Montana and Oregon

Odell Summer Vacation, 2001
Annual Mammalogy Meeting in Missoula, MT
Second Annual Odell Hiking Trip at Odell Lake, OR
(Click on small images to see the larger views)
Missoula, MT
Saturday
Overcoming obstacles such as a mis-set alarm clock, an un-dispatched cab to the airport, a faulty radar locator device (referred to as a ‘fish finder’ by the cockpit crew) and a computer glitch at the car rental counter, we arrived at the Doubletree reasonably close to our expected arrival time. The short walk to the University campus was just that; the appropriate buildings on campus were a little farther away. Along the way, we marveled at the snow-capped mountains. We’re a long way from Central Florida. We picked up Registration materials including the all important meal and beverage tickets and returned to the hotel to rest up before the opening social.
We opted for a pre-social drink and snack in the hotel bar, as our body clocks were complaining that it was several hours past dinner time. The bar overlooks the river, and we had a most enjoyable time watching the fish jump, and seeing a mother merganser out with her seven chicks.
The social was well organized, and the food varied and plentiful enough to consider it dinner. The two flights of stairs to the room reminded us that we weren’t at sea level any more. YMCA workouts notwithstanding, the body knows when there’s not enough oxygen in the air.
Afterwards, Dan showed his exploding whale video to a small group of interested marine mammal people; he had more tapes, but after the manatee dissection episode of “South Park” I decided that the two hour time difference had caught up with me. It was 9:30, and the sun was just beginning to set. I hoped the hotel room has good blackout curtains.
Sunday
Dan went off to meetings, and I took my time getting up, having some of that wonderful hotel room coffee. The secret to making it resemble coffee, I learned quite some time ago, is to ignore the directions that say that little packet will make a 4 cup pot. Water to somewhere between the two and three cup lines is much better.
I went to the nearby shopping center which contained an Albertson’s grocery store and bought some bagels, bottled water, and a few other food items that require no refrigeration, and some that can be reconstituted by adding hot water – another even better function of that coffee maker.
I drove to the downtown area. It took a while to get used to the fact that the rental car has an automatic transmission, and I depressed the non-existent clutch more than a few times. Being Sunday, not much was open, so I proceeded to Plan B and headed out to one of the trails near the river to see what’s there. I remembered my camera, but not the binoculars. There’s a nature trail right on the edge of campus, and I walk out for about forty minutes. I saw a patchwork quilt of wildflowers, pairs of butterflies dancing in courtship, evidence of former landslides, and even some unidentified rodent scampering across the trail. Also lots of people with their dogs. Until I saw a man with a daschund, I was starting to think that only large dogs were allowed in Montana. Near the trail was a special fenced in area called the “Bark Park” where dogs are permitted to run free. It appeared that dog owners saw no reason to limit that freedom to the park, so there were plenty of dogs roaming the nature trail as well.
Dan returned earlier than expected; the last session was posters and he finished looking at them early enough to come back for a quick nap before dinner and returning to campus for the evening symposium. We walked to an Italian restaurant that’s on the way back to campus; we ate outside by the river and were treated to the sight of an osprey swooping down to the water and rising with a fish. He flew around for a while to make sure the fish was positioned properly, and dead, which made it much easier to carry. There were other sundry and assorted birds including a cedar waxwing, flycatchers, swallows, and some unidentified ‘quackers.’
Monday
This morning was “Breakfast with a Scientist Day” and Dan was one of the Scientists. This meant he had to get up at six to be on campus by 7. I didn’t. I lolled around until ten and then went to Fort Missoula. It’s not really a fort, but a small museum of the history of the Fort and the surrounding area. Lots of local stuff, some old, some new. Weaving, beadwork, art, household goods and even a manual typewriter with the instructions, “Please touch.” There are probably a lot of kids who have never seen one, much less typed on an old Remington.
At the museum, I also learned that the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps was organized to test the military potential of bicycles. The corps cycled from fort Missoula to St. Louis, but walked their bikes a good part of the way due to bad terrain. The Army concluded that the bicycle would never replace the horse.
I wandered around the outbuildings, climbed to the top of the lookout tower, saw a myriad of ground squirrels – will have to look up exactly what they are. A hawk of some kind. Another one to look up, if I can remember enough of what it looked like. Weather got chilly, and there were even sprinkles of rain for a while, so I stayed at the hotel. Picnic’s tonight.
