Hi.

Time seems to pass so quickly when we are traveling. On August 11^th we arrived in Salt Lake City. We went through this area early on in our travels and always wanted to return. Of course there is a huge influence by the Mormon community but it is also a diverse cultural and historic area.

On Friday we went to an area known as Thanksgiving Point near Lehi. The gardens are stretched out over 55 acres which includes waterfalls and a grassy amphitheater. The Museum of Ancient Life is exactly as it sounds…a study of prehistoric life with fossils and dinosaur skeletons.

Next we went to the Bingham Mine which mines Kennecott copper. The pit is enormous. The equipment matches the size. The tires are 12 feet 6 inches tall, cost $25,000.00 each and last about a year. We were there when they did a blast and the dust created a small storm.

Saturday we attended a farmers market and bought fresh veggies to have for dinner. We went to the Hogel Zoo and the Tracy Aviary. Both were nice places to spend time but neither was outstanding.

Sunday we listened to the rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir radio show. They are so professional and present the music with such enthusiasm. The fact that they are all volunteers who spend so much of their private time and expenses to sing and travel is wonderful. Two young ladies (one from Korea and one from Oregon) doing their missionary work gave us tours of the Tabernacle and the church that they attend. A new feature that we saw is a miniature version of the Temple cut away to view the interior rooms. A computer gives an explanation of the rooms and how they are used.

This is the Place Park and Heritage Village is a reconstruction village. When the Mormon pioneers reached this spot Brigham Young was heard to say“this is the place.” Many of the homes, log cabins and businesses have people dressed in period clothing telling about the families or merchants that inhabited or worked in the structures. There was also an impressive statue dedicated to the pioneers and one dedicated to the Pony Express riders.

August 16^th we drove to Boise, Idaho. This was new territory to us and we thoroughly enjoyed the city and surrounding area. We were so impressed by the massive distance of prairie as we drove there. There were some fires along the Snake River creating some less than desirable air quality…cough, cough.

The Idaho Botanical Gardens are gorgeous. We walked through the 14 locations representing different types of flowers and agriculture. Desert plants , vegetable gardens and wetlands blended with roses and trellises. We went from flowers to the Old Idaho Penitentiary. What a transition. The penitentiary was open from 1870-1973. It is a self guided tour allowing entry to cells, the barber shop, the cafeteria and death row.

The state capitol building is lovely. It has been recently renovated and offers wide, open corridors, beautiful columns and a lot of natural light. On the 3^rd floor we saw a George Washington statue donated in 1869. The other statue is a replica of Winged Victory of Samothrace which was donated by France from the 1949 Merci Train.

The World Center for Birds of Prey was more interesting than we anticipated. During a demonstration on training a young kestrel named Rosie took flight on her own for the first time. She took to the trees and did not respond to the trainers calls. They said she would come home when she was hungry enough. One building was in memory of a sheik who was famous for training raptors for hunting and preserving the art worldwide.

In downtown Boise there is the Basque Museum and Cultural Center. The Basques are originally from the northern part of Spain and have pockets of communities around the United States. Through videos, pictures and displays you can sample the language and art of the Basques. They are famous as sheepherders and creating fine weavings. Among the more well known people are the renowned musician Ravel (Bolero) and baseball player Ted Williams.

We spent a few hours walking around the Idaho State Fair and enjoyed people watching and then indulged in a heaping pile of french fries made from Idaho potatoes. We went to the Discovery Center with its 160 displays to challenge and educate kids and adults, too. It is probably the best hands- on discovery center for children that we have seen.

Sunday, August 21^st we arrived at Crown Point RV Park in the small town of Corbett, Oregon. We knew about the 10% grade leading up to the park and went about 4 miles out of the way to avoid it. It is a small RV park with only 22 spaces. The advantage was a good location to tour from and a friendly park owner. Of course we went to some of the well known and lovely waterfalls in the area and took the 14 mile drive up to Larch mountain. It was a clear day and we had breathtaking vistas of 5 mountains. From this vantage point we saw Mount St. Helens (8,366 ft), Mount Ranier (14,410 ft), Mount Adams (12,307 ft), Mount Hood (11,235 ft) and Mount Jefferson (10,497 ft.) Even in August, three of them were crowned with snow and shone brightly in the sunlight.

