Migration to Oregon

October 4th:
Today is the day to visit Oregon - for about 3 months!  I stayed up late in to the night and cleaned the house because I didn't want to return to a dirty house.  Topped up the engine oil on my old faithful car, checked the water levels, and off we go - Willow and I.  480 miles from my house to Ammi and Thaththo's house.



No rain in months - Eastern Oregon

Lots of trucks on the road - sky hazy from wildfires

Pretty flowers by freeway

It was a pleasant enough drive.  Pillow and I did some detours to catch some scenic beauty, and in the end we arrived safely in Salem in the late afternoon. 

A picture from one of my many scenic detours off the freeway - still hazy from wildfires



Barn right on the freeway



Beautiful but very hazy
from the wild fires

It seems the windmills keep multiplying!  These things are huuuuge!  There were some columns (lying down) being transported on track beds, and the diameter of the column is talled than the truck's cab.  The blades are longer than a regular sized semi-truck bed.  The column is longer than 3 semi trucks!  These things are massive!











Pretty windmills in Arlington, OR
(I didn't take pictures of the ugly ones, of which there were many!)

 

For the last 5 years or more, every time I drive this road (I84) it seems there are more and more windmills.  And, for the longest time, I thought they were beautiful - that they added a serenity to the scenery, in their simple rows, spinning lazily.  But, this time was different.  Now there are so many windmills out there now that it looks like a jungle of them, planted helter skelter, some spinning and some not spinning.  It reminds me of a large field of electrical transformers - very ugly.  Still, if it replaces oil and the related corruption and blood letting and lives lost, it is a supportable compromise. 



Windmills across the Columbia River,
in the state of Washington

I stayed the night at Chuki's place so that I can get used to the routine for when I will be "mother of 2" for a week, starting on the 7th.