The long trek to Portland, Oregon started out like any other Pennsylvania day…beautiful. We were sad to say goodbye, but had to cover a lot of miles. We started out early and made our way across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into Iowa. We didn’t stop there, however, as Portland, Oregon seemed to be much further west. (Beautiful Scenic U.S.A.) We picked up our Spud on wheels and rolled on through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and yes even Idaho. Larbear made a stop in Idaho because he was feeling homesick, so one day home and off to Oregon we went. (Larbear snuck on a stowaway since it was his and her 24th Wedding Anniversary.) They made their way over to Portland Oregon just in time to see how gorgeous the sunsets were there. Portland Oregon has such a lush green surrounding of foliage too, that the contrast is breathtaking. The Big Idaho Potato made it’s home for the night, tucked in at the Jubitz Truckstop.
The days were going to be cold and the nights rainy, according to the weather announcers. We always bring more sunshine though and the Portland Oregon Rose Festival was to be no exception. The TaterTeam packed on their brightest smiles and their shiniest eyes and Showed off their favorite Big Idaho Potato…(well, favorite non-edible one,) for its last official showing. Yep, this would be the last time our original Big Idaho Potato would make itself a part of some “out of Idaho” landscape scene. This was an emotional time for poor old Larbear. (He thinks he’s young, but there are Dinosaur fossils younger than him.) He had made this Spud his home for a little over 5 of its seven years. (Counting time spent dreaming of the tours that Paul drove.) This last event wasn’t an easy one for him.
The Portland Rose Festival Parade was held on Saturday and the rain took the hint, staying away. The floats were all decorated with various plants, with Roses making up the most of the floral choices. There was also a large showing of other Oregonian denizens. A giant Cougar, Otter, Bunny, Squirrel, and Dragon to name a few. (Oregon is one of the few known homes of the Dragon…I think.) The Parade floats were lined up too, after the Parade, with the Big Idaho Potato leading them on their parked showing. This was the part of the Rose Festival where you could see the floats at your own pace, grab some grub from the various food vendors, and ride the Festival rides. Great music was performed by various bands and the Big Idaho Potato had its favorite guest, Idaho’s very own “Spuddy Buddy.”
With the last event being in Idaho’s neighbor State of Oregon, we got to experience some of the finest down-home friendly people for that finale. (Not that we don’t always get that from everyone, but hey…Oregon is an important part of our Neighborhood.) The Big Idaho Potato is now going off to join the ranks of History that all giant Fruits and Vegetables eventually get to join. That’s right, the Big Idaho Potato is going to become a Tiny House. Stay tuned for more from our very own Alumnae Kristi Wolfe, as she applies her magic. Just a sneak peak to end this blog, then the TaterTeam and the Big Idaho Potato Tour close up for ten days like a Caterpillar in its cocoon. We hope we can find another Ginormous Idaho Potato to go back out on tour with, so again…stay tuned. 🙂
