An Almost Sunny Sunday

The weather's been great so far. Thursday was chilly with much wind, but Friday felt like spring! It was sunny & warm...maybe mid 40s, but in the direct sun felt like 60!
However, I decided to prepare for the so called rainy season & bought a rain/snowboarding jacket Friday. Great sale at this womens' sports store called Signal in the Pearl district. The sales staff is excellent there; they do know their stuff! Will definitely shop there again.

And so it rained all day Saturday. Out walking the dogs in this steady rain I did stay warm & dry in my new jacket! Today it did start out overcast, but after lunch the sun came out with a few clouds & that lovely blue sky.

Above are a couple of pictures I took of our walk to the "dog" park that sits just above the industrial area that I posted Thursday. Notice how green the grass is for January. I've been also taking pictures of gardens, landscaping which I'll start posting tomorrow. There are so really great yards & gardens around the neighborhood.

Neighborhood Photos

I'm posting again today even though the 2 earlier ones were written and composed last night.
About 2 blocks from my place is this bluff on the river with the docks, industrial area below. Everything, even in January, is very lush & green. Note the moss in the "street sign" on the sidewalk. It's been cold here-10s, 20s & 30s, but everyone, grateful for the sunshine & not rain, is out running, walking, biking.
It was beautiful this morn with a pink hue over the river and the hills. The University of Portland is located on the bluff on the right above the river. In the hills across the river, is this gigantic city park, Forest Park (5,000 acres & 30 miles of trails). Driving along the bluff & over the beautiful St John's Bridge, it's just a mere 4 miles from my abode.

Gorge Pictures

These are images taken along the Columbia River. The first of Louisa is at a park -sunny, but slightly overcast. The second is looking down river; the bridge is a railroad drawbridge. This one was just taken moments later -overcast, gloomy, foggy. When we got to Full Sail, the rain stopped & this incredible rainbow hung over the river.

Wednesday's post

Whew! Have finished unpacking & the moving company came to pick up the empty boxes today. Such a nice feeling to be done- of sorts. A few things need to be better organized, but I just needed to have things put away. I'm going to try to hang pictures this weekend & then I'll post photos of my very cute place. I love the neighborhood-very diverse, for Portland, I think. It's an older established neighborhood on a river bluff that looks down over the docks. Very industrial! Anyway, it a mix of old, young, middle aged and many different races, too. The houses are bungalows & almost everyone here gardens and it's sooo green!

Am loving it here! Every afternoon, I've been trying to explore some new areas-either by foot, bike or car. I'll be posting a bit each day as I've suddenly amassed many photos. It's been cold & sunny ALL week, but is supposed to rain this weekend. Tomorrow, I'll be downtown and hope to snap some photos there too, if I'm out of work in time. 

Here are a few pictures that I took in the Columbia river gorge on the way into Portland.

First of all, my lovely car- yes, that's duct tape & a bungee cord. Didn't want to say anything earlier as to not worry anyone. My car is older, but I've had company cars/trucks for the last several years, so this has really been the "dog" car. Paul's Volvo checked it out before this massive road trip & pronounced it in great shape..in fact, it just crossed 200,000 miles. Mark was worried that he'd have to buy me a car along the way, but I knew my "tank" of a car would make it & do just fine. However, we needed to check fluids on a cold engine in Wyoming, but the weather was really cold-in the 20s. Mark could not get the hood open that morn. So when we stopped for gas a bit out of town, I tried it & got it open. Weirdly, the inside latch felt loose after popping it & THEN the hood would not completely close! I did need some oil, but with the winds at 50-70mph, I wish I hadn't opened it! Mark thought quickly, purchased the cord & duct tape and we were on our way. And it held beautifully through the tough drive.

