The Route
This was a 282 mile drive day. We left Connell, WA on US-395, crossed the Columbia River at Pasco/Kennewick, continued on US-395/I-82 to I-84, then took I-84W down the Columbia River Gorge to Portland. The route through Portland to Dundee seemed like following a strand of spaghetti as we looped around downtown on I-5, found OR-99W, and passed through Tigard, Sherwood, and Newberg to Dundee.
About the Day
It was a sunny, cool day. The temperature hovered around 70°. The real news involves the wind, however. A strong westerly wind tossed us about all the way to Portland. It shifted from a headwind to a cross wind as we followed the gorge. Our gas mileage dropped to 7 mpg along much of the route. As you might guess, the price of gas has increased as we continued west.
The evening was calm.
Along the Way
A blanket of tan-colored smoke appeared as we crossed the Columbia at Pasco. It was with us until we descended into the gorge.
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| West coast smoke gets in our eyes. |
We had a few whoopsies on the way. Ramp markings on the Kennewick side of the Columbia River bridge were confusing to us and the GPS. We ended up on WA-240 instead of US-395. The rerouting took us through a beautiful Columbia River Park. We were thankful for our mistake.
We exited I-84 for gas just east of The Dalles. There were two gas stations. The first was backed up, so we opted for another a little further from the interstate. It was smaller, but appeared to have an open pump. Another car pulled in from the opposing direction as we approached the pump. We were stuck and we were blocking traffic. For the first time in 14 years, we backed the trailer out of a gas station. Ain't travelling fun?
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| Pasco/Kennewick Bridge |
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| Columbia River from Pasco/Kennewick Bridge |
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| We seem to be headed in the right direction. |
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| Columbia River with lots of whitecaps. |
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| Columbia, Washington hillside, and windmills. |
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| This Washington hillside looks like a cuddly blanket. |
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| John Day Dam |
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| Railroad bridge over Columbia - open for barge traffic. |
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| Mt. Hood in the distance |
Travel Trivia
We arrived in Dundee on day 15 after driving 2,824 miles and towing 2,741 miles.
The Campground
We're parked and Barb & Kenny Bagley's farm.
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| Barbara, William, and Lucy are cooking up chili. |
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| Barbara & Lucy play in the trailer |
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| Lucy & William |
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| Carol is glad we finally got here. |
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| William really likes the indoor swing. |
Tomorrow
We continue with family fun and no towing.
🎉🎉🎉
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