From Sea to Shining Sea

Location: Nehalem State Park, OR

I had the best time following along the Russell 1929 trip from Mound City, MO. to Puyallup, WA. Usually the "plain" states (Iowa & Nebraska) are well - a little plain. This trek made it fun to search for clues and imagine life on the road during the early days of the Lincoln Highway. I also thoroughy enjoyed reaching the coastal Pacific Northwest and finally geting a respite from the triple digit temperatures! Love this picture of one of the fishing villages.

For the first time in weeks we weren't held to a certain route or schedule. We took advantage of this and did a lot of meandering today! We hugged the Pacific Ocean driving down inlets and discovering bays until eventually coming upon Cape Disappointment. We had previously visited Lewis & Clark's starting point near St. Louis so thought it only fitting to take some time to visit their ending spot here. In some ways I've felt like Lewis and Clark, going from Sea to Shining Sea and discovering so many wonderful things. (One of my favorite books is called "From Sea to Shining Sea" and is about the Lewis & Clark expedition. I heartily recommend it).

The museum and interpretive center was so fun! It takes you through their entire journey with lots of displays and hands-on exhibits.

 

 

Here I am using a telescope to find our "dinner" for the evening, looking for turkeys, elk, rabbits, etc.

Patrick Gass was one of the men on the expedition. He died at age 99 and was the longest living member of the Corp of Discovery. His family donated many items to the museum. My favorite was the razor box carved by Sacajawea. How cool is that!

 

 

 

 

 

The top floor of the interpretive center concentrates more on the military and marine history of Cape Disappointment. It's beautiful to look out through an entire wall of glass over the ocean. We had a great view of the lighthouse too.

We've seen many lighthouses in our travels, including the fresnel lens up close. This is the first exhibit where we could actually play with the lenses and create interesting prisms and lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What would a trip down the coast be without stopping to partake in some yummy seafood? We found this little fishing village and Ned enjoyed fish and chips and shrimp cocktail, while I ate clam chowder and crab cakes. Yum!

 

Ned enjoying one of the few rays of sun we had today.

 

 

 

 

We continued to explore more fishing villages until

eventually pulling into Nehalem State Park. It's definitely beach camping, but the campground has lots of cypress trees. We were going to jump on our bikes and go on one of the trails, but we decided to take a nap instead. I think enjoying the cooler weather and being on the road for 7 weeks finally caught up to us!

 

 

 

We did manage to rally for an evening ride and exploration of the park

and beach.

I can't help but reflect on all the beaches we've explored this trip, from the Gulf of Mexico to the tip of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean, not to mention the eastern point of the Dominican Republic in the Carribean. Unlike the other beaches we won't be doing any nighttime swimming here!

 

 

 

 

One of the paths from the beach has a beautiful view of the mountains. Stunning in the early evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Final Day of Russell Trek Re-enactment

Location: Lake Sylvia State Park, Washington

 

Laurie waxed poetically in her journal describing the last day of their trip to Everett, Washington. "The last day of our trip dawned clear and beautiful. We all had fun breaking the last camp. The drive for the first 50 miles was too lovely for words through the mountains and along the Yakima River...We got more than one thrill on this real mountain road. Stopped at Ellensburg for no good reason."

Debi and I stopped in Ellensburg also, and took this photo of the historical downtown.

 

Laurie continued: "We went up into the Cascade Mountains. Reached the summit of 3010 feet about 1:30."

Here's a photo Debi took today when we were near the summit.

Laurie goes on: "Passed along the edge of Lake Ketchelbus for a mile or so. The roads made one's hair stand on end, but after we entered the great forests."

Debi took this photo from the van this morning as we passed Lake Ketchelbus. Rather than a hair-raising mountain road, we experienced a major interstate highway, which is in the middle of a huge upgrade project with major machinery everywhere, although not working because today is Sunday. Our mission was to make it to the Salish Lodge at Snoqualme Falls for a late breakfast.

Laurie describes that "Once a construction gang held up traffic because of using dynamite and we were held in line for over an hour." We also saw a sign today warning that we should not use two-way radios or cell phones, as there was blasting taking place in the area.

We were pleased to arrive at our breakfast destination by 10:30, and get seated quickly. Nancy and I had completed our journey in 1999 by stopping here also. It's in a beautiful setting next to the falls.

As we waited for our meal to arrive, we drank their very good coffee which comes with a tray of condiments including: cream, whipped cream, and dark & white chocolate shavings. This was a definite hit with Debi.

 

 

 

Here I am just as my breakfast has been served. The white line that you can see across the right side of my face is actually the famous "honey from heaven" technique which the servers are famous for delivering honey onto your biscuit. You can see the bowl of honey in the server's hand on the far left. Breakfast was delicious.

