We Survived the LA Freeways!!! AND Met Blogger Friends!

We interrupt this blog for an unapologetic Grandkid moment.  My 12 year old granddaughter Rebekah just called to tell me she sang her first solo at her very first Middle School choir concert.  Without further ado…Here’s Bekah…

And if that link doesn't work, try my FB page


http://www.facebook.com/1949Donna


Yup, I'm a bragging grandma and proud of it LOL!!  I had to miss this concert during our trip so I was so happy to see the video.


And now back to our regularly scheduled blog!!



Okay, as promised, here are some pictures of the Evergreen RV Park in Oxnard where we stayed last night.  It looked a little better this morning after a good night’s sleep but it still doesn’t look like the pictures on the website.  Just so you know, if you are looking for a place to stay in this area, this park is okay for a night but beware that access is very tight and all sites are back-in.




There seemed to be more than a few permanent residents and since the spaces are so short, many cars are parked in the streets.  We made it in and out okay but it is tight.  Russ got some nice shots as the sun was coming up this morning.





The sky changed colors so dramatically that I couldn’t choose which picture to post so I’m going to post another one!  Thanks you Russ for taking all the photos.



Next door to the park was a fire station with an orange tree right up against the fence.
  Maybe it’s a grapefruit tree, I don’t know…




Russ found a Kokopelli while he was out shooting so that made him happy.


These were our neighbors and all I could think of when I saw this picture was the song about dancing cheek to cheek!  Picture was taken from our coach window.



As we were hooking up the toad this morning we heard a “Hi, Russ” and looked up to see Bob Estrada walking his dog.  This was the fella we met yesterday in Paso Robles and he had spent the night at Evergreen Park too!  We had a nice visit and all too soon it was time to hit those LA freeways.

We had a couple of slowdowns but all in all it was an uneventful trip.  A couple of drawers came loose and the dishes rattled from those bumpy freeways, but we made pretty good time.  I still can’t get used to the motorcycles riding between the lanes of traffic.  Geez!  That’s just crazy.  Yesterday we saw a guy standing on his pegs doing a wheelie while riding at breakneck speed between the cars.  These guys are nuts!

We are at the Fairplex KOA in Pomona for the night.  It’s really quite a pleasant park and only about 5 miles from the factory so it seems to be a perfect place for our layover.  The park has a ton of empty spaces.





So can anyone tell me why we have to be so jammed up together?  Almost every rig that is in here is parked in one section of the park while the rest of the park is empty and quiet.  Oh well, it’s just for a night.

 

We were very grateful to fellow Blogger Allen DuGuay, and his lovely wife Lolita for letting us know about this KOA.  It is in a nice area and is really very attractive.  AND Allen and Lolita came and got us and gave us a quick tour of Pomona and surrounding area and then took us out to a nice dinner.  We talked a lot about RVing and some of the blogs we follow.  It was so fun to meet them, and like all meetings with bloggers, it seemed like we had known them forever.  Allen and Lolita are about a year and half away from retirement and are still deciding which ,motor home might be right for them.  Check out Allen’s blog and follow along on their travels.

Tomorrow we head to the factory to see if we can get the awning fixed and then it is off for destinations unknown.  See you down the road and Goodnight all.

Rock On!

Okay, here’s the post I promised a few days ago.  We left John Day and made our way to the Madras area of central Oregon.  Once again Sam (our GPS) tried her best to kill us by getting us off onto dirt roads leading to nowhere.  But we are smarter than that by now.  She can’t put that one over on us again, no siree!  We knew where we were going and how to get there.  I just had Sam turned on so she could have a panic attack when we didn’t follow her directions.  Take that, Sam.  Sam and I have a real love/hate relationship going on.

The highway between John Day and Madras is a beautiful drive.  The John Day River is in evidence along the road and the hills mountain formations are always interesting.



I had looked up the John Day Fossil Beds before we set out but could not find any information that told about parking at the visitor’s centers.  I was concerned that we might get in a tight spot and have to un-hitch to get out so we didn’t stop at any of them this time.  However, I did write a letter to the National Park Service suggesting that they put RV parking information on their website.  Imagine my surprise when I got a very nice reply stating that was a good suggestion and they would see what they could do to make it happen!  Sure hope they follow through.



