Washington - Named after George Washington

The state flag and the state seal are similar. Passed in 1923, Washington state law describes the flag as having dark green bunting with a state seal in the center. It is the only state flag that is green. It is also the only state flag with a picture of a president.

 

Washington Facts and Trivia

• Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union.
• Washington state has more glaciers than the other 47 contiguous states combined.
• Washington state's capitol building was the last state capitol building to be built with a rotunda.
• Everett is the site of the world's largest building, Boeing's final assembly plant
• Medina is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates.
• The Northwestern most point in the contiguous U.S. is Cape Flattery on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. 
• he highest point in Washington is Mount Rainier. It was named after Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
• The Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge at Evergreen Point is the longest floating bridge in the world. The bridge connects Seattle and Medina across Lake Washington.
• The oldest operating gas station in the United States is in Zillah.
• Washington's state insect is the Green Darner Dragonfly.
• The world's first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen.
• Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle.
• Spokane was the smallest city in size to host a World's Fair. - 1974
• Puget Sound's many islands are served by the largest ferry fleet in the United States.  
• By the turn of the 20th century, Aberdeen had the distinction of being "the roughest town west of the Mississippi" because of excessive gambling, violence, extreme drug use and prostitution (the city remained off-limits to military personnel into the early 1980s). 
• During the Great Depression, a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia river as part of a project to increase the production of electricity. This culminated in 1941 with the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest dam in the United States.  
• In 1980, the northeast face of Mount St. Helens exploded outward, destroying a large part of the top of the volcano. 
• Washington is home to many innovative Internet companies, including Amazon.com, Classmates.com, Whitepages.com, and Marchex.
• The percentage of non-religious people in Washington is the highest of any state, and church membership is among the lowest of all states.
• The state of Washington is one of only seven states that does not levy a personal income tax. 
• Washington is home to four of the five longest floating bridges in the world: the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge and Homer M. Hadley Bridge over Lake Washington, and the Hood Canal Bridge connecting the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.
• Three ships of the United States Navy, including two battleships, have been named USS Washington in honor of the state.

 

3 weeks in Pacific City, Oregon

I just spent a month in Oregon, including (you guessed it) three of the weeks in Pacific City on the coast.  It was a great time and I got several things accomplished.  I had two goals; get some medical appointments taken care of and to completely go through every bay, drawer and cupboard in my coach, downsize and reorganize, and do my deep spring cleaning.  Done!  I did have to add some chiropractor appointments to the end of my visit, but worth it.

The Oregon coastline is awesome, and the beaches are clean and lovely...you can even drive on them!  I was so excited, I had to try it.  The second time I watched all the stuck cars getting towed ...

I drove the coast road US 101 north as far as the Washington border and south to Newport ... Note, some of the outlooks you can't access unless you are heading south.

Along with being the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, US 101 is also the Oregon Coast Bike Route, and I have to take my hat off to these bikers .... those are some hills to traverse ... no small feat.

 This is a haystack rock at the beach by my campground ...and my car parked on the beach  :)














Lincoln City claims that its winds are the best anywhere for flying a kite because of its location exactly halfway between the equator and the north pole (the 45th parallel is the town border).

Lincoln City - Kite Capital of the World

One of Oregon's most visited places, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, overlooks the ocean at the mouth of the Yaquina River.  After it was no longer used, tales spread the the structure was haunted by the ghost of Muriel, a girl who disappeared while visiting the light at night, leaving only blood stains.  The lighthouse is now restored, with a museum and gift shop; at Christmas it is ablaze with holiday lights.

Not to be confused (I did) with the Yaquina Head Lighthouse ....

Cape Meares Lighthouse

Cape Meares, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda, about halfway between Cannon Beach and Newport (actually about Pacific City) are some of the coast's most stunning headlands, strung together on a slow, winding and sometimes bumpty 40-mile alternative to US 101.  It's a worthwhile drive.

Cape Meares is 38 ft tall, Oregon's shortest.

Short trails lead to Oregon's largest Sitka spruce and the "Octopus Tree," another Sitka shaped like a candelabra.

