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Thanks for sharing your old buzzard tour and i was getting worried that the ghost rider (Ms Sandy) wasn't really there until i saw her pictures sitting with her favorite rose plants. - Lolly & Matt, Thu, 31 Jul 2008 9:09AM
Great pictures! Just one question, picture #102 are doves not dolphins, right? - Carmelo DiFede, Wed, 30 Jul 2008 7:09AM
Thanks for taking us along on the ride! I did a portion of this in 2000 with my 914 club on our 914-mile round the state tour. And three years earlier drove to Wisconsin on another 914 trip. You're right, these things can be an adventure in 30-plus year old cars (mine's a '73). One year at our bi-annual reunion in Palm Springs, we re-christened the event The Great 914 Vapor-Lock Festival. Again, great stories and great pictures. Makes us want to take off on another road trip ourselves. Thanks. Pam and Mike English - Mike English, Tue, 29 Jul 2008 9:16AM
Welcome home! Thanks for all the great commentary & sharing during your tour. You are right, there is nothing like getting out on the road & seeing this amazing country. We are still recovering from our 45 day road trip to Bangor Maine & back. It was an 8,000 mile journey & doing it in an Airstream was alot different than doing it in an old converted panel truck in the hippie days! Glad your back, Cary - cary weinstein, Tue, 29 Jul 2008 9:59AM
Looking good! I'm glad you are back. - Jer, Tue, 29 Jul 2008 9:28AM
great pictures, i have been following your daily trip comments. i am sure that you guys will have more stories when you get back can't wait to hear them. wayne mayeda - wayne mayeda, Mon, 14 Jul 2008 4:39PM
Love the journal and photos. I look forward to getting your e-mails about the trip. - Tanya, Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:30AM
Great pictures! I love your journal. It's not too hard to pick out Russ' comments. Thanks for sharing. Happy motoring. Best Regards, Dave - Dave Mowbray, Mon, 7 Jul 2008 11:26AM
The pics are great! Wonderful reminders of places I've been and would like to go. As usual, the blog is full of ... well, facts and fun! Thanks for sharing. - Linda Rivera, Mon, 7 Jul 2008 9:10AM
Aloha from Kaua`i - we have enjoyed reading your extensive travels and vicariously enjoyed the beautiful scenery through your photos. Thank you for sharing your rich experiences. - Dely & Roy Sasaki, Mon, 7 Jul 2008 2:03AM
Russ, I love the photos, plus getting the preview of the trip at our "reunion" lunch recently in San Jose. Your photos and stories bring back a lot of good memories of my years in the Pacific Northwest. Love the cheese factory, Victoria (have had high tea at the Empress), etc., etc. - Neil Sagebiel, Sun, 6 Jul 2008 5:17PM
What is #52?!! Photographer needs to somehow get herself in shots! Great pictures and I am enjoying this immensely. Karen - Karen Lane, Sun, 6 Jul 2008 3:22PM
1 This is a complete listing of the Daily Blogs from the Old Buzzard 08 Tour. Microsoft document. Can also be viewed with Adobe Acrobat. double clik on image to see viewing choices.
2 Boonville, California all decorated for the 4th of July, but the parade was cancelled due to the fires in the region.
3 We didn't get to hear anyone speak the Boontaling language.
4 Miss Ellie took a short walk into the Pygmy Forest. Here she is standing next to a 100 year old Cypress tree that is shorter than she is.
5 The "World Famous" Chandler Tree on Drive-Thru Tree Road. Notice the thick smoke in the background.
6 These giant redwoods are the biggest in the world, and this one lives on even with a six-foot rectangle cut out of its base.
7 Tight squeeze, but the wide-tracks made it through.
8 View from a Benbow Inn window showing the sunset through all the smoke.
9 Ray and Ellie Ibia at the Benbow Inn.
10 Exterior of the Benbow Inn, a 1926 tudor-style hotel.
11 View of the garden in front of the Benbow Inn in Garberville, CA.
12 Avenue of the Giants, a scenic byway that is a must see.
13 Ray and Ellie's 1965 LeMans, getting 24 miles per gallon on regular gas, day after day, and never giving anyone any problems.
