Day 18: Olive Lake, Oregon to Susanville, California

Its another beautiful morning and Cutty and I get up early to head to the dock for some morning clarity on the lake. While Cutty sniffs the cracks of the dock searching for the muskrat, I get to enjoy the last fluttering lap of the geese before they descend over the hillside. This morning is as calm and warm as it has been yet and I take my Uggs off and put my feet in the chilly water. I hate to leave today but reality is beckoning us back and this journey will continue south west for the end of its duration. The thoughts of emails, wedding planning and school books are starting to creep into my head so I take one more deep breath and head back to camp hoping to take the clarity of the serene lake with me. We clean up camp and eat up some breakfast, corn, and any other random food items that are on the verge of extinction and hit the road.
Today is a long driving day that begins on the 7 through out the tiny old wagon towns of historic eastern Oregon. The road is still scenic and windy through evergreen pine regions and will soon meet up with the 395, the devils backbone. Long, hot and straight, loooong and hot, Delphina is charging! We start to think maybe we should have prepared with extra hoses because there is nothing out here and a car only passes once every 30 or 40 minutes. We pass a sign that posts experimental testing in a basin over the hill and plenty of posted warning and trespassing signs, we are truly in no mans land. Finally we reach water, it’s a sad looking lake that smells like fermenting cows, and its name bares its aridness, Lake Alkali. The salty sanction of … hwy 395, god only knows we haven’t seen a town in a good couple hours, where are we? Still the drive isn’t bad, I am enjoying myself and Matthew sits in the back making snacks and Mikey keeps me company in the front, he is happy because he can smoke, and thank xm radio for satellite and the options to listen to any genre of music on a whim.
We drive on for another few hours and descend back down into the 4,000 ft range where there are trees and streams. Mostly Alders and Willows until we reach another national park zone than back into the pines. Farm land is our next movie and we see so many beautiful horses and land with decrepit barns and nice houses. We see antelope, a heard standing behind a fence eating on someone’s property and a single reindeer further down the road, pretty awesome! The farm animals are getting more interesting, turkey’s and llamas, pigmy goats and miniature horses. I am fully entertained and want to keep driving.
We push on through the Oregon border and check through border patrol, no fruits and veggies, except for the potatoes in the fridge but I think we actually have had them the whole trip, so I don’t mention its as Matthew sits muzzling Ollie in the back as to not attack the border man, he sends us on our way. Back to California!
The sun begins to set through Alturas and we decide to push through to Rosenville, I think this is where we are, oh, Susanville! My eyes are dry and tired and I don’t want to push Delphina to Reno, even though it is only 70 miles off, she is know driving about 4o mph max and my only entertainment is flashing my lights as the truckers pass in the pitch black, they thank me by running there tail running lights. There is a sign for an RV park a quarter mile down the road and we head that way. Over 13 hours on the road we are all done and I go straight to bed! What a good push and an awesome drive though, Cutty snuggles up next to me and Coco next to Matthew, there is no complaining of cramped twin quarters as we fit into a quick slumber and Mikey reads excerpts aloud from his book down below. Matthews birthday is approaching Saturday and we plan on spending the day and evening in Sac and Davis and driving home Sunday so tomorrow will be an easy drive, one with casinos I’m sure. Another end to a successful leg, this is no Olive lake but we are safe and sound slipping into slumber!

