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.

Over the Rivers and Through the Mountains...

We were sitting there eating breakfast (I actually made Forry biscuits and gravy!) this morning when I suggested that Forry should call Daughter Mary Mae and see what they were doing for the Labor Day weekend. When he talked to her, it sounded like they really had no concrete plans and had sort of been kicking several ideas around, but nothing firm.

So, we asked if they would like some company, and just like that we started packing the Toad getting ready to head for Mount Vernon. I had to do a bit of a treasure hunt through Auntie Violet for all the corners I had used to stash birthday presents and other goodies I had picked up for MM and her family during our travels this past year.

We stopped by the farmhouse to let Jeff and Barb know that we would be back on Tuesday (so they could keep an eye on Auntie Violet). Jeff suggested that we stop and pick up a box of peaches to take over with us as they are at their peak this week. We did just that, stopping at the fruit stand in Kittatas for a gorgeous box of peaches as well as a small bag of apricots and one of cherries.

It was a very pleasant day for the drive across the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains, sunny with just a wisp or two of clouds along the way. We stopped at the Marysville Dairy Queen on the way and had hot dogs and smoothies for dinner, arriving in Mount Vernon a little after seven.

Our Grandson Varick (14) is now taller than I am and Granddaughter Claire (11) is not too far behind. We did have to laugh when we arrived with fruit in tow, as MM had purchased a box of peaches from their food coop today. I can guess that tomorrow we will be slicing peaches for the freezer and making a bit of jam as well...-