Camano Island Getaway

Kevin and I had island fever so we headed to Camano Island for an overnight at the state park including a short hike with beautiful Sound views.
Camano Island video

Almost South to Arizona March 2019

Fall City, WA to Pendleton, OR to Jackpot, NV 

03.06.19-03.07.19

We are off on another adventure. This time to Arizona where we hope to find warmer weather.  Mother Nature was not going to make it easy for us as she threw more wintery weather as we headed south.  Icy scale formations grew on the van as we traveled through eastern Washington.  We made a stop in Richland at Spudnut Donuts.  Not sure if I’m completely sold on donuts made from potatoes but we gave it a try.  With freezing conditions and visibility less than 500 feet over the Blue Mountains, we stopped at Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton for the night.  The next morning, we awoke to sunshine and a blanket of snow.  We ate breakfast at the casino giving time for road conditions to improve.  It was beautiful crossing over the Blue mountains of Oregon.  Jo’s brother is moving to Idaho so we made a quick stop to check out their new lot where their home will be built.  Made it to Jackpot, Nevada where we stopped for the night at Cactus Pete’s Casino.  So far this trip has been wintery weather and casinos.

FC - Pendleton - Jackpot Video 

Jackpot, NV to Ely, NV

03.08.19

More snow fell overnight in Jackpot but less than the previous night in Pendleton.  The snowplows were busy cleaning up the highway as we headed south towards Wells.  Jo’s mom grew up in Wells where Jo’s grandparents owned the Wells Cafe.  Sadly, the building is gone.  The townspeople were out clearing the sidewalks and roads of the recent snowfall.  We continued on to Ely since Jo needed a reliable internet connection to work.  In Ely, Kevin and I walked about the town, checking out the oddities in the casinos - taxidermy, wood carved talking man, Roy Rogers exhibit, sidewalk stars, and a steakhouse where you can dine in a cell block. The town has several motels, most have seen better days and rent cheaply ($40).  And of course there are several bars or at least there used to be as many are now boarded up.   Ely also has several murals on the sides of their buildings.  One mural was dedicated to the woman of Ely who made the community.  Fitting to see this on International Women’s Day.  It was expected to get down to 16 degrees so we turned on the heater and snuggled in for the evening.

Jackpot to Ely Video 

Ely, NV to Stewarts Point on Lake Mead, NV

03.09.19

Awoke to a cold sunny morning but this time with no snow.  After a leisure morning, we continued our trek towards Arizona.  We stopped at Millers Point, overlooking the Cathedral Gorge.  This is a beautiful canyon which we have hiked and camped in the past.  As it had recently rained or snowed, the mud was exceptionally slippery.   I managed a full 360 and barely missed going down.  Good thing today our plans were just for a quick  look as hiking would not have been advisable.  Pretty desert scenery with Joshua trees, chollas and sagebrush as we continued. Overlooking huge valleys with a road as straight as an arrow crossing it.  Our plan was to camp at the Valley of Fire but the campgrounds were full.  Something we should have anticipated as it was Saturday night.  But all was not lost as we found a great boondocking spot at Stewarts Point overlooking Lake Mead. 

Ely to Stewarts Point Video 

Stewarts Point, NV to Boron, CA

03.10.19

Woke up to wonderful sunrise over the waters of Lake Mead.  After a 1/2 mile trek to the outhouse, we were ready to start our day or so we thought. The van was making a strange noise - sounded like rocks grinding in the engine.  We headed to Henderson to find a mechanic’s stethoscope so Kevin could diagnose where the noise was coming from as so far there were no warning light indicators.  Once supplied with the tools, Kevin’s best guess was that it was the AC compressor which in the Sprinter is always running by design even when AC is not in use.  In the past, we have had good experience with Rocklin MB and we can stay at our niece’s house so west and north we go.  Arizona will have to wait for us another time.  Tonight’s stop, Boron Rest Area where we can see in the distance the plant that processes borax and watch a guy do his circuit training off the back of his van.

Stewarts Point to Boron Video 

Boron, CA to Fresno, CA

03.11.19

We hit the road going through Mojave, Tehachapi, Bakersfield.... 

