Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Reno, NV

Amazing...another 3 hour trip. Back home about 1:30pm.

Our trip up the Oregon, Washington coast and then inland was awesome and we've decided we want to visit sometime again.

We'll be home for awhile but will get out for some local camping with friends.

Hope you've enjoyed following us and stay tuned for more.

Larry & Betty

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Winnemucca, NV

Arrived at the  around 1:30pm after another 3 hour 177 mile run from Homedale, Idaho.

Great place for another overnight and again did not disconnect since we were leaving in the morning.

Took a shuttle to a local casino for dinner and a little gaming but again turned in early.

No humidity!!!!!

No pics again....sorry.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Homedale, ID

Left Baker City for a 3 hour trip to Homedale Idaho and the Snake River RV Resort

Very nice campground, 45 minutes West of Boise, with grassy sites right on the Snake River. 

This is an overnight stop so did not disconnect rig or do any cooking. Had a very good pizza delivered right to our sight and turned in early. 

Sorry, no pics.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Oregon Trail - Baker City, OR

Yesterday we took a trip to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center 5 miles East of Baker City. They offer living history demonstrations, interpretive programs, exhibits, multi-media presentations, special events, and more than four miles of interpretive trails. The Center is part of the U.S. Department Of The Interior Bureau Of Land Management.

Basic Facts About the Oregon Trail

During eight decades in the 1800s the Oregon Trail served as a natural corridor as the United States moved from the eastern half of the continent toward the west coast. The Oregon Trail ran approximately 2,000 miles west from Missouri toward the Rocky Mountains to the Willamette Valley. A trail to California branched off in southern Idaho. The Mormon Trail paralleled much of the Oregon Trail, connecting Council Bluffs to Salt Lake City.

It began as an unconnected series of trails used by Native Americans. Fur Traders expanded the route to transport pelts to trading posts and rendezvous. In the 1830s missionaries followed the still faint trail along the Platte River and the Snake to establish church connections in the Northwest. A combination of economic and political events in the 1840s converged to start a large scale migration west on what was then known as "The Oregon Road." Joel Walker is credited as the first settler to make the complete trip with a family, in 1840. Large scale migration started in 1843, when a wagon train of over 800 people with 120 wagons and 5,000 cattle made the five month journey. In 1847 Mormons escaping persecution headed toward Salt Lake, and the discovery of gold in California in 1848 sent a wave of fortune seekers west. Military posts, trading posts, shortcuts, and spur roads sprang off the Oregon Trail over the next three decades. The Central Pacific Railroad connected California to the continent in 1869, and the Oregon Shortline finished a railroad from Portland, Oregon to the Union Pacific railroad in Wyoming in 1884. Wagon trains gave way to modern transportation. The trail became a route for eastward cattle drives, but by the twentieth century, the Oregon Trail was considered part of a historic past, and the image of covered wagons and heroic pioneers had become an American icon.

Ezra Meeker, a pioneer of 1852, took steps to preserve and commemorate the Oregon Trail by staging several west-to-east trips over the trail, beginning in 1906. He organized communities to place markers along the trail route. His efforts led to further recognition of the historic significance of this national travel corridor by community, state, and national organizations. In 1978, Congress designated it the Oregon National Historic Trail. Through the years, many remnants of the trail disappeared under construction of towns, highways, and agricultural development, but over 300 miles of ruts still exist. The National Historic Trail is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, state and local governments, citizen organizations, and private individuals who own or manage property crossed by the trail route. Through their efforts of preservation and education, it is still possible to follow the route of the Oregon Trail by auto and hiking, and to visit over 125 historic sites associated with the Oregon Trail.















Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Baker City, OR

Last Sunday we made the 3 hour trip from Pendleton to Baker City OR and are staying at Mountain View RV Park, very very nice place. Sites are spacious and with shade trees the temps are more berrible. We'll be here until Sunday or Monday.

Yesterday we visited Hells Canyon, about a 2 hour drive (just the truck), and took a fantastic Jet Boat Tour ride on the Snake River. You'll see how much we enjoyed by viewing the photos.

Hells Canyon, North America's deepest river gorge, encompasses a vast and remote region with dramatic changes in elevation, terrain, climate and vegetation. Carved by the great Snake River, Hells Canyon plunges more than a mile below Oregon's west rim, and 8,000 feet below snowcapped He Devil Peak of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains. There are no roads across Hells Canyon's 10-mile wide expanse, and only three roads that lead to the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington boundary.

Where is Hells Canyon?

There is no recognized geographic place called Hells Canyon. According to R.G. Bailey’s book, Hells Canyon, the canyon starts 90 miles south of Lewiston, Idaho and Extends 40 miles further south to appoint near Oxbow, Oregon. This is, of course, debatable.

History

The earliest known settlers in Hells Canyon were the Nez Percé tribe. Others tribes visiting the area were the Shoshone-Bannock, northern Paiute and Cayuse Indians. The mild winters, and ample plant and wildlife attracted human habitation. Pictographs and petroglyphs on the walls of the canyon are a record of the Indian settlements.

