June 29 - July 6, 2024
Back on the road again. On Saturday, June 29 we drove to our next campground via Hwy. 95. We decided to take that route as it looked more scenic. On the way we saw these fields of yellow. I looked it up and found out it was mustard.
Then I noticed that we would be driving right by Nez Pearce National Historical Park in Lawpai, ID. So we stopped in the parking lot and had lunch, then went into the visitor center. This wasn't a battlefield but the visitor center had a nice display of the Native American history. Then off to Canyon Pines RV Resort in Riggins, ID. It was 50 amp and water with a dump station for $52.68 per night. The campground was between Hwy. 95 and the Little Salmon River, but not a lot of road noise at all. They have some pretty back-in sites on the river. I didn't get a picture of our campsite but I did get the river.
Sunday morning we headed for Boise. There was an accident near Banks and the road was closed for about 1-1/2 hours. But it was a beautiful area so we were good. I tried to find out about the accident but couldn't find anything later. The traffic was pretty bad because of the backup and also it was a Sunday afternoon.
We stayed at a Boondockers Welcome location. The hosts said they heard about the accident on TV. The driveway was by a busy street but it quieted down at night.
Monday morning we were early for our 9am appointment at Alignment Specialists to get the alignment done on the 5th wheel. It took them 2-3 hours and then we got on I-84 and headed for Oasis on the Snake RV Resort near Huntington, OR. It was full hookups for $54.97 per night. It wasn't a destination but good for an overnight.
Tuesday we drove to Union Creek Campground near Sumpter, OR. It's a forest service campground and we really liked it. I had made reservations for one site for Tuesday night because I couldn't get a reservation for longer. We figured we'd take the reserved site and then look at the first come first serve sites when we got there and hopefully get something for Wednesday and Thursday nights. But when we got there we decided just to look for a FF site for the three nights and found one with full hookups for $22 per night. The campground host wasn't pleased, and we lost the money for the reserved site, but we had a definite place to stay for the three nights over July 4. We've never done that before. All the sites in the A loop are full hookups. At over 4,000 elevation it was a little cooler up there too. We would definitely return and spend more than three nights.
On Wednesday, July 3 we drove 10 miles to Sumpter, OR and went through the Sumpter Valley Dredge.
When we were in the Yukon five years ago we went through the dredge in Whitehorse. After we got home I started watching Gold Rush on TV. Ever since I've wanted to see another dredge because I understood better how they worked. This one was missing a lot of parts and we couldn't go upstairs because of safety reasons, and it was a little different than I remembered the one in the Yukon. But I'm really glad I got to see it.
Gold was discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains and nearby Sumpter Valley in 1862. Many of the prospectors who had gone to California moved to this area. In the early 1900s the easily accessible gold had long been discovered. However, gold hunters knew tiny flakes of gold remained buried deep in the valley riverbed. So they starting using a dredge. This dredge was the third one in the area. The first was built in 1912, the second in 1915, and this one in 1935. It is estimated that the dredge unearthed more than $4 million in gold during its lifetime. The gold ran out and the dredge remained where it was after being abandoned in 1954. Weather and neglect took their toll and it stayed there until the early 1990s, when local Sumpter residents took a renewed interest in preserving it. After a few years of preparation the Sumpter Valley State Heritage Area opened in 1994.
Friday we drove to Pendleton to meet our long-time friends Pam and Mark. We are camping with them near Adams, OR for a week or so. We're expecting record high heat and are fortunate to have 50 amp electric and water. There's a river than runs right by the campground and is really pretty. I'll post a picture of them later.
That brings you up to date. We're just going to relax for a few days after our mad race around trying to get tires, balancing, and alignments done. Then we'll be...
Roving on...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".
Genesis 1:1
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