Over the rivers and through the woods....

Day 1 Route

We drove east up the Columbia River Gorge past Pendleton, and into the Wallowa Mountains, the Alps of northeastern Oregon. We spent the night on the NE slope of Mt. Joseph at Jay and Liza’s magical hill.

Liza and Jay in their cozy little home

Their five acres of heaven has a shop and outbuildings along with the small house.  They have big plans for a new house in the future to take advantage of the land and the picturesque views.

We had a lovely dinner of elk and vegetables. Good food, good drink, and good conversation with good friends. 

Day 2 Route

We went to sleep with the sound of the rain on the RV roof.

We woke up to the sound of the rain on RV roof… In fact there is a flood warning out for NE  Oregon today until Monday night.  Should make for an interesting drive north on what the locals call Rattlesnake grade (Hwy 3) toward Lewiston, Idaho. From there we proceed over Lolo Pass (Hwy 12) on our way to Missoula, Montana.




It did, in fact, rain as we drove the Rattlesnake Grade (OR Hwy 3, WA SR129). Unfortunately, this normally scenic drive was hidden by clouds and fog as the rain came down steadily. We crossed the Grande Ronde River in Washington.



Following the Snake River into Lewiston, WA, we made our way to US Hwy 12 over Lolo Pass.  The rain finally let up when we reached the summit at 5233 ft (1595m).  However, there was still snow on the ground at the visitor center.


From the visitor center, we drove to Missoula, Montana, and the home of our good friends David Cox and Susan Sather. They moved here last fall from Portland.  They have many cats, and one of them even has a place at the table where "Mama" dines with the family.

Tomorrow, we head east on I-90....