The Land of Spuds and Beyond

188 miles from our Salt Lake City Harvest Host was our next stop on the Snake River in Idaho. It only took three hour and one fuel stop to arrive at Village of Trees RV Resort in Declo, ID.. After checking in we proceeded to our pull-through site A-5. My afternoon was spent trouble shooting our Lippert auto leveling controller. The display screen had gone blank and I had no idea why. After calling Lippert, I removed the display to access the power plug and disconnected the unit for 30 minutes. This is how you re-boot the unit and sure enough it worked!

Before leaving the next day I enjoyed a Happy Camper breakfast of hash browns, two eggs with two slices of bacon and one pancake for the bargain price of only $8.99. It included a cup of coffee or hot chocolate too!

We stopped enroute at a Blue Beacon Truck wash outside of Twin Falls to get both the truck and trailer a commercial wash job. We had never used this service before so we didn't know what to expect or how much it would cost. We got in line behind two semi-trucks and a van and waited our turn. About 40 minutes transpired before our turn. I was quoted $75 for both and we pulled into the wash bay for the cleaning. A small army of technicians proceeded in spraying down the rigs and brushing them down. The whole process took maybe 15 minutes max.

When we pulled out I stopped to inspect the job and was literally amazed at how good the results were. Before the wash our RV front cap was covered with dead bugs and the rear of the rig had a heavy dirt layer. After the process everything was cleaned off and a clear coating of RainX was applied. Definitely worth the money spent.

Thursday, July 24 we drove to the Y Knot Winery in Glenns Ferry, Idaho to spend one night relaxing just south of Boise, Idaho. We thought about maybe playing a round of golf at their 9-hole course but it was too hot. We decided to go to the winery tavern for some wine tasting and dinner later in the evening. Karen ordered a flight of five wines that were okay but not worthy of purchasing a bottle of any of the samples. Dinner, however was delicious and not a disappointment. Karen selected their Idaho Red Trout entree and I chose the Ribeye Steak.

We departed Friday morning and headed to Boise for two nights. Finding an RV accommodation in the area was challenging and pricey. We got a reservation at the Boise RV Travel Park near the Costco, so we stopped there first to get some needed items before heading to the park. Unfortunately our site was still occupied so we had to temporarily occupy in a different site for one night and move the next day. It was a bit of a inconvenience but we made it work. We enjoyed the pool at the park and joined our old friends Jack and Judy Rust from Santa Rosa for dinner our second night. We hadn't seen them in eleven years but we picked up our relationship right where we left off. One of the many blessings we experience as we travel is spending time with dear friends and family all over the country. We had a great dinner at the Cottonwood Grill along the Boise River across from Boise State University and there was no lull in the conversation. After dinner we walked the green belt trail from the restaurant in a loop about a mile before saying our good-byes. We will definitely not wait eleven more years before we get together again! Maybe we could do some camping in Idaho together in the future; we'll see.

Not much to look at with dry hills and a slow moving river here at Farewell Bend State Rec Area.

Sunday, July 27 was our departure from Boise, Idaho continuing our travels to Farewell Bend State Recreation Area across the Snake River in Oregon. Farewell Bend State Recreation Area features a beautiful desert experience on the banks of the Snake River's Brownlee Reservoir. Historic markers and interpretive displays provide visitors with information on Farewell Bend's significance on the Oregon Trail.

Farewell Bend State Recreation Area is a state park in Baker County, Oregon, about 25 miles northwest of Ontario, OR

Farewell Bend was the last stop on the Oregon Trail along the Snake River where travelers could rest and water and graze their animals before the trail turned north through more rugged country to follow the Burnt River.

We have a large pull-turn site near the restrooms with free showers.

Right before sunset we tried to take a walk to the day-use area going down to the beach on the river, but the mosquitoes were too annoying, so we turned around and returned to the RV. Repellent is definitely needed! We headed to bed around 10 PM and couldn't help noting how quiet it is here in the park. An occasional train will transit on the other side of the river but no horn, just the sound of the diesel engine. The night sky, when the clouds thin out or disappear, is filled with stars, planets and satellites.

Today, July 28 is on the windy side so the mosquitoes will not be as big an issue. Looking forward to a non-driving day to relax, read, write and nap. It's a tough life!