Yakima

Cherries and Asparagus are in season so we bought both at a small fruitstand and then found gas at Safeway for 3.06. Thats a bargain!!!

Always ask the locals

Roy and I decided to keep heading east and one of our camping buddies told us that if we go to Yakima, to take Hwy 821 instead of the Interstate (I82) The road twists and turns and the speed limit is only about 45 mph but what a beautiful trip it was. We followed the Yakima River for about 25 miles and it was just a spectacular trip.
Spent the night at the Yakima KOA and its pretty, our camp is right on the river and from our door we watch the ducks, turtles and even a few fish swim right by us. Having this site means we don't get Cable but who wants to watch TV when you have this beautiful site to watch. (Besides I am reading Richard Proenneke's More Readings from One Man's Wilderness. You might have seen One Man's Wilderness on PBS about him building his log cabin in Alaska. This book isn't as good, but I am enjoying it. )
We'll probably stay tomorrow also and then head to Tri Cities.

Sing it Willy

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again,
And I can't wait to get on the road again.

On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world be turnin' our way
And our way
Is on the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world be turnin' our way
And our wayIs on the road again

Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

This was a spur of the moment trip. Some friends invitied us camping and neither Roy nor I had to think about it very long. They were going to dry camp at Teanaway Campground near Cle Elum, WA and it would be a perfect shake down cruise for our new RV.
(I didn't mention that we bought another Motorhome about two weeks after returning from our last trip. This is a newer Class C, Tioga and we love it. )
Directions in hand, we left home about 11am and topped off the tanks, both gas and propane and headed for I 90 and the Snoqualmie Pass. Passed Cle Elum, we headed north for a couple miles and then west for a few more and found this huge free campground right on the Teanaway River. There were about 6 RVs already there and we made number 7. (Eight and nine came later) Teanaway Campground is absolutely free, all that they ask is that you pack out your trash and it was a very clean camp. We were the largest group there, but there were other campers spread around the place and yet we didn't feel at all crowded. There could have been a dozen more trailers and we wouldn't have noticed.
There was a family of chipmunks, well Mom and two tiny ones (sex unknown) who darted around our feet and ate anything we dropped. They were use to humans as they showed no fear at all but they were about the only wildlife we saw. The camp is under towering Ponderosa Pines and they were sheading their cones so the ground was littered with them. The river is pretty small but fast flowing and clean. I used it for coffee water the first day and it was delicious.

We stayed until Monday morning and then we all broke camp and headed off in different directions. We had such a great time, we decided to meet again next month and do it all over again.

Last leg of our journey

This is the Snake River the northeastern corner of Oregon - and while not our last night out, we were close to home and feeling the pull. Those clouds, full of rain are - guess where - in the west toward Portland and even they looked inviting. Traveling through Nevada and Southern California, there becomes a point when your a tad bit desert weary and we could now enjoy the green.
From this point we headed northwest to Pendleton, where we spent Cinco de Mayo and finally headed home via Hwy 12. OMG, yet another mountain pass and this issue I have with heights has got to stop cause again I found myself hanging on the edge of the world, and not enjoying the view at all.
Now we are home and we were greeted by the most glorious weather that could be had in the northwest, mid 70ies, sunny, with that glorious view of Mt Rainier just out our window. The motor home needs a good scrubbing, the lawn is knee deep and at least two loads of wash await, but they can wait.
Now I need to think about going to Iraq again. The opportunity is there, and the money is good, but am I up to it.

Thanks for following our lastest adventure.

Carson City, Nevada

Unscheduled stop. We were very lucky and we found Carson Carburator and the great mechanic invited us to spend the night in his driveway so he could test the motor cold. We did, and the next morning he found nothing major wrong, but cleaned the injectors and we were on our way. Running like a champ.
But I was done with mountain driving, and so we changed our route and headed north on Hwy 95.

Convict Lake - Mammoth Lake, Calif

We left Red Rock Canyon early, continuing north on Hwy 395 past Bishop, Ca and found Convict Lake Campground. The lower picture was a picture of the creek that bubbled right past our campsite. It was wonderful. The weather was now cool as we were higher in the mountains but the sky was blue, blue and the sun sparkled on the water. The only problem was the wind came up and by nightfall it was really blowing hard and when we departed the next morning, it hadn't gotten any better.

The road also got worse. As we climbed into the Sierra Nevada's, the road twisted and turned, the wind bobbed us around like a cork on water, and big "Strong Wind" signs warned of what was to come. Also, when we started the RV at Convict, it started acting up again, so I was worried about that. We even hit 8000' elevation!!! This was not fun.

Red Rock Canyon - Cantil, Ca

This was a real find. Just off Hwy 14 in Calif was this amazing campground Red Rock Canyon. We spent the night and it took tons of pictures. At night, the sky was like a million tiny jewels the stars were so bright. Trails to hike, wildlife was awesome, it was just an amazing place and our last night in the desert.

