Saturday, September 13, 2025 Another Fine Predicament

Saturday, September 13, 2025 Another Predicament

I really like it here.  There is so much to sniff.  I can eat things and throw up.  I can roll.  There are little critters.  This is the best!

Brrr, it was cold this morning.  Spouse slept in some, and I didn’t rush a walk.  It was warm and toasty inside… no need to hurry.  Eventually, we did get moving.  This is a rustic area, very woodsy.  We found a trail to the Williamson River.  Pretty.  We found a trail that would take us to the Collier campground.  So off we went.  It is a woodsy trail that follows the river.  We see lots of deer hoof prints, but we don’t see the deer.  Could be something about hunting season… or not!  There is hardly anybody around.  It is evident that a forest fire swept through the area.  That is why the neighboring Collier state park is closed for the 2025 season.  We notice that we don’t hear any birds, or see any small critter life.  It’s kind of ‘twilight zone-ish!’.

We took our time.  We got back, made breakfast and we didn’t get ready to leave till about 11:30, which is pretty late for us.  We headed south on hwy 97.  Of course… we fueled up before we left Oregon.  Spouse was elated to refill our 10 gallon propane tank for under $20. 

As we cross into California, forest fire devastation is everywhere.  Actually, I shouldn’t call it devastation as fires actually help the forest regenerate.  But for now… a bunch of black sticks are coming out of the ground.

We head to Mt. Shasta.  Spouse heard of a campground here… Well, maybe it was here.  He is not sure which city, what the name of the park might be, or if it is an RV park or campground or anything else for that matter.  I guess he thinks I am going to whip it up out my butt…   Checking our GPS, she shows an RV resort.  We are always leary of RV resorts, as they are usually pricey, with services we don’t use.  Yup, this one fit the bill, so we saw something the Crystal Lake campground.  Hmmm…. Let’s check this one out.  What could go wrong…

We head up the road, and turn, then up, then down. 8 miles through the mountains.  We finally get to the entrance to the campground, and naw…  Don’t EVEN think of turning down that road!  I told Spouse I would walk down the road to see if it was safe to turn down.  It was a narrow, bumpy road, and the campground was small, suitable for tents, but not for RV’s of any size.  This means we need to turn around.  This is a predicament…   Let’s head up the road. Surely there is a place to turnaround…  Or not…  The road ends at Crystal Lake, which is beautiful… but there is nowhere for us to turn around with all the cars that are parked.  Really?  As we contemplate our predicament, two cars that were parked left the area.  That means there was an opening that if we back up just right, we can turn.  We had to be careful going off the pavement as there was a significant dip.  Spouse drove, I directed.  Both of us are totally stressed, but we had just enough clearance to not ruin our bike rack, or any pieces of the rig.  Rudy yawned.   Usually, we find a gem of a campground by just winging it like this.  But this was a huge pain in the behind adventure! 

You know… let’s just head to the Elks in Redding.  It’s a great location and we can do a bike ride tomorrow.  And we will have electricity, which means air conditioning.  Yes… right decision.

Friday, September 12, 2025 Going South

 

Friday, September 12, 2025 Going south   

I started to throw up and my human picked me up and dropped me on the stairs.  I flipped over, all while trying to throw up.  It wasn’t fun.

I got an early start on my walk this morning, just by myself.  I headed right to the back road we found yesterday.  I stopped at the house with all the mini pears on the ground and picked up a few.  Two horses were staring at me with those long beautiful faces… they each got a pear.  I will pick more up on the way back.

This back road is gorgeous.  A stream runs on one side, with the volcanic mountains in the back.  Cattle graze, horses roam.  I seem to be the only human activity.  I pass another house with a huge garden that they use to provide for their farm stand.  It was too early for them to be open, but it looks like they have a good supply.  The road gently curves.  I could go on for miles, but I turn around and head back.  I pick up a few more mini pears, then I see Kathy feeding a couple of other horses some of the pears.  Those horses know how to play us humans!

Back at camp, we readied Artie, and parted ways with Brian and Kathy.  They headed north, we headed west toward the city of Bend.  We pass through picture gorge, which is a narrow, rocky pass.  The road is rural not busy.  It is scenic for the first 75 miles or so.  Then we get the first whiff of smoke.  There was a sign warning about the forest fire, so it wasn’t unexpected.  Another whiff, and a bit of a haze, but it never got bad.

