Musings

The maps led us out of the snow and back home - we completed the circle today and were greeted
by (chilly) sunshine on Pender.

Enroute we passed through Shanika, an Oregon ghost town where the only peopled place in the
flat desert landscape was the electrically coloured general store.

Our final travel highlight - the narrow, tunnelled Washington-side road along the Columbia
River Gorge.  The grandeur of sheer cliffs cascading into white-capped water was paralleled by
the man-made roadside attractions including a full-size replica of Stonehenge, completed in 1930,
built as a memorial to those who died in WW1.

A challenge to see in the small image below, but I was intrigued by framed glimpses of modern 
windmills on the adjacent hillside.

Nearby is the Maryhill Museum of Art, beautifully situated on the high bluffs overlooking the river
and filled with an eclectic collection of art including more than 80 sculptures by Auguste Rodin,
objects from the palace of the queen of Romania (!), European and American paintings, a
stunning collection of chess sets from around the world, and rotating special exhibitions.

Outdoors there are intriguing sculptures - here two views of a metal runner.

After rewarding visits with family over Easter week - the mandatory ferry ride that necessarily
bookends any Pender arrival/departure.

We knew our circle was complete when we found ourselves amid the moss-covered trees of
(almost) home!