Leavenworth, WA - Biking

One day during the week we had to run down to Wenatchee to take Ele back to Sears. We still had some concerns regarding her tires and wanted them to double-check them for safety. So we dropped the car off and took out our bikes. We rode to the Apple Capitol Loop Trail which was just a few blocks from Sears. This 11-mile paved trail took us along one side of the Columbia River and then back along the other side. This was sooo much better than sitting in the service department!Friday we chose one of the "easy" mountain bike rides - the Wenatchee River Road Trail. This was on an old dirt road, so in that sense it was an easy surface to ride on. But the hills are what added the challenge. But just as we were whining about the hills and how this should've been labeled "moderate", we cross paths with a dad and his kids on their bikes. Ok, so if a six-year old girl can do it, why am I whining? Aaaah, you have to appreciate how life can slap you upside the head with a little perspective every now and then.
Our first signs of fall....a red maple. We are just now starting to see splashes of yellow and red. I was afraid we would be too early for Fall Colors in the North Cascades, but it looks like we might be right on time....

Leavenworth, WA

We arrived in the cute Bavarian village of Leavenworth today. We are staying in an RV park that is walking distance to town. There are lots of shops and restaurants to visit - and almost all with the bavarian decor. Flowers are everywhere along the street, and large overflowing baskets they are. So pretty. So far we've had a beer in a bier garten with views of the mountains surrounding the town and we ate a big pretzel. Unfortunately the pretzel was a disappointment - being that we are from Philly we have high expectations of such things. It was too bread-like. But this was from the danish bakery, which might be different than some of the bavarian restaurants...so who knows, maybe we'll try again. We'll be here for a little over a week and are hoping to bike and hike in the nearby mountains and National Forest.

Toppenish, WA

While in Toppenish we stayed at the Yakama Nations RV Park. Within the RV park are 14 teepees that can be rented out for camping. Fourteen symbolically represents the fourteen tribes that are part of the Yakama Nation. The park sits on the edge of their reservation and is only a short distance to town.The town of Toppenish is known for it's murals. I've never seen so many murals before. Building after building. Some on the sides, or above the storefronts, or like this one below, you almost have to do a double-take before realizing those windows are painted.
The area is also known for it's wineries. Sometimes I wish we were winos! I think it would've been fun to go from one to another tasting wines. But it would be more fun to do with friends. And, since we are more beer drinkers than wine drinkers we ended up passing on those festivities.
From many places around town we had great views of Mt Adams. Once we even got to see Mt Rainier - that was from the roof of our RV while we were washing her - and only once did the big mountain uncloak herself from her clouds.

Dufur, OR - Biking

We hopped on our road bikes and went east of Dufur - more into the wheat fields and desert area. When Andy rode the other day he went west on Lower Dufur Road (Rt 44) which took him into Mt Hood National Forest area. So he enjoyed a different aspect of this area.
Andy had warned me about these long, gradual climbs. But I don't think I've ever pedaled a hill that lasted for 9 miles before. Yep. 9 long, continuous miles.
Actually I was pretty proud of myself considering how little we've ridden lately. My legs felt strong, my breathing was controlled, but I was on fire. I felt that my black lycra biking shorts had become a magnifying glass catching all of the sun's rays. I thought that I might self-combust, the heat was so intense on my face and my legs. But finally, we got to the top...and then another top...and then another top (every summit showed another hill!)...and then there was a cool breeze. We should've been able to see Mt Hood and Mt Adams from this one spot - but both were covered with clouds. Bummer. We pedaled on til we found the road we were looking for to make a loop to head home. Another bummer...it was gravel. We knew this was a risk, so no big deal - we now had almost 11 miles of downhill to enjoy!

Some of the clouds cleared from Mt Hood on our way down, so I had to take a picture to remember her.
It was a great area to ride. We rode past cows & horses, spooked some quails, watched seven deer bound through the wheat, had hawks soaring overhead, and we even saw a coyote. And we saw a whopping six cars in two hours of biking. Now that is a peaceful ride.

Dufur, OR - Girls Weekend

We came to Dufur so I would be close enough to Portland to drive in to visit some of my girlfriends. This time I got to leave Andy alone in the RV. We would've stayed a little further north, in one of the towns along the Columbia River Gorge, but we've done that before and realized that the trains were so bad we could only sleep (or not sleep) for one night before having to move on. There are active train tracks and highways on both sides of the river in Oregon and Washington. Almost all of the RV Parks or State Parks are in between the tracks and highway. It's beautiful...if you can withstand that kind of noise.

