Thursday, 31 May – at Armitage Park, Coburg OR 97408

What! Are those clouds in the sky?  Yep, what the heck!  Not an early start, it’s not so cold but cold enough that we need the furnace on first thing before we rise to start out day.

Pretty early on Kim is out and at it, cleaning the windshield, windows etc. using Larry’s little ladder which is perfect for reaching those high spots.  After my late start I have some bookings to amend and some new ones to make some for our new accommodation requirements and a new watch to practice with.

Then it’s cleaning inside, coffee, lunch and and a walk in between the light rain showers.  It’s not blackberry season yet, the blossoms are just starting. The river is surging!

When I get back to the coach I see water p*ssing out the back engine bay and rush inside to find  Kim with his head down the engine bay from the bedroom hosing the engine clean.  Phew - so pleased there's nothing wrong!

Before we know it, it’s time for an early HH with L&L and their friends Judy and Tom (ex CHPS - California Highway Patrol) who have come over from their campground on the other side of town to have a drink with us.  We make plans together to check out the Farmers Market on Saturday.

Kim chats with some neighbours who have been teasing us by driving by in their MX5 (not a Miata) for a couple of days.  They are from BC and talk his language – Celsius and  Km’s not miles!  They have a nice dark red MX5 and tow it on a trailer, taking it out for outings as the weather permits.

Wednesday, 30 May – at Armitage Park, Coburg OR 97408

After a semi cloudy night with a full moon the morning dawned fine although there is a cool wind.  We sleep in, snuggling under the duvet while the furnace warms up the living quarters.  Kim gets a much needed haircut and then we are ready as planned by 10am for L&L to take us shopping - yay!  Kim wants to go to Cabelas to check out the Humminbird Chart Plotters etc. and the girls go girl shopping.  I want to pick some warmer clothes, it hasn't always been t-shirt weather since we've this far north in Oregon so a couple of sweaters need to come home with me : )  The boys head off to North Western RV for an hour or so browsing before coming back to pick us up.  IHop is on the menu for lunch (Kim's choice) and I have to say the food is epic – if not very healthy!!

Kim's choice for lunch - he said it was 'cos he has a sore gum and can't chew!

Next stop Best Buys, the best buy for a new Apple watch for me - my analogue watched died a couple of weeks back (heh heh) even though I had a new battery installed prior to coming away. It’s been a pain having to use my phone to tell the hour of the day each time I want to check it.   Anyway I choose the rose gold one which they have in stock (at a very good price, on sale with a $50 discount and no sales tax) and we take it home charge it up and see if we can make it work.  Yes we can!!

We are also hosting dinner tonight for L&L, it is way past our turn as they have had us over to theirs for dinner twice already.  So the watch takes the back seat while HH commences and  food is prepared, cooked and enjoyed!  Mustard Pork Stroganoff with buttered noodles is a “will def do again” meal, thanks Jo Seager!

After cleaning up I get to play some more with my watch, I will never figure out what all these apps do but so far I can say I like it!  Thanks for taking us shopping L&L : )

Aren't I lucky!!

Tuesday, 29 May – to Armitage Park, Coburg OR 97408

We are up early, it’s decidedly coolish but warms to 15C by the time we break camp, we're on the road by 9am.  The drive west towards Eugene/Coburg along HWY 58 (smacks of home) was very scenic – mountains, forests, a summit of 5,000', steep 6% winding descents, truck run offs, lava rocks, rivers, rail bridges, high fog, a tunnel, a reservoir and a dam, even a truck wreck, until we join SH5 heading north for maybe 8 or so miles until we get to our campground at Armitage Park, near Coburg.  But first we have a little power shop at Ross, where I pick up a ‘few’ items of clothing for me and Kim scopes out Cabelas to check out the Humminbird gear.

Could almost be in NZ

Lava Rocks - but only on the right hand side of the highway

I am sure we will fit!

Was the driver txting?

Hope we do see Elk!!

