Wallowa Lake State Park

I love little adventures so after attending the wedding in Hood River, Oregon, we drove up to North East Oregon to Wallowa Lake State Park.  So many people have told me of the beauty of that area and we weren't disappointed!

The most popular thing to do is to take the Wallowa Lake Tramway to the top of the mountain.

Built in 1969 and opened in 1970, it's the steepest gondola in North America.  The ride to the top takes 15 minutes.

The elevation at the top is 8150 ft and you can see Oregon, Idaho and Washington. 

To reach the very highest point you still have to climb lots of stairs.

But the view was worth the climb!

Obviously lots of hikers had been feeding this guy.

I've seen little begging chipmunks before but never one who held his paws out in supplication!

How cute is that!

Anyone interested in hang gliding?

Pilots only....trained pilots only!

We enjoyed lunch at the Summit Restaurant, which is the restaurant at the highest elevation in the Pacific Northwest.

Delicious!

On the way home we took the Hell's Canyon Scenic Road.

There is really only one view down into Hell's Canyon.

See the mountains way off to the the left?  Those are called the "Seven Devils' and many years ago we enjoyed a week backpacking in those mountains.  

Good memories from the past! New memories made!

 

California Here We Come

Our close friend Larry Helmandollar died June 6, 2020, which was right in the middle of the pandemic.  At that time it was impossible to have a funeral or service of any kind in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he lived or in Auburn, California, where he was to be buried.  After a delay of more than a year, we were finally able to travel to California for a memorial service and burial.  Perfect opportunity for a mini-vacation!

I was able to show George the area where I had worked for 3 weeks as a part of the Idaho team sent to California to finish the 2020 Census .  We started in South Lake Tahoe and drove all around the west side of the lake where I had spent days and days tracking down addresses. It is such a beautiful part of the world. 

On many of those days, I drove past Emerald Bay.  It's easy to see why this is one of the most photographed spots in all of California.  

I may or may not be addicted to McDonald's frozen coke.  It hits the spot after a hot day of touring!

After our Tahoe adventure we drove over Donner Pass to Auburn for the Memorial service.  Then on to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We discovered that it is a bit like Yellowstone - smells and all.

On our drive home we discovered Lake Abert which is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Oregon.  It is approximately 15 miles long and 7 miles wide at its widest point and is slowly drying up, losing about 90%of its volume over the last decade.  No one really knows why.

Our last night was in Burns, Oregon population 2870.  It is about the same size as Lonoke, Arkansas was when I was growing up.  It reminded me of home in some ways.  We had a delicious dinner at Boomer's Place, best French fries I've ever had.  And then our hotel location gave us a front row seat to the town fireworks show.  

Such a fun trip!  Great to show George Lake Tahoe, to honor Larry's life and to see some new places.  

Weekend in Oregon

I am on the board of a really wonderful organization called Kenya Keys.   I love being involved with a group that is truly changing lives in a very poor part of Kenya.  100% of  donations go directly to help kids who have qualified to attend secondary school but don't have the $375 in fees that are necessary.  I love that you can develop a relationship with the student you sponsor through letters.

End of commercial! I flew to Oregon to attend an important board meeting. I am so happy that I get to serve with such a fun, dynamic group who are totally dedicated to the mission to educate and empower students. 

 I was also reminded of the stunning beauty of Oregon in the spring. 

Scott and I enjoyed a pizza at our favorite quick pizza place - Pieology 

I had a burger at Burgerville - an Oregon institution - with Martha and Larry.

And I was the surprise guest at the monthly dinner group.

Sometimes I feel sad that we haven't always lived in the same place so that we have firm roots in one location but most of the time I think that it has been a blessing to live in different places so that we have friends all over the world!

Day in Portland - Cancer Update

The most important directive when you have a rare cancer is to find a specialist who sees many patients with your type of cancer.  I have such a doctor in Portland.  I've been seeing him every 6 months for a checkup which includes blood work and an ultrasound.  In May when I made my next appointment, I had no idea that I would be living in Eagle, Idaho in December, so rather than a quick drive to OHSU, this appointment meant a flight to Portland for the day.

