Today we traveled from Bend, Oregon to Caldwell, Idaho � 350 miles. Stitch and Just Mary � I thought about you both today as there was a sign at the hotel welcoming Quilters. Looks like there is a quilting convention going on out here. If I had a clue I�d buy something for both of you � but what do I know about quilting?? Our very first stop was the HD Bears & Roses dealership for a headlight for JDawg � gotta have one of those. Then we were off through the high desert; we actually found an area of Oregon that didn�t have any trees! We stopped in Brother for some gas and to chat with the only people in town � all 4 of them. Gas stops are few and far between on Route 20. We sat in front of the town jail and enjoyed some cold water. We came into the mountains a good while down the road and shadowed a river for quite a while. As we came around 1 turn I thought I saw a flowering tree beside the creek. Upon closer inspection I discovered what kids do for fun out here � they apparently tie their tennis shoes together and thrown them up into the tree. I wish we had stopped and taken a picture � what a site � a tennis shoe tree in the middle of the mountains. The picture man wasn�t much in the mood for snapshots today as he was concerned with making tracks. We continued on and crossed Stinking Water Creek (no wonder with buttes everywhere out here) then up to Drink Water Pass and finally across the Oregon Trail. I�m sure that the settlers traveling this route faired far better then the fools traveling the Death Valley route.
I must say that Oregonians really are a friendly lot. We didn�t encounter one person in this state that didn�t seem genuinely kind. Perhaps we�re just easy to talk to and seem friendly ourselves � whatever it is it�s nice. Interesting facts about Oregon: it�s against the law to pump your own gas (although every attendant we encountered gladly let us do it); and there is no state tax. Nice state. We ended our day at the Best Western and JDawg surprised me with the Jacuzzi suite in which to soak my tired backside.
