This is amazing!

Hiking isn't my most favorite thing to do. I like walking, but hiking, seems a bit more like a chore to me at times, but hiking the gorge is a whole other story. I t i s s o b e a u t i f u l!

There is no 'chore' about it; the waterfalls, the green, lush undergrowth, the giant trees that make you get a crick in your neck just to lean back and try to view the tops. I give you some pictures from our hike yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!

The Latourell Falls

Upper Latourell Falls

Eliot enjoying the base of the Latourell Falls.

Road Trip Mis-Adventures!

Bright and early Sunday morning we pull our two vehicles away from our familiar neighborhood toward our long journey to Oregon. We made plans to stop at my brother's house, Jene, in Healdsburg (just North of San Fran) for the night. Everything was going along smoothly until Lily tried to open the door of the U-haul truck while on the freeway. Of course, it's just enough to be ajar where she can't shut it. We pull off to get that taken care of; Eric pulls over to the curb in a neighborhood area, shuts the door, jumps back in, and drives around a corner... into a dead end! Forty-five minutes later, after disconnecting the pop-up tent trailer, turning it around manually, and reconnecting it, we're on the road again.

We're zipping along, traffic is good and Jene has told us the best way to go is over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge which is best for such a long vehicle (U-haul with trailer behind.) We pull up to the toll booth (Jene forgot to ask us if we had money for the toll!) and the combined amount for both vehicles is $10.00! Well, that would have been okay but for the fact that we didn't have that much by 7 pm that night. I'd gotten plenty of money for the trip and then remembered that I needed to leave cash for the housekeepers who were coming to the house the next day - so I left most of my cash that I'd carefully planned to have for the trip at home for them. Eric almost got a ticket for failure to pay the toll but one of the other toll booth attendants noticed his dilemma and piped in that someone had just left $4.00 extra for anyone who might need it and he could use it. Moral of this story: Carry enough cash for surprises, or, don't use the San Rafael bridge!

We arrive safely on our first night of travel in Healdsburg at Jene and Anne's. Our next leg is to Grant's Pass, Oregon. We are traveling with our cat, who fortunately, seems to have acclimated really well to travel and by now is crawling around the whole car investigating. Her favorite place became my lap or Lily's. We stop at Confusion Hill to investigate on the way and also, one of the only Redwood trees around that you can still drive thru.

The rest of the trip is uneventful (Thank you!) and we arrive in Troutdale around 4 pm on Tuesday. One of Eric's co-workers at his new job comes by after work and helps unload the heavy stuff into the house. What a blessing!

"How Nice": Reflections on Oregon

Well, we've arrived and just this Sunday I finally saw it rain! That's almost a week without rain. So, for those unfamiliar with Oregon I post these random impressions of things that are "Oh, how nice!" moments that we're having.

How nice... when the gas station attendant rushed around to my window, took my card, and pumped my gas for me.

How nice... when he told me it was only $3.23 per gallon!

How nice... when he thanked me for being patient with him since he was new (and he said ma'am too!)

How nice... to have random people we've met who've found out we've moved from California say, "Welcome to Oregon!"

How nice... to drive a mere ten minutes down the road and be able to stand under the mist of a gorgeous waterfall after a short walk among lush, green undergrowth and towering pine trees.

How nice... to have Eric be able to come home for lunch each day since his works so close to home.

How nice... to have found a good Mexican restaurant so far from the border!

How nice... to be able to still connect with friends and family so far away now via the internet and cell phones.