Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fun in Washington, Oregon & the Rain!

Here are my pictures as promised.  It took a bit to get the pictures from one computer to another and then upload, all of which we don't seem to have time to do on vacation!  This is the Jellystone Campground in Missoula that we stayed at.  Very beautiful in the background and wonderful bathrooms!!!

To those that are concerned about our brakes - it was not a mechanical or driver error that overheated them, but an effort to have common courtesy to the driver of the Enterprise truck that was tailing us down the mountain.  In an effort to move off the road down-hill, Mr. Airstream had to slam on the brakes to get everything to a stop, which in turn overheated them.  We have brakes on the Airstream and a hand controller, but after some deep, technical discussions with Mr. Airstream's brake supplier, it was decided to keep the brakes on the Airstream set lightly.  It is better to burn out the brakes on the truck, than the Airstream.  Truck brakes can be changed easier and cheaper, whereas the Airstream ones aren't meant to stop the truck & tow, just the tow...hense the lighter brake setting.  All is ok - the truck brakes recovered quickly, as did everyone's racing hearts.  Hope the Enterprise driver appreciates the courtesy, but we have our doubts!
We went over the border to Oregon on our first day for a tour of the Columbia River Gorge.  It was raining off and on all day, but it didn't deter us from having a wonderful time.After visiting many of the falls along the Historic route, we ended up at the Multnomah Falls, the big Daddy of them all!  What a beautiful sight!  We would have loved to hike up to the bridge in front of it, if it wasn't for the pouring rain!Our final stop before navigating the traffic home, was the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.  We got to feed the trout in the picture and also saw Herman the Stergeon (sp?).  He is 10 feet long and quite a novelty with the kids.  All agreed they could do a few more hatcheries along the way.  We may have to start hitting them in WI soon!

3 comments:

  1. Yup! Learned that trailer brakes are only for keeping the trailer from passing the tow vehicle under braking. Not to stop the whole rig. Glad you have finally slowed down to see and experience the country.

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  2. Uncle Bill and Aunt MaryMay 25, 2010 at 2:41 PM

    Beautiful pictures -- sometimes the overcast helps bring out the colors. That area of the country is usually a bit damper than what you're used to. Glad that you're all having fun! We love to hear about your travels and see the pictures, but the memories you make are the most important. You can always blog later, if necessary.

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  3. Just caught up with your blog. You guys have done an amazing job geting your trailer together and out on the road so quickly. It looks great. Our Overlander has a very similar layout (bunk beds and all). Glad to see the layout is working well for your family. Welcome to Washington. Hope you have a great time here.

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