When we got to Bend, we went to Costco to fuel up.  I am doing a separate post on this adventure so you can understand what I go through every time we fuel up!

After Costco, we headed south on hwy 97 (after a brief fight with our GPS).  There is lots of dispersed camping in the national forests.  You can pull over anywhere basically and camp.  It can be tricky though.  You can get yourself into predicaments where you are on a road that is really rough, or where you can’t turn around.  When we were in Colorado once, we checked out a few of the areas that allowed dispersed camping.  We were very thankful that we were not towing when we explored.  We would have been in a world of hurt!  So although there is the appeal to explore, we held off till we stumbled on the Williamson River campground.  We are about 40 miles north of Klamath Falls.  The campground is on a bumpy back road, and it is first come, first served.  We have a beautiful woodsy site with a fire ring.  The temperature is mild, so this is perfect. 

By the way, as we passed some of the roads we could have boondocked on, I was thankful we didn’t turn on them…

Doug's Diesel Dilemma Dance

 

Doug’s Diesel Dilemma Dance

I thought I would do a separate post on just what I go through to fuel the truck.

My philosophy is to fuel up whenever we are disconnected, because it is easier to maneuver.  And for me… pull into a gas station, fuel up, then leave.  Easy?

Ok, for Spouse…

One way to get gas:  Check Gas Buddy for the cheapest price.  Spend $10 getting to the station to save $3.

Yesterday, on our way to John Day, Spouse saw a gas station with diesel at $4.19.  That was etched in Spouse’s brain.  We are in the town of Mt. Vernon, about 9 miles before John Day.  We go to John Day and do our thing.  There are a few gas stations there, all with diesel at $4.35.  But no… too easy… Spouse has to get it at $4.19.  So on our way back, we stop… the station looks open but it isn’t.  Now, we are away from the stations in John Day, but there was one other station here… at $4.64.  Wanna watch Spouse blow a gasket????  He couldn’t bring himself to fill it up.  He got $50 worth, which means we have to deal with this again tomorrow when we leave.  Drives me crazy…

Soooo, by the time we get to Bend, we need to fill up again.  Gas Buddy (I hate that app) said Costco was the best so we head that way.  (I hate fueling at Costco as it is too busy for me). The freeway signs were terrible.  We turned a second before we should have, but there was a station with the same price as Costco, so why not.  Right?  I will tell you why not…  it is bio diesel, and there is no easy turnaround.  Fortunately, nobody else was there so we were able to maneuver.

Now… on to Costco – My premonition comes true… Ninety percent of the population of Bend is trying to fuel up at Costco.  Another wrong turn, we had to go around again…. Towing… with gazillions of people… It was painful… so painful…  We had to watch the overhead pavilion.  It was 13’6”.  We are 13’4”… But our tank is now full… but Spouse will want to fill up before we leave Oregon, so we can save $5…  and the cycle repeats itself!

To give you another idea of how Spouse thinks.  If you were to mention to me Podunk, USA, I would tell you about the pretty building in front of the park with the stream.  Spouse would tell you about the gas price at the Exxon station.  He can’t help himself!

The EASY button just does not exist for him… 

Thursday, September 11, 2025 John Day Fossil Beds

 

Thursday, September 11, 2025 John Day Fossil Beds

There is lots of grass for me here.  But my humans won’t let me roam, so I stay near.  It smells good until a dog comes by.  Why do they have to ruin everything?

Kathy joined me on my morning walk.  We walked the streets, exploring.  There was an old Victorian house that I dared to walk into to check out.  I am surprised I didn’t fall through the floor!  We walked past the city hall (about the size of dollhouse), then we found a street that let took us past Aspen’s house.  Aspen puts out fresh eggs, and she bakes daily.  The baking won’t be done till later, so we have to wait for that, but we did buy some eggs before we left the area. 

It is rural, and there are a whole lot of fruit trees.  Mini pears are littered on the ground, as are apples and peaches.  We scavenge a few because we just can’t help ourselves.  The entire town is old, but this back street has a bit of charm.  There are so many gardens in people’s yards.  It was fun to look.  I will do more here tomorrow.

When we got back, we gathered Brian and Spouse and walked to the local café for breakfast.  It is a cute place with home cooking and a very funny server.  I asked his name, he said I forgot… Therefore, that is what we called him: I Forgot.  We all had fun with it.

