Day 42: West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta

Those are, in face, real pumpkins (hundreds of pounds each!)

Oh the joys of fall!  Today in Tualatin - a southern suburb town of Portland was the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta.  It was a festival to which farmers brought the largest pumpkins they could grow.... the winner weighed in at 1,500+ lbs! Unbelievable.  There was popcorn and roasted chestnuts. clowns and bluegrass. face painting and pumpkin painting... and of course llamas (in costume). However, the highlight of the festival are the races - these giant pumpkins are carved into to make boats and whoever is daring enough grabs a kayak paddle and races them around the lake. There were a few "casualties" (not real ones - just tipping over) and some great costumes in a couple of the races. It was great fun (and the rain even stopped just for a couple hours!)