North of the 45th

How our mornings typically go

I asked Dorothy if she knew what the 45th was? She said she had heard of it, but did not know. So if you don't get the reference, no big deal.

It seems that anytime we have encountered the Snake River, a few miles later there it is again. Hence it’s name. We are parked in a COE park where the Snake meets the Columbia.

The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At 1,078 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Rising in western Wyoming, Yellowstone, the river flows through southern Idaho, then through the rugged Hells Canyon area via northeastern Oregon and the rolling Palouse Hills, to reach its mouth near the Washington Tri-Cities area, where it enters the Columbia.
The COE has numerous parks along the Snake. Since we do not fish and the scenery is not much we have no interest in them. Still a great resource. We got done what we needed doing, an oil change and stocking the larder.

We are parked at a COE campground on the Snake in Washington. The is a $24 a night park, which means $12 on the geezer card. BUT, the attendant said because Dorothy is handicapped, it was half off the half-price or $6. We have used COE dozens of times in many states, but this is the first time we have encountered this. New policy?  Does she misunderstand the policy?

When we checked out at Costco, I was asked if I was a Washington resident. I said No, then she asked if I was an Oregon resident. I said I was from Alabama. We paid no sales tax. Again, another first. I asked about this and it works that if you buy it in Washington, but use it in Oregon, there is no tax.

We took a short drive up the Snake and found HUGE tracts of land under cultivation. Corn, onions, potatoes, all kinds of apples, grapes and blueberries. We picked a pound and half of berries for $3. Still early for cherries and melons.

We chatted with a couple opal diggers at the hot springs in Nevada last week. Both around 30 and both teachers She taught HS math and he did History. We were surprised and gratified to learn that history was still being taught. And get this, he writes his own curriculum. And the shocker, they live in Spokane. Yes, liberal Washington, a sanctuary state where the Governor, Jay Inslee, mocks the President daily.

There is too much daylight. Damn DST. I can barely stay up to 9:30 and it’s still light. It’s light at 4:30 am. It will be worse the farther north we go. Now as the days are getting shorter, perhaps I will get some relief.

We enjoyed two days of temperate weather, then the heat wave returned. One might think a park three miles from the largest power generation in the US would have electricity. But, no. We endured the heat the last day of June, but left the otherwise delightful park on the Columbia River and headed for Kettle Falls and electricity. Only one night available here, so I guess we will head into Canada July 2. 

There are a lot of rednecks in Washington. Most have loud trucks. The other day one parked next to us. Young kid, about 30 I guess. We noted a construction generator in the truck bed and knew we were in for it. Sure enough, at 5:30, he fired it up. I went out and he turned it off before I got close to him. His excuse was “The dog took a shit and I wanted to charge my batteries”. He went back inside his trailer and did not come out until after we left at 8.

We parked our weapons and a case of wine in Washington.

Dorothy was talking to a guy a few weeks ago who self-identified himself as Spanish. He came here legally from Mexico as a young man. [Most American’s think of those in Mexico as brown. The only brown ones are those the Spanish did not murder] He said he was an entrepreneur and will be leaving California for Arkansas to start a new business. The taxes are too high and the regulations too cumbersome for him.

Sunday, July 2
Holiday madness is over, for us anyway. We crossed into Canada this morning at the Cascade crossing. This is a low use crossing - there was no one ahead or behind us, so he asked us every question in the book - except about liquor. Then he called someone and said we needed to have our kayaks inspected for zebra mussel infestation. So we stopped at a marine inspection station and waited about 45 minutes while they inspected, detected…. our boats. No mussels were found.  They conferenced and decided to give them a much-needed bath inside and out using a pressure washer with steaming hot water. They really needed a bath after going through all the dust, a thousand miles since Lake Powell. Then they filled out an 8 x 14 inch three-part form describing what they had not found and said we could show it to any other inspectors to certify our crafts are mussel-free.

The heat wave followed us across the border. It’s hot. So we have to have hookups. That means $40+ a night. There is no break in the heat for the next 10 days so we will move north fast to Prince George where the temps may be tolerable in the afternoons. The park in Vernon was plush, owner lots like Jojoba Hills. 

So far, this section of BC looks like Montana. But it is filled with people. The number of Harley’s per capita is at least triple that of the US. Perhaps, because gas is $3 a gallon? But, the lakes are full of boats. So maybe not?

Monday, July 3
A short jump to Cache Creek and a Provincial Park on the fast running Thompson River. No remarkable scenery noted along the way. Surprisingly gas is less here than it was close to the border.

Tuesday, July 4
We drove four hours, a long day for us, to get to a cooler clime. It was only 84 at 3:30, so it was worth the effort. 

The scenery, so far, remains unremarkable. It looks a lot like northern Arkansas to me, just swap out the conifers for leafy trees. North of the town of 150 Mile, the traffic thinned out and the drivers were MUCH less aggressive. The principal difference in the scenery is that there are lakes and lakes and lakes. We parked on one lake in the town of Quesnel. Boondocked in a field for $20. Shade trees and a

light breeze. 

