ZZZZZZZ

Well, it's official.  We are now on vacation.  Nobody did nothing today!  Partly due to the heat, but mostly because there is nothing to do here but chill out and relax.  That's code for taking a nap.

Jim took a bike ride and Kathe did take out her needlepoint, but with the temperature at 99 at 10:00 this morning and warmer this afternoon, we are all just taking it easy.  A real snooze fest.

We moved to a different site this morning as the site on the river that we had last night was booked today. Our new site is more in the trees and a little bit father from the river, but we're still very happy here. I love to run in the grass and chase the quail family.  It's fun to watch their little hats bounce when I run after them. Don't worry, I'm not as fast as I used to be so they have nothing to worry about.  As a matter of fact, in this heat no one is moving very fast.

Here's a picture of last night's sunset and one of our new back yard.

DEVIATION FROM THE PLAN

Note to self:  Always find out if there is a open air concert at the Casino before booking a site.

The Wild Horse RV Park and Casino looked so good on paper and the reviews were all fine, but who knew the night we were going to be there was the night the great Ramon Ayala was performing before a crowd of several hundred screaming Hispanic fans.  I'm glad they all had such a nice loud evening, but we would have preferred a good nights sleep!

We've stayed at several Indian Casino resorts before, and our favorite is Seven Feathers right over the Oregon border.  Jim and Kathe nicknamed this place Two Feathers! We couldn't wait to leave this morning and find something better down the road.

So after a quick trip to the Pendleton Wool Factory Outlet it was time to hit the road for parts unknown!  We don't usually deviate from the plan, but this called for drastic measures. Luckily, we found a great place on the Columbia River in the town of Boardman, Oregon.  We like it here so well that we are going to stay here for 4 nights.

I love it here. There is a path all along the riverfront just for me to walk for as long as I want.
It's so pretty here that Kathe doesn't even tug on my leash and make me go back until I'm good and ready to go home.

UNDERGROUND IN PENDLETON

We only drove about 50 miles this morning for our next adventure.  Our home for the next two nights is the Wildhorse Casino RV Resort in Pendleton, Oregon. At first, I thought we were headed for the Indian Tipi Village but Jim turned right instead of left and we have a nice RV site with a grassy area and a shade tree.

This afternoon Kathe and Jim took a tour of the underground tunnels in the city of Pendleton.  For several decades around the turn of the century, there were two towns in Pendleton. One above the soil line for all to see and one below for a chosen few.  This underground town was first used by the Chinese who were not allowed on the streets after dark.  For safety reasons they conducted business underground and dug access tunnels from one business to another.

Tunnels were expanded and added onto until there was a whole city under ground. The tunnels later became very useful for illegal businesses such as brothels, gambling halls, and opium dens.  During Prohibition the tunnels were used to conceal speakeasies with secret rooms and tunnels through which people could flee in the event of a police raid. The cooler temperatures underground later housed a meat market and an ice cream parlor.

At one time there were over 32 card rooms and 18 brothels in Pendleton.  And you thought all this town was known for was the woolen mill!

KEEPING MY PAWS CROSSED

Are you tired of hearing about the dreaded "check engine" light? Well, I am.  This morning they got ME up at 6 AM for yet another trip to Freighliner to see if we could get things fixed for once and for all.  We were only there for 3 hours and we had a combustion check on the cooling system and passed with flying colors. They drained the system and filled us up with new coolant, so keep your paws crossed that the problem is solved.  By the way, I met the nicest trucker in the lounge who let me sit on his lap for a few pats, so it wan't a total loss for me.

Later as I stayed home in air conditioned comfort, Kathe and Jim went exploring  to the Blue Mountain Crossing Interpretive Center.  It was an easy trail that took them alongside some of the best preserved and scenic traces of the Oregon Trail.  Jim got to have a little hike in the pine trees and Kathe got a little history lesson.  Of course no dogs were allowed, even though I'm sure there were dogs on the trail back in the 1840's.  Maybe I should look into buying one of those fake service dog vests on the internet!

After that excursion, Kathe and Jim drove to Catherine's Creek to take another short hike.  Just as they reached the trail head it started to pour big drops of rain. Pity the poor tent campers who had just set up in the Catherine's Creek Campground.

On the way back to our coach Kathe and Jim stopped at the Hot Lake Springs Hotel for a quick tour. The hot springs produces 3 million gallons of 208 degree water per day and is the largest spring of it's kind in the world.

