Guess Where We Are?

Did I hear someone say Pendleton, Oregon?   Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!!! 

Yup we are still in Pendleton but that is not altogether a bad thing.  We did get the Fit back and we drove it into town and everything seems to be working just fine.  They were late getting it back as the tire pressure monitor came on when the fella was about halfway here.  He turned around and went back to the dealer.  Turns out it was only a reset issue but it made it past 11a.m. by the time he got here.  They had called to let us know of the delay and when we added that into the bad weather equation, the sum total of our thinking said…just stay put another day and don’t try and force things.

Overall I am happy with the service at Gilbert Honda and would not hesitate to recommend them.  I am not as happy with the insurance adjuster but I suppose we all have our horror stories and our triumphs with insurance companies.  They are all pretty much alike but I will check rates when we get home and compare.  Since this was all handled by a call center anyway, I really don’t see a reason to pay more to have a local agent.  We’ll see on that one.  Our total bill was a bit over $1600.  A big chunk but less than $7000+ at least.  Amazing how your perspective can make $1600 seem like a bargain!!

Plus we had another little issue!  The awning wouldn’t retract all the way.  Russ took it down in a hurry yesterday when the wind came up and got it in closed position but it wouldn’t lock.  He worked and worked with it today and no luck.  We had decided to just secure it with Velcro straps but unrolled it for one last inspection.  There in the way of the center closure was the support arm, not fully collapsed into its smallest extension.  It was too near the center and was blocking the closure.  Push that little bugger back where it belonged and the awning operated perfectly…but with our luck, I still insisted on the Velcro straps!!  Can anyone say “operator error?”

So before we put Pendleton behind us, here are just a few more pictures of the area.

This picture was taken the day after we arrived.  Notice the tree.

This picture was taken today.  Notice the difference in the tree!!  We’ve been here HOW long??

We saw this amazing play structure at a local park.  This thing was HUGE.  What kid would not want to climb all over this?  Heck, I might want to climb all over it.

A different park.  For a small town, Pendleton has more parks and green spaces than you would imagine.

  This is what Pendleton is famous for.  World class rodeo is held here every fall.  I hear it’s a pretty big deal.

Local wildlife.

And that, my friends, is that.  I certainly hope this is my last post on Pendleton.  Unless we wake up to gale force winds, hail the size of golf balls, and 10 flat tires, we’ll be moving along tomorrow. 

It’s Not Oklahoma But the Wind is Sure Sweeping Down the Plain

We said goodbye to Kim and Don this morning under partly cloudy skies and no breeze to speak of.  We had such a nice time with them and we sincerely hope we see them again sometime.  They are headed back to their lot on beautiful Lake Shuswap in BC.  Safe travels to you Don and Kim.  We had the privilege to visit a different part of Shuswap Lake in 2009, and I can tell you it is a beautiful area.

Poppy is doing well and had her chill pill last night and then the thunder never came.  But she got a good night’s rest and so did we.  I admit we spoil her but she is Princess Poppy however.  We got her a new dish for this trip and it is deeper than what she is used to.  While she will eat her kibble out of it, she really does not like sticking her muzzle into a deep dish of canned dog food.  We have come up with a solution.


She will very delicately eat her breakfast off the fork as long as we will feed it to her.  Put the food down and she walks away.  It’s just too hard to pick it up from the bottom of the dish.  I know, if she gets hungry enough she will eat but with her diabetes, we try and keep her on a regular schedule and she needs to eat when it is time to eat.  We don’t mind and she is such a lady about the whole process, that we kind of enjoy feeding her.  At night she gets kibble and meat and she eats it just fine on her own.   Isn’t she just a little Princess?

GUESS WHAT??  The Fit is fit and ready to go!  They called late this afternoon and they also said they were going to deliver it to us here in the park tomorrow morning and pick up the rental car!  How cool is that?  Can hardly wait to see what the total will be.  State Farm has been less that a good neighbor and we will be exploring our options when we get home.

So we ran into town after dinner to get a few things at Wal-Mart so we will be ready to roll early tomorrow.  I had both hands on the wheel for sure as there was a bit of turbulence on the highway.   By the time we headed home, it was really blowing and it was definitely a two-hands-on-the-wheel type of drive.  As we turned into the park we noticed that is was at least half full and there were many more rigs parked in the boon-docking area.  Our speculation as to why so many folks were here tonight was answered when Russ tried to get out of the car and could hardly get the door open.  When he did get it open, it blew shut before he could get a foot out!  It is quite a blow out there.  I am so glad we are surrounded by grass instead of sand!