Since everything is metric here, why are towns named for miles?

Wednesday, July 5
I saw a picture of Lake Bowron and it looked like just a lake I was looking to paddle. A family from Wales parked close to us and chatted us up. They, the couple and their daughters, 18 and 20, had just completed a 10-day circuit around the several lakes. He showed us the place we could go for access.

Our colds were no better today, so we opted for a short drive to Prince George and got hookups for two days. It looks like the heat will break Saturday for 10 or more days. Our dry hak-hak cough is getting old.

This is as far north as we will get. The rest of the trip will be to the west.

I had forgotten how “chirpy” Canadians are. They always seem to be in a good humor. If you say Thank You, they respond My Pleasure.

The denizens or Prince George bear no resemblance to those in other towns we have come though. These folks would be right at home in downtown Las Vegas. A sketchy bunch.

We tried to buy The Original Bug Shirt as the forecast for biting bugs west of here is grim. Alas, they are sold out.

Gas is 37 cents less a gallon way up here than it was near the border.

Saturday, July 8
The day broke cool. YEA! We have not had a cool morning in weeks. The high was 82. I felt better too.  
We tried to buy bug shirts, but they were sold out in Prince George.

We wondered if we would have a problem getting a site moving on a Saturday. It was not a problem at Beaumont PP on Lake Frazer. A huge lake, 20 miles long, but dwarfed by the adjacent Francois Lake, five times as large. It takes big lakes to hold all the snow melt.

We got a decent site, but none are on the water. I had thought we would finally put the kayaks in today, but due to the size of the lake it just did not look inviting. I am so difficult to please. 

We think Canadians RV more than American’s.

Bell Canada services Verizon here. You are limited to 500KB a day.

Sunday/Monday, July 9/10
As we approached Smithers we finally found some mountains. Some with snow. We parked for two days at Tyree Lake PP. Expensive for dry camping, $21, but the sites are large, level, private and manicured. Drycampimng is more in Canada, considering we we pay zilch in the US. But hookups are less in Canada.

We finally got the kayaks wet and had our first encounter with loons. Our colds continue to make us feel drained of energy. The hak-hak cough has been with us for over a week and I expect it will be two weeks before we shake it. So not feeling all that perky, we found a decent waterfall, that was only 15 minutes up a steep trail. I figured I had a 50/50 chance of catching the falls in the sun. I lost the wager. It was an eastward facing falls.

I missed some great shots of the Loons while figuring out why it would not focus. The macro focus switch has been flipped. Meanwhile, the loon was going bananas because Dorothy was so close. It would dive, surface, extend herself and flap her wings.

Tuesday/Wednesday, July 11/12
Parked on the Skinna River near Hazelton. A First Nations operated campground. The Indians here do not compare at all to the Plains Indians. The lands are communally owned but may be bought and sold to another tribal member. They want no assimilation. Things are going well for them. Nice homes. Educated. No junk cars in the yard. They are friendly, polite and speak British. Well, it sounds different to my ear than Canadian.


We were car touring and wound up on a dead end street. Dorothy was driving, so the turnaround was slow. One of the men got out of his car, greeted us and asked if he could help us find our way.  An hour later we heard a car horn. Dorothy thought she was being honked for going slow. Nope, the same guy, he wanted to make sure we had found our way.

Maybe the sun will pop out tomorrow and the clouds will lift off the mountains. Even better would be the damn cold goes away.

Hopping Fast Through Oregon

Sunday, June 25
We have not blogged for two weeks. We have been busy - just no time to write. Conversation, food, margaritas, projects, the usual, just more intensive.

The weather was perfect when we got to Carson City. After a week, it was winter like for a day or two. One day, the high was only 50 with dark clouds. The mountains got more snow. Then the temps returned to perfect. Most days, as the valley heats up, the cooler air descends from the Sierra Nevada. Sometimes with gusts of 30mph.

We spent four days in one of our usual haunts in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Markleville.
We got to knock off three more passes across the mountains. Well, that not quite right, Ebbetts was closed due to road damage from the winter storms. But, we went as high as we could. Definitely not a road for an RV, only 1.5 lanes wide and unlined. Monitor Pass was not really worth the gas. I think it was only built to give access to Ebbetts. Carson Pass, you remember Kit, was totally different from Ebbetts. Great scenery and lots of boondocking places. There remains only one pass we have not driven.

Monitor Pass

Dorothy protesting the closure of Ebbett Pass

 

West Fork of The Carson River On The Way to Carson Pass

After the second session of perfect weather, it turned hot and the forecast was for more heat. We decided to make an escape north.

