Well we’re back at the amazing public library. We went on an architectural tour of the library last night, it’s book spiral was especially amazing! We had dinner with some of the other people on the tour.

Helen is currently talking with one of the librarians. After this we hope to have lunch in the international district (i.e. China Town), visit the Seattle Art Museum, and take a ride on the waterfront trolley and then catch the Washington Dinner Train.

Yesterday, we also went to the Space Needle and Pioneer Place (their old downtown) and ran into an ex-South Australian selling cookies. It was good to hear our own accent, even though she has now picked up some of the Seattle/US mannerisms. As I set in this temple of a library, I can see through its latticed glass wall that the fog has cleared much early today! We were still foggy until well after lunch yesterday.

I’ve been… it’s large, imposing, fantastic structure, seats are comfortable, atmosphere is great. There are about 140+ computers for public to use – talk about a quite group of 130 people!!! They even have a card catalogue system still in addition to the on-line database! Approx 10,000 panes of glass… imagine all that cleaning – which I can tell you after going on a tour happens twice a year.

Children’s section is great, large, table and shelves are perfect for kids.

However,…. what is really sad, and I mean really sad is that the building cost $163US million (no it is not the cost that is bad), all over the damn library are signs created on Microsoft Word stuck on walls with blue tape. I am not joking, I am totally serious. When we can add pictures I will show you. All over the building you see signs that tell you what things are, and not to mention “Staff only”. The major signs are great – as they are incorporated into the building and the areas, however, the other directive signs are non-existent. You will be lucky to attempt to find the area you want unless you know where the location is or you have a map. The person who took the tour did not want to go into the sign issue much – although apparently there is a signage committee attempting to work on this issue. Sounds like something was forgotten in the planning.

I will add more later… when I have time. Currently, I’m standing using the computer in the hotel lobby.

HK :)

We’ve arrived in Seattle. We’ve come to the awesome library looking for comments, but appears as if everyone is asleep, or they find our blog boring! Sorry!

Portland public library was built at the turn of the century and is very elegant. Portland itself is exceptionally pretty and its Japanese Gardens and International Rose Garden is quite beautiful. For those public transit buffs amongst you the the Max light rail cars that trundle through downtown and then onto a highspeed subway are very impressive.

Mr Rann is basing his efforts around Oregon, in most cases there are things that we can learn. For those Sushi Train devotees we went to Todai in Portland a “all you can eat” Sushi Buffet. Truly dangerous territory.

We left Portland at around 7:00 and arrived in Seattle at about 10:30am. The I-5 was pretty free flowing most of the way we missed both peak hours (Portland and Seattle). We drove buy Mount St Helen, but couldn’t see a thing because of the persistent fog that the West Coast seems to be covered in. That was bit of a bummer, so like you we are watching it from TV.

We have contemplated particle masks, but we have been reliably advised, by the the hundreds of tv news bulletins, that that the wind will not be blowing our direction!

… the freeway back from the Hecta Head Lighthouse towards Florence (okay I know odd sounding name for a town – which is why wee passed through. Apologies to those people who actually knows anyone who lives there), I was driving the car and at the time there were no-other cars on the road and it was about dusk…. we saw a black bear!

I am not joking. The Bear in question wandered out into the middle of the road, I slowed down, he turned and saw the car shook his head and turned away and ran off into the trees. We were about 200-300 feet infront of him. Unfortunately Kym didn’t get the camera out in time.

Upon speaking to a few people who live in America (we’ve only asked a couple so the sample size is small), this is apparently quite rare.

Why does everything happen when I am driving??!!!#$

Who would have thought that in, what appears to be a nowhere place, Eugene in middle Oregon that there would be no hotel rooms available!!! But that is exactly what we faced at 9:30pm after a long and difficult drive.

GO DUCKS.

But like the power of past they are chokers.

We stayed in Albany instead.

Kym

Oregon

Brookings Bay Harbour to Albany (all in one day mind you!)

Pelican Bay Lighthouse

Some one actually built a lighthouse into their house. It is located in Brookings Bay Harbour which is where people go on holiday and you can actually stay there. However, we did not given it costs $160US!!!

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

6 miles off Highway 101, in Bullards Beach State Park. Cost was $4US each. For this we received an explaination of how it came to be in the current location, the modifications made (the wind kept coming in the door so they moved it but it faced North and the wind effect was worse- it still came in the door – so they added on a little foyer structure!!)> We even were able to walk up and see the lense.

Coquille River Lighthouse

Sad lighthouse that doesn’t have a light. They are trying to raise money for it to be restored. Currently is an interpretive centre about the history of the lighthouse. It was decomissioned in 1939, following improvements to the river channel and other navigational aids. Strangely enough this was about the time when the lense went missing.

Umpqua River Lighthouse

We just made the last tour of the day for this one – which was lucky as we were stopped on the freeway fro at least 20 minutes due to a car fire – no not ours! You should of seen the gift shop – it was jam packed with lighthouse models from all round the world, not to mention practially anything that has a lighthouse featured on it. The one that stands presently is the second one – as the first was built on sand and went into the ocean in 1861. The tour was great, even got to look inside the lens – as it has both white and red illuminated flashes. Bargain tour for $2US each!

More information on Oregon Lighthouses can be found on Wikipedia

It doesn’t look like there are canvas tote bags. I doubt HMK will go for the plastic bag. This library had an interesting display of books that conservatives in the US would like banned. I need to find her… Oh look she just found me.

Please help I am being tortured by the driver (Helen). She is stopping at every small library in Oregon (or so it seems). I am standing at the express terminal of the Coos Bay public library.

We followed signs to “downtown” only to find that we drove through it without noticing. Everything here is on the 101!

Off to find lunch (and Helen).

Kym

p.s. Hopefully this place does not sell library bags. She bought a t-shirt at the last library.

We crossed the California/Oregon state border last night and stayed at Brookings Harbor, a working fishing port. But it looks like it is starting to have a tourist boom especially at the opening of the Salmon season. Lots of tinnies out on the pacific! (Well some of them are bigger!)

Some observations for those of you in election mode. There are NO election posters on the US equivalent of stobie poles, they all seem to be in windows or on poles in the ground on private property. There are, thankfully, no photographs of the candidates and they seem to be electing everything and every proposition at once.

Oregon is good because there appears to be very little in the way of sales tax, unlike California. We were charged 79cents tax last night on the accomodation, but nothing on the food and postcards.

We’re on the 101 now, along the Oregon coast. It starts out foggy but that tends to burn off.

I was hoping to upload some photos of the lighthouses we have seen, but these “Gates Foundation” computers have frustrated me again, it won’t install because I don’t have privelges – I was hoping that the computer would treat my camera like a memory key, but it is trying to treate it like a camera – surprise! Oh well, you may all have to wait until we get to the Bowmanville Internet Cafe for pictures.

Hope spring is good for you guys.

Kym

Fort Bragg was interesting. Not alot was open at 9pm.

There was a coffee shop – which was not Starbucks and was packed! After having a Mocha each we wandered around the downtown… and of course there was a library! Thankfully this opened at 10am.

Okay, so it wasn’t a new slick looking library. Collections seem well located. There was even a separate children’s area – pretty good too! The staff were friendly, helpful and chatty. All the qualities you like of your local library staff – given it is a small library. They were due for an upgrade in their computers in the next week (11-15 October) – which they need!

Check out their website http://www.fortbragglibrary.org/

We left the library (after purchasing a library bag), and 20 minutes later I discovered we left our camera card at the library.. back we drove and it was still there. Ah… I just love country towns.