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<\/a><\/p>\nMalls are dinosaurs, things of the 1970s, dying off ever so painfully slowly.\u00a0 Kinda like me.\u00a0 So you\u2019d think I\u2019d be right at home in them.\u00a0 There have been attempts at several malls across the economic landscape to go for last-ditch renovation efforts, attempts to brighten areas with skylights or even go so far as to make them open air, all in an effort to attract more foot traffic and buyers, all in an effort to be more inviting and less gloomy cavernous.<\/p>\n
The Lewiston Center Mall has NOT seen a structural renovation in decades.\u00a0 Oh, sure, there has clearly been store turnover \u2013 at least five or six locations were vacant and on offer FOR LEASE.\u00a0 And maybe the floor was redone or the tables and chairs were bought at some surplus dealer.\u00a0 But for all intents and purposes, this place looks like I imagine it looked 10, 15, 20, maybe even 30 years ago.\u00a0 Only like me it is showing its age and its wear and tear.<\/p>\n
Again, you\u2019d think I\u2019d be right at home.\u00a0 But confronting the realities of time, especially given my current state of mind, was not exactly what the unlicensed doctor using WebMD to self-diagnose should order; and yet, that\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n I used the time to draft and post the race update for this morning\u2019s second running of Clarkston, WA.\u00a0 I also used it to sort through some photos I snapped scoping out tomorrow\u2019s venue at Hells Gate State Park.<\/p>\n Yes, Hells Gate.\u00a0 Originally when I searched for the place I inadvertently typed in Hells Canyon, which is about a 2 hour drive from here.\u00a0 I now assume that Hells Gate is the Southern entryway into Hells Canyon.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t be too sure about that, Peter, as I frankly couldn\u2019t be bothered to google it.<\/p>\n But I DID google just what in the name of gibberish a \u201cguberif\u201d was.\u00a0 As I pulled into the state park, I was struck dumb, smacked gob-ly, rendered unto Ceasar speechless-like, but this road marking:<\/p>\n Eventually I would google search \u201cguberif\u201d and came across an amazing \u201clost\u201d forest fire prevention character.\u00a0 Idaho\u2026 and apparently ONLY Idaho\u2026 sought in the 1940s to raise awareness of forest fires and thus created the guberif\u2026 which is \u201cfirebug\u201d spelled backwards.\u00a0 Already I felt like I was falling into a Stephen King novel or a David Lynch movie\u2026 and that feeling only grew when I saw some of the ad copy\/imagery\/LIVE-ACTION CHARACTER(!!) work that existed:<\/p>\n I think I may know why the \u201cguberif\u201d was unable to unseat Smokey Bear on the national scene (And FYI For Your Information \u2013 it\u2019s apparently just “Smokey Bear” and not “Smokey THE Bear.” \u00a0There is no \u201cthe\u201d in his name.\u00a0 I did not know that).\u00a0 I also think I may know where David Cronenberg got his creature design for The Fly remake.<\/p>\n As for the park itself, it\u2019s located on HellsGate Road.\u00a0 So I had to snap a photo there:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n