Day 1: Bend to Redding --278 miles, 5 hours

We packed up and left Bend at 10:34.  It was cold and snowing.  I really appreciated T's electric seats in the car.  Looks like the artic blast is coming.  We are going to make every effort to keep ahead and away from it.  We passed a sign that said, "Do not pass snow plows on the right"  Although this brought forth an interesting vision, there were no snow plows today.  Light snow with less than an inch on the ground.  The road was mostly clear.  Cloudy and cold.

We lost the snow in Chemult which was odd since Chemult is in the "snow belt," usually covered in snow this time of the year. But today, the sun came out and blinded us.  I had to get out my sun glasses (that's more like it.) Now we just need it to warm up.

We stopped for gas at the Crater Lake Junction Travel Center and Ka-Mo-Ya Casino just north of Klamath Falls.  Soon the road started following the shoreline of Klamath Lake with the mountains in the background and Mt. Shasta peaking out behind.  A beautiful stretch of highway.

Soon after circling around Klamath Falls we got to the California border.  This made me think of the 5 oranges we had in our snack bag.  I asked T if we were going to go through a Calif. Inspection Station.  She said "yes, it's coming up soon."  So I started peeling oranges.  We managed  to peel and eat all the oranges, just in time.  I put the orang peels in the back as we pulled up to the station.  The inspector just smiled, waved at us and told us to have a nice day. 

Soon we were treated to views of Mt. Shasta.  You can see it for miles and miles.  Once we got near, T pulled off at a view site for pictures.  The mountain was mainly in the shadow.  As we drove on, we saw the west side of the mountain and it looked much better.  T stopped at the side of the road (without  coaching) and we got picttures of the "other" side of the mountain.

At Weed we turned onto I-5 and saw yet another side of the mountain. Hardly any snow at all on this side of the mountian.  Unusual for January.  T said they have a ski area on the mountain, but I doubt it is open.

Next point of interest (and evidence of drought) was Lake Shasta. Part of the lake looked like a dry river bed with a small creek running through.  The docks for the houseboats were very low.  We also noticed the brown hills (which T said should by green since this is the "wet season" for this area.

On to Redding.  We are staying with T's ex -mother-in-law, J.  She lives in an apartment overlooking the Sacramento River. Beautiful views.  We met t's son, C, for dinner.  Very enjoyable.

On to Benicia tomorrow after a hike along the river.

Pretrip: Battleground to Bend

Jim and I took off about noon hoping to hit the pass when it was above freezing.  The clouds disapated as we got close to Mt. Hood and it was sunny. No snow until we got near Government Camp. Then it became like a beautiful winter painting with a light dusting of snow delicately covering every needle of every tree.  Mt. Hood above the treeline was completely covered in white obscured by a few pesky clouds  (pesky because they are photographic distractions - like giant-sized dust in a pictrue).

Although the snow was beautiful, it was just a dusting and the snow level on the roadside (measured by those poles) was less than an inch.  The sun was blinding as it reflected off the snow.  Those of us west of the mountains sometimes forget how bright the sun can be.  As we got to the other side of the pass, the country changed dramatically.  We found ourselves in the high desert with a wonderful view of the backside of the Cascades.

We arrived in sunny Bend around 4 pm just as Teresa and Becker drove up.  Becker has trimmed down significantly.  T found a park where dogs can run free.  T also recently switched to an Android smartphone and has a gps app that can track her walking paths. So far she has tracked 32 miles, which means Becker has tracked at least twice that.  Becker is still hungry all the time, but T found a bowl with dividers in it which makes it difficult for him to wolf down his food.  He spends quite a bit of time at his food bowl now (where the food used to be gone in seconds)

T's daughter C and boyfriend E came over with pizza and we had good conversation about new jobs, bullets, and dream cars -- and of course the Super Bowl.  Jim left the next morning about noon hoping to beat the snow over the pass (he didn't quite make it--but no problems) and make it home to watch the Super Bowl in the privacy of his own DVR.

T and I took Becker to the park.  It is a beautiful high-desert area of state land in a one mile square.  Unlike west of the mountains the the area is arid with no trees to speak of--just bitterbrush, sandy soil, and rocks with a great view of the mountains in the background.  There are some dirt paths and roads but it is easy to go off trail.  You can't really get lost, but it was a good feeling to know T's app knew exactly where we were (and where the car was).