HOT LAKE

It was a quick trip this morning down to La Grande, Oregon and our home for the next two nights, Grande Hot Springs RV Resort.  It was an easy 50 mile drive down the beautiful Hells Canyon Scenic Byway.  Lots of ranches and farms with fields of wheat and hay in every direction you looked.

The Native Americans lived here in harmony and named the area the Valley of Peace.  In the 1840's settlers passed here en route to the Oregon Trail but by the early 1860's began to establish farms and settlements.  Early visitors flocked to the area around Hot Lake for the benefits of the fresh air and mineral water.  By the 1930's the area around Hot Lake Springs was known as the Mayo of the West and many hotels and clinics were built.

Our RV Resort is adjacent to the Hot Lake, but right now it looks like a lily pond there is so much growing on top of the lake you can't see the water.  No one here has ventured to the Hot Lake because it's supposed to be full of mosquitoes.  I've been out looking for wildlife but have seen nothing but other doggies, I think there might be some gophers in the dog walk area but more on that later.

Kathe and Jim went out to the big museum in the town of Union, just down the highway. Jim was really impressed and said later that it was one of the best museums they had ever visited.  There were several rooms of furniture and antiques from the early settlers.  Here's a picture of the kitchen and all of the rooms were this well done.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE/CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

It looked like it might rain when Kathe and Jim set out for another adventure in the town of Joseph this morning.  Jim was determined that they go for a hike in the Wallowa State Park and take the Tramway up the mountain.  Kathe was determined that she was going to find the Arrowhead Chocolate Shop and have a nice lunch in town.

The Wallowa Tramway is a 3,700 ft gondola ride to the summit of Mount Howard.  It's said to be the steepest gondola in North America and it climbs the face of the mountain.  Kathe was hanging on to her seat with her eyes closed and Jim was standing up taking pictures!

Once they reached the summit of the mountain at 8,150 feet the views were spectacular. It was a little overcast so the pictures aren't real clear but  there were snow capped mountains in every direction. They took a hike on the purple trail where the Lupine were blooming all over the place.  Just as they reached the Valley Overlook it started raining.

They stopped on the way home for some hand made chocolates in Joseph at the Arrowhead Coffee Shop.  Then it was time for lunch at the Terminal Gravity Brew Pub in the town of Enterprise.  The brewery describes itself as "the Middle of Nowhere/Center of the Universe" and the place was packed for lunch. The grass fed beef burgers must have been really good as no one thought to bring anything home for me.

JOSEPH

We spent this morning worrying about the radiator.  Seem that the engine light problem just won't go away.  On our drive into Wallowa yesterday every time we started to climb in altitude the check engine light came on with a message to check the coolant level.  Well, our coolant level really is low and that's a problem.  Jim spoke with Freightliner and filled the coolant reservoir, but we will have to stop for service when we get to Pendleton on Monday.  You meet the nicest doggies in the truckers lounge so I'm actually the only one of us looking forward to spending time there.

After the trip to the hardware store for coolant, Kathe and Jim went out exploring in the nearby town of Joseph, Oregon.  It's a small town with only about 1000 residents, named after the Nez Perce Chief, Joseph.  It's a really fun town with all sorts of interesting stores and art galleries.  This weekend the town is celebrating "Chief Joseph Days" with parades and a rodeo. Kathe and Jim are making plans to go back to Joseph for the rodeo on Wednesday night.

After a cruise through Joseph and a little shopping they headed to Wallowa Lake which was a couple of miles outside of Joseph. The Lake is in the middle of a pine forest surrounded by snow capped mountains.  People were water skiing this afternoon on the lake. Wallowa Lake is an Oregon State Park.  There is camping and hiking in the forest right next to the lake.  Unfortunately, you have to make your camping reservations 9 month in advance or we would be staying there tonight.

It's very nice here at our RV Park, a lot quieter than the State Park, and there is a really beautiful grassy area with benches overlooking the Wallow River on the south side of the park.

ALL ABOUT THE DRIVE

We drove almost 200 miles today from Idaho into Washington, and then down into Oregon.  Our destination was the Wallowa River RV Resort in Wallowa, Oregon.  The drive was a frightening experience!  We drove on Highway 129 in Washington which turns into Highway 3 in Oregon.  It was a steep climb to almost 5000 feet on the edge of a mountain the whole way up.  Turns and turns and hairpin turns upon hairpin turns.  Kathe sure can pick them!