The picnic was at the University Golf Course. A good number of mule deer were grazing on the hills adjacent to the course; for once, I was the one who remembered binoculars, and I became quite popular, especially when a fawn was spotted with one of the deer. I also asked what kind of ground squirrels I had most likely seen at the Fort, and was told they were Colombian. Nothing like a group of mammalogists to know the answers.
Tuesday
The weather prediction was for sunny and mid-70’s, so I went to tour downtown Missoula. The hand carved carousel is a major attraction down by the river; I watched the smiling kids riding up and down in circles and listened to not-quite authentic calliope music. I browsed in used bookshops, looked in at least a dozen art galleries, some thrift-shops and gift boutiques full of moose and bear paraphernalia. There were also lots of places selling hiking, fishing, kayaking, and other outdoor sports gear.
The final banquet was on campus. Food was adequate, but once again, the buffet set-up meant long waits for some. We were lucky enough to be at a table in the first group invited to the lines, so we didn’t have too long to wait for dinner. Then, the interminable awards ceremony, where the speeches introducing each winner dragged out endlessly. How any of the award winners could fail to recognize themselves from the detailed descriptions of their lives from high school onward is beyond me, but some actually managed to look surprised when their names were announced. After an hour, they finally finished, and we could go home. Next year, I’m bringing a book.
Made arrangements for Steve Clark, one of Dan’s colleagues from SeaWorld, to call me if he made reservations to go horseback riding. Why not. It’s Montana, after all. So what if it’s been more than forty years since I’ve been on a horse.
Wednesday
Steve has reservations for a trail ride at 4. I don’t have boots, but I’m not going to buy them for a two hour trail ride; sneakers would have to suffice. We drove out right past the ranch, which didn't seem as 'you can't miss it' as the lady giving Steve the directions had said. However, after going a mile or two past the distance she had given, we turned around and decided that the only hint of civilization we had passed was really where we needed to be. It was a lot more obvious coming from the other direction, and we pulled into the lot where we saw a cowboy looking fellow with several horses hitched to a hitching post. After signing numerous waivers, we were assigned our mounts. John, our guide, took a few minutes to get his horse to understand that he was going to have to do another ride, and I tried to remember what it felt like sitting atop a rather large powerful animal. I thought it appropriate that Steve Clark was riding a horse named Lewis not far from where Lewis and Clark had explored. My trusty steed was called Hot Rod – not particularly encouraging to someone who hasn't been on a horse in over four decades. However, believing that these creatures were well versed in the art of hauling greenhorns through the mountains, I urged him to fall in behind Steve, and we rode up the slope. Once I caught on to the different reining techniques – I had been 'trained' in the western neck reining style, and Hot Rod understood the two handed English style, we were fine. At the top of a 600 foot vertical climb, we rested the horses briefly and were given the instructions on 'emergency stopping,' in the rare event we found ourselves on a spooked horse. I figured it was moot, as I'd undoubtedly be on the ground, but filed it away as possibly useful information.
The countryside was beautiful – finally, a real feel for the unspoiled (if you don't count some evidence of clear cutting) mountains. Our two hour trip took us up to over a mile in altitude; I'm glad the horses had to do most of the heavy breathing, as they were more acclimated than I was. John was full of trail stories, a few of them even bordering on fact. We saw a few mushrooms and pictures were dutifully taken for Dan. In the moose wallow, I asked if I was seeing a moose or a tree stump, and John said it was a tree. Seconds later, the stump rose and walked away. It was a mule deer, but that was closer to moose than tree, so score one for the greenhorn.
Along the way, we were given instructions as needed; how to go down the steep portions; we could allow the horses to trot or run on the steep uphills (but nowhere else due to insurance regulations), how to navigate the 'obstacle course' of trees. At no time had anyone asked if we had had any experience riding, reinforcing the thought that these horses were used to the routine. As we neared the end of the ride, John was telling us how quickly Hot Rod had adapted to the trail. He was a cutting horse, but was too slow, so the ranch owner bought him to use as a lead horse. However, he wasn't dominant enough so they trained him as a tourist horse, and he was doing very well. I asked how long he had been doing this. Turns out he was bought thirty-five days prior to our ride, and had been carrying greenhorns like me for all of a week. I was sure glad I didn't know this when I got on, or I might have been more apprehensive during the ride. We arrived back at our starting point in one piece, and I managed to dismount without falling down. Riding a horse uses entirely different muscles from step class.
We got back to the hotel a little after seven; Dan was in the bar. I joined him and after a beer we went back up the street to the pasta place for another nice dinner.

Thursday
Second annual Odell family hiking vacation. Odell Lake, Oregon.
