On Nov 6, 2024, I started down the west coast of the US on my way to Puebla Mexico. As my health insurance lasted one month, I gave myself that long to see the entire West Coast and Arizona. My emphasis was seeing more NM series destinations.
Day 1 Nov 8
I saw my son Mark in Vancouver and caught up on a long absence.
I needed a new left front wheel hub and stopped at Blade Chevrolet in Mount Vernon Washington to have the work done. I was given an appointment in the morning and slept in their lot. At midnight, I was woken up by 5 police as they were alerted that someone was in the lot.
The cost of the repairs in the US was astonishingly more than in Canada. The part at home was CA$500 and in the US $709. The repair ended up costing twice the Canadian price.
WASHINGTON (Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Yakima)
EVERETT
Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens. A lovely small garden with a great collection of conifers, bushes and some big trees. Free
SEATTLE
Nordic Heritage Museum. From the Vikings to present-day immigration, the Scandinavian countries have been a major source of immigration to the US and Canada. $20, 16 reduced.
Washington Park Arboretum UW Botanic Gardens. Lovely fall colours, lots of ponds and water. Free
Seattle Art Museum. Has a very modern/contemporary art collection, not very interesting especially at this price. $29.99, 24.99 reduced
Frye Art Museum. The Frye Salon had 200 paintings from the Frye’s personal collection. Also some uninteresting modern art. Free
Chihuly Garden and Glass. Chihuly is world-famous. He studied in Venice and much of his glass shows that influence. The large glass space has many of his flowers. In the same complex as the Space Needle and Museum of Pop Culture. The pieces on sale were in a Venetian style and ranged from $6,000 to $9,000.
Westland Distillery. In the NM Well-being series – Distilleries: Westland produces only one type of spirit, American single-malt whiskey and source everything locally including the oak for the barrels. It was quite expensive at $70 and $60 for a 26.
TACOMA
Washington State History Museum. From the Indians to the present day, this tells it all in a beautiful museum. $14, $12 reduced
Museum of Glass. A fascinating museum on glass from its Roman origins, Venice and glass making in the Tacoma area.
Tacoma Art Museum. Lots of glass. Uninteresting modern art. A gorgeous space. Free
LeMay – America’s Car Museum. Motorcycles, classic cars, and an emphasis on American muscle cars. Many exhibits related to cars, thousands of models.
ON A park on the river in Aberdeen, Washington. I was kicked out of a large parking area in front of a mall.
Day 2 Nov 9
International Mermaid Museum, South Arbor: Next to and part of a winery, this examines ocean ecology from the seafloor to seashore immersed in mermaid mythology. It was founded by a diver who got his inspiration when he found the shell of the Mermaid comb. Free
Westport Maritime Museum. In the old Destruction Island Lighthouse building, it has the usual models and ship paraphernalia. A good whale exhibit with several skeletons. $6
Tokeland Hotel, Tokeland. Hospitality Legends. Established in 1885, it has been in the same family since. The hotel and most buildings were destroyed in a 1932 storm. Inside a a line of plates lining all the walls of the busy restaurant.
ASTORIA, OREGON
Flavel House Museum, Astoria: House and Biographical Museums. Built by Capt George Flavel, a Columbia River bar pilot in 1886, this is a gorgeous house that is completely intact with original furnishings and it has never been renovated – 14-foot ceilings, tons of original wood (7 fireplace mantels, wainscotting, door jams, window blinds), it is full of period memorabilia. $7, $6 reduced.
Oregon Film Museum. 300 films have been shot in Oregon, the most famous of which are The Goonies and Free Willy. Not very interesting. In an old jail. $6
ON Rest area on Washington side of the Columbia.
Day 3 Nov 10
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON
Vancouver Land Bridge. Built to give access to the river across the interstate, it commemorates the native heritage, has viewpoints of the river, and then crosses the interstate. It is planted with several trees. Access is under the railway at the Fort Vancouver sign.
OREGON (Portland, Eugene, Medford, Bend)
I stopped at a Starbucks and chose to drive through the drive-through. I didn’t notice a height bar – it hit the front middle of the camper, glanced off the front vent, dug a 4″ hole in the top of the camper, and then proceeded to scrape along the top avoiding any further damage except several scratches. I dug out the wire and ring that caused the hole, filled the hole with caulk and taped it over with duct tape. I had to remove the bike and bike rack to access the roof. OMG, what a mess. I was lucky that more things weren’t ripped off like the vent and the back rack.
PORTLAND
Farmers’ Market. Open only on Sunday, I happened to be there on a Sunday. Many food stands, alternative products, organic vegetables and eggs, all very high priced.
Lan Su Chinese Garden. Eroded limestone, ponds, bridges, pagodas, Chinese plants.
