This is part of our 100 Things in 2015 challenge. Here’s the full list.

We drive past this place all the time, and never even knew it was there until Becky spotted it in her copy of Oregon Curiosities. The Grove of the States is part of an I-5 rest area near Wilsonville, and it’s supposed to contain one tree from each of the 50 states.

The reality is somewhat less grand than the idea. Apparently some of the states’ trees don’t like our northwest climate very well, and it hasn’t really been kept up since the original planting in 1967. Some of the signs were rotted away, and others were hard to read. Our friend Al is on the committee, though, and he says it’s on track to be refreshed in the next couple of years.

The kids were surprisingly engaged, though, especially with what they’ve been learning about trees at Trackers. Definitely worth a stroll if you’re passing through and need a break. And maybe another stroll in two or three years, when it’s all shiny and new.