Fall in the Northwest

What a wonderful trip we had to Southeast Alaska!  John & I had seen a small sampling of a few of the communities there on our way south on the ferry in June of 2007, but this was the first time we'd spent some time getting to know one of the areas.  Such fun with great friends!

So, now we're back at Curt & Diane's place near Walla Walla WA and hanging out here for another week.

On Friday, September 6th we took one of our favorite area day trips to Joseph OR with Curt & Diane.  Here's a few of the remaining summer blooms that I found downtown there...

Beautiful views on the way home...

On Monday, September 9th we pulled out of the ranch (amid Curt's threats to let the air out of our tires...) at 9:30 a.m. and arrived at Memaloose State Park near Hood River OR at 2:00 p.m.  Nice park!

The next day, Tuesday, September 10th, we wandered down to the area on the Hood River where many of the kite boarders and stand-up paddle boarders (SUP) go for a little excitement.  Pretty quiet today...

A map of the area

SUP'ers love to take their dogs along!

Wednesday, September 11th: Time to go see the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.

Wonderful building...

Loved the tile work depicting the Columbia River...

And, the exhibits were well done, too.

Wagons were a big part of the history in this area.

Even with the power lines, the views here are special!

We tried to visit The Dalles Dam Visitor Center, but it was closed by the time we got there.  Darn.  Another time, hopefully.

Back to Hood River on Thursday, September 12th!  We sure enjoy just sitting in the sun watching all the color and activity on the river.

Getting ready

 

Adding some air

Heading down to the take-off point

Everyone is enjoying this beautiful day!



Love the fact that grey-hairs are out there, too...

...and, see who is still on their board!

Enjoyed watching this guy - he did lots of stunts.

But, watch the guy in front with the grey-hair and a few extra pounds...

...Pretty impressive air!!

 

Tired after such hard work.

And, yes, we tried SUP's too!  We were smart enough not to
go out to the main part of the river, though:)
 

On Friday, September 13th, we left Hood River at 9:15 a.m. and arrived at Brookhollow RV Park in Kelso WA at noon.  This is where we'll hang out for awhile to see our grandson Sebastian and daughter-in-law Jody and John will stay here while I fly up to Alaska to spend some time with my folks and help with the fall yard-work.

The next week Sebastian skipped preschool and stayed days with us.  One day we took him on a road trip to Tillamook OR where we all enjoyed touring the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  The other days we just lazed around.


Sebastian is a great little road-tripper!

He enjoyed learning to use binoculars at a rest stop.

Grandpa & Sebastian delivering Tillamook cheese!

Using Grandpa's phone while G'pa watches TV...

A sunny day calls for outdoor time - trying to fly the remote control helicopter.

 

 

On Tuesday, September 24th, John took me to the airport and I flew up to Anchorage to spend some time with my folks.  I had a wonderful visit there, we got some yard work done and on Saturday, the 28th, my brother Chris, wife Alana, daughter Olivia and her boyfriend Conner all came out to help clean the moss off Mom & Dad's roof.  Fun day with family!

Chris, Conner & Olivia hard at work!

Niece Danae & Annika came to visit - always fun!

My mom!

And my dad with his favorite combo: Ebay & Cheetos!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, John was trying hard to keep from getting moldy in typical NW fashion.  Guess it rained nearly every day I was gone! 

On Thursday, September 26th, John picked up Sebastian and they drove up to Mount St. Helen's National Volcanic Monument where they enjoyed a great hike, complete with a picnic lunch!

 

 

I returned from Alaska on Wednesday, October 2nd.  Sebastian came with Grandpa to pick me up from the airport in Portland. 

 

 

This kid loves beaches!

And, on Saturday, October 5th, Jody, Sebastian and the two of us all headed to Cannon Beach - one of their favorite hang-outs in this area. 

No wonder he gets drenched...

Grandpa & Sebastian out exploring.

This is a really awesome beach!

On Sunday, the 6th, we picked up Sebastian and drove up to Renton to visit niece Jenica and her family.

Onyx and daddy Jonny - she was a little shy at first...

She loved dessert.

Jenica & Onyx

As the afternoon progressed, they got wilder!

One of my favorite photos of Sebastian.

Thanks for having us - we had a wonderful visit!

Time to move further south.  We remember from 2008 what late fall is like in Washington...  We left Kelso at 11:10 a.m. on Monday, October 7th and arrived at Premier RV Resort near Coburg OR at 3:00 p.m.

Brianna

On Tuesday, October 8th, we headed over to Newport to visit my brother and his family.  Even got in on one of niece Brianna’s volleyball games!

Last night we stayed over at Tim & Vicki's so this morning, Wednesday, October 9th, we headed out when everyone else headed for work.  Thought it would be fun to go home a different route, so we headed south on the Coast Highway which took us through Yachats where we stopped for hot drinks and pastries to eat in the warm car overlooking one of those amazing Oregon coast scenes!  Wonderful way to end our time in the fabulous Northwest...  We wandered south as far as Florence and then headed back to the Eugene area on Hwy. 126.

On Thursday, October 10th, we took the rig over to Cummins NW for its annual maintenance.  And, now we're off!  On Friday, October 11th we left Coburg at 10:40 a.m. and headed south to California...