what with all the rivets and spars.
The 787 Dreamliner is a completely different sort of structure.
Believe it or not, it is made out of carbon fiber composite material.
From what I remember, the fibers are wound around a form many layers thick and then they are baked. It takes about 35 tons of the material to build the 787.
Here’s an extreme close up of the fiber.
According to their display, the use of composites add up to a better airplane and a cleaner planet.
1,500 fewer sheets of aluminum are needed per plane
50,000 few fasteners are needed per plane, which is an 80% reduction
reduced aircraft weight for greater fuel efficiency
non-corrosive composites allow for higher, more comfortable cabin humidity
Reduction in use and disposal of hazardous materials
reduced overall materials waste
If you would like to see a “fast build” video of putting together a Dreamliner, your wait is almost over!
Incidentally, the parts are made in Japan and flown over to the factory for assembly in the Dreamlifter.
Imagine that! They had to build a special plane to bring the parts to the factory. It kind of makes me wonder why they chose to do it that way. I think the guide may have explained it, but I don’t remember now.
This is an international company. I guess it makes sense to spread out the work.
I had another wonderful even happen north of the campground. I got to meet up with a friend from Kalamazoo and her husband.
I’ll bet it had been a decade since we’d seen each other. It was great to see Jen again and to meet with her husband, Brook.
When you’re on the road by yourself for as long as I had been, meeting up with someone you know is a real treat. Finding out that she married a charming and intelligent man is a plus.
And I was glad that I was able to get my truck in and out of the restaurant’s parking lot.
It was time to head out. Jantzen Beach RV Park was right on the bank of the Columbia River. All I had to do was make my way over to the bridge, drive across and I was in Washington.
While I was in Oregon and Washington, they certainly lived up to their reputations as damp and dreary. When the weather would clear, however, there would be spectacular views. For instance, on that gloomy Easter Sunday, The clouds parted for a bit and I caught of glimpse of Mount Hood.
Now, I wasn’t able to take a photo, as I was driving. I borrowed this photo from www.History.com, and I hope I have attributed it correctly. By the time I got to a spot where I could have safely pulled over, I couldn’t locate it. How does one lose an 11,000 foot tall mountain?
When I set out the next day, the clouds and drizzle had descended once again, like a wet, cold blanket.
One of the places I was going to pass was Mount St. Helens. Everyone my age and maybe a bit younger probably remembers this image.
It had a major eruption back in 1980, which was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. I started seeing signs for a Washington State Park Visitors Center and decided to get off the interstate and see what I could learn.
Unfortunately, this was the view from the site. I guess there is an 8,000 foot tall mountain back there. Norman Vader, a volunteer docent, told me it was lost in the clouds today, so I assume that the mountain that is visible in the photo is not Mount St. Helens.
I roamed the exhibits for a while.
The plaque with this exhibit read,
“As the north face of Mount St. Helens ruptured and started to slide away, hot volcanic gases and steam rocketed out horizontally to the north. Hurricane force winds roared across the land for 1015 minutes, stripping hill slopes of trees within 6 miles and leveling nearly all vegetation as far as 13 miles. This tree trunk gives some idea of the power and fury of the initial blast.”
This is a piece of pumice from the eruption. The plaque read,
“This volcanic rock was made when super-heated magma containing a very large amount of water and gas was thrown out of Mount St. Helens. As the gas bubbles escaped from the lava with rapid cooling, they were trapped. The small holes left behind are called pores, and they make the rock very light weight. Pumice rock can actually float on water and covered the surface of Spirit Lake during the 1980 eruptions.”
I used to love to collect pumice, back when I lived in Guatemala. And, yes, it really does float.
It was kind of hard to take pictures in the visitor center. I took a photo of this photo, though. You have to really start worrying when they take away the signs.
You may have caught the episode about a rescue during the eruption on Ann Curry’s “We’ll Meet Again” on PBS. It was quite the story. If you haven’t seen it, you might want to check it out.
