One Flew Over Salem

We continue our way north.  Leaving Eugene behind we moved on to Salem.  A town that in many ways was seemingly nicer than Eugene. It is the state’s capital.  Usually we don’t like capital cities, but what we saw of this was nice enough.  (Still has won me from being an Easterner though.)

Our trip through Salem was, oddly, to see the State Hospital.  Yes, we travel across country and see the mental hospitals…. Sadly the museum was not open, but it is the hospital in which they filmed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest.  And equally as odd, while M. gets uptight when I want to go driving around military instillations and artillery storage facilities - just to see them, without camera ready - he had no problem taking a picture at the OR Department of  Corrections Div of Mental Health.  It’s a very creepy looking building actually.  I’m not sure it it’s the one in the film or not, because it’s been too long.  I also find it fascinating that the Dept of Corrections would put this facility right in the middle of a residential neighborhood in a city.  But then, we do live in a town where the mental hospital has frequent walk away’s and we did spend two years in college in apt’s by a prison in which the inmates would leave notes -had to leave on family matters, will be back - and came back.

Traveling north we took a slight detour off the highway to a charming little German town, with a glockenspiel in the center of it.  Here the Frankenstein bar was next to St Nick’s bakery.  Unfortunately neither was open for business.   But there was a sausage co - once featured on Food Network.  As it turned out, they weren’t fully open either, but they did sell us some strudel to take with.  We ate it at the rest area down the road.  (It was not the traditional strudel I am still hunting for; it was deep fried.  Still, it was good.)

We arrived in Portland shortly thereafter.  Definitely becoming nature girl, and Portland would be a city I could like - I just don’t think  I like big cities any more,  It struck me as the kind of place one goes after Boston.  Boston - a big college town.  Then you get a job and you go to Portland.  It’s still young and vibrant.  It definitely has that hippy/eco friendliness… I saw 3 different Whole Foods just driving thru town.  There are lots of old retro & art deco theaters.  Lots of purple hair on those of all ages.  But in the end - it’s still just a city.  The traffic is horrible, the streets go one way, parking is expensive and pain.

Yes, we found Powell’s Books - they are renovating.  We didn’t go in.  (Why?  Like I need more books?  Like I want to ship them home?  Like it’s not bad enough that I can and do, do this online already?  No, I do not need to go in and see yet more books.)

We did go to the International Rose Garden.  What can I say - it was a very heady aroma and more roses than you can possibly imagine.  Seriously. 

And the Japanese Gardens - which was also lovely.   In particular - they had coi fish that actually looked like all those picture you see.  I’ve never seen them looking either so bright nor with such variation in color.  Okay, yes, I’ve seen carp - orange ones, spotted white and orange ones - and they look like giant gold fish (which is by the way, what they are.)  But these guys were the most beautiful kitten grays and 14k gold that sparkled in the sun.  They truly were beautiful. (Surly too, the designer incorporated Mt Saint Helen to be like Mt Fuji, which was also striking.)

We also visited a grotto - which also was very nice.  A large stone cave with stone alter inside.  I’m not sure why we have always gravitated to such places on these journeys,  or what it’s trying to say, but we seem to and they’ve all been pretty interesting.  (As an aside, I was concerned on the list in the gift shop - there is no patron saint of libraries or librarians.  There was everything else, including lithographers, but not librarians.)

And we have seen multiple views of Mt Saint Helen’s.  No smoke - which is good.  But still strange to see a white capped Mt in the distance.  Strange still to know that it has to be a good 100 miles away and yet you can still see it.

The next two days we are going to be in the Tacoma - Seattle area.  Hotel is already booked (and it wasn’t an easy task).  We are going to do selective touristy things - as I think I speak for both of us when I say we pretty much don’t want to be in urban-ness, though there are things that are must sees.