When I arrived in Portland, I made Mark take off the duct tape. I didn't want to look like the Beverly Hillbillies or anything coming into town! Christie's husband, Pete has a way with vehicles & he thought maybe the cable had broke and said he thought he could fix it. I called a Volvo repair shop about the part AND this is why I love Volvos-especially the 240. Told the mechanic what happened & possible issue. He then asked the model & the latch COLOR. Told me to take off the cord, pull the latch down all the way and  push it up as far as it would go. Then get out & slam the hood as hard as I could. Ohmygosh, perfectly fixed! The mechanic said that this is an issue with the cable on really cold days on an older Volvo and it happens a lot. Whew!

The next pictures are on the gorge & are taken within minutes of each other to show you how the weather will be sunny & then overcast & foggy. Lastly, it was raining as we approached Hood River and then cleared off as we got into town. The rainbow came out as we were eating at Full Sail microbrewery. Beautiful!!

I can't seem to update the images. Will post those later. ugh!

Snow Face

Louisa loves digging her face into the snow.  She is the snow queen!

Dogs in Snow

These are taken in Ogden, Utah which had received a foot of fresh snow the day before our arrival. Snow is Henry & Louisa's favorite weather and for me fun entertainment after a long day's drive. Enjoy the pictures of my banshees!

Saturday & Sunday & Monday

Sorry that I just dropped of the face of the earth as soon as I landed in pdx (Portland)! Thanks for all your calls & emails. I'm still trying to catch up.

I'm going to keep this going a bit longer just to let my family & any interested friends know of my whereabouts, adventures, whatnots! And I do promise more pictures posted soon. My head is still not above water, so to speak.

Oh, and I'll just post Wednesdays & Sundays from now on...well, unless something crazy & earth shattering happens!

Anyway, here goes:

We headed out of Pendleton fairly early &  I found out that the moving truck got caught up in some bad weather near Salt Lake City & they would be delayed until Sunday. So we decided to take our time traveling along the Columbia River gorge.  The scenery is breath takingly gorgeous - full of mountains, water, birds & wildlife. We stopped along the river at a park near The Dalles & let the dogs play. Then we stopped in Hood River to have a beer & food at Full Sail Brewery. Hadn't been there since my trip with Kit many moons ago. The town is more updated, more resort like feel than the old days, but Full Sail was still the same. The weather again was off & on rain, but we hit sunshine in Hood River, although it was too cloudy to see the mountain. We also stopped at the Multnomah Falls (see picture). It plummets 620 feet from its orgins on Larch Mt. making it the 2nd highest year round waterfall in the USA. Very cool to see. It was more powerful than when I saw it last summer. Water spray was all over us before we got to the landing.

My friends Christie & Pete invited us to their home in Vancouver, WA for homemade pizza on the grill-yum! It was great & great to see them & lil' Eli, their son. They also gave us some camping gear for the night to camp out at the apt. as I couldn't leave the dogs there in a new empty place by themselves! By the way, the dogs traveled exceptionally well. Louisa more so than Henry, which was surprising. She, only late Friday afternoon & parts of Saturday morn, started her anxious panting. I think she was just done.

AND my new place is great! Awesome neighborhood! It is 2 blocks from the river on this huge bluff with cafes, coffee shop & sushi, just a block away. There are 3 parks nearby & it's only 4 blocks to the MAX train, downtown- maybe 5 minutes. I didn't even know about this area at all...just lucked into it. Yes, it is all is very good.

The movers came Sunday morn & were gone by noon. Mark & I went downtown for food and beers at Bridgeport Brewery & then I showed him downtown a bit. We went to the REI store which is awesome...a bit like Bean in Maine. Later after walking the dogs, we went back downtown to Henry's for more food & yep, a few more local brews. Henry's has a HUGE selection of all brews. Quite impressive & really good food. 

Monday, Mark was supposed to fly out in the am. Took him to the Doug Fir for breakfast (Karie, is this all bringing back memories??), but Portland, MAINE got 12 inches of snow in just a few hours & the airport was closed...so he stayed another day. Probably seriously tired of me, but he was quite a trooper. I need to start unpacking, so he went downtown for awhile.

And today, he left and I'm still unpacking, but the bedroom & kitchen are almost done and just started on the main room. Will be VERY glad once I'm settled in.

Y'all come visit!