I enjoyed talking with Norman Farber, the docent. He could answer any of the visitors’ question. He had little photo albums that he would pull out to illustrate his answers. I found this pair of photos particularly interesting.
I believe that this is the crater left behind when the eruption occurred. It is interesting to me that glaciers actually started to grow in the crater.
It is a bit distressing that the glaciers that had formed and started to advance have since been retreating.
After about an hour perusing the exhibits and listening to Mr. Farber’s stories, it was time to step into Flo, make a little lunch and head north. Carrying your kitchen with you is one of the delights of RVing.
My next destination was Washington Land Yacht Harbor. I found it on Campendium.com, and I even added my own review to the website. I have to say that it wasn’t the most scenic place I’ve ever stayed.
Photo taken by John Schroeder found on Campendium.com
But, hey, it was only $18 with my WBCCI membership, as it was originally an Airstream-only park. It had full hook ups and it was in a good location for exploring the area. Given the time of year, it was just about that empty.
I should have tried to find a church. At this point, I don’t remember why I didn’t go to church or if I looked or what. (Remember that I am writing this report about a year after the fact.) In any event, I set out to see what I could see. I do take my touristic duties seriously, even if I did neglect my Easter obligations.
I decided to head over to Salem to see the state capital building.
It has one of the most original domes I’ve ever seen on a state capital – or any building, for that matter.
This is the third state capital building in Salem. The first capital of the Oregon Territory was in Oregon City but moved to Salem in 1850. There was some dispute about there is should be. Corvallis was the next capital, but people objected to that because construction in Salem had already begun. Governor George Curry sent the matter to the Secretary of the Treasury in Washington in 1855. Secretary James Guthrie declared the move invalid unless acted upon by the United States Congress.
So, the legislature convened in Corvallis in December 1855, just long enough to pass a bill that moved the capital back to Salem. The bill passed on December 15. Three days later, the legislature re-convened in Salem. Two weeks later, the statehouse burned down.
The legislature re-opened debate about where the capital should be. They held a vote, but voting irregularities and low voter turnout lead to them ignore the results, which would have moved the capital to Eugene. They tried again in 1860 and in 1862, but no city received the 50 percent minimum required by law. In 1864, Salem received 79 percent and was declared the state capital. By this time, Oregon had been a state for five years.
And, yes, information for this post came from my preferred source. Check it out, if I’ve piqued your curiosity.
As I mentioned earlier, I made my visit on Easter Sunday. I don’t know if it is open on other Sundays, but it was definitely closed when I visited. However, there are always things to see.
The current capital building was completed in 1938. It was partially funded by the Public Works Administration, which was part of FDR’s New Deal of 1933.
As with any public project, there were complaints. One complaint was that the dome looked like a “paint can”. It was also called a “squirrel cage”. (It kind of reminds me of a nuclear reactor.)
The pubic was also slow to warm up to the gold Oregon Pioneer statue atop the dome.
By Andrew Nealon + EncMstr – EncMstr reprocessed photo w:Image:At the top.jpg by cropping, and adjusting RGB curve for more detail of statue, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1857964
I am proud of myself for finally getting on board with properly attributing sources when I borrow images. Thank goodness that Wikipedia makes it easy! I have been approached a few time by people who want to use photos I’ve taken for their projects, and it feels good to be acknowledged.
Sculptor Leo Friedlander created the large pieces on either side of the entrance. Ah, those valiant men! How about some mention of the valiant women who went west, too?
I mean, how about some mention of Sacajawea?
There were some bronze statues around the capital as well.
This one is a tribute to Robert Booth, who was a pioneer minister in Oregon.
It was also a tribute to his son, Robert A. Booth, who put his own name on the dedication plaque.
This statue is of Reverend Jason Lee, who lived from 1803 – 1845. The inscription of the plinth describes him as the first missionary in Oregon and a colonizer from 1834 – 1843.
Then there is this dramatic statue of Dr. John McLoughlin, who was the first to govern the Oregon Country, from 1824 – 1843.
