Pendleton Woolen Mills

Pendleton Woolen Mills

April 19-29, 2019

We are still in Pendleton, OR, waiting on the truck repairs.  

Our friends Pam and Mark, who were also in our wedding, live in Kennewick, WA (where we were headed) and have come down to visit us three times.  My cousin Bill and his wife Lisa (who we are going to Alaska with) came last Wednesday and left Saturday morning (thank you!).  So we've had some company other than ourselves, and this is a beautiful place to get 'stuck'.

On Friday, April 26 we went with Bill and Lisa to Pendleton Woolen Mills factory where they make blankets.  British weaver Thomas Kay laid the foundation of Pendleton Mills when he arrived in Oregon in 1863. Kay’s grandsons, the three Bishop brothers, opened Pendleton Woolen Mills in the early 1900s. They joined Kay’s weaving skills with Native American-inspired designs in the Pendleton Trade blanket. They have been family-owned and operated for more than six generations.  Here is one of the Bishop brothers.

They purchase the raw wool and then do the dyeing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing. Their state-of-the-art dye technology features computer-controlled systems for water, dyes, heat and flow pressures, ensuring exact duplication of colors. The carding process combs and aligns fibers in preparation for spinning. During spinning, strands of fibers are extended and twisted to form yarns. Then, high speed looms interlace the yarns into woven cloth. Due to the unique felting property of wool, this woven cloth goes through a fulling process that uses controlled shrinkage to produce a softer, more compact fabric. The material also passes through other finishing procedures such as washing, shearing, pressing, napping and inspection before production is complete. Near the end of the production cycle, blanket fabrics are cut and finished as authentic Pendleton blankets and readied for distribution and sale. Here are some pictures from the factory tour.

Afterwards we went to lunch at Rooster's Country Kitchen.  It was good food and nice to get out and eat something I didn't cook.  😄

We will probably be here another couple of weeks.  They ordered the transmission last Monday, April 22.  It takes 7-10 days to build, two days to ship, and a couple of days to install.  Pam and Mark are coming here with their 5th wheel this weekend so we are looking forward to that!  We do appreciate them coming down to see us and camp with us!!!

Not roving on for now...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1

Dayton, NV to Pendleton, OR

Dayton, NV to Pendleton, OR

April 15 - 18, 2019

We left John's brother Bill's house on Monday, April 15.  We spent that night at a BLM campground near Winnemucca NV called Water Canyon.  It was nice with covered picnic tables and our site looked like it had sewer.  The sites were well spread out.  However, we were the only ones there, it was cold and rainy, and we probably wouldn't go back unless there were going to be more people there.  I didn't get any pictures.

On Tuesday, April 16 we spent the night at the Ruggles Creek Road OHV area near Baker City, OR.  We were the only ones there but didn't get any bad vibes.  The area was beautiful and the valley below us I believe was part of the Oregon Trail.

On Wednesday morning we went to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.  I have always loved history like this so I really enjoyed it.

Those pioneers were a very tough lot.  The covered wagons looked so small.  We learned that they carried their belongings in the wagons and they actually walked the 2,000 miles from the 'jumping-off points' to the Willamette Valley area.  Here's a mural of the area where the interpretive center is and the route they took down the mountain.

You could see part of the Oregon Trail from the interpretive center and I took a picture but you couldn't see it in the picture.

Here's what the inside of a wagon would have looked like.

These make our 40' 5th wheel look like a palace.  Their wagons were 4' by 12' and had to hold enough food, clothing and needs for their new life.  Many people brought enough to do that but because of the terrain or that their animals couldn't pull the weight any more they had to dump it.  The route was lined with discarded items.

We left a little before noon and continued on our way towards Kennewick, WA to visit friends.  When we were coming down the last part of the mountain on I-84 into Pendleton, Oregon the transmission/rear wheels on the truck locked up.  Because of the weight of the 5th wheel on the 6% downhill grade John was able to barely get it on the shoulder.  It was in a construction zone too so the left lane was closed.  There were a lot of big semi's passing by, and many of them didn't know what their gears were for and were riding their brakes.  I could still smell burning brakes last night.  Several people stopped from the Oregon DOT.  They were very concerned about our safety and were so nice.  One young man even stayed until the flatbed truck came for the truck and the tow truck for the 5th wheel.  

