The Course is Set

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The standard format here will be similar to that of a play script. The person writing, whether it be me, Cheryl, or the kids, will be indicated like this:

PAT: The big road trip approaches. Just 2 days, 1 hour, until we depart....if everything goes as planned. If everything goes as usual, we'll leave a couple hours later. That's just the way we are inspite of my efforts. However, we're going to try REALLY hard this time to leave on time. The goal is to have everything packed in bags & suitcases by Thursday night, with only loading up the SUV on Friday after I get off work at noon.

Why the big emphasis on getting off on time??? Quite simply, Paradiso!!!

When I went to college at North Dakota State University, we'd often go there for happy hour on Fridays. They'd have free chips, cheese & bean dip, and 50 cent tacos. More importantly, they had a huge selection of margaritas. Regular margs were $1, the large, 17oz margs were $2. I don't know how many ounces the small margs were because I never ordered one. They were awesome! I always got the melon margarita. After two of those, 5 or so tacos, and a tip, we' d spend less than $8 and be full have a margarita buzz. Oh those were the days. After we'd get back to our room though, the "margarita blues" would hit and we'd all nap until about 9pm, when we'd go out to the bars. Seemed like there was always some place in Fargo/Moorhead that had pitchers for $1.50 or less. The food is nothing more than average, but we're stopping for the memories....and the tequila.

Cheryl & I are still debating who has to drive once we leave fargo. Of course that person would be limited as the the quantity that they could drink....we're not in college any more.

Once we leave Fargo we head west along the interstate, through North Dakota and then into Montana, Idaho & Washington. We'll probably have daylight through to Jamestown, where we'll stop and let the kids run around and burn off energy. Then it's back to the truck to watch a movie and fall asleep.

I'll be the one driving through the night. Cheryl will drive as late as she can, then I'll take over. I plan on driving until everyone wakes up in the morning and we stop for breakfast somewhere near Butte, MT. I'm sure the kids and I will have fun calling it "Butt" Montana and laughing, while Cheryl shake her head and wonders what she got into 14 years ago.

If Microsoft Streets & Trips 2003 can be believed, we'll hit Spokane around 3:14pm (Pacific Time) and there we'll stop and get a room at some hotel with a pool. The kids will have earned that much for putting up with the 1440 miles we'll have put on by then, again, if MS S&T can be believed. Speaking of which , after programming in plenty of stops and breaks, our expected travel speed, and anticipated start times, MS S&T gives us this schedule:

July 1
2:00pm - Leave Minneapolis, MN
5:30pm - Arrive in Fargo, ND
July 2
1:00am - Arrive at the NoDak/Montana Border
12:30pm - Arrive at the Montana/Idaho Border
2:55pm - Arrive at the Idaho/Washington Border
3:14pm - Arrive in Spokane
July 3
10am - Arrive in Kennewick, WA
4:15pm - Arrive in Portland, OR

Portland is where my sister and her family live, having moved there a few months ago from Denver. We were thinking of visiting Colorado for a week when they decided to move, so we decided to change our trip plans and make it a two week trip. If this trip turns into a disaster, we'll blame them : )

Once in Portland, they'll join us in visiting the Columbia River, Mount St. Helens, Fireworks in Portland, and a drive along the OR/WA border to Astoria, then down the coast to Tillamook, where we'll part ways, continuing down the coast while they go home. We'll head south all the way to Redwoods National Park, then make the northward trek through Crater Lake National Park. Beyond that our plans are still open. Maybe we'll go to John Day Fossil Beds, maybe Hell's Canyon...we'll decide that once it get's closer and we see how far we are.

We hope to get home either late July 15th, or early July 16th. The night of July 16th I'm going out to see a band some friends of mine are in...can't miss that!!

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Photos

The Westward Journey
Here's the planned route to Portland.