Day 6- Gliding through the mts

We left Ogden in a bit of a fog, but good weather.  In fact, except for a few showers here & there, the weather was great all the way.

Into Idaho, the landscape changed & it was a bit more like Wyoming. The mountains became rounder and there was a lot of flat prairie.

Mark had been to Twin Falls to see a ski buddy, Kenny Templeton and talked to me about skiing there. Mark goes skiing when he can in Maine and Idaho was his first ski visit west. There are many differences in the east & the west- the icy conditions  & groomed trails east, fresh powder & the higher altitudes west. The fog definitely was a different skiing condition for him. He said you'd be on top of the mountain in fog, not being able to see below and then skiing down, suddenly the whole mountain & valley would open up below with glorious views. Quite exciting for him.

We arrive in Portland tomorrow & are staying in Pendleton, OR tonight. There is no time to tour here as we plan to take our time driving the Columbia river to see the views, but I will come back here to visit. Pendleton is a real cowboy historic town just several hours west of Portland! It's part of the Oregon trail.

The Pendleton Woolen Mills are located here, the Pendleton Roundup is held in Sept. (billed as the USA's best rodeo!) and they have these fascinating underground tunnels that were dug by the Chinese between 1870 & 1930. They ran their businesses underground-ice plants, laundries, butcher shops as well as illegal saloons, bordellos and opium dens. Anyway, loads to see!

Can't wait to be in Portland tomorrow. Had fun on the road, but ready to just be there.

Day 5- Hard Driving Day

I need to add pictures, I know, but yesterday the internet service was crappy at the hotel. We had a long day driving yesterday & I'm trying to post things quickly to get back on the road. We'll be in Portland mid day tomorrow-yea!

I'm behind on answering emails...will try to catch up soon!

Wyoming is full of huge wind gusts. We avoided snowy weather, but the gusts were 50-70mph with slick conditions in some places. Although the speed limit was 75, we barely drove over 60.

Deep snow was everywhere blowing across the highways..not actual snow drifts, but just snow "wind" so to speak. We saw 2 over turned tractor trailer trucks. We took our time crossing Wyoming. That said, it's a beautiful state! We inched up the mountains to the Continental Divide & Basin & then as we left the state inched down in Utah.

Wyoming has these amazing hills. They do not look like the craggy mountains you see north in the Rockies. We saw wind turbines everywhere..huge white sculptures! I know there's a lot of controversy about them covering the landscape, but I have to say, they're way more attractive than power lines!  We took pictures.. I'll post soon. Mark who is into this new type of alternative power noticed that these turbines were Spanish. The only bad thing is that the wind gusts were so strong, the turbines were not turning. They evidently turn them off when the gusts are too high. It's interesting to see how they are spaced, placed on these hills. I'd like to know a little more about the science of all of that. And one more thing about Nebraska- they are replacing all the power lines to a new type to carry more energy & more alternative energy quickly & efficiently from these rural areas to major cities. Those power lines were of a very interesting design as well.

Utah, by far, is the MOST beautiful state yet! The Rockies here are huge & blue & white & craggy. As soon as you were out of Wyoming, they were there rising up like huge cakes! 

We saw elk! Mark spotted a bull elk on the side of the mountain & being a Maine-er thought it was a moose. It was huge & magnificent! A little below were a mother & older calves just right there on the mountain side & interstate. We saw lots of wildlife, mostly deer. It was great to see! I'm happy to be in Utah.

I'm going to take pictures this morn as our hotel is at the base of these gorgeous mountains. Yesterday, I took a few, but it was a bit dark as we were near dusk.

Snow, fresh snow is everywhere. The dogs went nuts last night! Snow & snowballs are their favorite things. Mark couldn't believe how wild they got. Pure entertainment!

Day 4-I'm not in Kansas anymore...

I actually never was in Kansas, just Kansas City, MO. Nice town as I've visited there before.

The weather continued to be very nice...cold with sunny skies. I mis-mapped out the route though. Very long day-very long drive from KC to Cheyenne, but the dogs took it in stride. We were all glad to get to the hotel. Snow was on the ground everywhere, so they had a good romp.