I am prematurely called back to the coach, K has had his lunch and we should get going for the next couple of miles to check in to our camp for the week (8 days).  On arriving at Armitage Park CG, there is no one at the gate so we make ourselves at home at our pre-booked site  #13.  This is a great park - full hook up, cable and free WIFI, even a tree for shade if we need it but it’s a bit overcast at the moment.   L&L have already arrived and have gone to collect their mail.  It’s already nearly 3pm so after we get set up, put on a load of laundry, check out the furnace circuit boards ready for going to North Western (the most amazing  RV parts in the country)  tomorrow, we have a late HH where we compare notes of our days travel etc…  Cheers!

If anyone needs their fix take this exit!

Monday, 28 May Memorial Day - Sunriver OR

I thought we were moving on today but when I checked our next reservation ‘very’ early this morning realised we aren’t due there until tomorrow so a quick wander down to the office to book in here for another day sorted that out.

L&L were going into Bend and when they heard we had another day here and offered to take us to Sisters, a beautiful resort town about 20 miles away – the gateway to Central Oregon.  We drove by Brothers getting here so we were keen to see Sisters too, named after the snow-capped peaks you see below.

The Sisters in Cascade Mountains

It was a lovely little arty/crafty town, a bit like Queenstown and a foodie paradise.  We had a great brunch there at a proper American Diner with bottomless coffee, and a waitress who made everyone her new best friend.  That was pretty much it for food for the whole day, we were done to a standstill!

Metalwork horses

Sisters hosts a huge world class rodeo in early June and an Outdoor Quilt Show - a mecca for fibre arts enthusiasts. There is a brewery, a coffee company and a ranch which provide most of the employment.  It is the home of Hoodoo alpine skiing (sounds a little freaky) but the beautiful iced peaks in the distance are evidence of the great skiing they must have here.

The traffic was super busy being Memorial Day weekend.  HWY 20 runs right through the town (a bit like Otaki) and it was very slow for us from about two miles out, but that was nothing like the delays the westbound vehicles were experiencing as we left around 2pm.  The delays featured in the local TV news and they put it down to holiday traffic.

RJ's Licorice - a long way from Levin!

Memorial Day is now recognised on the last Monday in May.  Back in 1968 they Mondayised the holiday to create a three day weekend.  It started as an event to honour Union soldiers who had died during the American Civil War.  After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day brings out all the American Flags in captivity

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and the wearing of poppies honours America’s war dead is traditionally done on Memorial Day (not Veterans Day).  The practice of wearing of poppies was further inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by Canadian soldier John McCrae.  

We get back in time to have a sleep in the sun before HH. It’s a quiet night, everyone a little tired and a travel day tomorrow.

Sunday, 27 May – TT Sun River OR

Us at Deschutes Brewery yesterday - thanks for the photo Larry!

Just after I posted yesterday afternoon, deer wandered through the park right next to us, but a dog over the way barked and sent them scattering so I didn't get a good photo.

We were pretty tired after our big day out so we all had a quiet night.  I wandered down to listen to the live music for a while and recorded some of the music on my phone for Kim - the husband and wife team did lots of country stuff including a nice rendition of Ira Hayes and a Native Indian version of Amazing Grace, it was great!

It was another clear, cold night and a cold early morning but the sun is out and it soon warms up to a nice 23C.  Kim gets inspired and washes and polishes the outside of the coach and I attack the inside.  We have a break for coffee with L&L next door and then a laze in the sun reading.

Larry catches K having a well earned rest after his cleaning!

The Indianapolis 500 was on TV so there was a bit of insidey stuff happening as well.

HH comes around in no time at all and we all congregate outside in the afternoon sun. We are joined a little later by Bob and Susan who also own a Monaco coach which is parked a little down our road, they will be at some the TT camps we go to later on so will catch up with them again.

HH with Dennis & Barbie, Lois & Larry and us!

Tonight Lois makes her special ‘Lois Fried Chicken’ and baked parmesan asparagus, plus sides for us all.  Again we eat way more than we need it was so delicious - feeling very satisfied : )

Saturday, 26 May – TT Sun River OR

We had a lovely time last night with L&L and friends of theirs, Barbara and Dennis.  Larry cooked burgers on the BBQ and Lois made all the trimmings to go with, yummy!  It continued to drizzle throughout the night but this morning we woke to this:

View from my bedroom window this morning, yay sunshine again!