This did seem to be a journey through time, as the sign says.  The ancient rocks and mountains and the river flowing alongside, made me think about how long these things have been here.  I don’t know for sure, but I think they are older than I am!!

As we climbed to the top of yet another ridge and saw nothing but mores hills and mountains in the distance, I wondered what the early settlers thought when they first viewed these same scenes.  Were they discouraged that they had yet another mountain to climb or were they excited at the prospect?  I imagine there was a little of both of these feeling, along with a big dose of just plain weariness.  Rugged people, those.



Anyway, our destination was actually the KOA in Culver, about 7 miles south of Madras.  I know, no real RVer ever wants to stay at  a KOA but I was really needing an internet fix and a place to stay put for a few days while doing some exploring – and some laundry!  We had stayed at this KOA in August and found it quite satisfactory.  It was a lot quieter now, but they were finished with ice cream socials and pancake breakfasts .  Anyway, I like this park and the people who run it.  It is a rural setting and very quiet at night.  We had an end spot and a great view of the fields and horses across the street.  I would recommend this KOA to anyone staying in the area.






We had seen a sign for  Richardson Rock Ranch, 11 north of Madras on Hwy. 97 and so we decided to visit.  This is one of those places where you can dig your own thunder eggs and agates.  They also have a rock shop and museum.  They said the road was paved to the shop and office but the digging beds were on unpaved roads of 6-8 miles from the ranch.

We took the paved road, which a mile from their ranch, turned into a dirt/gravel road.  It was not smooth going!  Our poor little Fit jumped and rattled but got us there in one piece.
You have never seen so many rocks in one place in all your life!  There were buckets and barrels and tables and corrals of rocks.  More were piled on the ground and there were huge piles of the biggest chunks of petrified wood I have ever seen.



Interesting place but there is NO WAY I am going to rumble over 8 miles of gravel road just to dig my own rocks.  Miss Fit said “NO.”  We didn’t buy anything but we enjoyed looking.  They also had quite a few peacocks roaming around and two emus inside an enclosure.













On the way back to the highway, Russ wanted to stop several times and snap a few pictures.





Looks like someone is gonna have to fix that thar fence!



Next we take a trip to see the Crooked River and Lake Simtustus.  That’s where the scary road comes in!

A Graveyard, a Stubble-field, and a Wild Horse

We woke up to rain this morning so we did what every good vagabonder would do – our house has wheels so we moved it.  A quick run into town for breakfast and we headed out from the Oregon coast to the northeast corner of the state.

Couldn’t leave Fort Stevens without mentioning one more restaurant.  This one was in Warrenton and is called Serendipity.  I had to try it as it was housed in an old bank building.  The vault is still there and it just made me feel like I was back in my element!

HOWEVER, I would caution you about the food.  It wasn’t that bad is the best I can say about it.  If you like burned toast and warmed up coffee, then it’s okay.  And don’t even think of asking for crispy hash browns – apparently the cook doesn’t know the difference between “crispy” and “burned on both sides and raw in the middle”!!



It was NOT a serendipitous find!

Heading east on I-84, the rain disappeared and we had partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures.  A perfect day for driving.  The gorge was beautiful as always but we didn’t stop for picture opportunities.  Our goal was an overnight at Cascade Locks and we made it there  and spent the night in the KOA.  This proved to be a nice stop – the campground was forested and cool and they had a bunch of used books for sale!!  Now that was serendipitous!  As elsewhere along the gorge, the whistles and chug of the trains were never far away but it was snug and quiet inside of Therapy and we had a restful night.



We had in mind to spend the next night in Pendleton, and visit the woolen mill there.  Every KOA we have stayed in lately has been quiet and semi-empty and so we headed for the KOA in Pendleton.  We made a brief rest stop in Arlington and inside the small market we picked up a local magazine.  Would you believe we had timed our trip to Pendleton to coincide with the Pendleton Round-up?  That’s only the biggest rodeo in several western states and we had no idea it was happening this weekend.

A quick call to the KOA confirmed our worst fears – they were full and the nice lady on the phone said it was pretty much the same story everywhere in town.  However, the stop in Arlington was not without its benefits as we were treated to a local art show in the parking lot and saw this wonderful piece of modern art.


