BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 12

We made our way into the Portland area on July 8.  Since we wanted to spend some time in Portland and at the Oregon coast we decided to stay at a state park which was in between both of our stops.  We did not have a reservation but were lucky enough to get a spot for three nights.

As we were coming in to Portland we were amazed at the sight of Mt. Hood.

height:  11239 feet



The Columbia River passes through Portland.  We visited the Saturday Market along the river front.  There were tons of people, craft booths, and food booths.

After a day spent in the Portland area on July 9th we made our way to the Oregon coast on Sunday, July 10th.  Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Did you know that it takes 350 squirts from a cows utter to make one gallon of milk?  You didn't?. . . me neither!!! 

 And you all know what I say. . . "Everything goes better with cheese".  I am beginning to think that Steve feels the same way.  Just look at all of the cheese he picked out!  The cheese popcorn is mine!!

Our next stop was Cape Mears to see the lighthouse but we got an added bonus. .

. . . a whale.  It was a gray whale and would come to the surface four or five times and then dive for 15 minutes or so and then back to the top. 

I know it is not the best picture but it is difficult to watch and take pictures at the same time!!  Take my word for it. . . it was absolutely amazing!!

Our goal was to eat our way up the coast so when we pulled into a small fishing town called Garibaldi, Oregon we found our first stop!!  We spent some time on the pier watching two girls crabbing.  They would bring some up in the cage or trap or whatever they call it, but the crabs were either too small or female.  If you are caught with a female crab it is a $300 fine!!  We found a small restaurant and went in for some fish and chips for lunch!

We have passed several signs warning us of wildlife crossings but did not see much of anything until we came across these elk standing right next to the road as we traveled up the coast.

Next stop. . . Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.

And of course I must walk barefoot in the Pacific Ocean!!

Check out Steve's dinner. . .

Crab, Crab, and more Crab!!!

Stay tuned. . .

BIG Adventure. . . Special Edition #3

FYI:
 

You may not know it but in 1951 the state of Oregon passed a law that states only 'trained fueling operators' are allowed to pump gas into motor vehicles.  The first time we filled up in Oregon a young man ran to the truck as Steve was removing the nozzle and made him stop.  It is called the No-Self-Serve Law and you can be fined up to $500.00 for pumping your own gas.  If you google

'pumping gas in Oregon' you can find a website that lists several reasons why the state of Oregon thinks this is a good law.  But there is at least one person who does not.  Check this out: 

http://www.lewrockwell.com/englund/englund33.html

It has been a bit annoying because we have had to wait for the 'trained fueling operator' to get to us and on one occasion the 'trained fueling operator' was in such a hurry he didn't completely fill the tank.  Oh well, we will be out of Oregon on July 11.  By the way, New Jersey has a similar law! 

Of course there are those morons who insist on smoking while pumping gas, so maybe it isn't such a bad idea!!

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 11

Thursday, July 7

Yes I know. . . it has been a while.  I am finding it difficult to find the time to blog these days and our computer ended up with a nasty virus.  JD of the Orem Utah Geek Squad fixed it up for us and we are back on-line!!


Steve and I have been very busy lately.  We are currently at the Eagles Hot Lake RV Park in La Grande, Oregon!  We will only be here one night and then on to Portland.  "What have we been doing?" you ask. . . .

We arrived at Deer Creek State Park near my brother Todd's house in Midway, Utah on June 30th.  Todd was our tour guide during the time we were there.  We visited Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, spent some time browsing at Cabela's and we toured the plant where he works.  Steve was in heaven watching all of the equipment!  We also spent some time at Park City Utah and enjoyed a nice steak dinner at Todd's place while we watched the Midway Fourth of July fireworks high above the town from Todd and Mauna's back deck!

                                                                                      

             Our new four-legged friends:  Taz, Libby, and Snookie!!!!!


SITES FROM the MORMON TEMPLE SQUARE

The Temple



Assembly Hall, home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

 The organ inside Assembly Hall

The view from our campsite at Deer Creek State Park!!

Just a little fun at the driving range!

 

The Egyptian Theatre at Park City, Utah



We had a little extra time while the computer was getting fixed so we stopped by Bridal Falls and took a drive up to Sundance.  Sorry to say I did not see Robert Redford and just being there is as close as I will get!!!