14 A look at the long and winding road ahead.
15 Two bumps and a log.
16 Enlarge to read.
17 Towering trees and a smoke-filled sky.
18 The Gingerbread House in Ferndale, CA, an example of the Victorian architecture found throughout this small town.
19 We saw Roosevelt Elk right off the side of the road on the way to the Oregon border.
20 Paul and Babe at the Trees of Mystery.
21 Let's see who can write the funniest caption for this photo. Just sign in and put your idea in the guest book.
22 View of the Rogue River from our deck at the Tu Tu Tun Lodge.
23 View of the area around the Lodge.
24 Looking toward the river through a grove of Fir trees.
25 Looking out the front door of our room past the lovely window box.
26 Landscaping at the Lodge was varied and attractive.
27 Beauty was everywhere you looked.
28 Sunset magazine said, "The setting - a wide bend of the lower Rogue River, seven miles from the sea - would be reason enough to visit this low-profile resort. . .
29 The sense of place is furthered by a clean, open design that makes use of wood and stone in the common areas . . .
30 and guest rooms with wide windows and private balconies.
31 All rooms have a river view."
32 Tu Tu Tun is a terrific place to stay, and we highly recommend it to all of you.
33 Jet boat powered by 3 Chevy 427 V8's each able to put out over 500 horsepower.
34 Old Buzzard Welcoming Committee
35 Oh deer! We're on the Rogue River in Jerry's Jet Boat!
36 You'll need an eagle eye to see the bird in this tree.
37 View from Agness on the Rogue where we stopped for lunch.
38 As you can see, Agness is a bit remote. They didn't get a paved road until 1964.
39 Tim, our Boat Master, loved to do water J-turns which tended to get the passengers wet, but his dog loved it.
40 Bandon Beach Loop Road where we saw the monoliths.
41 In places the mountains of the Coast Range rise straight from the ocean's waves to form rugged wind swept headlands.
42 Colorful names were given by early explorers: Cape Foul Weather, Cape Blanco, and Cape Perpetua.
43 Darling little park next to beach in Lincoln City, Oregon.
44 Unique metal sculpture of salmon in Lincoln City.
45 Lincoln City is famous for having the World's Shortest River! You are seeing all of it in this photo.
46 Say Cheese! We are at the Tillamook factory. This place runs 24 - 7 making milk, butter, ice cream and cheese.
47 Tillamook is based on a co-operative of over 150 family owned and operated dairy farms, each with about 100 milking cows.
48 When Russ saw Jeff's racing car, he knew he found someone who knew something about engines! In Mc Cleary, Washington of all places! How fortunate.
49 Turns out Jeff is also a GTO fan, and actually owns a '69 Ram Air. We saw this model in his office and he told us about the real one at home. "Sure looks like a 66 to me!" View Comments...
50 Sandy remembered these baskets from her first visit as a child with her parents. She enjoyed them just as much today.
51 We wondered who watered these and how often they had to do it to keep them looking so wonderful.
52 Sandy's friend, Lynn, suggested we take the behind the scenes tour of the Empress Hotel, and it was a highlight for sure.
53 We crept up on the Empress Hotel, as did the Virginia Creeper which covered much of one side of the hotel.
54 The grounds were a perfect blend of architectural structure and fluid plantings.
55 Lots of ooh's and ahh's and clicks.
56 Front of the Empress with some sort of weird weeping trees to greet you. Quite spooky at night.
57 One of the many elegant skylights in the Empress.
58 Bengal Bar in the Empress.
59 Notice the unique ceiling fans in the Bengal Bar.
60 We loved the use of Douglas Fir in the floors and beams.
61 How the room got its name.
62 Kneeling elephant. Tusk, tusk!
63 Plenty of attention to detail can be found throughout the Empress.
64 The new Empress lobby that was added in the 1980's.
65 Our tour guide is the one in the big hat.
66 More ornate details. Every room in the Empress features a crown someplace in the room.
67 Crystal chandeliers, each with a crown on top, hung in the ballroom above the Douglas Fir dance floor.
68 To clean the chandeliers, they put them on a flat-bed truck and run them through a car wash.
69 The Parliament Building was designed by the same architect who did the Empress.
70 Another view of the Parliament Building.
71 This is a view from the Parliament Building looking back toward the harbor.
72 Looking up at the dome inside the Parliament Building.
73 Looking up at the dome inside. Murals underneath depict the various occupations that made the region productive.
74 Another interior shot of the Parliament Building.
75 Our tour guide telling us about the room where the Legislators meet.
76 Victoria Harbor with cute water taxis.
77 Great find! The Tropical Butterfly Gardens.
78 An indoor paradise with lush tropical plants.
79 The gardens are designed and built specifically for hosting and breeding of tropical butterflies and moths from all over the world.
