Troubadour's mom hasn't been feeling well so last Saturday we loaded up the car and headed out at 6:30 am for a three-day weekend to visit. Monday was the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday so Brad's brother, sister-in-law and niece were headed there as well. We knew that his mom would not be able to fuss over cooking meals so I took along fixings for Quinoa Summer Apple Salad and 'Tuna' Chickpea Salad for lunches. We also brought along fresh ground peanut butter, a loaf of sprouted Sasquatch bread, and organic apples and bananas.
It is a 550 mile trip each way usually taking 10 hours or so depending on traffic and stops. North on I-5 until we go east on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge. We head east through the Gorge until turning north on Highway 395, which at some point intersects with I-90 through Spokane where we head north on 395 again. Their summer residence is close to the Canadian border in north eastern Washington. It is a long drive through a lot of nothing.
We watched the sun rise as we drove north on I-5.
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| (Sunrise along I-5 in Oregon on October 6, 2012) |
We stopped in Wilsonville at Starbucks for a coffee to go with a Clif Bar for breakfast and kept on trucking. The Starbucks stop also necessitated a stop at a rest area along I-84 at some point. No exciting scenery to take any pictures of though.
We stopped for petrol in Umatilla before crossing over into Washington. I had packed Tofurky, avocado and spicy sprout sandwiches on Dave's Killer Bread Good Seed Bagels and a jug of homemade sweet tea so we decided to take a break and eat. We watched people come and go across the street at the post office in Umatilla as we sat on the car bumper and ate. No picnic tables in sight anywhere.
A ways up Highway 395 after it joined with I-90 we stopped at another rest area. This one was by the north end of Sprague Lake and was photo worthy.
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| (Milepost 242 - Sprague Lake Rest Area in Washington) |
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| (Milepost 242 - Sprague Lake Rest Area in Washington) |
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| (At Sprague Lake looking north towards the town of Sprague) |
Back into the car and north east we headed. We did stop one more time in Spokane as we know from previous trips there is a nice Starbucks on North Division. We figured that would be the last cup of good strong coffee before our return trip.
We arrived at 4:00 pm with no issues. The car ran great and everyone was already there to meet us.
The summer property has a cabin built several years ago, a main house that is still slightly in the construction phase, a 'boathouse' for storage of kayaks and rowboats for the winter and the old motor home.
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| (The main house) |
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| (The boathouse - the silver roof seen through the trees on the right is the cabin) |
Our home for the weekend was the motor home. It was cozy but was a chilly walk in 29˚F (-1.6˚C) night air to use the bathroom in the boathouse.
I took the following picture the next day after the tractor was moved and you can see the motor home and our car in the background. The red building beyond our car is the cabin.
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| (The other side of the tractor) |
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| (Artsy tractor picture) |
On Sunday while the guys were out riding dirt bikes I took a few picture of the peaceful scenery.
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| (Looking upriver - you can see smoke from a forest fire in the center of the photo) |
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| (The fire is on both the Washington and British Columbia side of the mountain) |
By evening the flames had flared up and the fire spread further down the mountain.
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| (Fires flaring up in the evening winds) |
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| (Looking down the extremely low river - abandoned house across the river) |
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| (The abandoned house) |
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| (Abandoned house - local legend says a relative of Chuck Norris built the house) |
I couldn't resist a picture of this lonely tree stump.
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| (Lonely tree stump) |
There were three pooches hanging around the property for the weekend. A black lab named Turbo, a little mutt named Winston and a visiting Canadian mix named Bailey. You can tell the Canadian by his safety vest.
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| (Turbo - I always want to sing Judas Priest when I say his name - how 80's of me) |
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| (Winston - needs a haircut) |
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| (Bailey in his hi-vis finery) |
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| (Winston & Bailey - finally looking at the camera) |
Sunday evening we were helping Chip (Troubadour's step-dad) get things closed up so they can soon make their trip south to Palm Springs. This entailed moving his 1967 Dodge Charger out of the garage to get the dirt bikes tucked into the back. I took the opportunity to take a few pictures.
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| (1967 Dodge Charger) |
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| (1967 Dodge Charger) |
We stayed up way late into the night looking at old photographs that Troubadour found in the attic. Some he took digital pictures of. I thought I'd share this gem.
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| (Troubadour back in the day) |
We were up at 6:00 am on Monday and on the road by 8:00 am. We stopped in Chewelah for petrol - ask Troubadour how much he enjoys pumping his own gas when the pumps don't work right. We then stopped in Spokane at Starbucks for some wi-fi access and a yummy coffee drink before pointing the car towards home.
