The rolling sculptured farmland between Dalles and Madras was lovely to look at and impossible to photograph from the car.
First stop: Black Bear in Madras Oregon for breakfast
Second stop: Crooked River Oregon for the spectacular canyon and massive bridges
One for the cars and trucks
One for the trains
And a deep, deep ditch. Back up, Jim.
We didn't find much information about the geology of the area, but there is some history of the Crooked River.
Third stop: Outside Bend Oregon for snow.
Oh, we didn't really stop. It was toooooo cold. It is important to note that all the pictures on this page were made on May 25, 2012. Not to confused with December 25th when they might have been more appropriate.
It started with just a light dusting.
Then a little more
At 1:42PM it was 42 degrees F.
The snow got deeper
And deeper
Stanley drove on.
The snow got deeper.
By 2:22PM, the temperature was 39 degrees F.
Actually, the snow was more of an oddity than anything else. Sheltered in the cocoon of a warm car, the biggest disappointment was that Mt. Shasta was shrouded in clouds.
Between Weed and Redding, the thermometer started rising, and everything looked a lot more like spring. Once we got on IH 5, we zipped along with the sun glaring at us through the trees low in the western sky.
Although we didn't have time to do the wine-tasting in Oregon that we had planned, it was a very enjoyable relaxed trip. At the end of the day, we had appetizers in the motel room and then took our bottle of Terra Blanca Merlot to the Cattleman's Restaurant next door. Paired it with perfect prime rib.
When we asked the desk clerk about possible dancing opportunities, she told us Redding wasn't really a dancing sort of town. I don't know about that, but it was a good Saturday night even without the dancing venue.
