The PNW Journey Continues: The Home Stretch

Last you heard, we were passing Mt. Shasta, it was getting dark and our overnight stop was not to far away. Then I said nothing, because really there was nothing much to say about the next day. But I figure I should say something and bring a little closure to the fabulous trip.

We stayed overnight in Stockton where I had found a boarding facility that would take overnighters. The place was pretty dang nice (only the best for Little Lady!). She had a fully bedded 12'x12' box stall waiting for her right next to a HUMONGOUS covered arena. Cowboy H turned her out to stretch her legs while I got her midnight snacks into her feed bucket.

After bedding her down, Cowboy H steered the King Ranch over to our overnight digs. I had found a hotel right on the waterfront in downtown Stockton which was only about 5 minutes from where Little Lady was staying. And what a hotel it was. We were so bummed we could only stay one night because it was so nice. Ohhh was the bed comfy. The cool thing was, as soon as we pulled into the front drive, the security guard and front desk girl came out to meet us. Guess they don't get many horse trailers??

The next morning we dragged ourselves out of that wonderful bed and trucked back over to LL (after a coffee stop, of course). Her stall had already been cleaned and someone had even opened up the door so she was hanging out in the back run. She was not too keen on leaving and getting back in the trailer!

From then on, the trip pretty much looked like this:

Yep, that's I-5 going straight through the middle of California.

I mostly slept, although the stick-straight 5 did allow me to browse through some magazines and get all pumped up for Cowboy Christmas thanks to their ads.

When we passed this point, we knew we were getting close.

Did you know that famous photograph of the cowgirl's booty who is wearing the red shirt and chaps was taken at the Tejon Ranch? You've got to know the picture. You usually find it on t-shirts with the following saying: 'Hate to see her go, but love to watch her leave.' Cowboy H shared that little tidbit with me once, and again when we passed the ranch sign. Thank goodness for him, or that's one less thing I would know.

Well, to end this story, we arrived at LL's desert stables about 4:30 pm, safe and sound. If anything can be learned from this journey, it is:

Cowboy H should never be allowed to haul horses for the Desert Rose without me again. Unlike previous trips where he went it alone, there were no missing trailer pins or dropped trailers on the freeway and no flat tires in the pouring rain. I also performed navigation duties so he wouldn't have to take his eyes off the road and handed him drinks and snacks so he wouldn't have to take his hands off the wheel. On top of that, I was there to talk his ear off for him so he didn't fall asleep and change the radio stations for him so he didn't get bored when I did stop talking (ok, so maybe I over-did the radio station changing, but still, I was there for him). So, what do y'all think, should I be allowed back?

Hitting The Road: Good-bye Oregon

Even though Cowboy H and I got to spend an entire day soaking up the beauty of the PNW during fall, it wasn't quite enough. In addition, the Desert Rose and her Loving Husband were busy packing and taking care of last minute vet, health, and travel concerns, so we didn't get much time with them either. The morning that we had to leave came way too soon, and there was still so much left to do! (Ahem, Desert Rose.)

However, once we finally got on the road, it was smooth sailing! We crossed the Oregon-California border just before 3 pm and had to say good bye to all of this:

We were already running behind schedule and didn't want to stop unless necessary (fuel, restrooms, etc.) so most all my photos were taken from within in the King Ranch while it was moving (on the freeway no less). I have no idea where this was, but somehow I managed to capture this really cool bridge right off the freeway:

The highest point on I-5.

Oh, Oregon, we will be back. We will be back as soon as we can. And thank YOU for having us.

Before I move on to how ugly and brown California is compared to Oregon, I have to share this with you. Oregon has these little "Speedometer Check Sections" along the freeways.

When it says start, you're supposed to begin timing yourself. There is a mile marker for each mile, 1-5.

So, if your speedometer says 60 mph, it should have taken you exactly 5 minutes to get to the end of the section. Just in case you're really worried about your speedometer accuracy. Of course, we were very concerned and tested the King Ranch's at every single one. Just kidding, I was too busy taking pictures.