Then it was off to a super bowl party in Tollgate (just south of Black Butte Ranch near Sisters.  The Seahawks fans seemed to outnumber the disheartened Bronco fans (at least they were louder).  All sides lost interest about third quarter and headed for the snack table and the pool table in the "man cave."  Was a great group of people and a lot of fun (at least if you liked the Seahawks.)

As we headed home in the dark we discovered it was snowing.  It is rather eerie at night to see the white streaks coming at you in the windshield.  We drove slowly and the snow stopped before Bend.  We woke this morning to a carpet of snow (about half an inch).

I ventured out for a picture just as the cat decided to roll in the snow.  Evidently there is an artic "blast" (not sure how that is different than a "vortex") headed our way.  It is supposed to hit just as we leave town.  Good timing and let's hope a good omen for our trip.  We are packing and getting ready and will hit the road tomorrow heading to Redding.

Upcoming trip to Tucson in Feburary. Stay tuned.

HOME: 218.3 miles; 3:30

We gassed up and stated at 6:25 ( a new record) while it was still dark.  During the night we had heard a mystery noise from the folks upstairs.  Thankfully it stopped at bed time.  This morning the mystery was solved as we saw the couple upstairs packing out and saw their teenaged son come out with a basketball.

The rain had stopped and we followed the familiar path along the Columbia River home and noted that we live in one of the most scenic areas of the country.

The Columbia River Gorge goes from arid, treeless hills to our familiar tall tree forests just after The Dalles.  We saw boats on the river and a lot of people fishing for Chinook salmon.

We stopped at Multnomah Falls to stretch out legs, enjoy the view and take some pictures, and then headed home.

It's been a great trip from Moose Drool Beer in Montana to Bison on the road in Yellowstone to the white sands of Pensacola to the winds of Winslow, Arizona.  Lots of good memories.  The only thing we left behind was a bag of boiled peanuts in G&K's fridge.

Day 26: Pendleton, OR: 373.5 miles; 5:30.

We started out at 7:35.  Miss Direction plotted a straight path (no turns at all) to Pendleton.  We passed through Idaho's farmland an potato fields.  The landscape looks flat here, but that is deceiving because the Snake River has carved a canyon through this area called the Snake River Gorge.  This becomes evident at Twin Falls (pop. 44,125; elev. 3,745).  There is a bridge over the gorge at the north end of town.  According to the AAA Guide Evel Knievel "attempted" to leap across the canyon in 1974.  Jim said, "he made it."  I wondered...

The bridge is reputedly the only US location where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit.  No thank you.  Shoshone Falls, just to the northeast, plunges more than 212 feet and is known as the Niagra of the west.  However, it is downstream from an irrigation project and can be DRY during droughts.

We noted on the news as we were having breakfast at the motel that other states were opening some of their larger and more popular national parks and landmarks.  We passed the exit for Fossil Beds National Monument and Minidoka National Historic Site (WWII Japanese relocation camp).  We doubted they were open and went on.

Although the windshield remains clear, we have run into flies.  Had several in the room and they seem to be thick in Pendleton as well.

We passed by Glenns Ferry (pop. 1,319; elev. 2,560 feet).  We are on the Oregon Trail now having left Route 66 back in Arizona.  Glenns Ferry is where wagon trains were forced to ford the Snake River from early 1840's until 1869 when the ferry began to operate.

We are now in semi-arid hilly country.  No trees to speak of.   As we got closer to Boise, the land flattened out and we saw signs waring us of "frequent high winds."  We passed the Hammett exit for Bruneau Dunes State Park where the wind-blown sands collected in this swale for 15,000 years of relatively constant winds have formed what is said to the the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America.

We passed Mountain Home (pop. 14,206) and wondered, "Where are the mountains?"  The town is on flat ground with some Arbuckle-type hills in the background.

We were getting close to Boise now so I looked it up.  It has a population of 205,671 and an elevation of 2,736 feet.  It is known as the "City of Trees."  That is because the French-Canadian trappers who worked in this area were grateful to reach a forest again after trudging across the semi-arid plains.  So we started looking for trees.  About 10 miles out of town, we spotted our first tree.

