Day 4

First of all, I have changed my view of Wyoming and Idaho.  While vast, there are beautiful things to see.  You must be brave though.  Much of it is remote.  No cell phone signal, no neighbors to walk to call for help.  Just you and Jehovah.

These first three pictures we took because of the moon...

the moon...

 the moon...

    ↖                        ...and a semi's side view mirror!!!!!

Tunnel in mountain...with cool rock formation.

The picture below was crazy because these rocks are just

looming over the top of this new hotel.

There are lots of bluffs.

↓    I thought that this looked like a dinosaur's back...         ↓

...and it was in Cokeville, WY (see it in the background)

Wow!

Wow!!

Double WOW!!! 

This was pretty...

This is a closer view of the same range...

and this...

I think this is a mesa...the hill in the back.  I believe the stuff in the foreground is common junk.

The rocks are black.

The temperature started off at -3, but ended in the 30's.  The sun was out all day, which made for a nice travel day.  Today was our longest travel day.  Tomorrow we hope to be at our destination by 2:00 p.m. ish.

Day 3

For those of you who were concerned about our traveling the northern route along I-80...we are now convinced it is a bad idea to travel this time of year along I-80.  We had a little snow blowing around until about Cheyenne, WY...then we started to climb the mountain.  We believe this was the highest point we reached, but we are not sure.  We both believe our hearts stopped at some point, only to start again on the other side of the SNOW!!!!

This was the typical view out our front window for about...oh...an hour or so.  The passing lane was covered and their was a very slow moving semi that we followed for quite a while.  Several people were just driving like it was a spring day...I believe this is about when my heart stopped.  Not sure about Monica's...

This was an interesting feature.  The speed limit signs change depending on the 

weather conditions.  It started at 75 mph and was 35 mph by

the time we were in the thick of it.

There are also gates that keep people off the highway when it is bad. 

Just hope you are on the right side of the gate...

Hope you can see this.  Not only were we unable to see 15 feet in front of us, but the outside temperature dropped drastically and the wind was blowing furiously.  (like my descriptive writing?)

And yes, that is the check engine light.  I am hoping it is the 'corn gas' that we have had to use because it is all that is available.  The last station we got gas had regular gas...hope the light goes off.

This was kind of cool.  The snow was blowing and you could

hardly make out this wind farm.

Looks like the moon in the background, but it is only the flash in the

car window.  Looks pretty neat though for an accident...

↑ ↑

I tried to make these two pictures bigger so you could make it out.  They show

snow fences.  They are all over the side of the road.

The idea is that they are supposed to keep the snow from drifting

so high on the actual roads.  There are literally hundreds

of them along the hillsides.

  

↓ ↓

We thought this was pretty.  Lots of clay colored rocks and the snow made the color seem even brighter.

Yet another view from behind the windshield...

Not sure the camera does this view justice...it was spectacular.

And if you are interested.  The two mile stretch of I-80 in front of this beautiful

sight is available through "Adopt A Highway".  :)

My overall view of Wyoming is...it is BIG, VAST, and DESOLATE.  Lots of wind and not very many houses along the highway.  If you are trying to hide something...Wyoming is the place to do it...

Day 2

So far the weather has been beautiful!!!  It was sunny and 60 degrees all day today.  The car and trailer still seem to be doing well.  We are staying with a dear friend's mother tonight.  She opened her home to us and has been a wonderful hostess.  She made us a lovely dinner tonight and we got to swap stories and change  a light bulb.  My height is good for something...

Another interesting thing happened today.  We were checking out of our hotel room this morning and the front desk lady stopped us at the door.  She said, "You are the happiest people I have seen in a long time.  I just want you to know that you made my day."  That made us happy and we decided to go back in and thank her again.  Monica explained that one reason we are so excited is because we are headed to Oregon. (Which we hear is beautiful!!!!!)  And to top it off, we are being sent there to expand our opportunities to teach the Bible to people.  She said she had studied the Bible several years ago in a shelter for women.  We offered her a Bible Teach book and explained that it was a tool to learn about the Bible.  She gladly accepted.    Just goes to show, you don't know who is watching you :)

We also passed this on Hwy 80.  It was HUGE.  The sign said it was "Great Platte River Road Archway Monument". According to the internet, it marks the convergence of the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails.  Immigrants used this passage to head west.  We saw something similar in Oklahoma.  The one in OK stretches across the road too, but there is a McDonalds in the top of that one.  Not such a noble purpose :)

Tomorrow we are off to Wyoming!!!!

Monday: Day 1

This morning we finished packing up our STUFF (Heavy on the stuff).  We only had to leave a few things behind that would not fit into the car OR the trailer.  There was barely room for us inside the car.  :)  We left Marshfield around 2:00 p.m after Art and Shirley made us cry.  We love those guys.  We are now checked into our hotel and we are going to exercise.  I need to work off all this 'good-bye' eating I have been doing.  For those who have heard of my trailer woes, the trailer pulled fine.  It is killing our gas mileage, but it is pulling great!  We are going to bed early because tomorrow we get to drive 10 hours!!!!  More later...

Our territory

The Circuit (the area we are working in) is bordered by the Cascades to the WEST, the Columbia River to the NORTH,  Prineville, Oregon south to Silver Lake, Oregon (Summer Lake approximately) to the EAST, back to the Cascades on the SOUTH.  The Circuit is BIG.  Our Assembly Hall is in Woodburn, Oregon (Between Salem and Portland).  You really can't tell by the map, but there are parks everywhere.  We hope to do some exploring...

Packing up

                                             The car looks funny with the trailer hooked to it.

                                                         This is the trailer empty...

                             I unloaded the trailer 3 times to get the weight right...hope it works

                                                         Packed all nice and tight.