It was Tuesday morning July 15, 2025 when Tom’s alarm rang and woke my companion’s up at six o’clock sharp. We had spent the past four nights in a Bellevue, Washington VRBO rental, which was a small, three-room basement below a garage filled with yard sale furnishings and no live television signal. But, at $139 per night, my cheap photographer and his wife made it work. As for me, I couldn’t wait to get back to the normalcy of spending my nights in a lavish hotel room where the sounds of kid’s footsteps running up and down the hallway causes my crabby camera guy to cuss out loud.
Although it took my companions a little extra time to pack up all of their belongings that morning, we were still out the door and on the road by eight o’clock. As Vicki drove our Jeep down the street, I looked back at our rental and said in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, “Hasta la vista, pedazo de mierda!”
After Tom filled up the gas tank at $4.69 per gallon, we began the scenic drive South towards Olympia, Washington, which was the state’s capital city. Once again, the morning’s weather was absolutely perfect with low humidity and a cloudless sky. Throughout most of the 64-mile drive to Olympia, we had a good view of Mount Rainier to the East; and that never gets boring to us “flat-landers” from Michigan.
At precisely 9:05am, Vicki pulled the Jeep into a parking spot along North Diagonal Street, which gave us a relatively short hike to the Northernmost Capitol Building in the Continental United States. I was anxious for this visit because it was the 41st State Capitol Building I’ve visited since 2013 and the fourth one on this trip. And since it was so early in the morning, I figured we might have the entire building and grounds to ourselves, and I could pose in front of the Capitol without other tourists in the photo. A few minutes later, however, I realized just how wrong I was.
Just as we got into position for my photographer to capture a great image of me posing in front of the building, a large group of Asian tourists arrived at the same time. The ‘Moldenhauer One-Person Rule’ quickly transformed into the ‘Jefferson Twenty-Asian Rule’. I usually don’t stereotype certain people like my photographer does, but I’ve been around the block enough to know how much Asians love to take photos of everyone in their group. They start out with a group shot; then each person poses for a selfie. That’s usually followed by pairs of people posing together and then every possible combination of pairings in their group are photographed together. Oh, I can’t forget that three or four of them also pose together as well; and so on and so on. It’s never ending – and according to my old camera guy, when digital photography replaced film, it’s gotten a whole lot worse. For example – on a trip to Cleveland in 2015, I saw a group of Asian tourists go through their typical photo ritual at a Rest Area along the Ohio Turnpike. I nearly fell out of the camera bag when I heard Tom say to them in a sarcastic tone, “Why are you posing for a thousand pictures next to a bathroom sign? This is a damned Rest Area, not the Statue of Riberty.”
We waited about ten minutes for the steps of the Capitol Building to clear, but that never happened. I posed for one photo, then my frustrated and impatient photographer decided to take me into the interior of the building instead. Tom figured our interior tour would allow enough time for that tour group to finish their photo ritual in front of the Capitol, and the exterior would be “Asian-free” when we made it back outside.
At 287-feet-tall, the Washington State Capitol Building is the eighth tallest Capitol in the United States. After becoming the 42nd state to be admitted into the Union on November 11, 1889, Washington has had two permanent Capitol Buildings. Construction on the building if front of me began in 1912, around the same time Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic, and it opened in 1928. While the exterior of the building looked similar to other Capitol Buildings I’ve visited in the past, the interior featured a simplistic, yet spectacular-to-the-eye design. I especially enjoyed the floor of the Rotunda and its polished bronze replica of the state seal, which featured a likeness of George Washington, for whom the state was named. The original choice for the state’s name was ‘Columbia’ because the Columbia River flows through the region, but that name was rejected by Congress to avoid confusion with the District of Columbia. What the brilliant members of Congress couldn’t foresee was the confusion they caused between Washington State and Washington D.C. Perhaps Congress should’ve called the 42nd state ‘Rainier’; or better yet, ‘Jefferson’.
Please take a moment and check out the images my photographer captured in and around the State Capitol Building in Olympia, Washington. Or dare I say, Olympia, Jefferson!