These are short trees, just peaking over the cement wall along the freeway.  Boise does have a lot of trees and they are showing off their fall colors.  As we get into town, the road widens to 8 lanes and driving through town is a breeze (of course, it is Saturday).  The only thing missing was an HOV/Toll lane.

Then as we leave Boise, the trees disappear again and we are back to arid country.  We passed a sign announcing the 'Snake River Valley Wine Region." We are 34 miles from Oregon and Jim says, "it smells like home." Soon we crossed the Snake River into Oregon.

We immediately got to Ontario (pop. 11,366; elev. 2,153 feet) which is in an agricultural belt along the Snake River.  About 20 miles later we hit the Pacific Time Zone and gained an hour.

Next town of note was Baker City on the Oregon Trail.  Gold was discovered here in 1861.  The city experienced several gold rush booms and was known for staying up late, rowdy saloons, dance halls and red-light districts.  Many historic buildings of that era remain.  Baker City was voted one of 6 most beautiful small towns in America by Rand McNally and USA Today in 2011 and 2012.

The scenic drive from Baker City to Pendleton takes you through the Blue Mountains and an exciting 6 miles of 6% grade as you approach Pendleton.  It rained all the way (feels like home.)

Pendleton has a population of 16,612 and an elevation of 1,068 (after that drop out of the mountains). The True West Magazine voted Pendleton the "Top True Western Town" in 2011.  It is known for the Pendleton Roundup Rodeo which has been held every September since 1910.

We went to the Pendleton Woolen Mill to look at all their beautiful designs, then headed to the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, a wonderful museum put together by the local tribes.  That was for me. Jim sat in the car and listened to his football games. Then we went off to the motel and some TV football for Jim.

We will be home tomorrow.

Day 25: Burley, Idaho: 469.6 miles; 6:39

At breakfast we overheard a conversation:  "Is Zion open?"  "Yes, or it will be soon."  So we went back to the room and turned on the TV.  Turns out the Utah Governor made a deal with congress and will be opening 5 National Parks in Utah.  Utah will pay the employees until the government gets their act together.  They are hoping that after the shutdown they will be reimbursed.

Only question was WHEN are they going to open?  Looks like it won't be till Saturday.  And I'm guessing all those folks at Hoover Dam will descend on the park.  We tuned into 1610AM and they were still saying the park is closed, so we decided to head home. Should be an interesting development.  I wonder what the governor of Arizona will do?

So we started out at 7:45 and took the back roads back to the freeway.  It is definitely beautiful country, whether you are in the park or not.  And this was the early "magic" hour for photography.  We didn't get to Zion, but we caught a glimpse of Zion's beauty.

We love Utah.  The scenery is very photogenic and the speed limit is 80!  Jim sad that "Hurricane" means go like the wind.

We got back on the Interstate and soon came to Cedar City (pop. 28,857; elev. 5,840 feet).  This towns has pages of accommodations in the AAA guide -- much larger that you would expect from it's size.  The city was a mining center until 1920 and then, because of its proximity to the National Parks, became a tourist center.  They also host the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

We have noted since we hit the desert (New Mexico) that our windshield has remained clean.  No bug splatter to speak of.  Also, Jim noted that we have had virtually no roadkill.  (We were up to 10 deer, 1 raccoon, 2 possum, and an alligator head).  And the bug sounds have stopped, plus all the insect bites that I encountered in Texas have disappeared.  I realized that bugs were a way of life in Texas when I went to Walmart and discovered an entire isle labeled "itch relievers."

Rest areas in Utah seem to be a joint venture between Utah and Cheveron/Subway.  Signs inform you that this is a "public/private partnership."  You get off at a rest stop and end up at a Cheveron.  Works for me...  There was another interesting public/private partnership going on in Las Vegas.  There were  freeway signs that would tell you how long it takes to get to a specific destination  One of those destinations was the "Tropicana" Jim figured someone had paid for that.

We were at about 6.600 feet surrounded by 12,000 peaks.  This I-15 corridor was really scenic and remote.  I mentioned to Jim that soon we would be getting to civilization as we approached Provo.  He remarked that that was not a good term as the driving would be less civilized.  So I changed the term to "urbanity," or as Jim coined "urbananity."

