Our goal for the day is John Day, Oregon. It’s a fairly easy drive but as we pass through scenic areas and towns where we would like to stop, we wish we had more time. We are charmed by what we see in Baker City as we drive through. This is definitely a place we want to explore more fully next year. Laurie and Odel are there now and have an interesting blog on the area.
For us it was onward and upward. I erroneously thought that the John Day Fossil Beds would be close to the city of John Day and we wanted to arrive in time for a side trip. Alas, ‘twas not to be for the fossil beds are actually closer to Dayville on down the road. Oh well.
I had scoped out a place to stay online and knew that the Grant County Fairgrounds would be our resting place for the night. At $20 a night for FHU, how could we go wrong?
Aha, you thought I was going to have another tale of woe here didn’t you? Not to worry, the campground turned out to be better than expected. It’s not top tier by any means but for an over night it is quite acceptable.
There was a lot of grass nearby and that helped cut down on the dust. The sites were all gravel, fairly level, and lots of shade. No Wi-Fi here but it’s fine for one night.
The John Day River runs across the back of the campground but is not visible from the sites. There is a river walk (gravel) that seems to be a popular destination for joggers and walkers. Not disturbing in the least.
Russ got up early the next morning and got a few pictures of the campground.
The quail seemed to like it here! This is only a small part of the covey that Russ encountered. Must be good pick’ns around here as these birds are quite round.
There was a mobile dentist parked in one of the spaces (no picture) and it seemed to be a permanent resident. We saw kids going in and heard some equipment running. Nothing like the soothing sound of a dentist’s drill to calm your nerves!
This also seemed to be a permanent resident – for quite a while I would say.
But the best shot of the day was this last bit of summer Russ found on his walk. The morning sun set this bloom ablaze with color.
Well I guess I have to admit this is a pretty boring blog but sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug! Not that John Day couldn’t have been interesting but, for just one night at the fairgrounds, there is just not a lot of blog fodder. Besides, I think I am tired and getting goofy. Tomorrow should be better!
Until then, keep smiling and tomorrow we’ll head to Madras and the Crooked River on a REALLY crooked road!
Random photos of camp grounds certainly works for me. Plus, even though you say this place isn't "top tier", these are the kind of camp grounds that we liked the most (in our other life). I don't really need pavement, as long as there's some way to keep the dust down.
ReplyDeleteNo too sure about those dentist sounds though.
When I see some of the really unkempt long-termer sites in campgrounds, I have to wonder ... WHY, WHY, WHY?
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine listening to a dentist's drill in a campground! :)
ReplyDeleteHa, ha - I had forgotten about the dentist there! He was there when we camped at the fairgrounds this summer, too. We really enjoyed the fairgrounds (in spite of a mechanical problem with our Jeep). Those sorts of small-town, casually run parks work for us.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as for leaving Joseph, I felt just like you did - could hardly drag myself away. I'll be blogging more about Baker City. It seems kinda like a larger version of Joseph - lots of friendly, creative, interesting people and plenty of recreation and history in the area. We'll be back!
My kind of campground - except for maybe the dentist. But it's nice to know there's one close by in case you have an emergency.
ReplyDeleteWhen we headed through that area toward a campground we planned to visit, we cruised past the Fish House Inn and RV Park with a sign that said Full Hookup Sites $20. Have you ever see a motorhome and toad make a 180 degree U-turn in 25 seconds? A beautiful park, lots of grass and flowers, so many quaint old buildings nearby, and close to the fossil beds for a nice visit. We may have to write a blog about that during our coming "down time."
ReplyDeleteSounds lie a good overnight spot, as long as I cannot hear the dentist drill:)
ReplyDeleteThe Grant County Fairgrounds sounds like a nice place to camp and the price is right. Have a fun and safe trip home!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a nice place to camp. Great picture opportunities too!
ReplyDeleteCandy
Nice looking park. As soon as I heard a dentist's drill though, I'd be outta there!!
ReplyDeleteWe stayed in John Day once... I think it was a State Park. We met the most interesting character at the laundramat in town. A cowboy who had many years ago had a terrible accident with a horse when they both were running towards each other in a race and their heads collided. After being unconscious for months, he woke up and rehabilitated and you can hardly tell other than his slow speech, but many cowboys are slow talkers! He doesn't spend much time with folks tho, he's somewhat of a horse whisperer now... very interesting man!
ReplyDeletefeeling like the bug on the windshield these days!..glad to see you and Russ had a lovely vacation!!!
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