Summer 2011

They Call the wind Mariah... What I called it won't be shown on this page.

We left Boise under clear skies after a night of thunderstorms and heavy rain. Within 45 minutes we were crossing the border into Oregon. The eastern part of Oregon is quite hilly and maintaining constant speed is difficult. The hills/mountains are interspersed with flatter terrain which gave us a break. In the first 150 miles of the trip, the temperature dropped from 68 degrees to 44. When we came to our first refueling stop, we also changed from shorts to warmer clothing. The temperature eventually rebounded as we headed west. As we came down the last major grade east of Pendleton, the winds started. At first they were hitting us broadside which means that you really have to grip the wheel tight or a sudden gust may just move you sideways. As we approached the Columbia River, the winds started hitting us head on, significantly reducing our speed. The Columbia River Gorge is well known for its winds and is a haven for wind surfers. Almost half the trip is alongside the Columbia and most of the time we had the river on the north side of us and a rock wall or steep hills on the southern side. There are a few scenic spots along the way and we hope to visit some of them tomorrow.

The wind and hills raised some difficulty today, but all in all, it was a good run. I have to be honest and say that I was happy to get to the Fairview/Portland RV Park and just stop worrying about the amount of fuel being burned fighting the hills and wind.