Joshua Tree Natl Park

You know, Joshua Tree is like my spiritual home. I really love the area and we had a great time. I didn't know how much I missed the place until I went back and visited with MaryFran and Gary, and my old buddy Steve. I wish I could have seen Mara again and John, but now I know, I am going to return one of these days.
Starting to have car problems. I don't think the RV likes the heat. We broke down in Barstow and Cody at Barstow Automotive fixed us right up. You hear horror stories about getting ripped off, but we were so lucky, he really went out of his way to make sure the RV was running right.

Death Valley

This is about the best view of Death Valley. The weather was in the 90ies so it was hot, but it was beautiful. We stopped at Scotty's Castle and really enjoyed the tour. Unfortunately, the camera decided to go bad and so our picture taking was limited.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada

I have given up on days, I haven't a clue.
We stayed two nights in Pahrump so we could drive over to Ash Meadows and Death Valley. Ash Meadows is a great place to visit, right in the middle of this arid desert we found this great little place, and we had it mostly to ourselves. The reason was because it was an 8 mile washboard dirt road into the place and then we found we could have come in from another direction and would have only been three miles of dirt. The wildlife was amazing. A kingfisher showed off for us and lizards darted around us, ducks were everywhere and when we came to the pool (above) I would have gladly gone skinny dipping in it. It was just that blue and they call it fossil water because they believe that it went underground about 1000 years ago.
I would love to volunteer out there but Roy turned up his nose at the thought of summer in Nevada.

Tuesday

We haven't had enough of Hwy 95, besides from Mina, it's 95 or nothing. Tonapah was the next town and we needed gas. What do we see across from the gas station but yet another Hotel, built probably in the 1920s, empty and also for sale. If someone could come up with something to do with these beautiful old building that would make money, it would be great fun to restore them.

Speaking about old hotels, Remember the last one in Alturas. About 10 years ago, our son-in-law tried to buy it but someone had just purchased it. Isn't that wild.

Back to 95. Before and after Tonapah Roy was clicking the camera like crazy. The mountains, some still capped with snow were just amazing. I haven't down loaded them yet, but when I do, you will see how beautiful Nevada really is.

Stopped in Beatty for some homemade ice cream. It wasn't the best that I have had, but it sure tasted good. At about 4 we got into Pahrump, NV where we spent the night. Tomorrow, we are going to explore Ash Meadows and Death Valley

Monday, I think

Nevada, at least the western portion that we visited was awesome. They brag that Hwy 50 is the Lonesomest Road, but Hwy 95 south must come in a close second.
Lets see, we were in Fallon at the Naval Air Station. They train "top guns" there and there was a static display of jets that was really something to see, but the weather was cold, raining and miserable and reminded us of home, so we stayed inside and enjoyed the warm, and got our laundry done... for free. Can't beat that.

Monday, as we departed, the sun came out and the landscape turned from farms to desert in a matter of a mile or so. We laughed at the occasional "Wildlife Viewing" sign, because our sum total of wildlife has been was a deer in Oregon and a coyote in California. Hawks occasionally, if they count, but I sure wouldn't pull off the road for that. Every once in a while we would see a herd of cattle, but Roy doesn't believe they can be considered wildlife. To break up the monotony, a town would pop up, but they always seemed to be on the brink of extinction. Gas stations would be closed and windows boarded up, motels would have a hopeful "For Sale" sign fading in the sun. Walker Lake, like Pyramid had narry a tree. A ranger we spoke to speculated that cattle had probably denuded the area, but you would think one tree would have survived.

Then we came to Hawthorn, NV and Roy kepi saying that it looked, off in the distance like army bunkers. Sure enough, there was both an Army Depot and a Navy Underwater Warfare Training Department - now that's a stretch, the lake was miles in to the north.

Our stop for the night was in Mina, NV and talk about a ghost town, this little town was mostly empty, decaying buildings, dusty dirt roads, dying vegetation..... (see picture) but it had the most awesome little RV park, cheap, clean, WiFi, no TV but we have satellite, so that didn't matter.

We are at that point, we have been gone for a week and I have to really think about what day it is. The only time I think about the time is Roy is keeping a log and asks me when we arrived and when we departed. This is great living.

Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Lake is as blue as the sky. Actually this is the first blue sky, warm day that we have had. It didn't last, the very next two days, we were back in the rain and cold again.

Day 6

Well we didn’t get stick, it was actually a very foggy morning but the roads were dry so we continued south. Gas in California is running about $3.35 a gallon, so if we can make it, we are going to try to head for Nevada and fill up there.

Later
Found Pyramid Lake and as I had found nothing about any full service campgrounds in the area, when we stopped at the little store to get a dry camping permit, the lady told us the Marina had full hook ups. Another “happy accident” and it had everything except internet service and it was only $20 dollars a night. Heck, that is awesome….Pyramid lake is huge, and they were holding a fishing tournament while we were there so there were a few boats in the water. Across the lake is a small island which is a National Wildlife Area and protected as it’s a nesting area for the white pelican. We saw a few pelicans and tried to take their pictures. Will see how that turns out when we download the camera.

