The Dalles, Oregon

A call from RV mentor friends, Jim and Lee Block, just as we were about to head for Seattle on July 28th caused us to change our plans.  They were camped near The Dalles, Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge.  Normally, we would take that route to get to Kennewick, Washington, but this time we were planning to go to the Seattle area first and then via Yakima to Kennewick and miss the Gorge.  We decided to join them for a few days at Columbia River Gorge RV Resort, a Coast to Coast park.  What a beautiful park it was!  Each site was nestled in the trees with wonderful views.  The only drawback was a forest fire burning about three miles away.  We could see it from the golf course and a drive around the mountain gave us a bird's eye view of the fire, which was not a threat to us at any time.  

Gerry managed a nice surprise for Terry's birthday.  We were all at the club house playing cards.  Lee baked a carrot cake and Gerry brought out all the gifts he had been collecting along the way (and that came in the mail).   Sandy called the cell phone from Lodi just as they all started singing "Happy Birthday!"  

They joined us for a riverboat trip down the Columbia River on a triple-decker paddle wheeler and the Blocks took us to two incredible vista points along the Gorge where the scenery was just spectacular.  They are such a fun couple and Lee is such a great baker - her apple cake is out of this world.