80 There were many butterflies with orange and black combinations.
81 Some were more black than orange.
82 And some were kind enough to hold still while we took their photo.
83 Others hid as soon as we pushed the button.
84 Tropical plants flourished at the Butterfly Gardens.
85 Unexpected flamingos were also a delight.
86 The elusive Blue Morpho, a large butterfly with beautiful blue wings and a large black dot on the underside of the wings that is meant to look like an eye to scare off predators.
87 Some silly little quail-like birds trying to scratch out a living at the Butterfly Gardens.
88 Our own butterfly shutterfly -- Miss Ellie!
89 Caterpillar voraciously eating and pooping.
90 OOOH. A good picture, nice contrast if we do say so ourselves.
91 Oh well, so much for contrast. Find the butterfly in the Lantana.
92 There he is!
93 Wow.
94 The following are photos taken at Butchart Gardens.
95 Sunken garden was the first garden designed by Mrs. Butchart to hide the smoke stack from the old quarry (look for it in the upper right hand corner of this photo).
96 Maybe you can find the smoke stack better in this shot.
97 A little planter box filled with color on the side of a little house at the top of the Sunken Garden.
98 Elegant water fountains were a highlight.
99 We walked around the Sunken Garden to view the fountains.
100 The fountains danced by changing shape.
101 At night, the fountains changed shape AND color. Fun to watch.
102 Notice circling dolphins above the begonias.
103 The Totem Park at Butchart Gardens.
104 The rose garden area was a delight to view and smell!
105 Blooms as far as you can see.
106 See the beautiful Delphiniums popping up everywhere!
107 Look! There's more spiked beauties!
108 Sweet peas, if you please.
109 Ready for their close-up.
110 These Foxgloves are huge, compared to the wild version we saw along the road -- but they are all gorgeous.
111 We took another stroll through the rose garden after dinner and before the free concert.
112 The plantings looked full and complete, but not crowded.
113 So you could look at just one plant . . .
114 or a mass of plantings. Each gave a different effect.
115 Capturing a Kodak moment of Sandy and Ellie capturing a Kodak moment.
116 Here's the Kodak moment Sandy captured.
117 The Butchart home as viewed from what was their back yard.
118 Floral display house allowed you to see a multitude of colors . . .
119 Up close and personal.
120 We stopped in the little town of Duncan on the way to Nanaimo.
121 They are known for having a couple of dozen Totem Pole displays all around their town.
122 We also stopped in this little town on the way to catch our ferry.
123 This town celebrates its heritage through beautiful murals and sculptures.
124 At last count there were 38 historical murals painted on walls all around town.
125 We put our heritage works of art on display as well.
126 Their economy took a big down turn because of changes to do with logging. So, they created the murals to attract tourists to their town.
127 They also have sprinkled sculptures throughout the town.
128 Each mural depicts a different part of their history.
129 That reminds us, we have a ferry to catch!
130 Our ship has come in!
131 We got to ride on the newest ferry to Horseshoe Bay. Quite an enjoyable ride.
132 View of Canada Place from Stanley Park.
133 Skyline of Vancouver, BC.
134 Totem Poles in Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC.
135 They even had a totem for old goats!
136 View from the dump (aka our room) on Robson Street in Vancouver, BC
137 Another view from our room because the view from Ray and Ellie's room was of a parking lot and a wall.
138 Another view from our room, it's the same view because if you looked down you would see the dumpster.
139 Water Street in the Gas Town district of Vancouver, BC.
140 The antique steam clock that is right twice a day because it ran out of steam . . . as do most tourists, because this street is full of wonderful shops.
141 View of the Princess cruise ship taken from Water Street.
142 We went to Harbor Center and the Vancouver Lookout 430-feet above the street. The glass elevator got us there in less than 40 seconds.
