Spencer Jack & Jason Take Us Back To Spokane's Expo 74

FNJ and FNSJ (also known as Favorite Nephew Jason and Favorite Nephew Spencer Jack) ventured to Eastern Washington, again, this time to far east Washington, almost to west Idaho. 

Multiple photos arrived in my email inbox this morning documenting this roadtrip to the warmer side of Washington.

Explanatory text accompanying the photos...

FUD --

I'm pretty confident that you can guess the Washington State location that Spencer Jack and I drove to today.

Did you attend Expo '74? I'm thinking that you may have, given that you might have been living in Ellensburg at the time.

I did not, but I did travel out of the country to attend Expo '86.

Has Texas hosted a world exposition? Now that I think about it, Spencer Jack and I have 3 such sites within a half days driving distance from our home.

Hope you are staying cool, -FNJ & FNSJ

PS -- It was a perfect 80 degrees and sunshine today in Eastern Washington. I had Spencer take some photos of Snoqualmie Pass to share with you. I will send them to you.

 

Yes, I can tell Spencer Jack and Jason are in Spokane, at the site of Expo 74. That is the scenic Spokane River moving rapidly behind Spencer and Jason.

In the first photo, at the top, it appears Spencer and Jason are standing under the remains of the United States Pavilion. Or was it the Washington State Pavilion? I can't remember for sure. That pavilion was a fabric covered frame. After the Expo the fabric eventually disappeared, with the frame remaining.

I did go to Spokane's Expo 74. The theme of the Expo, if I remember right, was Energy. Or some such thing.

I remember my favorite pavilion was the Soviet Union one. It felt oppressive, just like the Soviet Union did, at that point in time. I remember sneaking in at the exit point, avoiding the long line. And a giant bust of Lenin being at the entry.

Yes, Texas has hosted a world exposition. Hemisfair 68, in San Antonio. A Space Needle like structure called Tower of the Americas remains.

I do not know if the site of the San Antonio World's Fair was turned into a lasting landmark, such as what happened in Seattle when the Century 21 site was turned into the Seattle Center, with many of the fair structures still standing, including the Space Needle, the Monorail, the Coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena), the Pacific Science Center, and more.

I enjoyed Vancouver's Expo 86 much more than the Spokane World's Fair. I went to Expo 86 twice.

Above is one of Spencer Jack's I-90 Snoqualmie Pass photos, showing the wildlife overpass which has been added since last I was at this location.

Earlier in the year I was fairly certain I would be driving by this location this coming July or August. But, that is not going to happen...

Spencer Jack Rolls Us Through Washington Cascades John Wayne Trail Tunnel

Saw what you see here via incoming email, this morning, from FNJ, also known as my Favorite Nephew Jason. The first email had several photos with no explanatory text. The second email provided explanatory text. What follows is that explanatory email, followed by my explanatory espousing... 

Hi FUD --

I thought you'd enjoy seeing these photos. And I figured they might need some explanation.

Today, Spencer Jack drove me to the top of Snoqualmie Pass where we parked at the former Hyak railroad station.  Spencer motored his electric scooter back west through the defunct Snoqualmie Tunnel which is now part of the John Wayne Iron Horse Trail which traverses the state laterally.  

The trail was full of other tunnel enthusiasts who either walked, biked, or jogged the 2.3 miles from one side to the other.   FNSJ was the only one I saw using a scooter.  Spencer then phoned me once he found daylight by exiting at the west portal. He warmed up a bit and then returned into the dark tunnel and headed back to Eastern Washington to reunite with myself.

He really enjoyed this. 

We continued over a second mountain pass -- that being Blewett Pass -- before settling in Leavenworth for the evening.   

Leavenworth is currently constructing an Alpine Roller Coaster at the west end of town. This looks so cool and I'm sure it will be a big tourist draw.

Hope all is well in TX.   

-- FNJ

PS -- On your next road trip up to Washington, be sure to take I-90 over the Cascades. You will hardly recognize it. It's so much wider and smoother than it was years ago. And beautifully landscaped and designed.  It's worth the trip.

____________________

Leavenworth is my favorite of Washington's themed tourist towns. Leavenworth is Bavarian themed. I have had many a fine time in Leavenworth. During summer the town is packed with tourists. I imagine the town is enjoying somewhat of a post-COVID boom. 

The John Wayne Trail tunnel opened soon before I moved to Texas. I've never been through it.

I did not know I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass has had some sort of makeover. I last drove over that pass in July of 2001 on my way to my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party. The I-90 pass over Snoqualmie Pass had been rebuilt back in the 1970s, with parts of the freeway elevated high above the tree-line, and thus impervious to avalanches. I remember that period of road construction being a major pain to drive through.