How hot was it? So hot the water from the cold tap was hotter than from the hot water side. It was one the rare times when we were hooked up to city water. I had filled the tank and did not want to have to re-do it, so I connected the 50-foot black hose to the city water inlet. It really confused me when the water from the cold tap was hot. How could that happen? The hot water showed to be 90 degrees. But, the sun heating the water in the black hose was much warmer.

After Carson City, we spent two nights in an out of the way place in NW Nevada. We saw an occasional vehicle on the way there. It was an unusual BLM campground with a hot spring pool. Showers too. And free.

85 Degree Hot Spring

When we arrived we were a little surprised to see several rigs parked. We were more surprised to learn that we were the only ones there that were not digging for opals. In the middle of a wildlife refuge, there is a mining district - opals only. People come from all over to dig here. We stopped by two of the mines to see what all the excitement was about. At one, you dig in the face of a cliff. Hard work. At the other mind, you get three cubic yards of dirt for only $600 to pick through. Maybe you get lucky. But, $600 is a lot to pay for some dirt that you can only be picked through for one day.

 One Of The Private Mine Sites

Several Owners And Some Not Inexpensive Equipment

We looked at the opals on display and we were not impressed. One, a little larger than a marble, was priced at $5,000. I have no idea what is was really worth, but I would not have paid more than $30 for it. Black opals from Australia might command such a price. Not these.

A Delightful Mountain Lake

What Was Behind Me When I Took The Picture Above - "Death Valley"

The heat caught up with us, so we headed north. We spent one night in Lakeview at a working ranch in the south end of Oregon and another night at the Madras Fairgrounds which is mid-state. Both 100 degree days. The map shows it’s hot all over the US.

Monday, June 26
We are a little disappointed that we missed going back to some favorite places in Oregon, but having no schedule and no reservations you get shut out sometimes. We missed the Cowboy Dinner Tree, Lake Paulina, and Crux Brewery - where the beer is OK and the sandwiches are divine.

So in only two days we made across Oregon and landed at a COE park on the Washington side of the Columbia River.

Mount Adams 70 Miles In The Distance

I wanted to tour the Hanford reactor, but it would mean getting there by 8 in the morning or waiting until Thursday. The latter would probably trap us in Richland for the holiday weekend. I think it’s best that we will escape into rural Washington for the holiday.

Idaho to Washington, Back to Idado, then Washington Again, then Oregon, Parked in Washington

We have crossed state lines so many times, I am dizzy and confused.

Monday, July 4

We said our goodbye’s to Heath, Jennifer, Hunter, Taylor, and London. We hope to see them again some where on the road.

We wanted to notch two more waterfalls before parking, but we were foiled in every way. First the town of Bruhl was having a parade from 8 to noon. Must be a one-hellva-parade that is fours hours long. We were routed around the town and so we missed the information center where I hoped to get waterfall directions. We saw Thousand Springs from across the Snake, but photography was not feasible because of the really tacky RV park, bar and grill, etc. that blocked the views. We could see a dirt road on the other side of the river, but I could not locate a bridge in five miles that would get us there. We were not prepared and did not have the time to unhook and spend a hour or more figuring out how to get to the base of the many falls, after having lost an hour in the detour around Bruhl.

Anywho, from the picture you can see that water exits from lava tubes in the gorge wall and cascades over the basalt cliffs. Kinda cool. It’s not my picture and it was not flowing that much in July.

When I read the fine print on Dead Man Falls, I found that the stream is dammed and it only flows over the dam after a major rain storm. Being extremely dry, we passed on it. We parked and I am cooking meat sauce.

End of the waterfall quest. Tomorrow, we head north.

Tuesday July 5

Off at 8:30, west on I84 to Boise, then north on ID55 to Cascade. We parked at Horsethief Campground. No one else on our loop. We have a water view. Odd campground, there are 120 numbered spaces, only a few level enough for a motorhome, but it’s free. Thanks Idaho Fish and Game.

The south bound traffic on 55 was almost bumper-to-bumper for 30 miles. Guess they were coming home from a long fourth weekend.

The drive through the 30 mile long canyon with the Payette River crashing down was quite scenic. 

Wednesday, July 6

The day did not go as planed. I planned to stay near White Bird. I recalled it as being at the summit of the canyon the Salmon River carved. Wrong, it’s at the base of the grade at about 1,000 feet. Far too low for comfortable temps. So we climbed, went down, climbed again and then went down to Orofino. We had good memories of a COE campground on Dworshak Reservoir. Memory failed again. We wound up at a COE CG alright, but not the one we recalled. Getting to this one involved a steep 2,200 foot ascent on a windy road that really had KoKo huffing and puffing. Then we had to descend to the lake, 1,600 feet down. I went down in first gear with generous application of the brakes to stay at 25 around the many curves. But, after crossing the bridge, we found we were not there yet. We had to go back up 700 feet and then back down to the lake. There is not a straight stretch over a hundred yards long the entire 19 miles of the road. I was already exhausted since we started out at 8:30. We parked at 4 having gained an hour going to Pacific time. A really long 19 miles. Did I mention the logging trucks on the “crookedist” road in the states? It makes the Caliente to Bodfish road seem tame.

