Getting Out of the Rain

We drove, and drove, and drove this last weekend, and coming out of the rain, found ourselves in Oregon, in another world. South 3 hours to Portland, and then an hours scenic ride along the Columbia River, broguht us to The Dalles. A common stopping point for the pioneers who came West along the Oregon Trail. From there we headed due South into what seemed like a high dessert. Treeless, windy and sparcely populated by farms. We passed only 2 pick-up trucks in about 5 hours. Liam was heard to say that he could close his eyes to cross the street, and another time suggested that we drive on the wrong side of the road. (Both comments confirming the folly of 7 year olds driving cars). We stopped many times along the way. In the town of Fossil we explored a shale covered hill behind the school in town and hunted for fossils. There were tons of them! We could sit on the pile and split the shale up and find different leaves and sticks and pine branches. Not too far from there was an area that 50 million years ago had been tropical and full of early mammals. As we hiked passed boulders we could see fossils enbedded in them.....very cool. Geology in this area seemed everywhere. We drove over the plains and came to a point where we could see 5 vocanoes around us in various directions. In the photo with the windmills you can see Mt Hood, one of them.