Well, we didn’t make it to Rocklin but luckily Fresno MB repair only 11 miles away from where we broke down.  AC compressor seized which shredded the belt rendering the van inoperable.   We called AAA for a tow.  First tow truck got there in 20 min. but it wasn’t big enough so they sent another bigger truck which got there in under 20 min.  Yikes, the van looked huge while being loaded onto the tow truck.  Bobdog rode in the Sprinter in his crate so I’m sure he was wondering what was going on as the van was tilted up to get it onto the tow truck.  At MB, they confirmed Kevin’s diagnosis and parts have been ordered so crossing our fingers it gets fixed by Thursday.  They said we could stay in the van tonight in their lot so that made us happy.  We don’t like to leave our home on wheels.  We’ll see what happens tomorrow and if we have to find a motel or not.

Boron to Fresno Video 

Fresno, CA Birthday Party (Day 1)

03.12.19

Day one of exploring Fresno by foot.  First stop, Starbucks for my free birthday coffee.  Bobdog enjoyed the morning walk and the potential for treats.  Giant streets around here, crossing 10 lanes of traffic and the crossing signal turns red before you barely get off curb.   After coffee, Jo and I took off for 2 mile walk to the movie theater while Kevin headed back to the van with Bobdog.  The van parts were ordered Monday but we missed 2pm deadline so most likely the parts wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday.   On our walk, Jo got into a fight with the sidewalk... sidewalk 1, Jo 0.  She’s ok probably find a few bruises later.  It was discount Tuesday at the theater so $12.40 for both of us to see the movie.  This is a huge theater with 22 different theaters and some had themed entrances.  Jo and I enjoyed watching “How to Train your Dragon.”  We then headed to Sal Mexican Restaurant which is one of my mom’s favorites although she likes the Selma location better.  Good thing Jo and I shared, as the serving was huge.  Meanwhile, back at the van, Kevin and Bobdog enjoyed a walk and some relaxing time.  After Sal’s, Jo and I headed back to the van via Walmart to pick up some ice for cold beer and drinks.   Bobdog and I went for a quick walk around MB parking lot or at least I thought it would be quick except for the California downpour.  We waited out the heaviest part and then made a run for the van. For dinner, Kevin and I went to Don Pepe Taqueria.  Pretty tasty food and a busy place.  One last stop for the night to Walmart for bday cupcakes and donuts for MB repair guys.

Fresno Bday Video 

Fresno, CA Food Tour (Day 2)

03.13.19

Another night in MB lot, it’s all good because we would rather stay in the van than a motel.  MB guys have been really nice, checking in with us and even said we could plug in if needed.  Kevin delivered the donuts to the guys in the morning and we got word the parts had arrived.  Yeah!  So we handed over the van and headed towards Kaiser’s Wednesday Farmers market.  At the farmers market, we got CBD coffee, homemade jam, chipotle cooking sauce, and filipino bread.  Backpacks full of goodies, we headed back towards MB.  Since, we seem to be making our own Fresno Food tour of course we stopped in at Uncle Harry’s New York Bagelry to pick up a couple of bagels.  Next stop, the Meat Market for delicious bbq sandwiches.  They pack a lot of meat in these sandwiches.  After lunch, we enjoyed the California sunshine for a bit.  Continuing on we checked out the Japanese internment memorial.  A very sad time for US history, imprisoning of American citizens based only on their race and ethnicity.   Unfortunately today, similar prejudice continues against other groups in America.  Remember, we are all products of immigration unless you are Native American Indian.  Last stop, Dutch Brothers, where we enjoyed more coffee and waited for MB to call us.  Around 3pm, we got our van back and finally we were on the road again.

