My recent travels have taken me through some small towns. On this cool October evening, I have decided to share with you three of those small towns representing three different states.

Arlington, Oregon – On our way back from the Vancouver conference, we stopped to stretch our legs in a tiny town called Arlington. Obviously not the major city in Texas nor the same-named area in Washington, this community was in Oregon. While most of the people on the bus admired a scenic view not too far from where we parked, I ventured over to the Arlington Grocery & Deli. Obviously the storefront has seen better days but the employees inside sure were nice and welcoming. I purchased a pack of combined red and black licorice.

I purchased candy from the Arlington Grocery & Deli.

Haugan, Montana – While traveling both to/from Missoula, Sidney and I pulled over in Haugan at the $50,000 Silver Dollar Bar. We made the stop to use the restroom and look around at the diverse knick-knacks. I wrote about the $50,000 Silver Dollar Bar more than nine years ago in an in-depth blog post. At the time, I was skeptical that the location actually contained 50,000 coins. However, after a thorough review of the quantity of the silver dollars hanging in the bar and documentation by the business itself, I know the amount now exceeds 50,000.

I took this photo from inside the actual bar of the $50,000 Silver Dollar Bar on Oct., 16, 2022.

Connell, Washington – Driving back to Spokane with a couple of my co-workers, we passed by Connell. I have a soft spot for Connell because it is the hometown of a friend from our Catholic Young Adult group. What I find most intriguing about this small Washington town is that it is home to a Dollar General. When I lived in the South, Dollar Generals were everywhere. However, I had never seen a Dollar General in the state of Washington until we stopped in Connell for gas last year.

I took the photo of the welcome sign earlier this month and I took the photo of the Connell Dollar General in Aug. 2021.

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So go ahead and cue the classic John Mellencamp song. Even though I wasn’t born in a small town, I sure appreciate them. Don’t Blink.