The campground is fine, typical COE. Very quiet. Full hookups for $10. The appeal is to fishermen. We have four bars of 1X, but the data connection is slow.

Idaho took over the COE campground we recalled. Idaho has a mystifying few structure. We were going to stay at one the other night, but they wanted $33. We parked across the street in a nice enough park for $25. Washington charges the most, but Idaho is close behind. 

We downloaded almost a terabyte of movies and TV shows before we left Montgomery and we have been watching something almost every night. Anything David Milch had a hand in writing is good to us. Such as Hill Street Blues and NYPD. This is our third time through The Soprano’s and we still miss some key lines. Sub titles would be helpful. Bosch is one of the new shows we enjoy. And the fourth season of Orange Is The New Black is out.

Thursday, July 7

We needed groceries, so we took the windy twisty road back to town and did laundry, groceries and had one fine lunch. I had Enchiladas in a mole sauce. Devine. Dorothy had some tasty burritos.

Friday, June 8

Our care package arrived, so we took the windy twisty road back to town, got the package and went back to same restaurant. A different cook or the cook was drunk, the food was only so-so.

Saturday, June 9

We rested.

Sunday, June 10

We took the windy twisty road back to Orofino and then north through a river canyon winding up in Colfax, ID. This is the home of large scale wheat and bean farming. The area yields twice the normal amount of wheat per acre. That means most of the homes are well tended. And the scenery of the rolling hills suits our eyes. The hills are steep and the machinery is tracked.

We saw the hills when they were solid green with wheat in 2013. This time 45 days later in the season, some fields were green, some were golden, some were mixed.

Monday, June 11

We spent the day driving a loop from Colfax to Moscow to Pullman and back to Colfax taking pictures and eating along the way. The BBQ place in Moscow was closed. Second choice was a Thai restaurant in Pullman we had enjoyed before. We let lunch settle while surfing at the library until it was time to go on the WSU campus and get a milk shake at Ferdinand’s.

Tuesday, June 12

Having taken a few pictures of the Palouse we headed south to the Wallawa Mountains for sentimental reasons. We were there on our first trip in 2006 and wanted to make a short return visit. 

The Palouse is on a plateau, about 2,400 feet. You lose 1,600 of that quickly descending to Lewiston on a continuous 8% grade. I counted four truck run-a-way exits with signs that there is no fine for using them! Does that mean that a trucker, in another state might say: I could not afford the fine, so I just crashed the truck into the school bus.

We re-provisioned at Costco and Walmart. Glenda went bananas when we crossed the Snake. She had us in the river, off the road and was twisting the display around like she was possessed. I followed 12W to Clarkston and she finally decided that Costco was indeed just a mile down the road. We have never had that behavior before.

We headed south on WA192, a dandy little road that goes gently up to 4,000 feet and then descends like a rocket to the Grande Rounde River. Having lost all that elevation you go back up again and finally slowly drop into the the Wallowa Valley at Enterprise, OR. Taking the road was another trip down memory lane.[Grande Rounde. Several pronunciations, some locals prefer something that sounds like Grond Rond]  [Wah la wa, long a in the middle syllable]

It was a really long day. Glenda forecast 2.5 hours. We left at 8 and parked at 4:30. We toyed with a dispersed site on a mesa north of Enterprise on the rim of a canyon. We wimped out because of no phone coverage. We are so addicted. The place we planned to park in Joseph was closed. We checked out a forest service place, but there was only one RV spot and it was of course taken. We wound up at the super popular state park for a mere $30. Within a hour I was ready to leave. People everywhere, a family spot. No fires, but plenty of smoke.

Wednesday July 13

We were away by 8. We stopped at the Forest Service office in Joseph and a cute ranger, Sara, advised on the place to go. We are parked along the Lostine River in a valley of the same name. Very quiet and few people. It’s the first FS CG we have seen in years - one not operated by a concessionaire. The nightly bill is $3. Every once in awhile a breeze brings in a cell phone signal. The aroma of pines, firs and spruce fills the air. Nothing like an Oregon forest. The Wallowa Mountains are on both sides on us in a narrow canyon The mountains are steep, steeper than the Siskiyou’s on the other side of Oregon.

Thursday, July 13

We parked at a casino near Pendleton. Tried to dry camp, but it was way too warm, so we moved to hookup section. We got the last place. We enjoyed the pool and stayed up way too late with our neighbors.

Friday, July 14

We are winging it this trip. No planing and it’s starting to cost us. We planned to stay at a private campground in Sunnyside but they were booked full for the entire weekend. The owner had no idea why, especially since it was full on a Sunday, usually the slowest day of the week. Dorothy found another place in nearby Prosser, but the tariff is $35, rather than $12. Actually, WA added three taxes to the $35 for additional $7.71. It costs more in a welfare state. Grumble.

