September 21, 2008
Driving from Powell Butte, OR to
Mountain Home, Idaho
We left Mary's about 10:30 this morning after a fantastic breakfast of biscuits, gravy, fried eggs and elk tenderloin. Merrell was in HEAVEN!!!! Mary is a wonderful cook and she fed us much better than we needed to be fed. Get my drift??? LOL
It was sad to leave, because we just didn't have enough time to get totally caught up, but at least we had time together. They have a beautiful home on 20 acres in the "high desert" close to Redmond, OR.
Now, everyone who knows Carolee knows that she dearly loves animals and can't wait to get their kisses!!! (NOT) Here is one of Mary holding her dog and Carolee waiting with bated breath for it's goodbye kiss. Teeheehee
I took a picture of Carolee taking a picture of Mary and Chuck as we were getting ready to leave.
Merrell, Donna, Mary and Joe as we were saying our farewells. I don't why we were smiling, we should have been crying.................................
We crossed over into the mountain time zone so we are now only two hours behind WV time. At least this time we made sure which direction to turn our watches!!! Teeheehee
I have to tell you a story or two on Carolee. She has been at it again..................... Story # 1. Since the RV was in the shop overnight, we spent the night with Mary and Joe. We took what we needed for one night into their house and when we got ready to go to bed, she went in to brush her teeth. We were still in the kitchen talking and here she comes down the hallway just "cackling" like a chicken. She was laughing so hard she could hardly talk. She had her toobrush and toothpast in her hands. She finally got enough control to tell us what happened. She went in and got her toothbrush and the toothpaste that she got out of the bathroom cabinet in the RV. WELL, she THOUGHT it was toothpaste. She had grabbed some A&D diaper rash creme that I use on my heels to soften them (I got that hint online in case you are wondering why I use diaper rash stuff on my feet). She put it on her toothbrush and thank goodness she looked at it before she put it in her mouth. She saw it was a different color than it should be and checked the tube. After we all got a good laugh, she had to actually use soap and water to wash the stuff off of her brush. It was her battery toothbrush, so she needed to clean it!!! I sure wish I had had my camera in my hand and gotten a picture of her face when she started to put the brush in her mouth. LOL
Story #2. Once AGAIN I had my camera in my hand while she was falling once AGAIN!! I got a good shot of her right after she hit the couch. She had been up walking around trying to take pictures when Merrell went around a turn. I have been thinking about stringing a life line across the RV for her to hold onto as she goes from one side to the other!!! :>)
Carolee falling again!!! It's a good thing the couch is soft or as many times as she has fallen, she would have broken something for sure!! :>)
We are still driving down the road and are about 20 miles from Mountain Home. We were going to stop in Boise, but Merrell wasn't tired so he said he was going to go a little further than he had planned. We are going to stay in a WalMart parking lot since we are getting up in the morning and heading out again. The WalMart Atlas we have has been great for finding where all of the WalMarts are located. It gives addresses so we can put them in the GPS and go right to their stores.
Merrell just told me that we have gone 9,000 miles in the motor home as of a few minutes ago. We've also put over 1,000 miles on the car. We filled up with diesel earlier today in Burns, Oregon and paid $4.01 a gallons. Our last fill was last week in Skagit, WA and we paid $3.99. That is the cheapest it's been since we left. The most we paid was $5.96 in Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada. I bet you heard me scream all the way back in WV!!! :>)
Proof that we paid $4.01 for diesel today.
Our drive today has been another interesting trip. We have gone from seeing scenery that looks like we are on the moon or maybe mars (well, what I think the moon and mars might look like) to beautiful green valleys full of cattle and horses. We saw huge fields of onions that had been pulled and left to dry on the ground. We tried to get Chuck to hop out of the RV and run over and get us a couple to eat, but he wouldn't!!! Merrell was going to drive the get-a-way RV!!! Teeheehee I really wish the pictures we take could do the landscape justice. We went through one section that Merrell couldn't remember if Joe said it was Sinking Pass or Stinking Pass. Teeheehee Either way it was a wonderful drive through the Pass and we took lots of pictures. We are now on route 84 between Boise and Mountain Home, Idaho. Merrell just called Joe to find out the name of the Pass. He said there were two right together. One is Stinking Water Pass (I was close) and the other was Drinking Water Pass. I cannot tell which pictures were taken in which pass because they just ran right into each other.
Every place we go has it's own unique makeup and even though I wouldn't want to live in a lot of the places we have been, I sure am glad that I have been priviledged enough to see them.
Taken on the road at the Stinking Water Pass
River and mountains on the drive through Stinking Water Pass (or Drinking water pass as the case may be)
Another view of the drive through the Stinking Water Pass.
A neat rock formation on the drive through Stinking Water Pass in Oregon.
What a contrast between the greeen trees and the rocky mountain on the drive through Stinking Water Pass.
Another view of the high desert area in Oregon on the drive to Idaho
Mountain range picture driving from Powell Butte, Oregon to Boise, Idaho.
Just look at this beautimous sky!!! What a contrast between the blue of the sky and the brown grasses.
Another picture of the high desert on our drive to Idaho from Oregon.
This one was taken from the top of one of the mountains on our drive from Oregon to Idaho. I think Merrell said the elevation was around 5,000 ft.
Another view from the top of one of the mountains we crossed. It was an awesome view.
Another view from the mountain tops in Oregon.
I loved this view of the sky over the mountain top as we were going through the Stinking Water Pass in Oregon.
We saw a lot of cattle eating Brown Stuff in Oregon on the drive to Boise, Idaho. I guess the hay
we feed our cattle in the winter is brown. They just feed it to them without all of the work of cutting and bailing it!!! LOL
We also saw a lot of cattle eating Green Stuff on our drive from Oregon to Idaho. I think if I was a cow (Ok, now. Be nice!!) I would much prefer the green stuff, wouldn't you????
This was a cute old farm "thingy" that was sitting beside the road in Oregon. Merrell told me what it was, but I forgot. :>)
I only saw sheep eating the green stuff!!!
This is a typical entry way to the vast ranches here in Oregon. It's common for there to be miles and miles of nothing between any signs of civilization.
I believe this picture was taken shortly before we crossed into Idaho.
Merrell has decided he's going to convert to Mormonism (is that spelled right?). He wants to be a polygamist!! Teeheehee Seriously though, we want to see the Mormon Church that was built in the late 1800's and finished in the early 1900's. They say it is a sight to behold. I would like to go to the family research center, but I don't know if we will make it. They have a major genealogy research center. They have a free online website that I use a lot for research.
We're almost to the exit for WalMart so I need to stop for awhile. I'll post the pictures later tonight.
Three Oregon Barns. I couldn't resist posting at least some of them. I took more..................... :>)
It's bedtime, so I'm gonna sign off for tonight. I hope everyone had a wonderful week-end.
Catch ya later,
Love, US