Day 15, 16, 17: Joseph, Oregon to Olive Lake Oregon

Matthew and I wake up super early and head down to the lake. The steam is rising off of the lake into the cold brisk air. The air is clear and we sit in silence, the only sound, a flock of geese, 16 or so , circle the lake and the sound of their wings sound like a quick shuffle of a deck of cards. Beautiful. We decide to get our poles and throw a few casts around the lake, to no avail. We drop them off and pick up the dogs and head over the dam around the other side of the lake. There is a hollowed out redwood tree that is hand tied with individual clamps that used to supply power to the power house about 8 miles down the road, pretty cool. We keep hiking around the lake and the hike is beautiful and full of birds and rabbits and is filled with hundreds of varieties of trees and plants and flowering bushes, the dogs are running wild and think they are in heaven! We stop about half way around the lake on a little manmade bridge overlooking a log boom and rest, its so quiet, not one car or generator or voice to be heard. We lay and look up at the trees for about a half hour before we head back to make coffee and breakfast. Mikey is awake now and making a fire. We are lucky to have 2 fire pits, one for cooking and one for heat, thankfully its Monday so the camp is virtually empty and we can spread out and make ourselves at home setting up the hammock and chairs. After breakfast its time to fish, Matthew and I take out the canoe and Mikey tries out the shore, a few hours later and still no fish we come in and relax in the sun.
This is how the next few days go, we meet a few characters and are glad when they leave ha ha. Its nice to have peace and quiet and time to read, we all finished at least one book each. Each day was nicer than the last and the chippers (chipmunks) kept the dogs busy while we took the floaty tubes into the lake and watched the sky and trees upside down on our backs. Matthew and I rode our bikes through each secret trail in the woods, mountain bikes might have faired better but our beach cruisers charged over dead branches and up dirt embankments. Still no cougar or bear sightings, but we are satisfied with that. Hunting season opens in a week and there are a few scouters that move up into this territory with their guns and scopes. This is the only complaint Matthew and I have, the hunters, it seems cruel and not very sport like, we are realizing you can’t have it all. Other than that we do a lot of fishing, Matthew is the only one to land a fish, we do a lot of canoeing and hanging out on the dock with the muskrat and his family eating crawfish under the dock. We do a lot of relaxing and floating, the trees keep the air fresh and scenery is surreal. No electricity or water, we boil lake water for drinking and brushing our teeth and a shower consists of a dip in the chilly water, which is okay with us, we could spend another week here and cannot believe it’s already week three.
The last night we make spaghetti dinner with mock homemade sauce and enjoy the warm night by the light of the fire and reminisce of the trip in its entirety. Feels like its over. We enjoy the fire and marshmallows until sleep beckons us and we head into the RV for our last night of sleep at Olive Lake, its been unreal, thank you Olive Lake.
　

Day 13: Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon to Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon

Brrrrr… a rough, cold nights sleep! The dogs had all converged into our twin bed and tried to suck the heat from me! I was so worried about knocking one of them off or rolling over on one that my night was pretty restless, Matthew slept like a baby. Mikey sleeps down below on a couch pretty much, he doesn’t ever pull out the bed, but the dogs decide they want the warmth of our comforter tonight and they all sleep on my side. Honestly though, its okay. I have been on vacation for 2 weeks now and I feel it, I love being out in the woods with trees, weather and nature and cannot complain! Matthew and I stay true to our word and we get up and stretch and head out on our morning ride in the brisk chill of morning. It isn’t as cold as yesterday and the sun is already out so the 47degrees feels more like 54 and we hit the road up hill towards the hydro electric plant a couple miles up the road. I am definitely feeling the altitude and wonder if my lungs will spare me just a little extra breath to make it up the never ending hill climb, ha ha. We pass some beautiful horses that remind me of the trip our family took to Wallowa when I was probably 6 years old and I had some trouble with a horse on a trail ride, I love being back hereJ We finally make it to the top and there is another pack of horses geared up for someone’s early morning trail ride, the 6 of them were checking out Matthew and I so I went to pet them, they were very friendly but Matthew preferred to admire from a distance, ha ha a little timid of the big beastsJ On the way hauling about 35 mph back down the hill we stop at a little coffee stand that someone converted from an old milk delivery truck, we like to support the little guys! Back to camp, full of vigor we decide to take the canoe on its first adventure on Wallowa lake! it’s a blue bird day and we are excited to catch some dinner! 5 fish later, all trout we don’t even keep one, too little we decide to fish a little deeper for the big dogs at 60 feet, we are kinda struggling with the wind and the canoe float since we don’t have an anchor. Matthew paddle us out to the swim float and we try our luck there. Skunked, the only thing we catch is a high octane buzz off of like one cheep beer and a healthy dose of sunshine, in reality we are pretty satisfied with that. I paddle us back to shore and we head back to camp to claim a new spot and do some laundry and shower up before another putt putt rematch. Life is not rough. Mikey meets up and tells us he spotted a 6 point buck in his path along the lake as well as plethora of fresh raspberries! I love it here. The camp is beginning too fill up with weekend warriors and people congregate between RV’s for happy hour and dinner, after about 8 pm it is lights out and we think everyone goes inside to watch TV, so weird ha ha. We gain the lucky experience of having deer come to our campsite and munch on the grass behind one of the cabins right behind the campsite! I actually came within about 3 feet of one of the beautiful creatures to snap his picture! Time to cook our fish dinner thanks to Mikey and a nice neighbor who hooked us up with a trout, I make the rice and veggies while Matthew stuffs the trout with peaches an grapes to keep it moist on the grill, we keep our promise to a healthy meal with some local Oregon Rogue River wine. Now its time for the putt putt rematch! This time I know it really close and we’ve pretty much conquered the course except for a few tricky holes! Dang, Matthew wins again by one and tomorrow we are going wilderness camping and I’m positive there won’t be any sign of putt putt out there. Gonna have to break out the gin and rummy, if I had only brought scrabble I would be reigning champion! Ha ha! Another awesome day in the Wallowa National Forest!

