Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR

Day 4
Lewiston, ID to The Dalles, OR
Lots and lots and lots of wineries in the valleys in the Columbia River basin. No, we did not stop for samples, how would you choose? In the photo above I was trying to show how much of the land they use for crops. The machinery is much different, mostly so that they won’t fall off the hillsides while harvesting.
Into the Columbia River scenic areas on I-84, stopping at the Marysville Museum. On top of the hill on the Washington side of the river was originally built to be a home, but before its completion was turned into an art gallery. The owner/builder Sam Hill was the one who decided there should be roads through the Columbia Gorge. He had a lot of famous friends, including Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Queen Marie of Romania who donated furniture, gowns, wedding presents and a crown that appear in his collection.
There is also a replica of Stonehenge that serves as a Veteran’s Memorial just down the road.

And yes, it was a clear day and you could actually SEE Mt. Hood in the distance at the front of the museum, although it was very hot and humid so it is hard to see from this photo.

Missoula to Lewiston, ID

Day 3
Missoula to Lewiston, ID by way of Lo Lo Pass. The rivers of course are very high and good for whitewater and as you can see in the photos. We caught a glimpse of a kayak going down some very rough water and he did it perfectly. As you can see in the last photo, he almost disappears in the water because it is churning so much.
On Lo Lo pass we stopped at many sites, but the most interesting to me was the old growth cedar trees. I
tried to show how large they really are by outstretching my arms, but you really have to see it to believe it.
Okay, there was a sign that was similar to the one above, the yellow “Curves ahead” sign. Underneath the curves, it said next 60 miles. They lied, it was more like 150 miles of driving much like going from Banner to Story! I was exhausted after all of the day’s driving.
Oh, did I mention the tick Mom pulled out of my head?

Livingston to Missoula

Day 2
Livingston to Missoula we stopped in Butte at the Visitor’s Center for a break and then took a driving tour of the historic homes on the mountain. Gold and silver were the reason for the town, and a lot of the original buildings are still there scattered with some new ones to replace those destroyed in fires through the years. I was amazed how many old buildings and mining remnants are still there after all the years, and what a large town it is.

Memorial Day thoughts from the road

Memorial Day - Big Horn Battlefield
Well, we started this Northwest trek this morning. We headed north to Montana and decided since it was Memorial Day to stop at the Big Horn Battlefield. All the memorials were decorated with flags and the Montana wind was blowing them gracefully to a fro, it was moving sight. As you can see by the photos, many were decorated with flowers. There are some very recent additions, unlike my impression that the battlefield held only memorials from the battle held there.
Having visited the traveling Vietnam Memorial last weekend in Sheridan and now this memorial ground today it reminds me just how many lives have purchased our freedom.
Please take a minute today to pray for soldiers you may know no matter where they are serving.
Wyoming soldiers Miles Kehr, Zach Jerry, Mike Flanders and Jason Meyer are four Buffalo area soldiers currently deployed in the Middle East. Thank you for keeping them in mind!
Tomorrow we head for Missoula, the mountains are snow covered and lovely!
Wendy and Sandra