Friday, March 27, 2015 (Travel to Walmart, Othello, WA)

We were back on the road shortly after 9:00 on another beautiful, sunny day. We made our way over to I-84 and continued on a journey through scenic Oregon...

The Snake River (again)...

We saw a deer wading across the river...cool!

We are approaching the community of Huntington...from this point the Snake River veers away from the freeway...

Mine site way up there on the hillside...

Approaching Baker City (I think)...

Grande Ronde River...

Blue Mountains, elevation 4193...

We stopped at Deadman Pass Rest Area for lunch...

And then it was time to head down Cabbage Hill. There were 3 warning signs...First Warning, Second Warning...Last Warning...6 miles of 6%...got that? Too funny!

 And down we go...

 Runaway Lane on right...

 Another Runaway Lane on right...

 And the final stretch...with Pendleton in the distance...

It sure flattens out along here...

We turned off I-84 and took I-82 north towards Kennewick, WA...

We crossed over the Columbia River....

...into Washington State....

McNary Lock and Dam....

Looks like an old mine??

Kennewick in the distance...

We took highway 395 north through Kennewick and Pasco...we had considered stopping in this area but it was only about 2:30 so we decided to carry on.

At Mesa, WA, we took highway 17 and continued on to Othello, WA where there was a Walmart. I went inside to confirm that it was okay to park for the night...no problem. Our "Wally-docking" spot for night...

After getting level and doing a minimal set up, we did a wander through Walmart (separately)...of course, I found more stuff to buy. When I got back to the trailer, Steve was already there looking up nearby restaurants. We chilled for a bit and then walked about a block and a half up the street to Casa Mexicana Restaurant. It was the top rated restaurant in Othello according to Trip Advisor. The only negative was that they don't serve alcohol....what!?

Steve ordered Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas ...

I had Crab and Shrimp Enchiladas...

Both were good....and we left absolutely stuffed however we both agreed that Mexican isn't really our favourite.

Thursday, March 26, 2015 (Travel to Malheur County Fairgrounds, Ontario, OR)

We had another gorgeous travel day today. It was around 9:30 when we pulled out of our spot and after a stop at the fairgrounds office to pay the $15 camping fee, we hit the road.

We took highway 30 east back to 93 and then north to I-84. After topping up the fuel tanks, we headed northwest on I-84.
We're approaching Twin Falls...

Snake River Canyon...

Snake River at Twin Falls...

Approaching Glenns Ferry about 25 miles east of Mountain Home, ID/65 miles east of Boise...

Snake River (again)...

Just across the border into Oregon is the city of Ontario. We needed to do a little grocery shopping, so we thought we would stop at the Walmart there before going to the Malheur County Fairgrounds for the night. The Walmart parking lot was packed but luckily there was a Home Depot next door, so we managed to find a spot there to park the rig. It was lunch time and there happened to be an A&W/KFC fastfood combo just adjacent to the parking lot. Well, Steve LOVES A&W Teen Burgers but it wasn't on their very limited menu so he inquired if they had the double Teen Combo and ended up with a very plain double cheese burger. He said it was more like a plain cheeseburger from McDonalds. Maybe it was just this location but if this is the norm for A&W in the US they don't even come close to Canada's for selection and taste. I had popcorn chicken that came with a biscuit, mashed potatoes and gravy...I felt awful the rest of the afternoon and evening! So needless to say, we weren't impressed with our lunch.

After shopping at Walmart, we made our way to the fairgrounds...which also happens to be a member of Passport America. We had no idea where the camping area was so before entering, we parked on the street and took a walk inside in hopes of finding someone that could direct us...not a sole around. So I looked up the number on the PA site and gave them a call. A very nice lady told me where the camping was located and that she would stop by to collect the $10 fee (half price for PA members but this park only allows for one night at the reduced rate).
There was no one else parked in the small RV section, so we pulled into the last site so that we wouldn't be blocking access for anyone else coming in...

We couldn't believe how warm it was, so needless to say, the first thing we did after getting settled, was to change into shorts! We even managed a short sit outside before the sun went behind the mountain.

We could watch the horses nearby, and a noisy Rooster at the neighbours up the hill but otherwise very peaceful...

Today's drive was a little more reasonable at 183 miles/295 kms...tomorrow we'll carry on. Our plan is to stop in the Kennewick, WA area but we may just continue on depending how we feel. Steve has our route with nightly stops, fuel and sanidumps all planned but, as usual, our plans are always very fluid.