My 6:00 a.m. flight was on time and I got on the TriMet train at the airport.  Cheap, efficient and very easy!   It's extra cheap for 'honored citizens' like me....that is a nicer term than senior citizens although it still just means OLD!

 The train whisked me to downtown Portland where a city bus took me to the lower campus of OHSU. 

 From there it was an easy trip on the tram to the main hospital where my doctor's office is located.  Yes it was raining! 

I had plenty of time for a hot chocolate before my ultrasound and office visit with Dr. Madison.  And it was, drum roll please....

My calcitonin, which is the marker they use to see if there is spread of the disease, has actually gone down a little bit and my ultrasound showed nothing unusual.  I still have cancer but for now it is behaving itself.  Yeah!!!!

I'll have more blood work in Boise in six months .  He suggested that my next appointment should be in a year but I talked him into letting me come in September instead.  Flights are cheaper.  Calendars aren't as full. I have the option of driving since there won't be snow on the mountain passes.  And September in Portland is beautiful.  

On this visit I got to enjoy lunch with a few of my good friends.  One of them even took time out of her busy schedule to take me back to the airport.  Next visit we already have a lunch scheduled at Skamania Lodge with our friends the Helmandollars...I'm envisioning other dinners with friends and a visit to Lakeridge Ward on Sunday.

Now all I have to do is ENJOY CHRISTMAS!  That is going to be easy and fun!

Oregon Coast 2015

We love the Oregon coast!  It is spectacularly beautiful.

 

I think Isabella will enjoy it more in the years to come!

 

I love my family and love to share good times with them in such a beautiful place.

A visit from Johnny

Ok, I am the only person in the world who still calls him Johnny but I just can't help it!  True that he is a tall, handsome adult but to me he will always be 'Johnny', that cute little curly headed guy playing Ghostbusters and zipping around on his bike!

I love when our children come to visit. When they leave, the house seems pretty lonely.  The 10 days he was here were filled with fun!

George and John enjoyed a loud but really entertaining evening with"Blue Man Group"

John and I went to the zoo to check out the baby lion cubs.  They delight in teasing their father, who seemed less than amused with the antics of his off-spring!

We ate way too much at our favorite Indian Restaurant.  Buffets are not good for those of us on diets! Johnny is definitely NOT on a diet!

Johnny was the tour director for a day driving the 'Fruit Loop', which is a route through the orchards near Hood River, Oregon.  Unfortunately at this time of the year, it looked like this

but in a few weeks when all these trees are in bloom it will be spectacular.  George and I definitely plan to make the trip again this spring.

I particularly 'enjoyed' this sign at the rest stop since I could relate to the woman in the picture!!

Pinto is a good traveler as long as he has someplace to rest his head.

For Pinto John's visit meant another person to love!

Now John starts his next adventure in the "Paris of South America" - Buenos Aires!  I am so excited for him.

How will he ever top this??

George really outdid himself this year for my birthday!  He surprised me with an Inside Passage cruise!  We drove up to Vancouver, BC boarded a beautiful Holland America ship and went north to Alaska!

 George even planned all our shore excursions.  First day we went whale watching and we saw whales....lots and lots of whales!!!!

Another day we drove 'mules' to a beautiful spot near Haines, Alaska and had a wonderful halibut dinner.

 One of the most fun excursions was flying in a float plane to a remote island to look for bears!

And we did see bears! They are very quick and efficient fishermen! There were so many salmon at this spot that I think I could have caught one with my bare hands but I don't think I'd want to be in competition with one of these black bears!!!

The bears were fun to watch and the scenery as we flew to Prince of Wales island was spectacular.

 I even got flowers, a birthday cake, and a Dr. Pepper on my birthday!

Alaska is a beautiful place and I'm glad I got to share it with my sweetheart!  

 

Christmas Memories

A bonfire on the beach

Finding the perfect tree

Sun on the Oregon coast in December....a miracle!

A very happy dog!

Great food, (even if I do say so myself) fun games, thoughtful gifts....nearly a perfect Christmas .....the only things we needed to make it perfect....Mary and Mark!