Monday, October 23, 2006 Mt. Hood, OR

We've been ensconced in the town of Mt. Hood for five days now. On Thursday we took a drive up to Cloud Cap on Mt. Hood at the 6,000 ft level. We stopped by the Cloud Cap Lodge where we were married in 1992 http://mounthoodhistory.com/Buildings/cloudcapinn.html. The lodge is maintained by the Crag Rats and there were a bunch of guys there cleaning up fallen logs and preparing the lodge for winter. The Crag Rats are a service organization made up of grizzled mountain guys. They conduct search and rescue operations of fallen mountain climbers and lost hikers.

Our furniture and a plethora of boxes arrived in Portland while we were gone, so on Saturday we rented the U-haul and with the help of two very helpful men, moved our stuff from Portland to a storage unit in beautiful Odell, Oregon. I had to laugh with embarrassment when I ready this little description of the town of Odell, "This is a well-known community in the middle Hood River Valley. It was named for William Odell, who settled nearby as early as 1861 and whose son, Milton D. Odell, was the first white child born in the valley. Roswell Shelley started a store at Odell and applied the present name. William Odell was a native of Tennessee. Milton Odell was born in 1863." The town is really just a grouping of a grocery store, a gas station, a coffee place, a barber shop, and a Mexican restaurant. I had my first and brief waitressing experience in Odell working at the Huckleberry Cafe.

It really is beautiful here and each morning when we go for our 5-mile walk, we're reminded of why we're here. The fall colors are spectacular, Mt. Hood oversees all of our actions, and the smell of the pines is sweet and clean. At night we listen to coyotes calling and have heard elk bugling. We've heard rumors of a herd of about 40 elk in the field next to us and I plan on getting up earlier and searching them out for the next few mornings.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Twin Falls, ID to Hood River, OR

We ate breakfast in Twin Falls at the famed Idaho Joes restaurant. The flies weren't overwhelming and they had lots of home made pies you could choose from. We stopped at the overlook of the Snake River, viewed the amazing gorge, which looks like someone just ripped the two pieces of earth apart, leaving a trickling river far at the bottom, and then sometime later, installed a golf course. The latter is just slightly bizarre.

We then drove straight through Idaho and into Oregon. We stopped in Pendelton for lunch. While there, we just happen to stop into Hamley's http://www.hamley.com/ and found a beautiful pair of boots that I just had to have. Then, geared up, we headed across the street to a little Italian place Como's Italian Eatery and enjoyed great pasta dishes before heading back onto I84West.

We drove the rest of the way into Hood River admiring the majestic Columbia Gorge. The sun was setting and we were allowed a spectacular view of the gorge, the Columbia River, and cloud capped Mt. Hood. It was a surreal ending to a long trip.

We drove into my parents' driveway with our lights out, snuck quietly into the house, and surprised them during dinner. Yeah, we made it!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Moab, UT to Twin Falls, ID

It was pouring rain in Moab this morning when we woke up. We spent some time at the local coffee place, Mondo Coffee and then hit the road. We drove into Canyonlands National Park a bit, but the clouds were so thick we decided to turn around, especially since they inhibited Brett's photography experience. We drove on throughout the day, through Provo, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and into Idaho. We're spending the night in Idaho Falls at the Red Lion Inn. Dinner at a place called Rock Creek, specializing in Prime Rib.

Monday, October 16, 2006 Moab, UT

We had a fabulous day hiking in Arches National Park near Moab. The rock formations were amazing, the day was sunny, and the people were sparse. Still at the KOA, but tonight we opted for one of the "Kamping Kabins," and we're glad we did because a storm blew in this evening and brought with it spectacular thunder and lightening and drenching rain.