John went with the truck to the mechanics shop and I went with the 5th wheel to the campground (I intended at the start of this trip to learn how to set up and tear down but this reminded me that I really do need to learn how).  We are at Wildhorse Resort RV Park in Pendleton and it's very nice.  The Lord kept us safe and provided the mechanics shop and campground.  We don't understand why this has happened but we know He is in control.  We're thankful it didn't happen a month from now when we were in Canada.

John got a call this morning on the truck and the transmission will have to be replaced.  He wants an ATS transmission, which is a heavy duty one with a good guaranty.  They said it will take 10-14 business days to get it built, shipped and put it in, so we'll be here for a while, but it's a beautiful place and we'll just enjoy it.

Roving on (in a couple of weeks)...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1

Holbrook, AZ to Dayton, NV

Holbrook, AZ to Dayton, NV

April 5 - 14, 2019

We left Holbrook on Friday, April 5 and spent the night off I-40, Welch Road, exit 151.  It was a good free stop.

On Saturday, April 6 we went through Lake Mead Recreation Area, which was a very pretty drive, to Sand Mine Road (BLM) near Valley of Fire State Park.  We had an amazing view of the valley and mountains.

On Sunday, April 7 we went to Valley of Fire State Park ($10 entrance fee per vehicle).  It was beautiful!  The scenery and terrain changed so much: red sandstone, limestone, shale and conglomerates.  Again, the pictures don't do the scenery justice (you can click on the picture to enlarge it).

We packed a lunch and stopped here to eat it.  The hole in this rock reminded me of a takeout window.  I ordered a hamburger and fries but it never came.  There's a picnic table in the shadow of the rock.

We left Sand Mine Road on Monday, April 8 and went to Tonopah RV Park in Tonopah, NV.  I didn't get a picture but it was a line of RV sites between the road and a modular motel.  It wasn't as noisy as I thought it would be.  Since it was still cold at night at that elevation they didn't have the water turned on at each site, but there was a place you could fill up your tank.  I thought $36.30 was a little much but there weren't many options out in the middle of nowhere.

We are moochdocking in John's brother Bill's driveway now and will stay until Monday.  Then we'll head north.

Roving on...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1

Catalina State Park to Holbrook, AZ - Petrified Forest National Park

Catalina State Park to Holbrook, AZ - Petrified Forest National Park

April 1 - 4, 2019

On Wednesday, April 3, we drove from Catalina State Park to Holbrook, AZ on AZ-77.  This part of Arizona is missed by a lot of people, and it is beautiful!  Here are a couple of pictures between Catalina State Park and Salt River Canyon.  Notice the wildflowers along the side of the road in the first picture, and the different colors in the mountain on the second picture.

The wildflowers were really pretty on the side of this hill.

When you get to the Salt River Canyon area the road goes up and down the mountains several times and there are quite a few switchbacks.  You can see the river in the first picture.

A view from the top of the mountain looking back down to the river.

We also drove through a beautiful forested area south of Show Low, AZ.  I didn't get any pictures of that but it reminded us of the Flagstaff area.  We'd like to go back there someday.  We stayed in Holbrook at the OK RV Park.  It was full hookups for $33 a night (Good Sam discount 10%) and although it was close to I-40 you didn't really hear any traffic noise.

On Thursday, April 4 we went to the Petrified Forest National Park.  The Park includes the Rainbow Forest and the Painted Desert.  We went in the Rainbow Forest entrance and drove north to the Painted Desert entrance.  We talked to the lady in the gift shop and she said that's the best way to do it because the views are better.  First are the petrified trees.

Here's a huge tree that fell down.  They've reinforced it underneath with concrete to keep it from breaking apart.

The scenery changed to the painted desert and the different colored layers in the mountains.

This is one called The Tepees.

These are the petroglyphs at the Newspaper Rock overlook.

We crossed over I-40 to where Route 66 used to run.  There's not much left now.

Then the scenery changes again, and the color of the layers and the mountains changes to red. 

We spent most of the day in the park and I'm glad we had the time to do so.  It was a lot of getting in and out of the truck but it was very much worth it.

Tomorrow we move west.

Roving on...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1