Saturday, July 31, 2010

Travelers in a Great Land - Oregon to Idaho (Oh No!)


Actually this is the end of day one of our great adventure across the country in the Musemobile. We ended the day at Burns RV Park a very nice RV Park in Burns Oregon. The facilities here were very nice and very relaxed. I tend to like RV parks when they do little touches and here the hookup for water, electricity and cable were all at chest height easy piezy to connect - thank you.

The view wasn't a vast panorama but it was very nice.

After leaving Burns we followed highway 20 a great two lane highway that goes all the way across the country and while not as well known as Route 66 it is a premier highway if you want to see this country.

The vistas are fantastic and part of the Great Basin a very underrated part of the US lightly populated and fantastic for it's beauty.

There is one great vista after another on the 20...

... and we still had not left Oregon.

There was a historic marker further down the road so we stopped just in time to see a deer drinking at the river's far side near the green clump of bushes but I was too slow to get a picture

The Historic marker was for Peter Skeen Ogden, the man Ogden, Utah was named for and an explorer for the Hudson Bay Company.

The Mahleur River at this location is just breathtaking ...

... with lots of twists and turns and unbelievable open vistas to the west ...


... and a narrowing path that winds through a canyon to the east.

When the started the Musemobile to drive into Boise I had a difficult time starting old faithful so we didn't stop until we got to the Les Schwab Tire company thinking we needed a new battery, which I'm sure we did need since it was the original battery.

Well I was wrong there was a problem with the ignition system so we ended up calling our insurance company (Geico) who suggested an RV repair place(Dennis Dillon), who walked me through some trouble shooting steps as did Workhorse (our Chassis maker) when all test failed we has to call Boise Valley Towing (very good folks). Just up the street we spotted the Ameri~Tel Hotel and since Dennis Dillon was just closing and would not open till Monday we got a room for two nights. So here we are on the 4th floor cooling our heels looking out the window at Les Schwab...

..
... the back of a Cracker Barrel (where we ate dinner - yummy) and ...

Costco where we have to walk to tomorrow for a book because the book Sharyn bought for the trip (twice - don't ask) was one she already read a few years ago.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 321 - The Contender 332

Quote of the Day ~
"Eventually stardom is going to go away from me. It goes away from everybody and all you have in the end is to be able to look back and like the choices you made." ~ Matt Damon

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Peoria Country Bakery & Alsea Falls


We needed a break so we took a drive. One of our favorite places to stop is the Country Bakery in Peoria.


There were some nice additions there aside from the bread pudding and cinnamon rolls. The roses were in full bloom in a beautifully landscaped garden area...


... the roses were just perfect and very large blooms...


... in rainbow of colors. Orange, pink, yellow ...


... and a great red and white variety...


... that was exploding in the sunlight.


So we stocked up with baked goods and hit a farm stand across the street for some perfect peaches.



Nope! this is not at the bakery it's at our primary destination Alsea Falls


and it's my favorite flower the Tiger Lily.


These are marvelous flower and very tiny so while the grow wild and apparently all over this area they are easy to miss.


It was a short walk to the falls and there are some very nice picnic areas all around the falls.

"Alsea Falls Recreation Area is next to the South Fork Alsea River, in a lush coastal forest of red cedars, maples, and Douglas firs. The recreation area has 22 picnic tables, 16 campsites, hiking trails, and an outstanding view of Alsea Falls. Throughout the spring and summer, visitors find blooming rhododendrons, Oregon grapes, dogwoods, and other wildflowers, as well as numerous wild berries." ~ Bureau of Land Management



The South Alsea River was flowing but not a raging torrent at this point...

...but as you can see in the distance the pace was about to pick up.


I enjoyed watching this bird dance in the river just before the water fell.


... and fall it did...


...churning and moving fast...


...over the face of a rock cliff.


Sharyn was way ahead of me at the base of the falls...


... so I joined her for the vantage from the bottom up...


... and it was well worth the walk.


The BLM had created a nice trail to get down to the bottom of the falls...


...so, of course I even took pictures of leaves...


... and some of Harley Davidson's ...


...wonderful bikes.


We came back through the town of Monroe home of the fighting Dragons - Go Dragons!


Across from the high school a mill or some kind of plant with a really cool star on top. It was a very nice trip and a welcomed break from some pretty over whelming events at home.

No Scrabble

Quote of the Day ~
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Copyright

©Paul Viel