We soon entered urbanity related to Provo (pop. 112,488; elev. 4,549 feet) home of Brigham Young University and an important industrial area for steel, pig iron, and foundry products.

We saw signs that were very confusing related to an HOV/toll lane.  It said that "2+" was "no toll" and every so often mentioned a toll -- usually 25 cents.  We got into the lane for a while and then got out (given our suspicion of toll roads from our experience in Texas).  We wondered how they collected the 25 cents with no toll booths.  It also mentioned an "Express Pass"  (reminding us of the "EZ-Pass" in Houston).

I got out the Samsung and looked it up.  Turns out that you buy a "transponder" and attach it to your windshield.  Detectors on the freeway determine that you traveled a certain leg of the freeway in the "toll" lane and automatically charge you.  The price change with the amount of traffic present from 25 cents up to a dollar per segment.  

Although confusing at first, this seems like a very easy system for tolls.  Houston take note!

We went through Salt Lake City (pop. 186,440; elev. 4,390 feet). Salt Lake City was founded by the Mormons and is in a spectacular setting at the foot of the Wasach Mountains with the Great Salt Lake to the northwest and the Great Salt Lake Desert to the west.  A nice setting for urbanity.

We continued into Ogden.  The HOV/Toll lane briefly stopped, then started up again until we got through Ogden.  Ogden (pop. 82,825; elev. 4,300 feet) is am important railroad distribution cneter for products headed to the West Coast.  It is also historical because the "golden spike" uniting the nation by rail was driven at Promotory, northwest of Ogden in 1869.  We passed the exit to this historic site, but since it is a "National Historic Site" concluded it was CLOSED.  So we drove on by.

After we left Ogden, urbanity just disappeared. Highway exits warned us of "no services."  The landscape changed as well as we headed towards Idaho.  There is an amazing contrast between the urban area of Salt Lake City and the relative desolate rural areas of the state.

The signs for Motels were now for distances of 100 miles.  We stopped at Snowville near the border with Idaho since they had "services", a lone gas station.  It was very crowded.  Then we headed on to Idaho.

The sign said, 'Welcome to Idaho."  That's all, no slogan.  We soon encountered a stretch of highway with no services and multiple signs warning us we were in a "dust storm area."  We knew about that from Winslow...

Then we saw a number of potato fields and  "potato trucks."  We must be in Idaho...

We stopped in Burley (pop. 10,345; elev. 4,165 feet).  Burley is along the Snake River and hosts the National Speedboat Races each June.

On to Oregon tomorrow.  We will be home soon.













meant "Go like the wind."

After we got back on the freeway we hit Cedar City (pop. 28,857; elev. 5,840 feet).

Day 24: Hurricane, UT: 450.4 miles; 7:26

We saw a sign about Interstate road closures on the freeway yesterday, but didn't get time to read it entirely, so I checked online and found a wonderful site listing traffic and construction sites.  I did not find any problems with I-17 south (which we planned to take to Sedona), but I discovered that highway 89 near Page, AZ was CLOSED.  Since that was our planned route, we had to make adjustments.

We were also questioning going to Sedona since the forecast called for rain all day.  The strong winds turned out to be associated with a large front passing through today.  It rained hard overnight and the sky to the west was looking ominous.  We couldn't avoid Flagstaff where they were predicting 2-4 inches of snow, but we thought we would go west and try to get through to the other side of the weather.

Note on Arizona time.  Right now it is the same as Pacific Time.  This confused us when we saw the clock in the room since according to the map, we do not get to Pacific time until we cross the border into Nevada.   I looked it up and found that: "Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, however, the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does observe daylight saving time."  Guess that explains things...

So we started off at 8:23 (7:23 AZ time). It had stopped raining and we planned to take exit 237 for Meteor Crater. I had called yesterday and their message was clear: We are not affiliated with the Federal Gov. WE ARE OPEN. So, finally something we could see. Then Jim said, "What time do they open?"  I looked it up and they open at 8AM (Arizona time) We didn't want to sit there for a half hour and it started raining again, so we went on.

The sky got darker and darker and then we saw a rainbow arched over the Interstate -- that has to be a good sign, right?  Then it turned into a double rainbow.  Then the sky darkened and it started to rain hard.

