Heading back to Idaho! (9/4-9/14)

Our route from Bend, OR took us along a very curvy, flat route through a small town called John Day.  We had a two night stopover at Grant County Fairgrounds.  This was just a split up the 360 mile drive between Bend and Mountain Home, Idaho.  It was very smoky due to fires and so we did nothing touristy here. Did have a very good meal at  1188 Brewing Co., a local brew pub in downtown John Day, but then we moved on. 

Did I mention the cocktails were good too?

We continued on that curvy road until we hit interstate 84 into Mountain Home.  We arrived on the Monday of Labor Day so the office was closed when we arrived, but they had our packet out front and we pulled into site #60 for the next 8 nights.  We did not have any specific plans for this location, but this was a large "resort" property with a pool, hot tub and pickleball court so we figured we could keep ourselves entertained for a few days.

Sun setting on our first night of arrival. 

The weather was terrific during our stay so we did find some additional things to do in the area.  We drove to the Bruneau Dunes State Park.  Even the drive to the park was otherworldly in its landscape.  Before too long we arrived at the visitor center.  I think we may have been the only ones in the park.  We checked out the semi-primitive camping facilities and headed to the Small Lake hike trailhead.  It got a little warm as we explored the huge sand dune then trudged through sand around the lake.  It was worth the drive to see such a unique landscape. 

Twice at around 1am, our surge protector tripped and we lost power to Ruth.  Luckily, the overnight temperatures were moderate so we only needed one air conditioner.  It was an intermittent issue and our surge protector did its job to protect our electronics but it caused us a couple of sleepless nights which was unpleasant.

Boise, ID was only about an hour away from Mountain Home and my birthday was coming up,  so Mike arranged for a hotel in Boise for an overnight outing in "the city".  We locked Ruth up and put some clothes in a couple of bags and headed out.

On our way to Boise, we stopped for a tour at the World Center for Birds of Prey.  We enjoyed a little educational talk about an American Kestrel falcon and toured the rest of the facility and its really cool residents.  Very enjoyable stop.  We drove the rest of the way to Boise. 

This Harpy Eagle looks stuffed, but he was
a real live bird.

We walked to lunch at the Basque Market only a few blocks from the hotel.  We enjoyed some Spanish specialties and a nice glass of wine. On our way we enjoyed the vibe of the downtown area with a cool "pedestrian only" street lined with bars and restaurants.  It also happened to be Gay Pride weekend at the park near the capital so the city was alive! It felt good to see the vibrancy of society again, masks were required and everyone seemed to respect each other's boundaries. 

Oh, and we may have stopped for a milkshake
on the way home.

In the afternoon we headed to the Old Idaho Penitentiary tour.  We had not seen rain in several months, but on that afternoon it rained on us.  It actually added to the creepy ambiance of the prison.  The tour guide was very engaging and we learned a lot about the history of the prison that started welcoming inmates in 1872.

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We enjoyed a before dinner cocktail at La Mode and had Indian food for dinner.  I asked for medium spicy and it was way too hot.  Everything tasted very authentic though.  It was full day of fun.  Sleeping in a hotel room felt kinda weird, like we were cheating on Ruth. 

Boise has an incredible bicycle trail, Boise River Greenbelt Trail that spans 25 miles along the river and through town.  We rented e-bikes in order to explore the trail.  We happened upon a very large art festival about 15 minutes into our ride so we stopped and walked through it.  We then continued on the trail and enjoyed the scenery on the trail.  On our way back we enjoyed the sunshine and the river at  at Telaya Wine Company for a tasting and a couple of snacks from the food truck before we returned the bikes.  A lovely afternoon. 

We enjoyed the remainder of our stay at Mountain Home RV Resort playing some pickleball in the morning and riding our bikes around the park and cooling off in the pool in the warm afternoons. 

Next stop, the Grand Tetons National Park.

Sisters, Oregon (8/22 - 9/4)

Just a short 1 hour drive from Crescent, Oregon we passed through Bend, Oregon to arrive at our next location of Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort for a 13 night stay. This is the second longest stay out of our 200 nights on the road.  This resort was highly recommended in reviews and it did not disappoint.  Our friends who live in Washington were also going to camp with us again for the first week. We were also going to visit with another friend who lives in California but was going to show us is home being built in nearby Bend.  We would have not shortage of activity and fun at this stop.