I find it interesting that he was born in 1784 in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, and he came to government through his work with the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Since I have a primarily east coast orientation, I learned many new things on my west coast adventures. For instance, I did not know that at one time there was talk of establishing Oregon as an independent nation, free of the United States. In fact, Dr. McLoughlin advocated for such an arrangement. He also got in trouble with his bosses for extending aid to the American settlers who arrived in Oregon via the Oregon Trail in the 1840s. His assistance to the new arrivals was not entirely altruistic, however. The aid he extended to the Americans probably prevented armed attacks on his outpost by the numerous settlers.
According to my preferred source, the settlers understood that his motives were not purely selfless. Some resented the assistance and worked against him for the rest of his life.
In 1843, his bosses directed him to relocate to Vancouver Island. He refused to leave the Willamette River Valley and spent the remainder of his life there. He died of natural causes in 1857 at the age of 72 .
As I explored further, I came across these sections of pillars.
They were from the capital that burned in 1935.
According to an information plaque near the column segments, the bricks for the inner core construction of the columns and for the building were made by convicts at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The fluted limestone veneer facings came from Douglas County quarries, south of Salem.
Incidentally, Douglas Country was named after Stephen A. Douglas, who strongly supported statehood for Oregon. You may be familiar with his name from the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates.
(I do go on, don’t I?)
Anyway, according to the plaque, the columns were found in Mill Creek, near the residence of the Governor. First Lady Dolores Atiyeh and Governor Atiyeh promoted the idea of preserving the column segments as a piece of Oregon history.
The capital’s campus was in bloom.
Even on this grey day, there were splashes of color.
The flowers seemed exotic to me, in comparison with the ones I grew up with.
I don’t know about you, but I always thought of Oregon as kind of a free-wheeling place. Would you look at those signs!
OVERNIGHT USE OF THE STEPS IS PROHIBITED
(Okay…there are two steps here.)
Activities on the steps may be conducted only between 7 AM to 11 PM
OR
During hours 11 PM to 7 AM when legislative hearings or floor sessions are taking place.
I wonder what happened to inspire such precise regulation of these two steps?
I figured that I had seen all that I was likely to see, what with the building being closed, so I got ready to head back to my truck. This tree festooned with blue decorations caught my eye. I wandered over to check it out.
At the base of the tree was a sign explaining the project.
I got back in my truck as set off for more adventures.
As I tooled down the street, this building with mosaic decorations caught my attention. I love mosaics and I didn’t have to be anywhere at any specific time, so I pulled over and found a place to park.
Things might not be open on Easter Sunday, true, but it sure makes parking easier.
It turns out that this building was the YMCA.
The mosaic is called River of Peace. This was most appropriate, as the word Salem comes from the words “shalom” and “salaam” which mean peace.
Lynn Takata was the artist-in-residence for this project. Over 600 people worked on this mosaic, which is 60 feet long. There are some lovely photos of the work and the process on her website.
It was a rather gloomy day, so my photos don’t really pop. There are some beautiful ones on her website, if you’d like to check them out.
I was glad I stopped. What a wonderful community art project! This is something like a project I had hoped to do at my school before my retirement. Oh, well…
Another love I have, in addition to mosaics, is the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. There was one structure he designed in all of Oregon and I wasn’t too far away. The sources I consulted at the time indicated that it was open for visits on Sundays and it didn’t say anything about Easter, so I decided to head over. The Gordon House was my next stop.
This house was designed in Wright’s Usonian style. These smaller, more modest houses were designed for the middle class. He started designing them in the 1930s when an annual income of $5000 – $6000 put you in the middle class. This house was created for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon in 1957, but it wasn’t completed until 1963, four years after Frank Lloyd Wright’s death.
I walked up to the front door. And yes, the house was closed.
But, you can still look inside. This is the view through the front door. You can see the Cherokee red floors. An interesting fact I learned in my study of Wright is that he always identified his red floors as “Cherokee red,” but they weren’t necessarily the same shade of red.
As I made my way around the house, I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a reflection selfie.
