Clarion Hotel And Conference Center Yakima

We made it out of Weippe...hanging onto the last sliver of liver we had left. And we've begun the final leg of the journey home. Home? Loose word since we're going to a city that i've barely been to, to a house we don't have, without a job. It's a weird feeling calling a place home that you dont know anything about. But that's what it's going to be for the next 6 ...

... we are planning to move to. I cannot wait to see what that part of the world is like. I have never been any closer than Orlando and that was just for two days during a business thing (I worked for a company that manufactured those bouncy houses for kids parties and we had a convention, LOL). I wonder if we will have time to pick out any presents ...

... closing, so they invited us to dry camp on their lot for the night. This worked out perfectly. The lot was big and we parked next to a large grassy area with trees. They took our coach at 7:30 am, changed the filter, and had us on our way by 8:15 am. You should have seen the amount of dirt in the air filter. It was an accumulation of all those gravel roads in British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska.

... like Lola...she's wonderful!

3. GPS's can be wrong especially George....said with a spanish accent.....even if you're nice to them and say good night everytime you turn him off.

4. If you're about to run out of gas and you're going downhill in Idaho...you may want to run in and out as Mr. Personality who runs the gas station sort of looks like he's sizing you up to take your kidney!

5. If you're going to drive across the country ...

... a couple bags of dried cherries. A little further ways down we bought some Ranier cherries and a peach from a roadside stand.

Sunnyside seemed like the perfect place to stop for lunch, especially as the the Dairygold Dairy was giving tours and offering sandwiches for purchase along with their cheeses and ice cream. It was a nice break with a chance to ...

... we headed up to a place where we could taste a sampling of Washington wines from the porch of an old villa with fantastic views over gently rolling hills planted in vines and fruit trees, and marmots. Pure misery, as dad would say.

Back in town, we enjoyed an authentic Italian meal at a place called the Olive Garden. The menu said all its chefs trained in Italy, and we believed it.

N.

... was not ours to take. As we headed out of the park, we headed toward the Yakima Valley. In search of drier and warmer weather I was sad to leave Mt Rainier but anxious to dry out a bit. The prospects of wine touring didn't hurt either! The Yakima Valley is filled with small farming towns and tourist spots. Fruit stands are everywhere and ...

... out, just the two of them. We took the boys to a Bob Evans restaurant out near the Interstate. They were surprisingly well behaved. it was a pleasant evening. These guys are sharp, very quick witted, and eager to demonstrate the fact.

... Times have changed. The Lewis and Clark group spent months living off the land, totally self sufficient except for a female Indian guide, Sacajaewa. And only a few years ago most any young man could make minor auto repairs, even overhaul an engine. Today, most only know how to pump gas and run the tires off a vehicle. I stopped long enough to trim off the damaged portion of the hose and reclamp it to the radiator outlet. I refilled ...

... trees become fewer, shorter and mis-shapen. You may find a 100 year old tree only three feet tall. Climb high enough and you reach the timberline, beyond which trees do not grow. In their stead grow vivid displays of wildflowers. The very marked difference between Hirricane Ridge and Hoh Rain Forest is somewhat equivalent to moving from the Swiss ALPS TO A tropical jungle, and within a distance of no more than 15 air miles. The area has been environmentally ...