The Columbia River Gorge

Heading west on I-84 toward Portland, we travelled along the beautiful Columbia R Gorge. This reminded me of our travels along the St Lawrence on the Gaspe.  We wended our way around beautiful sheer rock cliffs,  past many State Parks and overviews to the Dalles.  The Dalles is a place, where spectacular scenery, outdoor adventure, history, and friendly people all come together. Located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, between Mt. Hood. and Mt. Adams, on the south bank of the Columbia River, Large bridges traverse the river in places, joining Oregon and Washington states.
The Dalles Dam (1957)

The Dalles Dam - Built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the largest hydropower producing dams in the United States, and extends 1.5 miles across the Columbia River. Powerhouse capacity is 1.8 million kilowatts. Since 1957, The Dalles Dam has provided the Pacific Northwest with a reliable water source for navigation, irrigation, flood mitigation, and recreation.

This dam was built and is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Electrical power generated at Bonneville is distributed by the Bonneville Power Administration. Bonneville Lock and Dam is named for Army Capt. Benjamin Bonneville, an early explorer credited with charting much of the Oregon Trail. The Bonneville Dam Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1987.

The Bonneville Dam blocked the migration of white sturgeon to their upstream spawning areas. Sturgeon still spawn in the area below the dam and the lower Columbia River supports a healthy sturgeon population. Small very depressed populations of white sturgeon persist in the various reservoirs upstream.
To cope with fish migration problems, the dam features fish ladders to help native salmon and steelhead get past the dam on their journey upstream to spawn. The large concentrations of fish swimming upstream serves as a tourist attraction during the spawning season. California Sea Lions are also attracted to the large number of fish, and are often seen around the base of the dam during the spawning season. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

McDermitt NV to Bend OR

Signs of Spring were evident in our travels today.  Daffodils, forsythia, flowering crab and the odd magnolia put forth vivid colours in the morning sunshine!

 

 The excitement for the day was a separating and shredding  driver’s side outer rear tire and the balding of the inner.  Bill had made arrangements to have the tires changed out when we were in Vancouver WA next week, but we had to change them out in Burns OR.  Fortunately, Bill had felt a shimmy that seemed to get worse as the day went on, but could not find a place to safely pull off the road to check them out.  Just outside Burns, there was a weigh scale and upon inspection, he found the problem.  I checked my Ipod Touch for a Les Schwab in Burns; luckily there was one just two miles away.  We limped in; they had the tires we wanted and in a couple of hours, we were back on the road.  We feel so blessed as we know what could have happened and the damage that would have resulted. PTL!

Our travels took us through some very pretty ranch lands with huge cattle herds and crops under irrigation.  Caught sight of some antelope today, but I was too slow with the camera to get a shot!

Remember that forsythia? It is likely shivering now!  We ran through a snow squall today, between Burns and Bend OR….YUCK!  Not something we were prepared to see in Oregon in April.  I told Bill to turn the rig around and head back to the sunny south ASAP!  We try to escape this stuff!

Battle Mountain to McDermitt NV

Our travels took us further west to Winnemucca, past this snow capped mountain; thankfully it was atop the mountain and not on the ground before us.; then north to McDermitt NV on the Nevada/Oregon border.  We stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things and then tried to outrun possible rain showers.  For once the wind was from the south; I photographed a dust devil off in the distance in a farmer’s field; this dust devil played across a very large area and looked like an explosion.  Can’t imagine standing nearby or in its path.  Sand dunes were prevalent north of Winnemucca, reminding us of the snowdrifts back in ON.  In fact, snow plows are used to push the sand from the road.

Forgive the pole, but this sunset was very unusual as it outlined a threatening cloud  with a golden hue.  There was no vantage point to eliminate the pole and wires; a long time since I have seen such a sight!  Beautiful!

McDermitt Sunset

Tonopah to Battle Mountain

Single File!

Our travels began at an early 9:30 this morning as wind and rain threatened with a possibility of snow.  We needed to fuel up in town and then we were on our way.  Following 6 to 376, again the terrain was miles and miles of desert sage…no wildlife or domestic animals until we got to Big Smoky Valley.  Here, where irrigation was present were cattle and fields of hay and grass.  Large ranches set well back from the highway were evident.   