Shanghai Tunnels House Museum. The Dark Side. $40 including pizza and a beer didn’t entice me to go here. Tells about human trafficking, but supposedly fake.
Huber’s Cafe. Established in 1879, it is Portland’s oldest cafe. The menu was not visible. Hospitality legend.
Portland Building (Portland Municipal Services Building). Architectural Delights is a 15-story municipal office building that opened in 1982 and was considered architecturally groundbreaking at the time. The building houses offices of the City of Portland and is located adjacent to Portland City Hall.
The distinctive look used a variety of surface materials and colours, small windows, and the inclusion of prominent decorative flourishes. Beyond questions of style, many structural flaws came to light shortly after the building’s completion. In 2014, some city commissioners expressed the view that the building should be demolished due to extensive water infiltration and structural issues.
The renovation retains the building’s basic postmodern architectural style while changing some of the building materials to better withstand weather and earthquakes, and improve interiors for employee satisfaction. The teal coloured tiles of the lower three floors would be replaced with larger terracotta rainscreen tiles, the existing painted concrete facade would be covered by a new aluminum rainscreen cladding, the existing dark tinted windows would be replaced with clear glass windows, and the stucco garlands on the side of the building will be rebuilt using formed aluminum, The building envelope was replaced using a unitized curtain wall, allowing the design to reflect Graves’s original while repairing years of moisture seeping into the facade and preventing further water damage.
The roof is covered with a green roof.
World Forestry Center. Great museum with forests around the world and a photo exbibit of burned forests. $7
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Science labs, submarine tours and a
planetarium. $20, $18 reduced.
Leach Botanical Garden. Many big trees, a rock garden and a manor house. $5
Bigfoot Centre. Spurious evidence of Bigfoot. I only went here as it was in the Bizzarium category of NM and cost only $8. What a bunch of hogwash.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator, Oregon City. In the Urban Legends series, this was originally built of wood in 1915 and rebuilt of concrete in 1952. Goes about 60 feet up to Oreg0n City and local businesses.
Mount Angel Abbey Library, Saint Benedict. Theological library on monastery grounds. This is a 3-story brick building with slats over the lower windows. Unfortunately not open.
SALEM
Prewitt–Allen Archaeological Museum, Salem. On the second floor of the library on the Corben University campus, this small museum concentrates on Middle East and biblical archaeology. Free
ON Rest area south of Salem
Day 4 Nov 11
EUGENE
Wayne Lyman Morse United States Courthouse. A federal courthouse completed in 2006 that overlooks the Willamette River. Six stories tall, it contains six courtrooms as well offices for the courts and other federal agencies. The building has won several design awards and earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for energy efficiency.
The bottom two floors are covered in glass and house offices, while the top three floors are covered in ribbons of steel and primarily house courtrooms. The three floors featuring the courtrooms are joined to the rest of the building via the 85-foot (26 m) tall atrium. In addition to the natural light from the atrium and skylights, the building is further illuminated inside by lightboxes and screens that are part of the artwork. Other interior details include steel mesh, a central courtyard, panels of stainless steel, pillars with burnished steel, he main staircase is also constructed partly of transparent materials, with the steps made of gray slate.
Landscaping reduces runoff from rainwater, much natural light, a more efficient HVAC system that is located under the floors, and a location near public transit.
With nothing to see between Eugene and Redding and Nov 11 a holiday, it was a good day to drive. I bought an air filter and gas in Medford (probably $1 per gallon less in Oregon.
ON Rest area about 60 miles north of Redding.
Newberg: Hoover-Minthorn
Natural History and Earth Museums: Hillsboro: Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
World of Nature: Mount Hood National Forest
Botanical Gardens: Dallas: Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanical Garden
SPOKANE
Art Museums
Spokane: Jundt Art Museum
Spokane: Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
House and Biographical Museums: Spokane: Bing Crosby House Museum
Architectural Delights: Zillah: Teapot Dome Service Station
Monuments: Washington – Vantage: Wild Horse Monument
Botanical Gardens: Yakima: Yakima Area Arboretum
Waterfalls
Blum Basin Falls
Colonial Creek Falls
Lakes: Washington – Wanapum Lake
Theme Parks, ‘Fun’ Museums and Miniatures
Bellevue: KidsQuest Children’s Museum
Federal Way: Wild Waves Theme Park
Tacoma: Children’s Museum of Tacoma
Ski Resorts: Crystal Mountain Resort
Museums – Decorative Arts, Design, Fashion: La Conner: Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber
Maritime/Ship Museums
Bremerton: Puget Sound Navy Museum
Keyport: U.S. Naval Undersea Museum
Aviation Museums
**Mukilteo: Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour
Olympia: Olympic Flight Museum
Port Townsend: Port Townsend Aero Museum
Railway Museums: Bellingham: Bellingham Railway Museum
Museums – Various: Long Beach: World Kite Museum