Had the duvet on last night, cosy!  This morning Kim was up first and reported a chilly 7C at 7.30am. Half an hour later it was 10C so it is warming up. We go for a walk to explore the grounds.

TT Sun River is huge, 297 sites all nestled between tall skinny pine trees?  We have water and 30 amp power and there is a dump nearby.  At the business end of the park runs an oxbow of the Little Deschutes River.  There is a pool (don’t think we will be testing the water), a spa (might give that a go)  basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, mini golf and disc golf, kayak rental, Panini’s Pizzeria Food Truck and the “Town Hall” houses the store, offices, book exchange, saloon and movie rentals.

We are in campsite F5

Larry & Lois' rig in foreground, ours next

Over the weekends TT put on events for the campers, this morning between 8.30-10am Breakfast in the Lodge, there is a Craft Fair and at 3pm there is Member Appreciation - cake and icecream.  Tonight there is live music by “Bead Trapper” and at dusk there is also an outdoor movie. Tomorrow Sunday they have a church service and in the evening a hot dog and marshmallow roast.

To rejoin Thousand Trails this year we got a bargain - so for $460.00 we get 30 nights free camping and thereafter pay just $4 night for services.  There are 18 Thousand Trails campgrounds in the Northwest Zone and we plan to give most of them a try.

It's warming up and we’ve got exciting things to do today, L&L are taking us into Bend.

First stop is Deschutes Brewery where we meet up with Dennis & Barbara for a tasty tasting or two!

Just one tasting tray!

Then we head into town to the Deschutes Restaurant for lunch.  After a half hour wait we are seated and enjoy some great food, ranging  from fish & chips, burgers, salad and calamari.

Then a tour to Old Mill Town which is a lovely area of Bend where we check out the sights and some shops.  Even after our big lunch, some still find room to slip down a cheeky little (?) Ben & Jerrys! The whole town was humming and we are lucky to get carparks where we wanted to be.  The sun stayed out and it was warm in it but cool in the wind.  It was a great day out, thank you L&L : )

Mt Bachelor (world class ski resort) and The Sisters

Friday, 25 May – to Sun River, Bend OR

Last night we did go over to join the other campers at the BBQ, the smell of lovely smoky BBQ’d meat pulled us over and we're glad we did.  There seem to be quite a few regulars who stay at this little park, at least they all seemed to know each other.  In the end there were about ten of us all sitting around the huge BBQ on wheels. The food was great, tender steak and juicy lamb chops, yummy burgers and salad.  It was lovely to be welcomed as one of the team and we had a nice night.

Sometime during the early hours there was some more thunder and lightning and it started to rain.  Had all cleared by morning though.

We do not have very far to go today, maybe 140 miles to Thousand Trails Sun River (Bend) where we will meet up with our friends Larry and Lois.

Looks like we are heading into clouds!

It was a nice drive.  Until Bend that is!!

It started to rain just before we got to Bend and then the GPS sent us off on a wild goose chase taking us a few miles out of our way.  Garmin didn’t recognise the street address and its guess was in a totally different zip code.  AllStays also had the zip code wrong so it wasn’t until I realised we are actually driving away from the park, after having  toured most of Bend and it’s many tiny roundabouts and skinny streets, that we correct it and we finally arrive where we are supposed to be!

Larry was on hand when we arrived at TT to check in and he kindly escorted us to the site they had saved for us right next to them.  It was lovely to see them both again, just like old times!  Looking forward to Happy Hour!

Thursday, 24 May – to Hines OR

Posing Squirrel

Woke early to a clear sky and already 17C so decided to go for an explore around the fairgrounds.  Over the other side I saw a lot more horses, bulls and even some goats.  They hold rodeos here but the only action we saw was a rider exercising a horse around the barrel course.

Yesterday I saw a horse with flies around its eyes, so I think this mesh mask is a great idea, horse didn't seem to mind!

We follow the other motorhome out of the park and we head off to Walmart and to get some diesel.  Next to Walmart there is a Famous Footwear outlet so we go check if they have Kim’s Sperry shoes. They don’t have those but he got some nice Sketchers instead.  Nothing for me : (  Kim goes off to Home Depot and I check out Marshalls.  Meet back at the motorhome half an hour later and get on the road.