This shows the sustained winds – the gusts are much worse.  This is worse than we had in Desert Hot Springs.  We’re sitting here in the coach and the way it is swaying, you would swear you were riding the rails.  You’d love it Sam!!  I made a video but the internet is SO SLOW tonight I don’t think I’d be able to upload so you’ll just have to trust me on this – it’s windy!!  Poppy had her pill so she is chilling and not all agitated.  Weather report calls for calming by morning so hopefully we will get out of here and continue our Travels in Therapy.

If Ya Gotta Be Stranded, This is NOT a Bad Place to Be!!

Yup, we are STILL in Pendleton.  We are STILL waiting for the Fit to be fixed.  We are STILL getting the run around between the dealer and the insurance…but not to worry, it will all work out in the end I am sure.

We have had a great visit with Kim and Don and they are getting ready to pull out first thing in the morning to continue their journey home.  The guys sat outside some today and had a good chin-wag but Kim was busy getting ready for the border crossing and I woke up with a migraine from our night in the looney bin last night, so kinda laid low.

Monday we went out to breakfast with Kim and Don to our favorite little breakfast spot in Pendleton, the Main Street Diner.  Highly recommend this place if you are ever in Pendleton.

Hey, where’s breakfast?  This is just an empty tray!

  Breakfast must have been good cuz those are some real empty plates.  Thanks Kim and Don for breakfast.

Later that evening, we combined resources and shared a great meal at our place.  I made beef stew in the crockpot, Kim and I both contributed to the salad, and Kim brought onion rolls, plus strawberry shortcake for dessert.  YUM!  No one went away hungry.

The last two evenings, before the thunder showers start, we have sat out in the grass and watched deer, quail, and pheasant in the fields beyond the RV Park.  The pheasants are quite vocal and get rather upset when the thunder and lightning start.  But, if ya gotta be stranded, you couldn’t ask for a better view.



Those innocent looking clouds go from gentle to nasty in 6.53 seconds…

Oh yeah, storm’s coming now.

Our night in the looney bin last night was directly related to these clouds.  Poppy was doing okay, hunkered down on the bathroom floor – there’s only room for her and no more.  Russ sat down on the floor right outside the door to keep her company.  The wind was blowing pretty good and the coach had a little sway going on.  Then the BIG ONE hit.  It sounded like it was right on top of us and it seemed to go on forever.  Russ started yelling…”Poppy get off that toilet.”  AS IF she could understand him.  He’s on the floor in the doorway, I can’t get past him to get to Poppy.  He’s yelling at her, she’s making all kinds of scrabbling noises and when I am finally able to get Russ off the floor and out of the way, I find Poppy with one leg caught in the bathroom trash can (next to the toilet) while she is frantically trying to climb into the toilet or onto it and out the window I guess.  Her eyes are wild and bugging with sheer panic but I can’t help but see the humor in her pose.  I am able to grab her and pull her out of the trash can and off the toilet, all the while trying to calm her down and soothe her panic.  There is NO ROOM for two of us in that tiny bathroom but we manage to make it out finally.  Poppy is shaking and panting and all I can do is soothe her and do my best to calm her down.  Today we called the vet for anti-anxiety meds for her.  I hate to do that but if you could have seen her panic, you would understand.  The weather called for more thunder storms tonight and even the pharmacist was saying there would be more thunder.  So I gave her a pill, she is calm and relaxed and guess what – all is quiet on the eastern front (where the storms come from).  Oh well!  Maybe we will get some sleep tonight.


Here are a few pictures from around Pendleton.

Main Street

NOT typical!!

From downtown to a residential area.  It’s steeper than it looks here – there is another part to the steps that doesn’t show in this view.  WHEW!

Etched glass at the Dairy Queen!

 

Another camper’s dog.

Wild Horse Entrance

You Light Up My Life

Just a short post tonight…very busy day.  Grocery shopping this morning, then laundry this afternoon.

Kim and Don arrived from Mountain Home, Idaho this afternoon and we had a great visit.  The weather was perfect and we sat in the “backyard” under cloudless blue skies and heard wonderful stories of their winter travels.  We learned a lot about the LTVA at Imperial Dam and the military base there.  Funny how the Canadians know more about that area than we do.  Thanks Kim and Don for sharing your adventures with us.