North of KC is gorgeous. Beautiful farms, nice rolling landscape! The farms there are in clusters against the hills and then roll out to the fields. When the trains go by, you can totally imagine how Jesse James came out of those hills & robbed trains as they got to a bend. Although I think he did most of his dirty work in Iowa, not his home state. Sadly about every other farm was abandoned- all the buildings were still standing like in a ghost town. They are well planned with a brick Victorian house & several barns in sort of a circle at the base of the house. The architecture, even for the barns is very Victorian. Very nice view as you're driving along.

At one of the working farms, we spotted a bald eagle! Huge bird & beautiful!

And another odd thing, we spotted the highway dept at work on the pot holes...loads on these highways. It was a very funny unsafe scene. The dump truck was parked on the side of the interstate. One guy watches for traffic while the other guy grabs some hot asphalt, runs to the pothole, dumps it in & pats it down and then they both run back to the truck! Hilarious & dangerous! We saw this system at work TWICE on the interstate in 30 some degree weather!

We breezed through Iowa,,,didn't see much except a housing developments rising out of the prairie complete with Walmart, Target & Home Depot! I wanna know how they found this place out in the middle of nowhere & what do they do for work & fun?

Nebraska is a big state! It felt like it went forever. Looks very much like parts of Wyoming & Montana. Very western in feel. I loved watching the long colorful trains cross the prairie. You just don't see that kind of scene in the east. There's no wide space like those! I liked the state. Very nice open feel.

Day Three in the Midwest

Okay, I'm a day late with this one, but yesterday was a hard day weather wise. It actually turned out to be good weather, but the threats of tornadoes & hail storms around St. Louis kept me on my toes. It started out windy & overcast, then some rain, but luckily no wind! Amazingly, at every rest stop, the rain stopped so I could let the pups run.

While the landscape bordering the highway though Illinois & Indiana was pretty drab (mostly due to the rain & overcast skies), my pups discovered prairie fields. Usually one was behind a rest stop & they ran like banshees through the fields. They absolutely loved the tall grass & open spaces. Both dogs are doing well with the ride. Surprisingly, Louisa more so than Henry as I was prepared to give her drugs. Henry seems tentative when we stop, while Louisa is genuinely excited about all the new sights & smells.

When we arrived in St Louis, the sun came out on the Arch. I called my friend Karie to share with her that I'd finally cross the Mississippi into the west. Very exciting! And I'd forgotten that St Louis is the home of Budweiser beer. Dewey, I thought of you and thanks much for the road snacks! Actually, let me say thanks to everyone that gave me & the pups road goodies. Much appreciated! Proper thank yous for all the gifts, dinners, cocktails & parties will go out after I land in Portland, but wanted to say "thank you" now!

It rained again after leaving St Louis on & off all the way to Kansas City. Then again right at the KC city limits, blue, blue skies appeared & it was crisp air-36 degrees! I called my brother in law Mark to let him know that flying in that night should be a breeze. We stayed near the airport & there was this brand new sports complex right behind it. Took the dogs there to run. Was really great-sunny & breezy! Then went to pick up some beer & Mark later that eve.

I'm very thankful for the good weather after all those horrible reports. I did feel someone was looking out for me yesterday. And today (Wednesday) the weather continues to be just great. My parents worry that since I'm not a church goer that I may end up in hell or something, but mom & dad, you raised me well. I am spiritual, but private & let my prayers reflect my thanks & generally guide me. I know that I am a very lucky girl in all aspects!

Anyway, on to post Day 4! Mark's driving us across the plains of Nebraska. Glad to have someone to help me...especially to catch up on some things!

Day Two

So far, the weather's been awesome-so far! It's 60s, 70s, breezy! We stopped a fair amount yesterday as the landscape was rather boring, but the weather so very nice. The pups are adjusting to the drive well, but still not liking staying in a hotel.