We had spent nearly 90 minutes in and around the Capitol Building in Olympia, and even though my photographer had grown frustrated at times because of the other tourists, that visit turned out to be a good one. But when we got back to the Jeep, I sensed something was wrong with my camera guy. It wasn’t anything physical, at least nothing more than his usual aches and pains that comes with old age. Instead, I noticed Tom had his agenda in hand and he seemed to be in deep thought as we prepared to head off for the next site. The next words out of his mouth were ones I never thought I would hear him say – “If it’s okay with you, let’s skip Olympic National Park. The Visitor Center is 120 miles in the opposite direction from where we need to be tonight, which would create 300 miles of extra driving today. Let’s have a more relaxing day and find some antique shops in Olympia, and then we’ll have a ton of energy to take on Mount St. Helens tomorrow.” When Vicki heard my photographer’s idea, I thought she would need a plastic surgeon to remove the smile from her face, especially when the words ‘antique shops’ filled her ears.
For the next couple of hours, the three of us crisscrossed the roads in and around the Olympia area where we found several antique malls to browse through. Tom carried me into one or two of shops, and he left me in the Jeep at a couple of the others. My photographer usually has his eyes focused on vinyl records, baseball memorabilia, and Presidential artifacts, while I enjoy hobnobbing with my fellow bobble heads who aren’t as fortunate as I am. As for Tom’s wife? WTHF (Who The Heck Fire) knows what she’s searching for!
Each time we left a store, both Tom and Vicki were always emptyhanded. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, but nothing seemed to jump out and scream “Buy Me!” At one point, my photographer donned a top hat made of beaver fur he liked, but when the cheap bastard saw the $125 price tag, he placed it back on the mannequin’s head where he found it.
At roughly 12:20pm, we had made our way to the Upper Eastside of Olympia where my two companions decided to have lunch at a place called the Martin Way Diner. The place wasn’t anything fancy, but they did serve an all-day breakfast, which was right up Vicki’s alley. Tom, on the other hand, opted for the fish and chips dinner.
While my two friends waited for their food to arrive, my photographer made an incredible discovery. As he browsed his phone for other places to visit in Olympia, he accidentally stumbled upon a historic photo which depicted President Theodore Roosevelt as he delivered a speech on the steps of the original Capitol Building. Not only was that building still in existence, but it was also less than two miles from where Tom was filling his face with cod and fries. That meant one thing – there was a Presidential site in Olympia, and we weren’t going to leave town without seeing it.
When lunch had finished, my photographer excused himself from the table. At first, I wasn’t quite sure where he was headed, but then I heard him say he needed to “log out” before we went back into downtown Olympia. Tom was gone for roughly ten minutes, and during that time I watched Vicki browse through Instagram on her phone. One thing was for certain, the Vickster wasn’t searching for Presidential sites.
Suddenly, I saw my photographer as he shuffled slowly through the diner towards our table. I noticed Tom had a sheepish look on his face, and I thought he may have had an “accident” before he was able to log out. Once Tom made it to our booth, my cameraman slid discreetly onto the seat and said to his wife in a whisper, “You’re not going to believe this. My new belt broke in the bathroom. The buckle completely fell apart and dropped to the floor in pieces. I had to hold my britches up all the way back to the table just so my butt cheeks wouldn’t be sunny side up.”
I knew right then and there we would be heading to visit JC Penney before we saw TR Roosevelt, and that was okay with me. Vicki, on the other hand, wasn’t overly thrilled that her lard-assed husband had broken an expensive, two-day-old belt. I listened and laughed to myself when my photographer’s wife once again suggested Tom buy suspenders instead of another new belt. It was an instant replay of what happened at Crystal Mountain, especially when my photographer threatened to wear bib overalls for the remainder of the trip. Vicki’s eyebrows furrowed as she growled, “You’re not going to wear bib overalls and look like a damned West Virginia hillbilly. Find the closest Penney’s and let’s go get you another belt. Hopefully they’ll let you exchange the broken one – I still have the receipt.”
After a short four-mile jaunt past the Capitol Building and to the South Westside section of Olympia, we arrived at the Capitol Mall where the JC Penney store was located. I stayed in the Jeep but watched intently as my photographer waddled his way through the parking lot towards the mall entrance; both of his hands were tightly grasped to the top of his pants. In my mind, Tom’s slow-paced shuffle resembled an old penguin with a hernia.
Roughly thirty minutes later, my photographer emerged from the bowels of the mall with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step – and also with no overalls or suspenders. Tom was very lucky there was a store within a few miles of where his belt had fallen apart. Had it broken the following day, we’d be in the middle of our drive to Mount St. Helens and perhaps a hundred miles from the nearest JC Penney store. Not only would we be seeing a lot of old ash from the volcano, but we’d also be looking at a lot of old ass near a volcano at the same time.
