Road Trip

A couple of weeks ago we took some good friends up to our cabin for a weekend retreat.  This was their first time and almost a year since we last spent time there ourselves.  We had such a great time lazying around the cabin, going for long walks in the woods or going for drives to the nearby lake.  I decided to take last week off and loaded all the dogs into my work van, and MeMa and I returned to the cabin for some alone time.  We stayed three days and could take the cold weather no longer.  So we loaded everyone back into the van and returned home were we unloaded the dogs and then transferred belongings into MeMa's VW Beetle and headed to eastern Oregon in search of sun and casinos!  As soon as we got over Mt. Hood the sun was out and we had the sunroof open and windows down letting warm air hit us full on.  Our first stop was in the high desert bluffs of Warm Springs in Central Oregon, at the Indian Head Casino.  We are not big gamblers and only play the slots, but both managed to leave with more money than we arrived with.

After leaving the Casino we headed east into the high desert. On our approach we thought this tree had fungi growing all over it but it turned out to be a rather large collection of tennis shoes.

Our first night was spent in Pendleton, home of the Pendleton Round-up and the Wild Horse Casino which turned out to be another lucrative visit.  The next morning we toured the Pendleton Woolen Mills and then headed north into eastern Washington and the town of Toppenish and its Legends Casino.  On our way we passed a historical marker for the "Teapot Dome Gas Station" and decided we needed to get off the highway and see this landmark.  We followed the sign only to discover a badly rotted foundation, a couple of gas pumps but no Teapot.  Disappointed we headed on into Toppenish and the Legends Casino, where MeMa asked one of the employees as to the outcome of the missing "Teapot Dome Service Station".  She then told us the the local city of Zillah purchased and moved the building because it was in disrepair and had been the subject of vandals. We quickly signed for our members cards and then hopped back into the car and headed out once again to find the Teapot.


The sun was going down so it put a nasty glare in the photo but after our ordeal were bound and determined to get proof of our find.



Built in 1922, the circular frame, sheet metal handle and concrete spout was intended to be a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding and further sent Interior Secretary,  Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming.  The city of Zillah Washington purchased and rehabilitated the building on its new location with a lovely little park surrounding it.

Back on the road again we made another visit to the Legends Casino, after all we had been issued members cards.  It would have been a shame to not use them.  We then headed to the city of Yakima and after finding our motel we headed into town to find a place to eat supper.  We settled on  "Mel's Diner" a 50's decorated establishment that served great food.  After a good meal we were walking out to the car when MeMa spied an antique gas pump on display and reading the plaque it said, "Original gas pump purchased from the Teapot Dome Gas Station"!