Chehalis' Banshee: Alfred Hamilton Lives!
The last time I fell under the spell of Chehalis WA, I had a lot less on my mind (See: Alfred Hamilton, Part I). Even then, the draw was fairly non-destinct. Yet despite all else (you know), I found myself again pulling off at Exit 72 Rush Road to document & archive NW history's favorite microcosm.
The weekend began in a typical PDX state of semi-conciousness. In recovery from this state, I headed North for a family reunion - a first for this set of cousins. Following my mapquest, I found myself at a familiar, yet never traveled, exit: "Dyke Access Road". Meeeeelions double entendres flashed through my mind ("Guess what I went up", etc etc). Quite a remote location, yet filled with hog-feeding fun: The tradition on this side is to make an army's serving of food to be eaten by 15 people. Long story even longer, I spend the rest of Saturday & Sunday being the personal jungle gym for all my cousins' kids (a blast), and then engaged fam in an all-night duel of guitar hero.
Meanwhile, the tsunami back home broke.
I-5 North. Passing through rural WA nothingness. Why do I find this area so familiar. Oh right, that's why:
Breaks lock up and I pull over. I won't lie, I may have sacrificed life and limb for Al. Next time I'll be sure to keep in the right lane sooner - no promises.
And always doubling our pleasure, Alfred hits again.
Now I'm pretty sure that the Alfred clan ran out of S's. But the remote possibility that the Hamilton kidz had since gained an affinity for gangsta rap made me laugh to myself - alone in the tall grass under Al's billboard.
Fellow archivers of NW microcosm: The Hamilton billboard changes monthly - possibly more frequently. When travelling down the I-5 coridoor, take a planned rest-stop at 1360 Rush Rd. Chehalis, WA 98532-8728, and snap off a few non-lethal rounds.