Back into downtown Olympia, Vicki found a parking place along the South side of Sylvester Park. While she waited for us in the Jeep, Tom carried me around the corner where I caught my first glimpse of a large stone building that resembled a castle. Even though I saw a sign that indicated the building was the current Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, it originally opened as a courthouse in 1892 and was dedicated as Washington’s first State Capitol Building on January 11, 1905. The historic building served as the State Capitol until the larger Capitol opened in 1928.
For the next ten minutes or so, I posed for a handful of photos in front of the Old Capitol Building; and not because it was an old, cool looking former Capitol. That building was a Presidential site, and I was standing in the footsteps of President Theodore Roosevelt. On May 22, 1903, President Roosevelt arrived in Olympia during his tour of the Western states and was escorted to the courthouse steps where he delivered a speech to thousands of people gathered in and around Sylvester Park.
During Roosevelt’s brief address, the President spoke from the heart and was forced to pause many times due to the thunderous applause from those in attendance. TR ended his speech by saying, “I believe in you men and women of this state as I believe in the men and women of this nation, because I believe that the average man or woman in this state, in this nation, has the three great primary traits; the trait of honesty, the trait of courage; and the saving grace of common sense.”
When the President’s address had finished, Roosevelt spoke with Governor Henry McBride and shared his thoughts of Olympia. TR said, “You have one of the prettiest little cities I have ever visited. It is a delightful place for a home. I have been greatly surprised and gratified. I shall never forget Olympia and her generous people.”
Theodore Roosevelt is one of my most admired Presidents and it was a true honor for me to once again stand in TR’s footsteps. When I think of Teddy Roosevelt, many words pop into my resin mind that accurately describes our 26th President – words such as energetic, charismatic, confident, determined, intellectual, and conservationist. I laughed to myself and thought, “Boy, our country could sure use a leader like Theodore Roosevelt today because he could truly make America great again.”
Just before Tom and I left the Old Capitol and returned to the Jeep, he placed me onto a bronze statue of George Washington, which had been donated by the Washington State Freemasons in 1987. As I looked out towards Sylvester Park, which was located across the street, I thought about President Roosevelt having the same view of the thousands of people gathered there to hear him speak.
Suddenly, a cold chill ran up and down my stainless-steel spine. I noticed a man, who appeared to be in his thirties and possibly less fortunate than us, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk alongside the park. There was no one else around and my photographer and I were a half-block away from our vehicle. While Tom seemed oblivious to the man’s activity, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. The guy seemed to be talking on his phone, but at the same time, he kept looking over towards us as he slowly moved about. At one point, just before my photographer finished with his pictures, the man turned, and we locked eyes. That’s the moment I realized there was no phone in his hand – the guy had been talking to himself.
Perhaps the dude was a Teddy Roosevelt fan and was simply admiring the Old Capitol Building as a Presidential site. But in my mind, he looked more like a Barack Obama admirer and was there to axe my photographer for some cash or perhaps snatch his camera equipment. Or worse yet, to kidnap me – the most famous bobble head in the world. The last thing I needed was to be held hostage for ransom money or get pawned for cash.
It was the first time on the trip where I didn’t feel overly safe, even though we were in broad daylight and it was two o’clock in the afternoon. As Tom snatched me from the statue and placed me in the camera case, I wished my photographer was more in tune with the Second Amendment. His idea of the right to bear arms has been to wear a short-sleeved tee shirt whenever he wants. Unfortunately, I knew my fat friend’s Sasquatch tee shirt he was wearing wasn’t going to help us in this seemingly dire situation.
But then, as Tom began to walk back towards our Jeep where Vicki patiently awaited our return, the guy was gone – he had completely disappeared. I looked out from an opening in the camera case, and the “self-talker” was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps I had the dude all wrong. Maybe he was a Teddy Roosevelt fan after all and had come from the Southside of Chicago to carry on a conversation with the spirit of our 26th President. One thing was for certain; I was extremely relieved when my photographer placed me on the backseat of the Jeep, and we were safely headed towards our next destination.
That next destination turned out to be an antique shop called Timeless Treasures and was located in Centralia, Washington, which was roughly 25 miles South of Olympia. We spent about forty-five minutes in that store, and even though my photographer once again left an antique shop without a purchase, he did get something very valuable for free. One of the staff members saw Tom’s Squatch shirt and told him about a Bigfoot store that was only four miles away.
