We spent the night in Springfield, Oregon. My dad's sister and family made their home there and I wanted to pay my respects by visiting my aunt and uncle's graves. They were very kind to my family during a painful time in my youth. On our way to Springfield and, again, as we left for Portland, we made a few stops at some roadside attractions. The weather is cloudy, in the mid 50s with occasion showers. Suspect that will be the standard weather forecast for the rest of our trip. I'm not minding it so far - pleasant to have non-drought surroundings. Planning on spending a few days in Portland to see the sights.
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| Unfortunately, the Ark was closed for renovations. Inside, there is a tour of the Old Testament, including used animatronic Santa Clauses posing as prophets. |
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| Kangaroos greet you at the door and there are photo opportunities galore. |
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| Did you know that Springfield, Oregon is the inspiration for the hometown of the Simpsons? Springfield has honored the cartoon by painting this mural and providing maps to some of the local sights such as Moe's Tavern. |
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| On the University of Oregon's campus, there is a bronze statue of the person who walks around as the Duck mascot. I have always been impressed with how energetic this duck is, especially when he does all those pushups. |
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| We drove all over Albany trying to find the "Big Possum". Turns out that the owners (of Possum Auto Body) put the big guy into their lobby on days when they are closed. Russ got this shot through the store's locked doors. I think the bigger story is why you would name your auto body shop "Possum". |
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| On top of the state capitol building in Salem, is a 22 foot tall gold statue of a lumber jack. He is called "The Oregon Pioneer" and weighs 9 tons. |
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| The grounds around the capitol were beautifully landscaped with blooming rhododendrons and a variety of large mature trees. I wonder if the Paul Bunyan want-ta-be is frustrated by his inability to get at those trees. |
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