30 May – Le Page to Boise

Up and at ‘em.  Packed & stowed and on our way again.  On leaving the park, while we were doing the “Dump” we noticed that there was a fish cleaning station complete with cutting boards, suspended hoses and an insinkerator for the guts (they know how to set things up over here).  A great idea to keep the area clean.

30 minutes on the road and we decided to listen to some music.  Plugged in Steve’s ipod and thus began 310 miles of Steve’s WTF music (everything from Boney M to Dixie Chicks to Kenny Rogers to Roxette to U2…. I think you get the idea LOL).  Ros kindly called it the “eclectic mix”.

The scenery changed a lot on this leg of the journey, but for the most of it, it was pretty stark.  To start with there were lots of wind turbines on both sides of the Columbia River (Washington to the North & Oregon to the South).  The highway (I 84) was in really good nick so travelling was comfortable.  There was a lot of farmland consisting of grasses, grains and trees.  We saw a sign warning of “Blowing Dust 20 Miles”.  Generally didn’t see much but we did encounter a bit here and there.

After going through Pendleton we encountered a long mountain pass climb & stopped near the top at a view point for a quick break, leg stretch & toilet stop.  We got to the summit of the blue Mountains pass a little later, altitude 4193 feet.  We also crossed over the 45^th parallel (halfway between the equator and the North Pole).  Back into farmlands and miles of plains in the distance.  We also had snow-capped mountains in the distance for a while as well, quite scenic.  We passed a truck towing 2 other trucks that were kind of piggy-backed on top of each other.

We were following beside train tracks for quite a while and at one point we saw two tunnels going into the side of a hill and only one at the other side.  We figured they’d found something a bit hard or soft on their way through for the unfinished tunnel.

On crossing the border from Oregon into Idaho at Ontario we found the speed limit on the I 84 go from 65 to 75 Miles/hr (120K/hr).  Again the scenery from here to Boise (pronounced boy-see) was mainly flat and barren with some farming here and there along the way.

We arrived in Boise (or Meridian, an outer satellite town of Boise) at around 5:30. We also had to wind our clocks forward an hour to get on to “Mountain Time” (so had arrived at around 4:30 our normal time…. Hope we’re making sense here J).  As we were driving into Meridian a bloke in a pickup truck passed us by with a large sticker on the back windscreen that just said “TOOL” …”hhmmm right there sunshine”.

We were following “Lucy” (our pet name for the Garmin or sat nav) to a camp ground but due to some one way street creations and the fact that the grounds were off the road a little and not easily seen, we ended up doing couple of blocks a couple of times over, but we got there in the end.

Walked up the road to get a few more groceries (and some exercise after sitting all day), cooked a nice steak and now kicking back with lovely white wine with a splash of peach juice in it…. Ah…… this is the life.

Click the link below to see where I am located.

http://fms.ws/84s0R/43.60082N/116.39684W

 If the above link does not work, try this link:

 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=43.60082,-116.39684&ll=43.60082,-116.39684&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

30 May – Cannon Beach to Le Page

We were a bit sad to leave Cannon Beach this morning. It is a really gorgeous place, and has inspired us to consider a trip down the coastal 101 from Seattle to LA one day. 

We drove off through the lovely Oregon forests, but they soon gave way to farmland as we neared Portland. Portland was very pretty, lots of trees and green space, and cute little weatherboard houses. 

In the centre though, we encountered the inevitable freeway spaghetti – layers and layers of freeways, going over and under themselves. Very confusing! LOL.

We stopped at Jiffy Lube for the RV to be checked over and have an oil change. It seriously only took about 20 minutes. You drive in over the pits, about 6 guys in overalls leap into action, and its done in no time. We were impressed.

We then headed on the I 84 along the Columbia River gorge, following the route used by Lewis and Clarke on the way to the Pacific. It was really pretty – big rock spires sticking out of the river, lots of green trees and blue sky. It quite abruptly turned to dry hills – almost desert. It reminded us of Utah.