Fresno Food Tour Video 

Sacramento, CA- Home

03.14.19-03.16.19

A sunny morning in California had the dogs out playing tag.  Then it was off to Costco to buy Emersyn a bed in a box.  I was very cautious as I tried skateboarding again. Then everybody gave the ebike a try.  Bounced around on the trampoline with Hudson & Emersyn.  A lot of fun and quite a work out!  In the evening, we attended Karter’s school performance.  She along with her classmates danced their hearts out.  That evening, we learned Kevin’s dad had taken a tumble and was in the hospital so the next morning, we loaded up and headed for home.  But before we left, Kevin and Jo sent Karter and Bella off to school with their own version of dancing.  Emersyn got some Bobdog time and we said our goodbyes until next time.  As we passed through the Shasta area, we were saddened by all the burned areas.  We made it as far as Roseburg where we called it a night.  The casino has a really nice rest area which makes a great overnight spot.  Bobdog and I stretched our legs by walking to the RV resort.  In the morning, we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise.  Grabbed breakfast (German pancakes) at Elmer’s and continued heading north.  We swung by the hospital to check in on Bob and then headed home to unpack in the sunshine.  Bob was released from the hospital the next day and is at home resting.  Our trip was cut short but we enjoyed it just the same!

Sacramento to Home Video 

Eastern Oregon Fall Getaway Oct-Nov 2018

1 Oregon Columbia River to Trout Creek

10.23-24.2018 Tues-Wed

Dropped off our ballots and headed east again. Taking the same route we had taken a couple of days ago through Yakima towards Goldendale. This time we crossed the mighty Columbia River entering into Oregon.  We found another Army Corps of Engineers Recreation Area just on the other side.  Rufus Landing has a huge open area next to the river with lots of places to park all sizes of RVs. We found a wonderful site looking up river at the John Day Dam.  Tonight’s dinner: grilled chicken, grilled zucchini and brown rice. This is a gourmet meal for us as usually when camping we do something quick and easy like hot dogs in the microwave.  After dinner, we settled in our warm Espar heated van and watched the trains go by and the patriotic lights on the dam.  Next morning, we headed south on Hwy 218 a more rural route than Hwy 97.  Lots of wind farms out here.  We came across Cottonwood State Park.  A really nice park-$10 campsites, trails, solar power tables to charge usb devices, free bikes to ride around the campground, bike repair station, showers and flush toilets.  What more could you ask for?  We will have to keep it in mind for future trips.  Our drive took us through small towns such as Condon, Fossil and Antelope, all which were decorated in the Halloween spirit.   We made our way to Clarno unit in the John Day Fossil National monument.  There, we hiked the 1.5 mile fossil trail looking for you guessed it “fossils.”  We found some leaves, roots and tree fossils.  Bobdog enjoyed the hike, sniffing what he could as we moved along.  We hiked to the end of the trail where the Clarno arch was located.  Across the way from the Clarno rocks lies the extinct volcano which today looks just like another set of mountains.  Our campsite for tonight is Trout Creek Recreation (BLM $8) site along the Deschutes River.  Most of the drive in was on pavement which turned into a skinny paved road which went through a very skinny tunnel under the railroad tracks.  Eventually, we were on a dirt road, but it was well maintained and the going was easy.   We found a great site near the river. Dinner tonight was spaghetti with ground turkey.  It was very tasty.  Jo is probably in shock that we have cooked healthy meals two nights in a row and used the bbq.  Another great day on the road comes to an end.

Day 1 Columbia River to Trout Creek Video 

2 Madras area

10.25.18 Thursday

We left Trout Creek campground headed towards Madras.  The Madras visitor center suggested driving out to Lake Billy Chinook and the Cove of the Palisades State Park. The drive took us through farmlands and towns including Metolius and Culver.  Lake Billy Chinook is formed behind the Round Butte Dam.  The Crooked river, The Deschutes river and the Metolius River all feed into the lake.  We descended into the canyon of the Crooked arm of the lake and then drove along the shoreline.  Massive cliffs of basalt towered above us.  We crossed over the Crooked arm and the Deschutes arm and ascended out of the canyon.  We continued on the road towards the Metolius arm. The pavement ended and the dirt road was washboard so we decided to stop at the overlook.  We walked a short distance to the Metolius balancing rocks.  There were several on the side of the hill where I guess the conditions were right for erosion to make these interesting displays of balancing rocks.  We headed back and drove to the Round Butte Dam overlook. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and PGE co-manage the hydroelectric facilities.  The tribe only opens the overlook on weekends so we were not able to see it.  It was time anyway to find a campsite.  There were several options but we chose the West Shore campground operated by the Bureau of Reclamation located on Haystack Reservoir.  All of the campsites had great lake views and the price of $15 sounded great.  Bobdog and I strolled around and out onto the dock.  We saw loons and Canada geese swimming and feeding.  Bobdog was very interested in the birds and I had to hold him back.  We wandered back to the van, ate dinner, and enjoyed the lake view until the sunset.

