Mini-Roadtrip to Portland

In my mind, the drive on I-5 between Seattle and Portland is marked by a few things:

1) Heinous traffic the entire stretch between Tacoma and Seattle














2) An unusually high number of Hooters restaurants (maybe that is just my perception?)

3) Some very pretty, wide-open green stretches, mountain views, and bits of various rivers














4) Alfred Hamilton's Uncle Sam billboard. It is generally serves as something to look forward to on your drive, to break up the monotony of I-5 and provide some conversation. But I am having a hard time figuring this one out. Any ideas? Is it referring to gun control? I'm afraid I'm not quite getting it.



As far as the trip itself, we had a fabulous time. The day was basically spent walking and eating, eating and walking, which was exactly what I was in the mood for. We stayed in a motel in the Nob Hill neighborhood, and before the day was through, we had walked all the way to the main section of Hawthorne in SE Portland, and walked most of the way back to Nob Hill. We took the street car the last 14 blocks after a rain cloud opened up on us.

ps - I tried watching the movie Snow Falling on Cedars the other night. I eventually had to turn it off. It felt like I was watching porn aimed at pedophiles and I got totally grossed out. Did this movie strike anyone else in this way? I got on the internet and couldn't find much of anything on the movie - just that the book has been on banned lists for being "pornographic". I haven't read the book so I am curious if the movie was simply keeping true to the original? Ick.