THE FIRST LEG OF THE COAST-TO-COAST TRIP!

The first leg of the coast-to-coast and border-to-border trip on behalf of Elsa Newman has been completed. On Wednesday last the pugs and I climbed into the motor home, took our places and picked up Lois, a friend who had agreed to accompany me on this part of the journey.
Thanks to Lois, I have pictures for you. I will try not to write much, but just let you look at the pictures and captions.

We drove to Long Beach in Washington, where we picked up a small piece of driftwood, thanks to Lois, who found it. I was about ready to give up on the driftwood and just take a tiny container with a few grains of sand. The idea behind the driftwood is that as I travel I will pick up a small rock or other found item from each state I visit, carrying all of them with me as a symbol of my attempt to unite people in all the states behind Elsa Newman and her sons.

After Long Beach, we drove across the Astoria bridge and back to Vancouver, Washington--and then the pugs and I came home.

It was a good shakedown trip. I learned that I may not be able to drive that far every day. We found that some of the signs came off, so I will have to replace those. The ones on metal were fine. The ones on glass were a lost cause.

Now for the pictures:

The view from the passenger seat. We drove about two miles out of the way to take a look at this historic covered bridge.

Notice the signs. Please notice also my "prison blues,"

which I wore, but which had not yet

been stencilled with the words "PRISON BLUES...

in honor of Elsa Newman...#921975 MCIW...

innocent but imprisoned." I am right now in the process of

doing the stenciling

Me--with some of the pug herd, in their ex pen.

Somebody must have still been inside, because I seem to be informing someone that

it is time to disembark.

If you scrunch up your eyes just right, you can see some of the herd of elk we

saw on the way to the coast.