ANOTHER RV TRIP? Yup, we are at it again. And, again, our RV of choice is a (very) reduced cost rental. You can see us filling up at the station in the photo above (paying for a 50 gallon RV tank fill up may be the ultimate expression of Highway Robbery :().Here’s how this adventure came about: Marty – he is ALWAYS the instigator – saw a one-way rental deal on cruiseamerica.com, the deal being that you had to pick the RV up on March 29th in Chicago and deliver it to San Francisco on April 30th. Instead of costing around $3500-$4000, the total rental cost was $670.
Soooo, Marty flew to O’Hare, ubered to the RV place and drove I-80 and I-84 to Portland (about 2200 miles is 4.5 days). He was going to take a bit more scenic route – that included a stop at Carhenge! – but the weather turned ugly (snow, ice, wind) and he hustled home.
Crazy, you say? Meh. Crazy is relative (have you MET my relatives? Apologies to my relatives who are reading this :). And, really, isn’t crazy the new normal? At least if you’re a Republican presidential candidate…
Anyway, it’s now April 6th and we’re heading to Goldendale, Washington to see Maryhill Museum (along with a replica of Stonehenge) and then attend a solar show at Goldendale Observatory. Tomorrow we’ll make our way to Bugtussle, er, New Princeton, Oregon to visit the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge – and see how things are going there since the Bundys left town…
More about this leg of the trip later. First here’s a little Q & A with our intrepid RV operator Marty:
Q: So what was the best part about driving from Chicago to Portland?
A: Mostly seeing parts of the country I hadn’t seen before.
Q: Can you be more specific?
A: Well, for example, everyone thinks Wyoming is gorgeous. It’s not. There’s nothing there. It’s just flat. It is ug-LY from I-80. But Salt Lake City was beautiful! The whole city is surrounded by high, snow-peaked mountains. It’s stunning.
I have to say the most beautiful area was John Day. It’s basically untouched. The mountains, the John Day River, Ochoco Forest, all of it is beautiful…
Q: Any other trip highlights? Lowlights?
A: I had hoped to go to Scot’s Bluff, Nebraska (and, possibly, Bugtussle, Oklahoma – Bunny wanted me to steal their “Welcome to Bugtussle” sign). My dad’s family is from Scott’s Bluff – but the weather was scary. So I just made my way through the cold front as quick as I could.
Q: Got a highlight?
A: One night I went for a walk that covered two states! I was staying the night in Ontario, Oregon and I went for a walk and I walked across the bridge over the Snake River to Idaho and back.
Okay, that’s the interview. Next post will be about the trip AFTER Marty gets back to Portland. Stay tuned. 🙂
Do you need for us to go by your house?
BTW That is a real nice photo of Marty!! Looks like he fits right with his friends in Bugtussle. I hope that wasn’t a snarky thing to say. I really think it’s a great photo, he could be almost anywhere. Maybe that’s the point! How many times did I put my foot in my big mouth?
You are fine! Marty likes to blend in, ya know? We are not keeping up with our posts during this trip! Maybe this will be the only one?? If so, you will win the Grand Prize!
OK, so I am one of your relatives that you so, (kindly) referred to in your post… that is if it was Bunny who wrote that post. I guess I could be considered one of Marty’s relatives as well, poor guy… Anyhoo, I’ve been told that there will be a prize for someone, upon your return, who leaves a reply here. So, I’m doing it! I’m looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in Bugtussle and elsewhere. There are many birds and other wildlife (!) to see over in those parts! Glad to know that you won’t need to deal with the bundies, but I’m sure you’ll find other noteworthy characters to blog about. Just remember to look up and see the beautiful stars as you are relaxing in the hot springs. Don’t look up as you are standing under the turkey buzzards though. On to more adventures!!
Good advice on the turkey buzzards! 🙂 And, of course, it is Bunny writing this crap. It’s what I do. So, yes, I was referring to my relatives. But crazy can be good too, n’est-ce-pas? I believe that CRAZY is a perfectly sane response to what is happening politically in the good old U.S. of A.
Thanks for posting, Shelley! I know you’ll be surprised to learn that you are #1 in the running for the cherished Trip Best/Most Blog Commenting Prize. :)!!