Day 2 Madras Area Video 

3 Smith Rock State Park

10.26.18 Friday

Headed east on SE Haystack drive towards Hwy 26. The pavement ended just after the forest service campground but the road seemed in reasonable shape and we only had 5 miles to go.  We don’t mind driving dirt roads in general but it really shakes the inside of the van up so if it’s really bad we don’t do it.  Along the way, we came across Grey Butte cemetery in the middle of no where.  Wonder why it’s out here with no towns close by.  Lots of elaborate gravestones.  It’s fun to walk through these old cemeteries reading the gravestones.  As we wandered down Hwy 26, we decided to take a diversion to check out a campground-Skull Hollow. That ended up changing the day’s plans so instead of Prineville, we went to Smith Rock.  It turned out to be an excellent day for hiking as it was not too hot and actually sprinkled on us a few times.  With no really plans of which trails to hike, we threw some water and a couple of snacks in a backpack and headed out.  We thought we would walk on the river trail for a short bit. As often is the case, once we got out there we said will just go a little further.  Before you know it, we had completed the Misery Ridge and River trail Loop.  As it was Friday, it was busy with climbers and hikers.  Lots of bolts in these walls but I guess that’s what sport climbing is all about.  We walked clockwise starting with the River trail then the Misery Ridge trail so to me the climb up seem more gradual.  I think we ended up hiking about 5 or 6 miles with an elevation gain of 1200 ft. Bobdog, our 11 year old beagle, was right there with us.  I actually think we were holding him back.  He seemed to want to run straight up and down the hill.  Bobdog thoughts, “Why do these humans insist on staying on this path!”  It was a great hike and I highly recommend it.  We ate dinner at the Terrebonne Depot.  Good food and we didn’t have to cook it.  After dinner, headed towards Prineville, our original destination.  Found a BLM campsite ($8), Stillwater which is appropriately named for this section of the Crooked River.

Day 3 Smith Rock Video 

4 Prineville area

10.27.18 Saturday

This morning, Kevin took off for a bike ride along the Crooked River just south of Prineville.  Bobdog and I drove up the canyon as well checking out the many campgrounds and fly fishermen on the river.  Bobdog was not really interested though as he fell asleep sitting up in the front seat.  I ran into Kevin at Bowman Dam, a 245 ft high, 800 ft across earth filled dam.  Kevin decided to ride back through the canyon while I decided to continue on to make it a loop trip. 

Just passed the dam on the Prineville Reservoir side was Powder House Cove State Park.  It was a good spot to stop for lunch.  I watched a woman getting ready to go kayaking as her dogs bounced along side of her.  She made three long trips getting her gear down to the water.  Wonder why she didn’t find a closer place to launch? Maybe she wanted the exercise.

I continued on Hwy 27 until the pavement ended and as there was no cell service, it seemed like a good time to turnaround.   I wandered back to Prineville via South Reservoir and Millican Road.  The road was very straight and also had several OHV pull out areas.  They even had OHV xing signs.  I can see why Kevin chose to ride back through the canyon.  I passed one of the Les Schwab’s facilities with stacks of shipping containers and tires in the yard; Prineville is their home base.

Stopping at Ochoco viewpoint, Bobdog and I took a short walk.  The viewpoint overlooks Prineville.  I picked up Kevin at the Good Bike store which is not only a bike store but has a lounge that sells beer as well. 

Tonight’s campground is Ochoco County Park.  We paid a little more tonight $20 but they have showers and it was time.   We are the only ones in the campground except for the host.   I expect there will soon be a sign saying “Closed for the Season.”  We’ve seen this sign many times while traveling off season.

Day 4 Prineville Video

5 John Day Fossil Beds 

Painted Hills

10.28.18 Sunday

Today, we spent the day exploring the Painted Hills of Oregon.  Beautiful displays of red, yellow, and tan stripes on the surrounding hills.  These stripes are a record of climate change millions of years ago.  The red bands formed in a warmer, wetter climate while the yellow and tan bands indicate a drier climate.  The black spots in some areas are caused by manganese concentrations, indicators of some type of plant.  

