Monday - Tuesday, May 12-13, 2014 (Catfish Junction, OR)

It finally had to happen....... I finally drove the 5er on the freeway.....this morning after we pulled out of our rv park Rich pulls over to the side of the road, gets out, walks around and opens my door and says "you're driving".   What!!!!  Well I guess it was now or never....I don't know how to describe the anxiety I had about driving our home down the road, other than to say the responsibility scared me.....to tears.   I was driving down the freeway with tears running down my face.  Rich kept saying I didn't have to drive if I didn't want too and how come was I crying....he was feeling pretty badly about the tears.  I don't know why I was crying other than I was scared.   I did  manage to squeek out about 10 miles worth of driving before we came upon a rest area and I pulled over and let Rich take over.  I felt much better after I was back in the passenger seat and could relax again.  I know it was silly to be so emotional about the whole thing but what can I say other than I'm glad I have an understanding and patient husband.

We left around 9:30 a.m. and arrived at our next destination, Catfish Junction RV park which is on the Snake River and in Oregon!  Yahoo, we are back in Oregon. 

the hills were so pretty with the pink and green

This is going to be a short stopover for us, so we didn't really do too much while in the area.  The first day was pretty warm out and they must have had some sort of "hatch" of these annoying moth type bugs, they were everywhere.  It was hard to open the screen door and get inside without a bunch of them flying in.  Luckily by the second day they didn't seem to be so bad.

We took a quick trip into Weiser, ID to fuel the truck up and other than just kicking back and relaxing by the river we didn't do much.  We have decided that instead of heading up into Washington that we are going to take a detour into Bend and then onto my mom's for a bit before heading up to see our Washington kids and grandkids.

Friday - Sunday, May 9-11, 2014 (Hagerman, ID)

Friday

It rained during the night and the morning was cool and breezy so we weren't in too big of hurry to get going this morning.  We pretty much just hung around the 5er this morning doing a little reading.

By the afternoon we were ready to get out and do a little exploring even if it was still cool and breezy outside.  Just down the road from our RV park is a state park called Malad Canyon State Park so we decided to check it out.  We pretty much had the park to ourselves.  We did take a little scenic walk along the canyon rim which was nice.

We are standing on a little bridge that crossed over to the other side of the canyon

This was called the Devil's washboard

That was pretty much our day, not too much to report.  We did extend our stay another two days because the forecast is for a couple breezy days and we don't like to drive in the wind with the 5er if we don't have to.

Saturday

It was another cool and very breezy day, we sure are missing that warm Arizona sunshine.  I had read in a local newspaper that the local high school was having a plant sale today, so we decided to check it out.

On the way we passed a local flea market, so decided to stop in for a quick look.  It was still fairly early and when we walked in the flea market, it felt like we were the only visitors.  It made it a little awkward when we visited each booth because they were so eager to show off their wares and I know I felt we should buy something at each booth.  We did end up purchasing a home made bar of soap and a 10 cent Zane Grey novel.   By the time we left, they were getting more customers so that made me feel better.

We stopped at the high school and I got my "plant fix" by wandering through the greenhouse checking out the different plants for sale but did manage to leave without purchasing anything.  I was tempted, but the stuff they had for sale just wasn't sturdy enough to be traveling around in my mobile garden.

The afternoon we spent reading, the wind had definitely picked up and it was pretty chilly outside.  We tried to go for a walk, but the breeze was so strong it was like walking in a gale, and was no fun, so back to the 5er we went.

I have been working on knitting a throw blanket for the 5er these last several months and finally finished it this evening.  It's a good way to watch tv and still be productive.  =)

Sunday

Happy Mother's Day!

In this small town of approximately 800 residents, they have six churches, we decided to attend the Hagerman Christian Center.  Wow, I have to say in all of our travels so far, this has been my favorite church so far.  The people were very friendly, loved the worship and pastor Isaac.  He had a very good sense of humor which he incorporated into the service and his message.  The church seemed like it was very involved in the community and the people all seemed really happy.  I'm glad we chose to attend this church today.

After we had a bit of lunch, we decided to try our walk again.  The roads around here do not have a lot of traffic since it is mostly a farming community.  There was a road by our rv park that looked like it headed over to the canyon rim so we decided to check it out.  We had a lovely walk through farming country, saw lots of farmers out working with their irrigation pipes, picked a lovely bunch of wild asperagus and got in a nice 3-4 mile walk.  It was still a little breezy today, but the temps felt much warmer, a perfect day for a walk.  We never did see the canyon rim but that was OK.

Our foraged wild asperagus

Me and Gracie trying out the new blanket, it's nice and soft and comfy....



