Final Days

I don't know if I mentioned it but at the dinner on Friday evening Ken and I stepped forward and offered to plan the next rally for the Washington Unit.

After much discussion we decided to see if we could get a campground in the Long Beach area as a spot for that get together. So instead of going to the Oregon coast which is our usual practice we headed for the Long Beach Peninsula.
We got a spot at the Cape Disappointment State Park. It was a wonderful location right on the ocean. In fact we could watch the waves break as we ate our breakfast. Ken was in his glory and he played in the waves all three days.

One evening we had a wiener roast,  no marshmallows on board :-( .

While there we saw something we had never seen before. There was a gentleman there with a portable sluice set up and he was looking for gold. He used a battery and sea water and he dug down a foot or so below the level of the beach. He was running black sand through and he was actually getting very fine specks of gold. Amazing.

We checked out RV parks and local attractions and eating establishments and candy shops and bakeries in Ilwaco, and Long Beach and Astoria.
We were very successful and so the next get together for this group will be in Long Beach, WA. The dates are from June 24 to June 29.
Can't wait.

 

 


On Thursday morning we left Cape Disappointment and headed for Abbotsford. We crossed the border at 4:00pm.
We had been gone over 11 weeks and we had traveled 20,103 Kilometers.
It was an amazing memorable trip and I hope you enjoyed traveling along with us.
Till next blog the end of January. We will be in the Caribbean this time.
Yeah!!

Rally ends

The rally had come to an end and so Sunday morning was spent saying good bye to old friends.
It is always so good to see the members of both the Washington Club and the Oregon club. It is almost like a reunion when we do get together.

Because of all of the good bying we were later than usual getting away. It was a warm day and our goal was to make it to Mary Hill by night fall. 

We passed through a lot of dry barren country but soon we were traveling long the Columbia River.  There are high hills and impressive rock formations on either side and because the top soil is so thin there is little or no irrigation and farming. We are on the Washington side and we can see Oregon on the other side.

Soon we cross over the river and arrive at Mary Hill

It is our plan to stay at the Mary Hill State park and when we arrive we are given a choice of 2 sites, either 15 or 24.
We drive around and after a try we decide that 24 is too tight and 15 is the better choice. So we back in and Ken goes over to the self registration stall to pay. He is there when another motor home comes in. He stops and the men chat. We discover that they have been given and have paid for site number 15. Because they have paid and we have not we leave .

We  go to Peach Beach campground which is right next door.

The site is a pull through , which is better and the price is better and the sunset is amazing.

During a brief evening storm, a tree comes down, making a bit of a mess. Fortunately it is not near any parked rigs and no one is hurt.

But we do go and take pictures of the downed tree.

Train Ride!

Saturday, Sept.14

The early day schedule included a special breakfast cooked by the camp ground staff. It was very good and included scrambled eggs and hash and watermelon and biscuits and gravy. There was a lot of teasing between those who love biscuits and people like me who hates that particular food.

The highlight of the day was a train ride. It was called The Wild West Dinner Train.

 We convoyed to Horseshoe Bend and boarded the train there. We were all given toy paper money when we boarded which was a good clue as to events to take place later.

The train car was very nicely laid out with tables and chairs and a bar . The RV group had a car all to ourselves which made it kind of special.

The story teller and the villein and the fair young maiden told the usual story of a maiden in distress and needing rescue. It really was a lot of fun and everyone got into it. 

The train ride took us about 16 miles and then we were treated to a western chuck wagon dinner of beans and beef.

After that we got back on the train and returned to Horseshoe Bend. It had been raining a lot of the way and we learned on our return that some of the road on highway 55 had been washed out and we had to take a detour. So we were later getting home than we planned. But we did get home safe and sound and it was a great adventure.

Breakfast cooked by the men!!

Friday began with a special treat for the ladies. The men cook a breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausage.
It was wonderful and the men even did the clean up.

The scheduled event for the afternoon was a trip to the Warhawk Museum in Meridian..

The displays were very diverse, I was told,( I didn't go). They even had a wedding gown made out of parachute silk.

If you want to know more you can google it.

That evening we had a steak dinner catered by the park staff.

After dinner we had another treat... a wonderful rainbow.

Idaho State Capital Building

On Thursday afternoon our adventure took us to the Idaho State Capital building. As to be expected this is a domed building built very much like the Capital building in Washington DC.

It is beautiful and large and spacious and grand with lots of marble.

Apparently it had undergone a lot of changes in its 150 years and in 2007 it was decided to do a major renovation. 

They uncovered things that no one knew was there. For example they found an elevator behind paneling,

 they found a wonderful clock behind a painting

 and they found a wonderful barrel ceiling above a drop ceiling.

Our guide was very friendly and very informative and we learned a great deal.

I was impressed by how open to the public the building was. Anyone can arrange to use one of the rooms and many do to promote their causes.

We even had a little chat with the lieutenant governor.

The grounds were beautiful and as you would expect.  They were very well maintained and there were sculptures and item of historical significance..

World Center for Birds of Prey.

Thursday is the first full day of the rally and our first activity is a trip to the World Center for Birds of Prey.
I really did not know what to expect and when I looked it up on the web this is what I found:
"The center’s research facilities are designed to enhance the health, reproduction, and reintroduction efforts of endangered species and to collect information about the general biology of raptors. The science is focused on understanding how diet, aging, and environment affect the health, growth, reproduction and lifespan of the birds. The organization’s propagation program played a critical role in the successful recovery of the Peregrine Falcon, which was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1999.
The organization currently breeds endangered California Condors and Aplomado Falcons at the World Center for Birds of Prey. The condors are released to the wild in northern Arizona; Aplomado Falcon chicks are released to the wild in Texas and New Mexico."

Well I was in for a pleasant surprise. This place was responsible for the fact that the Peregrine falcon is no longer an endangered species. Because of that success they have been asked to see if they could do the same thing for the condor. They are having great success. The last time Ken and I were at the Grand Canyon we saw some of these condors in the wild.
We were given a grand tour of the facility and our guide was amazing.
We met Lucy, the turkey vulture, and we saw California condors up close and we learned so much about raptors..

This is a place where I could have very easily spent an entire day. There was so much to see and so much to experience.

RV Rally

We left the Valley of The Trees around nine and we headed for the rally.  The rally is being held in Boise Idaho at the Boise Meridian KOA.
We are the first to arrive and we are shown to spot number 25. It is a bit short for us but the park is very nice so we do not complain. We get set up and get all of the awnings out because it is VERY warm outside.

 Before long others begin to arrive and by 4:oo there is a good group of us meeting and greeting. It is decided that we will go to Cracker Barrel for dinner, which pleased me.

Wednesday is Golf Day,
There are nine of us who have decided to play golf. Four will play nine holes and 5 will play 18 holes.
I was hoping that the course would be a very easy course especially since I had not played yet this year. But that was not to be.
Here is the formal description of the course called Shadow Valley Golf Course.

"Shadow Valley is the unique and challenging golf course you've been looking for. Nestled in the foothills, north of Boise, Idaho, Shadow Valley Golf Course has earned a reputation for eye-catching golf because of its picturesque setting. Built a quarter century ago along the Boise front, the front nine alone features a dozen elevation changes, including the new No. 6 hole, a challenging par-3 cut from the side of the foothills. The aesthetics are unmatched with its rock formations, blooming flower beds, ponds and waterfall."

I did manage to play 8 holes before all 4 of us decided that we had had enough. Those 8 holes took us over 3 hours to play so that tells the entire story of how we did.
It was unique in appearance however and it was an interesting experience to say the least.