Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 12

Friday, September 11

Ed is skipping coffee this morning and he looks truly miserable. Being here is making me miserable too. It's not just the RV park, it's the city. It's a charming city and I wouldn’t mind living here. But being in Boise brings back all the memories of work and of contracting here and all the great people I knew and of doing software and I miss it so much!

What if I'd taken a job here? How would things have turned out?

How can I get rid of this aching misery? How can I ever feel happy again?
I don't know, but I'll start off by leaving this damn RV park!

I exploded my oatmeal. What a way to start a day. Then we dawdled as much as we could (so as not to be too early at the next place) but still left at 10:30.

During drive:
Mountains far ahead. I think. Nearing Oregon state line in the middle of the Snake River.
11:20 Oregon!
Big, sweeping slopes out here. No trees and mostly grass. I hope it's native and not cheatgrass.
The pacific time zone change did not correspond with the Oregon state line as I had expected. It was 20 or so miles further in.
The elevation here is really quite low--2400 feet or so. Of course the hills are much higher. I guess that's why the PCT hikers look forward to getting to Oregon. Where there's less snow.
Now we are at 3800 feet and there are real mountains in the distance.

Arrived at A-frame RV Park. If I review this I need to make note that the owners are magnificently nice. Starlink was challenged in most sites but I could have probably asked them about a satellite-friendly site when I made the reservation.
There are lots of fires in the area but no smoke here. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

The sites are gravel and close together but it’s a small place with a lot of open ground around it so it doesn't feel crowded. Pretty much full for the weekend.
Big open field out back where you can run dogs off leash. But there’s only barbed wire fencing, so it’s not safe for all dogs. But it's still nice.

After a quick lunch, we went to the Oregon trail museum. We derailed our journey through the very well-done and interesting exhibits by going back to watch a film—which was horrid.  It was okay in content and narration but the picture was ancient and dark and a little blurry. It was so un-eyecatching that halfway through, I leaned my head back on the edge of the seat and fell asleep. Wow.

So having lost an hour on a stupid film, we rushed through the exhibits and left to see the wagon wheel ruts. They weren't all that easy to spot amid the brush that had grown up in the 180 years since.  But awsome all the same. I would have loved to hike alongside them for the length of the park.

Trail ruts:

Then back. Molly got a pretty long walk around the field out back and around the pond. I saw two sandhill cranes and three ducks. Then we went to Arby's at the Love's where we'd gotten fuel. Ed ate a roast beef and potato cakes. I hope his intestines survive this.

Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 11

Thursday, September 10

I didn't get up until 7 because sunrise wasn't until 7:15 or so. Norman called before I got out the door--to tell me the new cat toy was awesome. I reminded him it was only 7 in the morning where I was but he still talked for half an hour.
Chilly morning but warm enough to sit outside.

We had a wonderful time at the bird center. We saw three condors in cages and heard a talk by a staffer about the breeding program. They release birds in the Vermillion Cliffs. Other programs release theirs in California. A new flock is being established in the redwoods of northern California; also, the Mexican government has a great program and is releasing birds in Baja.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came back for lunch, then did a long drive out to the Snake River scenic area. Indeed it was very scenic but the driving was boring. All curves and stop signs on boring 2-lane roads.

 

Then back for supper. Ed ate a fish sandwich from McD and enjoyed it very much--hurray! My Panda Express was good too.

Molly had an short encounter with a dog on a very long rope that came up suddenly around the dumpster enclosure. No blood was spilled but I was livid--both at her for being such a jerk and at the people for not keeping their dog away from the road. Bah. I can't wait to leave this place and never come back.

But the neighborhood outside the campground is nice—Molly and I walked down the street and around some apartments and office buildings for a long way to the west, enjoying a gorgeous sunset.

Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 10

Wednesday, September 9

Cold morning again. But at least it wasn't windy. The RV park really filled up in the night. Even two of the six or so tent sites were occupied.

I got up at 7 and while Molly and I were taking our walk, two campers had left already. I  can't imagine where they might be going to make them get up so early, but who knows?

Ed says he's a little nauseous but I can't help thinking it's hunger. Only 1000 calories a day on a good day right now.

We had a nice, easy drive to Boise. I didn't recognize a thing from my previous trips there.

The KOA we're spending the next two days at is very clean, orderly, well run, beautiful--and so crowded and close that I feel claustrophobic even sitting inside the motorhome. Horrible place! We're packed like sardines in a can.

I can't wait to get away tomorrow and explore the scenery.

We went to Walmart and on the way back, since it was already 5:30, stopped at Taco Bell. I've been quiero-ing Taco Bell. Tomorrow may be Panda.
Ed ate most of my nacho fries. I hope that doesn't bind him up.

Molly didn't get much walk today.

Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 9

Tuesday, September 8

Craters of the Moon--wow place. We took the 7-mile driving loop. Ed was a crampy nauseous mess but he managed to walk a half mile loop plus getting in/out a time or two. Which is exercise for him. At the huge round "hill" I went to the top while he rested. Like a lot of big hills, when you got to the top you could see that the real top was still way up higher. It had the false summit syndrome. Tee hee.

Awesome as it was up there, I kept thinking it was like a big, ground-up asphalt parking lot. Uh huh.

That was the highlight. There were other loops we might have taken but we didn't feel up to it. We took a short walk to some cinder cones. Hollow inside. We went to the small one but not to the bigger one because Ed was tired out. I guess I should have gone anyway, but I'd seen enough lava rock for the day.

