Here are a few pictures from today...
See the wind turbines in the picture below?
We love clean energy ♡
and we love our little Troll... Sierra!
(Check out her hairy pink headphones)
We are all rockin' out to music.
My brother, Jon, made us a collection of cds, and the kids have downloaded music onto their ipads.
Before the trip, we were wondering how we would tackle the issue of child safety while driving. Steve ended up rigging Sierra's carseat to one of the dinette booths and Alex happily rides on the couch.
Alex is looking so much older.
Since September, he has grown at least a couple of inches!
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And, we have officially left Washington!
We had a late start after doing school this morning and had our first longer day on the road. We left Maryhill and followed I-84 through Pendleton up to the Blue Mountains.
Years
ago, when we purchased our first RV, Steve was the one doing the
driving. I was nursing Sierra and he would take charge of setting up
camp, while I fed the kids and made sure they didn't wander outside while
he was unhitching. Now, I'm taking the wheel and it is a lot of fun.
In the late afternoon, we approached a truck pulling an enormous piece of farming equipment. The rig was an extra wide load and was reaching a few feet over the lane. I was a bit nervous and was holding the wheel pretty tight as we safely passed them. There were a ton of semis too. After climbing from Pendleton, up into the Blue Mountains, we stopped at Deadman's Pass to swap driving. There, we spotted an Oregon Trail Historic Site sign and took a little hike.
Steve found an old rusty sardine can buried along our little trail and we're interested to see if someone can trace its era. It's definitely old. As we continued over the mountains, Alex kept looking along the sides of the road for covered wagon tracks. There is so much history here and so much beauty. The evergreens, mountains, rivers... truly stunning.
Around six o'clock, we decided to stop for the night. We took an exit for La Grande, in search of a snake for the toilet (too much TP went down today).
After discovering that both Ace Hardware & Sears were not an option, a gas attendant told us to check BiMart. Ten minutes later, Steve walked out of BiMart with a smile and snake. After the toilet fix, we made a quick dinner in the hardware store's parking lot, got the kids ready for bed, and drove about 10 more minutes to an RV park.
As I write this, the wind is gusting off and on through our site and I
almost feel like I'm on a sailboat, rocking back and forth.
And, remember that cute shower curtain I just had to have? Well, turns out it is not waterproof. Oops. Something else to add to our shopping list: waterproof shower curtain. And...
Note to self: Don't hop in the shower right after first hooking up to water.
It takes time for the water heater to fully warm up the tank.
I was eager to shower after a day on the road. So, I hopped in, sudsed up, and then the hot water went cold. Freezing cold, as in what you feel after you jump in an alpine lake. I started laughing and turned what was going to be a long hot shower into a military shower. Let's just say, now I am WIDE awake, and wrapped up in my fuzzy robe. (Yes, I am camping with my super fuzzy fleece robe. It is the best thing to cuddle up in after a long day on the road.)
Tomorrow morning we are hitting the road early and heading to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City. Back in 2011, when Alex was one and I was pregnant with Sierra, we visited the Center. Now that the kids are older, and into history, we are going back to make the Oregon Trail and all related history come alive!
And one more thing... after dinner tonight, Alex went into his grey storage box (each kiddo could bring one box of belongings/toys). He pulled out his needle-nose pliers and wire, and began to make Christmas ornaments by cutting, wrapping, and making designs ♡
You guys should make Geocache items and search for them and create new ones all along your trip.
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