Three weeks down already

It is hard to believe that we have completed 3 weeks working at Oregon State University. Although illness and aches and pains have made parts of the adventure a bit laborious, it has really gone quickly. These past few days have been a bit interesting to us. Here we are in the Willamette Valley with mountains and snow all around us. Yet, the cold and snow that hit the valley yesterday seem to have caused real chaos. Schools closed, wrecks on highways, and all that comes with really nasty weather. Yet, as best I can tell we had about 2 inches of beautiful fluffy snow. One of the pictures here that I took with my cell phone is the same spot in front of the vet school where I showed you the sprouting flowers 3 weeks ago (last post). Georgia will be posting some pictures she took out our apartment windows that morning. If not on her blog they will be on her facebook.

For me the main adventure was this morning as I walked out into 26 degree air for the first time since we got here. (Supposed to be in the teens tonight.)... I relived a morning in January when I went to the car to make my trek to the B and B in Gas City for breakfast...  In that instance, the car door froze in the "open" position. This morning, it was frozen closed. I did get into the passenger side and started the car, thinking it would warm from the inside while I went back up to wait in the warm. Guess I didn't wait long enough because I still had to climb in over the console, bad knee and all. By the time I got to work, I could open it from the inside to get out. I wasn't looking forward to climbing back out over the console. Oh for those fantastic bench seats of the 50's and 60's. With the temp drop tonight I'm a bit apprehensive about this happening again tomorrow. Hopefully since it didn't rain or snow today, there won't be enough moisture there to freeze it shut. I do have some stuff  to unfreeze, but it didn't work in Indiana, so I'm not too keen on that.  nuf for now. skk

My Apology to Oregon

Seems I jumped the gun last Sunday morning. Woke up in Pendleton, Oregon and it was raining. Well, by the time we got on the road the rain had stopped and we had sunshine nearly to Portland where we got a little drizzle. Arrived at our apartment in time to watch parts of the superbowl as we unpacked. Beautiful sunny weather in the 40's and 50's all week.

It was nice to be "back" at work with so many familiar people. The emerging flowers greeted me just outside the vet school and there were yellow crocuses blooming nearby. From our last visit here, I found that the o great horse Gatsby is still functioning although I don't have any details. Got to meet a new class of Oregon State vet students for my 9am lecture on Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday and lab on Wednesday and Thursday. Got to get re-acquainted with senior students in the clinic along with other staff and faculty members. Aside from limping around and finally using the elevator to get up to class, it seemed like we had never left.
Although we had planned to go to the coast, Georgia was punky all week and did get out Friday, however we decided to give our bodies a rest and stay in and watch it rain.  Even that is relaxing, although I did listen to the Illinois basketball teams get defeated by Purdue via online radio. Guess I couldn't get too upset since I do have Boilermaker roots. Sorry there aren't more pictures.  Til later.

It's raining: it must be Oregon

Although the weather reports called for rain from Twin Falls through the weekend, it was actually sunny and beautiful all day. We diverted from our "normal" route across the central Oregon Highway and stayed on I-84 which we will take into Portland, then a short jaunt down I-5 to Corvallis today. If you are in the area and haven't made that drive, we recommend it. The mountains around Baker City where nothing short of phenominal. http://www.bakercity.com/  In Georgia's words, it looks like a cross between Alaska and Glacier. You'll have to check her blog or facebook later for pictures we snapped as we buzzed along (now at 65 mph).  Here is one from the web. Sorry, don't know why it is rotated...
This morning, we woke up in Oregon, as attested to by the rain outside. Supposed to be 60 in Corvallis today. Tomorrow, I start clinic duty and lecturing at Oregon State, as we settle into our familiar apartment in Washington Hall at the Corvallis Depot Suites. When we get settled in, maybe we will skype some family???? Frequency of posts on the blog will probably diminish as we settle in.

