Driving in Oregon - May 4, 2008

May 4, 2008: The land portion of the trip began today (Sunday) with a ride down Interstate 5 south of Portland.  Then there was this ultra high-mileage Mercedes-Benz commuter out on the freeway. 

The owner from Washington State has a sense of humor for sure.  The key was turning steadily.  I don't know if it was wound up, wind-blown, or electric powered - but it turned smoothly.  Would you believe, Agent 99?

May 5, 2008: The Monday morning business meeting on my day job went well.  After that it was time to head back toward Portland, then on to Olympia, Washington.  Now, what RV-builder/pilot/owner could resist a stop at Van's Aircraft when within 3 miles of the place?  I stopped in to buy a couple of new hats.  I got a Van's Air Force cap, and one of the Van's RV-6/7/9 generic caps.

As for the other news today, it was about tourist photos of volcanic mountains, and cowboy art.  Mount Hood is ever present on the horizon in central and northwestern Oregon.  This view is from a distance of 83 miles, taken on US 20 just north of Tumalo, Oregon.

I stopped a mile or so East of the town of Sisters, Oregon.  The "Sisters" are those two snow-covered volcanic peaks in the background.  As for the cowboy art, all those "horses", the two riders, and the dog are all made of steel plate.

Here is a closeup of the two riders and the dog "herding" the horses.

This view looking north from the "horses" as seen from US 20 shows a snow-covered Mount Hood (11,239 feet high) about 76 miles away.  The peak on the left is Black Butte (6,436 feet high) only 10 miles away.

Looking toward the little town of Sisters, Oregon, the view is of US 20 heading west and more dormant volcanic peaks.

Later this afternoon, I got this shot of Mount Saint Helens from Interstate 5 at a distance of nearly 34 miles.