August 10, 2000 Departed San Diego* 1:30 P.M.
Gas $1.659/gal (Navy Exchange [NEX] $1.569/gal)

The link to Yahoo above is centered on our ZIP code.

August 11, 2000 Stopped in Red Bluff, CA* 4:00 A.M.
Our motel room was on the second floor, and it wore me out carrying our things
up those stairs.

August 11, 2000 Departed Red Bluff, CA 11:00 A.M.
Gas in WEED, CA* $1.999/gal  (photo)
Gas in Wolf Creek, OR* $1.759/gal

August 11, 2000 Arrived Woodburn, OR* 7:00 P.M.
The motel had failed to keep room 54 for us.
We had a visitor from the internet.
Gas $1.679/gal FULL SERVICE; there is no self serve in Oregon!!!

August 12, 2000 Drove to Sweet Home, OR*   (Main Street)
"All school" High School reunion (1924-2000).  Saw a few people I knew.
My family lived in Sweet Home from about 1942 until 1957.
I did not finish school in Sweet Home.  I graduated from Grant HI in Portland,
but I did a series about "The Class of '57" and Sweet Home.

On the way back from Sweet Home to our motel in Woodburn we saw four Oregon State Police cars on I-5 near Jefferson*, going south Code 3.  There must have been a 2 for 1 doughnut sale in Albany.

August 13, 2000 Drove to Salem*
Trying to find a charger for Rachel's cell phone; didn't.
We then drove up 99E to Milwaukie just sight seeing.
My brother Doug's mailbox is still there in Aurora*!
We visited the cemetery in Barlow*. (as in Barlow Road)

August 14, 2000 Drove to Brownsville* and Sweet Home/Foster*
I bookmarked my web page menu on the computer at the Brownsville Museum.
In Foster we met with Bill Firestone so that I could take him around and point out
locations and things I remember about the area from the 1940's.
Brownsville was platted by my great great grandfather Captain James Blakely, and named after his uncle, Hugh Leeper Brown.  The Brown and Blakely families crossed the Oregon Trail in 1846.

August 15, 2000 Departed Woodburn for Seattle, WA 12:00 P.M.

The falls on the Willamette River at Oregon City as seen from I-205.  ( as seen from 99E )*

August 15, 2000 Stopped in Tacoma, WA* 4:00 P.M.
This stop was to visit my Aunt Lovena (Houk) Morgan.  Lovena had cancer and died one month later.

August 15, 2000 Arrived Seattle, WA* about 8:00 P.M.
We stayed in a friends house in West Seattle*.

August 16, 2000 Drove to Tacoma to visit with Lovena again.
Took pictures.  When we visited Lovena in 1998 the film in my Nikon
was not properly loaded; so the pictures I took... I didn't.  This time
I made sure the camera was working correctly, and took the exposed
film directly to a one hour photo store, and waited in the area for it
to be processed.
On our way back to Seattle we noticed that the traffic on the other side
of I-5 was bumper to bumper all the way.  ????
Gas $1.489/gal (lowest price on our trip)

August 17, 2000 Drove to Tacoma to visit with Lovena again.
This would be the last time I would see her.
We took her out to her favorite Chinese Restaurant for lunch - The Hong Kong in Tacoma.  We did this in 1998 also; she could get around much better then.  The first time we were in The Hong Kong was in 1994 when I helped move Lovena to Tacoma.  We had the same waitress each time!  Lovena's apartment in 1994 was just down the street.

August 18, 2000 Departed Seattle for Walla Walla, WA* 1:30 P.M.
We wanted to make another trip to see Lovena, but it had rained in the night and I-5 was a parking lot for most of the distance (about 30 miles).
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/  -  selected traffic cams
Gas in Connell, WA* $1.599/gal; out in the middle of nowhere.
(The Yahoo map comes up off target; zoom out.)

August 18, 2000 Arrived Walla Walla, WA 6:45 P.M.
We stayed in the same motel as in 1998

August 19, 2000 Drove to Mountain View Cemetery
We visited Nineveh Ford's grave.
We visited the Whitman Mission Hysterical Site.

