Thursday, July 1
The year was 1985. We were living in Utah. That fall, we flew to NYC, rented a car, and went touring. Our trip looped through DC, Niagara Falls, and New England. Somewhere along the way, we stopped to visit Old Fort Erie. As we waited for the National Park Service Ranger to begin a presentation that would bring the War of 1812 alive, we chatted with a couple seated on the grass next to us. It turns out that they had taken a sabbatical from work, bought an RV, and were touring the US and Canada for the next year.
That was it … that was when our dream to wheel around North America was born. Twenty five years later, we’re starting to realize that dream. We bought the coach; now it’s time to take it back to Virginia so we can enjoy having a “condo on wheels” to explore all the wondrous sights we’ve yet to see.
Let the cross-country drive begin …
Our route from Portland, Oregon to Boise, Idaho is on I-84.
Too excited to sleep in, we were up before the alarm went off at 6:30a. We didn’t waste time getting ready for the day ahead, yet we seemed to be moving in slow motion. A three hour time zone change will do that to you! It was 8:00a by the time we got around to having breakfast at the Pacific Grill (adjacent to the Red Lion). It turns out that this was another “we don’t have single eggs” place (see this blog post for the inside joke). At least it wasn’t a dive; the patrons didn’t look at us like we’d just landed from outer space; and the food was good. So, no real complaints.
Mui had stocked the Phaeton’s kitchen with dry goods in May, but we needed to get some fresh groceries and stuff. To make the most of our time, we devised a plan to divide and conquer. I went grocery shopping at the Trader’s Joe near the storage facility; Mui went to prepare the motorhome for the road. Our timing was perfect — I was waiting for him curbside with the shopping cart when he turned onto the side street near the shopping strip. A few minutes to load up the groceries and we were on our way out of Portland. It was 9:45a and we were about an hour behind schedule, but so be it for our first day. Soon we were on I-84E, driving through the beautiful Columbia Gorge.
(Apologies in advance for any spots on the photos; most were taken through the bug-spattered windshield.)
And we’re off. Does Mui look happy or what?
Glimpse of the Columbia Gorge … albeit a hazy one.
The John Day Dam is one of the hydroelectric dams that span the Columbia River.
A wind farm on the Washington side of the Columbia River.
The drive has been pleasant and easy as we continue to roll down I-84. Traffic has been negligible. We’ve passed a lot of RVs of all classes and sizes — not a common sight in the suburbs of DC. The overcast skies of Portland have been replaced with blue skies, enhancing the beautiful scenery. We even had a few wildlife sightings along the way — ospreys nesting on the Columbia River; a big horn ram with an impressive set of horns grazing roadside.
The Columbia River is the longest river in North America that drains into the Pacific.
I had to chuckle at the way the sign is worded.
(the building belongs to Pendleton Grain Growers)
The temp was a dry 75F [24C] when we were summiting the Blue Mountains at 4,193 feet [1,258 m]. Now that we’re on the flatlands, it’s warmed up considerably, but it’s still comfortable enough that we have no need of the A/C.
We made a few stops at rest areas to give Mui a chance to stretch his legs, and had sandwiches for lunch during one of those breaks. We are otherwise sticking to our plan to just drive straight through without dallying for sightseeing. With Mui assuring me that driving the Phaeton is easy and pure pleasure, I’ve been able to put the footrest up on the passenger seat and relax with plenty of legroom. :-))))
Blogging in comfort!
Happy honeymooning!
Still in Oregon; still on I-84.
We have miles to go before we call it a day. More later …
Later … Hi Valley RV Resort
One state is behind us … there are many more waiting to be traversed.
It’s 10:00p. A few words to wrap up today’s post and then I’m off to bed to get some rest. Aside from a bit of “coach rock” (similar to the dock rock one might experience after a cruise), we’re both feeling pretty good. But as the adrenaline from having accomplished a successful first day of RVing starts to recede, the weariness is setting in and the bed is looking better and better with each passing minute.
Around 6:30p, we pulled into the Snake River View rest area (milepost 1) in Idaho. Cranking up the Woodall’s camp directory I’d installed on the laptop, we searched for RV parks in the vicinity of Boise. Since we restricted the search to “big rig friendly” campgrounds with 50 amp and internet service, we got two options. We picked the smaller of the two (194 sites vs 224 sites) and called the Hi Valley RV Resort to make a reservation — $31.10/night with our Good Sam discount. From what I’ve read on the blogs, that’s probably a bit on the high side, but we’re OK with slightly higher rates on this trip.
Our accommodations for the night set, we took a bit of a breather and walked to the overlook to check out the views of the Snake River before getting back on the road again.
Mui and the Big Rig!
The rest area has an expansive view of the Snake River.
The Snake River is the largest and longest tributary of the Columbia River.
We would have arrived at Hi Valley around 8:00p, but en route we stopped at a Lowe’s to pick up an essential item that we’d been unable to pack in our carry-on bags — a lightweight stepladder that Mui could use to remove the bodies of the bugs that had committed suicide by flying into our windshield (may they rest in peace). Hence, it was 9:00p by the time we pulled into the RV park.
We still had plenty of daylight by which to set up the Phaeton for our first campground experience. The office was already closed, but the manager had left us a packet in the night box with all of the essential information, including a map showing us where to find site 39. Though not especially wide, the pull-through site turned out to be easy enough to maneuver into (despite one small tree branch) and there was plenty of room to deploy our slideouts.
Parked for the night!
Going through our arrival checklist, we made short work of setting up camp. I have to admit that I was impressed with Mui’s knowledge of what needed to be done, when and in what order. Seeing him in action, one would have thought that he’s an old hand at this. He’s been doing his homework and that paid off tonight.
Let’s get the utilities connected!
Once on shore power, we engaged the A/C to cool the rear half of the coach. After putting water on for pasta, Mui went outside to clean the windshield. I used the time to unpack the two carry-on bags with which we’d traveled to Portland. There wasn’t much to put away, so I made short work of that chore and then went about setting the table for dinner. By the time the windshield was sort of pristine, the pasta was ready to serve. We would like to have savored our first meal aboard the Phaeton, but that will have to wait until another time. There just wasn’t any time for the niceties tonight.
Make sure you get all the bugs off; I need a clean windshield to take pictures!
Now to get some shuteye in preparation for another long day on the road tomorrow.
| Start Odometer | End Odometer | Day’s Mileage |
| 8603 | 9037 | 434 [694 km] |
Statistics for Today
Next Up … Maiden Voyage: Day 2 on the Road
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