Roadrunner Recap - August 2013 Travels

Here are some highlights of our travels in August that took us from Boise, Idaho to Calaveras County California.

Boise, ID
Our main purpose for wanting to stop here was to see the State Capitol.

My impressions of Boise were that it was more hot and arid in the summer than I would have thought.  And the town had the air of a college town about it and a mix of an outdoor loving, rugged people.

Wildhorse Resort and Casino RV Park, Pendleton, OR
We found ourselves along the Oregon Trail climbing over large mountains wondering how those pioneers ever made it.  Once over the top and into the valley, we entered Pendleton and found the historic Woolen Mills.

It was an overnight stay for us and we made a quick trip into town.

Le Page US Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE) / John Day River Park, Rufus, OR

This was not our favorite park, mainly because it was fairly isolated with no cell phone service.  But we did take quite a few day trips including one to the MaryHill Winery across the Columbia River in Washington.  It had an outdoor amphitheater and a summer concert series that included Daryl Hall / John Oates and Willie Nelson.  Unfortunately their appearance dates didn't match up with ours.

Cascade Locks, OR

Our time at the KOA included a visit over to the locks for a tour.  One of the more interesting places we've seen in a while.  The locks were built during the Hoover Administration and provide a electricity to three states.

Salem, OR
We made a stop in Salem Oregon to see another state capitol.

Newport, OR
From there, we went west to the Pacific Coast and stayed in the coastal town of Newport, OR.

It was an interesting place with a nice 'touristy' downtown area to walk around.  We saw some fish getting cleaned up and cut up on the dock.

Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, OR
This was our first stay in the Oregon State Park system in a couple of years.  We had full hook ups and were near some good hiking places.

After our daily excursions, we spent some good time around the campfire.

Crescent City, CA

Down the coast we found some more interesting lighthouses.  They played such a key role in allowing sailors access to the bays and inlets along the sparsely populated coasts during the 1850s and beyond.

Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, Ukiah, CA
This is where we started our journey inbound, heading south and more easterly.  We thought summer was over, but found the temperatures back in the 80 degree range.

We didn't expect to find so many wineries but there were quite a few in this area. We took a drive through the country side and found a lot of folks out for a bike ride on a nice Sunday morning.

Travis AFB FamCamp, Fairfield, CA
It didn't take us long to get a taste of some of the finer cuisine in the area.

We are here for a few more weeks and enjoying some 'downtime'.  It was a busy month with lots of miles and some wonderful memories of our time in Oregon along the Columbia River and down the Pacific Coast.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...