I couldn’t believe my ears – we were in prime Sasquatch country and headed to a store that was dedicated to the elusive creature. Although my main focus is and always has been with the Presidents of the United States, there’s something about Bigfoot that gets my resin blood pumping. If I was given a choice between posing with Donald J. Trump inside the Oval Office or getting an up-close glimpse of a living Sasquatch, I think I’d choose a Bigfoot over a Big Mouth!
It was a little over a four-mile drive from Centralia into downtown Chehalis, which has a population of a little over 7,400 people and a few Squatch’s. After my photographer’s wife parked the Jeep along North Market Boulevard, Vicki headed out to find some “girlie shops” while Tom and I went inside Bigfoot Treasure, a store dedicated to the legend of Sasquatch and filled with a ton of unique gifts centered on the elusive beast.
I’ve been to a few places in the past that featured Sasquatch collectibles, but Bigfoot Treasure in Chehalis was a true treasure trove of Bigfoot items – including plaster cast footprints that were on display in a large protective case. Perhaps the biggest highlight of all, at least for me, was listening to Tom and store owner Mitch Moberg as the two discussed some of the scientific data behind recent Sasquatch sightings. As they talked, I became more and more enthralled with the tall and hairy beast known as Bigfoot. So much so, in fact, the lyrics of a Monkees’ song popped into my resin head, and I couldn’t stop humming the tune to myself. The little ditty wasn’t as good as Dominque, but it was close.
“I thought Squatch was only true in fairy tales, meant for someone else, but not for me. He was out to get me, that’s the way it seemed; disappointment haunted all my dreams. Then I saw the prints, now I’m a believer. Not a trace, of doubt in my mind. Now I’ve seen proof. I’m a believer, and I know I’ll find him if I try.”
When it comes to Sasquatch, I’m a believer; and I know Tom is a believer as well. But, as far as my photographer’s wife goes, well, maybe she needs to have one of those huge bastards grab her by the boob and only then will she realize they’re real, too.
Back outside in the extreme heat, which by four o’clock in the afternoon had reached the mid-90s, Tom and I rendezvoused with Vicki after we saw her walk out of a nearby store. My two companions decided they needed a drink to quench their thirst, and at the same time, they wanted to scour the internet for a hotel room in the vicinity. There was no better place to do both than at the Market Street Pub and Grill, which was only a short walk down the street from the Bigfoot store.
While Tom and Vick enjoyed a cold Michelob Ultra, my photographer’s wife found a good deal at the Peppermill Inn, which was located in Centralia and not too far from the antique store we had visited a couple of hours earlier. Not only was the hotel the least expensive place North of Portland, Oregon, but it also put us in a location that was perfect to begin our drive to Mount St. Helens first thing in the morning.
We arrived at the Peppermill Inn at a few minutes past five o’clock, which gave my companions just enough time to register, unpack the Jeep, and get comfortable in their room to watch the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on television. Tom was anxious to see the game for a couple of reasons. First, it had been five nights since he was able to watch any program on live TV. And second, there were six players from the Detroit Tigers who were on the American League roster, including Riley Greene, one of his favorite players on the 2025 team.
For the entire game, I stood alongside the television set and watched my photographer as he complained about the inept contributions made by the Detroit players. The four position players, which included Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, Javier Báez, and Zach McKinstry, finished the game with a combined zero hits in eight at bats, and that included three strike outs. The two Tigers pitchers didn’t fare much better. The American League’s starting pitcher, Tarik Skubal, surrendered three hits and two runs in the first inning, which was the only frame he pitched. Casey Mize faced two batters in the sixth inning and gave up a solo home run to Corbin Carroll, which gave the N.L. a 6-0 lead. Without any help from the Tigers, however, the American League rallied for six runs in the last three innings, only to ultimately lose the game thanks to the newly implemented home run derby tie-breaker rule.
As soon as the game had finished, Tom extinguished the lights in our room, and I was left alone in the darkness with my thoughts. Immediately, my mind was filled with the stories I heard from Mitch Moberg at the Bigfoot store in Chehalis. I knew if I was going to have a chance encounter with a Sasquatch, it would likely be in the next three days because we were in the epicenter of reported sightings in the United States. What makes my chances diminish, however, was the fact that Squatch sightings are primarily made at night, and all of our traveling will be during the daylight hours. But you never know, my photographer and I have seen and experienced some very weird stuff on our past trips.
Day or night, one thing was for certain, I kept hearing Matt Moneymaker’s quote from his Finding Bigfoot show – “I think there’s a Squatch in these woods.”
Tomorrow, my search continues!
