June 6th, 2025
Waldport/Newport KOA Journey in Oregon (349m) is our next stop.
Let the signs speak for the road.

June 9th, 2025
Our eight month on the road.
The temperature is in the high sixties during the day, windy with ocean fog. The humidity has been in the eighty and ninety percent range. The waves are higher here than Morro Bay.

June 10th, 2025 shopping
We went to Waldport shopping today but it isn’t a tourist town so we went farther south to Yachats.
Yachats is a nice little community with shopping, eateries, ocean vistas and hiking trails.

The shops are pet friendly and some of the eateries have outdoor seating. After a morning of shopping, we drove to the parking area on ocean view drive to enjoy the panoramic vista presented by the Pacific Ocean.

Buddy is a beach bum. After we got back we took Buddy for a walk on the beach.

I had to drag him off the beach and up the trail to get him home. The Alsea Bay is a nice place to walk so I can’t blame him. We had the same problem at Morro Bay.
Something we haven’t run into before, we are in a tsunami zone. This is because of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This is an off-shore fault capable of producing large earthquakes and tsunamis.
Here is some information from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.
‘The chance of a tsunami in Oregon is high, with a 37% chance of an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude or greater and a subsequent tsunami in the next 50 years, according to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. A smaller, but still significant, 10-14% chance exists for a shallow, undersea earthquake to trigger a Cascadia tsunami. The Oregon coast is vulnerable to both local tsunamis (arriving within minutes of an earthquake) and distant tsunamis (taking hours to reach shore)”. 
Where do you want to live?
Remember, it’s not only surviving, it’s the aftermath.

June 12th, 2025
Yesterday we went shopping, lingered around the RV park and walked the beach.
Being lowlanders, all the altitude changes, atmospheric pressure changes and high humidity have been hard on us. We’ll be glad to head east. After Asteria OR, Idaho will be a good start.

June was a hard month on the music industry and the rest of the world. We lost Sylvester Stewart better known by his stage name Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone
And
Brian Douglas Wilson of the Beach Boys.
For countless years I listened to Sly and the family stone and The Beach Boys. Two groups I grew up with. Both Sly and Brian had good lives with turmoil at different periods of their life. I hope that they’re at peace now and combining their talent. Who knows, could there be a Sly and the Wilson brothers somewhere in the future.

There are a number of state parks along the road for people to stop at and explore the different areas.

Seal Rock State Recreation Area

The Newport Historic Bayfront located on Yaquina Bay is home to Oregons largest commercial fishing fleet and the heart of the old town district. They have a lot of shops in the area, a few fish markets and some restaurants.

Shopping at Newport’s Historic Bayfront.
We didn’t know that we parked in a pay parking area. It worked out, we didn’t have a ticket on the windshield so all we have to do is watch the mail.

This is a great place to spend the day and explore everything the area has to offer but be aware this is also a fish processing area.

Buddy was acting lethargic again today after we got home. Maybe he isn’t a pot-head. We have no idea what the problem is. It isn’t pot, hot weather or cold. Carol thinks that we are walking him to much. She could be right, we are all out of shape. All we can do is watch and see what happens next.

June 13th, 2025
I use Walmart to judge the economy vitality of an area. I would say Newport has its challenges. Walmart has more items locked up in their store than I’ve ever seen. They even lock up their car batteries. How would you walk out with a car battery.
The funny thing is that I bought three items and two six packs of coke. I didn’t bag any of it and they had no-one at the door to check my receipt. That’s how they get the batteries out.
Buddy is back to normal, stubborn, bullheaded and defiant. The funny thing is that he is one of the better relationships I have.
When we left Indiana we packed winter clothes thinking we might wear them. We had no idea how much we would wear them. I am hoping that we can switch to summer clothes in Idaho.

June 14th, 2025
Happy birthday Carol. She is ?2 years old. I won’t say anything else, sometimes women can be touchy

June 16th, 2025
Wow, headed north to a KOA in Astoria and yes we are still in Oregon. I have never seen road repair so poorly done. I would be surprised if someone hasn’t died on this section of road. We were lucky to make it through this area unscathed. The PCH is a kool ride, just be careful.
The problem with traveling like we are is that we really don’t know where to go until we’ve been there and then we don’t have the time to enjoy it. The first time around should be a trial run.

June 17th, 2025
Astoria/Warrenton/Seaside KOA (145m). A very nice and very large resort.
Our son (Timm) who lives in Portland is going to meet us and is staying at a hotel about two miles away.

June 18th, 2025
Shopping at Seaside. Seaside is a small city in Northwestern Oregon with a lot going on.

we chose shopping

As Toby Keith would say

“I Love This Bar!”
We miss Toby!

We did some shopping but this was a holiday weekend so the towns and beaches were crowded. We ended up spending the rest of the week around the KOA. We had fish and Chips from a local restaurant, barbecue from a smoker on the campground and actually cooked some of our own meals.

June 19th, 2025
There is a good chance of rain tonight and in the morning so we packed as much as we could to make the morning easier. When Carol and I work together, everything works out better. Setup and teardown are so much quicker. If it’s raining and/or cold, I send her in.

June 20th, 2025
Yes it has been raining.
We’re headed to Glenns Ferry Idaho (590m) to see where the Oregon Trail crossed the Snake river at Three Island Crossing.
We are on I84 and I will say it is amazing country. We crossed over Deadman Pass and found a number of areas where people could pull over on the interstate to put chains on in bad weather. No that isn’t why it is called Deadman Pass.
Guess where we spent the night.
Love’s Travel stop.

June 21st, 2025
We only had a couple hundred miles to go so we slept in and had coffee at Love’s before we left. We have company. We weren’t the only ones looking for a place to shelter for the evening.

I noticed a low tire pressure light on the dash and checked the monitor to find the left rear tire was low. We pulled off at an exit and found a place to park and re-inflate the tire. I found a nail in it so that will be a special stop after we park the trailer.
We are here.

Trail Break RV Park and Campground. A nice campground just outside of Glenns Ferry.

June 23rd, 2025
About three weeks ago my phone started acting up. We have been with Straight Talk for twenty years or more. I got on line and ordered a phone and used the Astoria KOA as a shipping address. That was nine days ago and when I checked this morning it hadn’t shipped. We left Astoria three days ago. I called customer service multiple times and even talked to a supervisor. They offered no help. Three days ago I ordered the latest Samsung Galaxy from Amazon and am using it now. I paid less for this phone than last years model from Straight Talk.
We went to the town of Mountain Home this morning to have the tire repaired at Les Schwab Tire.

Then went to Walmart.
70°, light breeze and sitting in the shade. We did have a busy morning.
Amazing country that we are fortunate to live in. All the wide open spaces, mountains and rivers and we haven’t covered the Northeast. Learn to appreciate our country and what it took to tame it. The Oregon Trail is a fine example.

The park tells the history of the native Americans and Europeans in the area and on the Oregon Trail. It tells the story of the people that braved the unknown for a better life but in doing so destroyed the lives of the Native Americans in the area as they did in the east.

The Oregon Trail started in Independence, Missouri and went to Oregon City in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Pioneers knew Three Island Crossing well. It was one of the most famous river crossings on the historic trail and the most difficult crossing in Idaho. Crossing the Snake River was dangerous, but when the water was low enough to negotiate, everyone crossed who could, to take advantage of the more favorable northern route to Fort Boise. During high water, most emigrants were forced to travel along the South Alternate route into Oregon. A hot,dry, dusty, trail that was hard on man and beast.

The prairie schooner and the Conestoga wagon were both types of covered wagons used in the United States, but they served different purposes and had distinct characteristics. The Conestoga wagon was a large, heavy freight wagon primarily used for hauling goods over relatively flat terrain in the eastern United States. The prairie schooner was a smaller, lighter wagon designed for the longer, more rugged journeys westward, often carrying people and their belongings. 

In later years there was a ferry that some would use to cross the river. Others would ford the river to save money.

This was the crossing sight that

This Ferry used.

June 26th, 2025
Well, we are finally getting some warm weather. From cold and windy to hot (100°). We are going to stay as far north as possible to have some cooler weather when we leave.
We will celebrate Independence Day in Glenns Ferry. Between the town’s celebration and Y Knot Winery, we should have a lot to do.

June 29, 2025
Time for A/C and roof maintenance. With all the dust we’ve had in the Southern states and never having cleaned the coils in the air conditioner before I’m sure a good cleaning will help. Since I am up there I’ll clean the roof and awning too.

The condenser and evaporator were both dirty. The condenser had a lot of dust built up in it while the evaporator had debris from installation as well as dust. The A/C is a lot cooler now.
I have read that cleaning the roof as well as the awning will extend the life of both. I still have to clean the under side of the awning.

