Thru Ron's Digital Lens

     The day, Monday, 7/31/17 started out warm and very sunny and proceeded to just get hotter as the day progressed. Drove thru the Snake River Valley, The Blue Mountains and then down through the Columbia River Gorge. Lots of great vistas as we traveled, but only took photos in the Columbia River Gorge. A long view of John Day Dam and Locks The water is really rolling, producing power for the summer AC Love the contrast of the Hydro Power, The Wind Turbines, and the Native American fishing platforms. Salman Fishing Platforms. This fishing method granted only to the Native Americans.  Mt. Hood, looking up from the Gorge.  

We left Green River, WY and made a stop at Little America. Not as exciting as it seemed 40 some years ago, but Dona did get a truly amazing glazed donut. The next stop was the highlight of our days travel. The scenery of Echo Canyon is just wonderful. Red sandstone rock formations against the green and blue-gray of sage and the deep blue sky. What was just suppose to be a stop at a Utah Rest Area turned into a great photo shoot. The little green grasshopper that has served us so well!                                                      The Red Rocks of Echo Canyon Westward Ho  The Happy Travelers Another View Dona The Magpies were cruising the Rest Stop The rest of the day was a lot of High Plains driving. Going up the great valleys, crossing the Snake River on several occasions.  No rain today, but lots of heat. Pulled into Boise with the temp. at 102. Monday is on to Portland. Will we going thru the Blue Mts. and down the Columbia Gorge. Sh

     This was a long day, 12 hours of travel, but all went well. Drove thru some awesome rain storms in the south of Wyoming. The car is doing very well, averaging over 30 Miles Per Gal. So far we have traveled every mile of I-80 in Iowa, Nebraska and will finish doing the same in Wyoming tomorrow.      Green River is a typical southern Wyoming town; small, dry and sort of tired. However we are very pleased with our lodging, The Hampton Inn. It sits right at the bottom of some very nice rock formations. I have included some photos.      Tomorrow is a much shorter drive and should have some great scenery.  We may plan to do a quick side trip to view the Flaming Gorge which is just south of Green River.

Hi everyone,       Had a good day today, Everything was right on schedule and we made good time. Left home at 7:05 in the morning and arrived in Lincoln at 4:45.       Plan was to meet mom and Polly for dinner at the local Cracker Barrel, mom's favorite place for dinner. We got in early enough to hit the pool for a swim. Only problem was that the hotel had turned down the heater and the water was very cold. It was a real wake-up.         Had a nice dinner with Polly and mom. Making plans to get together with them on our way back, maybe at Lake Okoboji in Iowa.      Tomorrow, will be a LONG day, 715 miles to Green River, WY.

The Five Stages of Packing for Married Travel ·        Pre-Children: Put on a clean outfit and throw a change of clothes into a backpack and you’re off. ·        Taking Young Children/Toddlers: Forget about what you need, just be sure that everything a child could possibly need is included. This must include high-chairs, play and Packs, and a portable bed. Then double pack just in case…… ·        Taking the Teenagers : Pack sensibly for yourself to include anything you might need. Do not presume that your teen(s) will allow you to pack for them, just bring extra money to purchase everything that they forget to pack. Be sure that the entire backseat is reserved only for their needs. Never forget, they didn’t want to come with you in the first place. ·        Empty Nesters: Pack an outfit for every day, plus at least two additional just in case you spill. Make sure that you have an outfit suitable for going to a fine dining restaurant even though you haven’t done “Fine

It is Thursday, July 27, 2017 and we are in our final preparations for our 2 1/2 week road trip to visit Dona's sister, Ann in Portland OR. The trip to get there will be a little brutal, but I'm sure we will survive. Day One; Drive to Lincoln, NE. 555 miles. Have dinner and visit with Rae-Hope and Polly. Day Two; Drive to Green River, WY. 715 miles. (one of only three places to stay in Wyoming) Day Three; Drive to Boise, ID, 461 miles. Forecast temperature = 100 degrees Day four: Drive to Portland, OR, 430 miles. Will be driving through some mountains and also down the Columbia Gorge. It has been a long time since we have seen this part of the country. We hope to be on the road tomorrow no later than 8:00 am. Not sure there will be anything worthy of a photograph on the first day, but who knows. We will try to post photos of the trip as we go along. A highlight will include a visit while we are there by Dona and Ann's cousin Jean and her husband Gary. Always a

After having talked about it for years, we have decided that we are going to take a road trip from our home in Milwaukee to visit Dona's sister, Ann, in Portland, OR. We will go from Milwaukee to Lincoln, NE to Green River, WY to Boise, ID to Portland, OR. We will be leaving  Milwaukee on July 28, 2017. Keep checking our blog to see how we are progressing and then follow us as we begin our adventure.