Day 5

La Pine is a nice State Park but very little to do, except visit the Big Tree. The sign said that it is the largest Ponderosa Pine in Oregon. 500 years old, 25000 board feet, but not so tall, as it looks as if it were topped at some point.
After the visit to the Big Tree, we hit the road, going southeast this time on Hwy 31, which is listed as a Scenic Highway. It was that. The first third, the road eased its way thru forested pines and then through a small section of sage brush, but then we came to an area around Silver Lake that was awesome. Towering mountains framed the picture and the quiet valley, just sprinkled with occasional cattle farms and dotted with “blink and you’ll miss them” towns. We hit squalls of snow but it mostly blew around and didn’t stick. Roy tried to take pictures….out the window, but it just doesn’t show how scenic this road was

I had planned to spend the night at Goose Lake State Park. The brochure said that it would be open mid April but while I do believe this is mid April, the park was closed for the season, so we continued. We turned on Hwy 395 and ‘happy accident’, we found an RV park in Alturas. By this time, the snow is really coming down and as we pulled in, others followed until the park was pretty much full. I called it a happy accident as we decided to walk downtown, and there was this old hotel for sale. I am talking over a 100 year hotel and peeking in the windows we just drooled. Inside someone had restored it to its 1900 standards. What we wouldn’t give for a tour! Roy found the advertisement for it, and the owner wants a cool million, two. It has two dinning rooms, one bar area, a game room, a lobby with gleaming hard wood floors and walls. There are a few rooms with attached baths, but most of the rooms don’t have baths and while I would love to buy it, I can’t see what can be done with it. It’s not a big town, but folks don’t stay in historical hotels when there is an internet friendly Best Western in the area. I could see making apartments out of the rooms, but that would ruin it. The only other thing, might be a huge Bed and Breakfast. There was really no parking in the area either, and I am sure the outside paint it led and that would cost a small fortune to remove, but I am certainly going to send the picture to my Betty and Paul so they can also drool.
The snow is really coming down now. We might get stuck here.

Original RV
I’m sitting here at La Pine State Park and the sun is out and the snow is just coming down. Since it isn’t sticking, we don’t really mind. I checked out the Nature Trail, but got cold so turned around and will try it again later.
Left Madras after a leisurely breakfast and stopped in Bend for gas. The tank was barely at ½ and we spent over $100.00. Makes one nauseous!!!! AND we hear that California is worse.
On the map, they have the High Desert Museum in red, so we decided to check it out and it was great. We spent hours going through it, seeing some wildlife, recreations of old settler’s homes and a steam powered saw mill. There were displays of both local and Plains Indians and some of the most amazing bead work I have ever seen. If you get a chance, stop by the High Desert Museum and spend the day, its well worth the $12 bucks admission charge.

17 April 07 Day 3

Got an early start and instead of getting back on the I-84 we took a little narrow country road to Hwy 97. Unfortunately, the camera wasn’t handy because we passed this old church that was crying to have its picture taken. It was probably a 100 years old and falling apart, but so quaint. Anyway, decided to come back one day before it’s gone for good.
Road Less Traveled, have you heard that before. I got this brilliant idea to take another country road off Hwy 97 to John Day. The further east we went, the narrower the road got, and the steeper the drop off got. Lucky there weren’t many cars because I was driving right down the center lane. It got to the point that I saw a place to turn around and I did. I will save John Day for another time when I am not in the motor home.
We stopped at Madras and bought the repellent and then found the KOA where we had reservations. It was nice, wide spaces, WIFI that worked and hot showers. While we were there, it rained, hailed and snowed, but we were snuggled in.

One last picture of Deschutes

I don't know if this was a barn or garage, but we found it on our hike.

16 April Deschutes State Recreation Area

Roy on Middle Trail
Spring flowers were beautiful
We decided that we would take the Horse Trail above the river as it is a wider (actually and old road) and less chance to get another friendly tick. It was a beautiful, mostly flat hike and at the end we found a little creek that was loaded with watercress. Oh yes I did, we had a great watercress sandwich for lunch and in our salad at dinner. Yummm.
(We found this strange looking plant called Indian Consumption Plant, thin narrow stalks with a round ball like flower at the end of each stalk. My book said that it tasted like celery so, ofcourse, I tasted it and it tasted like spicy celery, almost hot to the tongue...

Deschutes State Park

The old covered wagon greeted us at the entrance of our first night camp. According to the history of the area, this was part of the Oregon trail and they tell you that if you look across the river at sunrise or sunset, you can see the ruts in the road. I looked, but possibly you need to have a vivid imagination also. I saw no ruts

Yes, I forgot stuff. Propane being the most important. (Actually, thats Roy's job and HE forgot to check it) Glad we had electricity and the microwave warmed over our leftovers and made coffee.

We checked out the River Trail for about a mile and then returned on what they call the Middle Trail. While I was making dinner, I noticed a little tick was on my arm. Thank goodness it hadn't managed to burrow in. All I need at this age is Lyme Disease......

Note to self: Propane and Mosquito Repellant