Day 15: Woodland, WA - Kimberly, Idaho

Day 15: Woodland, Washington - Twin Falls/Kimberly, Idaho

Sunday, November 1st: We had hoped to wake up, drink our coffee and sit at the banks of the Columbia River that was only 50 feet from our RV site, but it was too foggy. The dogs got to run and play in the mist for about a half hour... then we were back on the road south on I-5 through Vancouver, Washington, crossed the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon and then headed East on I-84 along the Columbia River Gorge I-84 will take us all the way into Twin Falls, Idaho and nearby Kimberly, where my Sister lives. It's going to be a long day with pushing approximately 578 miles. Because of Daylight Savings Time, we gained and hour but will lose an hour as travel back to Mountain Standard Time.

Deer on the switchbacks out of Pendelton, Oregon or crossing the Blue Mountains at a summit of 4193 feet doesn't sound like much except... we just came up from the Columbia River Gorge... one of the most beautiful roads in the entire United States. It is 120 miles along the Columbia River. There are two huge dams, one at The Dalles and the other the John Day Dam. They are both hydroelectric dams, but the John Day Dam features fish ladders on both sides of the dam and a navigation lock that is the highest lift (110 feet) of any U.S. lock. Today also included: At least two dozen extra long freight trains going both to the West and to the East; rows and rows of tree farms; 100's of wind generators that look alien against the primitive landscapes; herds of elk as we entered Idaho and many, many llama ranches.

My how Southern Idaho has changed... Boise, the capital of Idaho, use to seem like a small town. Now the towns of Caldwell, Nampa, Boise all seem to blend together with all of the latest chains. Well, I guess that's the case all over the country. We crossed the Snake River Gorge on the Perrine Bridge to Twin Falls and pulled into Carol's little horse ranch about 7pm. Whew, we made it... 585 miles... our longest day of driving. Well worth it... greeted by Carol and her 5 month old Aussie Doodle, Indigo. Indie was a little timid at first, not quite sure what to think about her big black doodle cousin. Before you knew it, she was teasing Riley and Brigit and that continued for the next two days. There was plenty of room to park the RV right next to the back yard entrance. We had nummy crock pot beef stew and settled in for the night.

Photos: Tree farms across Eastern Oregon; Brigit's favorite spot in the RV; Blue Mountains scenic view and Deadman Pass; Wind generators with full moon and at sunset.