8/28 - On the Road Again

We started out today on a dual adventure -- a road trip from coast to coast to visit relatives, friends and national parks paired with a tour of Morocco (this part was Jim's idea -- we're already nearly halfway there when we get to New Jersey, it will be lots cheaper to go to Morocco from there than California, right???).

Today we drove toward Seattle, a two day trip, and stopped in Bend, Oregon to stay with my cousin Anna, who recently retired here. Her husband is still working back near Seattle so she acquired two foreign exchange students for the year, who made us dinner. Jessica from Italy made lasagna, and Julia from Finland made pavlova -- both were terrific -- students AND food. We walked in the neighborhood after dinner and caught a glimpse of the river that runs through a canyon near Anna's home.

The Deschutes River near Anna's home

Jessica, lasagna maker extraordinaire, above the river

We were desperate to move our feet after 8 hours in a car. I suppose that the car stuff will get easier as we get more used to it. The really good news is that the car gets better mileage on the highway than its predecessor, despite the EPA estimates that were quite a bit worse.

Tomorrow takes us to Seattle for a few days, touching base with more cousins plus a couple aunts and an uncle.