My Trip, May 4, 2011

Somewhere in WA...

On Wednesday last week, I made the roughly 400 mile drive to my Mother's house in Central Oregon!  To amuse myself on the drive (and just so I could share the experience with you all), I snapped pictures with my cell phone as I drove.  I have a Windows phone (an HTC Arrive to be exact) and didn't actually take photos of anything in particular, just pointed it toward the windshield and clicked as I drove!

OR & WA in this shot!  The river divides the states.

I did sort of aim at general "things", but since I wasn't really paying close attention, it was really fun to see what I got when I got home!  I'm hoping on my trip next week (have to take Mom home), I'll remember to make time to stop at the John Day Dam, it's gorgeous this time of year!  I lucked out on my trip down and back, we had great weather, it was near 70 in Central Oregon that day!  The weather was great since I forgot to take a jacket with me for my 2 day trip.

About half way on the trip is a "paper farm", the acres (and acres and acres) where a company grows trees specifically to make paper out of!  This is on I-84 in Oregon, and something I never knew existed in the state until I met my other half and travelled to Eastern Washington with him (where we now live).  I think it's fun to see how fast the trees grow!  I believe they grow Aspens, but I could be all wet too...  Very pretty though through Spring and Summer when the trees are all so vibrantly green and in Fall as the leaves change color and begin to fall!  The oldest grove of trees I saw from the road was planted in 2005, with the newest having been planted this year (the "babies" are already above 6 feet tall).  I don't believe any of the front trees are ready to be harvested and turned into paper, but the "fields" of trees goes on for as far as driver (or passenger) can see!  The trees are a welcome change from the dry, browns and greens that are typical of the drive, it can turn into a very long, flat drive!

"Paper Farm" trees, planted on 2005.

A common sight on these drives are the semis carrying parts for the giant windmills that line both the Washington and Oregon side of the Columbia River that divides the two states.  I don't believe that I have made a single trip in either direction without seeing at least one truck with a part in the last 5 years!  The parts for the windmills (wind turbines really) are just huge!  The photo I got snapped is a section of the vertical structure, but I also saw a semi with the "cap" that holds the triple blades (or I assume that's what they are...) on the trip to Oregon.  On the way home, we saw what I can only imagine is the top piece of the vertical structure...it looked like a gigantic pen cap!

Lava Butte & Hwy 97!

I finally made it to areas that I still call "home"!  In Central Oregon, I snapped a fast photo of Lava Butte!  It's the hill looking thing against the blue of the sky.  This is where I grew up, not so different from Eastern Washington as far as climate goes...but I was happy to be back for a short visit!