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| View from our site in Boardman, Oregon |
Continuing south on Hwy 395, we left Sprague, WA on Tuesday with a little wind and rain. More rolling golden hills and lots of large farm equipment working the fields made for a beautiful rural drive.
This section of Hwy 395 is divided four-lane, and the 160 miles to Boardman, OR went by quickly. I chose the Boardman Marina and RV Park to be on the water (again). The green city park looked like a pretty spot. It is about 40 miles "out of the way" from the direct route, but was worth it.
We were in Space 28 in Circle C and had unobstructed views of the river across a beautifully maintained green lawn. The lovely trees also meant no satellite, but we had plenty to do. Space 24 doesn't have the view, but I think you'd get satellite.
The restrooms and laundry are immaculate. A 3-mile paved bike path runs along the river. No cable, no WiFi. We had five bars of AT&T.
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| Lots of green grass |
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| All sites along the back are on the river |
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| Our site 28 in the back. The white pick up is site 24 |
Boardman is another small town with a local grocery store, NAPA auto parts, half a dozen eateries, a large lodge and grill on the river, two gas stations, and the marina. People in town and in the park are very friendly.
We took these two days to do some maintenance on the rig and stock up on groceries. Enjoyed a nice dinner at the lodge one night, and a nice camp fire on the other.
Over a month in Washington, with a burn ban in place the whole time, this was our first camp fire in weeks. The weather was perfect, it was quiet except for the barge that "huffled" by and the "chug-clank" of the trains on the other side of the river. A lovely evening.
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| Missed this in Washington |
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| Muted sunset on the Columbia River |
Along I-84 is the Greenwood Tree Farm. It is a huge grove of very tall trees. Clearly planted in grids, they are stripped of all branches over half way up, and are very straight. Bill looked it up and it is an amazing operation. Over 7 million Poplar trees! Grown for lumber, the grids are staggered plantings that are harvested after 12 years. The groves have been growing for so many years that they create a natural habitat for deer, fox, coyotes, and numerous birds. When a grove is harvested, the wildlife move to the newer ones. It was refreshing after all the clear cutting we saw in parts of Washington.
A lot of water on the road as we followed the morning's rain. There were only four other vehicles heading south and maybe two dozen going north. It was another nice drive through the country.
The climb to Battle Mountain Summit is subtle and while the road has no guard rail on the big turns (we were on the outside again), the road is nice and wide and there was no repeat of the Mount Spokane "incident".
Our destination was a one-night stop in Ukiah, OR. Again, could have pushed through to John Day, but we aren't in a hurry.
The Stage Stop RV Park (no website) is on the main street where it heads out the other side of the tiny town. Another place that has seen better days - with incredible views and friendly folks.
The owner looks like a younger and trimmer Mrs Claus with gray hair and a wonderful smile that lights up her eyes. The office is in her home and the smell of apple pie baking was mouth watering.
I nearly asked her if she would consider adopting me.
Five pull-throughs and one back-in with FHUs, four cabins, small laundry and shower house, and the office make up the small park. Dirt sites are level with grass strips, and have picnic tables and fire pits.
Best part is all the wildlife and the amazing views. It was a great spot to spend the night. And with satellite finally accessible again we got to enjoy the Thursday night football game!
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| One of four youngsters who came through the park several times |
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| Ten wild turkeys hanging out in our front yard |
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| View of Ukiah countryside from our front window |
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| Tessa watching for critters |
Love when there is wildlife around:) Those were huge turkeys! You have certainly found some nice spots with beautiful views:) Travel safey!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam. There was one turkey who looked like he was over 20 pounds!
DeleteYou've certainly seen a lot of Washington but there's plenty more when you make a return trip. Of course, fall is just around the corner and probably time to head on out. It'll be interesting to see what your plans are for this winter.
ReplyDeleteWe woke to 40 degrees on Friday morning and figured we were heading south about the right time. We hope to be in the desert of SoCal and Arizona for the winter.
DeleteYes, I too am looking forward to seeing what you guys do this winter. You picked a couple winner RV parks!
ReplyDeleteWeren't those fun places? The two were completely different and we loved them both!
DeleteThat is really interesting about Greenwood. We attended the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, and I remember there was a display on using poplar trees for energy. I guess that is coming to fruition! Thanks for spotlighting that, Jodee!
ReplyDeleteJim
Interesting about the energy! I had no idea Poplars grew that tall and that straight, we could see them from miles away :-))))
DeleteWhat a lovely campfire in a beautiful river front site. You definitely pick some nice campgrounds. But if you get adopted by the young pie baking Ms. Claus, can you still be on the road?
ReplyDeleteThere was that - and I didn't figure she'd want to come with us :-) Her campground was one of those we would have likely passed by at first glance, but are so glad we didn't. We're finding that many of our favorites have been these little po-dunk spots along the way :-)))))
DeleteYou are scoring on the water side camps. I think tree farming could be sustainable if we could reduce wood product consumption.
ReplyDeleteLike so many others, we love being near the water. That operation is pretty impressive and I can't understand why it can't be duplicated in other areas.
DeleteWe enjoyed Boardman, it's such a nice oasis for the area. The tree operation is amazing, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteI think having wildlife in the campground is one of my very favorite things. Sounds like a perfect overnight.
That green park was such a treat :-) Ukiah was all about hunting so it was funny that we had so much wildlife there!
DeleteWe enjoy finding quirky little RV parks, too -- they've been some of our favorites! Looks like you found another good one. I hope Mrs. Claus offered you a piece of her homemade apple pie. :-) We were camped at the mouth of the John Day River and the Columbia about 10 days ago -- we love that area. Your subtle sunset is lovely.
ReplyDeleteWe have been so blown away by this area, literally having no idea what to expect. We will be back!
DeleteShe probably saw the look in my eye and figured she'd never get rid of me if she offered......