2020 – October part 1
Hey,
We started October with a shot. Yeah, the flu shot. Seems like a good idea to get, especially with how crazy COVID is making things.
We wanted to do a trip where we drove north and explored, maybe catching fall colors. If not then we would enjoy the trip. We had JUST gone to Mt. Rainier during all of that smoky time in Portland. It was a tad disappointing as my parents had never been before, and most of the views were shrouded with smoke haze. Despite this – it remains one of our favorite national parks to visit. If you ever have the chance do it. You can’t go wrong and it’s easy to navigate.
We reached Sunrise before Sunset and stayed until the sun was down. Love the time I got to spend with Elijah.
The next day we explored near Seattle – even going as far as to visit the Microsoft Campus. Took a photo (which I think is pretty much mandatory at this point) and went on our way. Over past Deception Falls (BEAUTIFUL) and it doesn’t look like it will be much when you start on the trail (hence the name).
Finally found a really cool 9/11 memorial. I can’t really find anything even close to this in Portland, but over here in Cashmere Washington, they have a part of the Pentagon, a WTC steel beam, AND ground from Pennsylvania (not pictured). It was nice and I hope we can visit it again.
We took a trip through Yakima – went to Miners to eat and enjoyed our time. We also stopped in Zillah to see the Teapot Dome Gas station. Here is the history of that:
“The Teapot Dome Service Station was originally located on Hwy. 410 between Zillah and Granger. It was handcrafted by Jack Ainsworth in 1922. He built it inspired by the Harding Administration Teapot Dome Scandal. The store next to the Teapot was the Old Dalton Trading Co. General Country Store was built by Jack Ainsworths’ father in 1902. In 1928 Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Thomas purchased the Teapot. They operated the gas station along with a store fountain built on the same site. This was an era when gasoline dealers gave people something to look at and tell their friends about when they got home.
In 1978 the construction of I-82 forced the removal of the building from its’ original location. Five days before the scheduled move it was hit by a car and it was caved in. It had to be reconstructed which was no easy job because it was all hand-crafted. Fortunately, the building was reconstructed and then moved with the help of the State Dept. of Transportation some 1.2 miles to its’ current site at 14691 Yakima Valley Highway. “
By the time we got back to Portland, the cooler air was starting to take hold. The rain showers were moving in (which I LOVE both the cool weather and rain).
We went to Papa’s Pumpkin Patch on the west side of Portland. Explored their sunflower area. Purchased some locally made food and a bunch of pumpkins (the prices they have are the best around).
While we were driving around we noticed that the trees were really starting to bloom (in fall colors). We snapped a photo of Ara in front of one.
just Pray
note: this post was published on 09/21/22 but moved the publish date back to the middle of October 2020 to keep chronological order.