"I Need a Drink of Cool, Cool Rain"

Yes, I went the long way home. Well, not home yet. I've crashed in a Super 8 somewhere in Nevada. Reasons for that I'll blog later after more time for contemplation on my quest and a sort through my pics.

The thrill I had was a day cruising down the highway all on my own with no agenda, no time schedule, except to get there before dark, and The Who.

As it was raining from Beaverton on south, that gentle, soft, and beautiful Oregon rain, down through the green Douglas Fir each with its unique scraggle of branches, I went back to my youth in neighboring Washington State. I didn't quite get there this time, but it was beautiful across the Gorge. And I didn't get to the Ocean, but the rain was all I needed to revel in my nearly conquered teenage angst.

You can read more about that and The Who in another posting, but the rain made it a perfect day:

Only love
Can bring the rain
That makes you yearn to the sky.
Only love
Can bring the rain
That falls like tears from on high.

The Glory of Gray

All the interpretive signs in Oregon for the Oregon Trail talked about "Paradise on Earth."
I'm pretty sure most people's vision of Paradise has less rain in it.

Closer to Eugene, the Cascades begin to squeeze the Valley as the Willamette cascades down them.
(Oh, I get it!)

And the beautiful Fall weather up the Cascades to Willamette Pass

to my children:

NEVER TAKE PICTURES FROM A MOVING VEHICLE.