The alarm went of at 0600 hrs.  Yuck!  We decided last night that we would do a long road day in view of the scarcity of camping/lodging accommodations due to the holiday.  This also meant a deviation from US 2.  We headed south on CR 21 – the road was straight and visible for miles and miles.  The scenery varied from sagebrush/rocks/brown scrub to lush green fields to amber fields of wheat to fields of potatoes – and many fields that had already been harvested.  In these empty fields, we spied several dust devils spinning.  We reached the town of Lind and transitioned to 395S.  The terrain is so fascinating – I think learning about geology would be interesting.  Maybe when I grow up….

It occurred to me this morning that our trip was a wonderful illustration of the song America The Beautiful.  Our America is truly beautiful – every day brings new appreciation of the treasures we have.

We warped into Oregon at 1140 hrs.  eventually ending up on 84W heading toward Portland.  Hills and mountains were coming into view, and we spied a couple bighorn sheep on a hillside.  Much of our afternoon drive was along the lovely Columbia River and Columbia River Gorge area.  There were many little airports along our route, and several dams on the river.  Mt Hood was a beautiful sight to behold (and I didn’t get a picture!).

Once again, we were blessed to find a campground with a space for us tonight, so we landed in Albany, Oregon.  Camp was set up quickly – then a special treat awaited.  Bill turned the truck north toward Salem for a special supper date.  We met Uncle John and Aunt Sandy for dinner and a wonderful chat.

Back home, we laced up for our walk and some exercise for Piper.  We’ll be up early in the morning – trusting that God has a great plan for our camping site tomorrow evening – and head toward McMinnville to tour Evergreen Aviation Museum.

Miles traveled today:  420!!!  Trip total – 2520 (plus about 400 side trip miles).