This house was originally located near Wilsonville, Oregon. After Evelyn Gordon’s death in 1997, the house was sold to new owners. They wanted to tear it down to make room for a larger, more contemporary structure. I guess they valued the location, which had views of the Willamette River and Mount Hood.
With all these glorious windows, the views must have been spectacular.
Many groups worked together to preserve the house and move it about 21 miles to the Oregon Garden in Silverton. The dismantling began on March 9, 2001, and it was moved in four large pieces. A lot of work was required to refurbish the building due to overall neglected maintenance. The team working on this project was up to the task and the house was opened to one year later as the only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright home in the Pacific Northwest.
Since I couldn’t go in, I decided to head off for my last stop of the day. Third time’s the charm, maybe?
I am always drawn to maps. Can you imagine the effort it took to get from St. Louis to Oregon?
I like diagrams, too. Hmm, with the weight of the wagon at 1290 pounds, I could easily tow it with Bart. Heck! I could have towed two or three of them!
I imagine that they were quite heavy when loaded down with all the settlers’ possessions, though. They were big enough to be an RV, but not all that comfortable. At least, not as comfortable as an Airstream!
I stopped by to pay my respects to the elk, as many a bird had done before me.
And with that it was time to head back to Flo, have a little dinner and make plans for another day.
Fort Clatsop was the destination I picked out for my second day of adventures in the Portland area.
Fort Clatsop? Why? What is that?
Well, Fort Clatsop is where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805 – 1806. After seeing all the signs for the route they traveled while tooling along down beautifully paved roads in BART, the Big Assed Red Truck, I couldn’t believe I was finally going to see where they ended up.
I set out on a beautiful sunny day, and I headed down the Columbia River toward the Pacific. My first stop was Astoria.
The Columbia River Maritime Museum was there, but there was an entry fee. I figured that I had probably seen every possible ship-related artifact in all the other museums I’ve visited, so I satisfied myself with a look around the outside
That is one big anchor! And while we’re on the topic of “big”, there was also this really large propeller.
The lightship Columbia was in at the dock.
This particular lightship was commissioned in 1951. It was the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River. Interestingly enough, it was built in Boothbay, Maine, a town I passed through during my visit to Maine.
There had been lightships guiding vessels across the Columbia River Bar from 1892 until this final lightship was decommissioned in 1979. This area had the ominous name of the Graveyard of the Pacific. The lightships were eventually replaced by an automated navigational buoy, which has also since been retired.
Buoy.
Buoy – oh – buoy.
There was also an active duty Coast Guard vessel moored at the museum. In the background, you can see the Astoria-Megler bridge.
I was fascinated by the remnants of old pilings. It seems to me that it was easier or more cost effective to drive pilings and build on top of them than to build on the land that was available. According to my ultimate information resource (Wikipedia) the downtown was devastated by fires in 1883 and in 1922 due to the buildings being constructed on top of pilings. That might explain why these pilings are just sitting there moldering away.
The 1922 fire destroyed up to 30 blocks. Approximately 2,500 residents lost their homes and damages exceeded millions of dollars. Incidentally, this happened when the Astoria population was at its peak. A little more than 14,000 people lived there at the time. Population has declined since then. Now, around 9,000 folks live there.
Astoria was named after John Jacob Astor. An immigrant from German, he came to the United States after the Revolutionary War and was the first multi-millionaire businessman in the country. He was an investor from New York City, who, among other enterprises, founded the American Fur Company. This company established Fort Astoria here in 1811. Oddly enough, the Oregon Legislative Assembly didn’t get around to incorporating the city until 1876, which was thirteen years after Oregon attained statehood.
In addition to the maritime museum, the other point of interest in Astoria is the Astoria Column. It was built in 1926 with financial backing of the Great Northern Railway and Vincent Astor, the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor.
Astoria Column is a 125 foot tall tower built atop Coxcomb Hill above the town. Coxcomb Hill is already about 600 feet above the town, so if you climb the tower, you are really up there! Astoria itself is only about 22 feet above sea level.
