SOLO ROADTRIP III: TACOMA & THE COLUMBIA RIVER [DAYS 8-9]
after picking up my car at my sisters i started my drive to tacoma. people thought i was weird for skipping seattle in my itinerary and driving instead to tacoma. i found the history more interesting and i was looking forward to the historical sites and museums. i was warned of "the aroma in tacoma," but i did not notice anything. it is said to be caused by the water sediment & the byproducts from the multiple industries in the city. the first stop was the washington state history museum.
the most interesting story was about the stuffed oxen on display named dave & dandy. in the early 1900s an old man named ezra retraced the oregon trail with ox & these 2 joined on a section of the adventure. ezra actually did this a few times during his life. he did one trip in his 90s, but became ill & soon died from that illness.
after i stopped at a coffee place near the historic union station. union station is now a federal courthouse. in front of union station is a statue of a carpetbagger. at the coffee place I got a s'mores cold brew and a really good cheese, bacon, and pear flatbread.
union station (c. 1911)
the carpetbagger
i then drove to my favorite stop of the day & one of my favorites from my trip, point defiance park. this is not just a patch of grass with trees, but a large park that has trails, gardens, a zoo, a forest, a historic fort, and other sites. i loved the concept & all the different kinds of things to see there. the visitor's center was not open, but i did see deer when i walked around the building.
i then went to the old town section of Tacoma. it was a bit disappointing as there really is not much here. the old town is called that because of its geographic location & does not utilize that aspect commercially.it is mostly small businesses and residences with a park in the center. the only thing old town about it is the lamp banners & a log building in the park.
the next day i made my way towards oregon. i would be staying in oregon for a few days and take a rest from my trip. most of the day would be exploring along the columbia river. In 2016 i visited part of this area but did not go very far east along the river, part of the trail of the lewis & clark expedition. i traveled my way east on the washington side and then traveled my way back west on the oregon side of the river. The columbia river splits the two states. the washington side is more scenic & historic feeling but the oregon side is more practical as there are more lanes & less driving along the cliffside. my first stop was a hike to beacon rock. It is not a very long hike but had sine steep sections and there are a lot of switchbacks. It was pretty windy but the views were beautiful. luckily, it was a clear day.
a last-minute addition to my itinerary was bonneville dam. the dam is a part of the army corp so you do need to go through security but it is free to access and view the dam. it was interesting to learn as i know nothing about dams and fish but i do enjoy learning about infrastructure. there is actually a more historic dam on the oregon side, but i got confused and decided to not go (the checkpoints are intimidating). the washington side dam was built with visitors in mind so it is more interpretive. also to my surprise i was able to add an NPS stamp in my passport :)
for the first time ever, i drove over a toll bridge, majestically called "the bridge of the gods" (kind of funny since it is pretty small). it is actually named after a natural land bridge nearby that was washed away. the manmade bridge was built in 1926 to connect washington & oregon. when i crossed the bridge i noticed there was a restaurant at the base and thought it would be a neat experience to be able to eat near the river and the bridge. this was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. it is called bridgeside & felt like you were traveling back in time to a 1950s family diner you stop at during a camping road trip. the vibes were right. i got a pulled pork sandwich & fries.
i ventured farther east to make my way to the dalles (not dalles). here is where there is a museum dedicated to the river columbia river gorge. the further east you go the more dry the landscape becomes. i was actually pretty close to pendelton, a city i visited towards the beginning of my trip.
i then been made my way back west to go to my accommodation for the next few days. unfortunately i had to pass portland which means there was traffic. before hitting portland, i decided to visit the vista house, since it made sense to visit during a road trip as it is a historic comfort station. i have actually visited this place a couple times, but it a neat historic site. it is an octogonal stone house built in the art nouveau style. it is located on a hill where you can view the columbia river gorge. today it is a gift shop, rest stop, & museum. it even sells coffee, but i am never there when it is open.
