July 21st: We decided to try to "hit the road" one more time: I hope we can keep traveling, but everything depends on Holland's medical issues - he is retired on disability. He is giving my dream a gung-ho effort, and I love him for it; but our marriage is more important than a trip across America.
Traveling under tension when the pain is overwhelming, is not fun.
Only Elohim knows if the two can be satisfactorily dove-tailed.
We pulled stakes in Castle Rock-WA around 1:30 PM this afternoon, outran wildfire smoke across eastern oregon, and reached Post Falls around midnight. We couldn't find an RV spot, so we hunkered down in a Wal*Mart parking lot overnight.
We were bone tired, and struggling a little bit with the smoky haze - but Elohim was faithful and neither one of us suffered lung distress, though my chest did hurt; but I did not have even a little asthma complication.
Elohim is good :-)
Furbaby is growing up; I found a baby tooth found on the inside steps this morning.
Holland getting Bleu 'dressed'.
Leaving Castle Rock; my 'Quiet Challenge' has officially begun.
Oh Snap! Sandal blowout around Woodland-WA
Holland nipped into the Gee Greek Rest Area this side of Ridgefield-WA. I changed sandals … and Holland waited out the back-to-back freeway traffic; every truck slot was taken, so we parked here - there was no where else to park.
Busy, busy, busy - and WA wants to make this bridge a Toll Bridge, a.g.a.i.n.!
Holland couldn't stand the quietness; LOL. 3:30 PM
We passed 'Oxbow State Park' in the Oregon Gorge, and got a surprise … we both thought the Oxbow was in Montana (3010 SE Oxbow Pkwy, Gresham, OR 97080).
We saw a huge smoke cloud across the Columbia River, as we drove through Arlington-OR (https://www.cityofarlingtonoregon.com/).
Bickleton, Washington Wildfire: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/wildfire/6000-acre-brush-fire-burning-klickitat-county/281-82e52b9b-f6dd-4c0c-8370-4fb59e9b2a0d
We had debated driving the WA Gorge side, or the OR Gorge side - I'm glad Holland decided to skip the Washington side, watching the BIG smoke cloud. Our lungs could not have handled that.
Holland decided to take Hwy. #730 to cross the River on our way to Montana.
We're going to try to stay ahead of the smoke cloud - but the drift is extensive.
RV Parks couldn't be found along the route, but there were RV Parks e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. in Irrigon-OR, and we couldn't stop!
Harvest Foods Big Cowboy; Umatilla-OR
(https://findyournorthwest.com/columbia-harvest-foods/ & https://www.harvestfoodsnw.com/)
Back in Washington … despite the round-about-2 State Route, this really is the quickest route; with or without the wildfires breaking out.
Aiming for Hwy. #395 … hoping to escape the worst of the drifting smoke cloud.
The smoke odor was very strong - it could be tasted on the tongue. My chest was tightening up as it seeped into the pickup, and I was concerned about Holland's "ify" lungs, too.
Thankfully we are moving further away from the wildfires. The smoke is thinning out some.
Bleu isn't liking the smoky odor-taste, either.
Getting closer to the Pasco-Richland area, the sun was looking pretty normal. The atmosphere is still smoky, but it's a lot clearer than what was behind us.
Traveling the route to Coeur d'Alene (pronounced core-da-lane)-ID
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