50 States, 22 Days To Go

  Salem to Eugene to Sisters and Redmond,  256 Miles

"Why have we forgotten how to dream? With our innocence gone, and the entertainment industry doing all the work for us, we quickly lose our capacity to dream possible futures. Stop. Close your eyes. And dream again. Put the stars in your dreams. And then reach for them. No need to struggle. Simply nurture the dream, sustain the vision, and watch it come true. It must. It's the law." 
~Anonymous



Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Yesterday we discovered the charger cord for QG's Nook got bent. She bent it back; no luck. We rode to Eugene to get a new one, which didn't work, and ended up buying a new Nook. The $199 little reader ended up being $286 with a cover, warranty, dealer prep, undercoating and window tinting. But the new one is rocket fast, retrieved all her books from the cloud (and no rain!), and she's got her nose back in the screen. 



Today we rode Highway 20 to Sisters, over the pass and clear up into snow country. The roads were bare and dry, Mr. Sun working it good, and crystal clear rivers ran down to our right as we climbed. More dreamy biker roads, curving like wet spaghetti tossed on the side of a mountain. The evergreen trees dominated the deciduous, until we got toward the top where a forest fire had taken everything out. Mount Washington, Bachelor and finally the Three Sisters stood in the distances. 


I like Sisters, and while it may play Dress Up Cowboy, it just seems more real than Jackson Hole, WY or (shudder) Durango, CO. The buildings have old style storefronts, but not cookie cutter perfect looking facades, and not a parking meter in sight. The speed limit on the highway as it ran straight through town was twenty. But no traffic lights. 


QG hit the quilt store, and I took a chance and went inside for a minute. It was a very nice, bright, well stocked and pretty store. I toured the town with the camera rather than play the Broken Down Man on the bench in front. I grabbed a Real Estate magazine and three times had to use jumper cables from Libby to restart my heart. The prices were ridiculous! 1,800 s.f., $429k. Right. Oh, you can go big and spend a lot more, too. 

And now, reNooked and ready, Quilter Girl!



I love all quilt stores as you may have guessed, but one of my all time favorites is the Stitchin' Post in Sisters.  My quilt buddy, Linda, and I have had so much fun in Sisters and Bend during the week before the huge Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  It is fun to see it now without all the crowds.  The Stitchin' Post has great skylights so it is easy to match colors, they have tons of unusual, floral, brights and great black and whites.  After I got my quilt fix, we walked down to Bronco Billy's Steakhouse and had a great meal.  Now, back at our motel, I can finish my Nook book and learn all the new tricks this little machine does.


QG

Tomorrow, the Weekly Wrap-Up and Church Surch. 









5 comments:

Mel said...

Your accountant has asked me to inform you that your expenditure of nearly three hundred bucks on the Nook has blown your budget and you'll need to skip Hawaii.

Don't blame me... I'm just the messenger!

Unknown said...

We're still going. We're just going to walk.
KP

Mel said...

Be very careful! Studies have shown that walking on water can be hazardous to your health. I read in a popular book about another famous guy who tried it and didn't make it. Drowning? No... Roman soldiers!

Anonymous said...

We met you last July during a refueling stop in Walker, Minnesota. We also travel on a Gold Wing, however we don't have such lofty ambitions as you do! Sherry, are you able to read your Nook while you're riding?

Unknown said...


Sherri doesn't read the Nook while riding. Gets motion sick stuff. She's busy clicking pictures and enjoying the scenery.
Your ambitions don't need ot be as lofty, but they need to be ambitions. Get out there and ride!
KP