As I look over my notes, I find that there are a few notable things I have not mentioned here before. In no particular order I present them here:
- In Oregon, near Kerbyville, I saw the first "U Pick" flower place ever. I'm amazed that they would let people pick their own flowers. Do they teach you how to cut them before you go out? Do they let kids pick them?
- People in Oregon and Washington must live on espresso for the number of small kiosks we saw everywhere that seem to sell espresso--even in the boonies.
- When we were at the KOA in Astoria, we met a man and his son (We assumed it was his son, but these days, who knows?) at the free all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast they had there. They had traveled from London to tour the Pacific northwest. We chatted about how wonderful the national parks are, and asked whether there was something similar in the UK. They told us that natural parks and historic buildings are mostly preserved and offered to the public by private concerns and foundations. They commented on the incredible bargain our National parks offered--$15 for a carful of people for a week--such a deal. When we told them that the cost of a one-day ticket to DisneyWorld was $80-$90 they were stunned.
- Everywhere outside the national parks in Oregon and Washington you can see clearcut hillsides. And it is easy to see why--there are huge trees EVERYWHERE. I guess it's like money on the hillsides. I had seen signs that indicated when an area was clearcut and replanted. There are very strict rules in both states about when trees can be cut, and when the areas cut must be replanted. Many of those signs were put up by Weyerhouser, and I had many questions about logging, so I shot them off an email. The Chief Forester for Weyerhaeuser's timberlands in Washington and Oregon promptly responded:
"The vast majority of units are planted within 18 months and many within a year. We do not remove stumps, in part due to the cost but also because of the soil disturbance that would be involved. We don't require it anyway, because every tree is planted by hand with a shovel or hoe (my emphasis--can you imagine it? There are what look like hundreds of thousands of trees in one unit) and we allow our seedling spacing to vary so that the planters can choose the best spots for seedlings to flourish, so they space around the stumps and other forest floor debris. We use a combination of mechanical and hand cutting, depending on the terrain. Much of our land out here is mountainous, necessitating hand cutting, but some areas can be harvested by machine." Interesting, huh? - Many Oregon and Washington road are lined with foxglove and another pink flower I did not get the name of. Very scenic.
- My brother, Father Steve, would never survive in British Columbia, where motorists drive EXACTLY the speed limit or maybe a little less.
- In Canada, when signs tell you that something is "ahead", it could be a mile or 2 "ahead". Signage we saw was unbelievably poor. You shouldn't have to have your reading glasses on, and be driving 15 mph to read road signs. Maybe that explains why everyone drives slow here? In many cases, they just dispense with signs completely. I guess they assume you'll figure it out for yourself...
- Last year we compiled a long list of nominees for the "Bad Parent" awards during our travels. We have one clear winner. While we were waiting for our flight out of Seattle on Wednesday, we were seated in the gate area near a mother and 3 children, the smallest of which was a boy, probably 4 years old. His normal method of communications was to SHOUT. Happy or sad, frustrated or content, the boy SHOUTED. I prayed that we would not be seated near them. It turns out that it didn't matter. The family was seated about 5-6 rows behind us, and the entire Seattle to Baltimore flight was highlighted (LOWlighted?) by this little boy's SHOUTED conversation and babble. His mother didn't seem to mind. The flight attendants did their best to keep the noise level down and the kids occupied and quiet. To no end. It got so bad that one flight attendant came over the speaker system to say that "We are not babysitters. This is public transportation and parents should take care to see that their children respect that fact." Many people (us included) applauded.
- Thank God for a working GPS.
No comments:
Post a Comment