We stopped in The Dalles for a quick shop and fuel, then pushed on. We saw loads of windfarms and power stations on the river, which sparked a question about the state borders. The river is the border of Washington and Oregon, so if they dam it and have a power station, who owns the power?

There were lots of trains too. It seems that unlike Tassie, the US actually uses its railway! J

We pulled into the John Day Lake recreation area for the night – a site called Le Page that is operated by the US army corps (why?). The lake is very picturesque, and the campground is tidy. It seems a lot of people come fishing and boating here. Its lovely and warm too, a nice change from the coast and the mountains. Change into shorts and a cold drink and a BBQ dinner!

 Click the link below to see where we are located.

http://fms.ws/84CNL/45.72619N/120.6489W

 If the above link does not work, try this link:

 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=45.72619,-120.6489&ll=45.72619,-120.6489&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

29 May - Cannon Beach

As we were staying here again tonight, we had a lazy start although Steve went for a 20 minute run along the beach front just to blow the cobwebs out (Oh yeah… for Justin & Sharnie… I have been keeping up with my push-ups & and sit-ups etc & I’m up to 35 J).

We decided to go and have brunch out so we donned our helmets, mounted up on the scooter and headed off to the Pig N Pancakes this morning (just for a change).  We both had Bacon & eggs with pancakes on the side.  Ros had blueberry pancakes while Steve had pecan nut pancakes.  A very nice filling brunch.

Having had a largish meal we parked up the scooter and walked off the excess calories around the beach front looking in the shops etc.  We found a very interesting shop, the Cannon Beach Treasure Company, that had all sorts of coins, trinkets and treasures that this couple had actually gone treasure hunting for.  There were mostly Spanish, Chinese, English coins dating from the early 1500’s to the 1700’s.  We also found some Roman and Celtic coins dating back to 200BC.  There was also a lot of the treasures made into jewellery as well.

After a walking the rest of the main street and having a quick coffee, we mounted up on the scooter again and headed to Haystack Rock (only a few minutes ride south).  

It was low tide and there was bird and sea life abounding.  In the rock pools at the base of Haystack rock there was lots of sea anemones, starfish, all sorts of shelled bivalves & little fish (gee I’m sounding a bit like a David Attenborough documentary…. “and over here you will see the rare, purple-spotted thingamybob…..”).  Needless to say it was great to take in.  There was also a Bald Eagle on the rock being harassed by seagulls.

The scenery along the beach is simply spectacular.  At low tide it must be at least 300m – 400m wide.  The foreshore dunes are lined with houses, which is interesting as there sign all along the main street indicating tsunami evacuation routes and that this is a tsunami zone (don’t reckon they are covered for floods in their insurance).  They have a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean though we must say.  

We scooted a little further south, more of the same, then headed back to the RV (pronounced Aarrrr Veeee over here LOL) to carry out some domestic duties ie laundry (we have to make the most of being in an RV park & use the laundry facilities J).  Spent the afternoon relaxing and reading.

Dinner time and we mounted up on the trusty ole scooter again and went to Wayferers. We got a window table with a lovely view of the ocean. The food was good – we had Dungeness crab cakes and north west steamer clams in garlic broth for entrée and pinot noir salmon and walnut crusted rex sole for mains. We finished with a shared chocolate layered cake / fudge / mousse.

We finished with a walk on the beach and some more photos, then back to the RV.

28 May – Mt St Helens to Cannon Beach

Another squirrel right next to the van. Little guys are really cute. It was cleaning its face with its paws a bit like a cat does.

The weather was still against us, so we gave up on the ride and the helicopter and headed up the road to Hoffstead Bluffs visitor centre. We had a great view of the Toutle River flats with the ash and dead trees, but nothing else due to the low clouds. Bummed.

We headed to Kelso again and over a massive suspension bridge in to Oregon.