August 19, 2000 Departed Walla Walla for Spokane, WA* about 11:30 A.M.

August 19, 2000 Arrived Spokane, WA 3:45 P.M.
We would have visited with an internet friend, but she wasn't home.
Nice motel in Green*Acres, WA(.mid) just outside Spokane.

August 20, 2000 Departed Spokane for Missoula, MT* 11:30 A.M.

August 20, 2000 Arrived Missoula, MONTANA 3:34 MDST
Same motel as in 1998, but this time on the ground floor!
Gas $1.599 - $1.639/gal
There was a lot of smoke in the air.  We were told that the day before you could not see across the street because of the smoke.

August 21, 2000 Missoula
Visited friends in the area.
Smoke in the air from the forest fires is thicker.

August 22, 2000 Drove to Polson, MT
Nice motel with a view of Flathead Lake.
Had dinner with an internet friend.

August 23, 2000 Polson*
Talk about smoke!  That photo was taken looking north, out the door of our room.

August 24, 2000 Departed Polson for Minneapolis, MN* 11:30 A.M. MDST
When we left Polson there was a "stage 2 alert" for the air quality in Missoula.  By the time we got there it had been reduced to "unhealthy".

August 24, 2000 Stopped near Billings, MT* 10:00 P.M.
Our motel was near a busy rail line.
Gas $1.589/gal
Gas in Miles City, MT* $1.549/gal

August 25, 2000 Stopped in Bismarck, ND 6:55 P.M. CDST*

August 26, 2000 Stopped in Rogers, MN* 7:00 P.M. CDST
Had dinner at the Classic Denny's.  The ceiling of the dining area is metal, and the place was quite noisey.  Funny; the rest rooms had accoustic tile ceilings.
Rachel's kin here were out of town.

August 26, 2000 Arrived Minneapolis, MINNESOTA about 8:30 PM CDST
Rachel has many relatives in this area.

August 27, 2000 Richfield, MN*
The most expensive motel we stayed in - nice.  This was just about the only vacancy Rachel's brother could help us find.  State fair in progress.  Motel 8 had one room; a suite for $135.00!  Another motel accepted cash ONLY.  We took the $85.00 room.

August 28, 2000 Richfield, MN
Our next motel was a major brand and a DUMP!!  The first room we were given had a foul odor, and the bathroom door could not be opened or closed sans C4.  The second room did not stink, but the wallpaper was falling off the wall!  Turn the light out on this one.... TOM!!

August 29, 2000 Lakeville, MN*
This is when the dome light fell out.
Went to visit Rachel's relatives in Apple Valley, MN*

August 30, 2000 Brooklyn Park, MN*
Fairly new "Motel 6"

August 31, 2000 Drove to Grand Rapids, MN
Rachel was born here.
Nice motel.

August 31, 2000 Grand Rapids, MN*
Credit card police challenged my credit card.

September 1, 2000 Grand Rapids, MN

September 2, 2000 Grand Rapids, MN

September 3, 2000 Grand Rapids, MN

September 4, 2000 Grand Rapids, MN
This day was the only time that we drove on anything other than a paved roadway.
We were looking for a cemetery where many of Rachel's relatives are buried.  We did
find it.

September 5, 2000 Stopped in Roseville, MN*
One last visit with Rachel's brother.

This was our last stop in the Minneapolis area

We're on our way home

September 6, 2000 Stopped in Sioux City, IA*

September 7, 2000 Stopped in Denver, CO*
Heavy traffic, took a wrong ramp, and ended up in Boulder.

September 8, 2000 Stopped in St. George, UT*

September 9, 2000 Departed for San Diego 10:35 A.M. MDST
Gas in Baker, CA $1.999 - $2.099/gal (highest price seen on our trip)
September 9, 2000 HOME!!  5:00 PM PDST
Gas $2.009/gal (NEX $1.709/gal  $1.749 Oct 8, 2000  $1.729/gal Oct 15, 2000)

Mr. Midi's reaction