So we recently went to Oregon (again). This time it was to learn all about the Manhattan Project, which you can learn all about here! It was a really fun trip, although short compared to our other field schools. It also wasn’t as busy, which was nice. A lot of driving, though. So much time on the bus. So. Much.

One of our first stops on the trip was at Powell’s Books. For those of you who don’t know, Powell’s Books is the largest bookstore in the world. It takes up a whole block, has about three stories and every single book you could think of. We only got 45 minutes in there, and we took some great pictures of books that summed up our interests:

There was another picture of me with a book titled “All Of Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault” But it has been lost to time and the fact that I accidentally deleted it.

But the book store was very cool. If I went back, I would totally get that mega edition of Deadpool comics I had my eye on.

We spent the night in Oregon, before heading up to the main event: Hanford, Washington. Can I just say: our hotel had a sponsorship with Chupa Chups. So, naturally, there was a large display of lollipops in the lobby, as you do. Our class took full advantage of that over the two nights we spent there. So, there must be a question on everyone’s mind: what’s the best Chupa Chup flavour? Allow me to give a list of every flavour, ranked best to worst (hint: root beer isn’t that great. Fight me, Willa)

That didn’t take me two hours to make.

Anyways, moving on:

We went to a place called Maryhill, Washington. Didn’t stay in the town for long, but we found the weirdest museum. Ever want to see a bunch of mini dolls, the Queen of Romania’s wedding dress and a forest fire in the same place? Washington Maryhill Museum has all of that! Seriously, it’s kind of weird. We had a task to find something in it that we found interesting and make a video about it. So, ask and yee shall receive:

Moving along, we went to the actual Hanford site! Twice, actually. The first time was on the Friday, where we got to learn about the history. That was really cool, because we learned all about what the town was like before the government came over and took it.

My favourite story is of the Bruggeman household. Pretty much they were German immigrants who moved to Hanford. When the government came to move them for the government facility, they said all American citizens have to move out. Naturally, being a German citizen… he didn’t move. His cookhouse, a little ways away from his house, is still half on the compound today.

We filmed a bit on location for the video, and then went to…

Have you ever heard of endless shrimp? It’s where, at Red Lobster, the waiters just don’t stop bringing shrimp unless you explicitly tell them to stop. It’s truly an experience. While most of our class was eating endless shrimp, we went to target! I got a giant skeleton!

The next day we went to the B reactor! This is where they actually made the plutonium to put in the atomic bombs. I didn’t get any pictures of it, but if you look closely on the walls, you can see where the scientists wrote down their math.

The rest of the day was spent driving, until we got back. Over all, it was a really fun trip! I’d definitely go back again, it was a really great way to learn about Hanford, and the workers who worked on the atomic bomb.

Anyways, until next time

Read you later

Sincerely, Parker