Once we reached the RV Park the park host tried to get Jim into a site between a huge rock and a big tree.  Kathe jumped out and yelled "STOP" just in time.  Jim went around the park and backed into the "pull-through" site.  Then once we started to hook up we realized that she put us in the wrong site.  They told us that we will have to move tomorrow to the "right" site.  But tonight we are just going to relax and enjoy the scenery.  There is a ranch with several horses right across from our site and the Wallowa river runs through the park behind us. 

Too tired to do much exploring tonight but there is lots to see and do here.  Oh, and the cell tower is up on that mountain right above us.

BACK ON TRACK

Enough Already!  Three days without the internet, it was like that commercial on TV where they keep looking at the screen and thinking it's coming back, and nothing happens.

Today was much like yesterday, another long Jeep ride into the hills.  This time we went on the other side of Highway 95 where the road took us up into a pine forest and back down to the White Bird Battlefield. 


The White Bird Battlefield is an historical site where a battle was fought in 1877.  The US troops were forced to retreat after the Nez Perce killed the Army bugler and communication was lost between Company H and Company F.  Communication lost? Sounds familiar.

Jim barbecued some big steaks tonight, so there's a good chance there's a piece waiting for me.  Restaurant food here is very weird.  Kathe had a Philly cheese steak sandwich yesterday that had CheeseWhiz poured all over it and the French Dip that Jim ordered had mayonnaise slathered on the bread.  Dog food sounds a lot better than that!

OFF THE GRID

We've moved on down the highway and we now have full service and a cell tower in sight. So I need to catch you up on the adventures of our past three days here in White Bird Oregon.  I got very frustrated without internet but the peace and quiet did have it's advantages. 

Our site was # 18 at the end of the row right on the Salmon River in the shade of a willow tree.  There was a beautiful lawn for my pleasure and no other campers on our patio side. It was quiet, peaceful and perfect.  So peaceful that I just relaxed in the grass and didn't bother to chase the birds away. 

The drive up to White Bird was made difficult because we had to stop 3 times for road work  When we finally got there instead of relaxing, Kathe and Jim went for a ride in the Jeep.  There were lots of forest roads to explore in this canyon, so of course Jim must drive them.

The Snake River was on the other side of our canyon so they drove up over the mountain to Pittsburgh Landing to watch the Jet boats.  There were several very large ranches in the canyon between the Snake and the Salmon rivers.  We saw lots of cattle grazing and even a herd of Texas long horns

It was kind of weird without the phone or internet, Kathe and Jim couldn't settle an argument without asking Google.  A question about the Nez Perce battle in White Bird will have to go unanswered another day.

 

SLOW MO

Tonight we are in the most beautiful location right on the banks of the Salmon River in White Bird, Idaho.  I've got some terrific pictures to show you of the ride up here and our campsite that I took this morning.

Only trouble is that the internet is SLOW (they call it rural) and the pictures haven't arrived in my email yet.

You'll just have to wait a few days to hear about my adventures.  I know the internet is out there somewhere!

TRICKED

 Right after breakfast this morning I went for a ride in the car to help Kathe take the garbage to the dumpster. When we returned our house had  moved.  They tricked me.  I thought we were going up the highway today to White Bird, but instead they booked one more night here in McCall.   Our big move?  From site # 82 to site #79.  It didn't even smell different to me!

Well, you can see that our view of the river is better from here, we are looking down instead of up. Tonight is really our last night here although we are all wishing that we could have stayed longer.  Our next campsite is in a really small town right on the banks of the Salmon River.  The population of the town of White Bird is 91, so we are making sure we bring everything we'll need for the next few days.

After lunch today Kathe and Jim went to Lake Payette State Park and took a walk along Lake Payette.  They used to camp there along time ago when they had a smaller motor home and have fond memories of those times.  They saw a deer resting on the trail and Kathe stopped to pick some huckleberries.  Below is a picture of the Lake.

PARADISE AT LAST

After we had a good nights sleep we woke up to a fantastic view of the Payette River.  We have stayed at this resort several times and are always so happy to be back.  We weren't supposed to have a site on the river this year, but due to a cancellation, here we are.  Finally, something is working out for us.

Kathe took this picture looking down at the lake from the front of our site. Just a few minutes before there was a deer on the lawn munching on the grass.  By the time she got the camera out he hopped away.  Jim saw another deer tonight but we missed that one too.