So on Friday night I drove the two hours to Portland, leaving Andy with his two bikes and no car for the weekend. My girlfriend, Tatiana, was visiting from San Francisco and staying with our friend Rene. Rene is expecting and due in a month. The plan was to help her get ready for the baby. So we moved furniture, washed baby clothes, cleaned car seats and high chairs and aaallllll of those things that go along with babies. I didn't care what we were doing as long as we got to talk and catch up on life. Rene's husband, Todd, and four-year old, Michael, were there, but we still had a lot of girl-time. We had some fun, too. We took a tour of the city, did some shopping, went for walks, went to a picnic, and so forth. It was a busy two days. I left them at the picnic on Sunday for the drive back to Dufur. I've known these girls for twenty years. We still can't believe it! It makes me feel old when I count the years! The only thing that could've made the weekend better was to have Jen there. Jen lives in Portland, but was away visiting family this weekend. We'll keep trying to meet up somewhere soon, though.

Andy took a nice bike ride on a quiet country road through the rolling wheat fields that surround us. He should've had views of Mt Hood all along his ride, but clouds blanketed this snow-capped mountain on Saturday. It would be great if he'd come to the blog and actually post something about his weekend alone, wouldn't it? I guess we'll have to wait and see if he'll ever write his first post...ha!

Flat Tire

We finally left Crooked River yesterday. On our 100-mile drive to Dufur, OR (yeah, we like short days) we got a flat tire. Believe it or not, but after four years on the road this was our first flat on the RV. But to every cloud there's a silver lining, right? Well, here were our good fortunes:
* it was not a blow-out
* we had just pulled into Maupin to check out the town and get lunch when we noticed it on a quick walk-around
* we happened to have parked 2 blocks from an auto-shop. Noticing a school bus in his small parking lot, we knew he was capable of handling big rigs.
* we explained to him that we were just passing through, so Bill took us right away.
* Bill checked the tire and said it was still in good shape, it hadn't been flat for long so we didn't ruin it.
* small-town folk are as good as their word. He had it ready for us within 1 1/2 hours.
It ended up being a bad valve stem. So, they replaced it, filled up the tire, and off we went. If we have to have a flat...this was the way to go.

Crooked River Ranch, OR - FMCA Rally

Our friends Jim & Chris were speaking at the FMCA Rally. So on Tuesday we went over to see them and tour the exhibits. Wow! The fairgrounds were crowded. We don't go to many rallies, so the last time we saw this many RVs in one place was at the Life On Wheels in Moscow, ID.

The first booth we visited was Motosat - to talk about the issues we've been having with our Datastorm Satellite Dish. Even that day, we could not access any secure sites (again), so we ended up working at the Redmond Library. After talking with Maurice at Motosat we are going to try switching satellites again. I'm not expecting life with technology to be perfect, but the frequency of our problems have just been too much for us. Jim, who installed our dish for us, even came over last night to check our equipment to see if there were any setting issues on our side. But everything looks good here, so hopefully switching satellites will help us.

We also had to visit some of the awning booths. Our four-year old vinyl awnings are beginning to show their age. While Andy was washing the RV the other day he almost pushed the brush through a part of the awning that has dried out. Yikes! This will be an expense.

After touring the Rally we went out to dinner with Jim and Chris and then had them over to our place. We really wanted to show off "our" canyon. And I'm glad Jim looked at our computers and setup - it's given me some peace of mind that there is nothing glaring on our side.

Crooked River Ranch, OR - Smith Rock SP

This was one of our first close-up views of Smith Rock State Park. After seeing this, we knew we had to go for a hike there. My friend Heidi recommended doing Misery Ridge and that we go close to sunset or early in the morning to beat the heat. Sometimes things don't happen the way you want them to, though.

We headed out mid-morning on Saturday - already pretty late for an exposed hike. But Andy had gotten his standard fly-home-to-Philly cold so he needed to rest a little bit in the morning before I dragged him out. And on the way to the park, we drove past this sign.
Mud Volleyball?! Who can resist checking this out? So we did a u-turn to see what was going on...
Isn't this the coolest? Two man-made mud volleyball courts. It was a tournament to raise money for the local girl's volleyball team. The local Pumpkin & Corn company provided the land, which explains the cornstalks surrounding the courts. And that is Smith Rock in the background. Andy was hoping for some bikini-clad babes, so he was a little disappointed. But it looked like everyone was having a great time.

