Twedes again

A gloomy cloudy day over North Bend in Washington...

Whenever we go through Washington state, we try to make it a point to stop in at Twedes Cafe in North Bend. It's a popular gathering place for visitors, particularly those who are fans of the quirky and spooky cult series Twin Peaks.

Although it's famous for its coffee and cherry pie as a result its appearance in the show, on this particular trip I decided to try their banana creme pie instead. I can reliably report that it too is very good... and VERY filling.

La Conner cute

The residents of La Conner even park artfully...

On our recent trip to Oregon, we stopped in at La Conner WA. We discovered this picturesque community two years ago.

If you are an art lover, La Conner is your town. The main street features numerous shops selling art in quality from pricey fine to mass produced 'lifestyle' and everything in between. We have some of it sitting in our home as I write this.

All stair rails, veranda and posts...

Wayback Wednesday: Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon... words can't describe the impact of its view...

It was six years ago that my wife and I were perched on the edge of the Grand Canyon basking in its rich colours and vast scale.

Pipe Mountain Coaster

Thunderbirds are go!

The Pipe Mountain Coaster at Revelstoke, BC is described on their website as an "exhilarating ride...4 km of twists and turns across ski runs, between glades and through a tunnel while traveling up to 42km/hour."

We camped in the area during our summer 2018 road trip for the express purpose of trying it out.

We ended up doing it three times. The first time we went down, the goof in front of us kept his brakes on for the entire ride. He was completely oblivious to the backed up riders behind him who wanted to do it the way it should be done... fast!

The staff at the bottom acknowledged our frustration and disappointment and gave us a another free ride.

Authentic vintage

The remains of an old gas station in Oregon...

Unlike the previous post, this gas station on an Oregon roadside is less vintage and more derelict.

I wonder: Did the driver of the last car to fill up here realize  that the pumps would forever fall silent behind them?

Forlorn and forgotten...

Elkhorn Johnny

The mayor is in session...

While meandering the dusty streets of the ghost town of Elkhorn Montana we had the pleasure to meet Elkhorn Johnny as he referred to himself, the unofficial 'mayor'.

Originally living the surfer lifestyle in southern California, he moved back to a long-held family property in Elkhorn following the 911 attacks. He has lived there ever since eking out a living selling curios,crafts, rocks and collected herbs.

Living life off the grid in Montana...

Elkhorn

The original saloon of Elkhorn...

Elkhorn Montana is a ghost town located about forty minutes off the nearest major roadway. At one time it was home to 2500 people when it was the centre of the local silver mines.

It's unusual for the fact that alongside the decrepit and decaying 150-year-old buildings is a smattering of modern ranch homes and trailers that are home to a handful of inhabitants.

It must be an odd experience to walk down the dusty streets among the ruins of the past from two centuries ago...

Living with the ghosts of the past...

Wasting Away

A relic from decades ago slowly succumbs to the Montana elements...

A weathered rusted car on a Montana backroad...

The Washoe Theatre: Part 2

Interior details of the Washoe Theatre...

The interior details of the Washoe Theater in Anaconda, Montana are beautiful to behold. You won't see lush artwork and finely crafted details like this in today's antiseptic cineplexes.

According to Wikipedia:

The interior design and furnishings were done by Hollywood theater designer Nat Smythe. The exterior doors are etched glass. Each joint and trim work is carved in complicated relief patterns with much use of ornamental ironwork.

Use of copper is especially prevalent, as Anaconda was a company town for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Silver and gold leaf supplement the accent work.

Carved rams heads line the walls. Every flat surface, including the domed ceiling, is a painted mural done by Colville Smythe.

The silk curtain is a piece of art in itself, though seldom seen. Its age presents a problem for curators who are afraid that taking it down, even to try and restore it, would cause it to fall apart. It has a painting of deer stags.

Lush murals adorn the walls...

The Washoe Theatre

The Washoe Theatre... since 1936...

During our road trip last year, we made a special side trip to visit the small bucolic town of Anaconda, Montana.