As you look at the hills, you can see why they got their name.

We explored three other areas: Leaf Hill,  Red Hill, and Painted Cove.

Buried in Leaf Hill are fossilized remnants of plants over 30 million years in age and evidence of prehistoric ecosystems.  The hill is fenced off as you are not allowed to look for fossils, so we scouted at the edge of the fence for fossils.  We found a couple of tiny rocks with what looked like a fossilized leaf.

Just up the road was Red Hill.  A short walk took us closer to the hill.  From there you could see the crunchy dry surface.  Nearby was a small white hill.  This is an exposed spot of the Clarno formation which was buried in a volcanic eruption and today is covered by the John Day formation. 

The final area we explored was Painted Cove.  A nature trail tells you interesting facts as you make your way around the hills.  The hills are very fragile and there are keep off signs.  Yet, either people can’t read or don’t care and have walked on the hills which scars them permanently.  

We drove through the small town of Mitchell which is on the Transamerica Bike route.  The town has a small park where cyclists an overnight. 

It was time to find a campsite for the evening.  We drove up NF 12 about 6 miles to Barnhouse Campground.  Surprisingly, on a paved road.  The campground is nestled among the trees so the only view of the valley was from the road.  As we drove in, we noticed a smoke coming from a fire pit.   Looks like someone didn’t put out their fire completely.   Kevin broke out our shovel and extinguish it.  This is another campground that we have all to ourselves.  It is a free campground and looks to maybe be one that hunters use mostly.  We saw what looked like a place where you would hang your deer to clean it.  The night was very chilly as a storm was passing through so we turned on the Espar heater.  It’s getting a good work out this trip.

Day 5 John Day Fossil Beds Video 

6 Hwy 26 between Mitchell and Austin

10.29.18 Monday

Woke up to a chilly 33 degrees and it wasn’t long before light snow started to fall.  The campground is at 5200ft so we were in the snow zone for this storm system, but it wasn’t sticking.  Cold-Rainy day so we did our sightseeing from the van.  We continued driving on the TransAmerica bike route checking out all the places that we had planned to go in the Fall of 2017 before the smoke from the fires made us change our plans.  

A shoe tree between Mitchell and Dayville had the most shoes in a tree that I’ve ever seen in my travels.  I think of my dad whenever I pass these shoe trees.  He spray-painted a pair of his shoes orange and threw them in a tree on US395 near Hallelujah Junction, California.

Stopped at Mascall Formation Overlook for 360 degree view.  Cute towns along the way: Dayville, Mt Vernon, Prairie City.  We spotted a huge herd of pronghorn gazing in a field.  Tonight we are camping at Bates State Park $11.  Again, we are the only ones in the campground.  This campground has no hookups so I think that is what keeps most Rvers away and it’s maybe too cold for most tent campers on the 30s.  Kevin built the van so we can go anywhere and still be able to run all the necessities: coffee maker, toaster, microwave, refrigerator, heat, hot water etc.  It’s wonderful!

Day 6 Mitchell & Austin Video 

 

7 Scouting Oregon’s Old West Scenic Bike Route

10.30.18 Tuesday

Woke up to another cold morning at Bates State Park so not too eager to get out of bed.  But, we finally made a plan for the day’s activity.  Oregon has developed several bike routes throughout the state.  We decided to explore for a future ride, the Old West Scenic Bikeway, a 175 mile loop with some challenging elevation gain.  Leaving the campground, we turned onto county road 20.  Passed a recent fire, hopefully it’s out.  The way took us through some pretty country with cliffs and creeks running along the road.  A cow greeted us on the road and then decided that was enough and mooved on.  At Ritter Butte, we got a bird’s eye view of the surrounding golden hills.   Then, we started getting back into the John Day formations with geological markers along the route.  We stopped for lunch at Big Bend Recreation Site.   It sits along the North Fork John Day River.  Camping is available for $5.  It was really nice campsite, but we rolled on.   The towns along this side of the loop are really small: Long Creek, Monument, and Kimberly with limited services.  We completed the loop via Hwy 26 going through the towns of Dayville, Mt Vernon, John Day, and Prairie City where there are more services.  Overall, looks like a good ride mostly on a rural road even with the lack of roadside shoulders.  Finished at Bates State Park for the night.  Looks like we have the whole campground to ourselves again. Bobdog and I took a stroll to Bates Pond.  It was mighty cold outside, 34 degrees, so it was a short walk and we ran back to the warm van.  I told Bobdog to find the van and he seem to know exactly where it was. Smart Beagle!