Out of the ice age

Out our Rock Springs window

We think we must be responsible for Rock Springs, Wyoming gaining temperatures above 0. Although windy when I took Georgia to the Mustang Corrals before leaving town (she luuvved it)... it was in the 30's. Now as we leave Twin Falls, Idaho to go to Pendleton, Oregon it is supposed to be in the mid to upper 40's all weekend with rain. Yesterday, it felt like we were in a low ceiling cabin because of the cloud cover. The mountain grandeur was capped most of the way. One thing we didn't remember from the past was the "bad air" over Ogden, Utah. You could see the "smog" and the electronic road signs said, "poor air quality... drive carefully"... I kept waiting for a glob of mucous or something to plop on our windshield. Georgia drove from Western Wyoming. Here second time behind the wheel in over a year. We grabbed a nice sunset out our window at Rock Springs, but as we pulled into Twin Falls, I think we say the best sunset I can remember. Here are some attempts (though poor) at capturing it. Remember we were driving 75 mph at dusk, so be gentle with your photographic criticism. The kids got me these great tortilla chips for Christmas and we devoured them in the car. Looking at the bags, we see that they came from the gourmet isle at Target. Guess what is right around the corner from this Hampton???? yup... we hopefully will get to reload on the way out of town.

More from Rock Springs

Since we are staying here today, I thought I'd nose around a bit.
1. Rock Springs Historical Museum (http://www.suite101.com/content/rock-springs-historical-museum-selfguided-tour-a89919)

They have turned the old city hall into a museum. What I learned there included quite a potpouri.
 
a.  Rock Springs was started as a "Company Town" for Union Pacific Coal. You can pretty much picture these beginnings if you go through the words to "16 Ton" by Tennessee Earnie Ford or the country singer and sausage maker, Jimmie Dean. I'll throw some pictures up here, but they many not be in the order I intend. One is of the map of underground coal shafts that run under and around the city. There are several "tools of the trade" in the museum.

b. In the large walk in safe was a collection depicting the evolution of the typewriter with an interesting description of the now familiar "QWERTY" keyboard. The primary purpose was to keep the letters from catching on each other as a rapid typist hit the keys that made the little arms holding the letters slam against the ribbon to make an imprint on the paper. The thought was to separate letters that were most often typed in succession.  Though I wasn't very accurate, I was pretty fast in typing and I remember often in typing class having to stop and untangle the letters. Wow, that took me back to Fanchion Frey's typing class.

c. Butch Cassidy spent time in this area and apparently got his name because he came here to work and since coal mining wasn't his thing, he got a job in a butcher shop in Rock Springs..... thus the name Butch. There was a plaque there giving about 20 names by which he answered. Supposedly people around here who knew him, really liked him. The kicker is that they really feel they have evidence that he didn't die in South America as was depicted in the movie.  The other interesting thing I found there was a picture that included Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Teddy Roosevelt, Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, Judge Roy Bean, Bat Masterson, etc. How's that for a bunch of buddies?????

d. I also found an old x-ray machine very much like the one I convinced my first veterinary boss to buy for $200 (and I had to drive to Ohio to get it)... Nearly an antique at the time, but it did the job.

2.  Wild Horses
Although Georgia saw a few in the wild on the ridge as we pulled into town last evening (an answer to one of her prayers and dreams), I went to the corrals where they hold those waiting for adoption. Seems that part of the management of the herd is to keep it to a specific size so they don't outgraze the "grass" and sagebrush. Some had clipped areas indicating some intervention. I got some pictures. You can probably figure out which one I would like to adopt. Feel free to leave comments with your guesses.

3. Dickey's Barbeque Pit (http://www.dickeys.com/default.aspx)
This is at the site where we found Popeye's Chicken in 2008, but in 2010 it was a Hawaiian Barbeque that didn't last. Dickeys apparently started in Texas. All I will say is, "if you like barbeque and you get a chance to try a Dickey's..... do it."

4.  Rock Springs finest at work.
As I pulled into the Hampton, I found my way was blocked. The police had just stopped a couple of ladies in a large SUV and blocked them in (I guess to avoid escape).,.. but they blocked the parking lot to the Hampton... I had to chuckle at their voracity.

