The Oracle of Apollo Snippets from the life of Apollo Lee

Spring Break Road Trip

I’ve just returned from a spring break road trip with my family. I spent a lot more money than I intended to and managed to get my first speeding ticket in more than a decade. Here are ten things we did which we enjoyed the most.

1. Toured the Theo Chocolate factory in Seattle and learned the ins and outs of making chocolate.
2. Visited the world’s largest independent bookstore in downtown Portland, twice.
3. Learned about the forest at World Forestry Center in Portland’s Washington Park.
4. Walked around Pike Place Market in Seattle, just after it closed.
5. Rode the Monorail from Seattle Center to just above Pike Place.
6. Saw the Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park in Portland.
7. Explored downtown Portland and Seattle on foot.
8. Took the TriMet to Washington Park and wandered on foot around the Holt Arboretum.
9. Ogled the Space Needle and poked in little shops in the neighborhoods nearby.
10. Checked out public art installations — Portlandia and Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Totems and native art in downtown Seattle, and the Bridge Troll, Statue of Lenin, Fremont Rocket, and Waiting on the Interurban in Seattle’s funky Fremont neighborhood.

Sadly, on the drive home on Saturday, I got pulled over in Parma, Idaho, as I made my way through town, most likely for the offense of driving with California license plates. The official offense: 47 mph in a 35 zone. GPS unit shows 41 mph at the intersection on the ticket, but the fine is $75. I guess I can have one of those moving violations per decade.

I saw an amazing amount of gorgeous scenery in five states, ran into a high school classmate unexpectedly, and got a number of old manuscripts from my storage box. It was a great trip. I need to take more road trips. None of us take nearly enough and I take fewer than most.