Oregon Vacation - Day 3 - Eclipse and Portland Arrival

Good morning ya'll.  Happy Eclipse Day.  We are on the road by 5 a.m. and eagerly watch the horizon for an appearance by the "star" of the day.  Oh, there she is.

When we arrive in the sleepy little town of Fossil, not a soul is stirring.  Do we stay?  Do we continue on?  Let's go.  I liked the area before Mitchell and it is directly under the center of the path.  Fingers crossed that everyone else in the world doesn't have this same idea today.

We come upon that same farm that we spotted yesterday where people are camped out and, yes, there are a few more but it is only about 1/4 full.  They happen to have a food stand so we stop and grab a couple of burritos and drinks, then find a hay bale to sit on a enjoy a morning repast.

I go to find a restroom and find Mister napping on the hay bale when I return.  Click.  Can't miss that one, can I?

Now to find our spot.  I think that we passed a couple of good spots just a mile or so back so we turn around and head that way.  Within a mile, the perfect spot has been located.  Honest.

Mister leaves me in the car to check it out and comes back with a thumbs up.  There are a few others here, but it's a large area and not even a chance of crowding.

We have about an hour and a half before totality, so a half hour to wait before anything happens.  My sweetie takes advantage of this time to do some photography of the area (no, I'm not posting his pictures here -- perhaps after he develops them I'll do a post all their own).

Meanwhile, I make myself comfortable on the hillside and work on a quilt project that has a deadline.  You can see just how crowded it is.

The lines of traffic on the road

The view - yep the sweet sun will be right in front of us.

Proof we are together - and with the correct glasses.

And some fun

The next series of pictures are those taken of the same spot as the light changes.  (Yes we took pictures of the phases of the sun/moon too, but he has to work on those as well.)

And there it is.  Off with the glasses.  Let's just bask in the glory of it all.  There are no words to describe the incredible sense of awe that we have.  What a glorious thing to witness and I cannot express just how bright the sun is as it's corner decides to peek back out again.  Our glasses go back on in a flash.  WOW!  What a choice moment to spend with this man I adore so very much.

Just before totality, I look off to the side and notice how very vibrant the colors are over the hills.  A sunset type atmosphere without the sun actually setting and at 10:35 a.m.  Crazy cool.

My phone doesn't have any filters set on it so all I get is a white aura and a black dot, but here is my sweetheart working away.

Well, that's that.  Two and a half minutes of nature's beauty beheld and this part of our vacation is over.

We want to avoid Madras today as perhaps we were just lucky yesterday, who knows.  At any rate, Portland is our destination tonight and it's north, so we head that way.  All is good until we hit Shaniko.  There is a steady stream of traffic going north but our trusty GPS shows us a route that will save TWO HOURS!!!  Let's go.  We are off cross country and amazed that others aren't doing the same.  I can count the cars I've see on one hand.

The Deschutes River is on our path and it is simply breathtaking.  We have to stop several times for photographs.  Oh my -- the colors!!!

There are platforms near the small falls and the local Indian tribes fish from them.  What a gem in the middle of nowhere.

Continuing on, our scenery is ever changing.  See our empty road.

By the time we connect back up with the highway, it's easy going as we are a couple of hours ahead of everyone else.  Awesome.  The highway takes us back into The Dalles and then onto the interstate to Cascade Locks.  It's time for some lunch and Mister is on the hunt for fish.  We settle in with this great view of the river and enjoy some salmon chowder and salmon fish and chips.  I'm not in the best of moods right now - hoping food will help.

My sweetie calls ahead to our Airbnb for tonight and they will not be ready for us until around 6.  That means we have lots of time to kill, even with the drive.  Next stop is Thunder Island Brewing.  Perhaps this will help.

The beer selection is actually pretty bad so we try some local cider and, in fact, it is two locals mixed together.  It's pleasant and sitting alongside the river by the old locks is nice too.

This man made island is "Thunder Island" and the locks are no longer in use.

The last leg of our drive is into Portland.  As it takes less time than we anticipate, it turns out that Hopworks Urban brewery is just a few blocks from the house.  Walking distance.  Yay!  We stop in for a flight and soon discover that the room is ready.  We will be back for dinner and one of those incredible Survival Stouts.  Oh my, the sample was dang yummy.

Now to check in.  What a great room.

Yep, wine is included.

Portland -- keeping it weird.

They are just like Austin here with the saying, "Keep ____ weird".  I'm not sure who stole it from who, but these little extras certainly apply.

We even have chocolate on the pillow.  Nice touch.

Now, where was that food?  Leaving the car parked, we walk back to Hopworks and the minute we walk in, our beers are poured without even asking.  I guess we made an impression.  Dinner is light, but oh so yummy.  Hummus and veggies along with a pear/walnut salad.  Both are divine.

That's it for our day.  The long driving events are at bay for a couple of days while we explore the city.  See ya tomorrow.