Then tonight, the sky really lit up. First with a gorgeous sunset which I failed to photograph and then with huge bolts of lightning.  The thunder rolled and Poppy ran for the bathroom.   At home she would be in the bathtub, but in the motor home she doesn’t know where to hide.  I made the mistake of letting her go outside and she almost took off.  She didn’t go far but she wanted to run and hide from the storm.  Russ is now keeping her company as she hides in our tiny bathroom with the fan on and the door almost closed.  Small spaces make her feel safer. 

Here’s a couple of the lightning strikes we witnessed…hard things to capture but we got a couple of shots between us.



 

Guess What We Did Today???

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!  Well except for some necessary cooking and dishwashing.

Russ got up early and snapped a couple of pictures as the sun was waking up.




  And then we just enjoyed a perfect day.  No rain, blue skies, gentle breeze, and temps in the mid 70s.  Now that’s my kind of day and we haven’t seen one like this in quite a while.  Wonderful!!



 



Nope, he isn’t the newest member of the family – just a visitor!  The one below was rather shy and wouldn’t come out and pose for his portrait.



But the most important thing about this date did not happen today…it happened 45 years ago.  That is the day my wonderful daughter was born.  We named her Merry Dawn, which means joyous new beginning – because that is exactly what she was.  I probably don’t tell her often enough how much she means to me.  So Merry, if you read this, Happy Birthday and I love you very much.

Wild Horse – part 2

It was late when we were told there was no room at the inn – or campground as the case may be.  I knew Russ had gone just about as far as he could go for one day. 

I put on my best poor pitiful look and asked the nice lady if there was any place she could recommend where we could spend the  night.  Not until I asked did she inform me that they also allowed dry camping in the parking lot.  I could not see anything from where we were so I asked where that area might be.  With a disinterested  wave of her hand she said, “Just over that way with the rest of the RVs.”  OOOKAY…thanks!

Construction and the setting sun made it difficult to see but we wended our way through construction zones and serpentine parking lanes until we spotted the dry lot.




It was actually pretty nice – level and laid out with well defined spaces and easy to maneuver into a site.  There were only two empty spaces so we grabbed one and called it good. 



Otherwise we would have ended up in the car lot where it was NOT level or in a field where the rodeo visitors had set up an encampment.



Security drove by on a regular schedule and Russ talked to the lady driving the the route.  She said she could order a shuttle for us if we wanted to go into the casino.  We declined and just rested.  We felt very secure here.  And it was free…that’s always good.

Thank goodness we had full water and propane and empty holding tanks.  While I made an impromptu dinner, Russ snapped a few photos of the setting sun.






To save battery power, and just because it sounded like fun, we broke out the camp lanterns and dined by lantern glow.  The gentle light soothed our tired spirits and we enjoyed the evening.  I was even able to get on the casino free wifi, with the help of my booster device, and check a bit of email.  

The only downside to a nice evening was the idiot who left his car parked about two rows from where we were.  His car alarm kept going off, and it was one of those intermittent ones.  It would squeal like a stuck pig and then go off and then about 15 seconds later it would start up again.  We located the car and Russ talked to security.  She said she had called it in five times already but no one would respond to the page.  It finally quit after a couple of hours of the nerve jolting noise so I guess either the owner finally heard the page or his battery died.  I’m kinda hoping it was the latter.

In the morning we treated ourselves to the breakfast buffet at the casino and we were sure glad we did.  We got there early and the place was almost empty.  We were so early, I was the first one into he scrambled eggs!!  That’s always nice.  This was one of the best breakfast buffets I have encountered.  Everything was fresh and tasty and the wait staff was so considerate and kind.



All of this and much more for $7.15.  I think that was quite a deal.  They even had hot fry bread and puff pastries that were fresh and flaky.  YUM!

A quick trip tot he Pendleton Woolen Mill was in order after breakfast.  It’s only about 10 minutes from the casino and was easy to get to.  Don’t try to park your RV there though unless you are under about 25 feet and not towing. 



The Pendleton Woolen Mill has been in operation since 1863 and makes shirts, blankets, vests, and all manner of beautiful woolen item.  I have to admit I was a bit taken aback to read the labels on the shirts.  They all said Assembled in Mexico – but the wool was produced and the cloth made here in the USA.  Hmmmm.  Times have changed.






We didn’t buy any shirts but we did buy a couple of small blankets – Made in the USA!!  Mine is just a small lap robe.


Russ got a stadium blanket – a bit bigger but not as heavy as mine.



It was a great stop but it was crowded with all the people in town for the rodeo so we didn’t linger.  We made our purchases, hurried back to Therapy, hitched up and headed for the beautiful Wallowa area in northeastern Oregon…but that’s a story for another day.

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.