Fields of onions for as far as the eye can see, leaving Ontario OR

We follow HWY 20 – the central Oregon highway which is a lovely winding road, even better if you are on a bike and some were.  The Rivers Gold and Meheur and Pole Creek (as far as we can tell it is the same body of water, just different names) anyway it keeps us company most of the meandering way.  It’s a nice drive, mostly just two opposing lanes but we are not held up and drivers can get by us if they need to.  Drinkwater Pass at 4,212 feet merits a road sign but it actually gets higher with the summit a lofty 4,848’.  A steep 6% descent eventually gets us back down to flat land again.  Meantime we pass by Stinking Water Creek and were not tempted to stop and see why it is called that.

We're going to those distant hills!

Heading to the high country, its a snow zone here! 

River with many names, some times to our right, some times to our leftt!

Squiggly Road, the vertical straight line to the left indicates a time zone change, we gain an hour today!

Overtaking - safely!

We arrive into Burns and decide to check out Sands RV Park in Hines just a couple of miles further on.  They have a pull thru FHU site for us at $22 and we are invited to join them in a BBQ together with all the small camp’s guests.

The sun is out and it is 24C.

Wednesday, May 23 – to Ontario, Oregon

A bit cool again overnight but nothing as bad as NZ is getting at the moment, hope everyone is safe and keeping warm!  Break camp at 8.45am, it’s now 19C and sunny, warming up as usual.

We were treated to some more low flying small aircraft this morning, the flight plan is directly over us and I swear they skim the trees in the park before landing somewhere yonder.

We get on the I84, the fastest and most direct route between us and the Oregon state line, our goal today.  A few miles into the journey we have roadworks which close both westbound lanes so we share one of the eastbound lanes in the meantime.  We probably travel like this for maybe 20 miles but they are not over-protective like at home, the speed limit does not reduce, or if it does nobody acts on it and the traffic just keeps flowing freely.  However a bit later on we did see a truck in the ditch on the eastbound lanes and that held up that traffic for quite a ways.  We often see the truck drivers (and car drivers) using their phones while driving, the giveaway is the weaving across the lane but the rumble strips seem to sort them out pretty smartly.

So Idaho is famous for it’s potatoes right, we all know that but I think I would draw the line at having that as the by-line on my standard number plate. 

And I love potatoes!!

We pass a huge factory – Jerome Cheese, it has about 60 bays for the big rigs to pull up to for loading up.  We have also seen milk tankers with the same logo on.

Wind farms are visible on the horizon.   Also see a huge bottle of wine in a field!  Fedex must have a hub not far from here as we see a lot of trucks with two trailers coming towards us.  Thought we were going to have to drive through this grain silo! And I must google Hagerman Fossil Beds to see what we missed there.

A huge wine bottle in the wilderness! Have I gone to heaven?

Those trucks must carry a lot of stuff to be delivered!

Hope we don't have to drive through this silo at the end of the road!

Love how the Americans name their towns and cities such cool names, wouldn’t it be awesome to say you live in ‘Bliss’ and if you were a country singer wouldn’t you like to hail from ‘Mountain Home’ – I am sure there is a song about that?  We stopped for milk and fruit here at Mountain Home.

We drove by Bliss!

Just after 1pm we rock up to Malheur County Fairgrounds where we have booked a night.  Our $15  (thanks Passport America for the 50% off) get us 50 amps, a very flat grass parking spot and there are animals to talk to. 

Just one neighbour for now at the Fairgrounds!

My new friends!

It’s hot and sunny so we sit outside until it gets too hot and then we are thankful as once again around 4.30pm we get a single telltale gust of wind, the thunder clouds loom and the temperature drops just a couple of degrees.  We are the recipients of a very gentle sprinkling of rain too.

There is super fast, so fast she is almost flying, squirrel just outside, she posed for the photo then scampered up the tree.  Already downloaded the photos for today so will put it up tomorrow.

