Cross-Country Vacation 2023

  If you like flowers you will like today's photos. (Click on any photo to enlarge) Today's plan is to drive 329 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes We started our day at the Yellow Brick Cafe  in Twin Falls, ID. Then, headed to Perrine Coulee Falls. It was one that we missed yesterday. You can also see the Perrine Bridge which we crossed. Now, on our way to Boise and the Idaho Botanical Garden , 2 hours and 15 minutes away. This was another special place that deserves a separate page. Lots of flower photos!   https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/idaho-botanical-gardens.html After the gardens we ate lunch at the Wylder . I had a local beer and a kale salad.   Then we drove 3 1/2 hours to  Best Western Rory & Ryan Inns in  Hines, Oregon. Eastern Oregon Today's route:

  Week 2, Day 1 - 41 Degrees this morning. It's a bit chilly to be camping in Oregon in May. (Click on any photo to enlarge) We started the day at a restaurant in Albany, Oregon named Roger's Restaurant . It was a busy place, but the people were all friendly. I recognized our waitress that had waited on us from a restaurant in Sweet Home 5 years ago; she said she remembered us too. We searched out Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, Oregon using AllTrails . This was a beautiful place with boardwalks and hiking trails. Taking a 1.4 mile walk we were able to identify several birds species using Merlin and some wildflowers using PictureThis . Though not as many photos as other places, this was another special place that deserves its own page. https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/ankeny-national-wildlife-refuge.html Day 2 - There's no written record of what we did today, it looks like we had a very busy day. Looking at the DayOne journal and Google Ma...

We awoke at our AirBnb at Floras Lake Guest Cottage . Today is Mother's Day. Floras Lake The plan today is to drive 189 miles in 6 hours. We headed south for about 20 minutes to Portside Cafe in Port Orford, OR. It was a nice little place, serving good food.(Click on any photo to enlarge) 45 minutes later we stopped at Battle Rock Wayside Park for an educational break. Battle Rock Sign Broadleaf Lupine Hottentot Fig Battle Rock We made a couple quick stops, first at Ophir Wayside State Park, then in Gold Beach, Oregon for some souvenvirs, finally an unplanned stop at Ariya's Beach for some amazing rocks in the water. Ariya's Beach Ariya's Beach We drove through the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor . It was a beautiful drive on winding roads. I wanted to look, but also had to keep a close eye on the road. This was definitely a place where we could have spent more time, with 18 miles of hiking trails and lots to see. Using Alltrails we...