Entering California was like crossing into Kansas or something. There was seriously a straight line drawn right on top of the designated state line and once you hit that line, everything changed. One side was green; one side brown. One side could get rain; the other could not.

There are a few deer just chilling under that tree right off the freeway, but what I really want you to notice is how brown it is. This was just inside the state border, too.

One thing I can say about I-5 is it has some gorgeous rest stops along the way (well, up north at least). Seriously, you could go to one of these for a picnic. They are like parks. We found one that was right along a river and decided it would be a good time to give Little Lady some water and check her feed bags.

What? You mean I can get out?

Yes, we were cruising around the rest stop with LL.

Pretty soon we came along Mt. Shasta, which was a spectacular sight, even if the lake was almost completely dried up.

Next thing we knew, the sun was setting and we had only a few more hours before our overnight stop.

Not Quite Mt. St. Helens

This place was gorgeous. I'm so glad we changed plans and came here instead. I'm sure Mt. St. Helens would have been a terrific experience, but for a photo-obsessed girl, this was a complete playground. And seeing as how we don't really get the fall colors in Southern California, I was in heaven.

We crossed right under the railroad tracks and were faced with the tremendous falls and the historic lodge. The lodge was very cool and we ended up eating lunch there after working up an appetite climbing all the way to the top of the falls!

I took so many pictures, it got a little bit ridiculous. But I couldn't help myself!

We were fortunate to find another couple to take our pictures; they even had the same camera as me. I promise you Cowboy H is having a good time; trust me.

The hike up was stunning, well worth the 11+ switchbacks and 1 1/4 miles. It was cold and windy, but by the time we got to the top our jackets had to come off. The views over the Columbia River were incredible.

As we headed back down, I tried to get some close-up shots of the leaves, but it was so windy most of them came out like this:

I did manage to get one good one though.

These colors just kills me. I couldn't stop. We finally made it back to the bottom; Cowboy H had to take the camera away from me or we'd still be up there! However, he did let me get a few pictures from inside the lodge while we were eating our lunch. Check it out:

And don't forget: Mama H's Big Quiz #1 is still open! Get your answers in pronto, because I will be closing it tonight (Wednesday) at 8:00 pm PST and someone will be getting "Motley Crew" to hang on their wall (or stuff in the closet)!

The PNW Journey Continues

After touching down in the great Pacific North West, we were greeted by the lovely Desert Rose and sat down for some coffee, to decompress (since our flight was a grueling 2 1/2 hours) and to catch up.

From the airport, we headed off to meet the Desert Rose's Dear Friend for lunch, only realizing halfway there that her clocks had not been changed! So, we just had to stop by a little tack store on the way to kill the time. I definitely wasn't complaining! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, sharing pictures, discussing the game plan for the next few days and enjoying a delicious dinner out.

The next morning, Cowboy H and I headed out for Mt. St. Helens.

This is as close as we got. After stopping at a ranger station to clarify directions we learned that the interactive center at the foot of the mountain was closed for the season. We could go hike around, but since we were still about an hours drive away, we decided check out some other scenery that was closer.

We had passed a sign for a few falls on the way up, so headed back that direction and ended up at Lucia Falls.

There wasn't much going on here, so we didn't stay long, but it was still really pretty. They had a nice open area with picnic tables that would have been a great place to eat lunch, had we known. After I took enough pictures to drive Cowboy H mad, we piled in the car again and made our way to our next destination.

I will share those images with you in another post, because there are a ton! Stay tuned!

If you haven't entered yet, don't forget about Mama H's Big Quiz #1, going on right now! Comments are being hidden, so your answers will not be shown until entries are closed.

The PNW Journey Begins

The morning we left for the PNW, we had a 6:00 am flight. I was pretty grumpy about that, but I slept most of the flight and woke up in time to see the run rising to our right and Mt. Hood in the distance. Of course, we were seated right above a wing, but that's the story of my life.

I was too lazy to edit any of these, but was amazed at the color that appeared in the last one. Maybe it was due to shooting through the airplane window??