Springfield, Oregon (The Simpsons)

Aloha Everyone,

This morning, J.J. and I passed through the town of Springfield, Oregon, which turns out to be basis for the fictional town of Springfield that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson live in from The Simpson animated sitcom. I must admit that I am not too familiar with the show, but I do recognize some of the characters from designs on T- shirts, backpacks and lunch boxes sold in stores.

Here is one if the painted murals in the old Main Street.

Actually, it is a very charming, small-town Americana place and the people we met are gracious. The residents of Springfield, Oregon jokingly state that their motto is: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man", which is the exact same motto of the fictional city of Springfield from the Simpsons. This was first discussed in a Simpson's episode which aired on February 18, 1996.

Vicki at the Visitor Information was more than helpful. She invited us to leave Honu in their parking lot and suggested for J.J. and I to take a stroll to their downtown area which was only short three blocks away.

From several restaurants Vicki suggested, J.J. and I chose to eat Thai food.

We ordered an appetizer dish of Tempura Shrimp. They were pleasantly arranged and served hot with sweet Thai sauces.

JJ ordered Thai Noodle soup that had roast pork and char-siu, fish dumplings, vegetables garnished with green onion on top of rice noodle.

My choice of Duck Soup was tasty but a little too heavy and salty for me. J.J. thought that my soup base was superior than his.

Today was a perfect day for being on the road for almost 3 1/2 hours. One of our friends wrote how he fondly recalls the time he spent in Oregon. He especially misses seafood and Christmas trees. So here is a photo we took for him.

So many Oregonians tell us that this is the best time to travel in Oregon. It 's not too hot, not too rainy and of course not too cold.

At one of the Rest Stop, I saw this beautiful tree wearing the Autumn color.

MaryAnn greeted us with big smile and ready to answer our questions about supermarkets and shopping centers nearby. She works as a manager at Deerwood Luxury RV Park where we are staying for the night. McKenzie River is nearby and tonight J.J. and I are pouring over the brochures Vicki gave us to decide which road to choose for tomorrow.

There is a small forest behind us. Maybe we will see some wild turkeys early tomorrow morning.

Aloha -- Cathi