Sisters, Russians, and Canadians

Although the drive from Madras to Eugene is not a bad one, we decided to break the trip into two parts and spend one night in Sisters, OR.  This is one of our favorite little towns, and the city maintains a great campground right on the edge of town.  Our last trip to Sisters ended quite suddenly when the weather turned nasty and the dogs kept us up all night trying to hide from the thunder.  This trip, no dogs, so we had a very relaxed time.

We did some exploring around the downtown area that is not so easy to do when you have fur kids along.  We like to just drive around and see the residential areas and then walk around the downtown area.

Deer are everywhere in Sisters.  I am sure the residents get tired of them but as “tourists” we still enjoy seeing them.  After all, it isn’t my garden that is being decimated by the thundering herd!  This deer seemed to know her way around the neighborhood.  The dog and the deer were standing nose to nose enjoying a nice visit.  However, when we stopped to take a picture, the dog became upset and warned us off.   It really appeared that the dog and the deer had met before and were perhaps friends.



This is a novel way to display flowers, although the owner here may need a geography lesson worse than I do as this house is NO WEHRE close to a beach!!  (look at the sign over the door)



And this was just someone’s yard…neat!



We had a great lunch at Bronco Billy’s downtown.  The sandwiches were huge and we each took half with us to enjoy the next day.  Unfortunately, by the next day the sandwiches had grown soggy and not nearly so good.



Walking around downtown, we saw a shop we had not noticed before.  It said Russian Shop and we decided to have a look.  It was so clean and bright and filled with wonderful treasures.  The lady who owned the store spoke with a heavy accent and told us she was from the Ukraine.  She said her family is very poor and she works here to send money back to them.  Some of the items were expensive but most were very reasonable.  I bought three things, a round painted box, a trinket box, and an embroidered handkerchief.  Each item was on $3.  The round box was just right to hold a pair of earrings for my granddaughter’s birthday and she was so pleased to get it.  The other two items I still have. 


The hanky obviously was machine made but I bought it on a whim.  I can still remember when my grandma was alive and for Christmas and birthdays she always sent along a hanky in a card.  She bought plain white hankies back in the days of Woolworth's, when you could get them for a nickel or a dime.   She always crocheted a nice edging around.  She was poor and it was all she could afford but we all thought it was wonderful.  I still have one or two of those hankies.

I asked this Russian woman where all the items in her shop came from.  She assured me they came from Russia and the painting on the round box I purchased was in the same style of the Metryoshka dolls I bought in Sitka a few years back.  I started asking her who made each item.  Her reply was always the same…”My sister.”  I tell you, her sister must be the most productive person in all of Russia!  I would swear the accent was authentic but if it wasn’t, she deserved our business just for her superb acting skills.  I think it was a great shop and I enjoyed the visit.

Russ knows how much I like old Chevys and he snapped this picture while I was in some shop or another.

It’s either a ‘55 or ‘56 but I am not as good as distinguishing them as I used to be.  I can remember when having a ‘57 Chevy was my dream!

We had a nice site at the Sisters Campground.



Although it is not on a creek or anything similar, it is next to a very large grassy area and was quiet and comfortable.  Whychus Creek is close by in the day use area but it is not visible from the RV sites.  We love the big trees and pine scent of the air.  Deer wander through here all the time so we do get enjoy the local wildlife…and the not so wild life!!



Two spaces over, there was a couple with two little silver poodles.  Those were the best behaved little dogs you could hope for.  One just wanted to chase his ball and the little girl just wanted to lounge around.  But they did their thing without yipping and yapping like some small dogs do – ooops, no offense to those with small dogs.  Anyway, we got to talking with these people.  Their names are Jill and Glenn Baker from Vancouver, B.C.  We had to tell them all about our blogger friends from Canada and how much fun it was to get to know other RVers online (and in person).  Jill and Glenn are snowbirds and don’t have a blog but I encouraged them to get online and “meet” some other people who might share their interests.  They were only down for about a month this time and will be heading to Arizona later in the year for the winter season.  Nice people.

Just one more picture, taken at breakfast on our last day in town.  Kate, this is for you!!


Now all that remains is to get Therapy all cleaned up and get ready for our next adventure.  Hope you all come along for the ride.

Sisters

Sisters, Oregon that is.  We arrived and are nestled into our camping site at Sisters City Park…more on that in a minute.

Our day started early with both of us up and awake before 5:30A.  It still took us over an hour to finally get on the road but for us, that was still early.  The drive along the McKenzie River is always beautiful and today was no exception.  One of the sights we enjoy is the Goodpasture Covered Bridge.



We wanted to get to Takoda’s for breakfast and that is about an hour from our house.  It was a beautiful morning and we parked and gave the dogs a little exercise before we got breakfast.  There is lots of parking at Takoda’s and plenty of room to walk the dogs.


The weather was so nice that we enjoyed our breakfast outside on the patio.  Russ perused the menu while we listened to a gentle waterfall, the call of the birds, and the occasional roar of the 18 wheeler going by on the highway that’s just beyond the fence!  All in all, the ambiance of the pond and the flowers and that beautiful willow far outweighed any traffic noise.



There are about a dozen tables on the patio but only one other one was occupied this morning.  The breakfast did not disappoint and we enjoyed every bite.  It was a bit spendy but they do have smaller portions for a fair price if you are so inclined.  Russ was not so inclined!!



Harbicks Country Store is next door to Takoda’s and is owned by the same folks.  This store is a must see.  They have a little bit of everything, including deli fast food if you don’t want to wait for restaurant meal.

















There is something for everyone at Takoda’s and we found this selection of books that no camper should be without.  If you’re there Nellie, you can guess which ones we picked for you!


The Sisters City Park is at the east end of town with easy access off the highway.  They feature full hook up sites with both 30 and 50 amps available.  The cost to seniors (60 and over) is $30 for a 30 amp site and $34 for a 50 amp site.  It can seem a little crowded by evening but the sites are actually well spaced and don’t feel all that close.



There were quite a few empty sites on the side closer to the highway.
 
There are restrooms and showers in the park.  A bridge across Whychus Creek connects the campground with the day use area.  There is access to the creek but it can be a bit steep.  Right now the creek is flowing full and swift and that water is COLD.  The pups didn’t seem to mind!






And here we are.  The grassy area is the doggie area but it is not fenced.  Leashes are required but I did see a fella playing Frisbee with his dog earlier and no leash police appeared.  The highway is not too far away so caution is the word regarding leashes.

  
There is no internet provided by the park but I found a hot spot that works pretty well.  Hopefully I can get this uploaded and visit a few blogs while I’m at it.  If not, I’ll see ya on the flip side.