It was warm enough after our walk that I was able to sit outside for awhile and do some reading, that sure felt nice.  All in all it was a very pleasant Mother's Day.  I got to talk to my daughter Amber this morning and my mom this afternoon which is always enjoyable.  To all you mom's out there, I hope your Mother's Day was an enjoyable one.

Thursday, May 8, 2014 (Hagerman, ID)

Today was a travel day.  We woke to cloudy skies and dark black clouds along the Wasatch mountain range.....ick, I hope the rain stays away until we are out of the area.  We were packed up and on the road by 9:45 and with no rain, yahoo.  Our travel today is again on the freeway and should be about another three hour drive.

We had a very nice pleasant travel day and because we didn't go through any big cities, the traffic was really light though we did go through a couple construction zones.  Rich asked if I wanted to drive since the road was so nice, but I declined with the excuse that I wanted to just relax today since it was my birthday.  That's a good excuse don't you think?  And yes, I know, I really need to try driving the truck with the 5er attached but I just didn't want to get all tense and stressed.  I don't know why I'm so intimidated by the thought of driving the truck and the 5er, I guess it's the responsibility that we are hauling our "home" down the road.  I'll talk myself into driving one of these days.

We arrived at our next camping spot, High Adventure River Tours RV park which is just off the freeway but is a lovely park.  We both really like it here, the back of our 5er looks out on a plowed corn field and it is very quiet, even with the freeway nearby.

I think it is good to stay in parks like Wasatch View Estates in Ogden, because it makes you count your many abundant blessings and then when you get to a park like this one, you can really appreciate it.

After we got set up, we drove into the town of Hagerman to check it out and scope out a restaurant for a birthday dinner.  Hagerman is pretty small, I think the population is around 800 folks.  We stopped at the Visitors Center which was also the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Visitors Center.  We looked at the fossil displays and then spoke with the ranger (who grew up in The Dalles, Oregon area) about some sights to see in the area.  We also watched a short video on the history of the fossil beds in this area, it was pretty interesting.  They also had a display on the Japanese displacement camps during World War II because apparently they had one somewhere around here.  I was impressed with the visitor center, especially with it being located in such a small town.  We also found a restaurant that we will come back to for dinner.

When we got back to our 5er, another couple had just pulled into the spot next to us, so we said our hello's and started chatting.  I had noticed that they had on the side of their truck a sign that said Mobile Missionary Assistance Program, so I had to ask about that.  Rich and I had a very nice chat with Jim and Helen.  They live in Sun City, AZ from October - May and then during the summer months travel in their 5er to various spots and do volunteer construction and repair projects for churches.  The program sounds very interesting and they are always looking for additional helpers.  Finally we said our goodbye's so they could finish getting set up and we apologized for breaking the unwritten rule of not interrupting people when they first arrive and are getting setup.  

Soon it was time to go to dinner at the Snake River Grill.  We took another route into town through some very pretty farms.  We had a very nice dinner at the grill.  Rich had rib eye and I had a sirloin steak and grilled sturgeon plate.  The meal was very delicious and to top it off we shared a turtle brownie topped with vanilla ice cream which was super yummy.  For being in a small town, the food was surprisingly good.

I had a very enjoyable and relaxing day and enjoyed phone calls, texts and emails from various family members.   And a big thanks to my husband for making my special day, special.      

Monday-Wednesday, May 5 -7, 2014

Today was a travel day, so we were up fairly early, had our breakfast and then got into our travel day routine.  I take care of packing up the inside of the 5er and putting in the slides while Rich takes care of all the outdoor chores.  We were packed up and on the road around 9:30 a.m.  We had about a three hour drive to our next stop, Ogden, UT.

Our drive today was on the freeway, which wasn't bad except when you get around big cities, the traffic always increases which was the case when we hit Salt Lake City.  We made it through just fine and soon were in Ogden at our next stop, Wasatch View Estates, named after the local mountain range.  We read that 85% of Utah's population lives at the base of the Wasatch Mountains.   Wasatch View Estates is up for sale and has been for the last 10 years.  It is actually a mobile home park that as people leave, they turn the vacant spaces into RV spots.  Let's just say that it was a rather interesting park and leave it at that.  Here's a picture of our site.

Other than getting set up and taking Gracie for a walk through the park, we didn't do much of anything.  Rich did find a local Tire Factory and went and had the tires rotated.  He was very happy with the job they did compared to our experience with Big O Tires in Lake Havasu.  And we did watch on tv the comeback of the show "24" which as always has lots of plot twist and turns.....

