P.P.S. (Portland, Oregon - Again)

Wall Drug was anti-climactic and Mt. Rushmore didn't really warrant getting out of the car in the cold so Day 3 got me to Missoula, Montana. Actually, the airport exit just passed Missoula because every single hotel in Missoula was full what with the football game and all. The first two-thirds of the day were blindingly rainy and miserable to drive in. I was preparing for snow and a winter stuck in rural Montana, but by evening the sky was finally clear in areas and the light hit the mountains very beautifully. Traveling, you get used to people bashing the U.S. and then every once in a while you'll meet an Australian or someone who has done a long road trip through the States who will say 'Actually, I think the U.S. has some of the most amazing landscapes on Earth.' Driving through Montana at sunset you are glad you are not the only one who appreciates this. Day 4 was the Idaho panhandle, eastern Washington, and the Columbia River Gorge. Sunny and glorious all the way. Me and the new car are alive and well. Travel adventures really concluded now, Tuesday we move to San Francisco. THE END FOR REAL.