Day 7 OR Old West Scenic Bike Route Video

8 Bates State Park to Halfway

10.31.18 Wednesday

Happy 11th Birthday Bobdog, Bella, and Cedar!  

Chilly enough this morning that there is a light dusting of snow on the ground.  Glad Kevin had morning duties with Bobdog.  Brrr!

It’s official, the campground is closed for the season.  We saw the sign as we left.  It was probably the ranger driving through at 6am, looking to close the gates until he saw us in the campground.

Decided to check out the small town of Sumpter.  Gold was discovered in 1862 and the town’s population grew to 3,500.  However in 1917, it suffered the fate of many mining towns, fire burned 17 blocks of the town.  Dwindling gold returns and the fire ended the boom.  There are still a few old interesting buildings standing so not a ghost town just yet. 

Sumpter also has a gold dredge.  These are huge machines that float in their own self-made pond and wench themselves upstream, mining the gold as they go and depositing tailings behind.  It completely destroys the riverbed.  You can see tailings for miles.  The Sumpter dredge covered 1,100 acres over 40 years.  In its lifetime, this dredge made $4.5 million at $35 per troy ounce.  Once it became no longer economically feasible, the dredge was left where it stopped as it would be too expensive to remove.  This dredge closed in 1954, more than $100,000 in debt.

Wandering around we found a beaver pond but didn’t see any beavers and there was a campfire burning near the dredge so we warmed ourselves up as it was very chilly.

Explored Baker City with its many historic buildings including the Geiser Grand Hotel, Antlers Hotel, and many churches. 

Next stop, Oregon Trail Interpretive center.  Lots of great displays and information: covered wagons, pioneers and their stock, stories of hardship and more.  There are several trails as well, one leads to wagon ruts.  Sadly, we did not have time to see and do it all as we got there an hour before they closed.   We will just have to come back. 

It was now after 4pm and we needed to find a place for the night. We saw several great boondocking spots, but with the lure of showers at Hewitt & John Holcomb Parks near Richland we continued on.   We were disappointed however as the campground was really just a parking lot that had spaces labeled as campsites and the showers were nowhere in site.  We decided to move on as we didn’t feel like paying for a site in a parking lot.  Heck, we can do that for free at Walmart.  

On our way out, we saw another area that looked like a campground.  We found a coin-operated shower near there, only one was open.  The water must have high deposits of iron because everything was stained a rusty color.  Not my favorite thing to shower in but once the water was running it wasn’t too bad.  

By now it was dark and we hadn’t eaten yet, so do we stay put, paying for a parking lot spot or move on to find a boondocking spot?  Kevin says “Hey, Halfway has a couple of restaurants and I’m sure we can find someplace to park there, so off we went.  

It was dark and foggy between Richland and Halfway and there was a giant grade to go over.  Kevin was driving 20 mph as you couldn’t see very far ahead.  A deer jumped out onto the road but Kevin’s quick reflexes avoided a disaster.  One of the reasons, we don’t like to drive after dusk. Those pesky deer haven’t figured out that cars and deer don’t mix.

As we got within a mile of Halfway, we noticed a sign for Hells Canyon Info Wayside and we said there’s our boondocking spot for the night.  We continued onto Halfway and ate at the Main Place in the lounge/bar and had a pretty good meal of meatloaf and pork chops.  After dinner headed back to the wayside for the night.

Day 8 Bates to Halfway Video 

9 Hells Canyon Scenic Drive

11.01.18 Thursday

As it was dark when we came in last night, we were pleasantly surprised to see we had parked near what we call a “Pepper Shaker”.  (Burner for waste products at sawmill.)  These are no longer used but we think they look cool.

