Oregon and Washington

It turns out that we have many friends scattered around the Pacific Northwest, and we enjoyed wonderful reunions with several of them.  Spent two days with Rich and Marilyn at their delightfully isolated farm between Myrtle Creek (on I-5) and Myrtle Point (near the coast), soaking in the beauties of southern Oregon.

Then, on the afternoon of July 4^th, we drove north to visit Mark and Doanne near Portland OR.  Highlights of this visit were watching the Fort Vancouver fireworks, catching up with kids and grandkids, playing tennis and music, and taking nature hikes.  Also in Portland, we were treated to dinner by Troy and Ava, our first “cousin encounter”.  It had been 29 years since Troy and Dave had seen each other, and the evening ended all too soon.  Here are Troy and Ava.

Our little Casita continued its way northward to Bremerton via Shelton WA.  There we met Josh and his mom, Pat, for lunch and renewed another friendship from Jane’s DMDC days.  Navy friends, Mike and Liza, hosted us on top of their "mountain" in Bremerton and graciously invited mutual friends, Mike and Jo, for dinner. Mike, Mike and Dave pose for a photo after sampling single malt Scotch and homemade limoncello.

We had our first travel mishap on July 8^th near Cle Ulam in central Washington.  One of the Casita tires was punctured, overheated, and started spewing bits of rubber tread and steel belts.  Luckily we were able to pull over safely and await AAA roadside assistance.   

That delayed slightly our arrival in Spokane, where we camped in the driveway of Phil and Melody.  Discovered what a pleasant city Spokane is (at least in the summer). Here is our favorite picture taken on our tour of the riverfront area (site of the 1974 World Expo).

Each stop was unique, as are the people we visited, and each thoroughly enjoyable in its own special way.  We have also been blessed with beautiful, comfortable weather along the way.  Now we are entering an extended stretch of territory and time devoid of personal friends and family, but promising its own camping pleasures.  We thank Melody with recalling this quote from Winston Churchill:  “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”