Notice the truck on the descent ahead of us!

Watched these clouds for s***, all day!

A small section of 50 on the way to Austin was a very steep climb as well as windy and the downward was just as steep and hair-pinned.  I should have known as on the map the route is marked as scenic.  We came across a copper mine, we assume was open-pit and ended our day in Battle Mountain close to train tracks, so we will be gently rocked after the whistle blows.

Pahrump to Tonopah NV

Desert Dirt Devils

Downtown Goldfield

Today began very early (for us) as we walked the dogs just after 7 and then prepared to leave after breakfast.  But before leaving Pahrump we needed propane and fuel for both the motorhome and the car.   Amazingly, all tasks were completed before 11 and we were on the road to Tonopah, NV, through and over miles and miles of desert…no wildlife, no small towns except Beatty and Goldfield, an old mining town, now an historic district.  Not much here now in Goldfield,  but  the remaining homes and downtown indicate quite a bustling and thriving community in more ”golden” times.  Dirt devils appeared frequently among the sparse tumbleweed and Joshua trees, as it was a very windy travel.   We are settled in a Passport America Park in Tonopah, full services for $10. This park has seen better days!  We have been buffeted by the SSE winds this afternoon…rockin’ and rollin’ you might say.  Rain is in the forecast for overnight; sure hope it is not s*** as we sit at a 6100 foot elevation.

The Gates to Tonopah NV

Pahrump, NV

 This is the view from the front window of the motorhome from our campsite in Preferred RV Resort.  The desert is BLM lands (Bureau of land Management), government owned and boondockers are prevalent(no services).  Just pick a spot, near no one and set up.  We prefer full services, so we stay in campgrounds.
We stayed here for a week beginning April 3rd so we could celebrate Nini's birthday with she and Wes as well as Joy and Rick, Roberta and Dan at the Golden Nugget.

While here, Bill decided to use his paintbrush to paint the bottom section of the motorhome to cover stone chips etc.  Because he was using a brush or roller,  a non-metallic paint was advised (we had bought the paint and hardener in Mesa).  Bill had spent most of the week before preparing the surface per the advice of the paint shop.  We picked a spot in the desert and proceeded on a warm day with a slight breeze.  The brush worked better than the roller, but two coats of paint were required to complete the task.  The rig looks good and now with some buffing a couple of spots where the paint ran will be feathered out.  We have extra paint now to touch up any stone chips or scratches we incur as we travel.  Bill was a very tired guy that night, but thankful the weather  co-operated; since then, the temps have been cool to downright cold so the timing was perfect!

London Bridge in Lake Havasu

 

London Bridge is a bridge in Lake Havasu City,  that is the reconstruction of the 1831 bridge that spanned the River Thames in London, England until it was dismantled in 1967. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge, that was bought by Robert P. McCulloch from the City of London,


McCulloch had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to America, to construct the present bridge in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu.
The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with a canal), and links an island in the lake with the main part of Lake Havasu City.



 A myriad of shops are found beneath the bridge along the canal, all English imports.

 This was an amazing undertaking!

                                                                                  

 

Tonopah to Lake Havasu

Found this beautiful RV Resort in the middle of nowhere, just west of Buckeye AZ in Tonopah.  The staff was so very friendly and the park was absolutely beautiful...full hookups, concrete patio, two dog runs, level sites and the best part, it is a Passport America park, costing us $15.00 for the night.  Good deal!  BUT, shopping of any significance is 25 miles away, that is a grocery store.  Monthly rate is $300. and there are a lot of activities to keep one busy.  Meals are served here as well.
The next morning, it was off to Lake Havasu.  Never been here before, have heard lots about it and thought we would take a look.  Checked into Campbell's Cove, again a Passport park, but it has a very weird set up.  RVs either pull in to the black line or back in to this same line.  No view and tight!  It is a good thing we have no slides!  Walked down to the Lake Havasu State Park every morning with the dogs...Cowboy sure likes concrete better than pea gravel!

