Things learned (or re-learned)

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Hi all --

Blogging while (Mary is) driving. This has since been edited and supplemented since we wnt out of cell range while I was writing.

1. Oregon state parks need investigating. Unity State Park was a revelation. Lake-side, beautiful, well kept, less than 10 camp sites occupied, good fishing (I'm told by the adjacent camper), solar heated showers and flush toilets, electrical hookups without noise issues with the RV campers, etc.

2. The oasis effect of a small stream. In eastern Oregon a stream running down between two hils and convert arid hills to an Eden. The tops of the hills become the demarcation line between arid territory and lux greenery.

3. How good campsite coffee is in the morning. This is likely also a comment on how well Mary makes coffee.

4. How difficult it is to capture the majesty of the Columbia Gorge in a picture. At least if you're passing through on the interstate. You can judge my feeble attempts.

5. How busy the Columbia Gorge is with economic activity. Tug and barge traffic, long haul train traffic, wind turbines, agricultural produce hubs, hydro power dams, etc.

6. Oregon has a virtually unknown mountain range which hits 9,000 feet. The Strawberry Mountains. The mountains pictured with snow are those mountains.

7. Eastern Oregon has little cell phone coverage. At least around Unity State Park.

8. A MacBook Pro can be worthless in the sunlight. I'm actually surprised that this is working so well during the daytime, while we drive. It was virtually impossible to see the sctreen yesterday at the campsite.

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It was at this point that things got interrupted.

We are now at Wolcott Lake State Park in south-eastern Idaho. IT is also a wonderful park, for all the same reasons as noted above.

The drive here was not very interesting. We did see a road-side antelope. But I didn't bother photograpohing the Sawtooths since the picture would have been similar to the Starberry Mountains.

I having a devil of a time getting pictures transferred onto the blog. If you get this without pictures, it's because I gave up in temporary frustration.

Bye for now.

Roy

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