July 13- We leave Seattle at almost exactly 9:00 am and head I-90 on an adventure in our brand new Honda Odyssey. We really don’t have an idea of how long we will be gone or what we want to accomplish but we have a reservation for the first two nights, just to make sure we can sleep at least two nights. Our first stop is the Maryhill Winery on the Columbia River below Goldendale. We decide on a bottle of their Pinot Gris and Merlot and a beautiful new bottle stopper. We are pretty hungry by then so we take advantage of their patio tables and a delightful folk musician for our own picnic lunch. We enjoy great cheeses, Cabernet Salami, Austrian mustard, guacamole, and chips. I try a glass of our Pinot Gris, but Anné decides to drink water because of driving. We are then off for Cascade Clliff’s Winery. Their tasting room has come a long way but it is still difficult to get a wheelchair through the parking lot and into the tasting room. We bought half a case of wine here and will probably wish we had bought more since Bob, the vintner is not selling to Seattle wine stores any longer. From Cascade Cliffs we head south on 97 to our night’s destination of Madras, OR at a Best Western Hotel, room #102. Our room is certainly accessible with a roll in shower and king size bed and very easy access from the parking lot. It’s been hot all day and we enjoy a nice dinner at Hunan’s Chinese restaurant and bring leftovers back to our room. We get into bed early so that we are up very early and on the road by 7:00 am.

July 14th: We head south, still on 97, and the weather continues to be very hot, and in the distance it appears that Mt. Hood has erupted. On closer inspection the plume of smoke is an isolated forest fire. As we approach Crater Lake through the North entrance, the forest ranger gives us a new Golden Access Pass and the scenery certainly improves with patches of snow and exquisite panoramas. We decide to do the rim drive in a clock-wise direction. This is a perfect decision, especially for me to see the lake at all of the pullouts. Since we have reservations in Klamath Falls we decide to take our time and take in the entire beauty of Crater Lake. We stroll the accessible paths and have a delicious lunch at one of the overlooks. (Our lunch is an interesting sandwich of Olive Bread with Austrian mustard, Cabernet Salami, Roasted Peppers, Smoked Cheese, and Guacamole with Flax Chips on top) Anne collects many beautiful wildflowers and presses in my case. We descend and enjoy the highway overlooking Klamath Lake on our way to The Quality Inn in Klamath Falls. The room, #102, is huge with two queen beds and a large bath and roll-in shower. In extreme heat we stroll up and down Main Street and visit one antique shop that was very tight and I had to be backed out of it. Back in the room and enjoy wine from the Maryhill winery and eat leftover Chinese food. We opt for a movie at the local multiplex and we see Wall E and are surprised that it is free for me and only $5.50 for Anne. We’re in bed at 11:00 pm.

July 15th: After a complimentary breakfast we are loaded and on the road by 9:00 am. We take highway 140 along the west side of the lake and see remnants of the CA wildfires through the haze. At Medford we hit I-5 and are soon skirting Grants Pass, OR. I don’t recognize any landmarks along the redwood highway as we head south through Selma and Cave Junction. A loop through the wine region proves fun and tasty. We find the Del Rio Winery, Deer Creek, Rios, and Bridgeport where we enjoy a picnic lunch on the patio overlooking the lake with swans and trout. They treat us to a complimentary glass of Pinot Gris and Rose. We continue south past Takilma and stop briefly at the sight of my arrest in 1970 for skinny-dipping. The Redwood Highway in CA is certainly every bit at breathtaking as we imagined it would be. We take a shortcut off of 199 onto 197 heading north to 101 and arrive in Brookings, OR around 3:00 pm. We luck out at the Best Western on the beach at Brookings Landing. Our room is #102 again and is so great with an exceptional view of the beach and rock cliffs. We check out the promenade and then load up and drive into town and settle on a Mexican Restaurant. The food is excellent, but the atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired.

July 16
We sleep well and greet the morning with a walk down the beach for Anne and I truck up and down the path along the waterfront. After a modest meal Anne loads up our gear and a few choice rocks and we head north on 101. The scenery is as advertised and we are both astounded at the wonderful rock formations off the windswept coast. Various viewpoints offer excellent panoramas and Anne clicks many great shots that I hope to convey in paint when we return home. The weather is ideal with blue skies and a cooling breeze. We decide to stop in Coos Bay for lunch and come across a farmer’s market selling a little of everything. I suggest a local café but the food is lousy and Anne sends her fish tacos back. We also tour an antique shop and she finds a terrific blue and white plate with Asian plant forms on it. She later gets a bag of chocolate covered popcorn for us to share as we continue on our way. We pull off the highway at Florence and drive into old town. There are many shops and galleries and we’re surprised to see paintings by PSG member George Milliken who lived here for 5 years. We see some beautiful glasswork and boxes and Anne buys some sandals. We also stop in to Mo’s for a cup of chowder and a beer. We decide to stay the night across the river at the Best Western and book one of the last rooms they had. We then take a drive out of town to Hecata Beach where Anne goes for a long walk and I push around the large parking area. We find our way back into town and enjoy dinner from our supply. The bed is very tall but Anne manages and we’re soon asleep.

July 17
After an ample complimentary breakfast we load and begin heading north again. The scenery is still magnificent and the morning clouds soon burn off. We stop at Hecata Head Lighthouse and Yaquinta viewpoint where we get a souvenir penny squashed. We have decided to stop at a few wineries and will head East at Otis and highway 18. First though we will stop at a very nice gallery in Lincoln City where the proprietor recommends a nearby spot for lunch. Overlooking an inlet we enjoy oysters in Kernville. The weather heats up considerably as we head east and we sample a few wineries around Amity and begin filling our second case. McMinville is a charming town and they are hosting a farmer’s market also. We sample a few items, get a cold drink and window shop down Main Street and stop at an antique shop where I spot a silver Indian totem pole spoon. Anne begins to feel an upset stomach coming on and has in mind to stay here overnight but we decide to push on and see how we feel as we approach Portland. The traffic grinds to a near halt and it takes nearly 2 hours to finally get past the Rose City. There is no way she can drive for 3 more hours so we stop in Jantzen beach and secure a room at Oxford Suites. There is a corgi convention going on and we are amused as we have complimentary munchies and a couple drinks in the lounge and play a round of cribbage. After Anne has skunked him twice on this trip, I manage to skunk her this time. We then enjoy a long stroll along the newly developed riverfront while an exquisite sunset lights up distant Mt Hood. Our long ride home from Portland the next day is peaceful and we’re glad our new van has been trouble free. In it we both hope to enjoy many more travels in and around our country.