Seeing these photos of a former train tunnel through the Cascades, and Spencer Jack having fun motoring through the tunnel, and thinking about Leavenworth, has me thinking about how in Washington, no matter which direction you go from Spencer Jack and FNJ's home base of Mount Vernon, it is a scenic wonderland of varied attractions. I can not say the same about my current location.

Six months ago I thought I was likely going to be driving over Snoqualmie Pass on a roadtrip back to Washington. But, sadly, that is not going to be happening...

MLK Day With Theo & Ruby Snow Fort Worth Building At Hyak Sno-Park

On this 2018 edition of Martin Luther King Day, Theo & Ruby decided today was a day worth fort building.

So, Theo & Ruby, along with big brother David, took their parental units a few miles east of their Tacoma abode to Snoqualmie Pass, from whence, a few minutes ago, their mama Michele sent the above photo of Theo & Ruby building a snow fort.

David did not think building a fort worth his time, so he opted instead to have fun throwing snow when he was not consuming snow cones.

It seems like only yesterday I was in a much warmer location with Theo, Ruby & David, at Birch Bay, building a sand fort, well, castle. David opted out of that building project, for the most part, too. And he also threw some sand, but at that point in time he consumed no sand cones.

For those with no familiarity with locations on the planet with extreme elevation variables, who are used to an extremely flat planet, let me explain where Theo & Ruby are.

In Tacoma, where Theo & Ruby live, their house is not very many feet above sea level. To the west of their abode there is a mountain range called the Olympics. To the east of their abode is a mountain range called the Cascades.

In the Cascades is where one finds Washington's five volcanoes.

The state of Washington is divided by the Cascades into Western and Eastern Washington. Eastern Washington is like Texas, but more scenic, with a BIG river running through it. Eastern Washington is also like Texas politically. It is the red part of Washington, with a higher percentage of rednecks than the blue western side of the Cascades.

In summer there are several ways to drive over the Cascade mountain between the west and east side. The North Cascades Highway, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass and White Pass connect the two sides of the state, weather permitting, with Stevens and Snoqualmie the two passes kept open year round, for the most part, with an occasional closure due to heavy snow and avalanche danger. Or an actual avalanche.

In total in Washington there are more than a couple dozen  of what are known as mountain passes. You can check all of them out via Wikipedia's Mountain Passes of Washington State page.

A highway over a mountain range, the North Cascades for instance, has two passes, Rainy Pass and Washington Pass. For those unfamiliar with the pass concept, a pass is the point were a road "passes" over a summit, as in reaches a high point and then heads back down. Such can occur more than once on any given mountain crossing road, but only happens once on the two main passes across Washington's Cascades, that being Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass.

Stevens Pass is crossed by Highway 2. Snoqualmie Pass, where David, Theo & Ruby are today, is crossed by Interstate 90.

All the major Washington mountain passes have ski resorts at their summit, except for the North Cascades Highway.

The ski resort at Snoqulamie Pass, where Theo & Ruby felt a fort worthwhile to build, is known as Hyak Sno-Park. There are a couple other ski resorts at Snoqualmie along with Hyak. My last time on a chairlift at Snoqualmie was in the 1990s. And it was not to ski. In summer you can put your mountain bike on a ski lift in order to be taken to the high country for some rugged mountain biking and an eventual fun, fast trek back to the chair lift base.

I do not know how far from my current location I would need to travel to find a chairlift and snowy mountain to play on, other than, of course, nearby Mount Wichita, sans snow and chairlift. Would it be in New Mexico at Ruidoso or Taos? Os somewhere in Colorado?

Snow is currently in the forecast at my location. I doubt sufficient will fall of a depth permitting some adventurous Mount Wichita skiing. Or sledding...

Spencer Jack Drives Me And His Dad Over The North Cascades To Liberty Bell Mountain

Email last night from Spencer Jack's dad, FNJ (also known as my Favorite Nephew Jason).

Email Subject Line: Spencer Jack visits Liberty Bell

Text in Email: Spencer Jack and I traveled east. Have some great pictures of Spencer and the Liberty Bell that I'm sure his FUD would enjoy. Will upload them from my camera and send them to you later.

FUD (that would be me) replied asking: "Liberty Bell in Philadelphia? Or the one on the North Cascade Highway?"

That question was answered a few minutes ago, with the promised pictures and the following message....

FUD --

Your FNSJ drove me east to the Washington State Liberty Bell.

Our original plans were to explore the Skagit Dams yesterday.   We did the dam thing with stops along the route at Rasar State Park, Concrete High School / Airport, Lower Baker Dam and Howard Miller Steelhead Park before proceeding further east to reach our final destinations of Newhalem, the Gorge Dam, and Colonial Creek at Diablo Lake.   But Spencer Jack insisted driving until we found snow.   We both had never seen such a near snow free North Cascades.   We were finally able to find some winter snow remnants underneath Washington's Liberty Bell.   After a snow ball fight, we decided we needed to cool off in Lake Pearrygin before having dinner in Winthrop.   Spencer Jack let me drive home last night while he slept.