We finally got to Smith Rock and started our hike. First down one side of the canyon, cross the river, and then up and over this volcanic mass of rock.
The, aptly named, Crooked River winds itself around the rock mass, carving the canyon that eventually extends past our campground.
One of the main features of the park is a rock formation called Monkey Face. Can you see why?
There weren't any rock climbers on Monkey Face when we got there, but there were climbers in many other areas of the park. Can you find the two climbers in the picture below? This park is very popular with the rock climbing crowd of all levels.
We ended up turning our hike into a loop. We crossed over the pass and down the other side and then followed the river back around. It was so pretty. I would not recommend doing it in the middle of the day, though. Shade is a rarity. The sun is intense and the heat is draining. But it was worth every step.

Crooked River Ranch, OR - Microbreweries

No visit to the Bend area would be complete without a visit to one of their many microbreweries.

One night we met my friend Heidi and her boyfriend Josh at the Deschutes Brewery. They brew one of Andy's favorites - Mirror Pond Ale. The only problem is that we're about a 45-minute drive away from Bend and I picked the unlucky straw and was DD (designated driver) that night. We're finding that all it takes is one good microbrew to get a buzz on. Two, your drunk. And three will put you over the edge. Andy had three that night!

We had wanted to stay in Bend, but the reviews on the RV Parks all mentioned highway noise. We should've done it for a night or two, though, just to enjoy the downtown area and the brewpubs.

Another day we did get to hit St Francis School Pub and then had dinner afterward before driving home. So, at least we got to visit two!

Crooked River Ranch, OR

We keep extending our stay here at River Rim RV Park. It'll be two weeks this Thursday. Wow! I can't believe we've been parked for so long in one place. But in order to stay in this park we've had to move sites three times now. The Redmond-area is "full". The FMCA Rally is going on and finding vacancies has been hard. So moving sites as the park got cancellations was the easiest solution.

This park is nice and peaceful and with phenomenal views...
We thought the warning signs and park rules to stay away from the edge were a little extreme. But once you learn that the manager's 15-year old son died when the cliff's edge collapsed, you can understand why. The rock is fractured and there are areas that are eroded underneath what you might believe is solid ground.

I like to walk out to the canyon's edge at least once a day to listen to the rapids below and take in the views. In the desert brush we also get to see rabbits, quails, black-tailed deer and even some kind of exotic mountain sheep brought in for grazing purposes. Hawks, eagles, and vultures soar overhead.
At the Ogden Scenic Viewpoint you can see a different perspective of the canyon with three bridges spanning it: a railroad bridge, an old road bridge-turned-pedestrian-only bridge, and the newer bridge for road traffic.
A forest fire in the Mt Jefferson wilderness area has been spewing smoke into the sky since we've arrived. The smoke has added to the beautiful sunsets here. Fortunately there was only one day when the winds shifted and brought the smoke our way.

The dark nights have also been perfect for watching the Pereid Meteor showers the last two nights. We've taken our blankets outside and curled up in our chairs watching the show. We definitely can't do this at home!

Crooked River Ranch, OR

I've had the weekend alone. Well, not really...but it's a weekend without Andy. Andy flew back to Philly to spend the weekend with his family. It has been two years since his father's passing, and it was important for him to be with his mother and siblings. It was a last minute decision, so I stayed behind. I think we've only been apart about 2 weeks in the last two years, so it's quite an oddity to find myself with so much quiet time.

But Saturday wasn't dull or quiet. I got together with a girlfriend who is living in Bend. We went for a 9-mile hike so we had hours to catch up on life. It was great. Heidi took me on the Tam Mcarthur Trail which provides views of Three Sisters and Broken Top. I just love getting above tree level and seeing snow even in August.
It was a beautiful hike on a perfect sunny day.
But the best part is to spend the day with an old friend! Heidi and I met back in the ole college days. Sometimes we go years without seeing eachother, so visits like this are a blessing.
Andy comes home tomorrow. I'm looking forward to introducing him to Heidi and getting to meet her honey, too.

Technology

Aaah, life is wonderful when technology works. I'm sure you've had those moments where you wanted to throw your computer out the window, right? Well lately we either wanted to throw the computer, kick the satellite dish off the roof, or fire a rocket into space to knock the satellite out of orbit. Our emotions get crazy when things don't work right.

