I have relatives who live in Bend, Ore. I always enjoy any time I can spend with them, or any vacation time in that area of Oregon. In my mind, Bend is a destination resort. There’s also Sunriver and the Inn of the 7th Mountain, which are great places to stay.
Bend has just about everything a person could want for outdoor activity. To name just a few, there are multiple golf courses, whitewater rafting, (which I’ve done), mountain climbing, biking and hiking. There are all the volcanic places to see, and in winter, Mount Bachelor is the place to ski and snowboard.
That’s why I was surprised last week when my relatives gave me a copy of their local newspaper, the Bend Bulletin. There was a three-page article in the Community Life section on Nov. 1 about Centralia and Chehalis, titled “Washington’s Hub.” It could have been written locally by someone who was promoting Lewis County to tourists or visitors.
The writer, John Gottberg Anderson, who is a freelance reporter for the Bulletin, included several photos in his article. Of course, most of the things he wrote about, we already know, but it was fascinating to see our area through the eyes of someone else. Anderson said it was just serendipity that he stumbled across Centralia and Chehalis and the surrounding areas. He said he got off I-5, and realized the wealth of things Lewis County has to offer.
Anderson also had a smaller headline that said, “Centralia and Chehalis are full of quirky surprises.” I won’t list all of his peculiar finds, but he included the zombie walk before Halloween in Centralia, and the “Richart” house and yard of Dick Tracy in Centralia.
The historic downtowns of both Chehalis and Centralia were high on Anderson’s list of places to spend time. He included several paragraphs about the history of both, giving the background of the Borst House, how George Washington founded Centralia, and details about the Obadiah McFadden house in Chehalis, said to be the oldest continuously occupied house in Washington.
As a visitor, Anderson was impressed with the Veterans Memorial Museum, as well as the lesser well-known Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Chehalis.
In referring to Centralia and Chehalis, he concluded, “In fact, there’s a lot to see.” I came to the realization, here’s a person from Bend who found our area to be a great place to visit. I’ve viewed Bend as a favorite spot for time away from home, and now a writer from Bend has found all sorts of places right in my own backyard that impressed him.
Anderson even included a list of attractions, lodging and places to stay, restaurants, contact information, and his expenses for the trip.
I found his costs to be quite reasonable. His expenses for two nights and three days included gas for a round trip of 486 miles, one night at the McMenamins Olympic Club and one night at Motel 6, dinner at the Gibson House in Centralia and Mackinaw’s Restaurant in Chehalis, brunch at Country Cousin and the Olympic Club, plus admission to the Veterans Memorial Museum. His grand total amounted to $236.45.
In conclusion, Anderson quoted a man he met on the sidewalk in downtown Centralia, Don Thompson. Thompson said, “I’ve pretty much been here since I was about 10 years old. I can’t say I’d really want to live anywhere else.” After the article I read, it’s tempting to agree with him, and the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce should make sure they have copies to give out to visitors.
Paul Crowner, a retired Centralia music educator, can be contacted at PaulCrowner@RainierConnect.com.
