FLASHBACK: The Great Northwest Road Trip 2016: Part 12

On the morning of July 7th, we said our goodbyes and head out for our long-long drive to Bend, Oregon.



There was a long wait (45 minutes? An hour?) for the ferry in Clinton at the south end of the island. We eventually got on and made it across to the mainland.




 

 



Avoiding Seattle once again, we headed up into the mountains, eventually passing near the town of Snoqualmie, of which many locations were used as parts of the fictional TV town of TWIN PEAKS, one of my all-time favorite shows. Even though I'd gone once before in 2006 (?) and we had an all-day drive ahead of us, I insisted that we stop at Twedes Cafe...aka the Double R Diner from Twin Peaks. I had to have a piece of pie and a damn fine cup of (decaf) coffee.








The new (25 years later) season of TWIN PEAKS recently filmed (and airs on Showtime next year). It was clear they tried to update Norma's diner with the RR2GO painted on the top of the building (which the owners wisely left up). 




  Erich sat around bored and/or waiting for the bathroom the whole time...but I enjoyed myself.












I know I must seem like the biggest dork--but I was thrilled to be there. I wasn't the only one either. There was a bunch (4 or 6) of young 20-something German kids there, all excited to visit and all posing for pictures in front of the TWIN PEAKS mural.




No, the pie was not that good and the coffee wasn't either---but it was still neat to have been there.

After that, the mountains gave way to high desert and a whole lot of nothing. We did pass few a few towns, but there was nothing worth stopping for---except for this one really cute little old town out in the middle​ nowhere that looked like a western movie set. I wish I knew the name of the town (Maybe Shaniko? Take a look: https://www.google.com/search?q=kent+oregon&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=949&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigp7PozMnOAhVVVWMKHWVdBiYQ_AUIBygC#tbm=isch&q=shaniko+oregon ). We whizzed by so fast I didn't have a chance to get any pictures...but I got some from other spots along the way...

 







After about a 7 or 8 hour drive, we reached our hotel in Bend.

 


We met Erich's cousin Robin and her wife Skye for dinner. We went to an old mill that had been converted into this awesome shopping center right on the Deschutes River (which meanders through town). It was super nice.

 








And that was July 7th. Next--we explore Bend further...and eventually head home.

Stay Tuned.

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