Wizard's Pacific Northwest Tour

Quote: TheCesspit

You were north of me then!

I haven't been to the San Juan's yet, but it looks like a nice place to hang out for a week doing nothing in a foreign country.

Where I was on Orcas Island is north of Victoria, BC. The San Juans are both a great place to visit and live. I went there to bury my father's remains on Orcas, per his wishes.

I spent Valentine's Day on the eastern half of Orcas with my wife, at Rosario Resort, back in '94. I did a bike tour through all the San Juans a few times over the years. Did you get any stories about Colton Harris, The Barefoot Bandit, who terrorized Washington back in 2008 or so? He stole planes and boats on Orcas, and there's a Hollywood movie being made about him and his escapades.

Did the troll have a name and are they nuked?

Quote: 1nickelmiracle

Did the troll have a name and are they nuked?

Post of the day! He goes by the name Fremont Troll or "Troll under the Bridge." That is a real car he is holding, by the way. I was going to nuke him but am running low on enriched uranium (as I set off an NSA red flag).

Wikipedia entry about the troll.

Awesome pics. Is there a report to follow? I'd hear it if there was. Some of those places look like somewhere I'd enjoy.

I must ask - having noticed your obsession with facts and claims, was there no tingle in your brain about "worlds cleanest water"? =)

Quote: Face

Awesome pics. Is there a report to follow? I'd hear it if there was. Some of those places look like somewhere I'd enjoy.

I'm writing about Jackpot and plan to write something about Roslyn later. However, about the whole trip, no. It would take too long.

Quote:

I must ask - having noticed your obsession with facts and claims, was there no tingle in your brain about "worlds cleanest water"? =)

I must correct myself. It is the best water on earth. I must say, it is darn good water too. Since "best" is such a subjective term, the claim doesn't bother me. Much like it bothered me when the Las Vegas Club said they had the "loosest" slots in Vegas, but I was satisfied when they changed that to "best."

Quote: Wizard

Where I was on Orcas Island is north of Victoria, BC. The San Juans are both a great place to visit and live. I went there to bury my father's remains on Orcas, per his wishes.

Yep, there's not much else south of there that is Canada on this side of the Great Divide. We were near by the San Juan's last week following the Orcas.

Sorry to hear that the trip was for melancholic reasons.

You made me incredibly homesick. Can't tell you how many times I wish I'd never left Washington State, no matter the reasons for doing so at the time.

I'm very glad you took the tour up the Columbia Gorge. I think it's some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring driving in the US, going from Portland up to Bend/Pasco etc. (I'm assuming you went from Portland to Twin Falls via the Gorge, then down thru Nevada). I would have sent you up to Mount Hood to have lunch at Timberline Lodge while you were there; it's a WPA-built stone and timber lodge that's simply incredible, and was the location for The Shining movie. Did you climb to the top of Multnomah Falls?

Quote: beachbumbabs

I'm very glad you took the tour up the Columbia Gorge. I think it's some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring driving in the US, going from Portland up to Bend/Pasco etc. (I'm assuming you went from Portland to Twin Falls via the Gorge, then down thru Nevada). I would have sent you up to Mount Hood to have lunch at Timberline Lodge while you were there; it's a WPA-built stone and timber lodge that's simply incredible, and was the location for The Shining movie. Did you climb to the top of Multnomah Falls?

We spent two days at Mount Hood, specifically a condo in Government Camp. We did indeed have the lunch buffet at the Timberline and it was great. You'll have to try harder than that if you want to surprise me on Stanley Kubrick movie trivia.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to the top of Multnomah Falls. We got about half way there but the kids were complaining so we took a vote and I got outvoted and down we went. To be honest, I'm kind of bitter about it. My kids don't seem to appreciate natural beauty at all. I think they would say, "You've seen one waterfall, you've seen them all." Then again, I might have said the same thing as a kid too.



For the benefit of the others, here is a video of the opening to The Shining, showing the Timiberline. By the way, the interior shots were done at some other hotel.

Quote: Wizard

My kids don't seem to appreciate natural beauty at all. I think they would say, "You've seen one waterfall, you've seen them all."

I didn't appreciate it when I was a kid.
We're all about physical things when
we're young, doing things. Eating,
running, riding bikes, going barefooted
everywhere, and now they have video
games just to be doing something.
Sight seeing is for old people over 21
when you're a kid.

Edited later: When you're a kid it's all
about me me me. What am I getting
out of this. There's no payoff in a nice
view, so it's boring. I was into comics
when I was 8-9-10, it was pure escapism
for me. I would rather be reading a comic
than anything else. We all had our
priorities, reading was mine. It was the
reward for doing what my parents wanted.