out-of-town tourist: stonehenge, maryhill, washington

This almost ended up as part of my Hometown Tourist series (which I actually use for all of my Oregon travel posts), but the Maryhill Stonehenge War Memorial is actually directly across the Columbia river in Washington, so we can't call this one for the home team. But. It's literally like five minutes across the bridge to the hill where this odd little roadside memorial stands, and from there, you can see the Columbia River, and Mt. Hood, and plenty of the Oregon-side of the gorge.

The inscription on the plaque reads, "The structure before you is the first monument in our nation to military personnel who gave their lives in World War I. Memorializing 13 young Klickitat County Men, it also serves as a lasting reminder of the works of Samuel Hill, patron of this region. He established a townsite here, with postoffice, hotel, general store, nearly 10 miles of experimental paved roads, and the Maryhill Museum three miles to the west—all on his own land. His tomb is 50 yards distant, on the opposite side of this monument.

"The design duplicates in size and original form England's famous Stonehenge (dated 1900-1350 B.C.) on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. When Hill, a Quaker pacifist, visited England during the 1914-1918 conflict, saw Stonehenge and was told it had been used for human sacrifices to pagan gods he remarked: 'After all our civilization, the flower of humanity still is being sacrificed to the god of war on the fields of battle.' From that inspiration came this monument, built by Hill. On July 4, 1918 the altar stone was dedicated. The full structure was completed and dedicated May 30, 1929.

"Today, the sacrifice legend is generally discredited. Current belief is that Stonehenge was a device used by stone-age astronomers to measure time and mark seasons of the year by observing positions of the sun and moon. The diagram at left suggests how the original may have been used by its ingenious builders."

Across the gravel parking lot is a more simple memorial plaza for those from the county who died in wars post-WWI.

We happened across this place by accident, having never heard of it before. The mister, knowing my love of roadside attractions, did a little GPS search to find someplace nearby where we could stop on our way home from our trip to Montana in July. I ended up being really moved by it. It's a little bizarre, sure, but also very touching. I recommend a visit if you're ever in the area. You can find it from Portland following I-84 east through the Columbia River Gorge. Get full directions on Google Maps.

Thanks for reading!

p.s. you can make these photos larger simply by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that!

scout (spokane, washington)

We took a road trip last month to my cousin's wedding in Montana, which took us across four states in the Northwest; there were, of course, highlights and lowlights, as there are on any trip.

One of my favorite unexpected stops was at Scout in Spokane, Washington.

I think I could have the stylists for Scout design my bedroom and fall asleep every night with good, outdoorsy dreams. The signs and logos set the mood. This logo is on the front window; the arrow in the photo above points to the front door.

Camp/industrial style, very retro, very cozy. This sign leads from the lobby of the historic Montvale Inn to the restaurant.

Unlit marquee letters (you know how I feel about those) are displayed on bare brick. Tables and chairs are all mismatched and vintage, as are the light fixtures.

The old Montvale Apartments sign and exposed pipe and vent-work decorate the high ceilings. It's an atmosphere that's cozy yet open.

Windowed wooden doors with the words, "Girls' Gymnasium" on the frame lead to the bar, complete with wooden cigar-store Indian, wooden duck, and pool tables.

A stenciled coffee sack over the front counter. I think the hanging baskets are light fixtures.

I could do without the hunting trophies, but I like the wall detail a lot.

Wool camp blanket curtains hang on rails near the door.

Cornbread in a cast iron skillet with a big lump of honey butter. (Yum!)

Belgian waffle with a big lump of butter. (Yum!)

Eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast. (I hear this was "Yum!", too.)

The nearby neighborhood (including the historic Fox theater).

I planned out many details of our trip, but this place was a complete accident. I'll save that for my post on the Montvale Inn, though, so come on back, y'hear?

Thanks for reading.

You can make these photos larger simply by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that.


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