When we checked in, we saw some friends walking to a wine tasting in town. I thought they were leaving Prosser today, but they are here through Tuesday. Small world. 

We spent way too much buying some chocolate covered cherries. We got produce at the Fiesta Market, cherries, cantaloupe, jicama, etc. The prices were not cheap, but they were the best we have seen. We were the only angelo’s in the place. Today was payday and there was a line half around the store of workers getting their pay checks cashed. They bring them from the vineyards to the store in busses.

Next stop was Taylor Cellars. They were out of the wine I enjoy,  but Dorothy was able to score two bottles. After a swim, we went to a wine tasting in the RV park.

Saturday, July 16 - Sunday, July 17

Eating, drinking, soaking in the pool and running our yaps. Still no idea where we will go next. Probably a lake south of the Columbia and paddle the yaks. We just can not get it up for Washington. It should be appealing to us as it’s next door to Oregon, but it’s another world to us.

In this type of park you meet the folks who never ever park without full hookups. They are also in a different world.

Back To Oregon - Again

This trip we have been back and forth between Idaho, Oregon and Washington several times. Not a lot driving, as many of our destinations were just across a state line.

We have had hookups and stayed in more private campgrounds this trip than ever before. Washington state parks are pricey, not as much as California's, but getting there. As we head south we hope to get back to parking where there is nothing but horizon and the cost is low or free. The stats so far:

• Private - 13 nights at 6 places
• Public - 54 nights at 19 places
• National Parks - 10 nights at 5 places
• Free - 13 nights at 9 places

Dry camped 40 nights. Hookups 42 nights. A BIG change for us.

 

Our last free parking place

Wednesday, July 3 - One of the things we like to do when we travel is to visit state capitols. The outside of the capitol in Olympia is less than impressive, as they used local sandstone which discolors quickly. But once you step inside, it's breath-taking in it's grandeur. They used three different marble's and all the chandeliers are one-of-a-kind by Tiffany. The main chandelier weights 7,000 pounds made of bronze. Obviously they are priceless since Tiffany no longer does that kind of work. The capital was started in 1920 and only took a couple of years to complete.  It is the most impressive we have visited.  In the afternoon, we took a kayak trip on the Hood Canal.

All of the lighting in the Washington Capital is by Tiffany. These are two examples. This is said to the heaviest chandelier in the world. It's larger than it appears as the room is huge.

 

Thursday, July 4 - We arrived in Portland and have "camped" in our friends driveway.  They are at their beach house and won't be back until Saturday. We are certainly glad to have a place to stay since everything is full for this week.  They have a very beautiful home and you can tell that a lot of time has been spent in the yard.   

 

Friday, July 5 - We went to the Rose Gardens and the Japanese Gardens, which is the reason we are here. There were so many types of roses so I didn't even try to remember the names. There was a Cambodian couple having their wedding pictures made and were wearing the traditional bridal attire for the occasion - lots of gold on the bride.  The groom was less than happy about the whole thing, but he smiled and posed when necessary.  

 Taken In The Rose Garden Of Portland's Washington Park 

 The Japanese Garden in Portland's Washington Park 

 

Saturday, July 6 - Another grocery shopping day.  We have been to Costco, Barbur World Market and Safeway.  I am amazed that our small refrigerator and freezer can hold everything we bought, but we will eat well for the next week or so. Don replaced backs of the kayak seats. Good thing as mine has been broken since I first fell in it a long time back. 

We ate dinner with Mary Ann and Debra at the Thai Orchid Restaurant. I had Evil Jungle Noodles. I could not resist the name. Chicken, bean sprouts, in a curry over a bed of cabbage and rice noodles. Yum

Sunday, July 7 - I needed to do a little laundry and Mary Ann & Debra did it for me - how's that for wonderful hostesses!  I cooked dinner for them and their friends, Merl & Jerry.  It was a little more difficult cooking a large meal along with dessert when you only have one mixing bowl.  But everyone seemed to enjoy it.  The broccoli salad was a big hit.  Jerold Packard is an author of nine books.  The one I want is "Victoria's Daughters", that's Queen Victoria.  I told him that we were going to the Maryhill Museum the next day and he told me that one Victoria's granddaughters was a contributor to the museum.  We had great conversations all afternoon and evening.

Monday, July 8 - We bid goodbye to Mary Ann & Debra, but not before they gave us blueberries and thick sliced bacon.  They are absolutely the best!  We met fellow campers, Ken & Cora.  The Maryhill State Park is extremely expensive - $41 and I can't say that it was worth it.  It is along the Columbia River, which seems to always have wind.  Our campsite had Cottonwood trees which were really dropping "cotton".  My throat was a little scratchy and I had a dry cough - maybe pollen related. [Peach Park CG adjoins the state park. $25 for W&E. No reservation fee, no dinging out of state people $6 to stay at a state park.]