Along the coast there were stops in Cannon Beach, another popular resort community with a sandcastle competition.  Seaside, only 10 miles up the coast from Cannon Beach, was Oregon Coast's first resort; its amusement park dates from 1873.  Here I stopped for lunch and a walk along the Promenade (a famous 1.5 mile walk that separates the beach and town) to the Salt Works ...

I took another hike one day - Drift Creek Falls Trail .... it got a little warm (in the 80s), but the bridge and falls were lovely.

A few of my other stops:

Nye Beach Historic District 

Oregon Coast Aquarium

I found these vents on chimneys interesting - I assume they are for birds

There is a very nice military museum at Fort Stevens ... worth a stop.

Depot Bay - world's smallest harbor; one side of US 101 is side by side chowder houses

In Lincoln City - I didn't think there were any Lil' Sambo restaurants left

OK, here is a "fun" story ...

I was on this draw bridge and happened to be the first in line to cross.  I waited patiently at this guard rail as the boat came toward the bridge (the bridge was actually shaking back and forth, like there was a minor earthquake), but the bridge didn't seem to raise in the middle like I thought it would .... and then the red light turned to green and the bar raised, so I started across the bridge .... only me, not the cars behind me because the guard man came running out of his little house to stop them.  So, here I am, sitting in the middle of the bridge, unable to go either way because of the guard rails that run across the bridge in case someone (me?) goes around the bar .... I sat there, very nervous, while the guard returned everything to "normal" to allow me to continue across the bridge so he could then raise it for the boat.  What fun ... not! 


Headed for Washington for a month.  My GPS sent me up Timber Road; turned out to have a couple of hairpin, 10 mph turns; I scraped my hitch trying to make the turns. It was a long drive up that road!  It had so many dips and waves in it, it felt like a "roll over" hazard most of the time.

The Columbia River Longview Bridge (although it says on the internet it has been renamed) I think is actually cooler than the one in Astoria.

Lewis and Clark Bridge, with Mount St. Helens, Washington. Lewis and Clark Bridge, as seen from Oregon Highway-30, downstream of Rainier, Oregon. The bridge spans the Columbia River from Longview, Washington, to Rainier, Oregon. Mount St. Helens, Washington, is in the background. 

Oregon - Origin and meaning of name unknown, may be based on the French word ouragan meaning "hurricane," as the French referred to the Columbia River as le fleuve aux ouragans meaning "Hurricane River"

Flag: 

 
The flag of Oregon is the only state flag with different pictures on each side. On the reverse appears a beaver the state animal. Both sides have a field of navy blue with design in gold. The front picture includes a heart shaped shield with an eagle on top, surrounded by thirty-three stars. (The number of states in 1859.) The scene on the shield shows the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, mountains, forests and a covered wagon. A plow, wheat and pickax represent farming and mining. Of the two ships: The one leaving is a British ship and the one arriving is a United States ship representing trade. The eagle represents the United States. On a banner are the words "The Union" representing support for the United States. Finally the flag is emblazoned with the words "State of Oregon" above the picture and the date of statehood "1859" below.

Oregon Facts and Trivia

• Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state. 
• The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.
• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.
• Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.
• Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.
• Pilot Butte, a cinder cone volcano, exists within the city limits of Bend.
• At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
• The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert.
• In 1876 the University of Oregon opened in Eugene. Deady Hall was the first building on campus and still exists.
• In 1880 a sea cave was discovered near what is now known as Florence. Sea Lion Caves is known to be the largest sea cave in the world.
• The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Lane County.
• Oregon's second highest waterfall is Salt Creek Falls in the Cascade Mountain range. It drops 286 feet.
• There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.
• Portland is an example of outstanding urban planning. The city is known as The City of Roses.
• High above the city of Portland the International Rose Test Garden features more than 500 varieties of roses cultivated continuously since 1917.
• At 11,239 feet Mount Hood stands as the tallest peak in Oregon. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano.
• Silver Falls State Park is the Oregon's largest state park. It features 10 waterfalls and contains a wide variety of forested hiking trails.
• Discovered in 1874 the caves located in Oregon Caves National Monument are carved within solid marble.
• The world's largest rosary collection is exhibited at The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. A local resident collected the exhibit.
• The Carousel Museum contains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of carousel horses.
• Fort Clatsop National Memorial contains a replica of Lewis and Clark's 1805-1806 winter outpost.
• The small village of Bickelton is filled with bluebird houses seen on the posts of every house.
• The Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range.
• Tillamook is home to Oregon's largest cheese factory.
• Florence is known as Oregon's rhododendron capital.
• In 1905 the largest long cabin in the world was built in Portland to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.
• Haystack Rock off Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world.
• The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, built in 1880, is currently used as the site of the final resting place of up to 467,000 cremated individuals.

