From cavemen to carousels. 8/25/19

This morning we are up early after, at least for me, a really bad night’s sleep. The hotel bedsheets are  covered with tiny pills which feel like sandpaper. It is not until 2 AM that I figure out a solution. If I put on my long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and socks, I’ll be able to get some sleep. Bonus! I am already dressed in the morning! We have breakfast at the hotel and then are off to get some gas and take a picture of the miner at the entrance to Yreka.

We say goodbye to the miner, his donkey, and Yreka.

Our first stop is in Grant’s Pass, OR. We stop at the visitor center which apparently does not expect any visitors on Sundays since it is closed. But we have an enjoyable walk around the building and take a picture of the Grant’s Pass caveman and some adorable bears by the welcome sign. Apparently people dressing up as cavemen is a long-standing tradition of boosterism for Grant’s Pass.

Grant’s Pass caveman
Welcome bears

 

After another hour we are up to Sutherlin, Oregon where we stop at the magic mushroom gift shop. It’s claim to fame is that it’s got magic mushrooms and a joint on the roof. I briefly consider buying a cream to put on my aching back but since I am allergic to so much stuff, I give the notion a pass. 

Marijuana is big business in Oregon

Our second stop in Sutherlin is the Depression Era, Rochester covered bridge. Oregon has a lot of covered bridges. We even passed a sign for a covered bridge museum! John says they built roofs over bridges to keep the wooden decking from rotting away.  The bridge is interesting and picturesque so we look at it with interest and take some pictures.

Mary at the bridge (Uh oh, car coming!)
John inside the bridge

Lunchtime! I have found a town, Springfield, OR, that has an Ethiopian restaurant and a giant Simpsons mural only blocks apart. Sounds like lunch and a short walk to me! Plus it is obvious that Addis is where we should eat because we get a parking space right out front.

John parallel parked right in front of the restaurant!

Our lunch is their veggie combo. It comes with a cold salad, split yellow peas, spicy red lentils, and cabbage with potatoes and carrots. You use the bread called injera to pick up mouthfuls of the tasty vegetables. It is not as good as our regular Ethiopian place in San Jose but better than another burger!

Veggie combo at Addis

The giant Simpsons mural is right down the street from Addis so we take an after lunch strolli to see it. This is the official Springfield that Matt Groening had in mind when he created the Simpsons. Groening worked with the town in the planning of the mural and Lisa came for the dedication.

Simpsons mural, Springfield, OR

We have have one more thing on our agenda today and that is the Carousel Museum in Albany, Oregon. We have visited another carousel museum, the Herschell Carrousel (spelled with two r’s) Factory Museum in Tonawanda, NY. Both are very interesting although I would give the NY museum the edge. It has lot more history and antique animals. In Albany they have an active carvers group who continue to make the carousel animals. You can view partially completed carvings in their workshop. You can also ride their beautiful merry-go-round if you buy a ticket.

Albany Carousel Museum
Working carousel

Here are pictures I took in 2007 of our visit to the NY museum –

Herschell Carrousel museum, Tonawanda, NY
John riding his trusty steed in 2007

We are spending the night in Keizer, Oregon. After an appropriate rest for two old geezers we find a place called Gustav’s Bargarten for dinner. We luck out! On Sundays they have a Happy Hour all day so drinks and bar foods are super cheap. We order pints of Hefeweizen and do the traditional Pilat vacation pose.

John has a Paulaner
I have a Hacker-Schorr (even though the glass says something else)

We share a pretzel and have sausages and fries.

German pretzel
Bierwurst and fries

Tomorrow we are off to Washington and have a volcano, a cider mill, a lavender farm and more on our agenda.