On to Chehalis

It took us a while, but we finally got ourselves organized this morning and left Daughter Dawn's house on Whiskey Hill Road behind --

We pulled out of the driveway across the street into the parking lot on the side of 91 School (for some reason, they did NOT name the school after the road it is on, unlike most of the area schools...) in order to hook up Toad II --

It was a nice day for traveling as we headed north on Interstate 5 --

That white mass you can barely see through the trees in the middle of the picture is actually Mount Hood --

As we approached Portland, the scenery changed from trees to buildings --

There were several cranes signalling new construction along the Columbia River --

Portland, indeed, is the City of Bridges --

Another seventy-six miles and we made it to Chehalis and I-5 Uhlmann's RV. We had been talking to the fellows in the shop there and they were waiting for us. It doesn't sound like it's going to take too many hours to take care of Auntie Violet's complaints. Clayton had already started on the list by the time we left. He had backed Auntie Violet up to one of the 50 amp outlets on the shop building so that she could keep her freezer running --

We checked in at the nearby Great Western Motel to spend the night. From there we walked over to the Comstock Inn for supper and then came back to the motel to watch Grey's Anatomy before bed.

Micah's Soccer Game

Sure enough, it took both Son-in-law Todd and I to block traffic so that we could back Auntie Violet into their driveway this morning. But we got the job done. We didn't even hook up the water and the electricity before it was time to leave for Grandson Micah's soccer game. It was the last game of the season for the 91 School team.

 The game was over in Milwaukie --

Micah's playing defense this season --

It was a good game for the boys from 91 School. I think the final score was 6-1.

It was a chilly afternoon. The boys even had a blanket over on their side of the field for when they were on the bench --

After the game, the whole team, their coaches, and their families went to the Canby Dairy Queen for treats. Here one of the coaches is presenting Micah with his soccer medal for the year (all of the kids got one).

It was a fun afternoon.

A Long COLD Night!

Because we had so much yet to do yesterday, we got a rather late start. Because we were pretty tired, we decided not to try to make it the whole way, but to stop at a rest area for the night. We're not real fond of driving in the dark. It was dark by 4:30 and VERY dark by five, so about 6:30 we pulled into the Rest Area at Memaloosa State Park on Interstate 84 in Oregon. These are the views we saw when it began to get light this morning --

 

The truck parking area was full most of the night and there were trucks parked along the other side of the highway --

It was an absolutely miserable night. The cold front that has been sweeping down the West Coast didn't neglect the Columbia Gorge. Even running the generator off and on every hour or so all night, we couldn't keep the temperature in the coach up. I ended up bundled up in a heavy coat, scarf and blankets and still got thoroughly chilled. Forry's a bit more hot-blooded, but he even admitted to being awfully cold!

The Gorge was beautiful this morning when we commenced our journey west. The Columbia River at sunrise was spectacular --

The Gorge was formed by the Columbia River's cut through the Cascade Mountains. The huge cliffs appeared quite eerie in the early morning light --

Daughter Dawn's house is right across the street from 91 School. We generally need to use the parking lot to maneuver the motorcoach as we back into Dawn and Todd's driveway. After talking it over this morning, we decided that since today was a school day and there would be lots of cars in the way, we would wait until tomorrow to move in.

There is a nice RV Park not very far away in Woodburn where we decided to spend today and tonight.I hadn't got much sleep last night, so we got set up and parked and I crawled into bed! Everyone at Daughter Dawn's had activities at school or church tonight, so we will plan on seeing them all in the morning.