America The Beautiful

At exactly 3:37 a.m. Saturday morning, June 20th, we pulled out of our driveway and headed east to Michigan for a 4 week vacation. The dogs came along due to the fact that kenneling them would have bankrupted us and we are almost there anyway. So we loaded them in the Jeep and took off for home.

The dogs seemed somewhat confused as they had not gotten a full night's sleep and we were taking off in the dark. They were even more confused when we did not drop them at the kennel or the vet's office. To top it off, we drove for 20 hours the first day, stopping for potty breaks and food, but there was no sign of their house in Washington.

What there were signs of, were the hand prints of God's creation. The high desert of Central Oregon, where with irrigation, they grow some of the finest crops in the west really impressed me. We drove through the Cascade Mountains, formed by volcanoes millions of years ago. We watched the sunrise over them in the Columbia Gorge.

As we headed toward Idaho, we were impressed by the Blue Mountains. We were on the Oregon Trail following the path of Lewis and Clark and the early settlers. It amazed us that the pioneers trekked through the rugged, high mountains and stopped along the way to establish towns with stores to service the gold miners going out to seek their fortune. I am 59 years old and seeing things I read about in history class.

Utah was more beautiful than I thought it would be. The mountains and hills were colorful with a red sandstone. The mountains were formed by tectonics, I am told. Where plates within the earth move and force the terrain up to create awe-inspiring formations. Some looked like they were placed there on purpose to make a certain design.

When we reached Wyoming, there was a lot of history along the way. The pony express route,
Medicine Bow National Forest, Fort Sheridan, buffalo, antelope, and the list goes on. It was awesome to use an over-used word.

What I have realized is if we had not moved across the country, we might not have had the opportunity to take this trip and experience the splendor of our country. So stay tuned for more, I know I have been lax with updates, but I will try to keep you posted.