Seattle to Yosemite

After many busy days, some without wi-fi or cell phone service, I'm at it again.

After Seattle, we started down the west coast on Interstate 5. First stop was in Portland, where we explored the Columbia River gorge.

The picture on the left is the Bonneville Dam, which supplies much of the hydropower for the Northwest. Fish, including some very large trout, swim upriver past the dam for breeding through fish ladders that can be viewed from inside the dam. The photo on the right is typical of the scenery. We also saw several picturesque waterfalls on the south side of the river.

Spent the next day with Calvin & Gail Steck, Calvary people who have recently moved to Oregon.

We're at lunch on the right - the left

picture is of Mount Washington in the

Cascade Mountains, which start in

Washington and run into northern

California

Next traveled to Crater Lake area in Southern Oregon. The lake was formed in the remnants of a volcano, and is the deepest lake in the United States. We took a trolley ride around the rim, narrated

by a park ranger, who explained the geology and talked about the wildlife and native american legends and myths connected with the area. Truly breathtaking scenery.

Also visited the Oregon coast. The totem pole is in Reedsport, a fishing and lumber town north of Coos Bay. The dunes on the right run for many miles along the coast. These kids were snowboarding and sliding on the sand.

This boat took us across Shasta Lake in California, south of Mount Shasta, which dominates the skyline for some 40 - 50 miles. Still in the Cascades, Shasta Lake is a beautiful area with much boating activity. On the lake's north shore, Lake Shasta Caverns is a maze of limestone caves with formations to rival any that we've seen to date.

From there, we drove to Sacramento to pick up granddaughters Megan and Katie for a trip to Yosemite Park.