POSTCARD FROM BEND, OR - MONDAY, June 22, 2010

We had such an early start this morning - all on the bus by 7:00 a.m. and waved goodbye to Vancouver. Long, long day ahead on the road and we had that unknown exponent of time totally out of our control: customs and immigration border patrol! Thankfully, there was no traffic line, but the officials did have all of us unload from the bus along with our belongings that were up top and one-by-one questioned by the authorities. Passports did end up going much smoother, especially for one of the custom agents who was very particular in his questions and examining the documents. The notarized parent permission forms were also requested, so I felt our preparedness served us well. While they were tempted to lock up our Captain Jim, they acquiesced and let us go....

20 miles down the road and a stop at McDonald's for breakfast to go on the bus. Popped in movies while some kids napped after eating, and others were content to watch the movie along with the scenery. Speaking of scenery: we thought we had seen so many gorgeous mountain peaks and valleys and water, but today had to take the cake! Driving next to the phenomenal Columbia River on our left side, wide and rapidly flowing, on the right were cliffs and rock formations and an occasional cascading waterfall. Breathtaking indeed! Turning onto the Mt. Hood Scenic Highway, we headed south toward Bend. Just around a bend in the road, full frontal view: FANTASTIC MT HOOD! It was simply beautiful jetting up into the clear blue sky, the peaked, snow covered volcanic mountain, with an elevation of 11,239 feet. As we approached it, and eventually passed by, each and every scene was breathtaking. We are so glad we took that slight detour for a chance to see the amazing scenery. It should be a must-see for everyone! Our coach rolled into Bend a little later than scheduled, but our gracious hosts in the Youth Choir of Central Oregon were armed and ready for us with a lovely dinner and easy accommodations to get prepared for the performance. Concert started right on time to an appreciative audience - and this choir had even hosted another traveling group just yesterday! These are my kind of people!!

It was wonderful to have youth aged choristers in the audience and a treat for our kids to go home with their families. Of course, we are so grateful to have made these new friends and always an excellent opportunity to network and brainstorm with others in similar situations.

The weather here was as beautiful as the scenery - dry and sunny and warm, but not hot. Hmmmmm.....sounds slightly different from what we hear from home: 80 degrees+ and 80% humidity? Uh, for now, we'll take this option! Especially today, check out the photo gallery. www.wisconsinchildrenschoir.org These late nights and high energy are catching up with me, so off I go to dreamland!

Til next time, Sue