It was titled “Purple Splat” and we have never seen anything like it.  Isn’t it wonderful?

We made a quick stop in The Dalles for groceries, gas, and lunch.  We have stopped at Cousins before for lunch and it certainly did not disappoint today. 



There is a gas station right next door, plenty of parking along the street and the food was wonderful.



I don’t know what was in that tea Russ was drinking but it certainly made him happy!  Outside and inside there are whimsical decorations and fun stuff to look at.  Russ even found a like-minded compadre outside the restaurant.

  
On to Pendleton. Not to worry says my intrepid driver and fellow adventurer…there is bound to be a place to stay.  One of our goals in reaching Pendleton was to visit friends in Milton-Freewater.  (Jan, if you happen to read this you’ll find out why we didn’t find you!)  Pendleton was indeed a ZOO – there were all manner of RVs in every parking lot or wide spot in the road in town.  We could tell this was NOT going to be a place to park for the night so we headed over to Milton-Freewater.  On the Hwy there we passed the small town of Athena and saw a sign for Centerville RV Park.  It was only 11 miles from our goal so we decided to keep it in mind if we couldn’t find anything in Milton-Freewater.

I had checked online before we left the KOA that morning and it appeared there were several RV parks in Milton-Freewater (MF from now on, I’m tired of typing the whole name!).  The first one we came to was on a steep hill which we would NEVER be able to navigate pulling the Fit.  The second one we came to…well, we never found a second one!  Nowhere!  We drove through town, saw a couple of gravel parking lots that might have worked but didn’t feel good about the neighborhoods.  Besides the place is covered in FROGS! 

Now I happen to like frogs but these were questionable and sometimes downright ugly frogs…ceramic frogs, paper Mache frogs, concrete frogs…I have no idea why but I think there was a plague of frogs in MF.  The main street into town was a mess of construction and after having driven from one end of town to the other we knew this was NOT an overnight stop.  We decided to get the heck out of Dodge and go back to Athena.  Jan and Duane, we’re still in the same house – call us next time you get to Eugene!

Tired and hungry we decided the Centerville RV park was where we were staying no matter what.  We looked for the sign as there are many small country roads off the highway and we didn’t want to take the wrong one.  We were almost 15 miles from MF when we decided we had missed the turn.  We found a place to turn around in Adams and headed back the way we had come.  There we saw the sign “Centerville RV Park.”  Seems like they only have a sign on one side of the highway.

The sign indicated the park was less than 2 miles so off we went.  We followed the tiny, tiny signs towards the park.  The last sign indicated a turn down a narrow residential street with a large “No Trucks” sign.  You would think we had learned our lesson from our last encounter with a no trucks sign but we ventured onward.

Our road dead ended onto another smaller street with one more tiny sign saying “Centerville RV Park” with a left arrow.  One more turn – it couldn’t be much farther as we had already gone 2 miles.  We saw nothing but an industrial building surrounded by chain link fence and then we saw some green grass and trees up ahead.  A mowed down hay field across from the grass insured this would be a quiet and restful stop.  WHEW!  We made it! 

Just a little closer and we could see beyond the trees.  Oh there was LOTS of grass alright – but it was not a parking place for RVs – it was the LAST parking place you would ever need.  That’s right, it was a graveyard! 



Wary of what might lie beyond, Russ stopped in the road and I walked on ahead to reconnoiter.  The road went down a small hill and stopped at a cross street of gravel.  No RV park as far as the eye could see.  Nothing to do but try to turn around and go back the way we had come.

Now, turning around with a toad on is always iffy.  Gotta have a fairly wide radius to make it work.  Russ looked around and saw a slope on the edge of the field where we could access the field and make a big circle and head back towards town.  This “driveway”, where the farm equipment got into the field, was not very wide and if he missed it we were facing a 12” drop- off that would have us high-centered and stuck good and proper.

I walked around in the field and pronounced it solid, if somewhat lumpy and we decided to go for it.  Russ made it up the slope into the field and started his turn.  He made a complete circle over the lumpy, bumpy stubble, only to find he could not make the turn to exit going the opposite way.  To do so would have taken him over the edge.  So he circled the wagons only to return to the street headed the same way we were originally headed! 