143 Even though it was raining, we could see Coal Harbor, the Pacific Ocean and the North Shore Mountains.
144 We enjoyed a 360-degree view of the downtown and the suburbs beyond.
145 We walked over to Canada Place, where besides the Princess, we saw the Statendam, the very ship we took from Alaska to Vancouver 10 years ago.
146 This photo was taken inside the convention center, which is across from the new convention meeting facility that will house media for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The new building will be enclosed in glass and have native plants growing on the roof.
147 Granville Island, a small peninsula connected to the downtown by the Granville Bridge, was once an industrial area with saw mills and steel factories. Now it is a popular shopping and dining area for visitors and locals.
148 Granville features a large public market as well as many galleries and shops. Artisans of all kinds had working areas and selling spaces offering everything from Totem Poles to elegant blown glass.
149 After walking around the island, we dallied at the waterfront where pleasure boats, water taxis and water busses were jetting around.
150 We toured VanDusen Botanical Gardens.
151 This 55-acre garden in the heart of Vancouver is surrounded by very nice looking homes.
152 VanDusen boasts over 255,000 plants from around the world.
153 We chose the "Taste of VanDusen" path.
154 We walked along the Lilly Ponds . . .
155 the Rhododendron Walk . . .
156 the path took us over a pond to the Fern Grotto, Japanese Garden, Heath Garden . . .
157 and through the archway to many more beautiful sights, including . . .
158 the Rose Garden.
159 It was overcast, but very pleasant for our walk.
160 Next we went to the highest point in the city of Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park.
161 Like Butchart, this park was a rock quarry before it became a garden.
162 This is the second most visited park in Vancouver.
163 Sandy loved this waterfall with lots of moss and ferns.
164 Select ornamental trees and shrubs make this Vancouver's horticultural jewel.
165 We saw many Marigolds, Begonias, and Dusty Millers.
166 View
167 and review
168 Off in the distance, you could even see Metrotown, the biggest shopping mall in all of British Columbia.
169 This plant has the largest leaf of any plant.
170 Reflect on this for a moment.
171 Get the picture, Ellie?
172 They wouldn't let us take pictures of the cars crossing the border, nor would they let us take pictures at the Boeing plant. So, here we are at the Seattle Seahawks Stadium!
173 We got to see all around the stadium.
174 The stadium also hosts a variety of events like weddings and graduations, charity events, RV shows, classic car shows, and even one of the world's largest boat shows.
175 This is the visiting team's locker room. We were not allowed in the home team's facility.
176 We went down on the field which was made of Field-Turf specifically designed for use in arenas like Quest Stadium.
177 I think the turf we got for our future dogs looks better.
178 We went in a luxury suite and the press booth.
179 This is the room where the coaches come to explain to the press why their team lost to the 49ers or Raiders.
180 Every high school team in the state is represented in this unique sculpture made up of helmets.
181 After our tour we went to the Marriott Residence Inn in downtown Seattle, near Lake Union. We walked down to an Outback for dinner and Sandy took this picture to show how close we were to the Space Needle.
182 We were able to make it to the Portland Rose Garden in time for the free tour of this 45 acre site.
183 Sandy with Sally (Holmes), one of her favorite roses.
184 The garden was started in 1888 by Georgiana Pittock who invited her friends to exhibit their roses in a tent set up in her garden. This grew into a annual show for the Portland Rose Society.
185 City fathers were convinced in 1917 to inaugurate a rose test garden. At about the same time Portland had just finished installing over 20 miles of rose-bordered streets in a strategy to draw attention to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Celebration.
186 Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States.
187 Hybridists sent roses from around the world to Portland for testing and to keep the new hybrids safe from being destroyed by bombing in Europe during World War I. That actually also happened during World War II as well.
188 The testing part was also interesting. Each test garden all over the world is sent four plants with an identification number. They are planted and watered, but not "babied".
189 After blooming, the number is rated on its leaves, structure, blooms, and fragrance. Each test garden declares a winner. When all test gardens have submitted their findings, the next year's "Roses of the Year" are declared.
190 In this kiosk, they had a list of every rose now available on the commercial market.
191 They already had the 2009 test garden winners on display - three rows of four bushes of different types. How cool!
192 They have the rose parade in Portland every June.
193 There are only three main gardeners and the rest of the workers are volunteers.
194 In addition to the roses, the garden had a beautiful view of Portland.
195 Our guide also gave us some tips on climbing roses. It is best if you wrap the canes around in a basket fashion. The head gardner actually lays the long canes on the ground and then wraps them around the column or a form. He does that to keep the new growth from being at the highest point, and that produces blooms all over the bush.