June 30, 2025
The Oregon Trail
The journey typically took settlers four to six months to complete and they would travel approximately two thousand one hundred and seventy miles.

A day on the trail
4:00 am: A rifle is fired by the night guards to wake up the camp.
5:00 am: Cattle are rounded up after being allowed to graze during the night if there is no threat of cattle rustlers or indians.
5:30 am: Women and children are up and fixing breakfast. Usually bacon, corn porridge or “Johnny Cakes” made of flour and water.
6:30 am: Women rinse plates and mugs and stow bedding, while the men haul down tents and load them in the wagons.
7:00 am: After every family has gathered their teams and hitched them to wagons, the wagon master signals a “Wagons Ho,” to start the wagons down the trail. Average distance covered in a day was usually fifteen miles, but on a good day twenty could be traveled.
7:30 am: Men ride ahead on horses with shovels to clear a path, if needed.
“Nooning Time”: The wagon train stops to eat, drink and rest for a while.

1:00 pm: Wagons Ho, back on the trail.
5:00 pm: When a good campsite with ample water and grass is found, pioneers stop to set up camp for the evening. Wagons are formed into a corral.

6:00 pm: Families unpack and make supper.
7:00 pm: Women do chores, men smoke and talk, young people dance.
8:00 pm: Camp settles down for the night, guards go out.
Midnight: Night guards are changed.
The weather doesn’t change anything. Day after day in the cold or the heat and there is always the rain and dust storms to deal with. Let’s not forget the occasional tornado. The rains could be a cause for less miles due to muddy trail.

Three Island Crossing
A very scenic area amongst the vast arid plains, rolling hills and mountains.
To get to this point on the trail, emigrants would have traveled four to five months and 1,400 miles by foot. Tired from the endless miles of walking and their daily menu of “beans, bacon and bread,” they were now faced with the decision of crossing the Snake or to stay on the south bank of the river.
A successful crossing meant fresh water streams, food for thcir stock, and a shorter route to Fort Boise. The southern route meant a dry, rocky, and longer way westward.

What would you do?
Risk everything or play it safe?

Today,
we ride around on our electric scooters!

Buddy had no problems after being out in the heat and walking the trail today.

July 1st, 2025
We started out doing some work around and on the trailer waiting for the Y Knot Winery to open.

After tasting some wine and touring the winery and grounds we went to
The Fudge Factory (Grill & Ice Cream).
They also offer a very tempting menu but we were happy with the ice cream today.

We did eat a little before I took the picture

Idaho potato chips in Idaho. Made with Idaho potatoes.

The Griddle wasn’t the only thing getting fired up today. I opened a very nice Cabernet Franc.
Y Knot?

July 3rd, 2025
Busy day, we went to Twin Falls to do some shopping and ended up at the Snake River Gorge. Extraordinary area. I’ll let the pictures speak.

Great place for a golf course

We passed Malad Gorge State Park on the way to Twin Falls so we stopped there on our way back.

The steel bridge was so hot we carried Buddy over it.

July 4th, 2025

Remember what today is about, the lives that were lost and that we didn’t gain our independence until September 3rd, 1783 at the signing of the treaty of Paris.

We had rain most of the night, ending around 9am making it safe for the events of the day.

The day started with a pancake breakfast at the park and continued at noon with the parade down main street in Glenns Ferry.

There is nothing like a small town parade, later they have music, games and food at the park.

Friday at the park, I think it was the 4th of July.

Time to relax at the winery.

Y Knot?

Enough social events for the day. We’re going back to Three Island Overlook to relax and take pictures for a while.

We decided to watch the fireworks from the overlook. The town is probably less than a mile away, just across the river.
After a late dinner we drove back to the overlook early to get a good spot and watched the sunset over the river.

As the evening progressed the wind picked up and we ended up sitting in the truck.
I thought they might have canceled because of high winds but just before 10pm when two more cars joined us the event started, ending just before 11pm.

July 5th, 2025
Wow, the 4th was a later night for us old-timers.
Besides sleeping in and a road trip to the Fudge Factory for ice cream, all we did was go grocery shopping.

July 6th, 2025
Time to pack up and get some rest. We leave in the morning and have a long day.

July 7th, 2025
Cody Wyoming, here we come.