I wish I had taken a picture while Therapy was going around in circles in the field, but I was too concerned with watching the edge and making sure Russ didn’t go over it.  Wasn’t really thinking about pictures at the moment.

There was a verge of dry grass at the edge of the graveyard so he pulled over there and we did the sensible thing and unhitched! 



I was able to turn the toad and Russ drove Therapy down to the end of the street and made a “K” turn on the gravel. 



As we were headed back towards town – each driving a vehicle – I finally spotted the “RV Park".”  Remember that industrial building we saw on the way in?  The one surrounded by chain link fence and covered in gravel?  I saw there were about 6 hook-up posts along one edge of the fence and one camper parked there!  A couple of guys were standing out by the road, no doubt having seen us go by the first time and having a good laugh over the dumb tourists.  Welcome to Amityville…er … I mean Centerville.  I honked at Russ and pulled alongside and told him what I had seen.  He had missed it completely.  NO THANKS was his response when I asked if he wanted to turn around and try it again.  He said we were going to the casino.  We didn’t rehitch the toad as it was only a short drive so off we went – REALLY tired and hungry by now.

And so we drove back towards Pendleton.  If you are keeping track you will see that by now we have driven Hwy.11 from Pendleton to MF, then back towards the RV park, missed the turn and driven BACK on Hwy.11 towards the RV park and now we are driving Hwy. 11 AGAIN back towards Pendleton and the casino.  I hope NEVER to see HWY. 11 EVER AGAIN!!

The Casino is called the Wild Horse – see I promised you a wild horse and I never disappoint!!



They have a very nice campground there with full hook-ups for $25.  I took one look and thought this is gonna be good.  They have a golf course adjacent to the campground and lots of grass and trees.



And they have personality.



Tired, hungry and just wanting to settle in for the night, I went to the office to secure a spot for he night.  To her credit, the lady behind the desk did not laugh out loud but I did see her try to hold back a smirk when I asked for a one night stay.  “It’s the Pendleton Round-up this weekend and we are full-up.”  NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

What do we do now?  This is already too long so it will be continued tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

We’re in Therapy!

We did it!  We loaded up the old tin wagon and hit the road.  Had a wonderful drive today and stopped for the night at the Culver KOA.  That’s about mid-way between Redmond and Madras on Hwy.97 in Oregon.  We are head north tomorrow for a five night stay at Deschutes State Park with some of Russ’s family. 

For a KOA, this place ain’t half bad!!  It has an interesting store and even some flowers in front.



I have fun looking through little stores wherever I find them – even in KOAs.  This one had a little of everything – even artificial Christmas trees!



They had lots of neat signs and one section just for grand parent signs.  They must get a lot of Boomers in here!  Click to enlarge the picture and you can read some of the signs.  They were clever but I didn’t buy any.



The surface roads in the park are hard packed crushed rock with grass, a picnic table, and a fire ring at every site.  The sites are typical for a commercial campground but we did not feel crowded.  We paid $37 for FHU.

 
They had an ice cream social tonight – $1 a scoop - so we all had some.  Poppy was upset over the smell of fire and wouldn’t eat hers but Rusty made short work of his vanilla ice cream cone.

It has been years since we have been over this way and I have never been past Redmond on hwy 97.  And Redmond has certainly changed from the way I remember it.  We didn’t explore, just drove on through, but we plan to come back next month and have a closer look.  It was an attractive small town, from what I could see, with a population of just over 26K.  It seemed clean and well kept and just had a nice “feel” to it.  I liked being able to see the mountains and the wide open spaces.  Although I love the greenery and all the trees in Eugene, there is something about wide open vistas that is also appealing.

I probably won’t have internet the next several days so if you don’t hear from me, know that I will be having a great time just kicking back and taking it easy.  I’ll see ya all on the flip-side.

KOA??? Yup, they have Internet!

June 6, 2011

We left our campsite at Washburne on Sunday morning, just as it was starting to spit rain.  Our destination was South Beach State Park just two miles south of Newport, OR.  The state camp ground guide boasted that this campground had Wi-Fi!!!  When we got to the camp ground, the welcome booth has a small sign which read, “Wi-Fi for this camp ground has been discontinued”.  WELL!!

