I have been here for six days now, and I know I need to write down what all is happening. An International Rally is so interesting. As of right now, there are 451 units here (units are trailers or motor homes). That translates to mean that there are about 750 people here. And….that means that there are more people here in our little temporary community than there are in my home town…population 695!

And the Rally does operate a lot like a small town. We have a mayor and council, a post office, water department, electrical department, sanitation department, and a printing house, newspaper, messenger service, and traffic control. About the only thing missing is the school, and for that we have seminars on all kinds of things!

This is the 49th International Rally for the Airstream club. The Rally has a different location each year. This year we are in Salem, OR, and the Rally is being held at the Fairgrounds. And, we lucked out on the timing of the Rally. It turns out that another part of the Fairgrounds was booked for a regional Arabian Horse Competition. And, they invited us to come over and watch! What a treat!

The horses were gorgeous, and the competitions surprised me. Basically, the competitions were to judge the horse as he was put through his paces…..trot, walk, gallop, canter, etc. Some competitions had riders and some did not. There was Western-style riding, English-style riding, calf roping, and Horse & Cart. It was definitely fun, and I was sorry to see the competition end.

So, that’s my quick summary of the first six days. I hope ya’ll are all doing fine.

Take care,
Suzanne

Emigrant Springs State Park, OR, to Salem, OR

I made it! I am in Salem, OR. The trip today was wonderful. I did hit some rain, but it wasn’t too bad, and it was only the second day of rain during the whole trip. I forgot to mention the first rain, and it certainly should be mentioned…..it had hail in it! There was so much hail that it piled up along the roadside and looked like snow.

Here in Salem, I have arrived at the International Airstream Rally. The location is the Fairgrounds, and I will be here until July 5. What that means is…..I CAN GET OUT OF “TRAVEL-MODE.” So that means…..

• I can disconnect from the truck……Pizza Hut, here I come!
• I can put down the stabilizers…..no more bounce while walking around!
• I can put storage items back into their normal positions….I can find the black felt-tip pen now!
• I can put up the antenna…..there’s bound to be good TV here!
• I can put my plastic lawn chairs outside….I’m tired of a crowded living room!
• I can take my bicycle off the truck and not have to put it back immediately!

As you can tell, I’m glad to be here. The “parkers” just happened to have parked me right in the section where I know a lot of people from other rallies. It was good to get re-acquainted with them. That 4 o’clock Happy Hour always brings people together!

So, traveling is over for a while. In a day or two, I’ll start planning the trip back!

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

Bruneau Dunes State Park, ID, to Emigrant Springs State Park, OR

Today was such a nice day. The traveling wasn’t hard, and I gained an hour when I crossed over into Pacific Daylight Savings Time. So, right now, my body (still on Texas time) says 7:00 PM but the daylight and the clocks say 5:00 PM. Mentally, I know that I will fall asleep early and get to SLEEP LATE!!! What a treat!!! Now, if someone would just deliver donuts and coffee in the morning!

What a difference a day of traveling makes. Here is a picture of Emigrant Springs State Park where I am staying tonight. This park in Oregon is lush with moisture and trees…..the park yesterday was dry and open. And both are beautiful.



Today, I traveled through some more mountains. Up and then down. Going up is not a problem. My truck has plenty of power for pulling the trailer. But, it is certainly a stomach-tightener when the truck hood makes the top and then slowly slants downward. You instantly realize that you’re about ready to go down. And the down path is a curvy mountain road. And attached securely behind you are 4 ½ tons. And……you’re gaining speed. Instantly, all those articles about mountain driving come to mind, all those conversations with other RVer’s, and all those DOT booklets. But somehow, their bits of information and advice just don’t translate enough to loosen that knot in the stomach and those clenched white knuckles!!! And not one source of information pointed out the need for the driver to breaaaaaathe.

Well, you know that I made it through. I guess all those articles did help. Those articles did stick in my mind, and I did follow their advice. And, it really wasn’t that bad. Really.

