Last Post

This will be our last post for this road trip.  We are spending the night in Bend, OR, so will be home tomorrow.  We haven't posted anything the last couple days because we have been spending time with some of our relatives.  It has been very enjoyable.  What a privilege.

After leaving Brigham City, Utah, we drove east to Twin Falls, Idaho.  Doug's Aunt Elaine lives there so we stopped to visit her.  We had a great time visiting with Elaine, who is really spunky and full of life.  It is always a joy to see her.  Here is a photo of Doug and Aunt Elaine.

After our visit we were off to visit Doug's cousin, Connie, and her husband Bob.  Connie and Bob live in Eagle, ID.  They hold a special place in our hearts.  We always enjoy visiting with them and wish we lived closer to one another so we could spend more time together.  Connie has been on a journey of treatment and recovery from breast cancer.  We've been praying for her so we were anxious to see her in person and give her a hug.  When we arrived, she was at a doctor's appointment, so Doug and I took a walk on the Boise Greenbelt, which run right behind their townhouse in Eagle, ID.  The Greenbelt is such a nice walking space.  Near Bob and Connie's house it runs by some pretty nice homes.  Here is a photo of the trail and a nearby neighborhood.

That evening we watched a baseball game that Connie's grandson was playing in.  One amazing thing about the baseball game was the osprey nest in the field lights.  There were actually birds in it and we watched the osprey flying in and out.

Here is a photo of me, Connie, and Bob at the baseball game.

Doesn't Connie look good?  All our prayers have really helped.  Bob looks good, too.

The next day Doug and I took a long walk (4 miles) on the Greenbelt near downtown Boise.  Saw some geese with a brood of goslings.

We at lunch downtown with Bob and Connie.  That evening Doug and I went to a movie (saw Blended, just a so-so movie).  Bob's mom was having some medical issues so they were busy with her at the hospital.

Yesterday we got to go shopping with Connie.  We had a good time walking around the mall.  Found some good sandals for Connie and a little something for our grandson, Seth.  Last night we ate dinner with another of Doug's cousins, Judi Magee and her husband, Steve.  Judi had called other relatives and prepared some homemade ice cream.  So, we got to visit with quite a few of Doug's other relatives.  What a joy to have the opportunity to see so many of them.  They blessed us by taking the time to come see us.  Sorry, I didn't take any photos.

This morning we left Eagle and headed toward Oregon.  On our way to Baker City we decided we would drive up through Sumpter, OR and head to Bend.  This route is so much more scenic than driving down 84.  We'd been through Sumpter before, but never driven up to the little town.  Sumpter became a town in 1862 because gold was discovered.  It boomed to about 2,000+ people, but a fire and lack of gold left the town pretty much a ghost town.  There are still a few people living there, but not much else.  Sumpter has a state park that highlights how they dredged for gold.  We enjoyed walking through the park and learning about this process.  Here is a photo of one of the huge dredges they used to hunt for gold.

It is amazing how much of the river was dug up and tailings line the river bed for several miles.

This drive was beautiful.  Here is a scene looking back toward the Anthony Lakes ski area.

When lunch time rolled around we came upon this view point over looking the Strawberry Mountains.  The temperature was about 70 degree with a very light wind.  So, we pulled out the lawn chairs and had our picnic.  You can't get a much better picnic spot.

The rest of the drive was just as nice.  Just outside Prineville we started seeing the Cascade Mtns., Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters.  It's good to be back in our area.  :-)  We've seen some really beautiful scenery, but Oregon can hardly be beat.

As I mentioned earlier, we are staying the night in Bend.  Tomorrow we will be home.  It has been a wonderful trip and we are so thankful for all the Lord has shown us and his blessing of safety.

Thanks for reading and joining us on our road trip.  Hope to see you all in person soon.

Dianna & Doug

Utah Drive

Today we drove 359 miles from St. George to Brigham City, UT.  We decided last night that we would head for home.  We've had a great trip and have seen a lot of wonderful things.  However, we are getting tired of being on the road.  So, today we pushed hard to make it north of Salt Lake City.  Tomorrow we hope to drive to Boise.  

On the road today we were surprised by a speed limit of 80.  You can put some serious miles behind you with that type of speed limit.  We're pretty pleased with the 38 mpg we're getting with our new car.  She's great!  We are also very thankful the temperature isn't quite so hot.  When we left St. George this morning at 8:30 a.m. it was 82 degrees.  The further north we came the cooler it got.  When we arrived in Brigham City it was in the high 70's.  Ah, what a relief!

At lunch just inside Provo.

We stopped around 4:30 and could have gone further, but realized there were no places to stop between here at Twin Falls, ID, which would have a been a lot more driving.

Here is a photo of the country side surrounding Brigham City.

In the next couple days we hope to visit with family in Twin Falls and Boise.  Should be home soon.  Guess I should let my kids know so they can pick up the house before we get home.  :-)