We drove through and considered staying anyway, but since they don’t have full hook-ups there, we really had no reason to stay.  It looked like a nice campground with lots of grass and large sites, but it was still a half mile hike to the beach so no advantage to staying there.

We decided to head on north for a bit and see what we could find.  I looked at the GPS and it showed a KOA just three miles east of Lincoln City near Devil’s Lake.  INTERNET- I MUST HAVE INTERNET!!  So we took the Devil’s Lake road just like the GPS said and headed for the KOA.

Now there are many stories and legends surrounding Devil’s Lake.  I think they are mostly made-up but then you just never know.  The road is narrow and winding and really quite picturesque.  BUT…as we were going past the local cemetery, the GPS suddenly flashed a big arrow and said “MAKE A U-TURN”.  Now, why would it do that, unless it knows something we don’t?  Hmmmm…I told Russ we were probably just in a dead zone.  As soon as we were past the cemetery, the GPS went back to normal and we found the KOA without any problem.

For a KOA it’s a nice park.  Not very busy and fairly quiet.  Don’t know how it is in the busy season.  Russ finally got a chance to put out the awning and use his noodles on the arms.  He was happy!



I grilled some steaks for dinner on our little portable grill and they were sure good.  Used the steak rub I bought in Lone Pine in April.  I also did something I swore I would never do…I served instant mashed potatoes.  Hey, I was tired and I forgot to start the bakers on time so got my emergency supply of dry foods and there were some garlic mashed taters!  You know what??  They were actually very good!  I also swore I would never use instant rice, but I do it all the time now.  The older I get the more I like “easy!”

We have forest on one side of this camp ground and on the other side is a pasture with horses…all very green and scenic.



Of course all the grassy areas have “No Dogs” signs and you are not allowed to leave your dogs in your MH unattended so how are you supposed to get out and enjoy the area?  Dogs are pretty much welcome in a designated forested area and that’s about it.  Oh well, that’s KOA. 

I must say the people are friendly here and they have a nice little store.  The sites are pretty level and it was very quiet last night.  We decided to stay another night so we have some time to explore Lincoln City a little bit.  The only thing that drives me nuts is the “bell” in the office.   It is one of those electronic ding-dongs and you can hear it all over the park.  It’s a busy little office/store so the bell is going off all day from 8am to 8pm!  Small price to pay for having the rest of the amenities.

On Saturday we took the dogs to their favorite beach at Heceta Head.  This is a day use only park and has a day use fee.  However, in Oregon, if you are camped at any state park, that fee also covers any day use area as well.  We also purchased an Interagency Pass this year for only $30.  It is an add on to the senior national parks pass and it is good for any day use park in Oregon and some in Washington as well.  It’s a really good deal and we have used it several times already this year.

Heceta Head day use area has always been a favorite of ours.  You can hike to the lighthouse (which we have done in the past but I think we’re done with that).  The beach is small but so interesting with lots of caves and tide pools to explore.


 
That is sand, not water in the cave.  When I first looked at this photo it looked like foamy sea water…it was just the sun shining on the sand.



Our kids used to explore these caves, and when our oldest grandsons were little boys, they did the same.  Haven’t had any of the younger grandkids here but I think we will have to fix that!





The trees are very tenacious and will find a foot hold even if it means going over the side of the cliff.  I imagine there was more soil there when the tree began and erosion has taken away some of the cliff side.  Imagine what would happen to that cliff were it not for the roots helping to stabilize the soil.
 
There is also a small river that flows into the sea at this park and I don’t know why I didn’t get a picture of it.  The river is large enough for fishing upstream but as it nears the beach it becomes small and shallow and very placid.  It’s a great place to kids to play as it has a sandy bottom (rather than rocky) and the sandy shore is perfect for building sand castles.  Of course the dogs went wading but with all the other people and dogs around, they had to stay on leash so didn’t do any swimming.  They were happy anyway.  Poppy wore her pink polka dot dress to protect her skin and to keep people from running away when they saw her haircut!  Her skin in healing quite nicely by the way, so we are happy with the results, if not the look, of the haircut.

Well, we should have some photos of Lincoln City to share this evening .  You all have a good day.