Day 3 - Still Loading ...

We didn't get an early start. The loading of the little trailer and the finishing of things in the house and the handling of just one more thing to put where went on and on. Cleaning the floors and Denice was back with more help and a realtor who wanted a look because he thought we were selling cheap. We finally got started at 1:25pm. We started though and that was the main thing. We got as far as Pendleton on the first day with a couple of small adjustments along the way.

	We stopped at Multnomah Falls for our first break. It was part of the drive up the gorge. Seeking the gradual change from the forested waterfalled wonder to the open rolling mountains and the wide river that still looks so big that I have to remind myself that it is not a lake.
Now we are in Pendleton which reminds me physically of the midwest. It is wide and flat and filled with plowed fields. The weather here is hotter than Portland. It was 80 today and is supposed to remain 80 for the next couple of days. The vehicles ran well and we arrived at 6:30PM at a motel where we were all in bed by 9:00 but watching TV.

Driving along the Columbia River Basin I thought about the things that I learned from James about the theory of the formation of the whole area as a result of the release of water from a glacial dam. The gorge is one of the best kept secrets in America. It is a beautiful natural area that does not translate well into pictures or words. As I drove I tried to imagine the impact that a 600 foot high wall of water would have had and understand the shapes and cliffs that were left by that amazing power.

Saying goodbye thoughts go through me about what we have done here and what we have learned as well as why and where we are going. We have learned a great many new things and also we remember what is important about some of the old things. As I get older I am learning more about the value of tradition and long term goals. In this time of Internet speed of access to everything we tend to forget how big the world really is. That is the value of going out and driving across the United States. We are reminded of how immense this world really is. While I'm getting philosophical I would also like to add this. The Internet and related new technology is referred to often as the "Information Super Highway". I think my role and the role of the people seeing the potential for mankind should think of it as the "Communication Super Highway".