Laurie's journal concludes for that day's entry with "We drove furiously to reach Everett before dark." (This was the home of my Great Aunt Eva and Great Uncle Jack Dana) "We received a real welcome." Laurie's journal then continues for about 11 more days in which she describes all the places, from Portland to Vancouver, Washington, which the family searched to find the "right" place for them to settle. This culminates on with her final daily entry: "When Dad had the key to the little brown and tan bungalow at 623 Ninth St. S.W., Puyallup, Washington, we were HOME." Debi and I went to this location today, as Nancy and I had 16 years ago, and confirmed that this address was now a brick house which was probably built around 1950. However, we took a photo of a bungalow down the street that we think might be in the style of the Russells' new home on August 26, 1929.

Here's Puyallup High School which is very nearby, which looks like it might have been in service in 1929.

Having completed our mission of retracing the steps of my father's family move from Missouri to Washington in 1929, Debi and I found our way to a favorite campground of ours at Lake Sylvia State Park, nearer the coast. We soon settled into a sweet little spot next to the lake, as we welcomed the cool, cloudy weather.

 

My Aunt Kay (Clara) is the only surviving member of the six Russell children, and she is now 99 years old, turning 100 on February 15, 2016! One of Laurie's final trip entries read: "We passed a landing field and Clara (Kay) wants to make note that in the plane going up, the aviator waved at her!" Kay was 13 at the time.

I'm hoping my Aunt Kay (Clara) is reading this blog with help from my Cousin MIchael, and that she will correct any mistakes I have made here.

Kay, is this photo from this trip? It's obviously not the Chevy Truck that Grandpa Dan modified for the occasion.

 

The next photo is at one of the Tourist Camps which the family stayed at along the way. I believe Laurie is seated on the left, Kay, is that you in the center, and my Uncle Danny in the cap on the right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final photo is certainly not from the trip, but I think everyone's age looks very close to the same time. Back row from left to right: My Dad, Ocrel (Oak), my Uncle Bob, My Aunt Ellen, My Aunt Laurie, My Aunt Kay (Clara), and a girl I don't know.

Front row: Another boy I don't know, My Great Granpa and Grandma Holmes (my Grandma Lula's parents), and my Uncle Danny seated on the ground.

As my final entry here, before returning authorship of his blog back to Debi, I am including the song which Laurie put on the last page of her journal:

 

 

OUR SONG OF THE OPEN ROAD

The broad highway is a friendly way

The auto trails are calling,

Carefree ways are merry ways

Adventures are enthralling,

So we'll stick to the trail

In dust or gale

Or even if rain is falling,

And with helping hand

We'll reach the land

Where auto trails are calling.

Original words and music by the Russell children

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Going Underground in Pendelton

Location: Yakima Sportsman State Park, Washington

Our first stop today was in Pendelton, famous for the Woolen Mills. Turns out they don't give tours of the mill on Saturday, so we drove to the place where they give Underground Tours of Pendelton. Luck was with us, the tour was sold out, but two people had just cancelled. Our tour guide was named Chris, a former middle school English teacher, and she was a crack up. The tour was billed as 90 min. but it lasted 3 hours! Chris had a never ending supply of stories that kept us well entertained.

Our first destination once underground was an old bar where I sat in on a poker game with some of the regulars.

Debi got friendly with one of the cowboys.

But after he bought her a drink, things kinda went downhill from there.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I tried to make the best of the situation by chating it up with another one of the oldtimers. (Hey Bud, do any of these guys remind you of your "friend" who used to stare at you at Charlie's?)

In another section of the Underground, the Pendelton Candy Works, I did an endorsement of a competitor's product.

Moving on, we visited the butcher shop, where meat was butchered and 100 pound blocks of ice were manufactured.

Here's our tour guide Chris, explaining about how soft the stuffed grizzly bear is. The entire town of Pendleton has blocks and blocks of tunnels underneath it and she took us through multiple sections of it.

One of the next stops was above ground at Madame Stella's bordello, which operated from 1928 to 1967, when Stella decided to finally retire. (Prostitution had been officially proclaimed illegal in Pendelton since 1953). In it's heyday, Pendelton had 14 houses of Ill repute. Here I am with Madame Stella in front of her "Cozy Rooms" which are up 32 steps through the doors behind us. Some customers referred to these as the Stairways to Heaven.

 

 

 

 

Here's Debi in front of one of the posters inside Madame Stella's.

Later I tried out the jail cell inside the Chinese section of the Underground. So sad.

Finally we finished the tour and had lunch at a local cafe. Delicious!

Soon we had driven into Washington and through Walla Walla, just as Lauie's crew had in 1929.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as the Russell's had in 1929, we crossed the Columbia River over the bridge at Pasco, but it was no longer a toll bridge.