First, we had off/on problems with the satellite we were on (called SatMex 5). Everyone on it at the same frequency were having issues. So finally I switched to a different satellite (Horizons 1). I would've eventually have had to do this anyway because SatMex 5 wouldn't work in the far northwest where we're heading. Every satellite has a "footprint" as to what region of the earth it can cover. Then after switching satellites ("This will just take one hour."), I had software problems and other issues that took two days to resolve.

Just prior to that, we couldn't access the internet because of foul weather. Not where we were (it was sunny and gorgeous), but there were thunderstorms in Germantown Maryland where the Control Center is.

Then there were a couple of days when we couldn't access secure sites (https). Hello! We're trading - we have several brokerage accounts that we couldn't access to buy/sell. That wasn't good. The next week there was a day we couldn't access regular sites (http). That's where our educational site is and our stock charting program. Weird stuff.

Our last campground in Klamath was hidden in towering pine trees. It took us two days and three sites before we found a campsite that had an opening to the south that our dish could use to locate the satellite.

So now we've arrived in Crooked River Ranch, OR...and at this point I'm utterly paranoid that whenever we move we'll never get internet again...and the dish went up and did exactly what it was supposed to do - it found the satellite on the first try. Aaahhh...life is good.

Klamath Falls, OR

With the market crashing around us, we needed to get some daily exercise.

One day we took a short bike ride along the OC&E Trail. We only did about 14 miles. Part of the trail is paved, but the majority is unpaved. That's fine, but this surface seemed extra bumpy. This caused us to cut our ride short. But it was pretty...

We also got our road bikes out for a hilly 20-mile ride on the local roads near the campground, and then just today we got some laps in at the town's community pool. Every little bit helps!

Klamath Falls, OR

With the market crashing around us, we needed to get some daily exercise.

One day we took a short bike ride along the OC&E Trail. We only did about 14 miles. Part of the trail is paved, but the majority is unpaved. That's fine, but this surface seemed extra bumpy. This caused us to cut our ride short. But it was pretty...

We also got our road bikes out for a hilly 20-mile ride on the local roads near the campground, and then just today we got some laps in at the town's community pool. Every little bit helps!

Klamath Falls, OR - Crater Lake NP

Stunning, just stunning. The deep blue color of the water just holds your eyes. It's hard to turn away from its beauty. Crater Lake is about 6 miles wide, 1,943' deep and the rim drive is 33 miles around the crater. We decided to take the ranger-guided boat tour. It's a two-hour boat ride circling the inside of the crater. This gave the only opportunity to see the various rock formations up close.We detoured from the rim to go see "The Pinnacles". These are basically chimney formations made from ash. We couldn't believe they haven't completely eroded away considering we could actually watch particles blowing off the embankment.
And besides a large crater and volcanoes, there were the wildflowers. Here are Lewis' Monkeyflower.
After a great day touring Crater Lake, we even got to see some *big* birds on the drive home. First there was a bald eagle (which Andy did a quick u-turn and tried to chase the bird so I could get a picture! ha! If it wasn't for the never-ending cow pastures, we might've caught it...someday.) But then we saw this large juvenile bald eagle fly off the fence. We saw many hawks and eagles on the way home. What a treat!

Klamath Falls, OR - Wildlife Refuge

On Saturday we took a canoe out to explore the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. We could leave directly from the dock at our campground and get right onto the canoe trail. It was nice to be on the water. If we had our own kayaks with us we would probably have gone out a couple of times. It was relaxing and reminded us of home. Well, with some slight differences...

First there were mountains on the horizon...one even still had snow...

And the pelicans were white, not brown. The white pelicans are huge - with a wingspan of almost 10 feet. Very impressive.

And, there were beaver dams...and NO alligators! We kept looking and looking, it's funny how you still look for something eventhough you know it's not there.
There are several wildlife refuges in the area, so if you like to fish, kayak, birdwatch, this is a great area to visit.

Klamath Falls, OR - Welcoming Party

We had the most incredible welcoming party when we arrived in Klamath Falls last Thursday. The Oregon Air National Guard were doing flight training maneuvers with their F15 Eagles. Wow! We've always enjoyed driving down I-95 at home and trying to time the commercial planes so that we are driving directly under the landing plane when it crosses over I-95 just at the airport's edge. But have you ever been buzzed by an F15 when it is coming in for a landing? It was great watching them exercise on the drive in, but to see an F15 that close and low to the road was powerful.

Welcome to Klamath Falls! But don't expect any waterfalls in this town. The falls were covered over when they dammed the river years ago. The poor ladies at the Visitor Center must be sooo tired of explaining how there are no falls in Klamath Falls.