The Columbia Gorge and Interpretive Center has an inviting glass front to the building. The main theme is the history of fishing along the Columbia River. We spotted a fisherman on the waters edge using a large fishing net. It had to be at least 6 feet long. The Bonneville Lock and Dam has visitors centers in both Oregon and Washington and it is worth going to both of them because they offer different information. From there we went to a fish hatchery. We learned that sturgeon do not have scales. They are protected by a form of cartilage. The hatchery had salmon and trout and beautiful landscaping.

On Saturday we spent some time at a farmers market buying fresh local corn and fruit. Then we went to an outlet mall and Mitch filled out a form for a drawing. He won tickets to the State Fair and a show. We hadn’t planned on attending but quickly changed our minds.

Sunday, August 28^th went drove the highly scenic route to Mount Hood. On the way we drove the “fruit loop” and I did not make up the name. We stopped at a U-pick farm and picked 4 pounds of luscious blueberries. It is a good thing they didn’t weigh us because we snacked as we picked. Mt. Hood had a small fire from a lightening strike and had a bluish haze but it was still magnificent. The Timberline Lodge is well known for weddings, ski parties and as a pleasant place to stay.

We stopped at the Ranger station and I purchased a National Park Senior Pass. It is official. With the pass and receiving social security , I am a bonafide senior citizen.

Monday we went to the fair. We like to look at prize winning chickens, 4 H projects, huge pumpkins, fancy quilts and all that the fair offers. We passed up the potatoes to eat a blooming Walla Walla onion complete with sauce. The show was circus themed and mostly had acrobatic groups.

The last day of August we drove to Washington to Silver Cove RV Park. The interesting feature of this park are the manmade canals. There are several of them and they flow into a nearby lake. People can place their boats in the water and tie up behind their rigs for easy access. Over the Labor Day weekend it was packed with families and campers. At night the campfires glowed and the air was rich from the barbeque grills cooking meals. During the day children of all ages rode their bikes and a few learned the art of casting a fishing line. We saw one father duck and weave but he got a couple of hits from his daughters fishing pole. Entertainment comes in all forms and places.

September 1st we drove to Olympia to see their state capitol building. Typical of many capitol buildings it had 5 kinds of marble from an equal number of countries. The most unusual features were the Louis Comfort Tiffany chandelier that hangs in the rotunda and the 4 Roman firepots. They are truly eye-catching. I added a new bit of trivia to my brain when the docent mentioned that Washington is the only state named after a president.

On Saturday we drove to see Mt. St. Helens or what is left of it following the massive explosion on May 18^th, 1980. At Johnson Ridge and at the Forest Learning Center you can both see and hear reports of witnesses during the eruption and those who watched the massive mudflow rushing down the Toutle River valleys. Weyerhaeuser has planted millions of various trees in an effort to “heal” the areas where the blast destroyed once green forests.

One side of the mountain remains untouched to also preserve the sight of what nature can do.

In both Oregon and Washington we saw dozens and dozens of tree and plant nurseries. It is surprising that so many similar businesses can sell what appeared to be the same product. We suspect that they are transported to adjoining states for sale. We also noticed that the word green is totally inadequate to describe the many shades of color that nature provides.

Tuesday the 6^th we drove to Black Diamond. From there we went to two zoos. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma was great. We especially liked the red wolves, porcupines and a polar bear that responded to the person providing his afternoon fish snack by sitting and raising his paw on command. Two days later we went to the Woodland Park Zoo which is also very good.

Saturday we went to see Art and Judie Franz. I have known them from my college days in Socorro. They are renting a nice horse property for their 2 quarter horses and an Arabian. The horses followed us around like large curious puppies as did the 2 real dogs. We picked blackberries to our hearts content. Art and Jude fed us 2 great meals and we toasted with a rare black single malt scotch. We love catching up with friends during our travels.

September 11^th we drove to Tall Chief RV park. They do not have full hookup but the spaces are large and lined with trees and shrubs to give a lot of privacy. We spent several days doing little more that reading, going on the computer at the clubhouse and packing.

The packing is for the cruise we are doing out of Seattle starting on September 16^th. The first is a 10 day roundtrip from Seattle to several stops in Alaska and one in Canada that returns to Seattle. We stay on the Celebrity Infinity and depart from Seattle on September 26^th to travel down the west coast and then through Mexico and the Panama Canal to disembark in Fort Lauderdale on October 13^th. Then we have a flight back to Seattle the same day.

We will have some limited phone service and internet service. This is why we won’t be in contact for a while. Please discontinue all jokes and political commentary until we have full internet service. Stay well.