Day 12 (7/22) – Breakfast at the hotel. The usual things: yogurt, sausage, cereal, muffins, bagels, English muffins, oatmeal, etc.
The first stop of the day was the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. It’s not very far off the highway; easy to stop on the way by. Further up the road are the Forest Learning Center and the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The observatory, however, has been closed and will remain closed until at least 2027. The road was destroyed in a landslide.
The visitor center has an interesting set of exhibits. Including a walkthrough volcano diorama to show off the interior structure.
Lunch was at the ilani complex. I had it down as a point of interest as a large entertainment complex (though mainly a casino). We needed to eat something, it was on the way, and I figured there’d be food there. Maybe even decent food at subsidized prices–but I guess that’s not a thing at casinos anymore. At the entrance they had a few fast-food places. Corinne had fried rice, I had surprisingly decent street tacos, Jess and Heather had mediocre pizza by-the-slice (though it was huge slices!):
Back across the Columbia River into Oregon. We stopped in Portland at Hopscotch–a set of interactive, immersive, art exhibits. A ball pit of translucent balls over changing multi-colored lights. A room sculpted into a cave using discarded, plastic grocery bags. A room with strings of changing multi-colored lights hanging from the ceiling with 4 wall of mirrors. A bouncy floor with projectors and motion-responsive, algorithmic art designs. And more. It was certainly unique. The girls had a blast.
Destination for the night was another Best Western Plus. This one in Albany, OR. Dinner at Elmer’s.