Tuesday, July 9 - We all went to the Maryhill Museum.  It was built by Sam Hill who had a friendship with Marie, Queen of Romania, one of Queen Elizabeth's granddaughters.  There is a collection of royal memorabilia which includes her coronation gown, crown, silverware, ornately gilded furniture and jewelry along with other memorabilia.  They also had an area dedicated to American Indian artifacts.  There was much that we had never seen before.  It was even better than the Neah Bay Museum.  One thing that they had that I had never seen before was a collection of chess sets - talk about ornate!  By this time I was getting tired and coughing a lot more so we made a brief visit to the Auguste Rodin Collection of drawings and back to the RV.  

Wednesday, July 10 - I was really sick and probably only awake about 3 hours all day.  Don cooked spaghetti and I was even too sick to enjoy that!

Thursday, July 11 - We had been wanting to return to John Day National Monument for several years. It is divided into three units, Clarno, Painted Hills and Sheep Rock.  The Painted Hills are spectacular at the right time of day and we got there at the right time.  We thought that we would need air conditioning so we went to the Mitchell City Park to spend the night.  Mitchell, OR is another small eastern Oregon desert town that does not have much going for it, but we did appreciate the park.  Of course, the weather was perfect and we had no need for electricity.  Oregon has a lot of city and county parks where you can camp and they are usually reasonable.

The Painted Hills in late afternoon

Friday, July 12 - We continued our John Day tour at Sheep Rock unit. We were most impressed with Cathedral Rock.  We had no idea where we would spend the night, but found Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day. It has dry camping for only $11 and a much needed Verizon signal. We parked under a large shade tree and surfed the afternoon away.

Cathedral Rock at the Sheep Rock unit of John Day NM

It looks like we are going to be using private campgrounds on our way to Colorado. Highs in 90's are forecast for all the valleys in the surrounding states the next few days. Oh and gas prices are going up, again. Our printer died. Curse Canon. I did not get to paddle the Deschutes River. If it's not one thing it's another.

Still on the Olympic Penisula

Still here, still wondering why we came.

Monday, June 24 - We wanted to see Hole In the Wall rock at Rialto Beach. The sky was gray, but no rain.  We parked the car and walked a few feet when the rain arrived. We waited a few minutes and the rain went away and so once again we headed down the beach. My new sandals are great - my feet don't hurt and I walk well in them. The sand on the beach is dark gray and there are enormous trees that have washed down the rivers and up on the beach over the years.  We started our walk and I had a goal of how far I thought I could go. Remember, no matter how far you hike, you have to return the same distance. I had a couple of rest breaks, as suggested by my physical therapist, Brian.  We noticed the gray sky, but it didn't look like rain so we kept walking. Once we reached my destination, we turned around. The gray sky contained lots of blowing rain. Luckily we had our rain jackets with us, but I had on jeans - yuck, wet jeans!  It continued to rain off and on all day as the weather forecast said it would.  

Forks is where a series of novels called Twilight were set. It was made into a TV series. The towns tax revenue went up 25% the first year of the series and has held at that level due to teenage girls with a crush on the vampire coming to Forks to swoon. There are several shops that sell series related items and even van tours to locations mentioned in the novels.

No Vampires Beyond Treaty Line

I posted the pictures for our daughter. But, I don't think she takes the time to read the Blog.

Tuesday, June 25 - Before we left Forks we had several stops to make. We had a 40 mile drive that took us 1.5 hours. It is a very curvy road to Lake Ozette.  We are camped with a view of the lake, but can't put the kayaks in because there are whitecaps on the water. The advantage of being here instead of Mora is that the site is open to the sky and the trees have leaves. The translation of that is it isn't depressing because it's so dark and we are not tracking in wet spruce needles every time we go out. There are many parks that we can return to time and again - this isn't one of them.  We're glad we came here and we are doing the whole loop, so we get to see the whole park. We will go to Neah Bay tomorrow.

Coming out of Mora we saw several exotic cars, Aston Martin's, AH 3000, Porsche, etc. even one with a prancing pony badge, What were they doing on a back road to nowhere on a Tuesday morning?

The last picture is heavily photoshopped. It was very gray day and everything in the original picture was gray. But through digital magic, it appears like there was some color to be seen.

Wednesday, June 26 - Left the CG around 8:30 and drove to  the Makah Indian Reservation on Neah Bay,. We wanted to see the Makah Museum which is a very informative archeological center of the Makah Indians. The village was buried in a mudslide in the 1500's and was excavated in the 1980's when a storm uncovered the village. Many artifacts were recovered which are on display in the museum. No camera's allowed inside.

More photoshop magic. Weak green are now vivid.

We stopped at a smoked salmon place where I bought two packs of smoked salmon. I should have bought more because it is nothing like what you buy in the stores at home.