There you will find the Washoe Theatre. It was built during the Great Depression, the last theatre to be built in the style of Nuevo Deco, a form of Art Deco

The Smithsonian rates the Washoe as a national treasure due to the lavish interior which we'll see in the next post.

Live long... and prosper

A Federation starship sticks the landing in Vulcan, Alberta...

The title of today's post was the philosophy of Mr. Spock, the half-human / half-Vulcan sidekick to Captain Kirk on television's Star Trek.

Vulcan was the name of his home planet, a name also shared by the small town of Vulcan in southern Alberta. The Canadian town was named in the early 20th century, long before the television series.

However, the town took advantage of its fortuitous name to re-brand itself as the official 'Star Trek capital of Canada'. Leonard Nimoy -- the actor who originated the role -- even paid a visit at one time as part of a publicity push by the town.

A scale-model starship is mounted outside the tourist centre. At the base of it, three plaques greet visitors in the official languages of English, Vulcan and Klingon.

Saying hello to the citizens of Earth...

Big Sky Country... up for sale

Mermaids in motion behind the bar...

A recent online petition in the United States called for Montana to be sold to Canada for the sum of one trillion dollars.

For the remaining United States, that would enable them to pay down a tiny bit of their massive national debt. In return Canada would get to own the recently mentioned Our Lady of the Rockies, the Bleu Horses and the Berkley Pit.

We would also get the very retro-cool and award-winning Sip'n'Dip tiki lounge in Great Falls, Montana which features live mermaids swimming behind the bar. The lovely ladies will also play tricks with bubbles if you leave them a tip.

You've been warned!

Our Lady of the Rockies

Looking down from on high...

Our Lady of the Rockies looks down on Butte Montana from high up in the Continental Divide. She is built in the traditional image of the Virgin Mary although she is dedicated to women of all faiths everywhere, particularly mothers.

Despite the fact that it is the fourth tallest statue in the United States at 90 feet high, the Lady is barely known. If we hadn't read about her online during research for our trip, we wouldn't have known about her either.

Visitors to the statue first attend an introductory video at the ticket centre in Butte. It's a bit cheesy and hasn't been updated in decades, but you can see it for yourself on Youtube.

A 90-foot-high vision in heavenly white...

Butte Montana

Butte Montana from the air...

A view of Butte Montana from the top of the Continental Divide... You can see the previously mentioned Berkeley Pit on the left side of the photo.

From many points around Butte you can look up at the mountains and see this ghostly figure looking down.

What IS the mysterious figure on the horizon?

What is it? The answer will come with our next post.

The Berkeley Pit

The pit is less ominous than it sounds...

Looking like a doorway from some Lord of the Rings epic fantasy this entrance leads to Butte Montana's Berkeley Pit.

What is this mysterious pit?

As described by Atlas Obscura, the Berkeley Pit is one of the few places in the world where you have to pay to see toxic industrial waste...

Looks inviting, but you wouldn't wanna swim in it...

Hard Times

Time takes its toll...

A long abandoned farmhouses slowly decays in the dry Montana landscape...

Bleu Horses

Strange colours for horses...

If you were driving along Hwy 287 north of Three Forks in Montana, you could be forgiven for paying little attention to the herd of horses gathered on an adjacent hill. If you looked a little more closely, you might think that their proportions were a little odd.

These are the Bleu Horses, an art installation by artist Jim Dolan. They are constructed of steel and painted shades of blue and black to provide the illusion of 3D. There is no marker or sign to point them out... you just have to know where to find them.

Steeds of steel...

C'mon shake your body, baby / Do the Conga...

Gloria Estevan knows what it's all about..

Clowning around with the local artwork in Deadwood...

Doubtful

Uhm... I'm gonna say no...

In Deadwood we saw this t-shirt in a lot of the local tourist shops. We weren't sure if it was meant to be ironic or not. We've learned to keep our political opinions to ourselves when south of the border.

Spearfish Canyon Part II

Early morning sun on the waterfalls...

I mentioned our early morning drive through Spearfish Canyon of South Dakota in a post last week. A highlight of the tour was the many waterfalls that visitors can contemplate and admire along the way.

Bridal veil falls in Spearfish Canyon SD...