We booked 2 nights but wanted to stay longer so we walked to the check in booth but the girls where out for a few minutes. While we were waiting a man pulled up and started talking to us and told us he was the winter time workcamper. We told him what a beautiful park it was and that we wanted to book a few more days. Well the girls came back and between them they told us they didn't have any spots but if we wanted to workcamp they had a spot. Workcamping wasn't in our plans for this summer as we did that last year. They said they would take however many days we could give them and they would refund the second night that we already paid for. Dah, it sounded to good to be true and all we had to do was make rounds at 10 at night and help anybody that came in late. So we moved the rig the next day and workcamped for 8 days!
So this is our new site.
It's huge with a beautiful yard and good views of the river.
We took a ride to a winery called Jacob Williams to get some wine for our daughter in law, now there are tons of wineries in the area but this is the one I choose because our son is Jacob Williamson, just seemed appropriate. Along the way we stopped at the John Day Dam where there is dry camping right along the river for 14 days.
Portland is the nation's largest wheat port, 40% of U.S. wheat is shipped through the Gorge via barge or train. Grains, hay cubes, bulk legumes, and paper products comprise the major Northwest agricultural products headed for world export, along with that all-American favorite - frozen French fries.
Next we visited the Maryhill Museum constructed by Sam Hill who built the first paved roads in Washington state. He thought the area looking over the gorge was the best place so he bought 5,300 acres and began construction on his mansion. In 1917 Sam decided to turn his mansion into "a museum for the public good, and for the betterment of French art in the far Northwest of America". The collection is amazing from Indian art to Queen Mary's gold throne, a very interesting place to visit with spectacular views of the river and Mt Hood.
Maryhill Stonehenge is a concrete replica of Stonehenge in England and is located at the eastern end of Maryhill Museum's property. It was commissioned by Sam Hill and dedicated in 1918 as a memorial to local World War I dead.
Our friend Doug, from the park in Wickenburg AZ, who we plan on visiting in Washington came for a visit. He told us to arrive after the 4th of July when the weather gets better.
We will miss the beautiful sunsets over the river but it's time to move on.
If you are in the area of Boardman Oregon I highly recommend staying at this park.
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Our next move was Vancouver City WA to the Elks Lodge, $20 for electric and water. We will stay here over the 4th of July.
One thing I will say is that the traffic around Portland coming or going to WA is terrible!!!
Took a ride to Hillsboro OR to check out Roloff farm and the area.
Of course it wasn't pumpkin season so this is as far as we got. The town of Hillsboro is larger than what you think. The downtown area was blocked off for a farmers market which was fun to walk through.
The Elks Lodge in Hillsboro was nice so that maybe an option for a stay, it's nice to be able to check things out.
Our next outing was to Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver. It's a 5 acre park and is the oldest public square in the state. There is this really cool clock tower that chimes and then tells a story of the salmon. The arrow points to the doors that open with the story boards.
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| The Chinook believe the salmon are their ancestors. The first salmon caught is magical and is carried to the village with ceremony. |
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| The salmon is prepared with great care and shared among the tribe. |
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| The bones of the magical salmon are returned to the river to honor the tribes of the sea. |
It's a nice park but it was sad to see all the homeless people just hanging out.
The town of Vancouer was having fireworks at Fort Vancouver National Historic site so we checked that out for the 4th, we hadn't seen fireworks for two years. Fort Vancouver was the first U.S. Army post in the Pacific Northwest. We toured the Marshall House which was the residence for the Commanding Officer of the Vancouver Barracks. Some of the homes along officers row are private residences or rented out for businesses, the income being used to preserve these historic homes.
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Our next adventure took us to the historic highway 30 on the Oregon side of the Columbia river. First stop was the Vista House at Crown Point sitting 693 feet above the river.
In 1916, construction began on a "comfort station" for motorists traveling the new 75 mile Columbia River Highway. The architecture is amazing with marble floors and stained glass windows, sure wish our rest spots of today were like this stunning one.
