Hail...

....in West Linn

The four of us

Our oldest son, Brian, came to Portland (from Chicago) to participate in the Muddy Buddy Race with his father...see previous blog postings.  Our youngest son, Brandon, joined us from Santa Rosa, CA, to cheer for The McMuddie's. 
The four of us spent a very special weekend together that I will remember for a very long time.  How fortunate we are to have such a wonderful family.

The Muddy buddy

Last Sunday, hub and Brian participated in the Muddy buddy race here in Portland. Brian has enjoyed this race numerous times in chicago, but travelled to Portland to experience it with his father. Brandon flew up from California to offer support and encouragement.

What is a Muddy Buddy Race you ask? Well: Muddy Buddy is all about having fun with a friend, family member, partner or co-worker! Teams of two traverse a 6-7 mile off-road course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, racers crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together as official “Muddy Buddies”!

And so it begins

Their McMuddie shirts are clean.  These unique shirts are courtesy of Tom Mitsdarfer.

Into the mud

After each of them ran/biked their five legs, into the mud they went...

The mud

Preparing to enter the mud

Fun in the mud

In the mud

They made it!

They finished....



The McMuddie's

 They may look a bit muddy, but they had a fabulous time!

McMuddie shirts courtesy of Tom



Hub



Brian

A bit tired

The medal ceremony



Yes, believe it! They won first place in their division! The divisions were decided by their combined ages which in their case, was 103.



The medal





On the podium



Around the US....

....in 80 days.  Years ago, when we talked about retirement, we thought a cross-country, travel trailer trip would be a dream fulfilled and a check off our 'bucket list'.  Well, we left West Linn, Oregon, on February 4, and began our cross-country jaunt.  Many of our travels have been posted to my blog, but the trip was far more than the photos. 
To begin, we wanted to be able to say we had visited all 50 states.  We added South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC to our list.  While we were in the DC area, we jumped on the Harley just so we could visit Delaware.  On our journey to Chicago, we drove through West Virginia and FINALLY visited our 50th state....North Dakota as we head for home.  We're not too sure why we had this goal, but perhaps it was just a good reason for a long trip.

We have seen some lovely places, spent time with some old and new friends, and just had a great time.  We're eager to head home to Oregon just in time for our 41st. wedding anniversary on Monday.
 
Fortunately we had very few mishaps with our trailer, had relatively good weather along the way, met some great people, ate some fantastic food, have seen some awesome sites and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.  I guess I could/should say it has been the trip of a lifetime.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Our last stop before heading home to Oregon was Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  We spent some time with a few friends and took a scenic trip to see Lake Coeur d'Alene.  It was beautiful.  As we near home, the terrain looks more and more familiar.  There is no place like the northwest. 

Idaho

I think northern Montana and Idaho are some of the most beautiful places in the United States.  The photo below doesn't begin to give you an idea of its beauty.  You will just have to see it for yourself.

The last three states....

...Delaware, West Virginia and North Dakota.  These are the last three states in our quest to visit all 50 states.  During our trip, we have added quite a few to our list, but we recently visited states number 48, 49 and 50.  
While in the DC area, we hopped on the Harley and head due east to Delaware. 

On our way to Chicago, we took the route that would allow us to drive through West Virginia...Number 49!

And finally, we traversed North Dakota, our 50th. state.

We did it!!!

The Capitol

The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.  Thanks to our state Senator, Ron Wyden, we were able to have a tour of the Capitol. 
The Rotunda is the center of the Capitol whose function is a ceremonial space.  Unfortunately I mostly remember it as the site of many funerals of Presidents, military heroes, etc. 
We both learned a lot from the tour, but more from the exhibits.  We seemed to have forgotten a tremendous amount since our US History class in high school.

Library of Congress

Sometimes your socks get knocked off when you least expect it.  We hadn't planned on visiting the Library of Congress, but were intrigued by entering through the 'tunnel' from the Capitol.  It is probably the most stunning building we visited.  The attention to detail was phenomenal.  Our son, Brandon would have loved it and probably would have spent a week there.  He particularly would have loved the mosiacs.
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress.  One of the exhibits featured the editorial cartoons of Herb Block.  He was so 'spot on' in so many of his cartoons.

House...

...of the Supremes....the Supreme Court Justices that is.  This is quite an impresssive building.  Sixteen marble columns at the main west entrance support the portico. On the arch above is incised:

Equal Justice Under Law

You can click on any photo to make it larger....

Washington DC...

......stuff

Washington DC license plate.  

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

Wilmington, NC

My cousin Richard and his wife Anita live in Wilmington, but they are in Michigan hugging their grandaughter, then off to China. I certaainly understand as I would give up visiting my cousin to hug my grandaughter and travel to China in a heartbeat.

We stopped in Wilmington for an overnight trip on our way to Washington, DC. Wilmington is surrounded by water (or so it seems) ...  a river on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.   We did get out to see the downtown area as well. 
What is it about front porches???

Coen Brothers

This posting is for my sons.

Spanish Moss

I love it!  Photo taken in a city park in Charleston.

Charleston

This is a great city.  I'm not into Architecture, but during this entire trip, I find myself taking photos of homes.  I must admit it is interesting to see how each city has its own slant on style and history.  We learned a lot of interesting tidbits when we took a mule-drawn carriage tour of downtown Charleston.  We also brought our bicycles and rode around the city which is bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.