Before I go on about yesterday's drive, I must re-visit West VA as it gets such a bad rap! I'm still in awe of the Dupont facility-all the white pipes, ramps, cross walks, bulbs in an otherwise dark, grungy town. There are also these amazing steel bridges everywhere..all sorts of shapes. I love bridges & it's nice graphic art in that landscape. I wish I could stop & take pictures, but there's never a good "pull over" stop.

And Huntington, home of Marshall College (for those of you that saw the "We Are Marshall" movie) , is a beautiful town. We went to Ritter Park before heading out and it was a lovely area. It reminded me of Richmond. The area was like the fan with this creek & park running thru the center. The houses were of the Ginter Park era- all very nice! Everyone was out walking dogs, running & biking as the weather was incredible. Anyway, I was impressed, especially after yesterday's mundane drive.

Kentucky and Indiana have nice rolling hills, but pretty bland view, at least, from the interstate.

Ok, it wasn't all bad...as you get close to Lexington, the view changes dramatically with all the gigantic horse farms. One thing that stood out are the barns. In eastern Kentucky, the barns are like children's drawings of houses. "A" shape roof, rectangle body with a different sort of construction from what I could see. They weren't painted, but covered with some dark coating. They were skinny with one opening & sometimes 3 stories tall. What looked so different is that they had siding/shingles that were hung vertically-3 rows & the bottoms of each row jutted out a bit..maybe to do with the weather?? A lot of these sadly were falling down.

 Then the barns looked more like what you see in Virginia- very traditional & then whoa- the horse barns. They looked like churches with all their steeples or maybe the old style schoolhouses...they were huge & white & pristine. It was lush & green there as they've had lots of rain- ponds were overflowing, creeks full.

Louisville was pretty neat -again loads of cool bridges. Saw the Galt House on the river where my parents stayed for a Dairy convention, I believe. I remembered they loved their stay there.

And a very lit up Joe's Crab Shack on the waterfront. Now I wanna know what kind of crabs are in the Ohio River???

Then the flat landscape started again...loads of trucks on the roads...not many towns after Louisville.

Now I'm really weather watching...bad rain storms are around St Louis, but after that, all looks good! Am picking up my very fun brother in law , Mark, at the Kansas City airport tonight. He's been gracious enough to fly from Portland, MAINE to ride with me to Portland, OR. Or did he have a gun put to his head? My family did not want me traveling by myself, so I'm not sure what transpired, but I'm very grateful!

On the Road- Day One

First Day on the Road was just a test day for the pups.

We just drove about 5 hours to Huntington W. Va with frequent stops...about every 1.5 hours.

From Roanoke, we drove through Hokie Country. I've never spent a lot of time there and never thought much about it...BUT just on the other side are these beautiful horse farms on rolling hills. Gorgeous countryside! The route takes you over parts of the New River as well.

Then we climbed into the mountains of West Virginia...parts of it are like the awful jokes that you hear & parts are just beautiful.

We crossed the New River & there was this huge power plant on the river. It was a vintage 50s or 60s building & it was really stunning just coming around the bend. Not that I any advocate at all of huge plants on rivers, but I saw some amazing ones- architecturally speaking. There was a Dupont plant on the Skitts creek, I believe, just outside of Charleston and it took up a 1/2 mile of creek front. It was so sculptural though that it was just a spectacular site! Growing up in rural Virginia on a farm, I didn't see many industrial areas & I must admit that I'm sorta fascinated by it.

There were many naturally beautiful sites, too near the ski resorts. Loads of steep hill climbs there. And a really weird observation...every Oklahoma vehicle was a Lexus SUV and I saw a lot of them. So Kerry, what's up with that? Are there special discounts on Lexus in your home state? If so, I need to let my dad know. He's sorry that he let his sedan go and would like another one.

Right outside of Charleston, just before the gold dome comes into view, are beautiful homes on the river...looks like Beaufort, SC, but don't look right as it's a rather scruffy area. This is generally what I found the views like in West VA- beautiful & scruffy.

Anyway, the dogs rode well in the car. They hated the hotel though..too many unfamiliar noises. Louisa hide under the desk at one point. It wasn't loud or anything, just different!