almost home

After checking out of The Marigold Hotel in downtown Pendleton we visited the Pendleton Woolen Mill for a free tour.  I love all the vibrant colors of the dyed wool. Interesting to see the process of how the blankets are made.

woolen mill

wool

colorful spools

wool in the warehouse

big machines

lots of rolls

weaving

finishing touch

After the tour as we walked through the store we saw a cute little charm for sale. The city has a charm trail. Since 2005 shops around town have sold a souvenir charm that represents their particular business. Of course we had to drive around and pick up a few — the little trailer from Thompson RV; a bull from Hamley Steakhouse; and a saddle from Hamley & Co. Western Store. Thankfully they are inexpensive. We only made it to four of the 35 trail stops. I guess we’ll have to go back for another visit!

We could have easily spent more time exploring Pendleton but if we wanted to get to Seattle tonight, it was time to move along. Especially since the weather forecast was calling for rain and snow in Snoqualmie Pass….

Hello, Washington! We went a little out of our way so we could drive through Walla Walla. So many wineries, so little time! We actually decided to keep going and stop in Prosser. Several tasting rooms there as well as Chukar Cherries. Yum! Wait, what’s that?? Hail?? Back in the car, quick!

I have always enjoyed visiting Eastern Washington but today I just wanted to get home. I had been gone almost two months and had spent the past ten days in tight quarters with my mom and sister. We were all ready to get back to Seattle!

We needed one more tank of gas. Must be in Washington — gas prices were getting close to $3 per gallon. Where are you Costco?? On the back roads around Toppenish we noticed cheaper gas. Must be the Native owned markets and gas stations. Fill ‘er up. Just down the road was the Yakama Nation Legends Casino. A quick stop here to eat, then our next stop would be HOME! We got lucky at the casino! Let’s just say we all managed to eat at the buffet for free and my mom walked away with a few extra bucks in her pocket. Not to mention the free decks of cards and dice we got. Doesn’t take much to amuse us.

After driving on a two-lane road for about 30 minutes thinking that it would meet up with the interstate, it didn’t. Time to check the map. Yep, a wrong turn somewhere.  We saw some nice scenery and ended up following a funeral procession. Where’s the highway??!

sunny sky

lost in eastern washington

Only 150 more miles. The skies were getting darker. The rain and snow were coming as the elevation changed. We were all quiet, lost in our thoughts. We made it through the pass without any trouble. The worst weather was still to come. Coming down the other side of the pass into Issaquah it was really raining.

pretty views

heading for the pass

Finally, Seattle! After traveling through 10 states (Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon and Washington again), about 7,000 miles on my Trusty Toyota, lots of adventures and amazing sites to see, a little bit of work……home!

some sun in seattle

back home

The past two months were great. I really enjoyed my temp job at the ballpark and my travels around the Southwest. I’ve said it before and you’ve heard it before — life is short! Throw in the uncertainty of living with a chronic illness and you just never know what tomorrow will bring. Some people think I’m crazy for not having a “real, full time job” but for the most part, friends are encouraging and strangers think it’s cool. A few people even said they were inspired by me. What a great compliment! I think we all reach a point where we want a change or are ready for something different. Some of us act on it; others don’t. As long as you can look back on a life well lived, do it.

My next adventure starts in ten days…..

 

 

 

idaho & oregon

I was afraid to look out the window in the morning. How much snow had fallen overnight? Even the TV news was surprised by this early April snow. Thankfully, the sun was out and the dusting of snow was melting. We were good to go. Idaho, here we come.

ogden utah

april snow

No wind, no snow, a few hills. Good driving conditions today. In Rupert, Idaho, we took a little detour. Yet one more sign for a historic downtown district. It was pretty quiet in town but I guess that is to be expected on a Sunday morning.

old jail

a historic site

Consulting a map we decided to take a back road to Twin Falls and make a stop at Shoshone Falls. I love driving the two-lane roads and getting off the highway. You see so much more. We passed rolling hills, lots of farms and saw several wind turbines. Seeing all the cows, sheep, goats, tractors, farms and fields was a good reminder that there are people working hard everyday to give the rest of us things we take for granted. Even a famous yogurt comes from here. This part of Idaho reminded me of the time I spent at the University of Idaho. As I saw the town names come and go I remembered meeting students in my dorm from these places.

farmland

turbines

famous yogurt

processing plant

And apparently this part of Idaho is wine country!

interesting art in the idaho hills

Shoshone Falls is a spectacular site along the Snake River. As we followed the signs to the entrance it was difficult to imagine what we were about to see. With a flat landscape how could there be 212 foot falls? We didn’t see any mountains or canyons or even the river.  Suddenly the road takes a downward turn and we make our way to the park entrance, in line behind cars and motorhomes. The road continues down toward the river and as we look for a parking place we notice that people walking are soaking wet. Between the spray from the falls and the wind it felt like it was raining.

powerful water

stunning view

follow the sign

Time to get back to the highway. The last town before the interstate was Bliss. Didn’t seem to be a whole lot there but how cool to say that you live in Bliss!

welcome

small town bliss

After lunch we set our sights on getting to Oregon. Crossing the border we realized we changed time zones and gained an hour. There was still plenty of daylight left so we kept on driving. Traffic was light, the weather was good. Could we make it to Pendleton?

