Our initial plan was to have Easter Brunch or Dinner at a nice casino buffet restaurant, as we did a few years ago at Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot, Nevada. But ... we decided to stay here at Goose Lake State Park for a second night.
Today was sunny and warm, a very lovely spring day. We started the day by baking a couple of chocolate croissants ... thank you again, Trader Joe's ... and having a vicious, little squabble. Fortunately and mercifully, it was short lived, before we both found the sense to be conciliatory.
There's no water in the campground because of a broken water line underground. I left Joanne at our campsite and drove over to the Ranger's residence to refill our freshwater tank, then over to the dump station to empty our grey waste tank. We had a slow, lazy afternoon. We went for a long walk with Bo ... twice. Bo eagerly "hunted" the Prairie Dogs' holes. We did a "Bo-gility" session using picnic tables, parking curbs, and trees as agility course components.. We read and napped. We did trip planning of the route and schedule for the next few days. I downloaded from the camera and processed some photos.
I asked Joanne for a campfire cooked Easter Dinner. She prepared foil wrapped packets of cubes of marinated beef, sliced onions, and Heirloom Potatoes from Trader's Joe's. I built a campfire and cooked supper to mouth watering perfection. I enjoy the challenge ... and the results ... of cooking over an open fire a couple of times each year, usually once in the fall southbound and once in the spring northbound. Salad was made with two types of Artisan Lettuce and Heirloom Tomatoes from Trader Joe's. Dessert was fresh ( and inexpensive ) California strawberries. MMMMM ! Excellent Easter Dinner. Thank you Joanne and Trader's Joe's.
Today was mostly overcast and mild.
Before leaving Goose Lake State Park this morning we refilled our freshwater at the Ranger's residence, then dumped our waste holding tanks at the campground's dump station. We continued northbound on Hwy. 395.
We stopped at the first town we came to, Lakeview, to buy groceries at Safeway and refill with diesel at Shell. Much later we stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area. Much later we stopped for the night at another rest area, the Sage Hen Rest Area between Riley and Hines, Oregon. It was an uneventful day of driving through scruffy high desert with occasional glimpses of Pronghorn Antelope. When we arrived at Sage Hen Rest Area we went for a one mile long hike up and down the Sage Hen Hill Nature Trail. While Joanne prepared supper I returned a phone call to a potential Similkameen Trailer Towing client that I've been playing telephone tag with for the past few days. And the telephone tag game continues !
Tuesday ; Sage Hen Rest Area to Clyde Holliday State Park, Oregon
This morning we awoke to freezing temperatures and blowing snow. DAMN ! Each trip, northbound in the spring, and southbound in the fall, we experience at least one day of blizzard like conditions, usually in Oregon, occasionally in Washington. The temperature and weather varied throughout the day, from freezing temperatures and blowing snow, to partially sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-40's, still pretty darn cold ! It was windy most of the day, and we experienced another "blizzard" episode while driving this afternoon.
We left Sage Hen Rest Area this morning and continued on Hwy. 395, first east a bit to Hines and Burns, and then the road turned north again. I wanted to stop at a commercial RV park in Seneca and use Wi-Fi tonight to post my journal entry for last week to my blog, but when we arrived at the RV park it wasn't really to our liking. And it was darn cold in Seneca, so we kept driving.
Good decision ! By the time we arrived at our "Plan B" destination, Clyde Holliday State Park near the town of John Day, the weather was a bit more pleasant. We chose a site and got set up ... WOO-HOO ... electricity ... I plugged in the "heater blankie", and went to nap with Sully. AHHHHH ! After a nap we went for a long, leisurely hike along the John Day River which runs alongside the campground. Bo loooooves hiking ! The sun was shining, the wind had died down, it was cold but pleasant.
Never met an Oregon State Park I didn't like !
My cold persists. I'm coughing a lot, especially at night, and feeling a bit weak and tired. When I read my journal entry from the same date last year, as I do every evening,
I realize ... I was in exactly the same state last year on the northbound drive home.
Do I catch a cold every year on the northbound drive home ? ! ?
Wednesday ; Clyde Holliday State Park to Wildhorse Casino, Pendleton, Oregon
Today was cold and partially cloudy with occasional light rain. I was ill for most of the day with the beginnings of a Crohn's / ulcerative colitis flare-up.