Toured the town of Halfway.  Our good friend, Don, went to High School here so we drove around until we found the High School.  Near the museum was the Halfway old jail and we passed the town cemetery. 

(From Brandi Aubrey: Very cool! As you said, Dad went to HS there, and that’s where he graduated. My grandfather ran the rock crusher on the construction crew that built the dam. Dad, his twin, and my grandparents lived in a trailer on the edge of town as you drove out to the dam that many of the construction families lived in. Kids were either “dam kids” if their parents worked on the construction of the dam, or “townies” if they grew up there.)

As we entered the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, there was a barrel with a sign asking grouse hunters to place a wing and tail in the barrel for harvest information.  So I guess we won’t be hiking since we forgot our orange vests.  

It was sunny, so we were optimistic that we would have great views of the canyon, but as we got closer to the overlook it became increasingly cloudy.  We waited for an hour in the hope that it would clear, but it did not.  We had a great view of clouds!  Just a few hundred feet lower and you were out of the clouds, so another trip will have to be made here.  As we drove downhill passing other cars coming up, Kevin said “Prepare yourself for disappointment.” LOL

We saw two grouse running from the road.  Good luck to them. 

We checked out a couple of campgrounds as we headed towards Joseph but we decided to get to lower elevations where it might be warmer.  Continued through the town of Joseph onto Minam where we found a State Park campsite along the Wallowa River for $10. 

Day 9 Hells Canyon Video 

10 Dam Days: Snake River Dams to John Day Dam

11.02.18 - 11.04.18 Friday-Sunday

Two days of exploring dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers as we work our way home. 

There are four dams on the lower Snake River that were built by Army Corps of Engineers (ACE).  These are concrete gravity dams with navigation locks, spillways, powerplants and fish ladders.  We visited the three lower dams.

First stop, Little Goose Dam on the Snake River which was completed in 1970.   Lake Bryan is formed behind the dam.   We checked out the fish ladder viewing windows and saw a few fish swimming around (salmon, shad, bass).   

There were several fishermen near the exit to the fish ladder and a few lucky fishermen had caught a couple of steelhead.  While we were in the fish viewing room, one of the fishermen came in to check out the fish.  He saw a big one and said I’m going to catch that one and hurried out to his fishing pole.  

We were greeted by a friendly employee at the juvenile fish facility who said it was closed for the season, but he could give us a tour if we liked.  He told us about the operations of the facility, ACE’s perspective on fish survival and mortality and the various ways for the fish to pass through or around the dam. 

Next stop, Lower Monumental Dam which became operational in 1969.  It was a long rural road to this dam.  Since the fish ladder was on the other side, I don’t think it gets many visitors on this side.  This dam forms Lake Herbert G West.

The final dam on the Snake River forming Lake Sacajawea is Ice Harbor.  It became operational in 1961.  Below this dam, the river joins the Columbia River where another series of dams continue to control the river.  Since Ice Harbor Dam is located near the tri-cities, this dam is very popular and has a visitor center.  However, I guess not popular enough as it was closed for the season the day we visited.

It is interesting to see these dams as there is controversy surrounding them.  We recently watched a movie called “Dam Nation” which gives a different opinion then ACE’s. 

We continued following the Columbia River eventually stopping at Cliffs Park which sits below the John Day Dam.  This is the newest of Columbia River dams, it was completed in 1972 and has the highest lift of 110 feet.  We watched barges going through the locks and at night, this Dam is lit up in red, white and blue.

We camped at sites managed by ACE along the rivers.  No frills just a big dirt lot with no amenities except one pit toilet.  Great views of Lake Bryan and Little Goose Dam on Snake River, then the next night downstream of the John Day Dam and surrounding cliffs on the Columbia River.

And so ends our trip as we make our way home, leaving the sunshine behind, driving towards the grey curtain atop Snoqualmie Pass.

