Just got back from a trip to Iceland, Greenland, and France, which can only mean one thing: I'm falling even further behind on posting photos from previous trips.
While I recover from jet lag this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to catch up on at least one trip's worth of photos.
I travelled to Oregon back in July for work. I have a couple customers up in the Portland area that I visit periodically (e.g. Here's a video from a trip a few years ago). I always enjoy the trips to Oregon because they provide the opportunity to see my mom.
This time I finally managed to squeeze in a day trip that I've wanted to take for years. There's a beautiful spot in Central Oregon called The Painted Hills. I first saw photos of it back in 2010, and between my work-related trips, a trip for a wedding, and just-for-fun trips to visit Mom, I've never been able to get to the Painted Hills.
Having travelled more than a million miles in my lifetime, it strikes me as a tad bit ironic that this 400ish mile journey could have been so challenging to undertake. Sometimes it takes longer than expected to get to where you want to be.
But this time I did it - with Mom along for the ride. It was a bit of a time crunch. I flew up on Sunday around noon, and I needed to be at my customer's site the very next day. The drive alone is an eight hour round trip. That plus an hour or so to stop for dinner plus the time at The Painted Hills meant it was going to be a late night.
Before the trip, I asked Mom - an Oregonian for how many years now? - whether the trip was feasible. By our calculations, it was. Just barely.
When I landed at PDX, I quickly made my way to Avis, picked up my rental, and called Mom to see if she was at the meet-up location that we had prearranged. She was, so I headed her way.
Our drive to The Painted Hills (and back) was a pleasant outing. We had hours and hours to talk and catch up.
After some time, we arrived at The Painted Hills.
And the Hills were, indeed, beautiful. Here are a few photos.
Click if you'd like to see a 360° view. The 360° view is even more fun if you view it from a smart phone and click on the gyroscope icon.
And for more photos, I've created a quick video...
The weather was beautiful, the drive was pleasant, the company was enjoyable, and the views were spectacular.
It would have been nice to have more time to spend admiring the view, but the clock was ticking. We hopped back in the car, and started heading back towards Portland. We stopped briefly for dinner in the nearest town, Prineville, and hit the road once again.
In the end, the timing worked out fine. I was back at my hotel by around 11:00 - 11:30. That was plenty early enough to get the necessary amount of shuteye.
A day and a half later, my trip to Oregon was cut short when I received the sad news that my mother-in-law, Marilyn, had passed away. Thankfully work was understanding. We quickly arranged for a co-worker to fly up and take my place. It all happened so fast. I heard the news around noon, and I was back home that very same evening.
In light of the sad events, I was glad to have taken the opportunity to spend time with mom. Life is too darn short. We don't get to keep our loved ones around forever.
Spend time with those you love, and don't miss the opportunity to let them know that you love them.
