Geezers, Wyoming and South Dakota - Crater Lake to Portland

Day 26

We had a relatively short drive today so we slept in a little, but we were on the road by 9:00.  We returned to US 97 the way we came in and drove a few miles north before we took the road east through the Cascades to I-5 in Eugene, OR.  It was a beautiful drive through the mountains with sunny skies, but we could see overcast skies ahead and rain is predicted for tomorrow.  After lunch in Eugene we drove north on I-5 into Portland and were checked into our hotel by 2:30.

I couldn't resist one more picture of Crater Lake before we left.

The back of Crater Lake Lodge.

We had a beautiful drive through the Cascades.

After a bit of rest, we made our way to Val’s niece Hilary’s home.  We hadn’t seen Hilary and her family for a couple of years so we were really looking forward to seeing them again.  When we arrived we got a warm welcome from Hilary and her kids Avery, Anderson and Ella.  Hilary's husband, Jason, was still at work and arrived a little later.  They have a beautiful home and a really wonderful family so it was a great to reunite with them and catch up on all that had happened since we saw them last.  Jason has a very successful design business in Portland and has made numerous trips to China and many other countries so had some interesting stories to tell.  Avery (going to an arts influenced high school), Anderson (a Lacrosse athlete) and Ella (involved in riding and showing her horse) are active in many different activities so we were able to catch up on what they were doing.  I don’t know how they keep up with all they are doing.

We had a very good home cooked dinner, which was so welcome after being on the road for so many days. We spent the rest of the evening talking before Val and I returned to our hotel.  Tomorrow they are going to take us on a tour of Portland, which we have driven through on the interstate before, but really haven’t explored at all.