Day 18 - Mile 3,927: Willamette Valley

It was a 3  hour drive from Sisters to McMinnville, our chosen base for exploring the wine area of Willamette Valley.

It was a pretty drive over the mountains and into the valley.  But a startling site was the Detroit Reservoir.  The water level was shockingly low -- 60 (yes, sixty!) feet below average.  You could see almost the entire resevoir floor with old tree stumps everywhere.  Snowfalls over the last few years have been below normal causing the water level to drop substantially.

Looking at the weather forecast we learned it was going to be extremely warm -- 104 degrees for the next few days.  Thinking it would be uncomfortable for us and Fin, too, we opted to stay in a hotel.  The only available hotel accepting dogs over 50 lbs was the Red Lion Inn.  The plus was that it is right down the street from the Evergreen Air and Space Museum (an excellent museum for those who like planes).  In addition the hotel offered laundry facilities.  Lance spent the afternoon in the museum and Stephanie caught up on much needed laundry!