A Change in Plans

Dave and I planned to take one more short trip to Maryhill State Park this week.  We've been having some frost warnings this week, so I called the park to see if they had turned off the water hookups.  Sure enough, they had turned them off for the season on Monday.  Last year they turned them off on November 1, this year, on October 24.  It all depends on the weather.

So we changed our plans, and instead of heading east, we headed west.  The parks along the coast of Washington and Oregon rarely have to turn off their water because their weather is milder.  We wanted to go somewhere that was only about two hours from home, so we decided to go to Astoria, Oregon. 

Site A8 at Lewis and Clark RV Resort, Astoria, OR

Our favorite RV park in Astoria is Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Resort, just south of town.  It's a nice park, but even better, it's one of our 1/2 price Camp Club USA parks.  We are staying for three nights, and the price for a premium (golf course frontage) full-hookup site is $22.50 per night--a little higher than our $6 Washington State Parks, but not too bad, especially since there's a lot to see and do in Astoria.  We also paid $2 per night for WIFI, which used to be included in the price. 

The weather was beautiful when we got here on Tuesday, and Dave played the nine-hole golf course that afternoon. 

The golf course, as viewed from our site

Wednesday the weather was drizzly and cloudy.  We took the 20-mile drive along Highway 101 south to Cannon Beach.  We took a picnic lunch and ate in the car while we admired the Pacific Ocean from Tolovana Park south of Cannon Beach.  I could have sat there all day!  After lunch I visited a quilt shop in Cannon Beach.  I'm not ready to buy much yet, but I enjoyed looking at all their fabrics and supplies.  The store had a wide selection of Japanese-style prints and patterns. 

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon

Today (Thursday) the weather was beautiful.  We drove to Youngs River Falls, and after than we visited Astoria Column.  For some reason, even though we've been to Astoria quite often, we had never been to Astoria Column.  Dave made it to the top of the column but I chickened out.  The views from up there are magnificent, even if you don't climb the 164 steps up to the top.  The price is right, too, only $1 for parking and the parking pass if good for a whole year!

Youngs River Falls, located 10 miles south of Astoria

Astoria Column, built in 1926

Dave waving from the top of the Column

We came back to the motorhome to eat lunch, then headed out for a bike ride.  I had heard about a path from Warrenton to Hammond, but we could only find bits and pieces of the path.  Oh well, we had a nice ride anyway, even though it was a bit cold and very windy by the time we got going. 

The Astoria Bridge that crosses the Columbia River, as viewed from the Column

Another view of the Columbia River, looking across to Washington

Tomorrow we need to head back to Vancouver so Dave can referee his last varsity football game of this season.   After this weekend the teams will have another three weeks of play-offs, then it's on to the state play-offs for the teams that make it that far.

Visiting Multnomah Falls and the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway

Our sister-in-law, Pam, visited us a couple of weeks ago.  She lives in the Sacramento, CA area and is the wife of Dave's brother, Terry, who passed away from cancer in December, 2008, at the young age of 57.  One of the places we like to take visitors is for a ride along the Columbia River Gorge, culminating with a stop at Multnomah Falls. 

The Columbia River Gorge area runs between Interstate 84 on the Oregon side, and State Highway 14 on the Washington side.  The Historic Old Scenic Highway is located just to the south of I-84.  The old highway was built between 1913 and 1922 and is now a historic landmark.  In 1926 the road became part of the then-new United States highway system, US Hwy 30.

There are several waterfalls and scenic areas along this route, all of which are now part of the Oregon State Parks system.    First we stopped at Chanticleer Point, also known as Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint.

Pam poses at  Chanticleer Point.

Our next stop was Crown Point, where we visited Vista House, a memorable landmark along the Historic Highway.  It was built in 1918 as “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.”

Vista House

The western view from Crown Point.  That steam/smoke in the very top of the photo is the paper mill in Camas, WA.

