We have officially been landed in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of days now, but the memories of our roadtrip from Colorado to Oregon are still strong. It was a great adventure, albiet a fast one, that will remain in the memory banks for a while.

Our trip went much like this: left Golden, CO, around noon Saturday on I-70 west, through the Eisenhower Tunnel (under the Continental Divide), through Vail Valley, Glenwood Canyon, and through Grand Junction. Once past Grand Junction, we hit Utah, where we continue on I-70 to Green River, then up State Highway 6 to I-15 north. It is getting dark by the time we hit highway 6, so all of Utah is done at night.

More routes and pics on the click.

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We head up through Salt Lake City at night, and continue on I-15 to where it merges with I-84, and on to the Idaho border. We found a rest stop just inside the border around 3:00am where we catch some zzz's for a few hours. I slept on the couch until about 7:30am when Mal started yapping. Luckily, Ang came to the rescue so I could get another 15 minutes or so of sleep.

While sipping on my first Rockstar of the day, we drove about 3 hours until my stomach was growling louder than I could turn up the radio. I figured it must be time for breakfast. I pulled off three different times to find food, but nothing: a) looked appetizing, or b) was not big enough to pull the rig into. Finally, in the middle of Nowhere, Idaho, I saw a little country diner and made the exit. It was well worth the wait. Big pile of food (half of which became breakfast for the next day!), homemade bread, great coffee, awesome omelet and hashbrowns. I think our total bill came to about $12! Such a great stop.

The rest of the day was drive, drive, drive. Note to self: next time, it is OK to drive through this part of Idaho at night, too. We passed through Boise by mid-afternoon, and kept heading north to the Oregon border.

The entry into Oregon was nice, but we were still so hot that it was bordering on miserable. I had the dash A/C cranked, but the middle part of the coach ate that up so fast that it was barely noticeable. The rest stops at the beginning of Oregon were nice, and has some trees, so we stopped periodically for a quick reprieve.

Once we passed through La Grande, OR, we started climbing again. Beautiful trees and views as we climbed higher and higher into the Blue Mountains. As we passed through the Umatilla Indian Reservation and dot closer to the summit, I started seeing warning signs of an impending downhill grade. "First Warning", "Second Warning", "Final Warning!" they read. Six percent grade coming up. Six percent - no biggie. I was doing seven percents in Colorado.

Come to find out, Cabbage Hill is a pretty notorious descent, with about six miles of switchbacks, dropping about 2000 feet to Pendlton on the valley floor. It was an awesome drive, with half of me dizzy with the incredible view, and the other half puckered tight, trying to keep the rig under control. I have learned - most recently in the Rockies - the importance of downshifing correctly, and use of the exhaust brake. I kept it nice and controlled, as I was in no hurry.

By the time the sun was getting low, we found ourselves in one of the most beautiful areas we have ever seen - the Columbia Gorge. I-84 runs right beside this massive river. The Columbia River is the dividing line between Oregon and Washington, so as you drive through one state, you see the other out the passenger window. We took a few pictures, but with the sun so low, none came out very well.

The only issue with the Gorge was the wind. We hit wind after driving a bit, and it because obnoxious after a while. I had never fought to keep this big coach on the road so much. It was a little distracting from the incredible scenery, but it didn't fully detract. It was simply incredible.

By the time we hit Portland, it was dark, and we made it around the city easily. Down I-5, we ran into Harrisburg, where the Monaco repair facility is located, at about 2am on Sunday night. A tad over 36 hours between Golden and Harrisburg, about 185 gallons of fuel, six Rockstars, several pots of coffee, approximately 1400 miles.

So, here we sit. We are getting pretty good at sitting in repair facility parking lots. Nice thing is that we only need our A/C for a couple of hours during the day. This Pacific breeze is nice and cool, and it is a pleasant change from the heat we have been experiencing.

I can't wait to get done so we can get back out and check out Oregon.

--kev