196 Our tour guide explained how the original rose stock of the Peace Rose was smuggled out of France during World War II. It was only known by a number then. The hybridizers had a patent on that rose for 20 years, and when the Peace Rose was introduced at the end of the War, it became one of the most popular roses ever grown.
197 Sandy asked about the Chicago Peace Rose, thinking it was a version of the original. The tour guide said it was a "sport" of the original. A sport happens when a hybridized rose throws off a unique variation, usually in color.
198 So, we walked away with the beauty of 7,000 roses in our minds, we were able to see the very best and newest roses available, and we learned a lot about roses.
199 As the board says, "Welcome to Kennedy School" a project of the McMenamins, a group that has restored many historic sites and repurposed them into restaurants, pubs and lodgings.
200 This school, built in 1915, was lauded in the Ladies Home Journal as its one-story design allowed for a much safer evacuation in case of emergency. Also its rambling design made future additions easier.
201 From 1915 to 1974, this was the elementary school for neighborhood children. It closed in 1974, but reopened to serve the larger community as a temporary school facility until it closed permanently in 1980.
202 From 1980 to 1994 it remained closed and neighbors fought to keep it from being demolished. In 1994 the McMenamins agreed to undertake renovation of the school.
203 There are 35 guest rooms fashioned from the school's former classrooms.
204 Notice there is plenty of light from the oversized windows, along with original chalk boards and a cloak room.
205 Our room was called the sewing room.
206 The room came with a king-size bed. Notice the sayings on the wall above the bed.
207 Outside the room was another chalk board for guests to write messages. Russ wrote "I will not burn rubber in the parking lot."
208 There are many original paintings, decorated wood panels, and all types of mosaics.
209 They had mosaic flowers around each skylight.
210 Each skylight had different flowers.
211 They also had meeting rooms for businesses to hold off-site conferences.
212 Even with all the art and mosaic, the halls still felt like a school. Maybe it was the original floors.
213 Outside the restaurant is a courtyard with a fireplace nestled in among the trees. On top of it are chess pieces.
214 This is inside of the Courtyard restaurant, which had been the original school cafeteria.
215 There were lanterns and art festooned all over the place.
216 We invited Larry and Mary Holt to join us at the school courtyard restaurant for dinner.
217 Mural of a May Day celebration at Kennedy School.
218 The Cypress Room was adorned with unique light fixtures from the old Portland Hotel, with a full bar, appetizers, pizza and dessert.
219 There was an honors bar where all the good kids could listen to classical music while sipping fresh squeezed juice cocktails.
220 There was also a detention bar where you could serve your penance while listening to jazz, have a drink and enjoy a good cigar.
221 Look, Sandy! "School's out forever!"
222 Artistic creations filled each room and hall way.
223 Sandy shot this because of backlighting of the leaves. Outside this window is a soaking pool created on the site where the old teacher's lounge used to be. The soaking pool was surrounded by beautiful ceramic tile.
224 Shot of the room next door to us . . . how tweet.
225 Popular recently released films are shown daily in the school's former auditorium. The ample space allows guests to sit back and relax in comfy couches and overstuffed chairs and enjoy popcorn, pizza, pasta and beer.
226 After dinner Mary and Larry treated us to VooDoo Doughnuts in downtown Portland.
227 Decorations inside the VooDoo Doughnuts and Wedding Chapel (yes, they have had weddings there).
228 More and more decor, from ceiling to floor!
229 Sandy had a triple chocolate (chocolate cake covered in chocolate frosting with Coco-Puffs on top). Russ had a Memphis Mafia (banana fritter with peanut putter, chocolate topping and chocolate chips on top).
230 We noticed they had a Vegan Doughnut, Mango Tangos, and a ton more.
231 This is a chocolate with a white frosting Dracula face and body, raspberry filling and a pretzel spike through the heart -- It is The VooDoo Doughnut
232 Other doughnuts include Tangfastic (has Tang sprinkled on it), Bacon Maple Bars (with cooked bacon slice on top), and Grape Apes.
