Idaho, Oregon, Washington States....making our way west.

Hi to all. We've been without internet for a few days. I'm posting our adventures for the last 4 days. The next time I post we will be home in Victoria (on March 14th).

March 8th

After a small but healthy breakfast at the motel we bid farewell to Twin Falls, Idaho. Out on the interstate we made pretty good time rolling through southern Idaho. To be perfectly honest, the drive through Idaho was "Boring" beyond belief. What we will remember about our short stay on Idaho is that the people there are very friendly and helpful. Also, the Agri-food industry is huge. It seemed that every acre was under production, except for some of the high grasslands that seemed to be used to graze cattle.

Soon we were in Oregon. Ontario, Oregon is the first town we went through. I could be wrong but I believe that this part of Oregon is known for its onion production. We literally had to keep opening the windows of the 4Runner to air out the interior. The smell of onions was overpowering. This went on for miles and miles.

After a while Interstate 84 swings north to Washington State. We went over Dead Man's Pass (for real) where it was snowing. We then dropped down into the Columbia River valley near the tri-cities of Kenniwick, Richland and Pascoe, Wa. We saw something here that we had not seen for a very long time. Green fields. It sounds odd, but really, we did not see many green fields in Arizona, and none in Utah or Idaho. The change in climates was quite evident.. Also, we were now down to under 1,000 feet elevation for the first time in 7 weeks. That too was noticeable.

We rolled into Lake Lenore, figuratively, not literally, around 5 p.m. It was great to be there. We were greeted warmly by Uncle Bob, Aunt Lynda and of course Midnight the standard poodle. We spent the evening chatting, looking at pictures from our trip, quilting and more quilting and more visiting. We finally rolled into bed around 11:00. Everyone slept pretty well that night.

March 9th

We woke up to sunshine and cool temperatures. After a great visit and breakfast Barry and Uncle Bob took Midnight (the dog) for a walk down by the lake. Actually the trip was more to find out if the oar pin on the paddles would fit the home made oar lock on the 12 foot car topper that Bob would borrow from the neighbour. The lake was filled with water fowl when we arrived at the shore. While you cannot see them in the pictures you will get a good sense of the beauty of the lake, the cliffs across the lake and the general area. It was a real treat for Dana and I to get to stay with Uncle Bob and Aunt Lynda. We very much enjoyed the short visit. Dana and Uncle Bob also enjoyed working on one of the new quilts under design and construction. It's going to be another beauty, Bob.


March 10th

One week ago we were sitting in the bleachers at the Mariner's Baseball park in Peoria. It was near 80F. Today we are skiing at Mt. Baker. The temperature is around 26F. It is snowing lightly. We are having a blast on the slopes. This is only the second day this year that we have been on the slopes. The first time in less than good conditions. I have included a couple of pictures that will give you a good idea of how the day went. Yes, those are ear to ear smiles on the faces of very happy skiers.

March 11th

We woke early with great enthusiasm and anticipation for another great day on the slopes. I called the ski information line to learn that the mountain had received 5 inches of new snow overnight. It was 26F degrees and snowing. Whoopi!! This is going to be a great day!! After a hearty breakfast we loaded up the 4Runner and headed for Mt Baker to ski for the day. We hit snow about half way to the ski hill. We arrived at the White Salmon Lodge base at 8:45. We were early so we got great parking. Now for the disappointing news. We didn't even get out of the 4Runner. The wind was howling. The snow was blowing. it was a complete white-out. You could barely see the base of the mountain. Skiing by brail is not our idea of fun so we headed back down the mountain with the hope that tomorrow would be a better day. Val and Hannah will be joining us tomorrow. Tomorrow it would be MBHC (Mt Baker Hard Core).



One of the more interesting sights on the road in Southern Idaho....


Another interesting scene on the road in southern Idaho.


Bob's borrowed boat on the shore of Lake Lenore.


Uncle Bob making sure he won't be up the creek without a paddle - that fits the oar lock.



Aunt Lynda, Uncle Bob and Dana the morning we left for the coast.

Living the Dream at Mt. Baker Ski Resort