And now to Oregon!

Hating to leave the beautiful state of Idaho, we drove US Hwy 55, and made one final stop to the beautiful mountain town of McCall on May 23.  There we had a lovely visit with friends, Llona and Mark.   They took us on a hike up to a pretty alpine lake, one of 300+ in the Payette National Forest where they live.    

They are passionate and extremely knowledgeable about wildflowers and between examining specimens trailside, looking at them under the microscope at their home, and viewing Mark’s superb photography, we came away with greatly increased appreciation of the wildflowers we see daily on our hikes.   What a gift!

On May 25 we crossed into Oregon, driving through more dramatic scenery as we went along US Hwys 95 and 71.  A year or so ago, Lily first “sprouted” forth on this earth here at the Northwoods Manufacturing Company in LaGrande, Oregon.   We had a planned visit there for some minor repair work, and enjoyed seeing the facility and Lily look-alikes everywhere. It was a mighty busy place!   

Brownlee Dam reservoir

All Arctic Fox truck campers lined up in a row.

Lily gets her check-up

North of La Grande was Pendleton, Oregon, home of Pendleton Woolen Mills, and we’ve been looking forward to a visit there since Lily was no more than a sparkle in our eyes.  We had always wanted to buy one of their famous wool blankets and now was our chance!   The start of this company dates to 1889 and an English weaver named Thomas Kay, with the Pendleton Mill itself opening in 1893.  They made "trade blankets" for Native Americans, the trade being blanket-for-beaver-pelts.  Obviously, the founders were great admirers of native American designs, and the vividness of colors and patterns which they make to this day are nothing short of eye-popping.   We enjoyed the tour of the mill very much and are delighted with our purchase!  

Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, OR

A riot of color and pattern of blankets sold in the mill store--how does one choose??

They gave an excellent tour of the facility

The blankets are woven in 15-20 minutes on giant Jacquard looms

"Navajo Waters" pattern blanket inside our camper

Another thing we did in Pendleton, errr, besides visiting another microbrew, was tour the Pendleton Underground.   Apparently, at the end of the 18th century, when the hard work of building the intercontinental railroad was complete, the Chinese persons who came to the US to do it started to be viewed as unwelcome competition for scare jobs.   They were ostracized from society and persecuted, especially, they say, by “liquored up cowboys” in western towns like Pendleton.   The Chinese wisely moved underground to safety, and there built tunnels to their homes, shops, and businesses beneath the city.   The tour takes one to this underground labyrinth and shows as well some of the businesses that went on above ground, such as brothels and speakeasies of the period.   It was all very interesting and informative…and fun!

Bernie cheating at a card game with locals...

Peggy, what else, cooking again!

Parlor in the Cozy Rooms where the gents met the "working girls"

Where "working girls" worked...$2.00 for 15 minutes!

Where bad Bernies go for cheating at card games!

But now we are done with all our “city stuff” and on the road to the state of Washington!  Tonight we are camped along the famous Columbia River near Irrigon, OR.   We are a long way east from its mouth on the Pacific Ocean but gazing at it, we know all those salmon being pursued by fishermen on the Snake, Salmon, Clearwater, and Lochsa Rivers in Montana and Idaho would have passed right by here!!   Sometimes nature is too marvelous for words!   For the next week or so we'll be heading north toward Grand Coulee Dam and then west to the Cascade Mountains and on toward the Pacific.  I suspect we may find internet connection hard to come by along the way, so be patient for the next installment of our blog!

Camped beside the Columbia River in eastern Oregon.

Passenger steamer SS Legacy sailed past our camp