Don and I left Carmel on Sunday, August 13, around 2 pm, after a farewell lunch with Tom, Molly, Ana and Yoseph.  We drove to St. Louis, MO, spending the night and visiting with Don’s college friends Hillary Debenport and Roger Debenport.  Monday we drove to Kansas City, KS, visiting Don’s brother Dave and sister-in-law Judy, playing 9 holes of golf, then yummy BBQ dinner.

Our longest day on the road was from Kansas City to Denver, CO, on Tuesday.  We were rewarded with a delightful dinner with our nephew Richard Craft.  And early the next morning we experienced sunrise from the Red Rocks Amphitheater, thanks to a recommendation from East Coast WT friend Patricia Morrison.

We decided to drive through the mountains, rather than north to Cheyenne and across the high desert.  Lots of winding roads, even some views of snow.  A quick stop in Vail, then on to Salt Lake City and overnight in Ogden, UT.

After a view of the great Salt Lake, we continued into Idaho, stopping for lunch in Twin Falls and enjoying the Shoshone Falls.  Another quick stop in Boise before spending Thursday night in Ontario, OR.  Not much to do in town, so we went to the local Reel Cinema and saw “Dunkirk” – powerful!

We took a mid-morning break in Pendleton and found the free tour of the Pendleton Woolen Mills most interesting.  Much of the drive on Friday was along the Columbia River, with several stunning views of Mt. Hood.  Arrived in Lake Oswego to stay 2 nights with my brother Parm and sister-in-law Terry.  Also a visit from Sarah, Matt and Mason on their way to the Oregon Coast for the Great American Eclipse.

Tomorrow, we join the Santana Columbia River Excursion.  I’ll try to be more timely with my posts.