The Rest of the Loop

The loop trip that was shown on the map in yesterday’s post is only one of many loop trips in this area.  There are many secondary highways throughout the countryside and many form nice loops for roundtrip sightseeing.  A local visitor's guide encourages motorcyclists to come on over and ride the loops. (click on the bottom corner of the pages to view this visitor's guide online)

We left Monument and the John Deere mower man and headed on towards Hwy 395 on the last leg of our loop.  Along the way we began to notice a lot of…ummm…cow pies and road apples right on the highway.  We were thinking a cattle truck must have passed that way.

Then ahead I saw red taillights and a couple of stopped pickup trucks.  It was cattle alright, but they were not in a truck!  We found ourselves smack in the middle of a cattle drive.  Well okay, not quite like in the old west – they were only moving the herd from one pasture to another…but there were real cowboys and everything.

Only most of the cowpokes were cowGIRLS.  I suppose I could be PC and say cowWOMEN but somehow that just doesn’t sound right!!



 
This pickup and another one were helping with the cattle drive.  The one behind this guy was pulling a horse trailer and he signaled for us to get in front of him…”so you can get some pictures,” he said as we came alongside.  Nice guy!


This horse figured he had already worked through lunch and so was sneaking in a little snack of dried weeds while he could. YUM.  (click on photo to enlarge)

Some things are timeless and it seemed this cowboy was one of them.  Looks like he could have been right out of the 1800’s.

We enjoyed our little western adventure, but by the time we caught up to this little drama, they had reached their destination.  All too soon the cattle were off the road and through the gate to a fresh pasture.  The adventure was over.


Not too much farther to the intersection of Hwy. 395.  Russ went into the Long Creek feed store to fill-up his coffee mug and the gal charged him FIFTY CENTS!!  He gave her a dollar and told her to use it for the next person that needed coffee.  I didn’t think anyone sold a large coffee for fifty cents anymore.  Gotta love small town America...and not a Starbucks in sight!

We zipped down 395 and back to the Clyde Holliday State Park, where we spent another peaceful night…except for the fact that it rained during the night and I left the vents open!!  Oh well, other than a little wet on the carpet we were none the worse for wear.  Thankfully I woke up and closed the vents before it rained too much inside the motor home!

Tomorrow we head for Sisters, Oregon – one of our all time favorite little cities in Oregon.  And if we are lucky, we may meet up with another blogger!

It’s a Holliday Park!

Every so often along the lonesome Hwy 395, are scattered small towns.  The towns usually sprung up as the early settlers began to increase in number and a need developed for goods and services.  Schools, churches, and newspapers formed the hearts of these communities and general stores provided many of the goods these small communities needed.  In the small towns of Eastern Oregon, this hasn’t changed much.

Long Creek, OR is just such a town.  Located at the junction of Hwy. 395 and Oregon Hwy 402, Long Creek boasts a population of 197.  It has a cafe…


…a Post Office …this is the flag that flies over the PO.  I thought it was more interesting than the actual building.
 
…a feed store…

…with everything a guy could want…
 
….poor Russ, snookered again!

I wonder how folks in these small towns make a living but there was actually some remodeling going on at the feed store so I guess things are looking up.  We always try and make a purchase when we stop at a local store as I am sure it is a hardscrabble existence.

A display right across the street from the feed store says something about the community values.

Not too far our of town was the community church.  It looks like it has maybe seen better days but the care that went into building it is evident just by the windows, the steeple, and the crosses that ornament the front door.

Unfortunately, you also see a lot of these types of buildings along the way as well.  Were they owned by people who tried to make a living in this sometimes harsh environment, or are they simply the product of neglect as the owners built something newer and better?

 
Do you ever wonder how the early pioneers did it?  They had no Wal Mart to run to when they needed to resupply.  If they didn’t grow it, can it, make it, or slaughter it, they did without.  If they were lucky they had a general store within a day’s travel but that probably didn’t have much.  Even today, the people who live in these isolated areas do not run down to Safeway if they happen to run out of coffee.  They are hard working people who raise much of the meat and grain and other food items that we take for granted.  It is like this all over this great nation.  My hat is off to the people who work so that we can eat.  It takes a special breed to choose this lifestyle – I’m afraid it is not for me.
 
The town of Mt. Vernon, OR is where Hwy 395 meets Hwy 26.  To continue south on 395, you must jog east here on 26 about 9 miles into John Day, OR where 395 again turns south.  Mt. Vernon is a bit larger than Long Valley with a population of 527.


Our destination, Clyde Holliday State Park, is only a couple of miles east of here towards John Day.  Although the state parks website says the park is not open until May, we were happy to see that it was indeed open for business.  This is a relatively small park with only 31 sites, all with water and electric.  A dump station is available at the park entrance.

The first things you see upon entering the park are the two Tee Pees that are available for rental.  Located right on the river, these accommodations feature a concrete floor, 4” foam pads for sleeping, an electric heater, and a wonderful outdoor space, including a nice fire ring, a bar-b-que, and a picnic table on a brick patio.  Now, I may be a bit spoiled or old to sleep in one of these units but I can see where younger folks would have a blast.  These units rent for $29 and are the only spaces in the park that can be reserved.  Everything else is first come first served.

The sites in this park are the largest I have seen anywhere.  People can move in next to you and you hardly notice.  The entire area is well maintained grass with many trees and native landscaping.

All sites are paved and ours is level and probably 60’ long.  There is a large grassy area behind the motor home.

There are wide lawns on both sides of each site and some shrubbery to separate the sites. 

There is also a waste water disposal at each site.  I wash my dishes in a dishpan and dump the water into the disposal rather than in the grey tank.   That way I can shower in my own shower rather than use the public ones.  They have three showers here, one of which is handicapped accessible.  All are individual rooms so privacy is not an issue and they are nice showers.  There are also good, clean restrooms.  The restrooms are in the center of the campground and easily accessible from any site.  The sites are $17 as of May 1.  The brochure says $13 in April but I didn’t see that when we self paid so we paid the $17.  Still a bargain.
There is a wonderful gravel walkway along the river, with strategically placed benches for those who want to sit and enjoy the water.


When we moved in, the current occupant of this site made sure we understood that his ownership took precedence over ours.
Okay, the welcoming committee is checking us out.

It’s okay is you visit but just understand…

…I was here first and this is MY house!!
 
And that is why Poppy is confined to the leash at this park!!

If there are any downsides to this park, it would be that it is right on the highway.  We hear a little traffic noise but on the far side of the loop it is really not that bad.  We hear nothing at night when the coach is closed up.    Also, there is no TV reception…not a problem for us as we don’t care but I know some do.  There is no internet, although the host said there are rumors that the park will be wired next year for WiFi!!  We drove the 6 miles into John Day and enjoyed the free internet available at McDonald’s.

I highly recommend this park.  It can accommodate the largest rigs and is so restful, as well as being pleasing to the eye.  We hear doves and woodpeckers every morning and geese fly over about any time of day.  Other birds are singing throughout the day but we don’t know what they are.  At night the frogs sing a beautiful chorus just behind the rig.  We are smart enough to identify a robin…

…a vulture…

…and a small herd of deer.
 
To say we are enjoying this park is an understatement.  Since we spent so much time in Pendleton, we will not be able to see everything here that we wanted to see, but tomorrow a visit to the John Day Fossil Beds is a must do.  Hope you are as well and happy as we are tonight.

One Day at a Time

The time has come to leave our wonderful camp site at Wallowa Lake and begin the journey towards home.  Russ is happy to be back in the driver’s seat but I am reluctant to bid farewell to this wonderful area.



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!