Tomorrow, I arrive in Salem, OR, where the rally is being held. I’m looking forward to seeing all the other folks and finding out how their trip was. It should be fun. I wonder if anyone else had a kindly FedEx guy hold traffic for them?

Ya’ll take care.
Suzanne

Willard, UT, to Bruneau Dunes State Park, ID

The trip to Bruneau is being posted today (a day late) because Bruneau Dunes State Park is in a wireless dead zone. My internet capability depends on a cellular “air card” that is plugged into my laptop. The internet service at this park is non-existent.

But everything else I could want was right there. The setting was beautiful; there was no freeway noise; wildlife was abundant; security was excellent; and the RV sites had electricity and water! (For RVer’s out there…..there was also an excellent dump station.)

For some reason, I was really tired, and I really enjoyed being at this park. After settling in at my site, I brought out my chair, my binoculars, my bird book, and my glass of wine. My first sighting of wildlife was off in the distance. I saw three antelope! Naturally, I began humming….“where the deer and the antelope play.” My next sighting of wildlife was the little cottontail rabbit hiding in the bushes over there by the road leading to my site.

Then I saw some quail starting to emerge and look for food. And then, I looked up into the tree next to my site and saw the bird’s nest. The mother had just landed and was feeding the chicks. I noticed because the chicks were so noisy! After watching awhile, I just happened to glance at the branch below the nest. There was a large bird sitting on the branch taking a nap! Its head was tucked back in the sleeping position, and its feathers were all fluffy…..looked like naptime to me!

I did take a picture of that bird, but I can’t show you the picture. My camera just cannot handle that kind of shot. If I posted it here, you wouldn’t be able to see how really neat this bird was. So, I am showing you, instead, what my view of the park was. And then you’ll understand why I enjoyed this park so much.

Ya’ll take care.

Suzanne

Rawlins, WY, to Willard, UT

Today was another travel day, and I must admit that I am very glad that I am writing each night…..the days are starting to run together. I am starting to lose track of what day it is. Today is Tuesday, right?

I saw some beautiful and interesting things today. I actually saw a cowboy. He was just off of I-80…..he was riding a horse....he was on a steep cliff….and he was herding one calf back to its herd. Pretty neat to see. And then, just as I pulled into this state park in Utah, a pheasant flew up in front of me. And just as in Day Two of this trip, this pheasant was spectular.

Traveling today with the trailer was uneventful, but I did have a problem before I left. This morning, I needed to air up my tires. So, I go to get my air compressor which is located in the bed of my pick-up. I unlock my sliding cover and turn the latch, but the latch does NOT disengage. I tug, I re-try the latch. I push, I re-try the latch. I pull. I pull harder. No luck. The sliding cover remains firmly closed. So, I step back, try to relax, and think about what I can do. After a few minutes, I realize that the manufacturers of my sliding cover are in Pompano Beach, FL, and their time is 8:00 AM. They are most likely open!

I give them a call, and they answer! I explain the problem, and they connect me to the technical expert Mark. He suggests a few solutions, and I give them a try. No luck. Then, he suggests getting pliers and a cloth and giving the latch a stronger turn. Now, I am certainly reluctant to try this. I can envision the worst immediately. I can see that latch coming off into my hand…..or shattering onto the sliding cover. Mark points out that everything is fully guaranteed. I think…..yeah, but I’m in Rawlins, WY, and how is a guarantee going to get me on the road? But, I couldn’t think of a better solution so I decided to give it a try. I ask Mark to stay on the line, and I go get my good pliers and a cloth. I gingerly put those pliers on the latch and turn. I hear this wonderful sound…..the latch has released the cover! Joy of joys! I can see that I will indeed get on the road today. I get back on the phone with Mark and thank him profusely. He has gotten me on the road again!

Now, I am camped here on the Great Salt Lake in a grove of cottonwoods. I have just checked my itinerary, and I will be in Idaho tomorrow at another state park. Its major feature is a sand dune! It has the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America (470 feet high). Sounds like fun.

Ya’ll take care.

Suzanne