Adjusting to the time change is always interesting the first night you try to sleep. End up going to bed at 7:30 PM and then waking up repeatedly from 2:00 AM on until finally getting up at 4:45 AM. The reason we come out early before our bike tour to get “adjusted.”

The weather forecast is for another hot day with air quality, heat advisory and red flag warning alerts. This translates into – breakfast at 6 AM and out for exercise and sightseeing early! When we leave at 7:30 AM, the temperature is 68 degrees – feels chilly to us Floridians. This time of day turns out to be an excellent time to take pictures of downtown Spokane – hardly any people.

Background from Wikipedia about Riverfront Park –

“An urban renewal project that built a fairground to host the upcoming environmentally-themed Expo ’74 World’s fair. Post-fair plans for the site which hosted the fair from May 4 to November 3, 1974, called for the preservation of the site as a legacy of Expo ’74 and converting it into an urban park after the fair’s conclusion. After several years of work to convert the site, Riverfront Park was officially opened in 1978. Several of its most recognizable buildings such as the U.S. Pavilion, Spokane Convention Center, and First Interstate Center for the Arts remain from Expo ’74 as legacy pieces. The park is also home to historic features such as the Great Northern clock tower and Looff Carrousel; other sites of interest near the park include the River Park Square mall, Mobius Science Center, and The Podium sportplex. The park sees over three million visitors annually.”

Now some pictures.

The west end of the park has the Water Works building, along the Spokane River, harnessing the Spokane Falls. It’s the end of summer so not so much water but still generating hydroelectricity for Spokane since 1885.

There are pictures on the web of the Spokane Falls when the river is running high in the spring and you can definitely understand how it could power an entire city.

A fun sculpture on the edge of the park along Spokane Falls Blvd. is called “The Joy of Running Together.” It makes total sense as the park is filled with lots of runners in the morning hours.

Another building left over from the Expo 74 is The Pavilion. it was covered during the Expo and was the largest structure. In 1979, the covering was removed and has been home for many different types of activities. Now it is just a place where they sometimes hold events. It also lights up at night. We think it must be a portal based on the photos we took this morning.

Our afternoon will be spent back at Pig Out in the Park and wandering some stores. The old Flour Mill building is a National Historic site turned shopping and offices. Not many stores were open. We have plans on Sunday to eat dinner at the restaurant in this building.

Back to the hotel after ‘pigging out’ and a bit of shopping at the River Park Mall. Riverfront Park is much more crowded and the four music stages are blasting. The sun is still blocked by clouds/smoky sky with a little rain actually this afternoon.

Continuing the time warp so it still feels like 6 pm and its only 3 pm here. After 16,000 steps, we will relax with some Rays baseball on Sirius/XM and maybe even a football game on TV. Not sure what tomorrow’s adventure will be……!

Strange Pictures of the Day: A sidewalk marked with scooter tire tracks and fecal matter; and yes, there are homeless wandering around and signs appropriately discourage lingering.