There are 8 waterfalls along Hwy 30 but there were some we couldn't visit due to a forest fire last year.
Latourell Falls and Shepperd's Falls
Bridal Veil Falls, love the texture of the moss covering this tree.
The best one was Multnomah Falls which is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. Plummeting 620 feet, the fall is fed by rain, snow-melt and underground springs on Larch Mountain.
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Totally enjoyed the fireworks display at the fort but taking pictures of them is one thing I haven't mastered yet.
The next day we made a short move to Kelso WA staying at the Elks Lodge.
Opened the door after we parked and found out that the freezer door had opened spilling chili and beef broth on the floor that had begun to melt, what a mess! Have never had this happen before, note to self always check inside when you stop, especially traveling over bad roads.
Next stop was Port Townsend WA where our friend Doug was staying.
We called this the compound at the gun range. Some of the folks, including Doug, staying here worked on the range and they were all so welcoming to us.
Doug took us to Tongue Point at Salt Creek Recreation Area on the Olympic Peninsula. The tide levels can be as much as 20' causing the tide pools. Looking across the water is Victoria BC.
This was taken on the pier from Port Townsend looking out on the bay, ferries and ships are constantly traveling back and forth. Note the jackets and it's the second week of July!
One evening we went to the Rose Theatre to watch a movie. It was the neatest venue for a movie. The building is the original Elks Lodge and the theatre is on the top floor. 33 seats available for an intimate showing along with food, beer and wine.
Our next adventure Doug took us on was a ferry ride to Everett to tour the Boeing Facility, it was amazing! It is the largest manufacturing building in the world and produces 747, 767, 777 and 787 airplanes.
That's Mt. Baker at 10,781 feet. Of course I couldn't take any pictures in the factory as it's a matter of top secret information.
A friend of Doug's was babysitting a beautiful house for the week and invited us to dinner.
Awesome views, good food and really nice weather made for a nice evening.
We celebrated Doug's birthday playing cornhole and having a cookout.
Our next adventure that Doug took us on was a trip to Seattle. Ferries play a major role in transportation in this area and you can't be in a hurry. Two rides later we landed in Seattle and headed to Fisherman's Terminal to check out the boats. Alot of the big ones were out as salmon season started the day before and none of the Deadliest Caught boats were anywhere to be found.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch dinning on fresh caught fish, yum!
After lunch we strolled through the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and then went to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
From tug boats, luxury boats to kayaks, you never know what will pass through the locks.
Port Townsend is just outside of the Olympic National Park so Doug took us to Hurricane Ridge at an elevation of 5,242 feet. Impressive to say the least!
We enjoyed our time in the Pacific Northwest and one thing that I will always remember is the abundance of beautiful flowers everywhere. I believe it is all the moisture and moderate temperatures. Lavender grows like a weed in this area.
Thanks Doug for showing us this part of the country and introducing us to new friends, we will see you in Hersey Pennsylvania in September.
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We left Port Townsend headed to Brush Prairie WA to get new awnings on the rig. Mark has used this company all last winter to replace awnings and they are a great company to deal with. You can stop by and have them installed if you are in the area or have your RV Technician order from them. They are thicker than the original ones and the solid color really looks nice, as a matter of fact alot of the new RVs have solid color awnings.
Once the awnings were installed we headed to the Elks Lodge in Hillsboro OR for a few days.
Being a rock hound and lapidary artist I seek out rock shops. Found the Rice Museum in Hillsboro didn't disappoint, it is an extensive collection in the family home of Richard and Helen Rice who fell in love with rocks on a visit to the Oregon coast and the rest is history.
Took a nice drive through the Tillamook State Forest on our way to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Tillamook cheese products are so good! This company churns out more than 160,000 pounds of cheese each and every day.
We had hoped to spend more time in Oregon this summer but there is alot on our agenda so it was time to move on. Drove back to Boardman Marina and campground for a night, then headed onto Montana.
So much to see in our great country.
Thanks for following and be sure to check out my jewelry on Etsy.
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