2014 Aug 10 - Umatilla, Oregon to Redmond, Oregon

Awoke to a beautiful morning with a view overlooking the Columbia River on the Oregon side, so I grabbed my camera, tripod and after letting the dogs out for a brief pee, took a walk around to get some pics, some of which were posted in my previous post.
Everyone was up by 8 and we were on the road by 9:30, with Keith in the lead, followed by Tom and Elaine and then us.  The 2 Garys followed about 5 minutes later and quickly caught up with us.

We stopped briefly at Biggs, where we changed direction and headed south.

The drive along the Columbia River to that point
was very nice as it is semi-desert while you drive
in the valley created by the river.


It got progressively hotter as we drove south towards Redmond, and by the time we got there in mid afternoon, it was about 35 C (95 F), and the parking was in a parking lot!  The organization was really good with lots of volunteers directing parking.  We got an excellent spot (inner circle) right next to where the seminars and events were to be held. Next to us was Keith & Rita and then Tom and Elaine.  Gary and Pat had opted for full camping with full hook-up (in retrospect, we should have also, although it was quite expensive for 3 days at 165 US). Gary and Marsha had opted for electricity only.

We were set up pretty quickly and then it was time for a beer and some supper.  Because the heat was quite high, we found we were running the diesel generator for a couple of hours a day. This not only kept the unit cooler but also charged the batteries, which had a 10 amp draw at all times due to the household fridge and freezer we have on board.