Sunday, October 15, 2006 Boulder, CO to Moab, UT

Today we drove from Boulder to Moab in an effort to avoid the snow and the 20 degree temperatures that were occurring in Yellowstone. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and we were rewarded with sunshine and warmth in Moab. We're camping at a KOA campground, after first checking a dive campground recommended by Todd. Thanks Todd, but Slickrock campground was really nasty, hearkening back to our Redding, California Meth Mary trailer park experience, for those of you who heard that story. Moab is great!! They have their own brewery and real coffee. We could not ask for more.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 Boulder, CO

We had a great day today! We drove into Boulder and spent the day wandering around the historic area of town. Boulder has a great pedestrian area (Pearl Street) that surrounds the courthouse and the Hotel Boulderado. We went to the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House for lunch http://www.boulderteahouse.com/. The tea house was created from 1987 -1990, by more than 40 artisans in several cities of Tajikistan. It was gifted to Boulder by the mayor of their sister city, Dushanbe, and reassembled in Boulder. We also spent some time at the great farmers market, enjoying the dog friendly atmosphere, and the calm and casual personality of the city.













In the afternoon, we drove out to Estes Park and took a little loop through Rocky Mountain National Park. It's apparently prime elk viewing time and we saw several large herds. It was just starting to snow up in the mountains . . . a little chilly for camping!

We returned to Boulder and met our friends Bill and Cathy for dinner. They took us to a great little Mexican restaurant and we had a wonderful evening with them. Then, back to our Hawthorn Suites hotel in Longmont and some prep work for the next leg of our trip. It's snowing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone with lows at night in the 20's, so we're considering changing our travel plans for a warmer route. Moab is sounding very pleasant at the moment.

Friday, October 13, 2006 Manitou Springs, CO

We spent a week at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs, CO while I attended a leadership development training with the Center for Creative Leadership. It was a great training, with lots of good feedback, tools, and learnings. The most fascinating thing about it for me was that I was in class with 23 very smart and accomplished people, most of whom were working with large, global companies. One person was managing teams of people in 24 different time zones; imagine the complexities of scheduling a meeting in that environment.

During the week while I was at training, Brett explored Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and took a short trip to Denver to meet with Jennifer's friend Steve. Steve graciously took Brett on a tour of Denver neighborhoods and out for a beer.

My training was completed on Friday and, free once again, we restarted our travels. We drove through the Garden of the Gods http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm which is a valley of arched and eroded rock formations.








We also took the cog railroad up to the top of Pikes Peak for a spectacular, but cold, view of the valley. http://www.cograilway.com/.

Sunday, October 8, 2006 Custer, SD to Colorado Springs, CO

We had a very long drive today; through South Dakota, the corner of Wyoming, and down into Colorado. It was mostly cattle country, vast empty spaces, and lots of cattle crossings. While in Wyoming we stopped at the Fort Laramie Military Bridge and the old fort. We're in Colorado Springs now and will be here for the next week for a training that I'm attending. It'll be nice to stay in once place for a few days.

Saturday, October 7, 2006 Custer State Park, SD

Luckily, they still had eggs at the Blue Bell lodge for breakfast. The same waiters were there, sheepishly telling patrons what they were out of.

We once again drove through the wildlife loop, less animals in the morning, but still a pleasant drive. Still in Custer State Park, we drove to another lodge, State Game Lodge, built in 1922. We checked into another cabin (winds were 20-30 mph outside, once again foiling our camping plans), asked about the dining room hours and were told that the dining room was closed for a wedding. Damn!

Across the street from the lodge is a park visitor’s center, built of stone by the CCC. The photos of young drafters working on the building were great. They were paid $30 per month (plus room and board) and $25 of that was sent back to the families of the workers, the goal of which was to “keep the young men from idleness and the accompanying immorality,” and all this time, I just thought it was a jobs program.

We drove along the Needles Highway which led us along a twisting route, through one-lane tunnels in the mountain rock, and around amazing rock formations. We stopped and lunched in the sun at Sylvan Lake, then hiked up the mountain, just enough to get a view of Harney Peak.
We’re now ending the day back in the lodge, hitching onto their wireless, enjoying a glass of wine, and being wonderfully surprised by the owner’s decision to open the dining room beyond the wedding party. Yeah! We’re heading to Colorado Springs tomorrow, another 8 hour drive.