About 20 miles from Flagstaff, it started to snow.  Flagstaff (pop. 65,870; elev. 6,905 feet) is nestled in the mountains.  it was named by the locals in 1881.  The name referred to a tall pine tree that was stripped of its branches and used as a giant flagstaff during the city's 4th of July celebration in 1876.  The flagstaff was visible from afar and remained in place as a landmark for wagon trains.

Now it was really snowing and Jim broke out singing Christmas tunes.  "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas." To our minds the words "Arizona" and "snow" do not go together, but there they were.  We noticed that the trees were TALL again and dusted with snow. It reminded us Highway 26 over Mt. Hood.

We passed the exits for the Grand Canyon and then close to Seligman the snow just stopped.  The trees disappeared and we were back to desert country. 

The largest existing stretch of Historic Route 66 goes off from the Interstate at this point.  It is a 158 mile stretch of the original highway and it goes north from here then through Kingman and south.  Each year classic car buffs gather here and drive the old road.  Route 66 was the first completely paved national highway in the country and ran through the main street of most towns along the way.  It's nickname was "Main Street of America."

There were no rest stops along the highway, so we got off at Seligman and stopped at a Chevron station and found ourselves on "America's Main Street."

Back on the Interstate, we turned off at Kingman and took highway 93 north to Las Vegas.  It was a deserted, desert road with signs warning, "No services for 30 Miles."  About half way to Hoover Dam, we saw the turnoff for the "Grand Canyon Sky Bridge."  The Hualapai Tribe built the "Sky Bridge" on reservation land in 2007.  It extends 70 feet out from the canyon rim and is suspended 4,000 feet above the canyon floor and the Colorado River.  It weighs 1.2 million pounds and is unquestionably an architectural wonder.  The views were described as "jaw-dropping."  Even though this was one of the few attractions in the area open during the government shutdown, Jim said there was "NO WAY" we were going there.  

We went past the White Hills ghost town and saw a sign inviting you to shoot a 50-caliber machine gun at a shooting range 30 miles down the road.  The scenery was becoming colorful with yellow wildflowers and singular Joshua trees.  As we entered the Lake Mead National Recreation Area we entered the west end of the Grand Canyon.  The views were spectacular.

We went over a bridge and around a few curves until we got to the Hoover Dam exit.  We had seen people walking along the side of the bridge, so we suspected that this Federal area just might be open.  And it was.  We parked at the area for the "bridge walk."  Jim stayed with the car and I took the camera and started up the stairs towards the bridge.  It was crowded and lots of non-English languages were spoken.  I figured that all the poor foreign travelers that came to this country to find out our national parks were closed must be here. 

 The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge on US 93 links Arizona and Nevada.  The Bridge is arched, 1,00 feet long, made of concrete and steel.  The bridge was opened in 2010 to replace the 2-lane part of highway 93 that actually took the traffic over the top of the dam in the past causing quite a bottleneck.  The bridge includes a 6-ft wide pedestrian sidewalk.

Hoover Dam is 726 feet high (6 stories).  It is one of the highest dams ever constructed. It was built during the Depression (1931-33) in an Art Deco-style 

Once back on the highway, we entered Nevada and immediately ran into a casino.  We went through Boulder City (pop. 15,023; elev. 2,501 ft.) known as "the town that built Hoover Dam."  It sprang from the desert in 1931.  We found ourselves on the Interstate again and in the outskirts of Las Vegas.  The contrast between the remote countryside in Arizona and this busy, urban area was huge.  What a difference a border makes.

Miss Direction got us through Las Vegas in one piece and we headed east through the desert, back to Arizona.  The Nevada countryside was desert and stark, broken by the view of mountains in the distance.  By the time we got to Arizona, we were back in the mountains and Grand Canyon Country.  Then we hit Utah and the landscape changed again with red cliffs.  Beautiful country.  

We ended up in Hurricane, Utah for the night.  This is a nice little town about 12 miles off the freeway on the way to Zion National Park (which remains closed.) The town was named after the "Hurricane Fault" rising 7,000 feet above the town.  We had dinner at Sonny Boy's BBQ which was awarded the "Best BBQ in the State" award in 2013.  I'm not sure that Utah is known for its BBQ, but it was quite good.  

We are heading north towards home tomorrow.