I went up to the door and looked inside. I did not climb those narrow curving stairs! I had to satisfy myself with the view from the ground.
The column is decorated with patriotic images and propaganda. Embellishment is much in the tradition of John Jacob Astor, who hired Washington Irving to mythologize the three-year-reign of his Pacific Fur Company, a subsidiary of the American Fur Company. Yes, Washington Irving, the famed 19th century author responsible for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, among other works. While he was the guest of Astor, he wrote “Astoria: Or, Enterprise Beyond the Rockies,” The book became a best seller in 1836. At the time, it was required reading in some schools.
The column is quite amazing, but the real reason for visiting the top of Coxcomb Hill is the view.
Here’s another view of Astoria-Megler Bridge, crossing the Columbia River.
My notes say that this is a view of Saddle Mountain, which is the tallest mountains in Clatsop County. My ultimate source says that it is 3,288 feet tall.
According to the signs at the viewing platforms, this photo is of Fort Clatsop, which is sheltered by the hills. Lewis and Clark and their team spent the winter there, rather than on the other side of the river because the hills provided some shelter from the weather.
There were some commemorative plaques and time capsules on top of the hill, too.
Time capsules are nice. I guess. Since they are going to be opened at some point in the future, they aren’t much to look at. The plaque in the center caught my interest, though.
Cable TV was invented in Astoria, Oregon? Amazing! I do tend to go on about things that interest me. I have no idea it anyone else is interested. If you want to know how and why this happened in Astoria, click here. Incidentally, it’s a rather sweet tale of kindness and generosity, at least the way it’s described in this retelling.
One interesting fundraiser was gliders. You know, those lightweight gliders that used to cost ten cents back in my day. They sell them here and people walk to the top of the column and launch them. At least that is what I was told. Since I didn’t climb up, I can’t verify it. But, on my way out, I met a family ready to make the climb, gliders in hand.
The young man didn’t mind posing for a photo.
I wonder how the people that live down the hill feel about the gliders crash-landing on their property? I didn’t stop to ask, but I did see some gliders stuck in trees and bushes on my way back down.
I set out again.
“Lewis and Clark slept here” should be posted all over. I passed on spot that had a sign that claimed that this was one of their campsites.
I have no idea how they figured that out.
Across the river, in Station Point, is the official end point of Lewis and Clark’s journey west. There is a small park dedicated to the brief time they spent there.
It was rather wind-swept and desolate. In fact, the Clatsop Indians recommend that they more to the other side of the river to a site that was more protected from the weather. I felt this root ball is a suitable photo to leave you with to represent this site.
On to Fort Clatsop!
Of course, there is really nothing left from the original Voyage of Discovery. They spent a winter there before heading back. On your way in to the recreation of the fort, there is a nice museum.
Of course, the focus is strongly on Lewis and Clark. Do you know which is which? A quick Google search leads me to believe that Lewis is on the left and Clark is on the right.
Thomas Jefferson also figures in the story, since he was president at the time.
This sculpture is entitled “Arrival” and was made by Stanley Wanlass. It was commissioned but the Fort Clatsop Historical Association in 1980 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The person standing with outstretched arms is Meriwether Lewis. Just below him is a Clatsop Indian and around his neck is a medal bearing Thomas Jefferson’s image. William Clark is signing something. Lewis’ Newfoundland dog, Seaman, is also included in the grouping.
Like many museums, they tend to be dark. I am including this photo of a diorama of a whale hunt because it was well-lit.
There was more light outside. I headed out to see the recreation of Fort Clatsop.
I passed a statute of Sacajawea along the way. Another thing I learned about Sacajawea during my travels is that there were many versions of her name.
Sacajawea
Sacagawea
Sakakawea
It runs in my mind that I saw a few others, as well. I suppose how English speakers chose to record her name is not as important as the fact that they did record her name. She was not lost to history. If you want to read more about her, click here to get started.
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share my hat with her.
Growing nearby were some trilliums. This is one flower that was a favorite of my family. The forest floor around our cabin was covered with them in the spring.