Amy and Dennis were charged with finding the spot for this year’s vacation. It seemed a no-brainer that given a place called Odell Lake, we’d have to check it out.
The players: Dan & Terry Odell
Peter & Ann Odell (Dan's younger brother & wife)
Amy & Dennis Daraghy (Dan's youngest sister and husband)
For the first time, we drove from the Portland airport to Salem in daylight and sunshine. Peter & Ann had arrived several hours earlier and were already at Amy's. Traffic was miserable for the first part of the drive, but cleared out and we arrived in time for a drink while Amy & Dennis explained the care and feeding of plants, bird and cat to the house-watcher, and then went out for Indian food.
Friday
Friday morning, we began getting ready to depart for Odell Lake Lodge. We were ready, as were Peter & Ann, but Amy & Dennis hadn't finished packing yet, so we had a nice breakfast of scones (although Dennis disapproved because Amy had added whole wheat flour, flax seed, and cut down on the butter) and fresh picked raspberries.
We had rented a Blazer; Amy rode with us to navigate, and Peter and Ann joined Dennis in his Suzuki Sidekick. We had walkie talkies, but except for the check in the parking lot, they didn't work, so we took it on faith that both cars would end up pretty much in the same place. We hit the road about noon, but had to stop at the ATM and for ice. Dennis thought he’d forgotten to pack Amy’s hiking boots so went back to the house for them. Turned out he had put them in the car after all. Now we were on the road. Except that Dennis had to stop at the drive-in latte stand after ten minutes. But, no schedule, no worries. Odell Lake Lodge is at the eastern end of Odell Lake. Contrary to Amy's opinion, the road didn’t go all the way around the lake, so taking the West Odell Lake exit didn’t get us to the Lodge. Fortunately, the western road ended before too long, so we didn't have to backtrack very much.
The Lodge was about as expected, tucked under the trees, near the lake. There were housekeeping cabins to rent, and a campground nearby, but we had opted to stay in the lodge. Ann had the right idea. Camping might be cozy, but hot showers and flush toilets are amenities not to be taken lightly. After a full day out in the wilderness, it's nice to enjoy conveniences that don't involve rocks, bushes or trees. Our rooms were modest – ours had a queen sized bed plus bunk beds. There was a narrow chest of drawers, one bedside lamp table and an indentation in the wall that was presumably the closet, as it contained three hangars. Bathroom had the essentials as long as you didn't want a bath. Clock, but no phone, no tv, no amenities like those little bottles of shampoo. They did provide teeny bars of soap and paper cups.
When we checked in, we asked about the history of the lake and the lodge. The current owners didn’t know, but pointed us to some books in the lodge’s lounge. Most of the references were to Cy Bingham who was a forest ranger who loved the area, but we did manage to uncover an information sheet with a paragraph about the history of the lake. Thus, we learned that:
“Historic Odell Lake was named for William Holden Odell, a pioneer who came to Oregon from Indiana in 1852. He was involved with the surveying of a military wagon road which ran from Eugene to southern [illegible – someone punched the page for a three ring binder]and, in 1871, he was appointed surveyor general for Oregon. The first access road to Odell Lake was built in 1910, and a resort lodge was built in 1927, but recreational use on the lake was low until the construction of Highway 58 in 1940.”
The restaurant served three meals a day, and our first dinner was excellent. It turned out that all the meals were, and portions were enough food for three healthy eaters. The only issue we had was that the menu stated that the vegetarian special changed daily, which it didn't. The first three nights it was the same; in our seven nights there were three different specials. But the rest of the menu was varied, and enough 'light' options to allay just a bit of the guilt.
Saturday
We met for breakfast at 8, and then drove back down the road for our first day's hike. Everyone was equipped and attired for a day on the trail, with hiking boots, collapsible trail sticks, hats, pants with numerous zippers and compartments, and packs filled with trail guides, bird, plant and mushroom field guides, water, trail mix, solar blankets and God know what else. I had on my old jeans and cross trainer sneakers which I would no longer be able to wear in step class. My pack held a bottle of water, a sweatshirt and waterproof windbreaker (borrowed from Amy) sunglasses, camera and binoculars, and not much else. However, the rest of the group decided I could come along, but I know they were thinking about having to carry me back.