Later this morning Jim's friend Bob drove up to McCall with his new ATV.  The guys set out for an adventure on the forest trails near Brundage Ski Resort north of McCall.  This was a new experience for both of them but they really had fun.  They returned home covered in mud from head to toe and smiling so I guess they will repeat the experience.  It was too muddy for Kathe and I so we spent the day doing chores.

Of course the first order of business was a dunk in the kitchen sink for me.  My hair was dirty from the Freightliner shop.  All those pats from those greasy mechanics didn't help my coiffure one bit.

Kathe had a bunch of other stuff to do around the house, but when she finished we went for a nice long walk around the park.

Kathe and Jim may like all the pine trees and the mountain views, but the real reason I like it here is the wildlife.  On one walk alone I saw 3 squirrels, 2 chipmunks, a robin, a blue jay and some sneaky little black birds.  This is the life!

  

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Good news! We're back in business!

When we arrived this morning at Freightliner Service they were very pleased to tell us that our part had arrived and that they would be working on our coach as soon as possible. That was at eleven o'clock in the morning.  The waiting room was filled with 5 truckers that had broken down and needed service right away.  I guess that's why they didn't get our coach finished until seven o'clock tonight.


Once we got back in our coach things started to get better for all of us.  Even though it was another long, tiring day for Kathe and Jim waiting around in the truckers lounge, it was a fun day for me and my kind.  At one point there were two chihuahuas, a golden retriever, two Pomeranians, a schnauzer and me all waiting with the people. It was a great sniff fest!

When we finally got on the road the sun was setting, and although the drive was scenic we didn't even care. We just wanted to get set up in McCall and relax. It was almost dark when we arrived but I snapped this picture of our campsite.

GOING NOWHERE

It all started out well this morning.  It was a beautiful sunny day for our ride up the Payette Scenic Drive to McCall.  We were just about to start our climb up the mountain when the dreaded engine light came on again.  This time Kathe and Jim decided to pay serious attention to warning. 

Thank goodness for Google! They found a Freightliner Elite Dealer in Nampa, a few miles away and explained the problem to them.  They told us to get there as soon as possible as the exhaust problem was serious enough damage the engine if we tried to make it to McCall.

We spent the whole day in the service lounge waiting to hear the diagnosis and it wasn't pretty.  We need a part that won't arrive until sometime tomorrow from the Cummins Dealer in Denver.

So here we are, back again in Caldwell for the night.  We will go to Freightliner tomorrow and hopefully the part will arrive in time for us to continue our trip to McCall.

The highlight of my day was sharing a burger with Kathe in the parking lot of Jack in the Box. That was delicious.  I also scored a few peanuts while she was scarfing down a Payday bar from the candy machine.  The peanuts were bouncing off the candy bar and I was catching them before she could stop me.  All in all, not a bad day from my point of view

.

ANOTHER FREAKY DAY

We left smoky Winnemucca this morning for the 240 mile drive to Caldwell, Idaho.  We were expecting a beautiful day with no mishaps. But anyone who travels by RV knows that things just don't always happen that way!

About half way into Oregon on highway 95 we pulled of the road for my comfort stop. We all got back to the coach and Mario Andretti Riha pulled out of the rest stop at top speed, rocking the coach so hard that the wine cooler popped open and shot 4 bottles of wine across the kitchen and onto the floor.  Thankfully, the three bottles of red wine just rolled around the living room, but the white bottle smashed into a million tiny pieces and splashed wine and glass from the living room to the bathroom.

Jim couldn't pull over on the highway right away, so Kathe did her best to clean it up while the coach was moving at 65 mph.  When we stopped Jim was able to help pick up all the glass, but the coach now smells like a wine cellar.  Maybe tomorrow we'll stop for some Febreze.

When we finally got to Caldwell, they left me home and went out to meet some friends who now live in Meridian, Idaho.  Bob and Carol bought beautiful new house and Kathe and Jim were anxious to see it.  Later, they went into Boise for dinner at Eureka Burger but forgot to bring me a doggie bag!

They enjoyed walking around downtown Boise with their friends and stopped at Freak Alley, an alley where the local graffiti artists have painted murals on the backs of all the brick buildings. It was like a huge art gallery several stories high.

A DAY OF MISADVENTURES

It started out as a beautiful morning in the Sierras and we decided to get an early start on the drive to Winnemucca.  After my walk, Kathe and I came back and started to put the house in order while Jim took care of the outside stuff.