I saw a Red-tailed Hawk and several woodpeckers. I should have taken the time to ID them but it was getting late and Molly was waiting at home.

Then we explored the Arco Grocery and the Family Dollar, looking for Emetrol. (And various other things they didn't have). I found it in liquid form, not pill. That would have to be good enough.

After a quick snack, Molly and I jogged, very slowly, to downtown Arco. Wow.

Very bright green yellow warbler. Female Wilson's? No, probably not.

Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 8

Monday, September 7

During our morning walk I heard a pair of sandhill cranes talking softly. I recognized that I'd heard the sound before, but not until I saw them did I remember who made the sound.

They flew over me toward the deep green fields and as I was following to take a look I saw an osprey on top of a power pole. I rushed back to Magnus to get the camera--I thought it might be a peregrine falcon. Eventually it flew down to the lake, gliding like a buteo with crooked wings. Later I heard it mewing and realized it had been an osprey all along. Silly me--I saw it several more times and it was still an osprey

Ed is feeling better but still excessively bloated and tight.

 

x

We made it to Idaho. It looks just like Utah but feels different.

Highway 26 from the Interstate to Arco is a long, straight 2-lane road through a totally flat scrubby grassland. Slowly approaching mountains ahead. With piles of big black chunks of rock intermittently appearing on the sides of the road. Very strong south wind. Brr

Wilson's warbler in tree by neighbors’ RV. Lifer! Then he came over to ours. Yellow-rumped warblers. Mountain chickadee. Robins.

Pelicans
 

Review Mountain View RV Park

One of the nicest RV parks ever

Arco isn't much of a town but Mountain View RV Park is great. Pretty and orderly, with a big dog park and a play area for grownups with cornhole set up. I’d give it 5 stars. And it’s not even all that expensive.

The check-in was done online and I never saw anyone in the office, but there was a camp host down at the far end of the sites if you needed one.

The sites had nice picnic tables and bbq grills. No fire pits, but some people brought their own. Lots of lovely trees, mostly spruce and fir. They did not block starlink at all; reception was fine.

Our site C04 was a pull-thru FHU site. Good water pressure. Gravel surface.

Nice people were camping there. And there were horses to admire in the nearby field.

Their little restaurant  was closed on Monday but looked nice. On Tuesday it seemed to have a decent crowd. The menu didn't have anything for vegetarians so we didn't try it.

Magnus goes (with luck) to Oregon, Day 7

Sunday, September 6

Ed seems to be good one day and miserable the next. I want him to try to eat but he's complaining of nausea. After 1200 calories yesterday and no output this morning, who knows?

Sitting around obsessing about every little ache and pain is not helping matters.

I'm angry at myself for having given the false hope that we had a two nighter next stop. Not so. It's a long drive (3.5 hours) and a one night stop. There's a 3pm check-in time but since it's Sunday that may not be a problem--most likely we can check in early. Still, it is labor day weekend...

Crossing Wyoming. Wide, flat, rolling, treeless. The only trees I see are those planted beside houses and not many of those. No mountains in the distance--just more swells and sky.

On the far horizon to the south I can see power lines and an occasional building. That's all. Imagine if you were in a covered wagon crossing this prairie--you could see nothing at all.

Crossed a Continental Divide. Is it THE Continental Divide?
Later crossed it again. Same one? I don’t think so.

This campground--Dry Hollow Campground Echo SP--is kind of small and crowded but so lovely! On one side there's a "rail trail" between the campground and a county road, and beyond that rich green pasture tucked under big bumpy hills.
On the other side a steep bank lined with cottonwoods, just starting to turn yellow. It slopes sharply down to a big dry lakebed with water in the distance.The northern end of the lake has lots of water, this end has little. And across the lake another steep slope with Interstate 80 hugging the side. The trucks stream by but so far away you can't even hear them.

Down in the shallow water lots of white pelicans. Up in the campground turkeys. Not shy at all.

Ed and I walked down into the lake bed. There's a vehicle trail leading down, starting from the middle of the campground.

Later Molly and I walked along the trail north for a ways but never did make it to the other part of the park. We passed some parking areas on the road and could see where people had carried their picnic supplies down for a day of play in the lake. Nice.

Lovely trail. They must have done a lot of cleanup to remove cinders-- it was mostly smooth and clear.  No signs of a railroad having ever been there--maybe it was a small, old timey steam train.

Evening sunset of a lifetime. First pink and then turning vibrant yellow; then, glowing orange toward the sun and deep purple blue opposite. Two large bats flew up from the cottonwoods, met briefly, and fluttered away in opposite directions.

Molly and I walked south along the rail trail and found another campground there, a group camp. The sunset went on and on, red at the end and fading slowly.
Rain in the night but dry by morning.

Review:Dry Hollow Campground Echo SP, Coalville UT
Sweet little no-frills stop at the dry end of the lake
 
We had site 4D, a pull-thru site with 50 amp and water. There is no dump station but the campground host gave us good description on how to get to the one at the nearby Phillips 66.  We decided we didn't need it so I can't tell you what it charged.

Our site was small but more than adequate. Site surface asphalt. A very nice host parked beside the gatehouse greeted us on arrival.  The campsites were not exactly spacious but they were not cramped, either. It had a number of campers because it was Labor Day weekend, of course, but it wasn't full.

Perfect access to the rail trail.