Day 10 Dam Days Video 

WA Ballot Getaway Oct 2018

Washington ballot getaway

10.20.18-10.22.18

Goldendale and back

Waiting for our ballots to arrive so we could hit the road.  They were mailed on Wednesday and now it was Saturday and they were no where in sight. So we decided to take a mini getaway and come back in a couple of days. We headed east making it a short drive day to Selah Rest Area just before Yakima.  We found a spot with a view of the southeastern sky.  The hope was that we would be able to see Orionids meteor shower at 3am.  Kevin tried out his new stainless steel growler with co2 tap handle from Jo.  He had filled it a couple of days ago and it worked wonderfully. We ate our dinner and then nestled into bed.  At 10:30pm, there was a knock on the window.  A guy holding a fan belt in one hand, asked for $19 to go to Walmart to buy some parts. That was met with skepticism by us.  Kevin told the guy “Sorry dude, we don’t have any cash” and he went on his way.  We’ve had someone knock on our windows on other trips. The first time, a guy needed a fire extinguisher to put out his wayward campfire that had spread due to the gas can he placed next to it.  Another time was on the Erie canal, the police knocked on our window looking for deadbeat Daniel who owed back rent at the marina.  At 3am, the alarm sounded, needless to say no one really wanted to get up.  Kevin rolled over not interested and went back to sleep.   I figured well,  I’m awake now so I will take a peek outside.  No meteors were visible due to the Yakima city lights below us.  Darn light pollution! I gave it a good 15 minutes and then gave up and went back to bed. 

The next day we drove to Goldendale and Maryhill.  We visited the WWI Stonehenge memorial.  It sits on top of a hill overlooking the Columbia River.  It is a replica of England’s Stonehenge but it is made of concrete and not aligned with the sun because the builders forgot to take into account the differences in latitude.  Inside the memorial are war hero plaques.   This is also the temporary location for the Goldendale Observatory which is being rebuilt at another location and should be open by this time next year.  The observatory was giving two talks that day.  One at 2pm on the solar system and sun and the second at 6pm about the night sky.   We decided to attend both.   We were the only two attending the 2pm show, so we enjoyed an excellent lecture by the administrator of the observatory. Normally, only supposed to be an hour long program, we got the college version per the lecturer, a 2 hour lecture and lots of telescope time checking out the sun. It was awesome!  From the telescope, we were able to see a solar prominence (a large, bright feature extending outward into the sun’s outer atmosphere), filaments (magnetic loops that hold relatively cool, dense gas suspended above the surface of the Sun) and plages (bright regions in the chromosphere of the Sun typically hotter spots on  the surface).  Sadly, there were no sun spots visible on that day.  FYI the sun’s core is 27 million degrees while the surface averages 10,000 degrees.  For the night show, there was one other couple and a couple of locals that attended, so still a small group. Through the telescope we saw Saturn and its rings, Mars, a Double Double Star, Ring Nebula, and Andromeda Galaxy.  We also saw an iridium flare with the naked eye.  Iridium flares or glints are the visible phenomenon caused by the reflective surfaces of passing satellites (such as antennas, SAR or solar panels), reflecting sunlight toward the Earth below and appearing as a brief, bright "flare".

In the future, iridium flares will no longer happen as these types of satellites are being replaced.  After the program, we drove east on Hwy 14 to our campsite at Cliffs Park, an Army Corps of Engineers recreation area.  We had pre-scouted it earlier that day.  Along the shore, the native Americans have built several platforms from which they fish with their nets.  As the season was over, we saw only one guy fishing and watched him catch about one fish in each net.  He told me that just a couple of weeks ago, he had caught 140lbs.  The rec area was a great place to overnight, it was free and a clean pit toilet always brings a smile.  In addition, because it’s October, there was no one here. Our campsite was just below the dam next to the locks. At night the dam is lit up in red, white and blue.  We even got to see a huge barge go through the opening to the locks. 

The next day we drove west on Hwy 14. What a beautiful drive with lots of stuff to do.  We will be back, but for now we headed on to meet up with our friends the Hiltz’s for lunch at a local brew pub.  While we were at lunch, Bobdog enjoyed playing with the other beagles.  From there, we said our goodbyes and headed home keeping our fingers crossed that our ballots had arrived so that we could vote and then be on our way again.

Yeah! Our ballots arrived.  We VOTED because it is the best way to help change what is happening to our country by the corrupt current administration. 

So get out there and VOTE!

Ballot Getaway Video