Oregon

I have been very lax about putting information on by blog about the trip I took to Oregon and Washington last August. So I am going to tell about it in the next few postings and add a few of the 1000 or so photos I took.
On August 1, 2007 I flew to Portland, Or. It was the first time I had flown in 35 years. It was quite an experience. Needless to say I was scared stiff when we took off from the Albuquerque, NM airport. I didn't want to look out but had to. It seemed all I could see were the Sandia Mountains, and they looked like we were going to hit them. As you may remember I can see the Sandia Mountains to the east from my home. I watch them every day when the sun comes up over them, the clouds float over them, the snow covers them, or the rain obscures them, until the sun setting in the west causes them to turn pink, and to live up to their name of Sandia which means Watermelon. Then I watch the moon come up over them. They are a wonderful mountain range that I have seen all my life but I did not want to crash into them.
We didn't.
It was off to Sacramento, CA where I was able to stay on the plane, and in a few minutes we were off again, (this time not so scary). I was thrilled to watch the mountains under us, the clouds we went up and down through, and finally to get a glemse of Mt. Rainer and Mt. St. Helen's, as we suddenly were flying right up the Columbia River. I was amazed at that as my sister and nephew had never mentioned doing that when they went into Portland. (I found out later they never had.) I could see several boats, and barges, and a bridge I took to be the Lewis & Clark bridge (also known as the Longview Bridge) that spans the Columbia River between Longview, WA and Clatskanie, Or (where my sister, Jan, and brother-in-law, Jim live.) I thought I could see the paper mill that Jim works at which I knew was near the river and the bridge.
Minutes later we had landed at the Portland, Oregon airport and I was met by Jan and my niece, Cyndi. It was the first time we had seen each other in three years. After finding my luggage and the car in the parking area we had a quick lunch somewhere. I forgot where now. Fast food is fast food. Then it was off to the Happy Hound in Longview to pick up Jan's dog, Paddy (a Lab and hound cross) that had spent the day at Doggy Day Care at the Happy Hound which he is always happy to go to. It was the first time I had met Paddy, as he was only about a year and a half old. He is a wonderful, sweet dog and acted like we had always been friends.
Finally we went across the Lewis & Clark Bridge that I had seen from the plane, going from Washington to Oregon. There is even a sign in the middle of the bridge saying you are in Oregon. I had been across the bridge lots when my husband, Lee, and son, Dustin, drove to Oregon about 5 years before. It was sort a like going to a place I had been away from way to long.