BLOGGING IS LIGHT, RAIN IS NOT

Yes, I've been slacking with this blog. I last posted 15 days ago, enough has been happening - nothing too exciting - but still, I've disappointed my throngs of loyal readers. I apologize.

So, I'll start with Monday driving from Portland to Seattle and back in the worst day of rain in Seattle's history. That's sort of like saying the hottest day in Hell, isn't it? Folks in the know realize Seattle days aren't that rainy per se. It's the fact that it never stops days on end. 364 days of rain at 1/2 inch each day still adds up!

But Monday, the Puget Sound region posted record rainfall, many places in the neighborhood of 7" or more in 24 hours. Their stormwater drainage systems are not used to a concentrated downpour, so many parts of the region flooded out. Below is a photo of me driving back home from my meeting in Seattle.



Just kidding. Actually, this is an actual photo from the Seattle Times. Apparently jet skis are now the only way to get around up there.

Meanwhile, Portland has enjoyed a string of Hawaii-like weather. Balmy, light humidity with low to mid-70s. That will all change soon because as I type this, a gray canvas of clouds is the only thing visible in the sky - until July 2004.

ME-MA's BIRTHDAY PHOTOS

I just uploaded all of them to my computer and I hope to burn some CDs soon. YES.. I realize that's what I said about our vacation photos, but there's roughly 500 of them and many had to be altered because they are sideways, dark, or whatever. Give me time.

For either, I'm taking orders. Put in your requests to wer@johnson-gardner.com ASAP.

NEW INSTALLMENT: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DAVE REID?

I have an irregular feature on here I like to call Where In the World is Dave Reid? - it's been a while since the last installment.
So, without further ado: Dave Reid is in BAGGS, WYOMING.

I can already hear it - Where on earth is Baggs, Wyoming? Well, just west of Savory, Wyoming of course! That is, just north of the Colorado border in southcentral Wyoming, Carbon County to be exact. Baggs is located in the Little Snake River Valley.

To be perfectly honest, Dad has outdone himself with regard to working in an obscure location. There is nothing interesting about this little burg on the internet. Normally I try to give him some tips about what to visit wherever he is. But frankly, with a drought of interesting information about Baggs online, I simply recommend he finish that job up ASAP and go back to Rusk County, Texas for its historic outhouses.

The best I can find is townofbaggs.com. No tourism bureau, no visitor information. By the looks of their URL, you'd think they made purses and misspelled their name. Even their city attractions, as they describe them, are an insomniac's miracle cure:

About Us

Population 348 Elevation 6245
Latitude: 41.03 degrees north of the equator
Longitude: 107.65 degrees west of the prime meridian

Baggs is 76 miles from Rawlins, Wyoming and 41 miles from Craig, Colorado. The distance to Cheyenne, the state capitol, is 152 miles as the crow flies. We are part of Carbon County.

Wyoming highway 789 running through Baggs was commissioned in 1954 as part of a multi-state route that traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. The highway goes over the Continental Divide between Creston Junction and Baggs.

Baggs was reputed to be the a former home of one of the most notorious outlaw bands of the old west: Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and their 'Wild Bunch". The Gaddis/Matthews cabin on Highway 789 in Baggs was a local hangout of Butch Cassidy.

The Bank Club Bar is listed on the National Historic Register and is located on old main street.

The Dad stage stop site is 24 miles north of Baggs on the west side of the highway.

Baggs is the home of the Rattlers, the mascot of the Little Snake River Valley school.

On the Little Snake River you will find the towns of Dixon, Wyoming 7 miles east, Savery, Wyoming 11 miles east and Slater, Colorado 18 miles east, of Baggs.

How's that for thrilling? Well, for your enjoyment, here are a couple of photos of the area:


Pretty country this time of year.


Baggs' "Wild Bunch" - Butch Cassidy's gang re-enactors or unfortunate new country music group?

Well, I don't mean to be too tough on Baggs. But honestly, they need to fire their economic development director. They clearly have pretty country and recreation to advertise, but you'd never really know it by searching on the web!

TOM AND KATE'S SAN FRANCISCO ADVENTURE

Tom called Saturday to let me know he and Kate were headed to San Francisco for the weekend - her law firm, Hanna Brophy, was celebrating its 50th anniversary. They apparently had a major blow-out planned at one of the nice hotels downtown. "Open bar!!" according to Tom.

I haven't heard since, so I assume they had a lot of fun. But I have to ask - what kind of a hotel would allow dozens of lawyers to converge there and drink themselves into belligerence? It was either foam-padded wall to wall, top to bottom or it enforced a strict liability waiver form.. kinda like a sanitarium!