We really enjoyed our stay at South Beach but after 2 weeks the dogs (and I - sorta) were ready to head east again.   But we didn't leave  without a couple stops at the South Beach Fish Market for lunches (5 stars) and of course a visit to Bow Wow Meow and Fred Meyer.    We also enjoyed the down time and my brother started to teach me cribbage.   I'm pretty horrible and haven't by far, figured out the strategy but since I really don't care who wins it was fun.  He  bought me a cribbage "kit" and also Mexican Train as a late birthday present and both are now secured in the trailer.  The latter is more  fun with at least 3 people.   Kinda fun!

Before I get us headed home I'm  going to throw in a ton of macro type photos and misc. for you.  I was trying to see if my little hiking camera would do macro decently.  The ones it did get right were okay but I just need to have my big camera for that stuff.   Now I know.   It did however capture some great sunset photos  the single night we actually had a sunset!

And finally here is the broken poodle who joined us for our sunset walk and baby camera and all did pretty well with his photo shoot.

We headed home on a Thursday and I had plans to take 3 days to come home (with a stop back at the farm at Cheney) but by the time we got on the road I decided to cancel that and push it home the last day to give us 2 days at home before work rather than one.   Glad I did.

Our first day on the road was rain rain rain which was fine till we hit I5 headed north.   Luckily I was able to have a marvelous stop and visit with my good friend Lori before we hit the bad stuff.   Cray cray drivers I tell you.   There was a wreck at Salem (indicated by red on my GPS) which luckily didn't entirely stop traffic.   I205 around Portland went surprisingly well but it still poured rain and can I just say it was so very sad to see the  amount of homeless along that route.  I've never ever seen that in  years past so I can only imagine the encampments actually in Portland.  :(   I always breath a sigh of relief when we get on I84  and past about the first 30 miles.   Things thin out and I don't feel like  I have to have a death grip on my steering wheel.

We made a quick pit stop after we got out of the rain and the Columbia Gorge was beautiful.  The waterfalls we could  see were doing pretty well I must say and we had a tail wind - WOOHOO!

We filled diesel and got tucked into our really favorite spot at Boardman, did tank chores and tucked in really early as we had to make an early start for our last haul home (10+ hours and we lost an hour on the clock as well).   There was a cool sunset so again broke out the hiking camera and played with some of the weird "SCN" settings literally out the camper window (hey I'd showered and was in my jammies).   So to bore you to the end here ya go!

Special thanks to my brother - who as always is so fun to camp and travel with.   Also to my rehab vet Dr. Cathy Davis and my chiropractor Dr. Terri Hamilton without whom we would have never have gotten on the road.   To my very patient and now travel weary dogs who as always were champs on the road.