The Polk County Fairgrounds had a pretty late check out time and we did not have a long drive to our next site. Salem was only 10 miles away, so even though it was overcast and spitting a little rain we decided to visit the Oregon Capitol Building in Salem. I really appreciate state capitols located in small towns. They are so much more accessible making the visit so much more pleasant. I didn't even mind paying for parking on the nearly empty street just a stone's throw from the front door. Oregon's Capitol looked very different. It didn't have the usual dome, but I think it worked pretty well.
There were two women sitting just outside the governor's office who said I could sit in his chair, so I didn't even have to be sneaky about the picture below.
Tom McCall 1913-1983, Governor 1967-1975
Artist: Henk Pander, 1982
(I found this portrait intriguing.)
"A Parade of Animals"
by Peter Helzet, 1991
Capitol Beaver Family Sculptor, Kenneth M. Scott - June, 1985
One of the most fascinating trees I have seen in a while - the Cherry Birch - had some impressive reds in its bark.
The capitol building below, built for just $500,000, was started in 1873 and completed in 1892. It replaced the original capitol building in Oregon City (now a suburb of Portland) which burned in 1855 (before Oregon was a state). The second capitol building burned down in 1935. The only parts of the structure remaining were the column segments displayed on the grounds.
Who knew the columns were just limestone veneer over a solid brick center? I guess you learn something new every day.
We were meeting up with Katie and Mike to caravan to our next campground, Wapiti RV Park in Lincoln City, OR, just a short 55.1 miles (79,731.9 total) away. Our route was all secondary roads and had quite a bit of traffic, but everything went smoothly and the park was very nice.
Wapiti was the Indian word for Elk and there was a huge grassy pasture next to our sites which seemed promising. Joani immediately noticed a familiar coach in the park. Juliet, who we met in Dayville several stops ago, was here with her two canine traveling companions, Romeo and Mick Waggers.
Being one of the more busy days we have had in a while, it was good to settle in with a glass of wine and relax for the evening - may be one of the best parts of living on the road!
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