Vancouver, Washington

(Catching up after a few days at a park with weak internet access.)

On one of the days we spent in Vancouver Washington, we went on a three mile loop walk. The route was one of several shown on a city tour map I picked up in the RV park office.

We parked quite near where there was a Farmer's Market going on. We had done a big shop the day before and knew our fridge was full, so we just browsed the craft booths.

I took a picture of the wood vases above for my grandson, Dylan. He and his father have been learning to turn items on the lathe they got for Christmas. Dylan had turned his first bowl in his woodworking class in school, and thought his Dad would also enjoy it.

Our walk took us along the officers' row at Fort Vancouver.

These beautifully maintained and restored homes were the residences of Commanders and Generals when Fort Vancouver was a military base. Craig's favorite was the Marshall House. General George Marshall lived here for several years.

My favorite was the Grant House. Ulysses Grant was posted to Fort Vancouver two years after the house was built, but he never lived in the house. It is now a restaurant.

The lawns and other landscaping were incredible. This was one of the biggest Horse Chestnut trees I have ever seen. When I was a child, one of our neighbors had a much smaller Horse Chestnut tree. The kids would collect the nuts, which were inedible, because they looked like buck eyes.

I am standing at the base of this tree to give you an idea of how big it is.

Our walk took us along a path that went along the edge of the Fort grounds. I think this tree is a Giant Sequoia.  We have seen some spectacular trees during our time in Oregon and Washington.

Speaking of big old trees, the one above is a very old apple tree. It dates from the late 1800's and is among those that started the first apple orchards in Washington. Hopefully the fencing will continue to protect it from vandals for many years to come.

The path took us along the river, and we had a good view of the lower part of one of the big bridges.

This large sculpture caught our imaginations. Does it represent a boat or a fish?

The last bridge we went under as we approached our car, had a very colorful mural on it. I enjoy public murals. I imagine the fun it must be to participate in the design and execution of them. There was no information (easily seen) about this one. The images are of things having to do with the river, and the Vancouver area. 

Although the walk was only three miles, it tired us out. But it was a good tiredness. We really have to do more walks like this to get back into shape.  

My next post is about our drive to Mount St. Helens. Stay tuned...