Taking to the road again on a trip to the Northwest

It has been an intriguing (sometimes exhausting) time as I strive to determine what I will be when I grow up. And it’s about time because I’ve reached middle age (nearly the middle age of my 80s).

In an effort to prove to myself and others that I’m still balanced (except sometimes in the shower or when I go bowling) I decided not too long ago to take a driving trip to visit friends and family. It was, as noted above, somewhat exhausting as I drove 27 miles short of 2,700 miles.

Yes, my 19-year-old Toyota Highlander and I had a gripping time. That was especially true to my hands on the steering wheel due to three separate panic stops on major freeways when traffic came to abrupt stops. Wow. Thank our Heavenly Father for my quick reactions (and good brakes).

I only made two mistakes during my extended trip that included the Oregon coast and the Seattle area. One was driving 575 miles to Spokane, Washington, on my first day out. The second was driving 542 miles from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to home on the last day out. My mileage actually would have been higher except for being a passenger with my son and his wife when they met me in Roseburg, Oregon, and we attended a wedding in nearby Glide.

Besides attending the wedding of a long-lost granddaughter, one trip highlight was finally getting to see the “Spruce Goose” now roosting in McMinnville, Oregon. Oh yeah, that drive from Newberg, Oregon, would have extended my mileage except for going with the son and daughter-in-law mentioned earlier. Not to mention an outing to Salem, Oregon’s capital.

The Goose has a much wider wingspan (319 feet, 11 inches) than a Boeing 747, but the 747 is longer and heavier. But I’m here to tell you that it is awesome standing next to and under the laminated birch prototype, a strategic flying boat built by Howard Hughes and his team at the Hughes Aircraft Co. between 1942 and 1947 in connection with World War II. The monster craft, with its eight radial engines and length of 218 feet, 8 inches, is the largest wooden aircraft ever built; it flew once and was aloft over one mile for 30 seconds.

The Evergreen Museum now housing the airplane has an extensive collection of fixed wing and rotary lift aircraft. And there’s a separate outer space flights museum with many interesting items.

I’m unsure if I’ll make such an excursion again. My reasoning (?) for the drive was to avoid any matter related to taking an airflight. I didn’t want to rent a car; I didn’t want to go through the TSA “rigmarole” and having to get to an airport way before a flight and dealing with luggage, the cost of a ticket and ... argh. OK, so I’m still growing up.

It could be a long drive.