Thus ended my adventure... Oh, one police car left, then the other, leaving the ladies sitting in the parking lot.... I was nosy, but not that nosy, so I came inside, not knowing their fate.

Rock Springs, Wyoming: where else?

For anyone who may have followed this blog, you have seen Rock Springs, Wyoming surface several times. Our first encounter was to ask the local Hampton Inn to make us reservations in Twin Falls, Idaho on our first trip out after being stranded in Laramie. Our second was on our way back in April when we broke down 40 miles east of here and Kathy a manager here found us a reliable tow (Bob)... etc. We stayed here 3 days over the weekend while repairs were made. Then last summer, we were here and took the "Wild Horse Loop" on White Mountain, but only saw lots of "road apples" but no horse flesh. As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to extend yesterday to get to Rock Springs because we didn't want to chance catching snow as we crossed over the continental divide. Now we sit in a very comfortable room and have decided that after the long drive (for us), only estimated 15 hours of driving, and warming temperatures promised, we would break it down into 3 five hour days (about our speed) and stay here another day. Georgia is feeling really punky and the rest should make the remainder of the trip more bearable. Yesterday the driving was a mixed bag. Although very cold outside, it was cozy in our vehicle. The sun was shining all day long. Only a skiff of blowing snow. However, when we reached Rawlins, we hit about 50 miles of ice. It seems the traffic had recently packed down the snow before the road crews got there and with the sub zero temperature the road was pretty much glazed. That slowed us down and made for some tense times, especially as the sun got low and glared off the ice. Got a beautiful silhouette of the mountains with the sun setting behind them, however. The first sign that things were looking up came when we got to our room to find the familiar tractor greeting us. Picture isn't as good, but I think you can get the point.

This morning, I got to renew acquaintance with Kathy as we traced back to our first meeting when she "saved our bacon"...  Plan for Twin Falls, Idaho for Friday night, then somewhere in Oregon Saturday night and Sunday night in Corvallis. Debating on the second leg of the trip. We have always taken the Central Oregon Highway (20), but I really don't want to do that again. The choices are to play it safe and take I-84 to Portland along the Columbia Gorge. That is all interstate.... safe but maybe less scenic... The other choice is to take 26 across the Malheur National Forest. We have never done that and it appears promising, but will take a little longer. I'm thinking I will check the ranger station as we enter Oregon. Last summer the lady there suggested that route was more scenic than Highway 20, but for some reason I wasn't ready for more adventure (I guess we had used it up chasing after wild horses).. From everything I can figure, it should be safe for us this trip, but I will ask them before deciding.... decisions, decisions. For now it's a "chill day". That decision is a couple of days off.

That was Easy!!!! NOT!!!!

 
After checking weather reports and highway 80 webcams from Omaha to Rock Springs, Wyoming, it seemed the next leg of the trip would be a piece of cake. Looking out our window at the guy snowblowing the parking lot and sidewalks at the Hampton Inn in Omaha it looked like a good day to stay over for another night. The flags were rippling violently, there was horizontal snow and visibility was nil. However, when I last checked, the highway camera a few miles out of town showed pretty clear sledding (a word which now seems like a pun). We'll make it shorter by saying that the description outside our window was pretty much true for the next 160 miles. Georgia was pretty nervous. We drove at 45 to 55 most of the way. Although fewer in number, there were again several vehicles lying in various positions by the roadside. The most interesting was the semi-truck that was in the shape of a pretzel. Georgia was pretty nervous.  By the time we got near North Platte where we had stayed previously, we decided we had enjoyed about as much of this as we could stand, so pulled in for the night. It seemed as though we might have a positive sign. If you are a conesour of Hampton Inn, you know that they have these homey little pictures throughout the inn. Georgia said that "Mahala would like this" as she looked at the picture of a tractor by our door. However, I noticed that it was not just "a tractor", but it was "the tractor". The Farmall "M" International Harvester made by McCormick-Deering. The main tractor I grew up on.  The tractor whose bellowing straight pipe drowned out my wailing as Elvis, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Conway Twitty (Only Make Believe) and even the Righteous Brothers. It was also that tractor that carried me back and forth across the fields as I contemplated my future. I digress.....