We decided to go to the John Day Fossil beds, about 8 miles up the road.  The area, at one time was tropical.  But volcanoes and floods, then more volcanoes and more floods changed the topography and wiped out the critter population.  But they still find fossils and have them on display.  Plants, insects, eggs, and mammal like critters are there for the viewing.  I don’t know how they can tell a rat skull from a rock, but somehow, they do.  Or they are yanking our chains!

We did a hike back on one of the interpretive trails.  Here the mountain is green claystone.  It is soft and I can’t believe these mountains stand up to the weather.  When it rains, the water runs off carrying some of the claystone, and the creeks are a pretty shade of green.  You can chip away using your fingernail.  But, these mountains have been here a gazillion years, and probably will be here another gazillion year.  You are not supposed to take anything from the area, so Kathy and I made sure we didn’t take any rocks…

While I could go into the ‘Doug Diesel Dance Dilemma’ here, I think I will do a post strictly on what it is like fueling up the truck.

We checked out the town of John Day.  It is odd.  John Day was a trapper in the area way back when, up the river from here.  He was robbed, including his clothes.  So people always referred to the area as the John Day river, citing the incident.  He never did come to the actual area of John Day though.   The town of John Day actually has people and activity.  It even has a real nice grocery store (Chesters). 

On our way back, we stopped by to see if Aspen had any baked goods… they were all gone.  Darn it!

Rummikube:  I won 2 games, Spouse 1, Kathy 1.  Brian was on the outside looking in.  Tomorrow we go our separate ways.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Meeting up with Homies After the Factory tour

 

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Outdoor RV tour

Human… are you awake?  Can you hear my purr box?  Can I paw your muzzle?  Are you awake yet?

It was a quiet night outside of the Outdoor RV factory.  Rudy always likes looking out the front door, but there wasn’t much to see for him. My walk took me around the neighborhood.  On one side of the street is a whole lot of agriculture.  I am not sure what the crop is, maybe sugar beets.  The other side of the street is industry.  It is a rural road so it is good for walking.  It is cool and breezy. 

I finish my wandering then head back to Artie.  We headed for the factory tour.  No photos are allowed.  There are 3 other couples and they all own an Outdoor RV.  We are the only scofflaws, and since Arctic Fox is in the same family, we are still ok!

It was interesting walking through the assembly line.  From a blank chassis, to flooring, to cabinets, to walls and the roof and sliders.  You can see the quality and the craftsmanship throughout the rigs.  They really are made well.  The tour took a little more than 2 hours and left us totally impressed.  But… do we want one….  They already have modifications slated for the rig that we liked so if we go that route, it is going to be a long time off, and we might be done by then!

Afterwards, we got on the road.  Our friends Kathy and Brian will be near the town of John Day, and we will be heading right that way, so we figured we might as well meet up. 

We leave La Grande heading west on hwy. 244.  It is a mountain road, with rocky crags and lots of pines.  Of course, there are streams too.  Up and down, round and round.  It is about a 35-40 mph road. At times, the road opens up to beautiful agriculture, then the mountains creep in.  Then the road opens up to cattle ranches, then the mountains creep in.  When we get to hwy. 395, we turn south.  More scenic eye candy.  Nice rolling hills, lots of pines, and just plain pretty country.  It starts to rain for the last 10 miles.  Big, fat rain drops!  It rains!

At the John Day hwy (26), we turn west.  It is still a rural road with agriculture.  The rain subsides and we make our way to the Fish House Inn and RV park, where our homies are waiting.  Time to catch up…

It is raining, with lightening and thunder.  Love it!

We drove only about 125 miles, but it took nearly 3 hours.

We are in our 6^th week, and we haven’t killed each other!

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Replacing Artie?????

 

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 Replacing Artie??? 

I like the grass here.  My humans let me roam just a little.  But there was a dog.  They have to ruin everything.

I woke early.  I hear a few cars in motion.  They are letting water out of the Oxbow dam so the fishermen are ready.  Our walk took us across the bridge to the Idaho side.  A fisherman had a couple of huge catfish in a bucket.  He was doing a happy dance!  We turned up a dirt road and followed the river towards the south.  If you live anywhere near this area, you know every little fishing hole and boondocking camp site.  In this direction, there are very few people.  For us, it is a nice walk along the river. 

