A good night's sleep can make all the difference. We all put on the air conditioning and conked out for a solid nine hours. When we awoke, Rich C was already on his way and everyone else was slowly coming to life.

Last night we elected to take the scenic route, so we are proceeding east on Rt 124 to Rt 12, all the way through the fabled amber waves of grain to Idaho. They really do have waves rippling through the grain in the breeze, and it looks terrific, as we discovered today. Route 12 turned out to be a spectacular drive, past stands of popular, grape vines, giving way to hills covered with golden wheat, scenic rivers, and tiny villages.

Susan and Adam followed us all the way. The road follows Lewis and Clark's route along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and so there's history to be learned here for anyone who is interested. But the pull-outs are almost invisible. If you want to stop and read the signs, drive slowly.

Stopping at the Laht Neppur Brewing Company along Rt 12 in Washington state.

Across the Snake River from Clarkston, WA is Lewiston, ID. Take a right and head a few miles along the river and you'll find Hells Gate State Park. This place was recommended to us many months ago when we were in Arizona the first time, and I've been waiting to come to this area ever since. It's a classic state park, shady and grassy, right on the banks of the Snake River (w/e, $20.88).

Jet boat tours can take you up the Snake River to the deep canyons ($135 pp), but we have decided not to take another day to do that. Instead, we took some short bike rides, explored the "Lewis & Clark Discovery Center", and had a nice group dinner on the picnic table. I also took another long nap -- still catching up on sleep.

Tomorrow's ride will be just as scenic, and we've planned to take the entire day to drive only about 300-350 miles. We'll continue on Rt 12 through some mountains and along the "wild & scenic" river all the way to Missoula, MT, and perhaps farther. If we make good progress, we'll reach Bert & Janie's house tomorrow night, otherwise we'll see them in the morning on Saturday.