Friday- Coeur d'Alene to Portland

A change in climate often plays hell with my sinuses, so I woke up yesterday morning with a nasty headache. I let the Grandgirl of the moment sit in the front seat and keep Gpa company, while I splayed myself out in the back seat and slept until Ritzville. So there are no travel pics of that part of the journey. But by lunchtime, I felt okay (woohoo for Advil Cold & Sinus). However, the alternating girls were delighted with the front seat assignment, so I stayed in back and watched the amazing Columbia Gorge from that viewpoint.

We stopped at Multnomah Falls and were amazed, as always (though most of the pics are on my phone and not on this computer).

posers...

3/5 of the most wonderful Grandgirls in the world.

We're in Portland now, and I ran among the trees and slugs this morning. It was wonderful- dry and cool and perfect. We're heading to the beach today- one of our favorite places in the world. All of my sisters will be together for the first time in 15 years, also my father, and both of my sons and all of my grandkids, and my very best and old friends (old as in long-time, none of us are old...)

L-R:Kris, Me, Janie (AKA Mouse), Jane

Kris and Jane were best friends from Kindergarten, I met them in the 7th grade. Jane and Janie are cousins. Janie lived in South Dakota, but she moved in with Jane in our Sophomore year of high school. We were inseparable then, and are still the absolute best of friends. We vacation together, our kids are friends, and our grandkids play together. Whoda thunk, way back then.

Oh yeah, the fact that Janie was from South Dakota is very very Significant...

Coeur d'Alene

Today's ride was lovely- mountain range after mountain range (Beartooth, Crazy, Absaroka, Rockies- and probably a few I  missed), plus two spectacular passes, Lookout and 4th of July. Back in the olden days (the mid 70's), the highway was two-lane, and there were no guard rails, and the roads had a nasty habit of falling away- those passes were white-knuckle experiences for me. No kidding- you could look out the window, and see 5,000 feet straight down. But these days, the highway is divided (though there is ALWAYS construction), and the roadways tend to stay where they're supposed to. You just have to watch out for the other drivers... some things never change.

I didn't take many pictures today, but I snapped this one with my phone from the car as we were moving. Montana is gloriously beautiful.

I finished Road Socks #1 fairly early this morning.

and then I cast on Road Socks #2. This is yarn that I bought at the '09 Sock Summit. It's lovely stuff- a bit heavier than usual fingering weight, so they'll be extremely cushy. I made up the pattern on the fly, but I'll write out the basics for you all when my brain is a bit more rested. I only have ab out 2" left to knit on the foot of this sock, and then the toe.

We're in Coeur d'Alene tonight- an incredibly lovely lake, a big town, and many crazy-ass drivers... We're hunkered down at a nice motel, the Grands are swimming, and I'm going to read this evening (A Dance with Dragons on the Kindle). Tomorrow's drive will be shorter, with a small side trip at Multnomah Falls and then on to Portland! Woohoo!