Tuesday 22 May - Heyburn, Idaho

Enjoyed a stunning sunset last night, followed by a brilliant lightning and thunder storm, no rain though.

Gorgeous sunset at Heyburn Riverside RV Park

Woke to another cool morning just 13C but the sun was out to warm us up and the temp settled around 22C - perfect!  

It’s our second day here so we can just lax back and enjoy it.  However first I need to spend some time on the web checking out and making reservations for us for the next few weeks.  We are getting into holiday season - Memorial Day on May 28, Fathers Day on June 17 (how weird is that?) and Independence Day July 4, so lots of places are getting booked up.  However, we are all set now, right through until early July, but still struggling with Independence Day which is a huge party here!  Hope we don't have to spend it in a Walmart car park!  The free WIFI is fantastic at this park, very fast, so it’s been great for researching stuff and we are saving our phone plan data.

This is driving me crazy!  Walmart have new TV advertising for their on line shopping with two day delivery and the ad plays Anita Ward’s “Ring my Bell” – thanks Walmart I can’t get it out of my head!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNVRN5nS7w

Around 4pm towering thunderclouds appear overhead, the wind ramps up and the temp drops a couple of degrees, looks like we are in for another storm.  We put the bikes away on their racks, stowed the reclining chairs and retired inside.  Our NOAA weather radio also blares into life but this time it is well after we notice the weather change for ourselves.  So far the storms have passed quickly, usually within an hour or so.

All gone by 5.30pm and we only had a few spits of rain.  However the awesome WIFI we experienced for the last two days has deteriorated – maybe everyone else is also inside playing on the internet.

Excited to see the finale of America's Got Talent tonight, no spoiler alerts!!

Monday, 21 May to Heyburn, Idaho

We’re back on the road today so up and at it and all set for an 8.45am start.  It’s sunny and 18C, although it was cool overnight, forecast mentioned only 13C.

As we headed north I tried unsuccessfully to get a meaningful photo of the Great Salt Lake, the largest lake between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean and the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere (20,000 square miles).  It hosts ten islands within its shores, one of which is Antelope Island, which has a campground and is separated from the mainland by a causeway. The salinity of the water averages about 12%, much saltier than the ocean. The lake is only 33 feet deep!  If we ever come back here I would like to spend much more time, there is such a lot to see.

We drove through a range of different landscapes, northern Utah is very green and agriculture is key.  Sheep were prominent and I saw the first lambs of the season, and I reckon get double points because I saw adorable twin black lambs!!

Missed the pic of the black lambs, you will just have to believe me!

We passed through deer migration corridors and several road signs warned to keep a watch out. It was a lovely drive, we were only the road for a couple of hours and there are absolutely no rattles or squeaks in the motorhome!!  The squeak fairy did an amazing job!

These corridors probably spanned 20 miles

Then we crossed the state line into Utah, got the welcome to photo and the last mile marker (0) in one - getting good at at these state line photos!

Sign looks like it has been shot full of holes but its mostly stickers!

We stopped at Walmart in Idaho for a short list of necessities, of which wine was at the top - you can’t buy wine at supermarkets in Utah, but we also needed some cleaning stuff as our stores had a hammering over the last couple of days.

Then we checked into Heyburn Riverside RV Park, which is an awesome park, partially funded by Idaho Parks and Recreation and I guess us, the campers, although it wasn’t expensive and offered discounts for seniors and Good Sam members.  We have a FHU pull-thu site with concrete patio, a grill and the grounds are beautiful.  I went for a walk through the Arboretum which was huge and extremely well labelled, there were trees from all over the world.

The Park borders the Snake River, which originates in Wyoming and arcs across southern Idaho before turning north along the Idaho-Oregon border and is a major source of irrigation water for potatoes, sugar beets and other crops.  Once upon a time the Snake River basin produced about half of all spring chinook salmon, more than two million wild salmon and steelhead but today these species are either extinct or threatened with extinction because of the dams downstream on the lower Snake.

Snake River - jetty not very busy today

The camp filled up during the afternoon and evening, with a mix of camping vehicles from truck campers, travel trailers, airstreams, fifth wheel and motorhomes.  Glad we booked in advance!