We stopped at a rest area at the east end of the Gorge for a bathroom break and also a chance to stretch our legs and have a snack. It was the cleanest rest room at a rest area I've ever seen. Really nice tiled walls and floor and it even had automatic water taps and soap dispensers.
As we headed west down the Gorge I took a few pictures of the windmills along the north side of the Columbia River.
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| (Windmills along the Columbia Gorge) |
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| (Windmills along the Columbia Gorge) |
We made one more stop for petrol in The Dalles. Troubadour was about done in from all the driving so we switched it up and I drove the rest of the way home and I didn't stop once. You know how it is, as you get closer you just want to hurry up and get there. We managed to drive through Portland during Monday rush hour but it wasn't too bad as I opted for the I-205 cut-off.
We made it home by 6:00 pm. We found Basil snuggled into our bed sleeping, but even though we woke him he was happy to see us. It was a long weekend, but worth it to see family we hadn't seen in so long. I didn't take any family pictures. Some people might not like to be photographed or have their pictures on the internet so I left them alone. And no, I didn't ask the dogs their permission.
- Au Revoir
"When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all of their good points or it would be impossible to endure them." - George Bernard Shaw
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Such a wonderful trip, though lots of driving. (Though I personally love car trips too. At least I did before learning to ride.). I've never been to Eastern Washington. I wasn't aware it was so arid. Stark and beautiful, the rider, the abandoned house, the mountains. Glad you had a good time and the drive was safe,
ReplyDeleteI don't mind car trips as long as we stop enough to un-numb the bum. Eastern Washington is very dry - sagebrush and sand. Makes me think of the badlands or something.
Deletemakes me think of Penticton, BC.......
DeleteThere was that little lake shot that was pretty though.....:-)
The scenery is fantastic! Love the dogs! I've never been to Washington either.
ReplyDeleteI am not a huge fan of Eastern Washington - or Eastern Oregon for that matter. I like the more lush mountains in the West.
DeleteIt's still looking like summer out there ... brings back memories.
ReplyDeleteI loved riding along the Columbia River Gorge.
And what a prudent Canadian Dog - wearing his hi-vis gear.
Hope Brad's Mom is feeling better. Happy Canadian Tofurkey day!
That was our last warm weekend so it was nice to get out and enjoy it, even if we weren't on the bikes. I wouldn't want to do the Gorge from Portland to Hood River. The winds going through there were incredible. Not good on two wheels.
DeleteTrobairitz:
ReplyDeleteI just love to travel on those backroads. I remember we also got gas at Chewelah at the new casino/gas station complex. They had the cleanest rest room there. I would have loved to go inside that abandoned house. I always wonder what happened to those people who used to live there and wonder why they left. It's the same with those abandoned houses in Fox, OR.
I had a friend who had a Charger like that with a 383 Hemi. Looks like it was in good shape. I used to drive a '68 Barracuda 318ci
Hope Trobadour's mother is feeling better, she probably gave you a great big smile when she saw the both of you
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
The old Dodge muscle cars are always cool to see. I liked the 1970 Challenger myself. We didn't stop at the casino in Chewelah but a little gas station/store and the pump wouldn't run our card right so Brad had to go in and prepay - then go back in to refund the difference - pain in the butt.
DeleteBrad's mom was very happy to see us and I too hope she is feeling better. Time will tell.
An awesome trip like that and no bikes - Doh! Not even any pics of the dirt biking - tsk, tsk.
ReplyDeleteNever mind, some great pics and it sounds a lot like a great weekend away, love the old Dodge and Turbo looks like my kind of a hound!
I wouldn't have wanted to venture the west end of the GOrge because of the high winds. It was blowing the car around. I still had the camera in the car when the guys took off on the bikes and I was inside when they came back. Being a good house frau and making lunch. So no pics. Sad panda.
DeleteYou would have like Turbo - he sure got big. I remember when he was all legs and paws. He is big for a lab I think, but friendly like they all are.
Looks like a fun adventure! I love that part of Washington and Idaho. We were very close to moving to the area a few years back. The area around Sandpoint, ID was VERY high on my list of places I liked. :-) It's very pretty country. Except for the forest fires.