After much discussion and reading of the guide book by Amy, we decided that for the first day at altitude over four thousand feet, we should do something not too long and without much elevation gain, as Odell Lake sits at about five thousand feet.We went to Salt Creek falls, which is an easy access tourist stop. After marveling at the impressive waterfall, we began our first hike. The goal was to hike to Diamond Creek Falls. Aside from a few narrow slippery places, it was as described. Dan and Dennis made frequent stops to photograph and identify mushrooms, which were plentiful. I even pointed out one that was new to him. Peter and Ann just enjoy the walking and looking at things. They've been married only two years, so we got used to them doing everything together, while the rest of us went at our own paces. Amy and Dennis are very much into the flora and fauna; anything they don't recognize calls for a stop while they get out the field guides for positive id.
We reached a branch in the trail; Amy got out her trail guide again, and described an excellent view of Fall Creek Falls just about a mile up a side trail. We thought this would be a nice place for lunch, as it was about twelve-thirty. What wasn't described was that this mile gained 1000 feet in elevation and was quite an effort. Even Dennis agreed that we had passed the 'fun' stage and were working. At 1:40, we decided that we'd stop wherever we happened to be a two o'clock. We plodded along, taking frequent breathing stops. Dan plunged ever upward and shouted that he had reached the falls, so we persevered and sat under some trees for lunch. The view of the falls was gorgeous, and at least some members of the party thought the hike had been worth it. Downhill after lunch was much easier, and we completed the original trail loop, with only one stop at the railroad tracks while we waited for an infinitely long train to pass.
Upon returning to the Lodge, we discovered another reason the price was so reasonable. No housekeeping service. The management is more than happy to exchange used towels for fresh ones, and if you want clean sheets, they'll be happy to give them to you when you bring down the dirty ones. There's a dumpster behind the front porch if you want to empty your trash. Since we're hardly ever in the room, it's no big deal. Besides, there's no room for anyone to clean in there.
I voted that we take a day to recover and had no objections, so we decided that Sunday would be the High Desert Museum just south of Bend, with perhaps a stop at the outlet mall with an L.L. Bean store among others. It should be noted that this shopping stop was NOT my suggestion; life in Orlando doesn't call for much of the merchandise, and we have outlet stores galore. But, I thought I might find some reasonably priced hiking boots that fit my abnormally small wide feet, so it seemed like a good idea.
Dinner was as good, if not better, than it had been the night before. A day out in the fresh air, even if the air was lacking a whole lot of oxygen molecules, did wonders for appetites. The homemade bread served on little wooden paddles was delicious, and we learned to keep them away from Dennis, who nearly catapulted a loaf of bread across the table when he bumped the handle.
Sunday
A rainy morning made us glad we hadn't decided to hike, and we caravanned to the High Desert Museum. There were live reptile and bird of prey demonstrations, and exhibits ranging from the role of Chinese in the Oregon area to Plateau Indians to desert habitats. It stopped raining as we finished the indoor exhibits and we walked the outside loop to see the porcupines, otters, sawmill (good machinery for the guys to marvel over; we missed the live demo by a week), and a reproduction of a small homestead.
Lunch was to be at the Deschutes Brew Pub, but there was a half hour wait. After walking across the street and back about five times checking out the other restaurants, I dragged out the Bend Dining Guide and found another pub a block and a half away, which had no wait at all. We placed our order and the waitress came back and told us there would be a delay, as she had just placed an order for a party of eleven. I suggested we order some chips & salsa and she comped them for us, which was nice. Then Dennis spilled most of his beer, so she brought another one for him.
After lunch, we hit the L.L. Bean mall; no wide boots, so sneakers would have to continue to suffice. I did buy a fleece vest; so did Dan. His was red, and it remained a part of him for the rest of the week. No chance of losing him.
Next stop was the Newberry Crater (which is actually a caldera, not a crater) obsidian flow. This was a walk through over 170 million cubic yards of obsidian and pumice. (The trail is only about half a mile long over a corner of the flow.) Another climb, but not too strenuous. Very cold, however, as we were at over 6200 feet, and it was getting late in the afternoon. Great views, and interesting rocks.
Dennis found a line on the map that he said was a shortcut to the lodge. Amy was reluctant, but we agreed to give it a try. (“I hate it when he says ‘Trust me'", she said.) She was pleasantly surprised that it was a good road, and we did cut some time and mileage off the trip. Apparently, this is the exception rather than the rule.
