<--- Skip and his father Archer upon our arrival in Astoria, OR!

 Since we started our drive out to Skip's starting point on Sunday we’ve crossed through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and finally Oregon!!!  So here's a little overview of how it's been.

On Monday, August 3rd, we almost ran out of gas while we were driving through Wyoming… but as we came around a ridge, we found a small gas station in Arlington.  We had been so engrossed in checking out the scenery, we were shocked when the gaslight came on, but I have to admit, it was amazing scenery.  I got to see my very first herd of Bison!!! They were amazing! And we also spotted a group of what at first we assumed were deer.  According to some information we gathered at the gas station, they were antelope! They also had 183 wind turbines, snow fences, the wind always blows, and yes, they liked where they lived.  All this information was posted on a sign.  As we trucked along, the landscaped changed into some incredible sights.  We could see for miles, and it was a mix of desert, wild jasmine, and these mammoth rolling hills of rock, grass and the occasional herd of cattle. Since my camera was quickly losing battery life, it took great amounts of self-control, and Skip telling me repeatedly to “wait… it gets better! You already have pictures of wind turbines and hills.”  So as I watched and waited, L-E managed too fall asleep in her water dish… twice, which was definitely worth a picture or two, and I still got 75 more photos out of our little Canon Elph!  It’s battery life finally died as the sun was falling down behind the foothills in Utah.

The next day of driving brought us out of Utah, through Idaho, and then into Oregon.  We were a little tired of being in the car, and even though L-E got to stretch her legs at all the stops as well, we were all feeling a little cramped.  That might of also had something to do with the hundreds of miles of wilderness we were driving through.  Herds of horses and cattle, driving alongside the Columbia River for what seemed like infinity, and coming around a bend with the majestic Hood Mountain observing from a distance.  

But when we finally pulled into the motel parking lot, and turned off the engine, it was a great feeling to meet up with Arch, who had arrived earlier in the day.  Arch had boarded a train on Sunday morning from Cleveland Ohio.  

So now begins our adventure back across the states!  Except this time, it's going to be a whole new eye opening experience.  I believe this first week will be a little bit of trial and error... But like any adventure, if you knew what was already going to happen, and how everything would play out, how much fun would you really have??? 

I'd love to get a whole bunch of pictures up for you guys, but my technological skills aren't very advanced :) So if anyone out there could point me in the right direction, let me know!!!!