After a comfortable and restful night, we headed off under partly sunny skies. It was a chilly 45 and Peggy bundled up. Soon after leaving the Hines/Burns area, US 395 (World War I Veterans Memorial Highway) enters the Blue Mountains region of Oregon which extends from northeastern Oregon and southwest Washington to central Oregon. The road passes through the Malheur National Forest in the Strawberry Mountains to the town of John Day and then through the Elkhorn Mountains and up to Pendleton, OR. Where it joins I 84. This is truly one of the most beautiful roads we have ever traveled rivaling CA 1 in beauty (lacking only the ocean view) The snow capped mountains, the narrow passes with steep cliffs, the viewpoints where you can see for miles and the dense forests are unbelievable. And, of course, lots of sharp curves for the fun of driving the toy car. The amazing scenery makes Peggy wish that she could paint or finally create a landscape quilt.

After leaving Pendleton, OR on I 84 we dropped down into the Columbia River Valley where we picked up I 82 that took us to Kennewick where we are staying with friends who moved here from Fairfax County. After a short rest, we went out to a delightful and relaxing dinner with our friends at a restaurant along the Columbia River.

Kennewick is in the Tri-cities area of Washington state comprised of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. The area is known for being the home of the Hanford Nuclear Site where plutonium was produced for nuclear weapons. More about that tomorrow.

Our travels continuously remind us of the beauty and diversity of our wonderful country. We are so very lucky to be able to travel like this.

Road sign: Bone Point Rd.