In Search of Warm Weather

We found it!  It's almost too warm here in Redmond, Oregon.  And now it's warm at home, too.  We had a week to go on a short RV trip.  We thought about going to Port Angeles, WA and Olympic National Park but when we were making reservations, it looked cool and rainy there, so instead we decided to go to Bend/Redmond.  Now at 5:10 pm, the temperature is 90 degrees and we can't complain about no sunshine!  The humidity here in Redmond is 13% right now, so we this is a "dry heat"!  The temperature at our home in Vancouver, WA is 80 degrees right now, with humidity 43%--not bad at all.   Summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest!

We never get tired of this view of Mount Hood from east-bound Highway 26, west of Government Camp.

The small village of Government Camp.

No decision needed here--we're continuing to head east on Highway 26!  east on Highway 26!

We saw Mount Jefferson

and an interesting rock formation in the Warm Springs Indian Reservation area.

Entering Madras.

The Three Sisters Mountains and the sagebrush terrain of the high desert.

We are staying at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center RV Park.  It's a good park, all paved, full-hookups including 50 amps, good free wifi, satellite reception, and a price of $35 per night.  A deluxe RV Park in Bend, Crown Villa, charges up to $80/ night.  No, thanks!  The Deschutes County Fair starts on Wednesday, but we were still able to get a reservation for seven nights.

We love seeing the blue sky above us in site #B7.  Fairgrounds buildings are in the background.

The RV park registration building contains a laundromat, rest rooms, and a meeting room.

In my next blog post, I'll write about our day trip to Prineville, Oregon,  and the Prineville Reservoir.

All is Well

We drove back down to Junction City, OR, today to pick up our motorhome.  The slight crack  near the bedroom slide has been successfully repaired, and we now have another year's warranty in case the crack reappears.

Fragrant flower bed at the Santiam rest area along I-5 south.

We had a great weather day today, mid-70s, with our overnight temperature predicted to be 52.  As much as we've had "no summer" in this area, I far prefer the weather we've had compared to the heat and humidity that has plagued the rest of the country. 

Last Friday night Dave and I had the privilege of babysitting our granddaughter, Sophie, in our home while her parents went out for dinner.  This was our first time babysitting her and she managed to stay awake during the couple of hours that she was here.

Sophie the rugby player. 

Then on Wednesday I went down to Tigard to go clothes stopping with Sophie and Kiersten.  Little Sophie needed a few items and Kiersten found her some things at a very nice consignment store in the Sellwood District.  I managed to get home just as the Portland traffic was getting bad.  It's a good feeling to get out of the traffic and cross the river back into Washington!

Happy Sophie--three months old.

We really don't live this close to Mt. Hood, but this is the view we get when we drive east on Vancouver's Highway 14--that is, when the mountain is "out"!

Home Again

Dave and I arrived home on Friday, as planned.  It's sad to come to the end of a fine trip, but good to be home, too.  I am always raring to go again shortly after getting home.  We've got some things to take care of at home, appointments, meetings, and people to see, especially our granddaughter Sophie, who will be three months old next Sunday! 

On Tuesday we'll take our motorhome to Junction City, OR so they can take a look at a small crack under the bedroom slide that they fixed less than a year ago.  It's under warranty, so I am hoping that they can fix us right up. 

The last leg of the trip was uneventful, and the wind of the previous day had abated as we set out Friday morning.  We came home to a cloudy day, but the sun came out as the day went on.

On the way home, we saw some good views of Mount Hood.

We enjoyed the scenery along I-84.  It's hard to see the Columbia River in this area because of all the trees.  In the next two pictures you can see the clouds that we are driving towards.

Thank you for following along on our Summer, 2011 trip to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks!

Wildwood Recreation Area, Oregon

On our way to Mount Hood, we stopped at Wildwood Recreation Area.  Wildwood is a day-use area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which meant that we were able to get in free using our national park pass. 

This 550-acre forest park is located 40 miles east of Portland, off U.S. Highway 26.  The park features Cascade Streamwatch and Wetland Boardwalk interpretive trails.  The Salmon River, which runs through the park, is the only waterway in the lower 48 states for which the free-flowing nature and resources are protected for the entire length of the river.  The Salmon River is part of the Sandy River Watershed. 

The Salmon River

    A new sign on Highway 26 points the way to Timberline Lodge

A view of the Cascades from Mount Hood

Timberline Ski Area, Oregon

Our motorhome is still in the shop in Junction City, so we went on a day trip in the car up to Mount Hood.  When we were at the Grand Canyon at the end of April, Dave discovered, as you may remember, that he couldn’t sleep at that altitude.  We cut that part of the trip short and moved south to a lower altitude at Camp Verde, AZ for a few days, and Dave made a quick recovery. 

After talking to a couple of doctors, Dave recently purchased a pulse-oxygen monitor.  It’s small and fits on the tip of your finger, like the ones they use at a doctor’s office or when you are in the hospital.

We drove up to Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, which is at an elevation of 6000 feet.  It’s the highest place we could think of that is near home (about 1.5 hours each way).  We sat in the parking lot for about a half hour while Dave monitored his oxygen level, which went as low as 93 or 94%.  Interestingly, my oxygen level was 93% also, and I have all the lobes of my lung.  Dave is missing one lobe due to lung cancer surgery. 

When we got back to Government Camp, which is at an elevation of 4000 feet, his oxygen level went back to normal.   Dave will continue to monitor his oxygen level but the true test will be when we can travel to 6000 feet or higher and sleep there. 

Waterfall along the road up to Timberline

The Timberline parking lots were full, and we were surprised to see that some people were snowboarding or skiing.  After we got home, I read on Wikipedia and that Timberline is the only ski area in North America to offer year-round skiing.  Can that be true?

During the half hour we were at Mount Hood, the clouds moved in quickly and this first picture was our best.

In the picture it doesn’t look like there is enough snow for skiing, but (from Wikipedia) skiers, snowboarders, and sightseers ride up the Magic Mile chairlift to the Palmer Glacier and its lift, where most of the summer skiing takes place, particularly later in the season. In contrast to winter operations, the lifts are the busiest during the summer ski season Monday through Friday, mostly due to ski and snowboard camps. Besides organized clinics and camps, any intermediate or more advanced member of the public is welcome to ski or snowboard.

The front entrance of Timberline Lodge

There always seems to be scaffolding at Timberline

Summer ski hours are 7 am to 1:30 pm. During summer ski season, there is no novice or beginner terrain; low-intermediate terrain is available along the Mile. After approximately mid-June, it is necessary to walk at least part of the way to reload the Magic Mile, and feasible to ski to within a few hundred feet of the parking lot until mid-August. On warm days, most skiers leave by late morning due to soft and wet snow conditions. Public skiing is available, but rental gear may be limited. The Palmer lift is limited to skiers and snowboarders only (no foot passengers), with intermediate or greater skills.

The temperature at Timberline was 42 degrees and the wind was strong, which made it feel even colder.  A few people were walking on the trails at the mountain, but we pretty much stayed in the car except to take pictures!