Geo: 47.5964, -120.66 It was a wonderful day of extremes. We got on the road at 6:00 just after sunrise to a brisk 46 degrees or the trip north on 97, the "Oregon Scenic Byway." Along the way the snow-shrouded Cascade range showed off it's stately elegance: Bachelor, the Sisters, Jefferson, and Mt. Hood kept us company along the way. By the time we crossed the Columbia River into Washington it was a toasty 90 degrees. Mt. St. Helens was majestic as it jutted up behind the farmland and hills in the distance. The temps continued to climb as we reached Yakima, "the Palm Springs of Washington" where it hit 97. (The real Palm Springs hit 122.) We stopped to cool off at a Yakima Nation tribal fruit stand, and enjoyed fresh-picked apricots, peaches, cherries and
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