On the drive along the Columbia River to the coast, we passed a sign advertising SNOOTER SAUCE… And the John Day River where the houses were in the river on floating docks and pontoons. We drove through Astoria and saw the 4.1mile long Astoria-Megler bridge ( the longest continuous truss bridge in the world). We were impressed! Astoria was pretty run down though, so we pushed on. We drove the coast highway, but between us and the ocean were miles of golf courses and rich people houses, so we didn’t catch a glimpse of the sea until we were almost at Cannon Beach.

Finally into Cannon Beach and parked up. We jumped on the scooter and headed into town. It was just stunning. All the houses are grey weathered shingles and blend in with the driftwood and the granite outcrops. 

The beach is beautiful, and from most places you get a magnificent view of Haystack Rock – a spectacular outcrop just off the beach. It is a summer nesting place for armies of Puffins and we hope to see some. We wandered up and down the main street, looking in the windows of galleries and shops. Despite Memorial Day, most were open. We made reservations at a restaurant for tomorrow’s dinner, then headed back to the RV for dinner.

27 May – Mt St Helens

We had intended to go on an early morning horse ride, followed by a helicopter flight up to the crater and around the blast zone of the volcano, but the weather conspired against us. Wet and heavy cloud round the mountain, despite a forecast of fine and sunny. So we did the chores and drove into nearby Kelso to do the grocery shopping. Quiet day and early night.

26 May Rimrock to Mt St Helens

Thankfully the sun was shining! We saw the cutest squirrel on a stump nearby. Awwww.

Heading off from Rimrock Lake we travelled over White Pass. There is a ski resort there and people were still skiing although the lifts weren’t operating. It looked like a fair hike to the top of the hill for a 20 second whizz down again…

We spotted Mt Ranier in the distance, it disappeared into the clouds, then poked out above them. It was truly massive! 

We drove through a non descript country place called Packwood where there was some sort of county fair. The roadside stalls went on for at least a mile and a half along the main drag. Grannies were outside with signs selling parking spaces in their gardens for $4.00. It was insanely busy. We crawled along the main road trying not to run down the locals. They were eating Corn Dawgs and Elephant Ears. From what we could see, Elephant Ears are pizza bases, deep fried and sprinkled with what looked like a sugar / cinnamon mix.

The area had lots of Xmas Tree farms. Miles and miles of trees in all heights. 

We diverted to see Jackson House for lunch. Jackson House is a pioneer cottage on the Oregon Trail. It was locked up, but we could see well enough through the windows.

As we drove up the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway towards Mt St Helens, we could see the river flats still covered with grey ash and fallen trees. Even after 32 years. We stopped at the visitor centre and watched a documentary about the massive eruption, then looked through all the exhibits. It was really interesting.

We camped at Eco Park Campsite – no electricity, hook-ups, and no generators allowed. But very beautiful surrounds – trees, grass and animals. We set up the camp chairs and cracked a bottle of Sweet Adelaide White Blend, and sat in the sun contemplating. Dinner was a steak and a good merlot / cab sauv / syrah blend, and we read books in the sun. This is the life!

At around 7, we walked to the communal fire pit and got chatting to our neighbours. We met some really interesting people, and shared travel stories. Finally off to bed. It didn’t get fully dark until around 11pm.

25 May – Leavenworth to Rimrock Lake

Awoke to an overcast day with a slight headache (where did that come from I wonder J).  Had brekkie and walked back into the main street. 

 We found a little Christmas shop called Kris Kringl (Norm & Wendy had told us about this shop so we were eager to have a look inside).  We were blown away by the amazing array of Christmas decorations.  Everything from little tree hangings to 5 foot, self-snowing Christmas trees (using a gentle spray of little white foam balls).  The most intriguing section though, was the toy villages.  It was enough to bring the child out in you.  Both of us were in our element.  They had different themes that you could collect pieces to make your own toy village, traditional snow village, alpine village (complete with animated ski slope & cable car), Dickens village, a Whoville (Grinch who Stole Christmas), even a Halloween Style.  We bought a few little pieces from the North Pole collection, with the thought of starting our own little village back in Tassie.