Tuesday

Our plan today was to do some shopping and check off some items on our "to do list".  We stopped at Walmart and got a few things and Rich was in need of a haircut so we stopped at the salon inside Walmart.  If you remember in a previous post I had mentioned that for the last 36 years Rich has had the same barber, so this was his second haircut from someone other than his barber and at a hair salon no less.  I'm happy to report that the haircut turned out well.

After the haircut we headed to Costco, had a slice of pizza for lunch, and then did our shopping.  It's always a fun adventure to check out the local Costco stores.  They all seem to have a little different layout and sometimes more "local" type items.  When we were in the southwest, we got a nice big jar of roasted green chili's which were quite yummy.

After our shopping adventure we headed back to the 5er for a relaxing afternoon/evening.  It is suppose to be a rainy stormy day tomorrow so we've decided to stay one more night so we don't have to drive in the rain.

Wednesday

Yep, they were right, it was a cold and stormy day.  A good day to stay inside, nice and dry and warm. 

Wasatch mountain range when we got to Ogden on Monday

Wasatch mountain range on Wednesday with fresh snow



sleet on back window of our 5er

Good day to read with a nice warm doggie on your lap

At one point the thermometer dropped to 32 degrees....brrrrr.....where is that nice warm Arizona sunshine.  We also had some thunder and lightening at times.  Needless to say we didn't do much today other than stay inside and do a lot of reading.  I had made a pot of bean/sausage soup which helped chase the chill away.  Tomorrow the weather is suppose to clear and we will head down the road.  We are definitely ready.

Saturday - Sunday, May 3-4, 2014 (Salina, UT)

Yep, this morning when we woke up, we still weren't feeling like sticking around for another two days, so we walked down to the office to see about a refund.  Well yes, they will refund some of the money, they will keep $10 each day for a cancellation  fee, so we said yes, let's cancel.  Well that was an exercise in patience as the one office worker was new and didn't know how to do a refund, so we had to wait for the other office worker to finish a phone call and help us out.  Well after much confusion trying to figure out how to give us a refund the office worker thought she had it.  We'll see, I'll have to check our bank account and see if it all works out how it was suppose too.

We finally had the 5er packed up and ready to head out around 11:00 a.m.  that's late for us.  We decided to take the scenic route to our next destination in order to avoid going back through those two tunnels.  Well there was positive and negative about that decision.  The positive was that there was virtually next to no traffic.  I think we saw all of about two cars the whole time we were on the scenic part of the road.  The negative was that it was a rough old road with tons of cattle guards that we had to cross.  Poor Gracie was not too happy about the rough and somewhat curvy road.  Gracie rides in her crate between us when we are driving and we can always tell when we are on a curvy road because she starts panting alot.  Once we were back on the "main" highway, Rich asked me if I was glad we choose that road.  I have to say, all in all I was glad we took the scenic route, though there were a few times I did wonder what we had gotten ourselves into.

We arrived at Butch Cassidy Campground around 1:00 p.m.  I can't say that the campground is much to look at, but we both feel much better being here for some reason.

Here is a picture I took of some pretty red hills as we were getting close to Salina.

Sunday

Today we were going to attend the Faith Baptist Church in Salina.  We had two options, either attend a Mormon church or a Baptist church.  Salina is a very small quiet town, again with the nice big wide streets.  We had no trouble finding the church.  It was just a small but pretty little church.  The people were very friendly, the congregation was under 20 people with the pastors family being almost half of that.  They had six kids, 5 boys and 1 girl with another baby on the way.  The two oldest boys, who were twins we think and not much older than 10 yrs old, played the violin and chello while their mom played the piano.   The boys were all dressed in little suits and the little girl, she was probably only around 2-3 yrs old was dressed in an adorable little dress.  The kids were very well behaved during the 2 hour service, with only a couple little shhh's from their mom. 

After church we drove around the town a little bit just to check it out.  We've noticed these little towns are very clean and no sign of graffiti anywhere.  It looks like a good place to raise a family.

The afternoon was just spent relaxing and reading with a little walk around the campground for Gracie.  Tomorrow we will pack up and head down the road.  We've enjoyed our brief stay in Salina, which as a side note for all you ATV riders out there, this area is know for the ATV trails.  They have over a 1000 miles of trails in this area.  We did see several ATV's in the park but didn't talk to anyone who had actually done any riding. 

Thursday - Friday, May 1-2, 2014 (Bryce Canyon City, UT)

Today we were traveling to Bryce Canyon City, UT.  We left our camp spot in Hurricane around 9:45 a.m. and arrived around noon at Ruby's Inn RV Park & Campground. Our drive was pretty uneventful until we got to Panguitch.  We originally were going to stay at the Hitchin Post in Panguitch but in looking at the campground online and reading some reviews, we got cold feet and decided to pay a bit more and be about 30 miles closer to Bryce Canyon.  When we drove by Panguitch and the Hitchin Post we were so glad we decided to pass it up.  There were no rv's anywhere to be seen and it looked pretty deserted and run down. 

