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!
