Travels with Twinkles: Salem, Oregon

I arrive in Salem around noon time and immediately go the the State Capital Building which is most impressive from the outside. This is the third Capital building built with partial financing by the WPA in 1938. The first and second capital buildings were destroyed by fire.

Inside it has the usual impressive Rotunda but it is very dark and difficult to see. They have a series of great historic murals in the central chamber and the usual grand staircases to a second floor but not as ornate as some other Capitals.

It was very quiet inside, nothing was in session and very few visitors. One of the docents there noticed me taking a lot of photos and approached me and took me to see some old historic photos in a locked chamber. It’s always nice to see someone who takes pride in their job who does something extra.

There is a very impressive block long mall area in front out the Capital lined with various State Department buildings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_State_Capitol

Capital of Oregon

The Woodcutter on top

Statue in front of the Capital

Looking up into the cupola

I like the airy open space, not overly embellished

Murals are nicely done

Floor tiles too

The Mall area in front of the Capital

A short distance away is the historic downtown area where I park and get out and walk. A young man standing next to a woman with a sign saying something to the effect of, “Hungry need food” starts talking to me. He is pleasant and promoting the Flotsam River Circus show at the Wallace Park across the river at 7 PM. We actually had a good conversation, he sounded pretty normal, and he never asked for money which I expected. Continuing on I find many interesting early 1900’s buildings and busineeses in downtown Salem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem,_Oregon

The Greenbaum building is a beauty

Nice to see it's still a bank

The bank from the side

The Salem Tower

That's an good idea

That's colorful

The Reed Opera House built in 1870

The Grand Theater

After hearing about the river boat circus show I just had to drive to Wallace Park to check it out. It’s a large nice park area on the Willamette River next to an old steel railroad bridge that has been converted to a pedestrian walking bridge. In fact, it’s a short walk from downtown, a longer drive to get there. People are congregating on the rocky beach area at the river and the riverboat is docked when I arrive. The boat is a home built vessel looking more like Tom Sawyers Raft than a river boat. Not sure how seaworthy this thing is, I wouldn’t want to be on it. The show has attracted a surly looking crowd, me included, and starts close to schedule. It’s not all all what I expected, it mostly a silent carnival show, some acrobatics, tricks and theatrical skits with musical accompaniment and crowd participation. It was meant to support environmental issues, but I didn’t see where it made that connection.

The old railroad bridge

The crowd and anticipation are building

The captain is spreading fairy dust or something ?

She was a muscle girl, looked pretty tough too

The band

Everyone was attentive and enjoying the show

The Riverfront Park is a very well maintained city park with a river boat, a river walking trail, a children’s carousel ride and an Eco-Earth Globe. This park is adjacent to the city, but connects to the walking bridge to cross the river to Wallace Park on the opposite side.