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Day 20 - 24: Drive for Home and Final Blog

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After we left Oregon on September 6 th , we decided to head home.   We were worn out from our travels and we wanted to head back to the Homestead. We had four straight days of driving through, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana to Kentucky.   We had some great sights to see on the way back.   We both enjoy books on tape and we went through several books to make the trip seem shorter. We had dinner Saturday night in Lincoln, Nebraska.   Most everyone in the restaurant had Nebraska gear on.   The football team played at home and led the entire game until the very end when the U. of Colorado scored late and won.   The U of N is the only game for miles around and the mood in the restaurant was subdued.   No one was crying but our waitress said she heard two people say they were going to start smoking again. The trip to the Northwest was very enjoyable.   We have no plans to return but we have wonderful memories that will last
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Day 19: I have seen hell!

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I looked Hell in the eye and I know I don’t want to live there.   Actually it was Hell’s Canyon that I looked at and I still don’t want to live there. Ann and I spent the day exploring Hell’s Canyon, Oregon.   This canyon is the deepest river carved canyon in North America.   We took the Hell’s Canyon Scenic Byway for 193 miles and saw some absolutely breathtaking beauty in rugged mountain ranges. Halfway through our canyon trip we stopped to ride a tram to the top of Mt. Howard; 8150 feet to the summit.   On the way up I heard Ann say, “I will never do this again.”   It was a scary tram ride to the top. We also stopped at an unusual little town called Joseph, Oregon.   The town was named for a famous Indian chief, Joseph.   It is an art colony.   Main Street featured seven bronze sculptures on permanent display. We are staying the night on the Oregon-Idaho border making our way slowly back to Cincitucky.   What this means is that Ann is going to spend the next 4 or
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Day 18: Our Last Day in the State of Washington

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We left Seattle early Wednesday (we actually lost count of what day it is) and headed due East to see Snoqualmie Falls.   A friend in Cincinnati recommended we see the falls and we were so glad we did.   It is 270’ tall and is said to be one of Washington’s most popular natural attractions. From the falls we headed toward the middle of the state to get a peek of Mt. Rainier’s peak.   The peak is over 14,000’.   The mountain is a silent volcano but they say that one day it could erupt just like Mt. St. Helens.   It is such a beautiful and majestic site. Snoqualmie Falls Mt. Rainier 36 square miles of glaciers.
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Day 17: Appreciate Seattle Day

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We started at the Space Needle and from that vantage point you can see just about everything in Seattle.   The famous Space Needle is 605’ high.   Even though there are taller buildings in Seattle, when you step off the elevator, it takes your breath away.   Ann and I just looked at each other and giggled because our adrenalin just spiked.   Everything is all glass…the walls and the floor.   The floor slowly revolves 360 degrees which adds to the intensity of the visit.   The views are spectacular of the city, Puget Sound and the mountains.   The restaurant was not open as it was undergoing a $100 Million renovation. We went next door to see the Chihuly Garden and Glass.   The exhibit and garden was all blown glass.   It was impressive and an amazing display of the art of blown glass.   We had a chance several years ago to go through the Chihuly Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.   That was equally as fascinating as what we saw today. Our third adventure for the day was a o
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Day 16: Another Epiphany

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It has come to my attention that there is one person that Mike Hall has to listen to and obey.  It is "Siri", the direction lady on Google Maps.  Once in a great while, Mike listens to and takes my suggestions as well as his daughters (actually it is seldom).  So I was over joyed when Siri told him what to do and he had to do it.  No arguments.!  It is not easy when you are usually the leader. We had a nice drive to Seattle from the coastal road.  We headed to the Pike Street market.  What a great spectacle.   The flowers were worth the trip.   We enjoyed lunch and then we headed for our motel.  We will spend two more days here and then we will begin our trip home.   The northwest is indeed a place too see and enjoy.  Ann The Famous Pike Street Market. Fish and more fish. Little boy at play with the pigeons. The flowers were inexpensive, plentiful and beautiful.
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Day 14 & 15: More Driving on the Oregon Coast

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We spent the last two days finishing our drive along Oregon’s West coast. We saw some magnificent scenery.   We even had the opportunity to watch some sea lions, up close, during lunch.   To say they were playing in the water would be an overstatement.   They seem to just enjoy soaking up the sun and talking to each other. Interesting situation all along the Oregon coast drive…there were many signs that warned of a Tsunami danger.   We wondered about it for a long time.   Later I read an article that said Oregon was long overdue for a massive earthquake.   The signs and evacuation routes were a heads up for the possibility of an earthquake…scary, huh. Great looking lighthouse. We had lunch together. Oregon's west coast. Tsunami ?
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Day 13: Oregon Coast Road

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We are now driving north looking at the Pacific Ocean.   We stayed in Brandon last night and tonight we are in Yachats, Oregon.   It is Labor Day weekend and many in Oregon are heading to the beach for summer’s “Last Hurrah”.   We only have a room for the night…hopefully we will find a room for tomorrow. We saw some interesting things in our coastal drive today: 1) A lighthouse (of course); 2) quaint fishing village; 3) fishermen cleaning salmon; and 4) ATV’s riding in the sand dunes. Oregon’s sand dunes extend for 40 miles along the Oregon coast.   They are really interesting to see because they have been sculptured in so many ways by glaciers, wind, rain and tides.   It was exciting watching people drive the dunes on ATV’s.   I did some climbing in the dunes and found it was hard work in very soft sand. Fishing village Cleaning salmon. ATV's in the dunes Just outside our motel room.
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