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USA
Northwest
Seattle:
Gateway to Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula, Western
Washington and Alaska
by
Jerry W. Bird
 I
have always
admired the
Boeing
Aircraft Company,
whose home base is in the Seattle area, and have
hopes of including a tour of this marvelous
world-class complex as well as the spectacular
Museum
of Flight at
Boeing Field in our 2003 Air and Marine Travel Show
series. Most of our delegates from North America
and overseas, being members of the aviation and
travel industry, will applaud the decision. My
personal connection with the City of Seattle goes
back decades - my father Don Bird was born here and
my maternal grandfather Ernie Somerton grew up in
nearby Edmonds, before moving north to Vancouver.
When it comes to fond memories of Seattle, Tacoma
and Western Washington, I'll never forget the
wintry day driving west from Calgary, Alberta, when
my son Ron (then 12) and I were having visions of
Ivar's famous
clam chowder(continued)
 Go
for the Gold on San Francisco
Bay
Inspired
by stories by the two Johns (Steinbeck and Jakes)
who recall their life and times in the San
Francisco Bay, Monterey Peninsula, and Sacramento
Delta, I was hooked from my first visit. The fact
that both my father and sisters Rosalie and Sally
chose to live there was another reason to spend so
much time exploring many of the places I read so
much about. When we visited the historic site at
Sutter's Mill, where the '49er Gold Rush began, and
drove through the mountains to Reno, I was part of
the scene. Having harmonized with a Barber Shop
Quartet in Folsom during their international
convention, visited numerous wineries, and driven
the Golden Chain, I soon became a Northern
Californian at heart. San Francisco is a treasure
 chest
of experiences. (continued)
Meet
Box Car Willie at California's Railroad Park near
Mount Shasta
Railroad
Park is a motel complex that features an acre
or more of antique railway cabooses, gathered from
across the USA. Returning from a "Railfair" meeting
in Sacramento, we were stranded at Dunsmuir (near
Mount Shasta) in the midst of a raging snowstorm.
(details)
Historical
Flashback
Anchorage:
Gateway to the Alaska Panhandle, North Pacific,
Canada's Yukon and Russian Siberia
The
first settlers arrived in the area around 4,000 BC.
They were descended from tribes who first migrated
across the land bridge from Siberia over
29,000
years ago.
• Russian trappers and hunters land in search
of furs and trade in the mid-1700s.
• Captain James Cook's search for the
Northwest Passage in 1778 led him to explore the
waterway that now borders downtown Anchorage.
(continued)
Portland,
Oregon
Gateway
to Mount Hood, Columbia River Country and the
Oregon Coast
by
Jerry W. Bird
 I
fell inlove with Portland, Oregon at first sight,
which wasn't hard because I was pumped up with
excitement for weeks before we left North Vancouver
in my grandfather's Buick. As a normal 12-year old,
Jantzen Beach, a popular amusement near the river,
blew me away completely. Sad to say, it is no
longer a public place. The city's laid back
lifestyle and local amenities were another lure,
the swimming pools were far ah ead
of anything in Canada at the time. We were hosted
by a house full of relatives; American cousins by
the dozens, and with some attractive, though
slightly older girls included -I thought I was in
heaven. For a while I begged my folks to move
there, but to no avail.
 Many
years later, we spent a New Years holiday in the
area, and one of the things that impressed me was
how easy and inexpensive it was to get from
downtown to distant points via the light rail
transit system. Simple but efficient. Click for
full
size
version of map. Last time I visited
Portland, we arrived via Horizon Air from
Vancouver, BC, as guests of Oregon Tourism on a
media "fam" trip hosted by Susan Bladholm. What we
experienced during 5 days in a nine passenger van,
was a capsule of what you should do in a week or
more. We headed straight east to the Columbia River
Gorge, a wonder of the world, where we stayed at
the charming Lodge, with roses and chocolates on
the pillow of my curtained four poster bed. The
sprawling riverside grounds reminded me of an
English country scene along the Thames.
Next morning
at breakfast, our waitress recited a poem about
Columbia Falls, as she trickled the syrup down on
our pancakes from a jug held high above her head.
This idyllic spot on the Columbia River is one of
the most popular wind sailing locations in the
west. More recently, organizers have launched some
exciting river cruises along the Columbia from
Portland. Heading for Mount Hood, our next stop of
note was Timberline, a mountain village built by
order of President Roosevelt as a make work project
in the 1930s depression era. Like most things in
Oregon, it was a class attraction. Continued
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