Day 12: Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon to Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon

Day 12: Wallowa Lake, Joseph, Oregon to Wallowa Lake, Joseph ,Oregon
Waking up in Oregon is chilly this morning! 40 degrees with a wind chill and all of a sudden it feels like October, I love it! I love the weather up here, it keeps the senses alive. A hearty breakfast is in order for such a chilly morning and so fitting it is to cook over the grill. Matthew has discovered that BBQ’d bacon is the way to go, however my soy bacon kinda gets demolished by the flames, there is definitely an art to cooking soy products. Mikey makes a phenomenal batch of corn meal pancakes with fresh corn and blackberry syrup, we are feeling pretty lucky right now and decide to press our luck at the lake. We bundle up some layers with a chance of rain looming its black clouded breath down our necks we hike down the river bed to Wallowa Lake. We aren’t exactly on time for first bite, but we are hoping the sudden change in weather throw the trout off and they are eager to bite, ha ha, high hopes. Not even a nibble and about 6 snags later my ADD kicks in and were out of there. The walk back along the road is nice and we are able to check out the local shops and restaurants, the vibe and people are nice but we are feeling a slight influx of tourists bombard our perfect gem of a spot. The hit of the day is the miniature golf course up by our digs. Matthew is looking for a rematch and nobody is there so we try our luck . Matthew takes the course and almost shoots par at this 42 course, now the competition is getting serious and I have a feeling this won’t be our last round at this putt putt. An awesome start to a chilly Oregon day, we are looking forward to heading back to eat some more bbq’d bacon and grilled sandwiches. We spent a good part of the afternoon hanging out in the grass with the dogs watching the clouds drift over the struggling sun. Soon enough it was time for that putt putt rematch and we were all determined to win. A close game, we head to the one and only local bar with 5 stools to add up our card and eat some dinner, since we didn’t catch any fish, ha ha. Dang, Matthew won again and shot par for the course, although we all improved it was bitter-sweet because technically Matthew is now up one and gaining momentum. We sit next to a guy that had spent the entire day cutting wood down the hill from us and we ask him how he is feeling since we got tired watching him after 15 minutes and he was at it for8 hours! He says its not too bad and its his winter heat. Nice guy. Dinner was really good, I ate a monster lasagna and Matthew and Mikey got fancy burger sandwich things that made for a sluggish ride home on our bikes. As soon as we reached Delphina Matthew and I gave into the comfort of our bed for a nap while Mikey went for an evening fish. An hour and a half later I awake with acid reflux central and wishing I hadn’t consumed all that comfort food, Matthew too. At that moment Mikey came back with heartburn and acid reducer tablets, however he is gleaming from his 2 trout catch, yes some real food! We vow to eat whole foods all the next day and start the morning off right with a good stretch and a loooong bike ride! Another awesome day at camp Wallowa and good prospects for a healthy Saturday, ha ha!

Day 11: Asotin, Washington to Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon

Hells Canyon is our technical location, but it doesn’t feel like it as we awake to another round of morning rain. We head to the main house to pay the nice hosts for our stay the night before, and come to find out we aren’t where we thought we were and there is no way in hells canyon we’d make it over the 67 mile trek to the lake from this road. Nor did we have the gas to make it over the first grade, and in the next mile was the last of the residents in the area. Thank god we stopped, we would have been screwed. Turns out we aren’t on the 129 and we are not on the Snake River. We are actually on the Grande Ronde, a prime spot for steelhead fishing in September. Dale and V are the nicest people and they opened their door to us as we sit and learn about life on the Ronde for a few short hours. Pretty good living out here, with his Oklahoma accent, Dale filled us in on the politics of the area and how he and his wife sit on the front porch and watch as the big horn sheep come in around October, as well as wild turkeys and bobcats, deer and cougars. They love having the RV site and the company, as many as 27 have been there during the season and they get together and have wine and big dinners. Dales dad (Pa) and brother (Bubba) live up the road in the first property he purchased and they all seem really close. In fact Pa came down to visit while we were there, 91 years old and spry as they come, he comes in chasing the 9 year old nephew who is teaching V how to access her email, ha ha. Pa just actually got married in an Indian ceremony 2 months ago to a 70 something year old woman, though he is not Indian -his new wife must be. They are a kick, they give us sweet corn that the neighbors just harvested , he knows every person by name on the hole 27 mile stretch and is friends with them all. He also doesn’t charge us for the night which is really thoughtful and sends us back on the right track, what a nice guy. After a nice egg breakfast we hit the road again... in search of Wallowa Lake. We find hwy 129, the sign was hidden behind a tree of course, there was no way we would have spotted it the night before, but we all agree we are glad to have taken the detour to Dales RV park. The road is much like coming into Moscow, rolling wheat fields with a red barn and house every hundred acres or so and the sky is as big and sprawling with cumulous clouds as I have ever seen it. The sun is out and the drive is so relaxing ,its hard to stay awake. We reach a pretty epic grade that winds for about 40 miles and right in the middle at the bottom of the base is a restaurant that serves burgers fries and old fashioned shakes, Dale recommended we go, he goes there a couple times a year for fun with his wife. At Boggans Oasis there are a few cabins located behind the restaurant and the Ronde River runs beneath the only road in and out, we wonder where the 2 old waitresses live and if they journey out much. In the mean time we fish, Matthew catches a small mouth bass and good size rainbow trout right off the bat, I almost caught a snake. After a good old fashioned root beer float we hit the road to finish the grade and cross back into Oregon territory. We put the XM radio on Elvis and I sleep for the next hour. We pull into Enterprise a town about 12 miles out from the lake for a few supplies and internet than hit the amazing lake. It is beautiful and bigger than I remember. After scoring a perfect campsite tucked into our own private corner on the North fork of the Wallowa River we come to the conclusion that it’s another perfect end to an awesome day. We live it up and make bbq scallops for dinner with our fresh sweet corn and salad and ride our bikes around the campsite until dark~ we aren’t going anywhere!

Day 9: Bonners Ferry Idaho to Bonners Ferry Idaho

We aren’t going anywhere! We found a gem of a spot and have no intention of getting back on the road today! Mikey says he woke up at 2 am and went outside, the moon was glowing so brightly he thought it was sunrise. This spot is beautiful. The boys pack up their fishing gear and head out to hike into the wilderness to catch some trout breakfast and I decide to hang around the campsite and take some pictures and do some laundry and run the pups around. They made it back, no fish but wet after chasing a few lures, ha ha. Matthew and I played some miniature golf that the camp offered and I kicked his butt pretty bad, 14 to 9 or something. The little course is surrounded by trees and healthy grazing palomino horses and a huge grass lawn, the owner is as nice as can be and her son and daughter help her run the place. We can ride our bikes around the whole park past the swimming hole and over by the boat launch we cross the river to find mikey fishing by the rapids. Matthew and I decide to ride the rapids on our butts over the rocks into the pool below, ha ha I lost the polish off at least 3 of my toes and it was worth it! What a fun ride. We all headed back to camp and made sandwiches before we took the canoe out into the rivers for some more fishing. The twin rivers, which is where the Moyie River meets the Kootenei River, happens to collide right in front of our camp, its pretty easy to get the canoe in the water there and it’s the first time all 3 of us try it out. I’d say it was a successful venture, no one fell in, however we only caught 2 fish. Matthew caught a tiny little fish that had a sucker mouth and I caught the prize 6 lb fish, we think it was a female walleye but I’m not sure, she was a fighter, so I let her go, soy dogs for dinner again! Another perfect evening campfire and a good sleep was in order after a long day, the days do seem longer here, and we are grateful for that. Back on the road tomorrow so we’ve got to relish the nightJ