ReplyDeleteWe've never been a fan of sagebrush and sand and scrub pines in Western Washington. I think growing up in the Okanagan - the only natural desert in Canada ruined me for the dry areas. We did live in Creston, BC though, north of Sandpoint and Bonner's Ferry and the Kootenay mountains are lush and nice.
DeleteEnjoyed your journey via photos! Makes me long for those open spaces...
ReplyDeleteI'll bet you both constantly wished you were riding your bikes rather than driving the whole route. I do that when I go places in the car...long to be scooting there too.
Sweet doggies, nice get away, eh?
It wouldn't have been as relaxing on the bikes fighting the wind and go go go to make 550 miles in one day. That kind of trip we just take the car. Of course if we were home we would have been out on the bikes.
DeleteThey are cute poochies aren't they. I like little Winston. He makes me want to sing R-A-G-G, M-O-P-P Rag Mop. I think that was from the Muppets or Sesame Street. Poor little guy needs a haircut and bath so bad.
Looks like the trip wasn't too bad. Thanks for sharing the photos and the oldie but goodies too!
ReplyDeleteOh you should see the oldie photos we brought home and slides too. I think hubby would kill me if I put more of them on the interweb though.
DeleteIt looks like you had a great trip. The winds in the gorge were pretty horrendous especially when combined with the Sunday afternoon traffic when I came through there. I have a lot of photos of the windmills. I didn't expect them so they were a pleasant surprise.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to have a Charger a couple of years newer than that one. But it was traded in for a Datsun 610 when gas hit the stratospheric price of $1 per gallon.
I didn't realize there were so many of the windmills down the Gorge, but there really are. North size mostly but as you get further east you can see them on the South side too.
DeleteThat Datsun must have been cool. I remember $1/gallon gas, those were the days.
Wow, and I thought I was going to get blown into the next county just riding here in Oklahoma. Thanks for the warning about the Gorge..I don't do high winds either!
ReplyDeleteThose winds are scary aren't they Deb? You would be fine in the East end of the Gorge, but the West end can get pretty blustery.
DeletePat:
Deletea few years ago I rode my Kymco X500Ri scooter to Oregon and travelled on the north side of the gorge for about 100 miles from Vancouver WA to Bickleton where the windmills are up on the cliff. The winds were relentless, esp when you had full wind, then entered an underpass where wind stopped, and then came out the other side. You were riding on an angle even though you were trying to go straight. The best thing to do is to lean your leg out into the wind so it forces your bike into that direction. It's a trick I read somewhere, and it works.
The area around BIGGS, WA is the kitesurfing capital known for high winds nearly all the time. I remember riding over the bridge from WA to Oregon side and it was scarey
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Fab pics and great to see the pooches. Just thought I'd mention that although I'm British I'm also a Canadian citizen thanks to my Toronto born mother:) Lots of cousins north of the 49th! I only wear hi viz when I choose to and as far as I know none of my Canadian friends or relatives wear it either ;)
ReplyDeleteOK, joke over, but the European Union are trying to make hi viz jackets etc compulsory for motorcyclists - the French have made it law already, plus, they have passed a law requiring all motorists/bikers to carry a breath test kit!! This is so they can self-test themselves before driving. Knowing the French they'll either not carry them or test themselves and carry on regardless of the result. Either way, they are crazy control freaks over that thar English Channel and need keeping a close eye on. Ride safe and `let the rider choose`.
I am American but lived in Canada for 25 years. My hubby (Troubadour) is Canadian. I made the joke about the Canadian and hi-vis as our Canadian relatives are on the cautious side compared to us yanks.
DeleteI have read about France and their mandated hi-vis and breath test. I just shake my head. I am all for mandated helmets but I think riders should be able to decide whether they want to wear hi-vis and let's hope most of us are adult enough to know when we've had enough to drink. If you are driving or riding don't drink, that simple.
Next time we're in Kelowna or Vancouver we'll give you a shout.
ReplyDeleteBoth are about a 9-10 hour drive from our place in Oregon. Hubby's brother still lives in Kelowna but I don't think we've been back there in about 9 years or so, mainly because we'd like to spend more than 2-3 days. I grew up in Keremeos then lived in Penticton before moving home to Oregon.
DeletePS: If you want to see what we're facing in Europe, have a look at the MAG website, the banner link is on my front page.
ReplyDeleteI took a peek around the website, it seems as though MAG is doing some very good things protecting the rights of riders. Of course if the governments weren't trying so hard to put very restrictive controls and policies in place it wouldn't be needed.
Delete