Rufus, OR - Boondocking

Saturday - We are staying at the boondocking location in Rufus, OR, for another day. It is pretty nice here with some windsurfer activity in the Columbia River including some that look like hydrofoils. The main part of the board is about 20" above the water. Kind of cool. 

This afternoon, we visited the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, OR. It was a nice museum with most of the emphasis on the Lewis & Clark expedition and the building of the dams. There is a fair amount of shipping going on and I hadn’t known about all the canals and locks.

As we were leaving, they were setting up for a wedding so it was starting to get a bit crowded. Speaking of crowds, this boondocking area is getting busy with all the people playing on the water. 

By this morning, our batteries were down to 45%. I think the StarLink may draw almost as much power as the refrigerator. We ran the generator for 3 hours this morning to get it back to 80%. The solar barely kept up through the middle of the day. 

Sunday - A very quiet day. Most of the people didn’t stay the night. Maybe because it was pretty windy. I adjusted the pressure in two of the rear tires. The 12V air compressor takes a long time with the RV tires. I saw a Dewalt compressor that uses the 20V batteries but it is hard to find. I kept checking at all of the Home Depot and Lowe’s but only found one in a demolished box (no discount offered). 

This morning, there was only one wind surfer on the water. Maybe it’s not windy enough today. The CoE park we are headed to this afternoon says that their water needs to be boiled before drinking. So we are looking at getting some water before arriving. The Sinclair gas station wants $5/10 gal for water. We have essentially four days of dry camping ahead of us so it may be worth it. 

Our new spot at the CoE park near the mouth of the John Day River. Pretty nice and we are sheltered from the wind. 

Heading Into Seattle and On The Road

Thursday - This morning, we headed into Seattle to visit family. A wonderful neighborhood that felt quiet and secluded even though it was a short distance to downtown. But the drive back to Centralia was brutal.

Friday - We left the Thousand Trails park this morning early to make our appointment at Dave & LJs RV furniture in Woodland. We had purchased a new jackknife sofa last July and got it installed today. 

It looks pretty good and not only is it more comfortable than the old couch, but it has a huge drawer for storage. 

After the install, we drove to the same boondocking location I had stopped at in May. It was only a couple of hours away and it’s hard to beat the view. Plus, zero obstructions for StarLink. 

Getting Ready for Travel

Monday - We are finally back in the RV. A huge thank you to Dave and Ginny for letting us store the RV for four months but also for putting us up on the trips through the area this summer. We just drove to the Chehalis Thousand Trails. I set up the StarLink on a portable table until I choose a better solution. A pole mount that works on both the ladder and somewhere up front would be ideal. 

Tuesday - We unloaded most of the stuff in the basement and under the bed. We made a Goodwill run and now have most things sorted. I reorganized one of the bays and was able to fit my bicycle all the way in the middle so there was room for the second e-bike. I am thinking of a hitch mounted rack but those designed to handle the weight of an e-bike are pretty pricey. 

Wednesday - More sorting and cleaning. We have dinner guests this evening so we are trying to get the rig presentable. When we left it last May and again in July, we were kind of rushed. And when I returned last week, I just sort of unloaded the Jeep into anywhere things fit. 

We leave this campground on Friday morning for an appointment in Woodland a bit over an hours drive south.

Short Driving Day to Centralia

Thursday - Only 300 miles today but there was a lot of traffic as the GPS route entered the I-5 corridor just south of SEATAC. Lots of cars and stop-and-go driving. I made it back to the RV around 2pm. After a short break, I started to transfer stuff from the Jeep into the RV. The basement compartments are now full and some stuff will need to ride in the Jeep while we are traveling. 

I started and ran the RV engine (no issues!!) and started the refrigerator. And eventually got the back seat into the Jeep.

Friday - By this morning, the RV refrigerator was back to operational temperature so I can start to fill it back up. Sometime over the last month, the portable fridge/freezer turned off so now there is a cleanup task needed. I think it was all freezer items which included meat…

The project of the day was replacing a shower. Bridget commented that I couldn’t escape working on a house…

Omak, WA

Wednesday - At 450 miles, it was another long-ish driving day. But I made it across the border into Washington. It’s 91°F! A bit too hot to camp out. Plus, all the campgrounds I passed today looked packed. I was thinking of stopping in Canada but putting a few more miles in today made tomorrow trip under 300 miles. That’s good because I’m feeling pretty tired. Two additional days than the drive north back in July, but still long days back to back.

No pictures as my only stops were for gas in Cache Creek, BC, and a quick stop north of Osoyoos to find a cheap hotel. 

Quesnel, BC

Tuesday - A relatively modest 389 mile drive day. Tonight’s stop is a campground/RV park/motel in Quesnel, BC. I must be a creature of habit as I’ve stopped here numerous times over the years. It’s cheap for dry camping with a tent. The tent is finally dry after the dew this morning as it was 72°F when I pulled in. Nice showers though it did cost two loonies. 

Tomorrow, I’m going to head towards Osoyoos, BC, which is about 400 miles according to Google. 

Down the Cassiar

Sunday - Today’s destination was Nugget City at the northern end of the Cassiar Hwy. Rain was also in the forecast as well as lows in the mid-30s (°F) so I stayed in one of their Atco rooms. About 8’x8’ or thereabouts. Bathrooms were in a separate building. 

Monday  - It was cool and clear in the morning. I had breakfast at the restaurant and headed south towards today’s destination, Kitwanga, BC, at the southern end of the Cassiar Hwy after Hwy. So far, 1300 miles which is a bit more than halfway. Yesterday and today were long drive days since camping really wasn’t an option. The next couple of days will be shorter as I’m already getting kind of tired. 

My tent is in TX so I’m using an old tent that I haven’t used since the mid-80s. Tent stakes were missing so it’s attached to the picnic table and the Jeep wheels. The zipper pulls are really worn out so I spent a little time trying to fix them. This is a tent that I made in around 46 years ago and it’s been on a lot of trips. It is a copy of the Stephenson Warmlite which was an ultralight, 4-season tent. It only weighs 1.9 lbs not including the stakes as I opted for a lighter inner tent material so it’s not 5-season. So far, I noticed one rip. I guess I’ll see how it’s aged…

I stopped at Bell 2 for coffee and Dease Lake for gas. Otherwise, no other stops.