Yummy Salt Water Taffy in Oregon

I posted this on our Short Stops blog, but figured I would post it here, too, in case you missed it in the other place.

Depoe Bay, Ore., located right along majestic U.S. 101 on the Pacific Coast, is famous for whale watching and shopping for salt water taffy. One small shop sells 60 different varieties -- great for the sweet tooth, and probably for a dentist's business, too (sticky stuff!). Here's a short video I did in between visiting the tiny town's many trinket shops.

A big day in the life of waitress Brenda Merry

It began as a routine day for waitress Brenda Merry at the Top Notch Cafe in Colfax, Washington. And then HE walked in!

The man was dressed casually. He was polite.

Why was everyone staring at him? Brenda Merry wondered. But she soon realized who he was, and he was seated at her table! And so, with order pad in hand, she approached the man, who she now knew was the richest man in the world, who had stopped for lunch in the Top Notch in tiny Colfax, best known for the Codger Pole monument across the street, the world's tallest chain saw carving.


He ordered a cheeseburger without onions, fries, and a coffee milkshake. He sat with his wife and a newspaper reporter in the front corner table, a round one next to the big glass window looking out on Main Street, which is state route 195. His bodyguard took a seat at the counter.

Brenda Merry loves working at the Top Notch. "Where else can you get paid for coming to a party everyday?" she asks. "If I weren't here, I'd just be home," which is a big spread in the country where the lawn is so big it takes three hours to cut with a riding lawn mower.


After the man left town, the local newspaper ran an article about his visit along with a color photo of Brenda Merry.

For the six months, the Top Notch was packed. Everyone wanted to ask Brenda Merry about the man. What was he like? For that half year, she was the most sought after person in all of Colfax.

So who was he? You have probably guessed by now. He was Bill Gates. How much did the richest man in the world leave for a tip? "Twenty percent," said Brenda Merry.