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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Red, White and Blue Road Trip

Happy Birthday America!

While citizens and cities drape themselves in our patriotic colors on the Fourth of July – our holiday commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776  – we decided to take ourselves on an armchair Red, White and Blue road trip through America’s West:

Our trip begins  in Seattle, Washington, where sometimes that old song, “The bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle. . .” holds true. On sunny days, Elliott Bay, on which Seattle is located,  is pretty blue as well:
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Heading east across  Washington, we’ll spend a bit of time in Spokane, where red brick buildings stand tall against a blue sky backdrop.

A walk through the town’s historic district is a glimpse back at a segment of state history.






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WARoadTrip2012 097From there, we’ll go south through Washington’s wheat fields and agricultural lands. Our route takes us through countless small towns like, Rosalia, population about 600.


White clouds flit across those Eastern Washington blue skies providing a backdrop to its mid-century architecture, like the gas station below.



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WARoadTrip2012 127Then we cross the border into Oregon State – our destination  to Wallawa Lake and more hues of white and blue.


Just down the road a splash of red, white and blue wrapped history in the town Wallowa, population 807:






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To the west a bit further, near Pendleton, Oregon, we are under those blue skies and white cotton-candy-like cloud formations:

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Then south into the  state of Nevada , our route awash with blue and white –

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Entering Arizona we see on the horizon a splash of red as the spectacular Vermillion Cliffs Monument area expands before us:

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An even more brilliant red is found in the Navajo Tribe’s woven rugs. Artisans continue the tradition of their Native American ancestors as they blend color and design in these works of art. (These were for sale at a roadside restaurant in Northern Arizona.)

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Our road trip ends  in Arizona’s Valley of the Sun where even the dessert blooms add to our patriotic palette of colors:

PicMonkey Collage

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That’s it for this Travel Photo Thursday and for Travel Photo Mondays.  To all of you celebrating the Fourth of July, we hope your day is filled with family and friends and decked out in red, white and blue.

Travel Photo Thursday is at Budget Travelers Sandbox, hosted by Nancie McKinnon, and Travel Photo Monday is  at Travel Photo Discovery created by Noel Morata.

Hope to see you back again for Travel Tuesdays and our WAWeekend (that stands for WAshington)  featuring in-state destinations. If you've not yet become a follower or subscriber, hope you'll do so today!


The Western United States:


Map picture

Note: This armchair road trip combines photos from three road trips we have taken through the West.

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for this glorious tour of midwest America through your eyes and Camera on 4th July.
    and thanks for stopping by my blog today. I am so glad you are enjoying my tours!

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    1. Love your blog, Jill. And thanks for joining us on this roadtrip through the Western United States!

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  2. What a great way to celebrate July 4th and a fabulous tour through areas that I may not get to in the States

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    1. Jenny, consider the Western US if you do decide to take a road trip one day out 'in these parts' as the cowboys would say.

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  3. Lovely, colourful photos and a fantastic way to celebrate your holiday! Have a happy 4th of July!!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the road trip, Lisa. It is always fun to celebrate the Fourth of July!

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  4. Hi Jill, Happy 4th! Thanks for taking me to a wonderful red, white and blue tour. Really lovely photos.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by today! Glad you enjoyed the road trip.

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  5. wow, that was quite a trip, loved all the little pit stops on your red, white and blue, thanks for the tour

    Wanted to invite you to a Monday photo linkup called Travel Photo Mondays on my blog, come and join us on Mondays.

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    1. Noel, thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment today. I'll drop by your TPMonday next week!

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  6. A novel way to celebrate 4th July. I liked seeing a selection of photos from different regions.

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    1. It was a good reminder of how diverse our county is, and that was such a small segment of it! Thanks for commenting, Jan.

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  7. Never been to the northwest (well, no further north than San Francisco), but I've taken a few road trips in the southwest, so recognise some of these pretty landscapes. Love the colourful Navajo Indian rugs. Happy late 4th July.

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    1. The rugs were stunning! Of course so is that country in the southwest. Thanks for stopping by today, Sophie.

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  8. Glad to be along on your red, white and blue road trip -- love all the diverse shots! Happy (belated) Independence Day to you!

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    1. Ciao, ciao, Cathy and welcome back after your fabulous trip to Italy. Happy even more belated Fourth of July to you and Mr. TWS.

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  9. A belated happy 4th of July to you both, Jackie. A lovely selection of images here. Out of these, so far I only know Seattle from a brief stay there, abd I did enjoy that very much.

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    1. thanks for the holiday wishes Andres. One of these days you must re-visit Seattle. I promise an insider's tour if you do!

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  10. Great post. I've never experienced a 4th out west, but your photos were wonderful. Did you see fireworks anywhere?

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    1. Thanks for commenting today, Evan. We usually spend the 4th at home and from here we can view Kirkland's fireworks as well as those over Seattle's Lake Union as well, sometimes those at the Space Needle. Hope you had a good 4th!

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  11. What a great road trip!! :-) You're so right about the stunning beauty of Seattle on a sunny day. Isn't it GLORIOUS?! :-)

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    1. Yes, when Seattle is sunny it is simply a stunning sight. Thanks for stopping by today!

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