We are now "camped" at a RV park in Port Angeles waiting out the rain and weekend.  Most of the time that we have spent in Washington is not the way that we normally travel.  After this trip, I can safely say that we have "done" Washington.  Weather wise, this has been a wet trip. Our first trip in 2006 was rain free for eight months and 15,000 miles.

Remember the herb encrusted salmon in the last post?

Thursday, June 27 - I woke up sick.  I don't know what was wrong, but I had severe chills but it was not the dreaded stomach bug. I had my sleeping bag and a fleece throw over me and Don put another one on me and I continued to shiver.  I slept intermittently for 12 hours. I rallied for lunch and we went out foraging. When we returned, I took a nap and then did nothing but lie around and doze the rest of the day.

Friday, June 28 -  I felt a lot better, thank goodness.  We went looking for a place to spend the next few days. Salt Creek CG looks good. Only $32 for a county park.  Washington state is expensive for RV's. In the afternoon, I did laundry and Don washed Koko and Pelli. We drove to Hurricane Ridge for sunset. Great views of the Olympic mountains. A little froggy to the north. No clear view of Canada.

Saturday, June 29 - We went kayaking this morning on Lake Crescent, which is a very clear lake, but right on busy US101, so the trucks can be heard on the lake.  I still can't paddle very far and our adventure was only one hour.  And it was an adventure because I fell into the lake getting in the boat and again getting out of the boat.  Actually, I was just testing the water to see if it was cold and it wasn't too cold. The Ridge is over 4,000 feet high and the wind was blowing 15 so it was damn chilly even with fleece on. A herd of deer live at the VC and two Israelis' with camera lens that looked like tank rocket launchers were taking pictures of the deer. I did not know that a lens with that sort of focal length could be used within 10 feet. We dodged deer all the way back down the mountain. What is about people and "wild" animals? Have they lived in an apartment too long? 

Trying to find a place to stay for the week of the 4th was getting extremely stressful. We want to go to the Japanese Gardens in Portland and this will be our last chance.  We called many places within a 25 miles radius, but everything is full.  I sent an email to my friend, Mary Ann asking for suggestions. She said that they were going to the beach, but suggested we park in her driveway!  We have "camped" in many driveways so we can add one more to our list. This has taken a load off our minds!  We thought you could always get in a private park, but they are full, so are the state, city and county parks.  People go to Portland for the holiday. Why? It's going to be great to see our friends again.

We have decided to try to find a place near Port Townsend for Sunday and Monday, then go south to the Hood Canal and spend two days there and then to Portland.

Sunday, June 30 - Straight line distances to most destinations on the Olympic Peninsula are short. However, travel times are long. This morning the GPS showed it was 22 miles from Port Angeles to Port Townsend. It also predicted it would take 62 minutes to drive there.

Port Angeles is the end of the rain forest. Sequim which is only a few miles east of PA is in a rain shadow and you could tell it as the grass along the road was brown.

We are parked at the Port Townsend fairgrounds. It's open grass field, very quiet, about 1/3 full and it's $17 for W&E. That's half what we paid the last few days so we could  use the Internet. Our "wi-fi" resets tomorrow so we will be online wherever. Terrible addiction. I guess it's like text messaging.

I know Canada is just across the water, but why are there so many Border Patrol here? Are the Canucks trying to sneak across the border to get Obamacare?

Monday, July 1 - I paddled around the Port Townsend. We did the tourist walk in town. Bought some seat back for the yaks at Pygmy Boats where gorgeous wood yaks are sold. Perfect weather, much cooler than yesterday.

Tuesday, July 2 - On the Hood Canal. More later.

Weather Reports

Sunday, June 16 - We left early so we could get a good parking place close to Powell's Bookstore.  The bookstore is HUGH!  It takes up a whole block and has four floors.  They have new and used books titles.  I got a credit for a couple of books and we each bought two books which showed great restraint on our part.  The "Gay Pride Parade" was getting ready.  We walked around for a little while, but the parade didn't start until later that day. The most interesting were the cross-dressers - they were really decked out. The weirdest dressed were not with the parade, just strange looking people walking around dressed outlandishly.  

Monday, June 17 - Our goal was to get to the Olympic National Park.  It's one we haven't been to yet. The weather forecast called for 60% chance of rain Monday and Tuesday and 80% Wednesday.  Ft. Stevens SP was the place we picked to hole up during the rainy weather.  Thursday's forecast called for sunny skies. We had been to Ft. Stevens before for a LD Get-Together three years ago. This is a very nice park, probably one of Oregon's best.  It has 257 sites.  Ft. Stevens was built in 1864 to defend the US against the Confederates - like that was going to happen!  It was active until after WWII. We went to the beach which has dark grey sand - I like the Gulf Coast beaches a lot better.  During Happy Hour a light rain started.  