Yosemite

Spectacular!

Hot!  It was in the mid-90s the day I was there, but it felt even warmer.

Crowded!!  Think Disney World on a holiday .... there was gridlock everywhere; the shuttles were full and also behind schedule because of the gridlock; and people were not nice.

I was talking to a couple of the shuttle drivers and they were saying people have spit on them and called them names when the shuttles were full and they had to wait for the next one.  So sad.

I took the Yart to the park from the casino by my campground.  It was $13 round trip for a senior and I didn't have to worry about the gridlock .... also, if you don't have a senior park pass, it is $30/car to drive into the park.  I also saved the $30 at Sequoia with my senior park pass.  It's a great deal.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Elevation of 8,000 feet and 20+ degrees cooler may not sound like good reasons to visit the parks .... but it helped.  The parks themselves are spectacular!

It has been 30 years since I was last there and they are every bit as wonderful as I remember ...

The parks cover 865,964 acres, so it is best to choose one region to explore at a time to maximize the experience. Of course, I didn't follow this advice and drove over 400 miles in the one day ....

If you decide to visit Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon, you will be treated to a lush place of tumbling waterfalls, meadows and miles of quiet trails.  Half the excitement is the 1-hour drive getting there on Highway 180, which zigzags down into the canyon through Sequoia National Forest.  Be sure to stop at Junction View on the way; sheer canyon walls seem to close in around you as the wild South Fork of the Kings River surges over rapids far below.

And I do mean rapids; this is no calm river ...

This picture doesn't do it justice .... where they are really churning there wasn't a photo op ...

Roaring River Falls is less than a 5 minute stroll from the parking lot.  During years of heavy runoff, the river pours through the gorge and over the falls with a tremendous roar.  Even during the dry season the falls are impressive.







I also found this impressive waterfall ...

At Grant Grove, near the Kings Canyon entrance, you'll see the General Grant Tree.  The General Grant is the second largest tree on Earth. 

By visiting Giant Forest, you can see the famed Big Trees, including the General Sherman Tree.  This tree is more than 2,000 years old and has the distinction of being the largest living tree in the world.

Sequoia National Park was established in 1890.  It was California's first national park and is America's second oldest (after Yellowstone).



The lowest elevation is 1,370 feet (in the Ash Mountain area) and the highest is 14,494 feet at the summit of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states.

Fresno, CA and the surrounding area

Just did a quick drive around this morning ..... planning on King's Canyon and Yosemite after the holiday.

In Clovis, CA, Festus from Gunsmoke is staring at you ... there is a fenced statue bearing the likeness of Festus dedicated to the actor who played him, Ken Curtis.

Located in Caruthers, California is a gas station with something peculiar atop its roof. If you're traveling along Highway 41, you can't help but stop and notice this WWII-era fighter jet, nose-down into the station's pump island.

For a town that refers to itself as "Swedish Town," this water tower is right up its alley. Located between Bakersfield and Fresno, Kingsburg's water tower is uniquely shaped like a coffee kettle, complete with a colorful, Swedish-like design and handle.

After running some errands and returning to the campground, there was the Sunday afternoon ice cream gathering and I learned to play Hand and Foot, a card game.

Current status

Well, I have been traveling full-time now for 18 months (2 years for my Jeep).  I have about 66,000 combined miles on the two vehicles. Here is the current map of where I have stayed -

And this is where I have driven ....

Green - 2015; Orange - 2016; Pink - 2017

A lot of miles .... and not nearly enough.