Week 3..Our month is flying by!

Our friends, Beth and Chris, are buying a summer home here in Caldwell.  Beth lived and worked here years ago, has family and friends in the greater Boise area, so knows the local turf.  We jumped at the chance to join her and Chris on a guided tour of downtown Boise.

Taken from the Train Depot atop the Boise Bench,  this panoramic view of downtown and surrounding mountains on a very warm, 95 degree day:

Looking out on downtown

Beth, our tour guide, provides a history lesson

Most of our time was spent at the State Capitol building, admiring the Roman-based architecture and massive amounts of marble used in construction, four different types from various locations.  Probably the most distinguishable feature is the dome.

Idaho State Capitol building

When looking upward from the first floor, thirteen large stars and forty-three smaller stars can be seen. The thirteen large stars represent the thirteen original colonies and the forty three smaller stars indicate that Idaho was the forty third state to enter the union.

Starry dome

It just happened to be game day with the top-rated Boise State Broncos playing Tulsa.  The fans were out en masse with tail-gate parties in full swing, cheering on their team which, of course, won!

Go Boise State!

There was another very long day with a drive to Hell's Canyon...from the south/Oregon end.  We experienced the trip in from the north out of Clarkston, WA last year, only on a jet boat.  Much of our drive was "getting there", through the vast river plains, high desert landscapes, and small towns with fruit and/or farming in their resumes.  One can't be in a hurry with the essence of peaches beckoning us to road-side stands.

Once we turned off Highway 95 at Cambridge, onto highway 71, the journey became more like a roller coaster, from mountaintop to valley floor, and river's edge.  The mighty Snake River begins its tumbling course through North America's deepest canyon, averaging 5280 feet deep. We have lunch overlooking this wild and scenic river; we share roads with cattle.  We passed beautiful Idaho Power campgrounds, the Brownlee, Owbow and Hell's Canyon Dams, and several one-lane bridges criss-crossing Idaho and Oregon.

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Then we reached the end of the road and had to return!  By the time we got to the small town of Weiser it was time to stop and stretch our legs.  As luck would have it we stumbled into the Homestead Cafe, hungry and tired.  Our appetites were whetted with the Monday night special:  prime rib served with gravy over Texas toast, salad, baked potato and fresh peach pie...all for $8.75.  We are now fortified for the long drive home!

Week 2...RV projects, day trips, local color

Let's start with the RV projects....  The dining/all purpose table, like most of the motorhome, with the exception of the newish flatscreen TV, is 11+ years old.  Time to remove, sand and re-varnish.

Slow process, but getting there!

The process is...1) strip with paint/varnish remover, scrap, sand, repeat; 2) stain; 3) apply varnish, let dry; 4) rub with steel wool...and repeat steps 3 and 4 at least 5 times. Then hopefully step 5), rub with very fine steel wool to take off the shiny effect, wax and be done!  It is looking good.

In between all this manual labor we manage some great day trips, and I do mean all day with many miles on the odometer.  First trip this week was with Beth and Chris to Silver City, an old mining community Beth remembered visiting 35 years ago.  Beth drove, much to Howard's delight.  There's something to be said for owning a small, uncomfortable Jeep Wrangler!

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The map gives a sense of our route and topography encountered.  The drive south on Highway 78 took us through the lush farmland of the Snake River plain.  There was a quick stop at Givens Hot Springs to read the historical exhibits and have a look at the hot pools, which looked inviting but bathing suits were required, of which we had none.  There were lots of noodles in attendance.

We continued on for several miles to the turn-off onto a gravel road which, for 25 miles, took us through  desert-like sage brush and open range, then climbed steeply to an altitude of 6200' with pine trees and panoramic views.  We had arrived at the old mining town of Silver City.

The fun begins...

Along the road

Panoramic views

Around Silver City..Note solar panels as the town has no electricity

 

What you get when you say "don't pose"...at the Idaho Hotel & Bar

The Idaho Hotel was open for business and much to our delight, pies were the specialty of the house, fresh and warm right out of the oven.  Howard and I had peach and huckleberry with just a little scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Right out of the oven..and delicious

Next on our to-do list was Saturday's Caldwell Days celebration, which actually took place all weekend.  We could not miss the world famous (made the CNN news) kayak races on Indian Creek, which flows through downtown complete with rapids and foot-bridges.  The kayaks are made of cardboard and duct tape.  The contestants were amazing and the boats ingenious.  This was followed by the rubber duck races.  See for yourselves...