Passing the town of Keizer was a sign announcing the 45th parallel. We were at the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Cool!

On this stretch of road we were following The Oregon Trail, the 2,200-mile east-west trail initially traveled on horseback by traders and fur trappers. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like, blazing a trail through mountains with no idea what was on the other side.

Speaking of having no idea….the road was clearly gaining some altitude. We saw a warning sign announcing a sharp downhill was coming. The next sign said it was our “second warning.” Yet another sign gave us a “final warning.” What the heck was up ahead? We soon found out. Yes, it was a steep downgrade, with sharp curves. Trucks stayed to the right, lights flashing, in low gear. I’m glad I wasn’t driving! I was too busy looking at the views. Late in the afternoon, the sun going down, it was beautiful. The outskirts of Pendleton lay ahead. We made it!

We could see the Wildhorse Resort & Casino in the distance. We were ready to stop for the night so let’s see if they have rooms available. Sorry, sold out! What?? A poker tournament was underway and those poker players gotta stay somewhere. Hopefully we can find a room in town.

More about our stay in Pendleton and the final day of our road trip next time!

 

wild, windy, wyoming

The drive north from Fort Collins to Laramie was stunning. Canyons, rock formations, rolling hills. The wind started to pick up. Arriving in Laramie we got gas and drove around the historic town. Lots of churches, a quick stop at Daylight Donuts and a craft fair at the Elks Lodge and we were on our way west.

yum

delicious donuts

fun art in laramie

secret door

downtown

is it art?

historic mansion

Interstate 80 was a straight shot across southern Wyoming and I figured it would be an easy drive, especially since the posted speed limit was 80 mph! Wrong! There were warning signs flashing about high winds blowing across the wide open space. They weren’t kidding and I had a hard time keeping the car on the road. I could barely do 55 mph and the wind gusts were 60 mph. Sounds like a math problem to me — if a car traveling at 55 mph with 60 mph wind, how long will it take to drive 100 miles??  We knew it was bad when we came upon a semi truck that had overturned. Thankfully the driver was not hurt. There were so many trucks waiting at the rest area; I had to pull off the road, too. Driving in these conditions was stressful.

windy wyoming

semi trucks taking a break

wide open space

Sinclair is a small dot on the map and it wasn’t until we saw the huge refinery that I connected Sinclair Oil with the town name. Who remembers the big green dinosaur? These gas stations are all across Wyoming and the refinery is located here.

sinclair refinery

sinclair dino

The town of was Rawlins was just down the road and a good place for a break in yet another historic town. A visit to the penitentiary? Sure, why not. Now a museum, it was closed but we snapped a few photos and picked up a brochure about the murals that could be found around town.

the state pen

prison history

the big house

murals around town

mural at the pen

downtown mural

Back on the road again, the wind had calmed down a bit.  Around Rock Springs the landscape changed. Another sign pointing to yet another historic downtown. Might as well take a look. The former city hall, now a museum, offered a peek at life in Rock Springs in the late 1800’s. The self-guided tour takes you to 47 historic sites downtown. An interesting tidbit I read — in 1875 hundreds of Chinese were recruited to work in the mines. Too bad we didn’t have time to learn more about the town’s history. You could certainly spend days roaming Wyoming discovering all kinds of things about the early days in the wild west.

welcome

the fountain club

old town jail

Signs started appearing for Little America — hotel, travel center, gas, convenience store, gift shop, restaurant, play area — everything a traveler needs. We’re getting hungry so let’s check it out. Everyone else had the same idea; must have been the 75 cent ice cream cones! The food was OK and gas was a bit more expensive. As we were sitting in the restaurant and I looked around, I realized that places like this take business away from the small towns we had just driven through. Next time I’ll spend a little more time in a town like Rock Springs or Rawlins, eat at a local diner and support the community.

interesting rock formations

road through rocks

looming formations

little america

Finally we are closing in on the western border of Wyoming! Clouds were coming in and the skies were getting darker. Could we make it to Ogden, Utah? Barely. It started raining with some snow mixed in. The rain came down harder, so hard that my sister and I couldn’t even hear each other talk. She was driving, we got a little turned around and I yelled to her to just take the next exit. Turns out there was a toll (what?) but since it was only $1 we paid it and drove right into downtown Ogden. The first hotel we stopped at had no vacancy. We finally found a place just off the highway. The snow was still falling. What will we find in the morning??

