Christmas in Portland

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. Our Christmas festivities began on Christmas Eve, when we got together with daughter Julie, future son-in-law Jeremy, daughter Michelle, son-in-law Ian, grandchildren Nemo and Mia, and Ian's Mom, Vivien. Julie and Michelle did a great job preparing a wonderful dinner and even had stockings for all of us. Then Christmas morning we went to Michelle and Ian's apartment to open Christmas presents. We had a great time with each other and it was fun watching everyone open their presents. Especially Nemo and Mia! Later we were able to talk by phone with our other daughter Melissa in Michigan and we made a Skype video call with son Jonathan in NYC. Portland even had a white Christmas this year. For the first time in over ten years it snowed on Christmas day. Nemo doesn't see snowflakes very often so he thought this was great and he quickly got his hat and coat on and ran outside. It didn't last long and later turned to rain. As we continue to hear of snow storms and bad weather along the route we traveled a few days ago, we continue to be so thankful for a safe and uneventful trip. Today we just hung out at the motorhome. Reading, relaxing, resting and adjusting to pacific standard time. That's all for now.
JJM

PORTLAND!!!!

We left Twin Falls at 6:30 this morning. Once again we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. The eastern Idaho mountains came alive in the early morning light. The roads were dry and we made good time. North of Boise we made a quick stop at a rest area for some hot tea and yummy treats, sister Diane had made for us. We crossed into Oregon and up over the Blue Mountains. There was lots of snow on the hills and ominous warnings to make sure you had chains. While we do have a set, we agreed that if chains are required, it's time to pull over and wait out the weather. Fortunately the roads remained dry and we soon dropped down into Pendleton. Soon after we ran into rain which would stay with us all the way to Portland. The drive along the Columbia River was a fitting end to our journey. It is one of my favorite drives. We are staying at the Jantzen Beach RV Park for several weeks while spending time with family during this Christmas season. We are so thankful for arriving safe and sound and on time. We realized when planning this trip that we might run into serious weather delays. For several days we did not see another RV making us wonder what we were doing. Being here however is the reward.

We wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR.

jjm

LET IT SNOW....LET IT SNOW.....NOT!!

Today was a study in contrasts. We were on the road early. After listening all night to the blaring PA at Flying J we were ready to leave. It was dark but the roads were dry. The sun rise chased us west and caught up with us west of Laramie. It was beautiful. The hills covered with snow glowed purple and gold. As the light filled in we saw a huge herd of Antelope. Could it get any better than this? Apparently not. We soon ran into a snow storm with high winds. It was near white out for several hours. The roads weren't covered, but visibility was non existent. We decided to push on taking our time and leaving plenty of room between us and the trucks. Around Green River the snow stopped but now the roads were slick. This continued into Utah. Coming down into Ogden the mountains were beautiful. Blue sky, snow covered red rock and dry pavement. This is the way it's suppose to be. We pushed on to Twin Falls Idaho where we are spending yet another evening at a Flying J Truck Stop. A little noisy but the price is right. If the weather cooperates we may even make it to Portland tomorrow. On a side note. We are enjoying our Internet access with our Verizon wireless card. So far it has worked flawlessly.

A little tired, a little weary, but safe and sound,

J,J,M

ON THE ROAD AGAIN....PART 2

After a early foggy start, we made good time today. But I must say Nebraska is a boring state to drive through. We were blessed once again with dry roads. We arrived in Cheyenne Wyoming after 10.5 hours on the road. We are half way to Portland and tonight are once again guests at a Flying J truck stop. And to tell you how tired we are, we got some takeout from Ronald's Place. I think this is the first in a long time. I have a feeling it may be a long time before we try it again. They are predicting snow tomorrow so we'll have to take it easy. Mollie continues to adjust and is a good traveler.

That's all for now

J,J,and M

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We were on the road by 8:50 this morning. It's amazing how many last minute items we had to do. Turn the water off, turn the furnace down. Put out the trash, load the jeep. And of course Judy had some last minute cleaning to do. We headed to the storage unit to get out the RV. We had it already loaded, so we hooked up the jeep and hit the road. There was snow on the ground but the roads were dry. Going through Chicago was a breeze for a change. We are just west of Des Moines tonight at a flying J truck stop. 1700 more miles to Portland. Mollie is proving to be a good traveler. The only quandary was what wine to drink with a Lean Cuisine meal. We gain an hour so hope to hit the road early tomorrow.

John, Judy and Mollie