In 1806, three members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition entered the Hells Canyon region along the Salmon River. They turned back without seeing the deep parts of the canyon. It was not until 1811 that the Wilson Price Hunt expedition explored Hells Canyon while seeking a shortcut to the Columbia River. Hunger and cold forced them to turn back, as did many explorers who were defeated by the canyon's inaccessibility. There remains no evidence in the canyon of their attempts; their expedition journals are the only documentation.

The early miners were next to follow. In the 1860s gold was discovered in river bars near present-day Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and miners soon penetrated Hells Canyon. Gold mining was not profitable here. Evidence of their endeavors remains visible along the corridor of the Snake River. Later efforts concentrated on hard-rock mining, requiring complex facilities. Evidence of these developments is visible today, especially near the mouth of the Imnaha River.

In the 1880s there was a short-lived homesteading boom, but the weather was unsuited to farming and ranching, and most settlers soon gave up. However, some ranchers still operate within the boundaries of the National Recreation Area.

After completion of large hydropower dams on the Columbia River in the 1930s through the 1950s, several entities sought approval from the Federal Power Commission to build dams on the Snake River, including a high dam in Hells Canyon. In 1955, the commission issued a license to the Idaho Power Company to build a three-dam complex in the canyon. The first of the three, Brownlee Dam, at river mile (RM) 285, was finished in 1958. Oxbow Dam, 12 miles downstream, was finished in 1961, and Hells Canyon Dam, 26 miles below Oxbow, was completed in 1967. The three dams have a combined generating capacity of 1,167 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The complex, which provides about 70 percent of Idaho's hydroelectricity, blocks migration of salmon and other anadromous fish upstream of Hells Canyon Dam.


More later......




























Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Pendleton, OR

In large part a cow town and a commercial center of Oregon, Pendleton epitomized the image of wild-west a hundred years back or so. This historic Oregon town was once a hot bed for drug related activities, prostitution and other illegal activities, carried out in large parts by the Chinese immigrants that were working the railroads.

Once a controversial tour, the Pendleton Underground Tour has come to be featured in popular magazines, radio shows and other places. After all, how many historical tours around the world would let you sleep in an authentic bordello, which is preserved in a pristine condition?

Click here for more on this interesting piece of history....

We arrived Wednesday the 17th after about a 3 hour drive from Tollbridge. Beautiful drive on I-84 following the Columbia River most of the way.

Temps are in the mid to upper 90's so the AC's are running however there have been power outages in the park from time to time.

We are at the Wildhorse RV Resort & Casino which is a casino owned and operated since 1994 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Pendleton area: Rich tradition. Fine craftsmanship. Legendary reputation. Pendleton was named the Top True Western Town of 2011 by True West magazine. Museums celebrate the rich traditions of pioneers, cowboys and Native Americans. Fine craftsmanship at the Pendleton Woolen Mills, working saddle shops and Native American beading. Genuine thrills at The Underground Tours and world-famous Pendleton Round-Up Arena. Bikers, cyclists and sportspeople love this location at the base of the Blue Mountains.


View all Photos

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Tollbridge County Park, OR

We left Silver Lake, WA. for Tollbridge County Park just outside of Parkdale, OR and 14 miles South of Hood River, OR on Wednesday July 10th. Gorgeous area as you will see in the photos however without Internet could not do any updating...limited cell service also.

Tollbridge Park in Parkdale Oregon is situated near the base of Mt. Hood. Tollbridge Park is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful parks in the country. Offers 85 campsites, 2 covered shelters, a day use area with a playground, on 100 acres and adjacent to the Hood River. 20 full hookup RV sites, 45 are partial hookup RV sites, and 20 are tent sites.

TollBridge Park is owned and operated by Hood River County. TollBridge Park is located along the East Fork of Hood River. The campground is set at 1600' elevation in a mixed forest setting.

Great time meeting Greg & Ginny's close friends Maureen & Chuck who live just East of Seattle. We will be traveling with G&G the next couple of weeks on our way back to Reno.
































Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Silverlake, WA

Sunday the 7th we arrived at Silver Cove RV Resort located on the canals of the renowned Silver Lake home to some of Washington's best bass fishing and the beautiful views of the renowned Mt. St. Helen's volcano. Silver Cove is only 5 years old so everything is modern and up to date. The RV Park is located 9 mile East off of the I-5 at Castle Rock.

Nice to be back in the warm weather, 80's, after the 60's along the coast.

We have a site backed up to a canal that goes to the lake and the view is fantastic. Geese, ducks and an occasional pontoon boat and a couple of jet ski's putt by from time to time but that's the only traffic we see behind us.

Yesterday we drove 9 miles down the I-5 to Longview/Kelso WA. to stock up on a few things for the rig, laundry done, got the pups a grooming, a Great Clips for me and found a Jo Ann's store for Betty.

Today we'll see about Mount St. Helen's. We were going to only stay 2 nights but decided on a 3rd before moving down to the Columbia River on Wednesday meeting up with Greg & Ginny who are enroute from Reno via CA.

More later....