It was time to take a day to catch my breath. Being in Hillsboro, OR on a Sunday is a good time to do that. I’m able to attend church with my mother, see old friends from decades ago, and spend time “doing things with mom”. A great way to unwind and prepare emotionally for the next push.
My plans for a return up the Inside Passage and down the Yellowhead Highway weren’t working out. Winter ferries were few and all were fully booked as evidenced by the first available slot: May 17! Also, getting over the Rockies and having ready access to Jasper and Banff wasn’t looking likely with a winter storm en route. I needed a different plan and this I pondered as I slowly made my way from Portland to Seattle.
Crossing over the Columbia River into Washington is Fort Vancouver, one site that’s so rich in history that I’d say it had five lives. First established as a trading post, the a fort, later a military base and ship yard and air base. If you count its current life as a National Historic Site then it’s had six lives! There’s much to learn about the region’s history in just this one site. Can’t imagine why I never visited before now.
As I meandered my way north I passed by Mt. St. Helens. I didn’t make it to the mountain itself but to one of the three Visitors Centers en route. These tributes are to the volcano which famously erupted in 1980. At the time I was a summer student at Portland State University and remember rushing to the top of the parking garage to watch as the plume shot skyward.
Another side trips included Mount Rainier or as much of it as was accessible in the winter. From the pictures you can I was able to enter and get rather high but due to clouds was never able to see the summit. In Tacoma I ran into some bum luck as several museums I wanted to visit were now closed on both Monday and Tuesday due to budget crises. Thankfully the Great Recession didn’t affect all government facilities and I was able to visit Point Defiance, Fort Nisqually, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This last visit was particularly enjoyable because since childhood I’ve know of its predecessor known famously as “Galloping Gerdie” the bridge that tore itself apart.
I need to get back because there are so many great museums in the area. In particular I’d like to get to the SciFi Museum, the Museum of Flight and the Rock and Roll Museum. I rounded out my day with a trip to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) and touring the University of Washington. Before heading up to Everett for the night I had dinner at the last Chipotle I’d see for many a mile. Yum!
All this was positioning for my trip home along the Great Northern Highway.
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