Leavenworth is a lovely little town, although a little bit “Disneyland”-like.  We got a Starbuck’s cappuccino (with a thermos traveller) and went on our way.

We noted that the traffic coming in as we were leaving was quite heavy, due to the long weekend.  Saw some people white-water rafting on the river (dang it must be cold in that water).

Before reaching Yakima, we saw a hillside of huge wind generators.   

We had lunch in Yakima, fuelled up the RV and stocked up on some provisions as we expect to find it hard to get into any parks for the next couple of days.  Yakima was a typical outback town and a little bit run down. The scenery around this area is, again, fairly bleak and barren.  We continued on Highway 12 toward Packard and later in the afternoon we started looking for potential camp sites.  We ended up in a forestry area near Rimrock Lake and chose a site near a river running past.  The sites are fairly uneven with no services but they are free (or well we hope they are).  There are a number of other campers in the area and while we were setting up there were a couple of young lads target practising there semi-auto rifle.  They packed up & moved on (thank goodness).  After a quick walk, dinner was cooked & bed looked quite attractive.

24 May – Winthrop to Leavenworth

Woke up to another lovely day.  A little cloud in the sky but still very pleasant.  

Broke camp and headed into to Winthrop for a couple of coffees and cinnamon rolls “to go” (getting into the American slang already LOL).  We noted a sign that about a Winter that, in 1968 & 1969, killed off the majority of orchards in the area.  The temperature got down to minus 45C (which for you imperialists is minus 51F).  Either way pretty blooming cold so we started on our way on to Leavenworth.  The area has lots of orchards, pickers huts (all in pretty good nick by our standards), deer fencing and old trees.  The scenery is fairly bleak, a bit like Utah/Nevada, with everything based around the rivers.  We stopped in Chelan to have our cinnamon rolls for morning tea.

From here on to Cashmere we saw vineyards and more orchards.  At Cashmere we went to the Cashmere Cider Mill to taste some apple ciders.  Just a note here.  Ciders here in America are non-alcoholic and not bubbly.  Alcoholic cider is called hard cider. The ones we tasted were just cider with different flavours but very nice, particularly the one made with heritage apples.  We also tasted some interesting jams, ginger/garlic and some others.

On to Leavenworth and we found ourselves in a quaint, Bavarian style little town.  The weather had turned a little bleak by this stage but we parked the RV in a public parking area and walked to Fourth St, which is the main street, off the highway.  Fourth St is made up of shops, wineries, cafes and gift shops.  Things were getting a little busy due to the lead up for Memorial Day long weekend.  There was even a band playing good old oompah pah music.  

We decided to hit the wine tasting shops first before they closed.  We found that the wines here, most grown locally in the area, varied a lot.  Some we like the whites more while at others we liked the reds more.  Wine tasting fees were only $5 and this was waved if you bought any wine (no probs there LOL), much more reasonable than Napa.  We finished after 5 wine tasting shops, figuring that was enough sips of wine for the day & stumbled back to the RV with our haul of wine (in actual fact we made a couple of trips with the wine J).  

We also moved the RV to a hotel parking area (der Ritterhoff) that offered free camping for $15 (free camping meaning service-free or no hook ups).  It was a good location as we were within staggering distance of the main street, so we headed back in to have dinner at South, a local favourite (apparently) for south-of-the-border, Mexican-style food.  It was nice, nothing flash, but couldn’t complain for only $50.  We had a quick stroll along the street after dinner then headed back to the van.

23 May – Bakers Creek to Winthrop

Still raining! The camp site was very “rustic”, most vans looked permanent with lots of firewood piles, gardens etc. They all had firepits or braziers out front, so it must get pretty cold here in winter. It was 12 degrees inside the RV when we woke up, so we were thankful for the gas furnace which cranked the temperature up to 20 in less than 10 minutes. Much more civilised for showering and getting dressed! Some enterprising person had run a very long extension lead from the toilet block to his van through the treetops.  Funny though, there are really crappy vans with really nice new cars. One had a Dodge Ram ute and a Chrysler PT Cruiser outside. Priorities, people!

