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Life on the road

June 23 - 26, 2010

We were fortunate to find this amazingly beautiful and tidy RV resort in the heart of Idaho's vacation village on the Payette Lake. The original owner developed this property and spared no expense in amenities. It was once part of the KOA network. Unfortunately, the owner went into foreclosure and the investors/lenders took it over. We were here in late June and the resort had only a few guests. We were able to obtain a "pull in" site right on the Payette River.

The resort is under new management and renamed to Payette River RV Park. Highly recommended!!

The photos were taken from our site overlooking the river. The foggy scene was taken at 3:00 AM in the morning (don't ask) with my Konika/Minolta Dimage A2 on a tripod in auto exposure mode. It took nearly a 30 second exposure to capture the scene.

June 19 - 22, 2010

The ranch is located just a few miles north of Redmond and up until 1972 was an immense cattle ranch between the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. Developed as a recreational site, it is now the largest homeowners' association in Oregon and has grown to over 4,000 in population and is continuing an upward trend towards becoming the largest subdivision of its kind. Crooked River Ranch amenities include an RV Resort, a great 18 hole golf course, pool, restaurant and a lodge.

Crooked River has carved a rugged canyon over many centuries and is very picturesque. The photos included were within a short walk of our RV space. The snow covered mountain in the background is Mt. Jefferson. The RV resort is very reasonably priced and the staff friendly and helpful. Reservations are recommended, especially during holidays.

We were looking forward to this stop on the Rogue River in Oregon. We stayed at the Moon Mountain RV Resort in Grants Pass. I would say it was "one" of the finest except the sites were very narrrow.

Here are photos from the upper Rogue River towards Crater Lake in the east. They include the Mill Creek Falls, a living stump and a natural bridge that the river runs through.

On our way to meet our friends in California we made a two night stop in Salem and stayed at Phoenix RV Park, one of the finest RV resorts in our experience full time RV'ing. We also took a day to visit Pacific City on the Oregon Coast, about a one way 60 mile drive. Had lunch at the Pelican Pub and Brewery. Got a magnificant picture of the fourth highest "haystack" rock in the world from the pub outdoor deck/patio.

During our stay in Chehalis, WA we took a day and visited Mt. Rainier National Park. Drove all the way to the end of the road to Paradise. Had lunch at the Copper Creek Inn and enjoyed one of the best burgers I ever had. Took two slices of homemade blackberry pie home to have for dinner ;-) Highly recommended if you are touring this park. Copper Creek is just two miles from the park entrance.

The attached photos were taken as we traveled to the top (Paradise). The volcanic mountain is covered in glaciers. The canyons you see in the photos were carved by gacier activity.

We departed Lake Pleasant (Seattle area) this AM heading south. Quick stop at Freightliner to have a couple issues checked. Whew, no problems. Now in Chehalis, WA, just 30 mi south of Olympia, at the Thousand Trails Preserve. Absolutely beautiful; old forest, ferns, wildlife. So many trees, no DirecTV. Like a rain forest and wet, wet, wet. Here until Monday then south into Oregon. Maybe we can get out of the rain soon!

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A rare day with no rain in the Northwest. Off to Snoqualmie Falls for a photo op! Some of the photos are rather unique. Woodman Lodge Grill served the best fish and chips I ever had: fresh halibut in beer batter. Pam had the best salad ever: "Grilled" romaine wedge with blue cheese and bacon. Highly recommend the restaurant.

Rain for the fourth day but we ventured out to Seattle and the Pike Place Market. Awesome! fresh seafood, meats, vegetables and flowers. Located right across from the cruise ship docks.

Had lunch at the Market Grill. Great clam chowder and shared grilled shrimp over rice with grilled garlic bread. Yummy. Will go back to shop for the fish and veggies.

We are leaving Twisp, WA this AM traveling west across the Cascades to Bothell, WA just north of Seattle where we will spend a couple of weeks. Looking forward to the Pike Place Market in Seattle along with many other local attractions. Hoping for decent weather :-)

Arrived at Lake Pleasant RV Park ... beautiful, quiet, secluded, scenic and lots of ducks and geese in the lake. Still raining!

First stop: Twisp, WA. Staying at River Bend RV  Park right on the Methow river. Large pull through site, grassy and very clean. The views out our Providence picture window are spectacular.

The river, wildlife and a wide variety of birds including the the state bird Willow Goldfinch, Orioles and Osprey diving into the river for fish. It is also common to see Bald Eagles flying low along the river as reported by locals. Hope to see one!