If you're headed down I-5 anyhow, why not stop at Portland Meadows? But first I had to stop at the Madsens's Lumberjack Store in semi-rural Washington.
Here's the world class Madsen's lumberjack store in Centralia (between Seattle and Portland, along I-5) where I stopped for some tree cutting wedges, on the advice of a long-time mail-order customer of Madsen's, after seeing a person with whom I was falling trees earlier in the summer up in the Rockies drop a slightly leaning tree 180 degrees from where he said he would drop it. I am pleased to report that the selection of lumberjack oriented goods at this store was excelent, as was the service, and tree cutting wedges are not all that expensive.
Portland Meadows wasn't running, but I figured I would never be out this way in the winter, so why not stop in for some simulcast (with 35 of my best friends). It wasn't nearly as dumpy as people have described, and in fact the 1st floor was pretty nice for simulcast. Outside still looked a bit on the rough side, though - kind of like FP. Plus, get this, they have a whole 10 VLT's now, about 6 of which were in use! Woo hoo! Good times for Oregon racing.
