Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Our fourth and final day on the road on our way to Seattle found the weather to be mild and forgiving thank goodness.
We started the day by walking
across the street from our Vancouver
hotel to the City of Camas' delightful
Otra Vez restaurant for breakfast
By Otra Vez, I liked the mossy rock
while Laurie loved the purple flowers
Our plan for the morning was to cross over the expansive Columbia River to view the reportedly spectacular Multnomah Falls about a 35 minute drive from our hotel.
About half way into our drive we were back in Oregon where one of those changing traffic message boards alerted us that "Multnomah Falls Pass Required for Entry 9:00 to 4:00."
Multnomah Falls Pass? We don't need no stinking Multnomah Falls Pass!
We pulled off the freeway to check out the veracity of the distressing message.
It turns out that we did need a stinking Multnomah Falls Pass to see this wonder of nature. The first available Pass for today was at 4:00 p.m.
Ever adaptable, it was time for Plan B.
This worked for us
A short drive along the Sandy River
that empties into the Columbia River
If you need a life vest, Oregon
provides them gratis for the
safety of all, including immigrants
I suspect
This drive got us . . .
. . . back in touch with nature
Laurie loved all of the wild
berries growing on the road side
We pushed on in search of an offbeat town for a cup of coffee in a random locally owned java hut.
This Washington city was just the ticket
Population: 23,232
Battle Ground received its name as a result of a potential battle in 1855 between a tribe of Klikitat natives led by their Chief Umtuch and U.S. Army troops from Vancouver Barracks under the leadership of Captain William Strong.
Apparently, the Klikitat people had been held in harsh conditions at Vancouver Barracks and one day just left to head back north to their tribal grounds.
The U.S. military took exception to this escape and hunted the Klikitat down with the final act occurring in what is now downtown Battle Ground.
Except, no battle ever happened. Instead, after a standoff, the two leaders agreed to a truce that would return the Klikitat back to the Vancouver Barracks.
Unfortunately, at least one shot was fired after the truce which killed Chief Umtuch.
So much for peaceful negotiations.
We explored Battle Ground.
A serene statue across the
street from . . .
. . . Founders Coffee Shop
Laurie wanted to sip her
latte outdoors
Well, maybe if we could instead
sit in this pink butterfly chair
We negotiated yet another Battle
Ground truce and sat inside
I did still get to sit in my
preferred seat before leaving
Battle Ground District Stadium
It is located on the campus of Battle Ground H.S.
The district stadium hosts athletic events
for both the Battle Ground H.S. Tigers
and the Prairie H.S. Falcons
We stopped in Battle Grounds
Fred Meyer Mega-Supermarket
Quickly I surmised that these Selena Gomez cinnamon/horchata flavored Oreos may be part of some sorted ICE attempt to round up immigrants.
I took my photo and backed off posthaste.
Laurie was fascinated by this dog
riding on a motorcycle
Rather than get back on Interstate 5, we opted to take the scenic route for about 30 minutes.
The Road Less Traveled
We pulled over to let a car pass
us more safely at this spot
What does that yellow sign say?
Modern times invade rural life
Once back on the Interstate, Laurie found out on-line that the Parker Family Winery has a wine tasting room that operated near the Port of Kalama.
Why not?
Funky Port of Kalama tree
Fishing the mighty Columbia River
A floating hotel
We are in the Pacific Northwest,
of course there are huge Totem Poles!
Smaller ones too
As opposed to popular belief,
it was the figure at the bottom of
the Totem Pole that the natives
believed to be the most important
More of Laurie's purple flower passion
The Columbia River is impressive,
especially if you are from dry
Southern California
A Totem Pole laying on its side
in the hall where the wine tasting
should be occurring
I say "should be" because the Parker Family closed up their wine tasting shop in the Port of Kalama and moved it back to Battle Ground.
Close but no chablis.
On to Seattle it was!
We finally arrived at the home of Mark and Susie Johnson at about 5:45 p.m., just in time for dinner.
My post-dinner constitutional
along beautiful Portage Bay
The Sun setting on Seattle after
another absolutely delightful day
One final shot across the bow from the net . . .
TACO humor just has to
irritate him, don't you think?
Stay Strong and peacefully RESIST!
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