Well. Now what? Either my navigation skills have wained or the weather witch is out to hassle me. I think I will give it one more shot. We have another decision to make. We can make tomorrow another short day and stop over in another familiar Hampton Inn in Laramie, then cross over Elk Mountain on Thursday, or we can go on over tomorrow.... A tough one. Going on over makes it a bit long for us, but the last time I looked, (this morning) Wednesday is supposed to be sunny in that area, but cloudy on Thursday. I get nervous when it calls for cloudy at that altitude because it could bring snow which could then hold us up for a few days in Laramie like on our first trip. I really didn't enjoy rushing from Laramie to Corvallis as on our first trip out.... Guess you'll have to check back to see what decision we make and how it turns out. In the meantime we pray that the midwest storm spares our loved ones. At the moment I'm listening to the Illini basketball team playing Penn State (ahead at halftime)... Maybe next year Nebraska TV will carry the Big 10 Network, but for now, I have to settle for the radio. (online).... I am convinced that online radio is one of the best things since... radio, when it works.

Yogi Berra, welcome to our life

We started this blog on our first trip to Corvallis, Oregon in January 2008. On that trip, we got stuck in Laramie for 3 days because the pass at Elk Mountain was closed just as we got there. We rushed across the central Oregon Highway, mostly in the dark and arrived in Sisters, Oregon amidst the most beautiful and forboding snowfall we had ever seen. Georgia was all "oohhs and aahhs" and I was white knuckled because I was scheduled to give an exam at Oregon State on the next morning.  What an adventure! What made it so special was that the local folks in Wyoming and in Oregon said they hadn't had a winter like this in years.
This year with the promise of tolerable weather and troublesome flights, we decided to drive again. The difference for us is that Georgia is recovering from foot surgery and I just found out that I tore my medial meniscus (knee), so we are a bit more gimpy than we were. Our first day put us at the same Hampton Inn in Coralville, Iowa that we had stayed in on the first trip. We knew a great storm was heading toward the midwest, but accourding to reports and my calculations, we were supposed to skate across I-80 north of the storm as it traveled east across Kansas and Missouri. This is where Yogi joined us. We spent a little over 5 hours on the second day driving in freezing rain. Keeping the windshield clear was difficult and there were vehicles along the road in all kinds of positions including on their tops. Yes, Yogi; it's Deja Vu, all over again!. While the weather was decent we saw a sign to Brooklyn, Iowa, "a community of flags"... We decided we had time so drove off the interstate 2 miles to find this delightlful little farm community. Not exciting, but worth the diversion. Even an old style Standard Oil station. Here's the link,  http://www.brooklyniowa.com/
When we got to Omaha, it got nasty enough that we assigned Garmin the task of finding us a place to stop. Found a nice 3-year-old Hampton Inn to crash for the night. The other difference with this trip is that we finally got set up for skype. Got to visit with Rod's family and Greg's family, then Jeff called, so we had some nice family visits to help us settle in. Although it's snowing here in Omaha, I've checked the webcams on I-80 all the way to Rock Springs, Wyoming and it looks good for the present with promise of sunshine the next 2 days. So we will get back on the road, but not hurry. As best I can tell, once we get going the weather should let up. Another little wrinkle was that I was watching the ambient temperature and it was pretty much 23-25 degrees across Iowa, then all of a sudden, here in Omaha, it dropped to 11, then 10... That must be where we "crossed the line".  I'm thinking it will be too cold today to stick on the windshield. Since there are nearly 450 miles across Nebraska on I-80, I doubt we will make it out of Nebraska today unless the roads are more clear than I suspect. We have heard that this is the "storm of the century"..... Thanks again, Yogi!!!