Washougal, WA on a spring midday.
I was driving back from getting my twice-yearly haircut, listening to LCD Soundsystem; an inspired choice for a blue sky day, and decided to take Exit 15 and go through town, my lovely little 15k population town nestled as the gateway to the Gorge. No, literally, our town motto is Gateway to the Gorge, which always me feel very cool. It’s strange how your sense of identity can be tied to a location, and the ways in which you take pride in certain things. Such as living in a town* that is adjacent to one of the most beautiful areas in the state…
…sorry, the Pacific Northwest.
…sorry, the United States.
…sorry, the world.
Truly.
I still get excited thinking about Lewis & Clark and Robert Gray and George Vancouver and their peeps setting foot here for the first time; the sense of wonder they must have experienced at the majestic river and lush forests and inimitable Gorge cliffs. Washougal is often referred to as “the crossroads of discovery,” which is something I think about almost every time I’m driving home down Highway 14 on a clear day and I see Mt. Hood rising up in the distance, surrounded by its fellow Cascade Mountain brothers and sisters.
Every good little town needs a good community square. The fact that this one is a block away from the greatest little library in the world is not lost on me.
However. However…we need a water feature. Seriously.
a few other Washougal-related musings :
How to correctly use parentheses (homage to Washougal police)
My favorite librarian
Boy in library
Homage to Hannibal, Mississippi
technically outside city limits :)