233 Larry and Mary really know how to have a good time!
234 Our destination for the day--Mt. Hood! We will be taking the scenic byway to see the waterfalls along the Columbia Gorge. Marian and LeRoy suggested we take this wonderful road rather than Highway 84 that gets you there faster, but it is not nearly as much fun!
235 We drove the Mt. Hood Loop Highway through the little town of Springdale. For the month of July they had US flags up on every telephone and electric pole in town. This delightful scene was continued in the next little town of Corbett. It was quite impressive.
236 We stopped at the Vista House at Crown Point State Park.
237 It is an imposing Grecian looking structure with a well done historical display and very complete gift shop.
238 View of the Columbia Gorge looking east from the Vista House.
239 The view was panoramic, and it was 733 feet over the Columbia River.
240 We took the path toward Bridal Veil Falls, but ended up only being able to hear it. You can read about the falls in the next photo.
241 Enlarge to read.
242 This is as close as we got to the falls along the Bridal Veil Falls path.
243 Wahkeena Falls means "most beautiful" in the Yakima language.
244 Seeing the way the falls cascaded down the mountains, we agreed with the name the Native Americans gave it.
245 Multnomah Falls was the most impressive, as it is the fifth tallest waterfall in the nation, and the second tallest year-round waterfall in the US.
246 It has a drop of 620 feet, divided into a top fall from a hanging valley and a second, shorter fall near the bottom.
247 Seeing the falls, we could understand why it attracts over 2.5 million visitors a year!
248 There is a viewing bridge above the lower falls, built by stone masons from Italy in 1914. It was considered quite an engineering feet at the time.
249 This is the second part of Multnomah falls, quite dramatic just by itself.
250 This was Russ's favorite.
251 Here you can see why it is called Horse Tail Falls.
252 Russ liked the way you could see the mist drift all the way down the canyon.
253 After Multnomah Falls, we got on Highway 84. This mulit-lane freeway connects western and eastern Oregon.
254 We saw Bonneville Dam, which had been dedicated by FDR just before he dedicated Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.
255 We turned south at the town of Hood River, in order to skirt the mountain itself. At 11,245 feet, Mt. Hood is the highest point in Oregon. The top part of the mountain is always covered in snow, as you can see.
256 The Lodge sits at 6,000 feet on North America's only year-round ski resort. Mt. Hood is a dormant volcano that last erupted shortly before the arrival of Lewis and Clark in 1805.
257 The architects provided for even the smallest detail, using three themes to illustrate regional heritage: hand hewn timbers, and hand crafted furnishings to pay tribute to early pioneers, carved wood and wrought iron designs to capture the Indian spirit . . .
258 . . . and carvings of animals and paintings of wildflowers to represent wildlife native to Mt. Hood.
259 Timberline Lodge is a national historic landmark. It was constructed of mammoth timbers and native stone in 1937, entirely by hand, inside and out, by unemployed crafts people hired by the WPA.
260 They wanted the building to be a tribute to the skills of the WPA workers, and a monument to a government which responded not only to the physical needs of its people during the height of the great depression, but also to the needs of their spirits. This is Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox.
261 We stopped at Ferguson's Fragrant Nursery near St. Paul, 32 miles south of Portland. This is a Freel sculpture, which comes from Lincoln City, Oregon.
262 The entrance had a bench with "Forgiveness is you Peace" on it. Wise words, wouldn't you say?
263 We walked around the beautiful gardens that we had heard about from HGTV on Paul James' "Gardening by the Yard" show. They also had the biggest and most beautiful hanging pots that we had ever seen!
264 In the 1930s, there were over 300 covered bridges in Oregon.
265 This is the Rochester Covered Bridge, just outside the town of Sutherlin. It was built in 1933 and it is 80 feet in length.
266 Timber, used to construct bridges, was an easily accessible building material.
267 It was discovered, however, that if they were covered, the life of the bridge was greatly increased and thus required very little maintenance.
268 The bridges ranged in size from 42 feet to 110 feet in length.
269 Today there are 51, the largest concentration in the western United States.
270 That's what we figured, headed down da Drain.
271 We toured along Highway 138, the National Scenic Byway, in the land of the Umpquas, past the scenic falls to Diamond Lake. This road is also known as the Waterfalls Highway.
272 But our first stop was to see rivers -- Colliding Rivers -- the only place in North America where two rivers collide.