After Spouse left me, I continued down the road till I came upon ranch fencing.  The road bends around the fencing, and it looks like it continues along the river, hugging the mountainside.  I felt a few raindrops… I wanted to continue, but thought better of it.  Drop… drop… I am about 1 ½ miles out, but the raindrops are few and far between.  As I get near camp and cross the bridge, the resident wild turkeys greet me, as much as wild turkeys greet anybody!

Back at Artie, we clean up and hit the road.  We are heading to La Grande to visit the Outdoor RV factory.  We have looked at downsizing, and Outdoor RV has a model that has a decent floor plan with good quality craftsmanship.  So, it is a thought.

The road out of Oxbow is rolling hills, some mountains, some farms.  As we near Richland, it is very arid and desert like.  Even the desert sage is dull.  We are following a river, and the foliage is dull.  Usually, there are trees and shrubs that line rivers, but here, it is pretty barren.  Eventually, life returns with more hills and farms.

When we get to the interstate, we have mountains to the left with trees, and to the right, the mountains are bare.  It is pretty though, all the way to La Grande.  We are boondocking at the factory on their invitation.

We then disconnected and headed to the town of Pendleton to actually look at finished Outdoor RVs.  It is a pretty drive, almost like going over the grapevine, except much more scenic.  At the dealer, we were able to really scrutinize and ask questions and open drawers and move this and that.  We came to the conclusion that we are not sure we want to downsize!  The model we liked has only begun production – there is only one and it is sold.  They will begin making them next month.  We are not keen on buying any first year models…  I have a feeling we will have Artie for quite a while…

By the way, Outdoor RV is a sister company to Arctic Fox (Artie), so we would be keeping things in the family if we were to switch, but at this point, we are leaning against the change, at least for now.

Monday, September 8, 2025 Hell's Canyon

 

Monday, September 8, 2025 Hell’s Canyon

My humans let me out to roam today.  They were right there so I couldn’t go too far.  It was fun sniffing things.  I caught some little flying thing.  I got to roll.  It was fun to hang out with my humans.

It was kind of warm last night. Fortunately, it did cool down overnight, enough so that I had to grab a light blanket.  Spouse got his fishing gear out, and went for some early angling.  I went for my walk. 

We are in the middle of nowhere.  But there is a post for a WI-Fi hot spot! As long as you are within 50 feet from the post!

I walked along the road, which follows the Snake River.  I was out for about an hour, and only two cars passed by.  Wild huckleberries lined the river side of the road.  Too bad they were all shriveled up.  A deer bounded across my path.  There were turkey vultures in a tree sunning themselves.  There were ospreys.  Oh!  There is another deer.  It was a beautiful walk, even though it was along the road.

There really is a deer in this picture!

Spouse caught 7 fish, so he was totally stoked!  He threw them all back.

Back at camp, we got to talking to our only neighbors, then got Artie ready to roll.  Artie rolled all of about 10 miles to the town of Oxbow.  We saw an RV park – with electricity!!  We decided to hookup and disconnect to go exploring.

Spouse wrestled with this decision, as he knew we would find a better RV spot (RV park or boondocking spot).  Free of Artie, we got on the Idaho side of the river and headed north.  Yes, there was another RV park, right on the river.  Spouse agonized, but the spaces were small, and there was a lot less shade.  We saw a couple of pullouts, but nothing that would have been suitable.  Then there was the sign that said ‘no oversized vehicles as there is no turnaround’.  That kind of sealed the deal…  Spouse was finally ok with where we are bunking! 

The road is small, and it hugs the mountainside, which follows the curve of the river.  The water is glassy… oh so glassy!  We stopped at one spot so Spouse could throw in a line.  No hits, not surprising as it is midday.  The road is 23 miles long, and ends at the Hell’s Canyon Dam Visitor Center.  There isn’t a whole lot of anything on the road.  A couple of barren campspots.  Crossing over the dam, the water is flowing freely.  There are rapids and boats that will take you down the river for adventure.  Except for today… and tomorrow… and probably this week.  We took a wee hike to a viewpoint.  There is hardly anybody here.  This will be changing as hunting season starts this weekend…

But, we enjoy our solitude.  We saw one other car on the way back to Artie.

Today, I measured the cracks in our windshield…  roughly 16 inches… I think they are growing, but slowly.  We should be able to make it home before we fix it… we hope!