I reached the fort. It was built around a courtyard. The exterior walls were built for protection.
There were seven rooms that met their needs.
Of course, no one really knows exactly what the rooms were like. I know they took good notes, but I doubt they left explicit descriptions of their winter habitation.
I am always looking down to see what I can see. I came across this marker.
It was the first time I’ve ever seen a “cadastral survey” marker. I had to look it up.
“Cadastral refers to a public record of the extent, value, and ownership of land. It is used as basis of taxation, surveying, and mapping.”
So now we all know.
My last stop for the day was the ocean. I’d always heard people raving about the Oregon coast.
En route, I passed this sign. I had to take a photo to honor my Norwegian ancestors.
I found a place to park and headed toward the beach. The sun was bright but the wind was vigorous. It wasn’t exactly the weather I prefer for the beach. But then, it was April.
The wind was whipping the sand around.
It was also good for flying kites.
As I walked closer to the ocean, I came upon groups of these amazing blue things. I was pretty sure they were some sort of life form, but I wasn’t sure what they might be.
Incredible! What could they be?
I approached these folks. They were walking the beach with the familiarity of locals. I asked them what these object were. Guess what they said?
Jellyfish!
If you want to get spooked, just Google “jellyfish on the beach”.
And with that, it was time to head back to the Flo the Airstream. Before I headed back to BART, I turned for one last look back at the ocean.
Wow! What changes have taken place since I last posted.
When I set out on my journey, I had two goals:
Get my house cleaned out and sold
Visit each of the lower 48 states.
I got my house cleared out and sold in April 2014. In May 2017, I stuck my last state sticker on my map and I realized that I had achieved what I set out to do.
I was ready to go home.
It all happened so quickly! I was quite surprised, because the real estate market in Kalamazoo had gotten really tight and I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to sell Flo.
I was ready to stay on the road for another season, but things fell into place very quickly.
I will save those details for later in the story. I hope to finish telling my travel trails in the next few months.
It rained most of the night, but it had mostly stopped by the time I got up.
I can’t say it was exactly sunny, though. I’m not sure what the block was doing on the picnic table, but there is was.
And the sun did come out, eventually. Look! A shadow!
I set out to see what I could see in Portland. As a recovering elementary school teacher, I knew that Beverly Cleary was from the area. I had been hearing stories on the local NPR stations about her and the fact that she was turning 101. I decided to see if there were any sites in the area that related to her.
I found the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden at Grant Park. It turns out that Beverly Cleary grew up in the neighborhood and actually played in the park as a child. I found the park without too much trouble and found a parking spot on a side street.
I ended up parking right by the Beverly Cleary School. I parked and started making my way toward the sculpture garden.
I found Henry Huggins…
and his dog, Ribsy.
Ramona Quimby was there, too, and the sun came out!
Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Kim Davison Age 61
It was a lovely little park. Based on photos I’ve seen on line, there are jets of water that shoot up around Ribsy and Ramona. There is also a splash pool.
I like the accessibility of the pool. Notice the curb cut so people in wheel chairs or other mobility issues can get in to enjoy the water. Of course, being that it was early April when I visited, the water wasn’t turned on yet.
I was starting to feel ready for lunch. A Facebook friend recommended a pizza restaurant and I set out to find it. I was making good progress when I saw a sign.
Voodoo Doughnut! I’d heard of this place! Change of plans.
It had been a while since I’d seen so much pink concentrated in one place.
I parked in their lot and headed for the door. This promised to be an interesting place. I got in and started looking.
There was quite an array. I decided to have the squid doughnut.
It was a lot of doughnut! They gave me a box to take the rest of it with me. There is no way I could have eaten that at one sitting!
They had a few interesting vehicles in the parking lot.
On the sidewalk nearby they had one of those bicycle rental racks. I had to take a look.
I always wondered how these programs worked and how much they cost. Now we both know.