273 We looked and looked as we drove along for waterfalls, stopping at every spot where they were supposed to be. But the only one we saw was this little guy just off the side of the road.
274 But, we kept looking. What we found were dirt logging roads that went straight up or trails that also went straight up for half a mile or more to where the waterfalls were supposed to be.
275 This is a glimpse of the 272-foot Watson Falls. It is the third highest waterfall in Oregon.
276 After seeing a glimpse, we stopped at Watson Falls and made a commitment to hike up to see it NO MATTER WHAT!
277 Sandy took this picture because she liked the varying shapes and shades of green along the pathway.
278 Going uphill is difficult for Sandy. Going downhill is difficult for Russ. So we just took our time, watched our step and took these photos.
279 It was a beautiful hike, as you can see.
280 Watson is a plunge type of waterfall.
281 Too bad we couldn't capture the sound of this part of the water fall.
282 Looking for the top of the trail and wondering who keeps moving it!
283 They did have a couple of places to rest and admire the smaller falls along the way.
284 OOOH . . .
285 AAAH!
286 We liked the back lighting of the fir tree with the waterfall in the background.
287 WE MADE IT! Through the limbs, we could see the top of the Watson Falls. Now for the trek back down.
288 There were an amazing number of different plants all growing together in limited space.
289 This was exactly the effect we were going for when we added a waterfall in our backyard.
290 The walk down was on another part of the trail, so we got to see some different views.
291 Snow covered Mt. Theilsen is across from the Diamond Lake Lodge and Cafe where we had lunch.
292 A view of the recreation area at the Lodge.
293 Diamond Lake is a beautiful lake that is being restored.
294 You can rent boats, and the fishing is supposed to be great.
295 Look, it's the mighty Umpquas River!
296 We followed the river on the way back to Glide. We admired the wildflowers all along the side of the road.
297 Coming back from Diamond Lake, we stopped at the town of Glide to take part in a car show they were holding to benefit their volunteer fire department.
298 This T-bird was a favorite of most folks.
299 But, Audrey had her share of admirers as well.
300 Fancy trucks like this one were well represented.
301 But we liked the real old guys best.
302 Especially those with a sense of humor.
303 Some of the cars in this little town were rolling works of art.
304 We didn't see a single trailer. They all got to the show under their own power.
305 Love the use of wood in this old guy.
306 We were glad to see the large turn out for this event. Unfortunately, only a few of the firefighters could be there, the rest were fighting yet another forest fire just over the ridge.
307 The next day, we drove to downtown Roseburg to take part in the main Graffiti week events.
308 The Roseburg Graffiti week advertised this Show n Shine event as having 500 cars in two locations. With just 72 cars here (Sandy counted them), that other spot must have been huge.
309 We selected this location over the other for two reasons. First this was downtown and was supposed to be a "Shop n Shine" with all these cute stores open.
310 The second reason was this was the location where they were celebrating 100 years of the Model T.
311 While some of the old guys were a bit difficult to park (no reverse), they all were in running order.
312 We could really see the major changes made in automobile design when we saw a Model T parked next to some late model Corvettes.
313 The local Corvette club was one of the event sponsors.
314 Another car with a touch of whimsy.
315 This car just purred when it pulled in, quite a nice ride.
316 Look close and you'll see the bug stuck in the grill.
317 When you came down the street in this baby, folks knew you had some bucks.
318 Incredible pearl white and pink paint job.
319 Ray was looking for a Chevy II like this one before he got his LeMans.
320 For some reason our cars drew people who wanted to talk stories with us . . . some of them were quite strange, others even stranger.
321 When the Shop n Shine ended we went to dinner to cool off (it was hot). And then went back downtown to participate in the big snooze . . . err cruise.
322 This was the first year they allowed 1965 cars in the parade (last year the cars had to be 1960 or older).
323 We waved at the crowd. If you look close, you might see one person waving back. Maybe not.
324 After two loops of not so friendly faces, and 115-degree temperatures, we opted to leave.
325 Back at the Seven Feathers Casino, where some of us went to the casino and the others rested up for the trip home.
326 On the way from Seven Feathers to Lake Shasta, we made a quick stop in Medford to see the Big Black Bird statue! Kicks keep getting harder to find on the open road.