Tuesday, June 18 - Since we were waiting for the 60% chance of rain,  we headed to the town of Seaside. Not a very impressive town, but Don did get another pair of croc's.  He bought a pair there three years ago. We then returned to Astoria to find a fish & chips place that was recommended.  It was closed so we chose another place - Captain D's would have been much better. In the afternoon Don went for a long trike ride. When he returned, I went for a ride. Apparently I was gone a long time, because as I was returning he was in the car to find me.  Still waiting for the rain - it's sunny here.

We toured Ft. Clapsop, the terminal point of Lewis and Clark's grand expedition.

Wednesday, June 19 - Since we were waiting for the 80% chance of rain, we decided to do laundry. We went to the Mini-Mart Laundry.  Without a doubt it is the best laundromat we have ever used. An attendant was cleaning washers and dryers after every use, inside and out. And Wednesday was free dry day.  The Mini-Mart serves several kinds of coffees and has a very active lunch business.  It is a booming business. This was the best day - sunny and warm.  We each took another trike ride. Where's the 80% chance of rain.

Olympic National Park

I have debated with myself for years about coming here. It has a low attraction factor for me. You see I lived on the east side of the park in 1965. I rode my dirt bike on the logging roads and tooled around the paved roads in an AH Sprite. What could be so different on the other side of the hill? Well actually not all that much. Washington is OK, but for our money Oregon beats it every day from Sunday.

Thursday, June 20 - This was the day forecast for sunshine.  Can't get an accurate weather report here - it changes hourly!  We were on the road at 7:45 to get to the Olympic National Park. Where is the sunshine???  We drove in the mist from Aberdeen north to Kalaloch. We hoped to camp at Kalaloch, but we didn't have reservations.  Some days you just get lucky.  When we reached the CG, the ranger told us that a few sites were open for one night, but could be reserved the next day and we would have to move. We drove through the CG and only a few sites had an ocean view and all were small. The rest were in a dark forest.  The ranger suggested that we try South Beach because they don't accept reservations.  This is a great place.  We are parked on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It's gorgeous and only $5 per night with our old-age passport!  We drove to Ruby Beach. It's the one that is photographed to show off this area. When the sun comes out, we will go back. 

Friday, June 21 - The sun came out mid-morning while we were walking through firs and ferns. Because of the 120 inches of rain this side of the mountains gets, trees grow taller and faster here than anywhere else. That said, they seemed no more spectacular than firs and ferns at numerable other places. We beat feet back down the Hoi River to Ruby Beach. It was about time we got sun and scenery. Just goes to show, we like rocks and water more than firs and ferns.

Everyone takes this picture at Ruby Beach

South Beach $5 a night. Even better than Kirk Creek in Big Sur

We have been carrying around fire wood since we left Moab a month back. Finally last night we burned it in a fire pit near the chairs in the picture above. We invited the couples on both sides of us over and we chatted until 11pm. Sunset started about 8:30 and the western sky still had trace of light at 11.

South Beach at sunset

Food

Dorothy has cooked some of the best meals of her life on this trip. We have been eating really good. No weight gain either. We bought the Reader's Digest diet books and are getting into their meals. Tasty. Chicken piccata last night, herb encrusted salmon tonight, shrimp scampi tomorrow and smoked salmon is in the forecast at Neah Bay.

Photoshop

I never found much use for Photoshop. Way to complicated. Layers? I have used a feature in Picasa that enhances scenes by accentuating shadows, Thanks Jim for that tip. My favorite utility for managing pictures, viewing, renaming, moving from folder to folder, etc. went with death of my PC. The Mac is not very friendly for photo management, everything requires multiple steps using impossible key combinations and using different programs. I bought a program that helps, but it's not very fast. It has lots of ways to PhotoShop a picture on a level I can understand. The sunset above has been slightly altered. The red was made more red. Now I can make pictures of things I never saw and I can join 21st century photography. Well to my limits. No purple sunlight. Dorothy read an article about a man that has spent years taking pictures of The Palouse and he admits they are photoshopped. Google 'images:ruby beach' and you will see pictures that have been altered to other world colors. I wonder if such alteration is akin to painting on black velvet? It is beyond air brushing Playmates.

Saturday, June 22 - A lazy day, spent sunning in the sun like lizards while watching the surf. Clouds moved in at sunset and by midnight it was misting.

Sunday, June 23 - We headed north on US101 through Forks to the park service CG at Mora. There is a trail to several offshore rocks that I would like to photograph if the weather clears. Forks is a lumber town, now supplemented by all sorts of tours and items for sale related to the TV show Twilight about vampires. We got lost going back into Forks and would up in the Indian village of La Push. There is a most attractive RV park there so we asked the price. $40! Yippee Ki Yay. Groceries in Forks are priced higher than at Whole Foods.

We heard on NPR that sea levels will rise three feet by 2035. This will mean the displacement of liberals from the coast. Horrors! I wonder when the value of coastal property will start falling?

Monday, June 24 - Rain is in the forecast until Saturday. What to do? The fourth is approaching. We are stuck between rain and a holiday.