This morning we did an obedience session at Clyde Holliday State Park before departing. Well done, Bo, good dog. We refilled with fresh water, and dumped our waste holding tanks then headed west for a few miles on Hwy. 20 / 395 before
Hwy. 395 continued northbound again. As we passed through the Ukiah - Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor we stopped for lunch at a pullout on the side of the road beside a lovely small river. After lunch I napped briefly with Sully, hoping that after a nap
I wouldn't feel so ill. No such luck !
Late in the afternoon we reached Pendleton. A few miles east on Interstate 84 brought us to Wildhorse Casino and its adjacent Arrowhead Travel Center. Of the many, many, many places we have boondocked overnight over the last ten years, Wildhorse Casino is my favourite ! Our first stop was at the Arrowhead Travel Center. We went into the laundromat and while Joanne did laundry I worked online for two hours using free Wi-Fi, finally posting last week's diary / journal entry and photos to my blog. We drove over to the RV parking lot, then took a shuttle bus to the casino to have dinner in the buffet restaurant. Excellent food, large selection, reasonable price.
This casino has a parking lot dedicated to boondocking RV's as well as a full service RV park. Cars have their own separate parking lot, as do commercial trucks. A shuttle bus runs frequently from the parking lots to the casino. The Travel Center has a large fuel bar with excellent prices, large, clean restrooms, a laundromat, free Wi-Fi, a propane refill station, free RV dump station and freshwater refill, free air for tires ( most stations in the U.S. now charge $1 for air for tires ), lots of manoeuvering space and parking spots.
Thursday ; Pendleton, Oregon
Terrible weather today ! Cold all day, intermittent heavy rain and winds in the morning.
This morning we drove the short distance from the Wildhorse Casino's RV parking lot to the adjacent Arrowhead Travel Center to take care of some routine chores. No sooner had we started dumping the grey waste holding tank when a vicious squall struck, with heavy rain and even heavier winds. We were drenched and frozen in just moments ! We pulled away from the dump station and into a parking spot and waited out the little storm for about an hour.
When the squall was over we retuned to the dump station and refilled our freshwater tank. Next was adjusting the air pressure in all the truck tires. We are now at a much lower temperature than when I last adjusted the tires about two weeks ago in Yuma, Arizona, so the tires were all about ten pounds low. I had some trouble with the air hose chuck connecting to my valve extenders, so only managed to adjust the pressure in four of the six truck tires. It started to rain again so I left two tires for later. I pulled over to the fuel pumps and partially refilled with diesel.
We got onto Interstate 84 and drove about four miles back to Pendleton to do our
semi-annual Oregon tax free shopping. By the time we got to the shopping mall area we were headed to it was time for lunch. We had lunch at KFC ... Joanne's idea. We went to O'Reilly's Auto Parts. They didn't have what I wanted. Over to Rite-Aid Pharmacy. Didn't have what I wanted. Over to an independent health supply store. Didn't have what I wanted. < sigh > Not doing too well so far !
Over to Wal-Mart. Bought almost everything on our Oregon shopping list. Across the street to Safeway. Bought some baking ... Joanne's idea. Over to Thompson's RV. Bought an RV accessory we needed. Over to Les Schwab's to adjust the air pressure in the last two tires. Drove back to Wildhorse Casino for a second night of boondocking there. Bought a gallon of Lucas diesel fuel additive at their Arrowhead Travel Center. Darn ... forgot to use the credits accumulated on my Rewards On The Rez affinity card.
By that time it was late afternoon and the weather was finally improving. The rain stopped, the sky cleared partially, and the temperature rose a bit. I worked on accounting and customs declarations, first in the camper and then in the laundromat at Arrowhead Travel Center to use Wi-Fi and have the computer plugged into electricity to recharge the battery.
Friday ; Pendleton, Oregon to Blue Lake, Washington
Today was partially sunny and mild. This morning before leaving Wildhorse Casino we refilled with diesel, dumped our waste holding tanks, and refilled our freshwater tank at Arrowhead Travel Center.
We drove west on Interstate 84 to and through Pendleton and continued on I-84 almost to Hermiston, then north on Hwy. 395 to and through Hermiston. When we reached Umatilla and the Columbia River we turned east on Hwy. 730 following the scenic Columbia River Gorge until the Columbia River turned north, as did the highway, and we entered Washington. Hwy. 395 continued to follow the Columbia River northward. At Pasco the Columbia River began to turn westward and the highway continued northward, leaving the Columbia River Gorge.