The eastern view.  That's Beacon Rock in Washington way the distance in the top middle of the picture.  You can also see I-84 down below.

After paying our respects to Vista House, we left Crown Point and traveled further east along the old highway.  This scenic area has lots of places to stop along the way.  Don't try taking a big motorhome on this highway, though--it's quite narrow in spots. 

The historic old highway is a scenic drive.  This route is popular with bicyclists.

We skipped some of the waterfalls that aren't visible without a hike, and stopped at Latourell Falls. 

Then it was on to our destination for the day, Multnomah Falls, the highest waterfall in Oregon, and the second highest in the nation.

We hiked up the paved path to the bridge above the bottom part of the falls. 

The hike continues to the very top of the falls, but we took our pictures from a  little ways past the bridge.

Looking from the bridge back down to the main visitor area.

Dave, Pam, and I enjoyed eating lunch at the historic lodge at Multnomah Falls.  The lodge was completed in 1925.  Besides the restaurant, the lodge contains a state park information center and a gift shop.

My photo of the lodge, taken 9/19/11

Below is an online photo that I found of the lodge, showing the fall colors, and the waterfall in the background.

We in the Portland area are lucky to have this scenic area located near enough to enjoy on a day or half-day trip!

Meeting Sue and Doug

Today was a special day.  We met Sue and Doug at McMenamins at the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA.  Sue writes an interesting blog called Big Dawg and Freeway. We even got to meet Tucker, their dog, who likes to travel, swim, and run on the beach, among other talents!

Doug and Tucker

I started reading Sue's blog when she wrote about their trip to Lincoln City, OR last year.  I always like to read what people write about places that we've visited.  And when Margie wrote on her blog about meeting Sue and Doug in person at Cabela's in Lacey last summer, I started following Sue's blog along with Margie's.  Sue and Doug live in Coquitlam, British Columbia, which is located east of Vancouver, BC.  They plan to start full-time RVing when Sue retires in a few years. 

Sue and Doug in front of the Columbia River

Sue and Doug were on their way home from their summer vacation, which they spent at Port Orford, Oregon this year.  We were privileged that they were willing to stop and have lunch with us on their way home.  As with the other bloggers we've met, we had a lot to talk about and felt, because of reading each other's blogs, that we already were friends.

It's fun to meet other bloggers!  We were happy to add this nice couple to the list of bloggers we've met, which include Russ and Donna (Travels in Therapy), Ali and Ron (The Wandering Workentins and Alice's Restaurant--Dishing Up Food for Thought) and of course, the late Margie and Bruce Mallin.  Click on the blog names in red to read each of their blogs. 

We were glad to meet up with and spend some time with our new Canadian friends, Sue and Doug!

Crossing and Re-Crossing the Columbia River

We left the lovely golf course at Deer Park bright and early this morning.  After finally finding our way to US Highway 395 South, we made our way through Spokane and onto I-90 West.  At the rest area near Ritzville, we saw this curious sign:

Sure enough, there were the seagulls, feasting at the rest area, only 300 miles from the ocean.

We saw amber waves of grain...

...and places to store the grain.

We saw dust devils.  It was indeed windy as the day went on.

The first time we crossed the Columbia River was in the Tri-Cities at Kennewick.

The second time we crossed the river was at Umatilla, where we entered into Oregon.

It was still very windy as we made our way to I-84.  See why this area is called the Columbia River Gorge?

John Day Dam

And the dam's patriotic U.S. flag

Biggs Junction Bridge near Maryhill, where we will cross the Columbia River back into Washington.

Maryhill State Park, where we hoped to spend the night, was full, so we went next door to Peach Beach Campark.  We were lucky to find a pull-thru site for the evening.  We have no sewer hookups, but we have free wifi, cell service, satellite signal, 50 amp power, and water--all for $30.  They can get those kind of rates because the park is right on the river and enjoyed by both campers and wind surfers. 

Site#69, our home for the night

Little peach trees and big peach trees at Peach Beach Park.