Everything was looking good until we saw a roadside sign that said tunnels ahead.  Yikes....we weren't expecting that.  Then there was another sign that said clearance 13'6".  That had me scurrying to find my phone and check some notes I had on our 5er dimensions.  My notes said we were 13' high so we kept on going.  We came to the tunnel and decided to take it down the center of the road since we weren't sure where the 13'6" clearance was.

There were two of these tunnels, the other one was just around the corner.  Whew, we made it, but it was a little tense for a few seconds while we were driving under them.

We made it to Ruby's and got checked in and they gave us site #118.  The gal at the counter kept raving about what a nice site it was.  Well when we pulled up, it was absolutely AWFUL!!!  At first we weren't really sure it was our site, but yes, there was the little site post with 118.  The site was no where close to level and had an incline to it plus there were trees that made it very tight just pulling in, let alone trying to put our slides out.  Rich is much more patient than I am, and worked for quite a while maneuvering the 5er in and out of the site trying to find a spot where we could attempt to try and level it.  What was irritating was that a couple rows over there was this big open area with tons of sites that were level and wide open and with no one in them. 

Rich finally got the 5er to a point where we were going to try and level it, we had to use lots of blocks under the tires and jacks on one side because it had such a slope.  When he went to let the tailgate down, it wouldn't open because there was a bind on the truck.  The handle to the tailgate popped off and hit him on the side of the head before flying into the back of the truck.  When he finally got the tailgate down and started to put the front jacks down and unhook,  the 5er started creaking and a groaning, I finally "lost it" and said can't we please check and see if one of those other sites are available.  I'm afraid I didn't have my "happy" face on.  =(

Well I'm relieved to say that when I called the office, they said yes we could move to one of those nice open and level sites.....whew, that made me feel a lot better.  I just did not have a good feeling about that first site.  I'm lucky that I have a patient husband, who didn't get mad at me when I asked to move after he had spent all that time trying to get into our original site.  Why in the world they tried to squeeze us into that awful site when they had all these nice big open sites I'll never know.

We've never had such a wide site before - they were huge.  Back in those trees behind us was where they originally were trying to put us.  We always tell them we have a big 5er which measures 39 feet long and has four slides.  The whole two days we were here, they never even came close to filling up this newer part of the campground.

Well after we got set up, we pretty much just chilled out the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Friday

The plan today was to drive to Panguitch and fuel up with diesel and then head to Bryce National Park and do some siteseeing.  At Ruby's we are at an elevation of 7777 feet and you can definitely feel it.  The drive down to Panguitch is all down hill.  The towns here in Utah all have really nice wide streets and it looks like a quiet little town.  We got our diesel and spent some time chilling out in Panguitch just taking in the pretty scenery.  We  forgot to take some pictures  while we were there. 

Then it was time to head back so we could check out Bryce Canyon National Park.  Bryce does not get near the visitors as the Grand Canyon or even Zion National Park so the shuttle service was not running yet.  Later in May they start the shuttle bus runs into the park to the scenic overlook areas.  We decided to drive to the end of the Bryce Ampitheater area and then take in the overlook areas on the way back.  We stopped at three of the overlook areas and took a bunch of pictures.  The scenery was definitely unique compared to the Grand Canyon and Zion.  I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

We had Gracie along thinking that we would be able to walk with her along the tops of the viewpoints, but the first two viewpoints we stopped at had No Pet signs, so one of us had to stay with her while the other went and enjoyed the viewpoint and then we would switch.  It is much too warm to leave your animals inside a vehicle for any length of time.  If we would have realized they wouldn't let her at the viewpoints, we would have dropped her off at the 5er before coming into the park.  Finally at the last viewpoint, Sunset Point, they allowed dogs at the viewpoint so we finally got to enjoy the views together. 

The rest of the afternoon we just chilled out back at the 5er.  I sat outside and did a little reading which was nice.  We had originally paid for 4 nights, but have decided that we are going to ask for a refund tomorrow and head on down the road.  I'm not sure why, but Rich and I just aren't "feeling" this place.  Maybe we've seen too much spectacular scenery in the last couple of weeks and now its all starting to run together.....I'm not sure, we are just ready to leave.  That is one of the advantages of being retired and full timing, if we are in a spot that we aren't feeling it, we can decide to leave.  It's not like being on a vacation and making sure that you utilize every moment of your vacation in doing or seeing things and trying to fit everything into a specific amount of time.  So tomorrow you will find us down the road......