We stopped at Country Mercantile, a specialty food business we have been to before. They specialize in "tourist foods" ; jams, jellies, honey, salad dressings, salsas, dips, all made with local ingredients, like the renowned Walla Walla sweet onions grown in nearby Walla Walla, Washington. I bought some jams and a jar of salad dressing. Joanne was disinterested, thinking that everything was too expensive. < shrug >
As we pulled out of Country Mercantile's parking lot, I noticed ... HEY ! There were two large bees walking across my side of the windshield, each leaving a trail of honey smeared on the glass. GET OFF MY WINDSHIELD, YOU STUPID BEES ! HMPH ... now there are two zig-zag trails of dried out honey on my windshield !
We continued northbound on Hwy. 395 until Mesa when Hwy. 395 curved towards the northeast. We got onto Hwy. 17 heading northwest, through Moses Lake and Soap Lake. We stopped for the night at Blue Lake Rest Area.
Today was mostly sunny and mild in the Columbia River Valley, warm in the Okanogan River Valley.
This morning we left Blue Lake Rest Area and headed north on Hwy.17. Our plan for today was to visit and check out some state parks on our route. Almost immediately we arrived at Sun Lakes State Park. We refilled our freshwater tank, then drove slowly around the large campground. It was surprisingly crowded for April. People from Spokane start camping early in the season ?
At Coulee City we got onto Hwy. 155 heading northeast to Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. I wanted to stop at Grand Coulee Dam and get information on their summer evening laser light shows projected on the dam. God Bless America < rolling eyes > ! On the way to Grand Coulee Dam we stopped to explore Steamboat Rock State Park. HMMM ... I think we may have stayed here for one night many years ago.
When we arrived at Grand Coulee Dam we parked and went into the Visitor Center. Joanne decided that we should have lunch in the camper, then join the 2 PM tour of the dam. Okay ... that's what we did. Well ... there's another hour of my life that I'll never get back ! The tour was ... not exactly what we had expected, and ... slightly boring. AND ... < shaking head in despair > ... the "security" procedures were so ... exaggerated ... as to be laughable. Some Americans have completely lost their sense of humour and perspective on "reasonableness" and common sense. I would have thought that we are far enough beyond September 11, 2001 that common sense would have started to return. Apparently not at Grand Coulee Dam. Every tour participant was subjected to body scans and wand searches ( "take off your belt, sir" ) more onerous than those at airports and then ... < sputter > ... the tour group was "escorted" by a security officer sporting a large side arm weapon. C'mon, people ... it's a tour of a power dam out in the middle of nowhere by old people in RV's returning to Canada !
From Grand Coulee Dam we headed west on Hwy. 174 to get from the Columbia River Valley to the Okanogan River Valley. That's a route that we had never driven before. On the way we stopped to explore Bridgeport State Park, then we stopped at a rest area at nearby Chief Joseph Dam. I was tired and needed a nap. While I napped briefly Joanne took Bo to do "Bo-gility" on the children's play structures in the playground. HA HA HA ... Bo loves slides.
When we left Chief Joseph Dam I turned, on impulse, into the village of Bridgeport to see the municipal campground. As we drove through the little village looking for the municipal campground ... HEY ... there are signs in Spanish. This little village has a Hispanic population. HEY ... < slamming on brakes > ... a panaderia ! ! ! Who would have thought that there would be a Mexican bakery this far north into upstate Washington. We bought nine pieces of pan dulce. I'm salivating as I type this late in the evening ... HA HA HA ! We chatted with the Mexican born owner. In both English and Spanish. And ... just like in Mexico ... this little business is more than just a panaderia, it's also an abarrote ( little convenience store ).
At Bridgeport we crossed the Columbia River onto Hwy. 17, and followed that the short distance to Hwy. 97 at the confluence of the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers. We turned north on Hwy. 97 and began the final leg of the journey home up through the Okanogan Valley. We stopped for the night at Okanogan Casino where they have created a small RV parking lot with free electrical hookups. While Joanne prepared supper I phoned my sister. Tomorrow when we cross back into Canada our remaining U.S. cell phone minutes will be lost. Might as well use them up as much as possible.
All of my "Okanogan" references today were spelled the American way. Tomorrow when we cross into Canada the spelling changes to "Okanagan".
DSK
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