After a morning Garbo walk at our local park, after two cups of coffee, after some maple breakfast sausage and crispy potatoes, it's time to recollect!
After a week filled with Brett Kavanaugh and Trump Twitter, it is time to forget.... so back to documenting some of the DE lights, and HIGH lights of our long and slow journey up to the north west corner of Washington State, before it fades from my memory bank.
We arrive at Longsword Vineyard, located in the Anderson Valley of Oregon, following a drive through awe inspiring redwood forests, narrow mountain roads, hairpin curves and smoke...So Much Smoke! We get to our destination in the mid afternoon, the vineyard is set in a beautiful place, there is a small tasting room, a quaint barn in which lives three old rams named Einstein, Hawkins and Newt, who roam the property at will, along with a flock of geese, many Bard Rock roosters and hens and a well fed Aussie named Rouge.
Madeleine who poured our wine, while telling stories about the vineyard owner, who named his vineyard Long Sword as he used to fence and labeled his wine accordingly. The wines were delectable, Madelaine was delightful, we snacked on crackers and a cream cheese and sundried tomato creation along with our wine tasting. Then bringing the left overs home to add to our morning omelette. It was fabulous! The Long Sword Vineyard visit was memorable.
We went to Tri City RV Park for a short stay, to do laundry, empty our tanks, arrange and reorganise our stuff. It was our first experience with showers where you paid a quarter for so many minutes of water and a certain amount of minutes for light while you showered. Not forcefully enough while inserting my quarter, it flew out of my shower stall and I had to go searching for it, wrapped up in my towel, then back in there.... to wash my body and hair, taking too long, so the lights go out!
Have you ever tried to get dressed when you are wet and it is absolutely pitch black? Then having to try to find the front door, feeling your way out, as if you were blind? Well, let me tell you, I was more cautious after that experience.
Try City, Myrtle Creek and surrounding small communities seemed like God forgotten places. The economy is booming they say. Well not here!
On to Arcane Cellars we go. Now this place became our number one A one place for so many reasons. The grounds, the buildings, the location, right on the Willamette River was exquisite. We parked under a huge tree, in the shade. Was greeted by Anne and John, who were working the tasting room while the owners were on a family vacation to Portugal, the owners home country. Garbo got a big bowl of fresh water. We were made to feel so welcome and were presented with a list of the available wine options. The list was long, the wines were very nice. We purchased a couple of bottles after tasting and went "home" to our trailer to prepare dinner, went for a walk, picked and ate blackberries from berry bushes that covered the barn we were parked next to.
After closing up the tasting room, Anne and John came by for a visit. We chatted about life and personal experiences, both comical and serious. What a wonderful time we had! What a beautiful, well cared for and obviously loved place this was. We want to go back. No doubt.
From there we went on to a place where there was free dispersed camping, near Trillium Lake and Mount Hood. The plan was to stay there for several days, being allowed 14 days, at no charge. The weather was hot, it was extremely dusty and sadly previous campers had filled fire pits with trash and we did not feel good there. The views of Mount Hood on the other hand, were spectacular, there was the fragrance of warm pine needles in the air, reminding us of Mariposa, but we decided to not stay more than one night. Did what we always do, walked with Garbo, fixed lunch, relaxed, read our books, made some nearby discoveries, learned about the pioneers disappointment with bitter grass, there was dinner and dishes and time to hit the sack.
The Photographer was going to contact an RV Park in Washington in the morning, in hopes of there being an available spot for us to park, so we went to bed with fingers crossed.
At this point, tomorrow is our 11th day on the road. Time flies!
