News from the Northwest: Day Three

This afternoon, after visiting my stores on the west side of Portland, I thought I'd take the 50 minute drive to the coast. The scenery was gorgeous - first vineyards and dairies and then a forest of tall pine trees covered in rich, shaggy moss. The highway was a tight, winding 2-lane logging road that climbed into the mountains. Thirty minutes into the trip, I passed a sign that said something to the effect of tire chains being a necessity. As I climbed higher and higher, the temperature gauge on my Grand Prix started flashing "ice, ice, ice." And the snow began falling. Panicking and having visions of running off the road in the Oregon wilderness, I turned around. Although I did not reach the Pacific, I was able to get some great photos along the way and saw some unique countryside - including tunnels that cut through mountains. I will post the pics on Thursday when I get home.