Next up, Idaho and Oregon! Thanks for reading!

colorful colorado

Leaving the Ghost Ranch in Northern New Mexico we had options — backtrack to Santa Fe and pick up the Interstate, backtrack to Taos and go north from there, or just keep going north from the ranch. We opted for getting on the road and going north. The drive into the Rocky Mountains was lovely and in the town of Chama we filled up on gas. Only two gas stations in this small town which sits at 7,860 feet. I think Chama may be best known for the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. One more activity to add to my to-do list!

Crossing into Colorado on Hwy 17, the narrow, winding road through Cumbres Pass climbed to a summit of 10,230 feet. Pristine snow covered the ground in all directions, glistening in the sun. It was slow going for my 4-cylinder Trusty Toyota but we made it. Very little traffic on this road, it was a gorgeous and peaceful drive.

snow on the tracks

snow everywhere!

On our way to Alamosa, our home for the night, a sign for the oldest church in Colorado caught our attention. U-turn. Our Lady of Guadaloupe Parish Church was built in 1858. Hey, that’s 100 years before I was born! The church website says we get bragging rights for unique places we visited. So there.

church altar

the oldest church

built in 1858

My sister noticed something tall and silver shining in the sun. Another church? Well, not exactly. Not sure what this is but it was interesting to look at.

interesting…..

whatever it is….

We passed signs for tourist attractions in the San Luis Valley but we had no time for detours today.  In Alamosa we found Adams State University near our hotel. We had a decent Mexican meal for dinner. On the way to the restaurant we saw six deer munching on grass in front of a local church. Exciting times in Alamosa!

More winding roads and snowy vistas the next day as we drove through Blanca, then the North La Veta Pass at 9,413 feet. A bit more traffic here. Next stop, Walsenburg for gas. A sleepy burg with antique shops and still some snow on the ground.

walsenburg

antonito art

Finally back on the interstate! Hopefully we can make up some time. Colorado Springs seemed like a good place to take a break. So many attractions in the area but not enough time. And some of my high school classmates live here, too!  The Air Force Academy wasn’t too far off the highway so that was our destination. At the entrance gate the soldier looked in the back of my SUV at all our luggage and said “there’s nothing here I need to worry about?” Nope!

cadet chapel

cadet chapel

inside chapel

chapel architecture

stunning spires

I didn’t realize the Academy is a National Historic Landmark. The Cadet Chapel contains separate chapels for four major religious faiths Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist. The Protestant Chapel features a 99-foot high ceiling. The stained glass windows have religious reference in the colors and the focal point is the hanging aluminum cross, 46 feet, 2 inches high, 12 feet wide and 1,200 pounds. A beautiful setting to sit and reflect.

It’s getting late and we have to get to Fort Collins to meet a friend for dinner. Then we hit Denver. On a Friday. On opening day for the Rockies baseball game. An accident blocking one lane. Traffic completely stopped. Welcome to the big city. By the time we got moving again we were tired and hungry and not too interested in sightseeing. Just get us to Fort Collins!

It was good to see my friend, Lois, and have a chance to catch up. Check out the book she just published. Lois was a huge help to me following my ostomy surgery. Thanks to Lois and her neighbor, Marilyn, we enjoyed a comfy, cozy night in a lovely apartment.

Tomorrow, our wild and windy trek across Wyoming!

 

 

az to nm

My time in Arizona seemed to fly by. It was a great place to spend part of the winter. My job was fun, I met nice people, learned a few new things and enjoyed exploring the greater Phoenix area. Time to move on down the road….my mom and sister flew to Phoenix to help me drive back to Seattle.

First destination — Tucson, to visit my cousins for a couple of days. Of course we had to take the back road and visit one of Arizona’s oldest towns along the way. Historic Florence was founded in 1866 and the downtown is a designated National Historic District. The Visitor’s Center is housed in an adobe building constructed in 1878, the site of the first Pinal County Courthouse. In the small gift shop I noticed bread and cookies for sale. I asked if there was something special about it and learned that they were made by prisoners at the Arizona State Prison, located right there in Florence. In fact, there was also jewelry, mugs, bird houses and other items made by the prisoners. How often can you say that necklace you’re wearing was made by an ax murderer?? Downtown was really quiet. The most activity was at a Mexican restaurant and the hardware store. We followed the map for the home tour to see the various architecture styles. I was driving and didn’t take any pictures but my sister took a few. My favorite was the Second Catholic Church of the Assumption, an imposing example of Mission Revival Style. The original structure burned in 1893 and the current building was built in 1911.