Day 10: Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Asotin, Washington

Chinese Fire Drill! An unexpected down pour of rain rousted Matthew and I out of bed to pick up all of our belongings outside of the RV. We forget that we are in the northwest and summer showers are common, and we don’t have an awning on Delphina to protect the rug and tables and everything else we set outside our “home”. The rain does make this camp smell even better than it smelled before and we have pretty much gotten it down with the dogs and wet paws, I clean the RV daily, and preparation before hand is essential… but we forgot about the outside. Its funny how you can smell the rain coming from a mile away out here, there isn’t anything distracting the air like smog or car pollution. So after the mad dash to protect our belongings, we decide to go back to sleep for an hour before we have to get ready to head back on the road. The drive is nice and easy and the rain cleared up until were about 45 minutes back down the 95, than it is consistent for the next hour. The rest stops that we stop at to let the dogs out are more like state parks, beautiful and tree lined with rolling grassy knolls to roll down, ha ha. The dogs think we have reached our destination! Driving into Moscow is a drive through big wheat fields and perfect blue skies with the fluffiest white clouds you have ever seen, about every hundred acres there is a red barn and handful of gorgeous horses, very surreal, like a movie. We pull into a construction mess as it looks as thought he city is renovating the roads onto main street. We go to the first thrift store we run into and Matthew finally got a flannel that he’d been wanting, and I found another plaid shirt which has been our theme. We all decide to park it and head into downtown, we are park right across the street from Hotel Moscow where the farmers market happens but we are to o late for that, too bad. We stop into a place called Mikey’s that has a tie dye shop in the very back where the halls are thick with patchouli incense aroma. The women that make the tie dye are behind a little manufactured wall that separates the store, and their conversation is as entertaining as the shops’ merchandise. After picking up some much needed clothes, ha ha we get make our way back onto the perfect sunlit downtown sidewalk and check out the shops and movie theatre. As we approach 6th street we head into the Ally Cat, a nice big downtown pub to check out the locals. A different variety than we found in the tie dye shop, some red necks and liberals and artsy types. After our beer we walk up 6th to Jefferson Street, and make a right passed the old church up to my old homestead. I recognize everything like it was yesterday but the houses are smaller than I remember. it’s a fortunate day because 627 South Jefferson Street is empty and the door is open. I head right into the living room and fond memories are aplenty! The fireplace, dining room, kitchen, study and mom and dads room downstairs are almost exactly the same, but run down. The rooms are smaller than I remember and the house has a slight lean. The upstairs where my room is, is exactly the same1 The boys room has changed and Jason’s little nook with the perched bed is now a bathroom and the door has been sealed from the boys room. JoAnne’s room with the sink is still intact, there are some old stickers stuck to the mirror from previous renters, but otherwise its as I remember. There is an old phone book downstairs and I looked up the Schmidts, Bob and Terry still live down the street, same phone number and everything. Weird! After taking some pictures we check out the basement and backyard, looks like there was a fire in the basement, bummer, I think this house will either be torn down or completely renovated, its in sad shape. So many good memories there in every part of the house. We take a stroll back down Jefferson and check out the library and Russell Elementary School. The walk seems shorter than I remember and the hill not quite as severe, ha ha. We head beck into downtown to get a drink at Hotel Moscow and talk to the bartender who tells me the Nobby Inn is no longer. It went under about 8 years ago and is now the garden club or something. East City park is still around and they have a lot of events and concerts in the park. Its getting closer to 6pm and we need to start out if we are gonna make Walawa Lake before dark, so we hit Roseaurs on the way out of town, I love that grocery store, half of the store is organic and vegetarian, I am in heaven. We all really like it here. Its around 7pm now and we are back on the road heading to the lake through Lewiston and Clarkston. Somewhere along the way we don’t catch the 129 down into Washington, instead we stay on the 12 West to Snake River Road at sunset and as we drive along the river in the canyon I have never seen such glory. The sky is amazing and the shadows on the hills are unreal, the pictures don’t even capture the magic of it. The road begins to narrow and all of a sudden we are driving on a dirt road and the lightning begins to light up the purple sky, that rain smell I was talking about has been looming for about a half hour and I think its about to pour. Matthew pulls over to switch out his contacts to glasses and the night is coming fast so I take over driving. Rocks are now falling into the road from the cliff side and conditions are very sketchy. After a good 30 to 40 minutes we see an RV park sign and seize the moment, we are also getting low on gas and need to reevaluate our plan. The sign says “no key RV Park” so we pick a spot and decide to call it a night. Sleep was heavy until the rain picked up again and than it was on and off the rest of the evening. We’ll pick up the rest of the drive in the light of the morning and hopefully make our destination, but for now we are safe in our home.