  

We only partially settled in to site 27 on a very sunny Sunday afternoon as we had an early appointment at a local RV service center to perform some regular maintenance on Ruth.  We only put one of the four slides out so we could have an early departure without much noise for our neighbors.  We left the park at around 7:30 am for an 8 am appointment.  We arrived in a very busy industrial area at the gates to the RV service center gates were still closed so we could not pull in.  I was following Mike in the Jeep so we found a large parking lot to wait.  They eventually opened the gates but the parking lot was filled with RV's for sale, RV's waiting for service, etc.  A helpful guy directed Mike around to park the RV.  Back at the campsite we enjoyed the lovely weather in our camp chairs and waited to get our Ruthie back.   Our friends had gone out on a long hike and we agreed to get together later for cocktails.   We picked Ruth up around 4pm and re-settled in for the rest of our stay. 

Our friends, who are familiar with the area, planned an outing to Smith Rock State Park.  We started out early as the day was forecast to get into the high 80's.  My first clue should have been when we hit the Trailhead and it was called Misery Ridge Trail. 

I was the slow poke was we made our way up the 600 feet in elevation gain in .9 miles.  It felt like quite an achievement to make it to the summit of 3,360 ft.  After I caught my breath, the views were spectacular and worth every step.  The rest of the 3.7 mile trail was a series of switchbacks down the backside of the rocks.  It was very loose gravel in spots on a steep decline and I had a slow speed spill on the way down.  Nothing serious was damaged, just some rock rash on my left elbow and a little blood.  We continued on and ended with a lovely walk along the river and our picnic lunch.  It was an awesome day to be out enjoying nature with our friends.  

This looks like a rock Woodstock from
The Peanuts

To reward ourselves for such a strenuous outing and to re-celebrate Mike's birthday with friends, we stopped by the local meet market in Sisters, OR and had a "perfectly cooked" steak dinner at the campsite.  Thanks William.

The campground was perfectly situated between Bend, Redmond and Sisters making a great base camp from which to explore the whole area.  The next day we explored the city of Bend which is centered around a lovely park and the Deschutes River.  We ate lunch at a little spot in the alley where the local farmer's market was setting up.  We explored the market after lunch and bought a lovely marionberry pie to have for dessert.   We then ventured to another cool area called the Old Mill which has a very large amphitheater for concerts, a rather uninspired open air shopping district and a lovely 4.4 mile hiking/biking loop along the Deschutes River.  We walked along the partial loop watching the kayakers, paddleboarders and floaters enjoying the river.  

Bend Farmers Market

Hops seem to be the state
plant of Oregon

Deschutes River

We had a few low smoke days in our first week which allowed us to explore the beauty of Sparks and Todd lakes on another hiking and picnic outing and to see the unique landscapes and various mountains in the area. We rounded out our day at Crux Brewery with a little cool refreshment.  The smoke rolled in heavy that evening, so we holed up in Ruth having happy hour and playing games. 

Snow still visible in a deep crack
in the earth on an 80 degree day

A visit to the ranger station earlier in the week had provided us with a recommendation to drive the McKenzie-Santiam Scenic Byway loop and explore stops along the way. 

It has been a rough season for Smokey the Bear
I thought he deserved a kiss.

We started with a very enjoyable hike along the Metolius River which was an out and back trail that included a stop at the Wizard Falls fish hatchery.  After another picnic lunch by the river, we continued on the loop drive.  I should have said loopy drive, it was super curvy.  We made quick stops at a couple of scenic spots and toward the end of the loop drive we happened upon the lava field.  It was otherworldly and we spent some time climbing and exploring this natural wonder.  We enjoyed cocktails and drinks at our friends campsite on our last night together. 

Kings of the Hill

After a walk through the Sisters' farmers market and lunch at Sisters Meat & Smokehouse our friends departed and we headed back to our campsite. Unfortunately, the smoke rolled in that afternoon and evening too, making outside activity not very enjoyable.

We had a free day to catch up on errands, planning for our next few stops and laundry and I finally got out my guitar for a little practice session.  I cooked up some beets and beet greens that we had picked up at the farmers market.  Yummy.

The next two days were spent with another friend who toured us around his home under construction in the beautiful resort community of Tetherow.  Mike and I had lunch on the outdoor terrace at the resort and drove around looking at the lovely mountain modern architecture of the homes.  We then met up for dinner at Washington Dining and Cocktails.

The next day our friend visited us and Ruth.  Mike and he went for a hike and stayed behind for some quiet time and to catch up on some blog posts.  I met them for lunch at Sisters Saloon and Ranch Grill which was delightful.

This was an awesome stop to catch up with friends, enjoy lovely weather and landscapes and stay at a lovely campground perfectly situated to explore the area.  Sisters is the western most stop in our 7,800+ mile journey.  The temperatures have started to swing a bit from 80 degree days but dipping down into the mid 30's overnight.  We used the air conditioners in the day and even furnace a couple of nights.  We still have upcoming stops in Mountain Home, the Grand Tetons, Moab and Durango.  We may have to dig out our long underwear before we make it back to Florida. 

Sunset at Sisters