On our way out of Florence we made a stop at the Windmill Winery. What a beautiful place! The tasting room is tucked away and we had to walk past tractors, donkeys, chickens and a barn to find it! We enjoyed a glass of wine and the peaceful setting before getting back on the road.

welcome

wine tasting here

a place in the garden

john deere was here

We arrived in Tucson just in time for dinner. And a great dinner it was with my cousin, her husband, and neighbor. Lots of food, wine and catching up. It was a full house with some of us sleeping on the couch, one on an inflatable mattress — just like when we were kids, staying at my aunt’s trailer, visiting the lake back in Illinois.

Saturday morning after a delicious breakfast we headed to Tubac. But first, a stop at Mission San Xavier del Bac. Construction on the church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. As you can imagine, a structure this old has had issues over the years, including damage from an earthquake, a lightning strike and leaking walls. The Mission has undergone renovations and continues to meet the religious needs of its parishioners.

chewing on the cactus flower

light a candle for dad

the mission

mission bells

balcony

mission chapel

About 30 minutes later we arrived at the art community of Tubac. Something interesting we noticed on the drive to Tubac — the highway signs featured distances in kilometers instead of miles. Not sure why. Anyway, Tubac was the first European settlement in Arizona and over the past 325 years five separate flags have flown over the town — Spain, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, the United States of America and the State of Arizona. Tubac has gone from a ghost town to a mining boomtown, back to a ghost town. Starting in the 1940’s the area has transformed into an artist colony. Today you’ll find fine art galleries, restaurants, shops and a golf resort. We enjoyed an afternoon wandering the streets and shops, trying not to spend any money.

cool bottles

fun sculptures

Leaving Tubac we saw a sign for Tumacacori. What’s there, we wondered. Two miles down the road we found this National Historical Park. The grounds were closing in less than an hour and the weather was changing so we could only explore for a short time. In the park you’ll find a church, cemetery, orchards and other mission structures. It was getting cold and starting to rain so our visit was quick. Once we got in the car the rain came down hard and the temperature dropped to 49 degrees! Thankfully it didn’t last too long and by the time we reached Tucson it was warm and sunny.

church

bell tower

ceiling design

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

cemetery

The car is loaded and we’re ready for our next stop, Las Cruces, New Mexico. I really don’t like this drive. It’s long and boring, not too much to see. However, in Willcox there are several wine tasting rooms if you have time to stop and enjoy. Actually you’ll also find lots of history in the area if you have the time to explore.

Once in Cruces we settled into our lovely Airbnb. It was a quick visit to see friends and relatives and take care of a little business. Next time I’ll stay longer, I promise. Never enough time to see everyone and do everything I want to do. One thing that took up a lot of time was getting new tires. Over three hours to get tires put on my car! Huge thanks to my sister who volunteered to sit there and wait. She said the guys moved like turtles and it was painful to watch how slow they worked. The land of mañana, indeed. The weather conditions we were about to encounter made me so glad to have brand new tires.

water in the rio grande

packed and ready to go

home away from home

To be fair to Arizona, the drive from Las Cruces to Albuquerque isn’t that exciting either. We took a quick drive through T or C (that’s Truth or Consequences) searching for gas. The town is pretty quiet but there are some great hot springs here that are worth a visit. Our destination for the night was Santa Fe. We actually stayed north of the city. If you have a chance, the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino is a fun place to visit –nice casino, shops, restaurants and the resort was fabulous. We stayed at their sister property down the street. Not nearly as exciting but the hotel was much less expensive. Traveling on a budget, you know.

The next day were were excited to make our way to Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch. Along the way we stopped in Abiquiu and found a beautiful church. We visited the dam and Bodes Store before arriving at the Ghost Ranch for our tour.

abiquiu church

est. 1740

bodes store

roadside art

stunning lake

Welcome to Ghost Ranch! What a beautiful and peaceful place in the middle of nowhere. Our landscape tour was very good. Interesting to visit O’Keeffe’s painting sites and compare her interpretations of the vistas to the actual site. It’s helpful to have background information when looking at paintings to better understand what the artist is thinking and feeling. I learned much about O’Keeffe and I look forward to reading the book we purchased about her life. This is a must-see if you are ever in this part of the country. The ranch has a variety of classes and accommodations which I would love to enjoy at some point.

welcome

waiting for our tour

tree

very dry earth

awesome vistas

stunning

amazing views

comparing art to reality

Well, that about wraps up our trek from Phoenix to Tucson and into New Mexico. Next up, more amazing views in Colorado. Thanks for visiting my blog and stay tuned for travels through Colorado.