The yellow spots are rubber ducks!  The bird is a statue...I think!

The day was full of fun, food, music, arts and crafts, the Caldwell Cougars marching band, and a great vintage car show. 

My 1st car, though not this cute!

Cougar marching band

And there is more....  The all day, 400 mile, 810 hour drive along 4 of Idaho's beautiful scenic byways.  The Payette River Scenic Byway took us north from Boise to Banks along Highway 55, where we turned east onto the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway, now following the south fork of the Payette with lots of fast water rapids and deep canyons.  At Lowman we connected with the Ponderosa Pines Scenic Byway, which takes us to Stanley.  Now we're all the way over on Highway 75 and turn south along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway to Sun Valley and Ketchum.  

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Whew...seriously, this was some beautiful scenery but by now I am really tired of pine trees and driving.  Even the Aspen along the Wood River in Sun Valley were green as grass, not a sign of fall color.  The drive back to Caldwell was extremely UN-scenic, dead into setting sun with gale force head-on winds.  Well, maybe not that bad.  A few more photos...Until the next trip!

Fast water rapids on the Payette River

Ponderosa Pines and Sawtooth Mountains

A recent wildfire provides colorful undergrowth

The Salmon River Plain

Scenic Sun Valley

Destination Caldwell...Week 1

We left Eugene with the intention of taking Highway 20 over the Cascades, through Sisters, into Bend for the night...a new route for us.  That was not to be.  Thanks to the powers of instant communication, we were alerted to wildfires burning along that route.  We made a U-turn of sorts, from I-5 heading north to south, and picked up Highway 58 south of Eugene going over the Willamette Pass.  This proved to be a bit longer drive but no smoke or fires to worry about.

The glacial Cascades from the Willamette Pass

The Columbia Sportswear Factory Outlet caught our eye first.  We pulled right into the parking lot, MH and all, and went in for some major shopping at very discounted prices.  Items normally selling for $50-75 were marked down to $12-15.  I was able to get a couple of pairs of shorts, capris, and shirts...though finding ones that weren't too long was an issue.  I plan to be taller in my next life!

So we found the Bend Elk's Lodge and despite the fact this is Sunday of Labor Day 2011, the lodge was closed.  The RV parking area has 8 sites with water and electric for $15 per night.  OK for us...We've had a long day and are ready to just have a drink and a bit of dinner.

Our Labor Day was mostly spent driving 300 miles east of Bend on Highway 20 through lots of small towns and often 2-lanes.  We finally arrived in Caldwell about 5 p.m. and pulled into the Ambassador RV Park, our home for the next month. 

Us and the Panys...way over there!

Beth and Chris greeted our arrival with both food and drink..and the most beautiful, thoughtful present imaginable.  Beth, gourd carver extraordinaire, just finished our very own gourd, a replica down to the most intricate details, of the tall ship Star Flyer, in honor of our upcoming cruise in November.  I don't know how she could part with such a work of art but we are very grateful and happy recipients.

Beth's beautiful tall ship gourd

The signal flags spell S-T-I-L-L-E-Y!

Staying in one area for a month affords us many opportunities.  The office has a list of "day drives" from the Boise area.  There is much to be said for small towns and a wealth of local activities.  For instance, Crookham Seed Company, a major employer in the area and a multi-generational family owned business,  hosted a 100th anniversary party here at their Caldwell plant.  They not only provided an "up close and personal" tour of their seed production facilities, mostly corn and onions at this time of the year, but also a fabulous buffet-style dinner, free of charge.

Bins & bins of onions

Our tour guide shows how the corn is processed

We are fed a great dinner...Lynda, Howard, Chris 

Howard and the cornstalker

Many exhibits tell the impressive company story

Our social calendar also included a night of culture.  The College of Idaho, a nationally acclaimed liberal arts college, presented a Faculty Showcase of art and music.  The Jewett Auditorium's superb acoustics heightened the musical scores ranging from classical to blues, and instrumentals featuring brass, piano, cello, banjo/guitar and organ.  The variety and degree of excellence provided a wonderful evening. 