The next leg of our trip was leading us toward Portland Oregon but we had a one night layover in Twin Falls Idaho.  We knew there was a bridge crossing the Snake River Gorge that we wanted to see and that it is a favorite for BASE jumpers.  We have had a bit of bad luck on this trip . . . you remember. . . the air conditioner. . . but we have also had a bit of GOOD luck every once in a while. 

Evil Knievel attempted to jump this gorge in some type of rocket powered craft but his parachute deployed prematurely and he did not make it.  He survived with minor injuries.

Here is our good luck picture. . . BASE jumpers arrived at the same time we did!

We made our way  out of town to look at a couple of different water falls, it was Twin FALLS after all!  We also noticed on the map an attraction called Balanced Rock but we could not find any information on it so we headed southwest of town.  We drove and drove and drove and I recall saying to Steve that the countryside looked like Indiana but low and behold it is simply amazing what can be found around the corner, literally! The view went from an Indiana farmland appearance to this. . .

And just around a couple more corners there it was. . . Balanced Rock!!!!

How is this for a close up view!!

Simply Amazing!!

see Steve sitting about half way up!

  Well that is about it for now. 

A special thanks to my brother Todd and his wife Mauna for being such gracious hosts while we were in Utah!  Thanks for the great margaritas, great fun, and great sightseeing! 

A special HELLO to everyone back at the Wornick Foods from Steve and Kim!!

And a BIG thanks to Aaron for taking care of the yard, plants, and mail for us while we are 'out of town'  !!!

STAY TUNED. . . . . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 10

Monday, June 27

We are currently hanging out at the Winnemucca RV Park in Winnemucca, Nevada.  This is a one night lay over as we make our way to Deer Creek State Park near Midway, Utah, the home of my brother Todd and his wife Mauna.  "What is in Winnemucca?" you ask.  Casinos, restaurants, casinos, gas stations, casinos, bars, casinos, Walmart, and casinos.  Even the gas stations have slot machines!!  We passed copper mines on the way here and there are workers mining for gold up north.   We drove around looking for the 'Wild West Saloon' but we couldn't find it, not even with the GPS! . . . . . Uh Oh. . . Steve just found it advertised in a magazine . . . and it is more than just a saloon, if you know what I mean!  We won't be going!!!

Wednesday, June 29

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY TO

CADE COSTELLO!!!!!

We arrived at the Iron Horse RV Resort in Elko, Nevada on the 28th.  Once we got settled in we took a drive to Lamiolle Canyon.  It was late in the day and I was having pizza withdrawal symptoms so we headed back to town, ordered a pizza for supper and were in for the evening.  There have been times in the past when we did not have cable TV access and it was at those times that we got somewhat hooked on 'The Voice' because that was all we could find.  So we spent the evening eating pizza and watching the show.  The show is just a little cheesy, OK maybe alot.  Steve likes CeeLo Green but the only thing that keeps my interest is Adam Levine from Maroon 5.   :)  We are heading back to the canyon this morning for a closer look (after Steve finishes watching some history program about the Greeks and the Persians) and we are going to the end of the road.  Hopefully we can find our way back!!!  You can bet that I am taking my snake boots since on our drive out yesterday evening we passed two snakes making their way across the road.  YIKES!!  I will have pictures up in the near future. . . .

Friday, July 1

This canyon trip ranks right near the top of our favorite visited sites on our BIG Adventure.

There was one road into the canyon and the same road out.  Of course, we went to the end of the road and you can see the elevation we reached at the end of the road.  There were a variety of different trails that lead up into the higher elevations but we decided to pass!  Besides, most of these trails were snow covered. 



Note the elevation!!!!
What do you do at almost 8800 feet?
Throw snow balls of course!!



An Avalanche Chute

There were some hard working beavers in the canyon!!!

On our way out of the canyon we noticed a storm brewing over the mountains so we decided to call it a day!

We are currently at Deer Creek State Park south of Salt Lake City, Utah.  My brother Todd lives about 7 miles from the park in Midway, Utah.  He was our tour guide today as we visited downtown Salt Lake City. 

Stay Tuned!!! . . .