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.

The Red Horse Drive In is a half mile and 60 years off I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington. The best part of the place is the 1930’s era gas station, which is as spit-shined clean as an army officer’s dress boots.

It’s equal part business and labor of love for owner Bruce Crossett. From I-90, a motorist can easily find the place by exiting the west Ellensburg entrance of Interstate 90 at exit 106. Two minutes later they’re there. Trouble is, not a whole lot of people know about the place except locals, and even they don’t know a lot about it. “The Ellensburg newspaper has never even done a story,” said Crossett, who earns his main paycheck from the used car lot next door and plows back profits into his gas station/cafe.


The cafe offers yummy burgers and other roadside fare. I opted for a Rumble Seat -- the basic burger, at only $4.95. I’d give it B-plus grade for rural cafe burgers -- excellent but not the ultimate. If I were hungrier I may have gone for the “Dead Man’s Curve” for two dollars more. Milk shakes are $3, a bargain these days.

If you want to learn more about the Red Horse Drive-In, call Bruce at 509-925-1764. Or stop by: Ellensburg is on the eastern edge of the Cascade mountains about 100 miles east of Seattle.

A funny song about "forgetting things"

If you've ever misplaced your reading glasses or your car keys, or couldn't find your cell phone when it rang because you forget where it was. . . then you will get a good laugh from this song by folksinger Tom Rush.

Rodent on steroids in the West

Back in the 1800s newspapers in the East wrote about giant creatures in the mysterious American West. One dispatch told of giant salmon that had jumped from a creek into a stage coach, attacking the terrified passengers. Well, maybe there are still big critters in the West -- and for sure there are plenty on postcards, like on this one with a giant bunny. Can you imagine the ride you'd get on this fellow? You'll find this postcard at many tacky roadside trading posts.

Postcard of the week: Mistaken calves!

Oscar and his wife have a different idea of the "pretty calves" in this old postcard. We're not sure of its date, and it was never mailed so there's no stamp. But the typeface on the back is old. Thirties? Fifties? Anyone want to guess?

Postcard of the week: Giant spuds!

Potatoes are big in Idaho. Nearly 12 percent of all potatoes grown in the USA are grown in Idaho. Washington comes in second with 9.5 percent, and even Maine contributes 1.5 percent of the annual harvest. On average, each year every American consumes 126 pounds of spuds, 16 pounds as french fries. Potatoes are good for you. They have no fat, cholesterol or sodium and are rich in vitamin C. The potato in this postcard is a bit larger than normal, but in Idaho they do grow some big ones.