Monday
Another hiking day. This one was supposed to be flat, a little over five miles, down near a chain of lakes and ponds. Sounded very nice, and it started out that way. On the road to the trail head, we noticed bright yellow signs that said "No Picking" with a picture of a mushroom with a diagonal line through it. Definitely a picture stop for Dan. We began walking toward Meek Lake; the mushroom find of the day was some yellow jelly mushroom. Looked kind of like triangular ju-ju-bees. They were all over the place. The view at the lake was magnificent; I even got the bird right. (Some kind of thrush, I thought, and it was confirmed by Amy – another point for me.) As we moved on, we noticed that the mosquitoes were becoming rather thick. Amy and Dennis hadn’t encountered any on their other hikes in the Cascades so far this year, but the little vampires are bound to appear at some point. The insect repellent was brought out repeatedly. Cutter's may say it will keep you impervious to bugs for 8 hours, but don't believe a word of it. Eight minutes, maybe. I'm sure that I received only a minute fraction of the bites I would have had I not used the stuff, but there were enough critters to keep us moving. There was very little in the way of a breeze, which would have helped keep them at bay. So, we proceeded at forced march pace, eating lunch as we walked. We got back to the car, and only a dozen or so of the nasty insects joined us. So, there were lots of pretty lakes and ponds, but we didn't stop anywhere long enough to do more than snap a quick picture.
On the way back, we went to see where Odell Butte Road led. (I thought I’d seen enough Odell butts after raising three kids, but I wasn’t going to argue with the group.) We took it as far as it was open to the public, and then Dennis decided that we could walk to the lookout station at the top, as the last sign he had seen said it was two miles to the station, and he was sure we'd driven almost that far. So, we began trudging up the gravel road. Four switchbacks later, we weren't really sure how important it was that we reach the top, but Dan, once again, had plunged ahead and said it wasn't much farther. We did reach the peak, which was over seven thousand feet; the ranger allowed us up to his platform to take pictures, and it was breathtaking. The view was great, too.
Tuesday
Rain again. Forecast for today and tomorrow. We decided that since we were on vacation, we could take the day to do whatever we wanted. The Lodge has a large common room with a great fireplace, which was stoked regularly. We wandered around a bit, read, relaxed, and felt like we were on vacation. At least I did. Ann and Peter had started a jigsaw puzzle (1000 pieces, at least when it was new) of a mountain lake in the Grand Tetons. Ann had chosen it because she liked the picture and hadn't given any regard to the difficulty level as puzzles go. Lots of blue sky, blue water and red and green shrubs. But, we joined in. After dinner, the movie in the lounge vcr was Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country, and we watched as we worked on the puzzle. The tv in the lounge doesn’t get any television reception to speak of, but the lodge has an ample selection of movies on video. Each day, those staying in the lodge, or nearby, can vote for a movie to be shown at 7:30 that night. They narrow it down to two choices, and then those actually in the room at 7:30 get to vote between those two. This is an activity primarily engaged in by the children, but adults were allowed to vote as well. We were never finished with dinner at 7:30, so we didn’t have much say (or really care) in what movie was playing.
Wednesday
Weather was iffy, but we wanted to make sure we got to Crater Lake, so we drove to the park. At the entrance, the ranger told us that it was likely that the clouds and fog would obscure any view of the lake, but we went up anyway. The rim drive to the Village was pretty foggy and drizzly, but once we got to the Visitor's Center and looked around, things lifted and we had a marvelous view of the lake, plus close up looks at the rare Clark's nutcracker. It was apparent that they're fed by the tourists, as they were not the least bit shy about perching on trees right by the overlook.
We had a cup of hot chocolate, a perfect break on a cold windy day, and decided to drive to the Lodge, climb to Garfield Peak, and then have a late lunch at the lodge. The weather improved as we climbed higher, and the views of the lake were unbelievable. There is no way to describe the deep blue color of the water, and the bright sun shining through the broken cloud cover made it a real film eater. We saw a marmot sunning itself on a rock, but didn't find any of the pika that are also supposed to inhabit the area. Lots of plants for Amy & Dennis to identify; I think I've learned lodgepole pines, Ponderosa, various firs and hemlock. Also lupine and Indian paintbrush. Ann reached her limit of comfort about halfway up the narrow trail; the drops off either side were not conducive to security if you weren't happy with heights. Dan and Dennis are of the 'what's the point of hiking if you don't get to the end' school, and continued to forge ahead. Amy and I realized that we had already seen as much as we were going to see – from here on, it was just more of the same, but higher up. We suggested that we head back for lunch, but were ignored. Finally, we just said we'd had enough; they were welcome to continue to the summit, but we were turning around. Dennis and Dan continued on for a while then turned around also. We should have stood our ground much sooner; when we got back to the lodge, we found they stopped serving lunch at two, and it was two thirty. So much for a nice hotel lunch; we went back to the cafeteria and ate cafeteria food.