We headed out onto the Cascade highway. We spotted an elk herd grazing in the distance, so we stopped for photos. The elk grazing land is owned by the Skagit land trust, 150 members who clubbed together and bought 64 acres to preserve it for the elk. Very cool.

The road meandered along the Skagit river – it was about the size of the Huon river at Huonville. We passed through some “quaint” towns – Concrete (with some huge silos painted with “Welcome to Concrete”) and another town almost all consisting of converted air raid shelters.  We passed some pretty major hydro plants, dams and power stations. 

As we climbed up the mountain range, the deciduous forest gave way to conifers, then into snow – 5 feet deep on the sides of the road. We crossed over Rainy Pass at 4855 feet and the snow was falling thickly and the snow banks were higher than the RV. It was reassuring to see the snow ploughs on the side of the road. 

Then suddenly we were on a steep descent down the other side of the mountain range, blue sky and rolling grassy plains. The landscape is very different here, dry and warmer. We nearly hit two deer bouncing across the road. The first one dashed across and as Steve braked hard, the second one started to go, saw he wasn’t going to make it and thankfully pulled up. We saw the whites of his eyes, it was that close. Scary!

Arrived in Winthrop in time for lunch. We parked out of town and walked in. Winthrop is a “genuine cowboy” town, with old fashioned buildings and timber sidewalks. We walked up and down the main street, poking around in gift shops, potteries and galleries. 

We went to the Shafer museum, which was closed until the weekend, but we enjoyed wandering around the outside displays of mining equipment. It was really interesting. 

Also good to see the sun for the first time since we arrived. The Cascade range is very wet on the western side and very dry on the eastern side. Finally moved on to Pearrygin Lake and the Silverline RV Park. It is just gorgeous here, with landscaped gardens and lawns leading down to the lake. While Ros cooked tea, Steve did the final repairs to the RV (All fixed now, Norm!)

22 May – Seattle to Baker Creek

As we packed up we chatted to the guy next door to us. His RV was a big “A Class” and it was just huge. We took a pic of our little “C Class” next to it…

We headed over the road for some parts for the RV, but turned out we needed to pick up a bracket from another shop further North.

It took us about 10 mins to get to Everett and the Boeing factory. Unfortunately when we arrived there was a sign telling us that the “future of flight” museum was closed for a function – that wasn’t mentioned on the web site when we booked, and when we asked for a refund we were given 2 vouchers for $5 off at the Boeing shop or café. Pretty ordinary!

However, we were still able to do the factory tour which was very impressive. After a brief intro film we headed onto a bus that took us over to the factory. The factory is just huge. 13000000cubic meters, 2.1 miles around, 11 stories high and the area of 800 hockey fields, all under one roof. It takes them 30 days to build a 777 jet. We walked around viewing platforms above the factory looking down at the manufacturing process. The sections of jet are built elsewhere and delivered by modified 787’s called Dream Lifters. 

The parts are put together like a giant meccano set using gantry cranes that run on 31 miles of track. There are 38000 employees at the plant, working 3 shifts, 24/7. It really is something else to see manufacturing on such a grand scale.

Once the planes are completed, they are tested at the airfield. While we were there, there were several taking off and landing. Finally the planes are painted out in the colours of the airline that ordered them and they are flown off to their new homes.

After the tour we headed off to the next RV parts place to get the missing bracket. While we were there we had a poke around the RV sales yard and got to see the insides of some of the big “A Class” RVs. The biggest was 40 foot long and lots of bling inside. Pretty ostentatious! You can pick up a 2006 model for a cool $65,000US.

Out of the city finally and headed towards the Cascade Mountains. The countryside was green and lush (cos it never stops raining!) and must be volcanic as there are big flat plains with very steep mountains jutting out of them. Finally parked up by a river at Bakers Creek. Very pretty spot.