Odds and Ends:
Finishing the PT boat tour about 12:30, we headed east on I-84, again through the Columbia River Gorge. We've shown pictures from here, but the views are so awesome, it's hard not to continue taking pictures. Washington State is on the other side of the Columbia River. See the trucks on the highway over there? We found it fascinating to see the trucks and cars wending their way on the distant highways. We saw more of it along this highway. In some areas, tall, slim junipers are planted close together in rows as a windbreak, usually around houses. In the photo below, apparently even the crops (unknown) were protected. Notice the windmills on the hilltops. Once we passed the Gorge, the terrain became more like desert. Flatter, drier, and without trees. This was better to see the countryside, although this particular stretch was not that scenic. The land eventually changed to green, smooth rolling hills. Crops began to appear for miles and miles. This field may have been alfalfa and some had been harvested (or perhaps aliens may have made these designs in the field). Among these pretty hills a valley appeared with a small town in it. This was Pendleton, Oregon, and we stopped for the night at the Wildhorse Casino, outside of town. From this point we could see the trucks on I-84 making their way up the hills in the distance. We both agree that I-84 up to now has been one of the most scenic and pleasant drives we have been on. The next morning we drove into the town of Pendleton and took a tour of the Pendleton Woolen Mill. Spools of woolen yarn. Raw wool comes to this machine already washed and dyed (red in this case). It is brushed and cleaned of remaining trash. (is there a red-headed ghost in this picture? Lower left?) Bundled strands are laid out for the next machine which makes loose strings. Loose strings are spooled. The strings from the spools are then twisted for strength and then wound on these bobbins. This is a loom making blankets. the white strands in the foreground are cotton to make the blanket hold shape. Here comes the finished blanket material. Since this is Indian country, the blankets are Indian patterns. Following the tour, we departed the Casino and joined the trucks laboring up the hills to the east. The view from the top. See the trucks coming up? We were puzzled by the bright yellow field in the distance. We heard later that it was probably canola! Moving on down the road, we came to Baker City and visited the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, located high on a hill several miles out of town. We hadn't realized we were pretty much following the Oregon Trail. As a history refresher, this was the trail the settlers used coming to Oregon from the east. This was a 6 month, 2000 mile trip, mostly walking and enduring considerable hardship moving the wagons over mountainous terrain. There was an excellent movie on the subject. The center also had excellent scenes depicting life on the trail and giving an appreciation of the hardships endured in making this trip. View from the top Think anyone could make off with this table? Look at the size of the timbers! These are ruts left from the wagons along the actual Oregon Trail. Back to the RV More scenes from the road as we head down the other side of the Blue Mountains. Our destination this evening was the Walmart in Ontario, Oregon, and our spot was right on the banks of the Snake River. Lewis and Clark spent time on the Snake River and we thought maybe they had camped here too, or even picked up a few things at the Walmart, but we found out that they were not on this part of the river. Darn! Mary Lou ventured to the river, but decided not to when she discovered a new 'friend' that she didn't want to get close to. (That's a skunk, in case you can't tell.) Map of two days' travel from Portland to Ontario, Oregon Idaho is just across the river from where we are. and tomorrow we go there. Stay tuned.
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Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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