Stuffed to the gills with doughnut, I set out to see downtown Portland. I arrived and started looking for parking. Parking Bart in a supermarket parking lot can be a big enough adventure. Finding parking in a city can be a nightmare. I decided to treat myself to valet parking. I pulled in and handed the attendant the keys and set out to see what I could see.
I strolled down the South Park Blocks toward the Oregon Historical Society.
Shemanski Fountain caught my eye. It’s a sandstone fountain that was donated to the city by Joseph Shemanski, a Polish immigrant and businessman. It was designed in 1925 and completed in 1926.
The fountain has two drinking platforms. Each level has three basins. The upper level is for people and the lower level is for dogs.
Originally, the fountain had a planter in the center. In 1928, Shemanski hired Oliver Laurence Barrett, an arts professor at the University of Oregon to create a bronze statue to replace the vase. According to Portland Parks and Recreation, Shemanski chose the Biblical figure of Rebecca at the well because of her hospitality to strangers and kindness to animals.
Lincoln was the next sculpture I came to. It was by George Fite Waters, cast in Claude Valsuani’s foundry in France in 1927, on Lincoln’s birthday, and was dedicated on October 5, 1928.
On my right side, I noticed Masonic Temple that had been repurposed as the Portland Art Museum.
A little further down, it was Teddy Roosevelt’s turn. This statue is called Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider. It was designed by American sculptor Alexander Phimister Proctor. The memorial was commissioned after Roosevelt’s death in 1919 at the age of 60. It was completed in 1922. Cast in bronze in Brooklyn, New York, it was shipped by sea via the Panama Canal to avoid having to cut the work into pieces. I think shipping it via the Panama Canal was a nice touch, as he was instrumental in its construction.
After all that walking and sight seeing, it was time to visit the Oregon Historical Society.
But first, a stop at the drinking fountain.
That is a work of art all by itself. I paid my admission fee and took the elevator to the top floor.
They had a nice collection of artifacts from the first inhabitants of the area.
Unfortunately, the low lighting level, which is necessary for preserving the delicate artifacts, made it hard to see the artifacts.
In one of the stairwells, they had a collection of advertising art that was important to the area. I didn’t know it, but Jantzen was founded in Portland. It grew out of the Portland Knitting Company, that was founded by John A. Zehntbauer and Carl Jantzen in 1910.
In 1913, they were asked to develop a knit woolen suit for use by the Portland Rowing Company. They began making their suits in wool. I can’t imagine that they were very satisfactory for swimming, but that would be just the ticket for keeping rowers warm. Eventually they began experimenting with a fine elastic fiber, according to my ultimate source.
I was surprised to learn that it was such a long established company and that their swim suits are still available. The company was purchased in 1980 and has changed hands several times. Currently it is owned by Perry Ellis International, Inc.
I wonder if my campground has any relation to the company? I imagine so.
There was much more to see, and if you are in town, I would recommend a visit.
I headed back toward where I left Bart.
This is the First Congregational United Church of Christ. The congregation was formed in 1851, and the cornerstone of this building was laid 1893. Incidentally, this is just the side view of the building. It really is lovely.
I entered and noticed that they were having an art exhibit in the basement.
The exhibit was called Celebration of Calligraphy: Sacred Words in Art, by the artist Salma Arastu.
This one is titled, “Allah is of Infinite Bounties”.
This one is titled “Equal Rewards.”
What a lovely surprise! It is so delightful when you enter a building just to see what you might see and you find a jewel-toned art exhibit.
I went upstairs to the sacristy.
There was fine stained glass in all the windows.
Oh, horrors! Would you look at that organ! Luckily, no one was playing. (For those who don’t know me well, I detest the sound of the organ. It doesn’t matter of the skill of the musician playing. It just sounds dreadful to me.)
The pews are arranged in a semi-circle around the altar area.
I thoroughly enjoyed my prowl around Portland. It was time to ransom Bart from the valet parking and head back to Flo. I stopped to pick up a few things at the shopping center near the campground, and was treated to a little reward for dodging the rain.
I’ll bet there is a pot of gold inside Target! (Unfortunately, it I’m sure it has a bar code attached to it.)
