Sorry Officer, I didn't get the license number

Well it finally happened to us.  The kind of thing you hear about on the news and that only happens to someone else.

We are currently staying in Silverton, Oregon and since the weather cleared this afternoon we decided to go find Silver Falls State Park.  We arrived too late to really take advantage of the trails but made plans to come back this week.

On our way back to Silverton we were on a tight, twisty, two lane road. We were not in any hurry but driving close to the speed limit.  I noticed two cars coming up on us at a rapid rate.  I could tell they were impatient to pass us,  but with all the twists and turns it was all marked as a no passing zone.  Finally the first car made a quick move and was by us.  I noticed that it was a bunch of kids.  That's ok, we all were impatient  when we were young.

What happened next though was just plain stupid.  The second car decided he needed to catch up with his friends and decided to pass me on a blind curve.  What he didn't see was the on coming pickup truck.  I hit the brakes, the pickup truck swerved, and the driver of an older mustang tried to split in between.  He didn't make it.  He did avoid the pickup but scraped along the side of our Explorer.  And then...... he drove off.  He had to have known he hit us, but he just drove off.  In shock, I pulled over to see what damage was done.  While we were standing there the pickup driver who he had almost hit head on pulled up.  He had turned around to make sure we were ok.  We were happy to see he was ok and exchanged info, and he went on his way.

We did call 911, and also talked to the Oregon State Police..  Of course it all happened so fast that we didn't get a license number.  With just a description of the vehicle there is little they can do, but I will say they were very professional, and wanted to make sure that we were ok.

It was one of those moments that you are once again reminded that God reached in and intervened.  And for that we are grateful.  What could have been a tragic accident is now just an unpleasant memory.  It appears that the damage is minor, and will probably be less than our deductible.  I have to remember,  it's only stuff and stuff can be fixed or replaced.  With a life, not so much.

Until later.

Just hanging somewhere between Boring and Idiotville

We are currently hanging out in the Pacific Northwest and yes there really are towns in northwest Oregon by those names.

We were in Portland for three weeks before moving a little south.  We have 2 married daughters and 2 grand kids there and there was lots of visiting and eating out and even a sleepover with the grand kids on the RV.

Strange how we can go a couple of weeks without eating out when we are by ourselves.  But if you are a confirmed foodie, like I am, then Portland is the place to be.  We have sampled Vietnamese, Mexican, German, Mediterranean, Micro Brewery Pub Grub, French, Thai, Gluten free pizza, and of course several great home cooked meals.

We also made some new friends while in town.  For years we have followed Thom and Dar.  They are from the Midwest like us and also, like us, have kids in the Pacific Northwest.  We have never been able to meet up until now.  While our visit was short, we enjoyed our time together and look forward to our next visit.  

We also met Jeri and Terry, you can read about their travels at Just Wanderin. We have followed each other for a couple of years, and when Jeri emailed us about getting together we jumped at the chance.  They are from the Pacific Northwest and are getting ready to head south. They brought another couple, Carol and Steve with them to join us for lunch. They are from Oklahoma and were staying at the Elks in Vancouver with Jeri and Terry.  

We hope to meet up with both couples again in a couple of months in a warmer climate.  Speaking of the Elks, since we are going to be here in the Portland area until Thanksgiving we decided to go through the process of joining the Elks.  Jeri and Terry kindly sponsored us and we appreciate all their help.  

We are going to be taking advantage of cheaper monthly rates and stay in the McMinnville area for a month.  Close enough to Portland to drive in to see everyone and yet out far enough to be a little more reasonable. We will be in prime vineyard country, close enough to visit the coast on a day trip, and hopefully even visit the great air museum in McMinnville, home of the Spruce Goose.

The new header picture is from our visit to Mt Rainer.  The picture below is from Ebey's Preserve on Whidbey Island.
  

Until later.