G&T's Excellent Adventure

FRI., AUG. 30th, thru SAT., AUG. 31st, 2024

We traveled 112 miles southwest from Sultan, WA (outside Seattle) to Shelton WA (outside Olympia), and spent 2 nights at Little Creek Casino Resort. Nice campground and spacious sites. Gary played blackjack and came out $100 ahead. Not bad! Temps have been warm, but since there is no humidity, it’s extremely comfortable in the shade. And there seems to be no bugs in Washington… no mosquitoes, no gnats, no flies, no nothing. It’s fabulous! 

On Sat., Aug. 31st (2024) the pod headed to the Washington State Capitol for a tour. In true American fashion on that day there was a protest happening on the Capitol steps against Cambodian dictatorship. Our democracy at work. 

A little history… In 1911 a couple of NY architects won a competition to design the state capitol. Their “Capitol Group” entailed 5 structures designed to appear as a single building from the Puget Sound. They were also inspired by the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair, which was known as the “White City.” All 5 buildings here are white, and were constructed over three 3 decades… Temple of Justice (1912), Insurance Building (1921), Legislative Building (1928), Cherberg Building (1937), and O’Brien Building (1940). 

The Capitol or Legislative Building was started in 1922 and completed in 1928 and cost $7.4 million. The building was built after the Greco Roman Style. The front doors weigh 2,000 lbs. There are Roman fire pots in the corners of the Rotunda. During Roman times, they would be lit by fire when senate was in session. No fire lit cauldrons in this modern age. There is lots of marble throughout the building. Most of it is from Alaska, but some came from France, Germany and Belgium as well. There are also lots of rosettes found throughout the structure… they symbolize beauty and grace.

One fact I found fascinating is that the Capitol has the largest collection of Tiffany lamps in the country. The largest Tiffany chandelier in the Capitol weighs 10,000 lbs and the chain holding it up weighs 3,000 lbs. (see photo below). It was also the largest chandelier ever created by the artists of Tiffany Studios, and hangs above the Rotunda area. A full size bed can fit in the cage in the middle of the chandelier without touching the sides. There are faces at the bottom of the chandelier that are actual sized faces. That’s how big this thing is. During the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, the rotunda moved 3/4 of an inch and the chandelier swung back and forth for an entire week before it came to rest. Wow.

Another large Tiffany Lamp hangs in the Governor’s Reception Room. There are 10,000 LED lights in that Tiffany Lamp, which weighs 2,000 lbs. A huge carpet gets rolled back in this room, and there is a wooden floor underneath for dancing.

The Capitol is a striking building, and the grounds were gorgeous with huge old trees, WWII memorials and a sunken garden. There is even a replica of Tivoli Fountain. Not the one in Italy. This one is a replica from Copenhagen. A delightful day exploring another state capitol! 

Next we move to Sequim, WA and the start of our exploration of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park.