We went down to another visitor's center on the way back, and took a different route back. Amy and Dennis found another line on the map that looked like a scenic route back to the highway. As we turned onto it, with Dennis in the lead, Amy noted that it seemed like a nice road, and, "at least it's paved." Fifty yards later was the inevitable "Pavement Ends" sign, and we were on a gravel road, then dirt, then whatever. Dennis is used to such driving and was barreling on ahead; Dan was much more cautious, and in his bursts of speed we hit thirty. Given that the road was about twenty-five miles long, it was going to be a long and bumpy ride. We persevered, with only a couple of stops for pictures or plant identification. We saw the skinniest deer I'd ever seen, and a couple more ground squirrels. On the way back to the lodge we saw a coyote crossing the highway.
We got back to the lodge around six, had dinner at six thirty and went to the great room to work on the puzzle a bit more before bed. I don't think we're going to get it finished before we leave. Peter, Dan and I rented some fishing tackle, bought licenses and a dozen worms and planned to get up in the morning and fish off the dock. I was going to go out in a boat with a guide, but he was already booked solid.
Thursday
We headed for the dock just as the mist turned to a light rain. Nevertheless, I planned to fish, and I was going to fish. Dan refreshed my memories of how the spinning reel worked, and we began giving worms swimming lessons. Since my philosophy is that fishing isn't about catching fish, it's about fishing, I really didn't care if I caught anything. Besides, we had no way to do anything with a fish except photograph and release it. Ann caught a whitefish, and had a good sized rainbow on her line but it got away (or so she and Peter said). After about an hour, my hands were too numb to bait the hook, so I decided to quit for the morning and take a very long very hot shower. Dan stayed down with Ann and Peter; I ran into Amy & Dennis and joined them for breakfast.
It was decided that the rest of the day was 'do what you want' again. I brought my book and the laptop down to the lounge and worked on the puzzle and my travelogue. At some point the weather cleared and warmed enough so the rest of the crew wanted to hike around the area of the Lodge for a while, but I was content to hang around and enjoy the fire. When the others returned from their walk, they reported having a pleasant stroll which included some great wildflowers in a meadow and, of course, some mushrooms. Peter and Ann fished some more, and even managed to catch some good ones (although the best one, in true fishing tradition, got away).
Friday
Today the weather was perfect. Of course, check-out time was eleven, so there wasn’t much time to enjoy it, but everyone made sure they had enough pictures of the lake and the lodge in the sunshine. On the drive back to Salem, Amy had us stop at a nature trail so we could experience old growth forest. As usual, the path was uphill. We hiked in for about twenty minutes or so, found some moss covered trees, a few interesting snails, and, of course, some mushrooms. On the way back to the car, a bald eagle circled the nearby reservoir, a magnificent sight.
Ann wanted to buy some of the little porcelain teapots the Lodge had used, and we had vague directions to the store where they could be purchased. Dennis and Peter had the lead and the map. After some circuitous driving through Eugene, we found the shop and Ann got her three teapots. We were still full from the Lodge breakfast, so we went straight back to Salem. Plants, bird and cat were all alive and glad to have their human companions back.
We ordered pizza for dinner (although Amy forgot to order the salads) and toasted an excellent vacation with some more Deschutes beer. Amy’s next door neighbor came by with a bowl of fresh picked raspberries, which we set aside for breakfast.
Saturday
Our plane was at 10:45; Peter and Ann’s was at 10:20, so we shared the ride back to the Portland airport, but not before enjoying some of those raspberries. Dennis bumped the table on his way into his seat, but this time his coffee just slopped out of his mug and he didn’t really spill the whole thing. It’s a good thing the two of us aren’t in the same household; nothing would be safe.
The flights homeward were on schedule; the luggage was prompt down the chute, and there was a cab ready to depart. Loading the bags into the trunk, Dan noticed that he had forgotten his laptop back by the luggage carousel and raced back to see if it was still there. Again, please note that this was not MY error. I have had an amazingly uneventful trip, mishap wise. A few bruises from airline seats, luggage, or furniture arms, and a smattering of mosquito bites, and otherwise, I’m just fine. Probably a few pounds to the good once again, but I can deal with that once we’re home to our empty larder. The computer was where he had left it, luckily, and we were assigned another cab (the original driver didn't want to hang around and miss a fare) and headed for home.
The three hour time difference left us wide awake, so we checked email, did a little unpacking, and finally enjoyed the comfort of our own familiar bed once again.
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