Tomorrow, after we cross the Columbia River back into Oregon, we'll drive for two more hours and then cross the river again near the Portland Airport to get back to Washington.  This summer's vacation trip to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks will be nothing more than memories and pictures...

...and a rock chip in the motorhome's windshield that looks amazingly like a larger version of all the smashed bugs!

Happy New Year!

On this cold New Year's Eve afternoon, Dave and I went for a walk along the Columbia River Waterfront Trail.  The sun was shining, but the temperature was only in the mid-30s and the east wind was brisk.  We were bundled up for the weather and walked fast to keep warm. 

In our area of Washington state, it's usually either raining with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, or sunny with temperatures around freezing or below.  We generally don't get sunny and warm temperatures this time of the year.  The snow showers which were predicted mid-week fizzled out except for a few big flakes.  We are prone to getting ice storms, so we're happy when that doesn't happen. 

The waterfront path along the Columbia River

The river looked cold

McMenamin's Restaurant is a favorite spot along the river, but it was too cold to sit on the patio today!  

As we ring out the old and ring in the new year, may 2011 be a safe and happy new year for everyone!

Maryhill State Park, Washington

We arrived early this afternoon for a stay at Maryhill State Park.  It's located across the bridge north of Biggs, OR, about 20 miles east of The Dalles. 

This is a first come, first served park during the winter months.  There were about eight rigs already here, so we had many open sites to choose from.  We picked pull-thru site #29, with a view of the Columbia River out our front window. 

We paid our nightly fee of $6 (senior off-season discount price) and plugged into the 50-amp service and the water and sewer hookups.  The downside to this park is that we are only able to get low-speed Verizon cell signal for our internet.  It's like having dial-up service, which works fine for phone calls, and for email, but not as well for reading blogs and other internet sites.

This is the view out our front window.  The I-84 interstate highway is across the river.  Freight trains run fairly frequently to the north of the park, so it's not the most tranquil park.  This part of the river does not get big ship traffic, but we saw several barges this afternoon.

One of the trees just outside our door has already dropped most of its leaves.

Economy?

Yesterday I wrote about Dave Ramsey and his common sense advice that started Dave and me on a path of debt-free living.  It’s been in the news lately that due to the recession, Americans have been reducing their personal debt.  I think this is a good thing!  “Experts” disagree with me.

Robert J. Samuelson wrote an article in the Washington Post Monday entitled “The Saving Mentality is Hurting the Economy’s Recovery”.  If you want to read the entire article, click here.

From the article:

“ “Consumers are deleveraging (reducing debt) . . . and rebuilding saving faster than expected,’ writes economist Richard Berner of Morgan Stanley. In 2007, the personal savings rate (the share of after-tax income devoted to saving) was 2 percent. Now it’s about 6 percent. Temporarily, this hurts buying...”

Well, you be the judge, but if spending is going to save the economy, then let’s do that spending only when we can afford it!

Today’s picnic spot at the Port of Camas, WA, along the Columbia River

Cathlamet to Long Beach, Washington

As we drove from Cathlamet to Long Beach, Washington, we stopped at another Lewis and Clark site, Dismal Nitch.  It’s a nice rest area now, located just east of the bridge that crosses from Astoria, Oregon north over the Columbia River to the Washington side. 

In 1805, Captain William Clark named the dreary spot “That Dismal Little Nitch” because they were trapped there for six stormy days by fierce winds and high waves.   It wasn’t dreary at all today, with its spectacular view of the Columbia River, the bridge, and lots of small fishing boats.  

When we arrived at Cape Disappointment State Park, which is located south of Long Beach at Ilwaco, the weather was nice and the sun was out.  Dave hooked up the motorhome (full hookups with 50 amp), and tuned in the satellite dish.  The only thing we are missing is cell service and internet, but with a booster, we are able to get just enough cell service to get calls and tether to the internet.  After lunch, we headed to the Kite Festival in Long Beach.