Category: Roadside Attractions
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Pendleton Woolen Mills
The first time we visited the Pendleton Woolen Mills Factory Store in Pendleton, OR (June, 2022), it was closed. All we could do at that time was peer in the window as we were on a tight timeline to meet up with Joe’s brother and couldn’t hang around for the 11am opening. This brought a…
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Pendleton Underground Tours
After touring the Tunnels of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, how could we pass up the opportunity to explore Underground Pendleton?! Like Moose Jaw, Pendleton is known for its own colorful western history. The 1.5hr Pendleton Underground Tour through the interconnected system of tunnels beneath Pendleton includes living quarters, laundry, barbershop, ice cream parlor, saloon, Prohibition…
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Along the Columbia River Gorge: Multnomah Falls and Mitchel Point Tunnel
The Columbia River Gorge is an 80-mile canyon of the Columbia River that marks the state line between Washington and Oregon. The drive through the canyon on the Historic Columbia River Highway (US 30/Interstate 84) is one of the most spectacular we’ve ever experienced. We were headed east this time and were awed by the…
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Worlds Largest Egg in Winlock, WA
Winlock is a large egg-producing town and was the second largest egg-producing town in the United States until the 1950s. To celebrate their egg producing status, the town has displayed an egg sculpture since 1923. The current egg is Version 4 and was funded by Vern Zander, chicken hatchery-man in 1993. It’s been repainted several…
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Wild Horses Monument near Vantage, Washington
This was our second time visiting this sculpture. This time, as before, we were heading toward Wolf Haven in Tenino. The sculpture is the work of Chewelah sculptor David Govedare (1950-2021). He had imagined a 36-foot-tall woven steel basket tipped over by the Great Spirit (AKA Grandfather), to allow the 18 Ponies to run out…
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Radio Flyer Wagon in Spokane, WA
We are not always able to get close to the roadside attractions we pass. This time, there was no adjacent or nearby parking for RVs so we could only capture a couple images as we drove past. Known as the “Childhood Express” this replica of a Radio Flyer wagon was created by artist Ken Spiering.…
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A Welcoming Coffee Pot and the Métis Fiddler in Davidson, SK
We were headed to see a very large Coffee Pot, but when we arrived we found that at this roadside rest stop has a bonus sculpture. But first, the coffee pot… Located on highway 11 halfway between Regina and Saskatoon is a 24 foot tall sculpture of a coffee pot. The pot is intended to…
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Otto, the World’s Largest Otter in Fergus Falls, MN
Otto- all 40 feet of him- stands along the banks of Grotto Lake in Adams Park. He was build in 1972 in honor of the centennial of Otter County where Fergus Falls is the county seat. A local High School shop teacher and his students made the initial attempt to create Otto. Unfortunately, and I…
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Worlds Largest Pelican in Pelican Rapids, MN
We are still in Otter Tail County, home to Otto the Otter. This time, we are visiting the World’s Largest Pelican, Pete. Located on the bank of the Pelican Rapids, which is also the name of the city, this sculpture was constructed in 1957. That makes Pete a year older than Joe. At 15.5 feet…
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Nyberg Sculpture Park in Vining, Minnesota
We were heading northwest from Darwin, MN on our way to a small community campground in Barnesville, near the North Dakota border, when we happened upon this outdoor sculpture park. Ken Nyberg (1938-), a retired construction worker, started creating sculptures out of scrap metal in the late 1980’s and soon after, he began to incorporate…