Glacier National Park Road Trip - Day 21

“Cod said, 'Let there be fish and chips', and it was good.” This sign was one the old buzzards saw on their way out of The Dalles, Oregon as they hit the road at 8:23. John is tiring of Cheerios (actually, he ran out!) so we had breakfast at Denny's. He had the patriotic red white and blue breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and hash browns. Linda had red white and blue pancake fritters (John called them hush puppies).  There was some delay in the orders because the two servers were busy complaining about one of their co-workers and about the inadequate amount of the tips they had been getting. Hmmm! Maybe if your customer service was a little better?

Soon the buzzards swooped by a Starbucks and got their skinny mocha caffeine and chocolate fix. By 8:51 they were off the interstate onto state highway 35 and managed to stay on scenic roads for most of the rest of the day. Hopes for finding some nice produce on the Fruit Loop were mostly unfulfilled. Linda learned about a group of local fruit stands in a brochure she found in yesterday's Motel 6 lobby. The buzzards first stop had prices of three to five dollars a pound for peaches and cherries. She bought a few at the next stop for from $1.50 to four dollars a pound. There were 22 farm stands listed on the brochure which also included honeys, jams, pies, lavender, chestnuts, wineries, antiques and berries. Some were strictly pick it yourself but most included you pick or we pick options.

Soon the farmland gave way to forests and Mount Hood came in and out of view as Wilma carried us closer. It is a beautiful inactive volcanic mountain with 12 named glaciers and snowfields. And, at over 11,000 feet, Mount Hood is the highest point in Oregon. It was good that the buzzards stopped and took photos at several viewpoints because as they got closer, mist and fog appeared and Mount Hood disappeared. It seems appropriate to have a photo of Mt. Hood in the blog, so here it is.

Mt. Hood taken from Hwy 35 looking Northwest about six miles

before intersection with Hwy 26 

The buzzards passed through some picturesque little towns. Zigzag was the funniest-named one. In Sandy, there was an interesting (and popular) red and white donut shop that John took a photo of. What's a happier place than a donut shop?  A red and white donut shop. (John's answer: A donut shop next door to a police station.) At Estacada, Oregon there was a craft fair going on and there were very pretty murals on some of the buildings around town. The one titled “All the World's a Stage” was a favorite of the old buzzards. At Memaloose Road there was a picturesque green bridge that the buzzards turned off onto for a short photo side trip. Along the back roads there were thousands of pretty wildflowers, some seen before and others that were new additions. Note to self: Bring wildflower ID books on next road trip.

 

We took a side road off the National Forest road we were on at about 12:30 for a quick lunch. John put peanut butter on his leftover blueberry pancake from this morning and Linda had her Raw Bits Twang Twang and a cheese stick. It was over in a hurry and then we were back on the road.

 

John stopped just before entering the town of Sandy to

try to get motel reservations. Linda saw this unusual

and photogenic thistle and took this image

 

Just after being welcomed in and out of Detroit, Oregon there was a sign saying “Next Gas 52 miles”. Since Wilma indicated that she could take us for about another 47 miles, it seemed prudent to return to a gas station in Detroit. Their gas was $3.99 a gallon, but it beats running out of go juice in the forest.

We had NO reservations for lodging. So as soon as John could get cell phone reception in the forest he used his Motel 6 app and found a place in Redmond, Oregon. In about an hour the buzzard party was kicking back in the same Motel 6 where they stayed on the front end of this road trip. Fannie was especially thrilled. She already knew all the best spots to sniff and pee.

Dinner was at Seventh Street Brew House. Linda had a grilled veggie wrap and coleslaw. John had a Cajun chicken burger (blackened chicken breast with grilled jalapenos and pepper jack cheese) and fries. Both were extra delicious. John also gave in and tried an Oregon medium dark beer named '20" Brown' (as in 20" brown trout).

John's Hot Shot burger with chicken breast

substituted for burger

Linda's veggie wrap with coleslaw

The SONG O' THE DAY is “Bring Me Sunshine” by Sylvia Dee and Arthur Kent (1966) from page 47 in Daily Ukelele Leap Year Edition. It's quite an upbeat song. Here's a taste: “Bring me sunshine in your smile, bring me laughter all the while. In this world where we live, there should be more happiness. So much joy you should give to each brand new bright tomorrow! … Bring me fun, bring me sunshine . . . “  If you want to hear how the tune goes by Yoga Jen you can hear it on YouTube by clicking here.  Willie Nelson also sings it on YouTube but without a ukelele.

Day 21's photo gallery is up and you can view these 41 images by clicking here.

Happy trails!