Today was a crazy day! We burned our chometz this morning. I then dropped off the old RV at a storage facility where it will reside for the duration of the holiday:
I then went back to our BLM spot and picked up our new RV, and parked it at my parent’s synagogue, which has an large parking lot. Thanks to MKT for hosting us for Passover!
Passover begins with a two day holiday period, so we’ll see you in a couple days!
This morning, the kids discovered the ball run Trish had put up and ripped it down and started over made some modifications:
I went for a bike ride. It’s wonderful to be riding in 70 degree weather at 10am in January!
We’ve had a wonderful 8 days here in the Bulldog OHV area of Tonto National Forest, but it’s time to go. Here we are hitched up:
After I got back from the bike ride, I removed the remaining running board (see yesterday’s post) and we hitched up. We then drove back to the Chevron with the $5 dump station before heading to Scottsdale for Shabbos. We arrived in Rabbi G’s (name withheld for privacy) driveway with plenty of time to get set up. Good Shabbos from Scottsdale, AZ!
This morning I went for a ride to downtown and back with my son and fellow Kesser-ite Joseph:
After that, I went for another ride to explore the trail system I used to bike and roller skate behind my Grandparent’s house. I also circled Washington Square to see what had changed:
It was a great day for riding!
We hopped across the Columbia into Washington for a visit to Fort Vancouver NHS. The fort was the base for Britain’s Hudson Bay Company in the region. We first visited the recreated fort’s gardens:
The fort was built as a trading post for beaver pelts, so our son tried on the sample beaver fur hat. I asked him to give me the same expression as that in the photograph of the fort’s manager, John McLoughlin:
Here’s the original:
The volunteers at the fort’s blacksmith shop were excellent:
Inside the main house:
I noticed a large (3” long”) praying mantis on the back of one of the volunteers. We removed it from her and put it on the flowers:
Here’s our son’s head for scale, it’s under he flower he’s looking at, facing the left edge of the photograph:
We visited the fort’s other buildings, including the bakery and doctor’s office:
McLoughlin’s house:
We visited the jail:
Another junior ranger badge for our kids. Our daughter is promising to guard the national parks and not litter, etc.:
After leaving Fort Vancouver, we visited a museum built by the local water utility. Most displays dealt with conservation, like this display that demonstrated how much energy is required to illuminate a light bulb:
This giant mobile depicting the life cycle of a Salmon is made of landfill trash:
Returning to Portland, we visited Ground Kontrol, an arcade that has only classic games from the 80s and 90s. Ground Kontrol has the best bathroom ever. I love the Pac-Man floor tiling and the sink with the glowing trim that cycles through the color spectrum:
Teaching our son important life skills:
My cousin Jason met us there and the two of us played Dig Dug for half an hour on one quarter each:
Our son plays the original Star Wars vector game:
Days 42-45 were spent preparing for and enjoying Sukkos and Shabbos with the Kesser community in Portland. I went for a ride this morning:
I rode by my Grandparent’s old condo complex:
A lot has changed in the 12 years since we’ve moved away, like an actual roundabout where before the only thing to watch out for was tractor traffic:
Early morning farmlands:
I think the town had 70,000 people when we moved away:
I rode by my childhood home:
…and past my elementary school:
Once I returned to Portland, we drove to Hillsboro for an afternoon session at my childhood rink, Skate World:
At the rink we met Jason and Carrie, high school friends of mine, and had a great time chatting.
After the skate session was over, we drove to Jackson Bottom for a hike in the wetlands. For some reason, there was a chicken there:
All in all, another great day!
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