327 As we climbed up the Siskiyou Grade to 4,500 feet (the highest elevation on Interstate 5), we heard a knocking that was not a good sound. We slipped in behind a big truck going about 35 MPH and that seemed to help a bit.
328 At this point in the journey, Audrey is almost out of oil, and Ray and Ellie's car is running at over 230-degrees. YIKES!
329 Just before we reach the second summit, a trailer in front of us loses its entire back axle – we saw it break off and bounce wildly all over the highway, across two lanes of traffic, off the divider and back across the two lanes again.
330 It feels good to be in California – our home state! But we are quickly reminded that the state is still on fire from top to bottom!
331 We stopped for a couple of minutes to take photos of the Caboose Lodge in Dunsmuir.
332 Every room at this motel is a converted old caboose.
333 Ray and Russ took a moment to soothe their nerves and make sure the cars were still running OK.
334 "They asked me how I knew my true love was true..." Yep, smoke was definitely getting into our eyes!
335 Yes, we're looking at the bridge over troubled waters. This is Shasta Lake that you can see through the smoky haze.
336 Notice the usual water level on the side of the lake and the level it was at when we were there.
337 It looks eerily strange, doesn't it?
338 This view is looking across the lake, across the boat docks to the other side of Shasta Lake.
339 Look at the myriad of level lines going down the bank.
340 How low can we go? Look at the boat ramp on the left side of the photo.
341 They said the lake was about 40% of capacity, but it looked much lower than that.
342 We were wondering if this airplane would be our escape if needed.
343 We stayed the night at Bridge Bay Resort located at the southern end of the lake.
344 Funny thing about the bridge at Bridge Bay, there are freight trains running across it ALL NIGHT LONG!
345 One nice thing about the smokey skies . . .
346 . . . they made the sunsets look "artsy."
347 Look at that refracted protracted sunset!
348 Too bad those were not rain clouds.
349 We took time for a little reflection.
350 We were "pining" for home about now.
351 I see a ducky and a pirate ship and a . . .
352 This is the famous Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA. It is a glass pedestal bridge created by a Spanish artist, Satiago Calatrava, who was described by Time as "the poet of glass and steel."
353 The bridge cost $23 million to build over the Sacramento River as part of the Turtle Bay Park and Museum grounds.
354 The 700-foot long, 23-foot wide work of art, at no point touches the water since this particular bend in the river serves as a maternity ward for thousands of spawning Chinook salmon.
355 The span is supported by 4,342 feet of steel cable suspended from a single, glistening white, 217-foot high pylon that resembles an egret in flight. This pylon does double duty as a sundial casting its elegant shadow on a grassy plaza.
356 We walked across and back and took pictures as it is really a magnificently beautiful bridge. This bridge is just as impressive at night, as 219 fluorescent lights embedded into the walking surface light it up.
357 In sharp contrast to the Sundial Bridge is this Woodland, CA work of "art" by Mark Reiff, known as Reiff's front lawn gas station.
358 Mark remodeled the front of his home to look like a real gas station, complete with a 1950s diner and a general store.
359 Ray's car STILL didn't need to fill up.
360 Audrey, however, has never seen a gas station she could pass . . . FEED ME!
361 Mark's garage is lined with antique pumps in a variety of shapes and sizes, including one from 1914.
362 Mark (seen here with Ray) loves to show off his place. When he saw Ellie taking photos, he gave us a little tour of his back yard as well.
363 As you can see, Mark's backyard is just as "artistic" as the front.
364 Full size gas station signs from back in the day when gas was less than 25-cents a gallon, and you got blue-chip or green stamps!
365 Look at the skid marks that cut through the lawn and over the side walk. You simply have to admire Mark's attention to detail.
366 From Mark's home, we drove over to see the Woodland Antique Tractor and Truck Museum.
367 The tractors were from the private antique ag collection of Fred C. Heidrick. Ray found the same make and model tractor his dad drove on the sugar plantation in Kauai'i
368 The Hays Antique Truck Collection shared the facility. Most of the trucks were beautifully restored. This one, however, was made entirely out of wood. Why? Who knows? Maybe it was a relative of Mark Reiff's who built it.
369 We see by the ad on the truck door we are close to home, time to get back on the road to keep on truckin' for one last stretch. Thanks for joining us, we'll see you at the on ramp.
