May 7th, our last blog! Here it is May 17! 10 days have passed, we got our windows in Coburg, Oregon and headed east! Into territory we had never traversed. We drove up the McKenzie River and over the Cascade Mountain Range into Sisters, Oregon. What a beautiful day of traveling, green, mountains, streams, lakes, and cute towns. We ended up near John Day Fossil Beds and did a little dry camping overlooking a beautiful ranch and wished we could spend a day or two looking for fossils and reading history! Just a bit of what we saw that day, following the McKenzie River for some time, and then down to the John Day Fossil Beds.
The next day we headed to northeastern Oregon to the little town of Elgin where we had old Navy friends! The trip took us most of the day, through lots of mountainous terrain and little ranch communities. We enjoyed spending two days with Jim and Katy, we hadn’t seen them since about 2010 when they came to Hot Springs and spent a couple of days with us and a trip up to Glacier National Park. Keith and Jim played guitars and sang alot, Joanette, Katy and the dogs walked miles up the railroad tracks behind town! We celebrated Mother’s Day and ate well! It was sad again to say goodbye to old friends!
From Elgin we headed toward Hot Springs, a crazy drive through the Blue Mountains and into Idaho. We have to tell you that the scenery was stunning, the roads, crazy grades up and down into creek and river beds and back up to the mountains. Into Washington, and then back into Idaho.
Another night, at a really nice RV campground at Potlatch, Idaho and over the mountains and back to really familiar territory, MONTANA! Where we are now in the middle of a 14 day required quarantine. But snug as bugs in Coach, in the wilds of Skunk Alley! I joke that I have wildlife watch while we are being well taken care of! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Stobie!
We took a trip to social distance with our two oldest Grandchildren, Bailey and Tyler, at Jacobs Island Dog Park where we spent quality time with them and our last quality time with our Great Grand Dog Kona! Boy was that hard, to give up that little spunky girl we’d had aboard with us for the last 10 months! The only good thing was seeing the joy in Bailey’s face knowing her little girl was going home with her at last! Goober is sad. He misses Kona more than he thought he would. Hopefully he taught her lots of good manners and she sure did give him some fun times, a little extra exercise and between the two of them they sure brought lots of smiles and laughter to us and everyone we met!
We’ve dusted off the bikes and actually sat on the seats today, for a 3.5 mile ride down Skunk and around town, major draw back, having to climb back up Skunk to the Stobie Ranch. Made it, had to rest 4 times! Tomorrow’s ride will be easier! Goober rebonded with Paula, we made aebleskivvers, watched Bangen Fencing pound posts for the new fence here at the Stobie Home…
We are so anxious to be done with quarantining, and social distancing! As is everybody! We have faired well through this odessy but we’ve got children and grandchildren to see. Joanette’s brothers and sister to see. So much to do, so little time. We are already planning our late summer and fall. Nope, no hints, yet!
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