Wednesday July 18, 2012

We woke early with anticipation. For today we were going to be home! We left Klamath Falls at 0730. We were informed by a highway sign before arriving in Klamath Falls yesterday, that highway 97 south was closed in California and to find an alternate route. So we headed west on highway 66 towards Ashland Oregon. The route took us on a windy mountain road, I enjoyed the ride but Myrna would have preferred a less twisty road. We arrived in Ashland then merged on interstate 5 south. After taking the 60 mile detour we were on our way back to California. Unfortunately, the battery went dead on the camera and we were not able to get photos of the Welcome Home sign at the California stateline. Nor any pictures of Mt. Shasta. After we passed Mt. Shasta there really wasn't too much to take pictures of anyway! The temperature was a cool 52 degrees in the mountains and eventually warmed up to 87 as we got into the Sacramento valley. Not too bad for July! We got home around 3:00 and Caleb and Winston were there to greet us (Courtney was at work). It was so nice to be home and I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment!

The people we met traveling across this beautiful America were all so nice. Whether we were in a store, a restaurant, gas station or parking lot, the Americans, Canadians and Norwegians we encountered were all friendly. I guess being on the road or being in a small town brings the best out of people!

We rode 390 miles today for a grand total of miles ridden for me at 10,038. Myrna's ride total was 4,683 miles! I am so proud of her making this cross country ride with me.

I will do another post later with more statistics about the trip! Thank you all for following along on the ride, for those that were praying for safety THANK YOU and to those who left comments, I appreciated reading them and your encouraging words!

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord himself goes before you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.

Tuesday July 17, 2012

After an evening of thunderstorms and heavy rain in Kennewick Washington, we woke to sunshine and a degree of humidity and 70 degrees. We headed south on interstate 82 crossing into Oregon then merged westbound on interstate 84 passing by tree farms. We eventually turned south again on highway 97 toward Klamath Falls. It was nice getting off the interstate and back on the two lane highways that pass thru the small forgotten towns. Speaking of small towns we stopped in Moro, Oregon for a break and much to Myrna's delight there were a couple antique stores to visit. We decided to have lunch at the only diner in town. The food was very good and the service was friendly. We continued south on the 97 passing thru Bend then La Pine and eventually arriving at Klamath Falls for the evening. I was somewhat disappointed in the forest scenery, it was nothing like the forest lands along the coastal range I rode with Dave last month. I guess being in rainy Oregon I expected lush greenery, ferns and thick forests. Don't get me wrong it was nice just not what I expected. Anyway, around 5:00pm we passed Klamath Lake and arrived in Klamath Falls for the night. We rode 405 miles today, my total miles ridden 9648 miles.

1 Chronicles 16:33 Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.

Monday July 16, 2012

We left the B&B at 0800 and made a quick stop at a Mennonite Bakery and General Store that was recommended by one of the locals. They had hand made furniture and bulk food items as well as a terrific bakery of homemade breads and pastry's. I bought some fresh baked cookies to have later but I had to try one early. They were almost as good as Courtney's cookies! But I still prefer my daughters homemade cookies! We went into the old town Bonners Ferry to check out a couple stores. I love this little town! I could live here if our kids and granddaughter weren't in California! After leaving Bonners Ferry we said good-bye to highway 2 after a week of enjoying the many sights and experiences from Michigan to Idaho that the highway had to offer! I recommend this route if you ever plan on traveling coast to coast! Our new highway today was state route 95 which took us through other small towns in Idaho that I could call home such as SandPoint and by Ponderay Lake. We arrived in Coeur d Alene for a visit with Myrna's high school "bestie" Jan and her husband Brad. They have a beautiful home on the Spokane river that feeds out of Coeur d Alene lake. Brad and Jan wanted to show us around the town and take us to lunch. So we got on their boat and headed to the lake and lunched at the Coeur d Alene resort! (Dave and I walked thru the resort and boardwalk on our visit June 6 but that visit was rainy, windy and a cold 41 degrees.) Today was 88 degrees and crystal blue skies! We had a great visit and Brad and Jan were terrific hosts! Around 3:30 pm we left their home and headed to Kennewick, Washington for the evening. The ride to Kennewick took us on highway 95 to 90 to 395, we left the forest area and the countryside looked like the Montana plains. We rode 271 miles today for a total of 9,243 miles so far!

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.