 

Before we got to our present campground in Yakima, we stopped to take a photo of the Teapot Dome Gas Station National Historic Site. (We thought this must be related to the Teapot Dome Scandal that we learned about in history class, but it turned out to just be a historic gas station that's shaped like a teapot.). We went for a bike ride when we got to the campground and it was 106 degrees! However, it's supposed to cool off to a chilly 77 degrees by sunrise tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

The Oregon Trail

Location: Emigrant Springs State Park, Oregon

We woke early this morning and checked out the Visitor Center at Three Island State Park. The diagonal trail that you see across the river behind Debi is the original Oregon Trail as it led down to the crossing point where the wagons and animals forded across the river. The museum was really well done, although I was intrigued by their push to put a very positive spin on reconciliation between Native Americans and European settlers. It pretty well whitewashed the fact that we walked the Indians on death marches and relegated them off to reservations with the most desolate land quality. Just sayin'.

In 1929, Laurie's journal recounts a very unpleasant, dusty drive from this point through desert country. She stated, "But we lived through it and arrived at Boise by 6:30 that night and went to the Municipal Tourist Park. A very nice place and the showers were keen."

We instead had an easy air-conditioned ride to Boise, where we investigated the state capitol building, since we had done the same in Wyoming and Utah. The building is very impressive, with its elegant marble interior.

Here's me checking out a gilded sculpture of George Washington (carved from Idaho wood) that's diplayed on the second floor.

 

 

 

Debi had read about Boise's Basque Community and Market which was an easy 3 block walk away. We hoofed it down there and found a sweet place that was serving Paella for lunch, which I ordered, and it was delicious.

Debi had several Tapas items, her favorite of which was the roll with oilve tapenade. We think Boise is a very cool city.

 

 

 

 

 

Laurie writes in her journal about a fairly unpleasant stay they had at a tourists camp in New Plymouth. She reports "it was full of people who were working in the fruit and had been there for a week or two."

We stopped at New Plymouth today and their welcome sign included the description of "World's Largest Horseshoe". After driving around for a bit, we found this mural, but were unable to see the big horseshoe.

 

Finally we decided they were talking about the layout of the town, which is in a horseshoe pattern. (Please see the accompanying Google Map screenshot.) Very clever.

 

 

 

The next stop for both the Russell family in 1929, and for us today, was the town of Weiser (pronounced "WEEZ-er"). When Nancy and I drove through there in June of 1999, we saw that the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest had just been there. As luck would have it, 16 years later, the same contest was still happening today. We bought our tickets (a very reasonable $2.50 each!) and spent the next hour or so listening to competing fiddle players from California, Oregon, Ohio, etc. These men and women were GOOD! This is the National finals, so everyone of the competitors had already made first place in a regional final.

Fiddler Competition from Debi Russell on Vimeo.

Here's a video we made of one of our favorite fiddlers from Bend, Oregon. (Some smartphones don't recognize flash, so you might have to see the video on a laptop or desktop).

 

After crossing the Snake River into Oregon (and picking up an hour!), our next stop was also where Laurie's crew had stopped, Fairwell Bend State Park. This is where the Oregon Trail pioneers had said goodbye to Snake River and headed toward the Columbia. Our outside thermometer at one point read 111 degrees, so we were happy to leave there and head for higher (and hopefully cooler) ground.

 

 

Before heading up into the Blue Mountains, though, we stopped at Hot Lake Spring, just as the Russell Clan had in 1929. Then it was a major 300 room Resort where people came from all over the world to soak in the sulphur hot springs to cure all sorts of ills, including syphilis. The hotel averaged 124 new guests daily and dining facilities for 1000.

When my sister Nancy and I made this trip in 1999, we felt fortunate to even find the place, but found it to be well secured behind a chain link fence, to keep vandals from further messing with the decaying, abandoned structure.

You can imagine my surprise today when we drove up and found it in operating "condition". In 2003 a couple bought it and started restoration of the badly damaged building. It's part a bronze foundry and part bed and breakfast. The artist is David Manuel. His work seems to feature realistic pioneer and wildlife sculptures. The painful part about walking around, is that even though they've gone to a huge expense to repair the infrastructure, it still falls way short of being fully restored. e.g. the floors are uneven, peeling paint, and it feels like a haunted house.

Laurie wrote "We stopped at the place where Warren G. Harding had dedicated the Old Oregon Trail and across the road from it stood the $30,000 log cabin." This is exactly where we are camped tonight, Emigrant Springs State Park. Here'a a pic of Debi at our campsite in an old growth forest. The temperature is currently at a much appreciated 70 degrees!

 

 

 

After inspecting the campground on our bikes we're unable to locate the log cabin that Laurie referred to, but we did find an old monument which was placed here around 1923, locating this spot as part of the "Old Oregon Trail 1843-57". I'm really glad we found it, because it's in a very obscure spot and I don't think many people get to see it.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy