FALL 2014 TRAVELOGUE VERNON TO SUN CITY WEST, ARIZONA !!
Anxious to head south, we pulled away from the house on Tuesday morning. We decided to have a leisurely day and make our way just to Rock Creek. Once there, we determined the campsite wasn’t up to our expectations so we drove just 30 minutes further (crossing into the USA at Midway) and pulled into one of the most delightful State Parks we have stayed in. Curlew Lake State Park is only a 4 hour drive from Vernon but well worth it! Every campsite is lovely and the park is immaculate. It is so peaceful and far from the highway noises. Situated on a peaceful little lake, we were witness to several fishermen sitting on the dock in early morning – fishing rods in hand. A herd of deer shared the evening campfire with us.
Day two finds us driving south once again through beautiful fall colors along secondary highways 21 and 14 arriving at Maryvale State Park on the Washington/Oregon border. This park was also very pretty and well treed. Campsites were situated under large, old trees and along the Columbia River. We enjoyed a short ferry ride on highway 21 and once we got off the ferry, it was a steep windy drive up and out of the river valley. I, of course, kept my eyes closed most of the way up because I just don’t like being on the edge of things !! Joe said I should go and lay down in the back. Keeping my eyes closed worked just as well!
Day three and we are on our way south along more secondary routes and 97 south through Bend, Oregon. The roads were great and the scenery all along the way stunning. There are thousands and thousands of cattle ranches and farms all along the way. Many people live very remote lifestyles in this area.
South of Bend, we pulled into an amazing scenic point. A 300 foot deep gorge that ran for miles. This is where the Oregon Trunk Railway Bridge was built. I enjoyed photographing it. Joe was challenged to stand too close to the rock wall and look down, waaaay down! But it was beautiful to see a river winding its way through miles of this gorge 300 plus feet below. There was a warning sign that said “hang on to your kids” and that “several dogs had fallen to their death in the area”. Yuk !
A short distance south of this stop we pulled into LaPine State Park. In this high desert park we were once again delighted and surrounded by forested beauty.
This park offers lovely campsites and lovely little log cottages. There are miles and miles of trails for hiking and biking. It is near old volcanic activity and Cascade mountain wilderness. Nearby, we drove by the “Big Tree”. This 500-year-old Oregon Heritage Tree is the largest Ponderosa pine in Oregon. It has a circumference of 326 inches and a height of 191 feet. It towers above all the rest of the trees in the area.
In this area, there is a lot of past volcanic activity. There is the Newberry Crater which has a five-mile-wide caldera containing two popular fishing lakes. There is the Lava Lands Visitor Center 15 miles north but we didn’t make it there.
Day four and we are taking highway 31 “Oregon Scenic Byway” or “The Oregon Outback”. Very beautiful drive. Good highway and no traffic whatsoever !
So far so good. The weather has been warm, sunny and gorgeous. The campgrounds we have discovered have been exceptional. And we were likely to find another good place for our fourth night. We are now in northern California and likely stopping for the night. And, low and behold, we drive over a hill and there is LIKELY, California !! We turned east for a mile and a half and arrived at Likely Place Golf and RV Resort. We will likely have a good time here and if the winds stop blowing, we will stay an extra night and likely play a round of golf. Likely Place RV Park, Campground, Golf Course & Driving Range
This is our first night to have wi-fi so I will sign off and get this emailed to you, our friends.
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