Mountain Home, ID to Portland, OR 16 June 2013

 We entered Oregon on I-84; a route we have driven many times, but every time, we smell home.  It is hard to not put the pedal to the metal and blow our fuel mileage.

 This part of Oregon is arid with a beauty of its own.  We have more photos along this highway in our archives.

 We came around a corner and saw the beautiful Blue Mountains.  We have seen so much wonderful scenery, but we live in the middle of some of the best.

 The view coming through Deadman's Pass is always amazing!  However, its name is very appropriate.  Last year 9 people died and dozens more were injured in one accident here on New Year's Eve 2012.

 Pendleton,OR lies at the bottom of the pass.  The dark tall building is a Indian casino.  Pendleton Mills and the annual rodeo are its claim to fame.

 Love this slide into the plain and the endless view.  The casino is ahead on the left.  We have stayed there.  It was very hard to get level. 

 Most of this area is barren of buildings.  Here is a rare one.

 Here is that land.  Those clouds are magnificent.

 Miles back there was an electronic sign saying that there was an accident east of Cascade Locks and that there might be an hour delay.  We hit this traffic long before Cascade Locks.  We couldn't get an internet signal, so we couldn't get a traffic report about what had happened or how far east of Cascade Locks.  We inched along.  At least, Penny could get water, snacks for us.   Some of these people were going home from Father's Day.  We saw cars full of kids.  Ugh, for the kids and parents.  Smart people, who could, got off at Cascade Locks and took the Bridge of the Gods to Washington.  That would be the only other choice. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the accident.  It was an SUV and a jack-knifed trailer.  Well, our inconvenience was no match for their bad day.  

That is Vista House on Crown Point along the Columbia River.  It was built by the WPA during the Franklin Roosevelt's administration on the remains of a lava flow millions of years old.  The wind up there is often unbelieveable, but the 360º view is amazing.  We saw this sight on a clear day from our former house.  When the sun set, the dome glowed and the rocks shone.