July 27th thru July 30th

We planned on taking Hwy 30 east, Historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway, to the Tri Cities in Washington to visit Diane’s cousin, Meg Maas, her husband, Kevin and their kids Katherine and Nick but the fire last year has left a lot of the route closed.  After leaving the hotel we were able to get on the Scenic Highway in Gresham and drive through Troutdale and along the Sandy River.  We also stopped to take panoramic photos from the Portland Woman’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint and the Vista House.  We were also able to park and walk to the

and the Bridal Veil Falls before we got to the closed section of the Highway.  We saw the Multnomah Falls from the freeway but couldn’t stop.  It was all beautiful and we got some good photos.

Hwy 84/30 East up the Columbia River Gorge was kind of packed so we crossed the river on Bridge of the Gods at the Cascade Locks and continued East on Hwy 14 in Washington.  It was a very nice drive and not crowded at all.  There were many picturesque vistas some including Mt. Hood.

We arrived in Kennewick, one of the Tri Cities, about 3:00 and a 100 degree temperature.  Actually the temperature was close to 100 degrees in the afternoon almost everywhere we were that day.  We have decent AC in the van so we were comfortable. 

Our weekend visit with the Maas family was great.  We took Slinky with us each time we went over to their house as they all wanted to meet her.  She was a little spooked at first but settled down and soon became Katherine and Nick’s newest friend.  Meg and Kevin were gracious hosts, we talked about our trip, where we had been and where we are going and how Slinky was or wasn’t adapting to life on the road.  We showed them our van that’s been our home for 2 months and the next 3 months.

Kevin has been an avid hiker/camper his whole life and he knows a great deal about the state of Washington.  He provided us with lots of information on possible routes to take as we leave Washington and enter Idaho.

We went to the local college planetarium which is, according to the professor who introduced what we were about to see, close to the largest planetarium in the state.  The movie was the “Life of Stars.”  Pretty interesting that the sun will swallow the earth in about 12 – 15 billion years.  Start preparing everyone!

We also ventured over to an indoor heated pool and mini waterpark.  It wasn’t very crowded because there were hydro-foil boat races and an air show in town.  The kids love the pool and it was hard to drag them out.

Katherine and Nick babysat Slinky while Diane and I went shopping prior to leaving for Idaho.  They did a great job.

Our thanks again to the Maas family for a great time.