Watching the News, yesterday on a hiking trail near Salt Lake City a couple of mountain bikers were attacked by a Cougar, one was fatally mauled.  Maybe we shouldn’t have been so blasé last year when we came across cougar prints on the walking trail of the park we were staying at - yikes!

It got a bit cooler outside in the late afternoon as the sun was filtered by some high cloud but it produced a beautiful sunset a few hours later.

Sunday 20 May - Wasatch View Estate, Ogden UT

Birds started their dawn chorus at 5am the sky paled and the first rosy blush of dawn tinged the sky.  Honest, that’s what I saw out my bedroom window, the coach was positioned perfectly to watch the new day unfold.

Sun shining on the snow, view from our coach  

K spent the day pottering outside and me mostly inside.  Our motorhome is once again sparkly clean and shiny.  This is only the second time we have had both big slides out in the living area, we don’t always bother if it’s only overnight.  Every time we open both slides we are amazed how big it all seems inside.

Our site at Wasatch Views Estate

Went for a walk down the main road until the pavement run out, then back the other way towards the I15.  We are quite close to the interstate but can't hear it from where we are.

The weather was very pleasant all day until about 3.30pm when the wind came up, the sky darkened and thunderstorms threatened.  Didn’t come to anything and the clouds soon moved off.

We bought a $10 baby crockpot at Walmart the other day so I’m trying a pot roast today seeing as we are here for another whole day. It was a success - I am allowed to make it again!

We have another week before we are due to arrive at Armitage Park near Eugene OR so made some plans for stays between now and then.   

Saturday 19 May, Wasatch View Estate, Ogden UT

A brisk 14C this morning - had the furnace on while we watched the royal wedding.  We didn’t get up at 3am to watch it as apparently a lot of Americans did.  Surveys say 49% of respondents over 18 were planning to watch it, compared with only 39% who watched William and Kate’s wedding.  One would have to assume there is more interest because Megan is American.  Anyway we missed most of it real time but did see the rerun on a Mexican channel.  The only words we could understand were George Clooney, Serena Williams and of course the members of the Royal Family.  But that didn’t detract from all the lovely wedding outfits and fascinators galore.

Before we set off I tried phoning a couple of state parks and a city park for our next stay but they are all full over the weekend so we booked into Wasatch View Estates, just 86 miles away for two days.

We drive through Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital. It  nestles between the snow capped Wasatch Ranges (the edge of the Rocky Mountains) to the east and Great Salt Lake to the west and it sprawls. It looks modern and the CBD is dotted with high rises.  The pretty part of the metropolis is to the south, the north is mainly industrial. Just 30 minutes from downtown are four world-renowned ski areas.  SLC is also the home of the Mormon Temple, apparently it took 40 years to build.  The 2002 Olympics were held here too. 

Salt Lake City high rises with Wasatch Ranges backdrop

Mormom Tabernacle

The beehive is the state symbol of Utah and it appears on all the road signs. The early Mormon settlers used the symbol of the honeybee to represent hard work and industriousness.

Road signs feature the beehive state symbol

Coming into the city we pass a couple of huge motorhome sales yards, they are enormous!

How would you pick one?

The left lane along the I15 through SLC is for high occupancy vehicles, next to that is an Express Lane which can be used by carpoolers, buses, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and clean vehicles for free. Solo drivers need an Express Pass.  There are 7 zones and fees range from $0.25 to $1.00 per zone. Violators of the HOV or Express lane rules can be fined $337.  We are travelling on a Saturday so traffic is pretty light but I guess these express lanes get a good workout on a work day.

HOV and Express Lanes

We arrive at Wasatch View around 12.30, we have FHU and a large concrete slab/patio area.  The climate is perfect, the day warmed up considerably from its frigid start and we enjoyed our afternoon outside in the dry heat.  This is the first chance Kim has had to potter with his stuff in the compartments below so he was in his element and he wasn’t sweating so a happy camper.

He even went for a bike ride around the complex.  There are trailer homes here and they look pretty well cared for.  The grounds could do with a bit of a weed but otherwise fine.  We are within walking distance to some restaurants etc. so will go for a wander tomorrow and check them out.