I would like to remind everyone of the first rule of plumbing, "stuff flows downhill." This morning Jim was having a hard time emptying our tanks and when he looked at the gauges our tank was filling, not emptying. Seems our site was downhill of the sewer system which was overflowing--right back into our tank.  Luckily, Jim saw the problem in time to prevent a major disaster inside our coach.  When Jim disconnected the hose he had Mount Vesuvius coming out of the waste outlet.

So, the next we had to find someplace to dump and clean up our sewer bay.  The Park Host suggested that we go to the Shell on our way out of town.  Not so easy to maneuver our rig backwards behind the station, but with the help of the two station attendants, it  took about an hour and we were on our way and smelling fresh. So much for our early start.

About seven miles later the "check engine" light came on and caused us to pull over and contact Freightliner to see what we should do next.  They told us that unless the check light changed from amber to red we could continue on our way until we could find a Cummins Service Center.

Later in the day in Sparks, Nevada we tried to get a Cummins technician to look at our engine, and at first they said they were too busy.  A few minutes later a nice service technician came out and looked at our coach and said the oil looked a little low.  He added some oil, and checked the diagnostics on the computer.  Apparently, a sensor on the DEF exhaust system is the problem.
Anyway, we finally pulled into beautiful Winnemucca for the night. However, there is a 10,000 acre wildfire in the hills above us so we will be getting out of here first thing in the morning.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Did you miss me last night.  I spent about 100 minutes trying to get on to the internet, that's 700 minutes in doggie years!  No signal. Try again. That was the Internet's reply all evening long. I guess when you have beautiful site in the pine trees, you have to give up something.

I wanted to tell you about our Jeep travels to the Bodie Ghost Ranch State Park yesterday. We drove in from Bridgeport on the 395 to a 15 mile, mostly paved road to the historic gold  mining town.  At an altitude of 8000 feet, the town was once home to a population of 10,000. When the mines were shut down the people left and abandoned their homes and possessions.  Many of the buildings are in ruin, but there were over 50 buildings still standing to explore.

We were able to look into windows and see furniture and household items.  Jim liked the general store where the electric lights were still burning after all these years.  Kathe took this picture of a kitchen with some of the baking supplies still on the table.

The drive back down the hill was spectacular.  We could see the snow topped mountains of the whole Sierra range.  Too bad no one in this group knows how to use the panoramic feature or I'd show you this most beautiful sight.  Instead here are some pictures of the Ghost Town. Boo!

RAIN AND SNOW

We left Simi Valley this morning at the crack of eleven thirty and drove over 350 miles to Bridgeport California.  We're staying here for a couple of nights, right on the 395 at the Willow Springs RV Park. 

It was a long drive through the desert and my paws were burning each time they let me out to take care of business.  Seems like every time we drive such a long distance like today, every one is too tired and crabby when we finally get to our destination.  It would be nice to get out and explore tonight but I can't get anyone to listen to me, they just want to relax.

Our drive was very hot and very long.  When we drove past Lake Crowley we saw some dark clouds and pretty soon it started raining.  It rained really hard with great big drops, and was just wet enough to mess up our nice clean motor home and tow car.  Jim was not happy!


Even if it was a long drive the scenery was really beautiful  There were beautiful clouds over the desert and we saw snow on the tops of all the mountains.

Better get to bed myself as I plan to wake Kathe up tomorrow at around 5 AM.

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE TOUR

I know somethings up!  We're leaving tomorrow on what Kathe is calling the Total Eclipse Tour.  I'm a little worried that they might forget me so I'm sitting on one of their suitcases with my "worried" look.

There are all kinds of boxes and bags lined up in the hallway so I know the trip we've been thinking about is about to begin.  They are calling this the Eclipse Tour, but as far as I can see they are planning a two month trip around a five minute event.  I sure hope that it's not a cloudy day.  Maybe they just didn't want to tell people that we are going to Idaho and Oregon AGAIN!.


I do wish they were a little more creative, but we are going to some different places in Idaho and Oregon on this trip.  Now that Jim has the Jeep he wants to explore some of the back roads in the National Forests.  That's fine with me because I get to enjoy the fun.  It's not like when they go hiking and I have to stay home, in the Jeep I can ride in bumpy comfort in the back seat.  And, it's air conditioned!

Boy, are we ready to have some fun!