Nice legs, Bill

 Near the State park was this beautiful Palo Verde  (green trunk and branches) loaded with very small yellow blossoms.  I had not seen one bloom before and it is quite striking. Lake Havasu is home to London Bridge.  More about that in the next post.

Palo Verde in blossom

Gold Canyon

After the Rally and after a week of rest at Casa Grande, we returned to Gold Canyon for a few days.  Three motorized flying machines flew over the park as well as areas around Apache Junction at sunset.  It is quite a sight to see men, I assume, riding a vehicle suspended by a parachute-like device.  It is called a Pegasus powered parachute from Powrachute!  Nice ride for a very warm evening as the sun sets.  Speaking of sunsets, here is another beauty at Gold Canyon.  Love that Western Sky!  We had a very relaxing week, but needed to do some much needed shopping of last minute things.  It is great to shop in the Mesa area as we know where most of the shops we require are located and usually there is a good selection of what we need.  Missions were accomplished!

Usery Mountain Regional Park and the Mesa Rally

Bill and I along with two other couples, Gary and Pam from Halifax Nova Scotia and Bruce and Sue  from Hemet California, took on the responsibility of organizing the Escapee Chapter 44 Alberta Roamer Rally for March 12-16th here at Usery.  This is such a beautiful setting for a boondocking experience (no services but a large group camping area) as it is situated in the desert of  Saguaro cacti, mesquite, desert sage and brittle bush.  Very colourful area when in flower.  It was a fun rally!

We met three days prior to finalize our shopping menu and then we headed out to Costco for price checking.  We women dragged our men there for a few hours and then hit Walmart for another two hour stint.  I won't go into detail, but we got our prices and the men were beat by 4:30, time for Happy Hour.  The next day we set up our gift bags and made up our charts for signups for various crafts and activities.  Registration was on the Monday, so we wanted everything ready before the gang arrived- 33 rigs and 65 people!

Sue, Bruce with Pheebe, Gary, Bill and Pam taking notes

A Saguaro Sunset

We planned such things as hikes, hosts' dinner, crafts such as T-shirt beading, hat band making, earring designing, RV tech chats, Computer tech talks, baseball, Cowboy poetry, Campfires and campfire singing, Happy Hours, and the Hitch-up breakfast, cooked by the men and prepared for the women!  Love it.  Here is the crew with last minute decisions to make!
We faced the Aerbus toward the desert, so west and the sunsets were magnificent.  A pair of Saguaro towered above the rig in the setting sun.  Arms on a saguaro grow when they are about 90 years old and when conditions are right, they bloom in June-July at the ripe old age of 60 plus years.  A beautiful sight!  A fun rally!

Back to Organ Pipe Cactus Monument

Twin Arches

Easter Blessings to family and friends from Pahrump, NV.  It has been awhile again since I last posted.  Time flies when we are on the road and having fun; time gets away from me.

Brittle Bush

Travel with me back to Ajo and Organ Pipe Cactus Monument. One of our future travels to this wonderful park will be to hike to the twin arches...it is about a 4 miles return hike and a gradual elevation.  The zoom lens does wonders for this shot. Notice the bridge across the the formation above the hole...wonder if you could walk across????

The yellow brittle bush along the 21 mile route is stunning especially in the bright sunlight.  I say route; the road is narrow, gravel and a rocky wash in places, yet in others where there is a climb, it is paved.  This was a very hot day, so windows were down and we breathed the chalk-like dust from the desert.  The 21 miles took 2 1/2 hours to drive with a few short stops along the way. Organ-pipe cacti typically thrive on rocky, south-facing slopes and are found among the Saguaro.  A beautiful drive not to be missed. 

Violets and Mexican Gold Poppy

Blowing in the wind back at the Interpretive Centre were these delicate beauties in vibrant blue and glowing yellow.  We had taken the dogs with us, so took this opportunity to walk them around the parking lot and picnic area.  Very little other vegetation is around the immediate area, but lots of gravel for moisture feeds these dainties.  The Park Ranger noted that the park was at its peak for flowers this season, three weeks ahead of the usual.  Organ Pipe Cactus Monument is not to be missed!  We shall return!