Sixty-nine miles. Now that's my kind of driving day. We found a well cared for state park not too far from John Day, OR. There are a few things we want to check out in John Day.
We were hesitant to move on a Friday without reservations. But sometimes you just gotta... "Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape" - Guy Clark.
We're definitely no longer in the mountains with its tall pine & fir trees. We found a state park on the Snake River that will do for a short visit.
Top photo: Nearby Blue Lake.
Our goal for today was to escape from the smoke that was being created by the Pioneer Fire. Sadly, we had to keep moving through some absolutely beautiful areas & nice campgrounds.
The 1st campground we stopped at was a dust bowl. We thought about spending the night but decided to push on. The next one down the road was a winner — paved road & sites. Nice!
"The decision to leave a day early from our previous campground was a wise move. We came up with a very spacious & private campsite at Scout Mountain just south of Pocatello, ID."
We're not crazy about this campground — it has a ridden hard & put up wet feel. We paid for two nights, but think we'll cut our losses & move on in the morning.
Playing tourist, we did a little campground reconnaissance & found this site – very spacious with a knock-out view through the Ponderosa pines. We just had to take it.
Our sort of day, only 55 miles of driving in which we moved from the desert floor up to the trees again. We're tucked in on a spacious site amongst the aspens and lodgepole pines.
We went from hot to hot and traded spectacular views for a nice spot on the Green River. The folks next site over said it cools down pretty good at night. Hopefully, they're right.
What a difference 145 miles can make. This morning we left our campsite at 9,500' elevation in the fir/aspen trees & traveled to one at 5,818' surrounded by beautiful canyons & vistas.
"We booked 318 miles so we could hook up with our friends Dawn & Jonathan. Scored the very last walk-in site in the campground. Our site, located near to a stream, has nice views."
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is a short drive from our Forest Service campground, so it only made sense to check it out. We had a fun day exploring and hiking.
Breweries & Brewpubs on the Enchanted Circle.
The Enchanted Circle is a scenic auto touring loop in northern New Mexico that goes through Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest, & Angel Fire. The whole loop is approximately 100 miles and circles Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico. We usual...
We're so happy to be back in the tall pine/fur trees and mountains camping at 7,900' elevation about seven and a half miles west of Red River, NM.
Today’s drive ended at Black Mesa SP, a quiet park in the western part of the Oklahoma panhandle. Why? Because we were very near the highest point in Oklahoma.
"It's always fun to have a winery as your destination. Bar Z Winery was no exception. We had a nice spot for our RV. Later we sampled great wines & had a fun visit with the owner."
Long drive day, at least by our standards — 342 miles. If you want to get out of Texas, you gotta drive and drive...
Even full-timers need a little R&R. We've escaped from Austin and unfinished business to one of our Texas faves. We're on island time for the time being.
We're spending a few days at Red Hawk Ranch to help friends celebrate their wedding. Our coach has a nice spot overlooking Roy Creek.
