Day 68: Sumpter OR to Portland OR, 564km

We are enjoying our time in Sumpter where time has stood still.
There is a lovely relaxed pace.
Come and meet some of he people who live here.
Jane took care of us for breakfast...
 
Francis was in for his daily visit for breakfast. He introduces me to his friends who arrive to join him.
Francis showed me his phone with a photograph of him being Father Christmas. He arrives on the historical train and rides on a fire engine in the Annual Christmas parade and throws sweets for the children. Francis clearly loves his role.
He also gave me his favourite morel recipe.
Prepare pasta and a creamy sauce add sliced fresh morels.
If you are using dried morels soak them in water for ten minutes before you slice them.
He has a friend who collects morels and buys fresh ones and dries them in the sun and packs them into cartons and ships them to England.
Father Francis Christmas.
 
Let's get on the road...
... Through the high plains
Through small towns, Granite, Ukiah
Past the hydro dam
...to Heppner for a coffee break.
Marcie makes me a perfect coffee.
Often coffee is served scalding hit in the USA. Marcie gets it just right.
She has been to the Philippines on a mission with her mother who is a pastor.
A beaming welcome from John. He is originally from Arkansas and worked in forestry until he retired twenty years ago. We had a lovely conversation about dialects and how important it is to recognise the differences especially in speech rehabilitation contexts.
Sometimes people ask me how we do these journeys.

This plaque in the cafe sums it up.

"For with God, all things are possible." Mark 10:27

 
This huge Marathon motor home and car is the biggest we have seen on this journey. It would have cost a million dollars.
It was long - and fast- and hard to overtake.
We crossed the Columbia River at Biggs and took a short detour up to the Maryhill Stinehenge.
It was built after WW1 as a monument to the men from the district that died in the war.
The views stretch to Mt Hood in the far distance.
Orchards and vineyards paint the river flats green.
The blonde grass is tinder dry.
We ride down the Columbia Gorge.
Over the Bridge to Hood River which is the world's most popular windsurfing location.
... And has a great lunch place! Bette's cafe which was the recommended by the bridge toll-gate ladies.
Just outside Hood River we stop to buy fresh cherries.
Ahead of us is Mt Hood which looks like Mt Taranaki.

We ride to the Timberline hotel.

The Timberline hotel was built in 15 months during the 1930's by men employed under the Works Progress Administration during the Franklin D Roosevelt presidency.
The timber and stone work and many of the fittings were made on site using local materials.
 
Skiing is almost year round here.
Noah is one of the young skiers on the mountain today. His passion is freestyle skiing and he has come from Massachusetts to ski here. He is 15 and is a lovely young man.

Steve tells us that there have been over two thousand skiers on the fields today.

Down the mountain, past some waterfalls...

To our home for the next few days.

Thank you Mark for safely guiding us to your haven.

 

 

 

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