In the picture above you are seeing Spencer Jack in the driver's seat with Liberty Bell Mountain in the background and the most pitiful pile of snow I have ever seen at this location.

Above it appears Spencer Jack is in the midst of the snowball fight mentioned above.

I am losing my ability to remember Washington place names, but I believe what we are looking at above is Spencer Jack at what is called the Washington Pass Overlook, which sits atop a steep cliff and overlooks the North Cascades Highway as it descends, steeply, from Washington Pass. The aforementioned Liberty Bell Mountain is behind Spencer to the right.

Above Spencer Jack is standing on a suspension bridge which crosses the Skagit River. On the other side is the Gorge Dam Powerhouse. Gorge Dam is further up river, with a tunnel bored through rock to deliver hydro power to the Powerhouse. One used to be able to go inside the Gorge Dam Powerhouse, with nice restrooms of the modern facility sort located inside. I wonder if one can still go inside the Powerhouse, nowadays, what with terrorists terrorizing that which used to seem safe from such things. Behind the Powerhouse are elaborate gardens, with waterfalls and trails, built while the dams were being built. The town here is Newhalem. Sort of a company town for Seattle City Light. It appears there is a lot of water in the Skagit River at this location. There is no dam that backs water up here. This location is as far upriver as spawning salmon can get. When the spawning salmon are in town it is quite a spectacle.

The Gorge that gives Gorge Dam its name begins shortly past the Powerhouse as you continue east. This section of road is not for the acrophobic. If you saw the Warren Beatty movie, The Parallax View, you saw the Gorge in the part of the movie where Warren suddenly has to scramble due to water being released from the dam. This happens in real life as well as the movies. Alarm sirens go off if water is about to be released, so Gorge explorers can scramble to safety.

The next Seattle City Light Dam one comes to is called Diablo Dam. It is an old dam across a narrow gorge. One used to be able to drive across. I've no idea if that is still the case. Construction on Diablo Dam's Powerhouse tunnel began in 1917. The dam was not completed til 1930. At the time of completion it was the tallest dam in the world. Hence it being a bit scary to drive across. That and the narrow switchback road one drives to get to the dam is also a bit scary.

Next we go back to earlier in Spencer Jack's drive across the North Cascades.

Concrete is a town which used to have a big concrete making business. It was quite the spectacle to witness in operation. It has been closed for decades. Back when it was operating Concrete was known for its gray coating of concrete dust. As you can see above, Concrete High School has the unique distinction of having a road run under the school. Is this the road that leads south to the Concrete area bridge over the Skagit River? I don't remember.

In the last picture I am not sure of location, but it appears that Spencer Jack is somewhere on the west side of North Cascades National Park. Even in drought mode there are rainforest type areas on the west side of the North Cascades.

FNJ made mention of going to Winthrop and Lake Pearrygin, but no photos were included documenting such.

Winthrop is a fun old west type theme town. Very touristy. In a good way. If I remember right I did what is known as the Cascade Loop the summer before the move to Texas. I remember it being a melancholy drive, not knowing when I would be that way again. The Cascade Loop is done by driving over the North Cascades Pass making a loop of it by returning via Stevens Pass or Snoqualmie Pass. Or vice versa, clock-wise, counter-clockwise, with the North Cascades being the end of the loop, not the beginning. The Stevens Pass Cascade Loop option takes you by another fun theme town, the Bavarian village of Leavenworth. The Snoqualmie Pass option takes you by Roslyn, not exactly a theme town, but a tourist town, which was known as Cicely in the TV show called Northern Exposure.

I was melancholy the last time I drove the Cascade Loop, not knowing when I would pass that way again. Turns out August of 2001 I did a modified Cascade Loop, leaving out the North Cascades Pass part. Instead taking Stevens Pass to Leavenworth, then on to Wenatchee to get a lot of fruit to take back to Texas, then across Blewett Pass en route to Snoqualmie Pass, stopping in Rosyln for pizza, before crossing Snoqualmie Pass back to Seattle.

A couple years before moving to Texas I remember driving Spencer Jack's dad and uncle, my Favorite Nephew Joey, over the North Cascades, to Lake Pearrygin, where we surprised their parental units, then continued on through the Methow River Valley where the nephews had a Nephews In Danger incident on a rickety wooden suspension bridge swaying over the Methow River. I do not remember stopping in Leavenworth that time, as we headed west towards Stevens Pass.

Yesterday Elsie Hotpepper got me thinking about PNW stuff, mostly Oregon related. And now today has me remembering living a very short distance from an incredible variety of scenic wonders. Saltwater in one direction, mountains in another direction. And my favorite foreign country, other than Mexico, a short drive north.

I think I am ready to move back to the Pacific Northwest.....