But now it's time for us to do what we do best.  Load up our jeep for an outing.  Today's drive features the Leslie Gulch/Succor Creek Scenic Byway, which actually takes place just across the border in Eastern Oregon.  We traveled 65 (the brochure says 52) miles of washboard dirt and gravel roads, through rugged canyons with awesome rock formations.  At Lake Owyhee we stopped for a picnic, and at Succor Creek Campground we got out to admire the scenery and snap some shots.  We had a rare sighting of a California bighorn sheep, certainly a cousin of the ones we often see in our beautiful Anza Borrego Desert, and a late season rattlesnake.  Here is a slideshow presentation as the photos were too numerous to display.

Until next week.....

Motorhome karma

You may recall that a month or so ago we were in Eugene, OR for some service and repairs.  One such item included replacing an 11 year old awning over our slide-out (yes, we only have one) that was seriously worn and had recently blown a spring causing it to somewhat collapse!  Then when our radiator core blew its top and our repair bill went from $1500 to almost $8000....well let's just say we were a bit overwhelmed and happy to finally be on our way to Port Townsend.

After getting ourselves settled and giving the awning a close-up and personal inspection, then conferring with friends, we came to the conclusion that the workmanship and quality were not adequate or comparable to our other 3 Zip Dee awnings.  We had decided to go with a local shop that does draperies, upholstery and canvas, and we have known and done business with in the past...just not canvas.

I sent off an email to Bob Vinson at Oregon Motorcoach Center and he immediately replied to come back anytime and they would take care of the problem.  After our great week in Corbett, OR along the Columbia River Gorge we headed back to Eugene. Now, I have to say I love this place.  Their degree of highly skilled specialists in all phases of repair, especially on Country Coach motorhomes, is impressive.  Most had been with CC 25-30 years before the "decline", then coming here to OMC.

Glen begins to install the "new" awning

A meeting was arranged with all those involved and the awning fabric sent off to be "re-worked".  Next day Glen (the expert) came by to say he would be installing in a few minutes.  When questioned he simply replied, "it is structurally sound".  We stood by somewhat reluctantly and grimaced and groped for words to express our displeasure as the new version unfurled.  Not good enough.  As if on queue, Glen lost his grip, the spring recoiled, and his trusty drill tore a large, beautiful hole through the fabric.  Did I notice a wink in his eye?  Once more the awning will be replaced, but this time from Zip Dee, the manufacturer.  Yes, it will take a while, at least two weeks to have it made and shipped, but we are mobile folk.

So we have moved over to a lovely boondock site at a far corner of the Valley River Center Mall, situated alongside the Willamette River and walking trail, with ripened blackberries on the bushes for picking.  The security police arrived moments after we parked to give us a 2-day pass, more time if needed, and coupons good in the mall shops.  He said be sure to call if we have any questions or concerns as they provided 24 hour security.

Our site by the Willamette

With river view thru ripened blackberry bushes

First on the agenda was a movie at the Regal 15 Cinemas where we were enthralled by Helen Mirren in The Debt.  Excellent, 5*****, from us!  The morning got us up and on the trail for 4-5 miles.  Honestly, everyone in this town is either walking, running, biking, fishing or boating.  No one sits still!  The day is a gorgeous 80s.  We checked out the big Labor Day sale at REI, hoping to find something for our trip.  Howard found a great pair of Columbia shorts for $20.  Sadly, everything I tried was too long.  So I went to Talbot's Petite and found a couple of nice tops on sale; what a joke...women's clothes are such a rip-off.  Think it's time for Ross'.

Ladies half-marathon this morning right outside our window!

So the plan is to head east and stay a night or 2 near Bend.  I need to visit the Columbia Outlet Store and other points of interest.  Then on to the Boise/Caldwell, ID area to see friends Beth and Chris.  They are house-hunting and may need us to referee and/or console; possibly offer an opinion or professional real estate advice (yeah, right).  Plus, this is new territory to explore.

But for now, it's time for some Oregon Duck football!  Go Ducks.....