05/23/26 – Get set, GO!

We had all the bags packed and were to bed by 8:00 pm. We were up at 3:15 am, picked up by Uber at 4:00 am, at the airport and in the TSA line before it opened at 5:00 am, at the gate by 5:15 am, then boarded and took off on time at 6:05 am!! First stop was DFW. Landed in Dallas on time and had plenty of layover time for the flight to Boise. But here came the first glitch!

If you know DFW, it has 6 terminals and two trains that go around to all of them in opposite directions. We just needed to go one terminal over from A to C. Easy. Except the train going in that direction was out of service. And so, the other train was full, and we would have had to go around to all the other terminals as well! We decided to get some of the first steps of our trip and walk. We had plenty of time. Of course, our gate was at the far end of the terminal C. Want to guess the distance? Well, it was about 2 miles.

On to Boise, on time and easy again. Our friend, Lance, was there to pick us up and we got our bags and headed to his home in Nampa. Our first item was to check out the Jeep and make sure it was running after sitting in their driveway for 7 months. And here came the second glitch. It didn’t!

We jumped it with Lance’s truck, and, with some crossed fingers, it finally started up. But when turned off it was dead again. So, we started it again and took it to Lance’s friendly neighborhood mechanic. He diagnosed it as a bad alternator and gave us the cost to replace it. We agreed and drove back to the house. Within an hour he called with good news that the alternator was fine, and it was just a dead battery! At about 1/3 the cost! And would be ready later that day!

Our next item was to check out the RV. We had an appointment at the Mercedes dealer at 7:30 the next morning. We borrowed Lance’s other car and drove over to the RV storage. They had driven it out of the warehouse, and it was ready to go. Go in and it started right up! On the way back, we picked up the Jeep. Everything was set and we went back to Lisa and Lance’s for a quick dinner and to hit the sack. Afterall, with the time difference, we had been up and going for about 20 hours!

Up at 6:30 am. Hopped in the Jeep and headed to the RV again. At the Mercedes dealer at 7:20 am. Waited until the service was done. Everything checked out and with fresh oil and filters, she was ready to hit the road. We stopped at a gas station on the way and filled her up with our first $5.60/gallon diesel. (The last diesel in 2025 was $3.96) We went to the KOA Campground in Meridian where we had stayed last fall at the end of our trip and got her hooked up. We unpacked all that we had brought from Miami and got it stowed. Then headed to the grocery store.

A local Albertsons had everything we needed and after finding places to store it all, we decided we could now officially start our trip the next day.

Our friends wanted to treat us to lunch in downtown Boise at Tupelo Honey that is famous for southern style cooking. The food was good with biscuits and sausage gravy! After a drive by the capital building, we went out to the Boise Botanical Gardens.

Gail was happy to start our exploring with a garden. It had many native plants, so we discovered some new varieties including Rubber Rabbitbrush. I liked the name but did not realize how much of it we would be seeing. Gail enjoyed the many colorful blooms.

Boise is also home to the only monument in the US to Anne Frank. The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is a lovely garden next to the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. The Center was closed but we spent a few minutes reading the selected quotations about peace and human rights from across the ages including many from Anne herself. In case you don’t know, Gail played Anne in a high school production of Anne Frank, so she has a special connection. Her favorite quote: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart” was among the many featured. Check it out if you are in the Boise area. It is very thought-provoking memorial.

And on our last day in Boise, we went out to the Peregrine Fund World Center for Birds of Prey and the Archives of Falconry. Why in Boise? Tom Cade, the founder was an ornithologist and lifelong falconer, living in the area and originally set up the site to help save the Peregrine Falcon from extinction. They also helped with the recovery of the California Condor and got both of them off the endangered species list. It was too windy and cold for an outdoor show, so they put on an indoor exhibition with a small Taiti Falcon and a small Burrowing Owl. And they had some other birds out with handlers after the show. Nice and well presented. There is an Archives of Falconry which explains the history dating back 7000 years and also the current practice of falconry. We would recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Finally for dinner we had real Texas BBQ with Lisa and Lance right across the street from the RV park. So great to have good friends and have the opportunity to visit with them. We will see them again in September!

Filled up the propane tank at the RV park and headed out of town going west to Oregon. Decided to take the southern road which was a little longer but with less traffic. We crossed into Oregon on US Hwy 95 with no fanfare, visitor center, or rest stop. Just a Welcome to Oregon sign with decal stickers stuck all over the sign. Oh well. It was Gail’s 43^rd state.

But as advertised the traffic was very light and mostly we had the road to ourselves. We were surprised by the landscape. Not what we had expected. It is called the High Desert, and it was all of that. From once we reached Burns Junction with Hwy 95 and Oregon Hwy 78 and turned north, the road just went straight! For miles. Reminded me of the running scene in Forest Gump (in Utah). But all in all, it was an interesting drive full of fields of sage brush and not much else. The photos just cannot begin to show the immensity of it!

We got into Burns, OR and into our little campground and decided to drive out in the Jeep to see where to top off the diesel for the RV and walk around downtown. It was mostly closed but Gail did find a small quilt shop still open and did some looking around. We drove up into the mountains and saw a more expansive view of the desert below.

The next morning, we were off early in the Jeep to see the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Malheur Lake (Malheur is misfortune in French and the wagon trains crossing Oregon Trail found the water to be too alkaline to be drinkable) is not really a lake but a huge swamp. Every year the area is home to migrating birds of all kinds. At the Visitor Center there were several feeders out and were being well used by many birds but mainly yellow headed and red winged blackbirds. The ground squirrels also helped themselves with the extra feed falling from the trays above!

We drove into the park itself and to Krumbo Lake, did a short hike around the area and then drove down to Frenchglen. A VERY small town with a little mercantile store and gas pumps. $7.10 for regular and $8.50 for diesel just waiting for those that had not planned ahead!! And I actually decided to add $20 of gas to the Jeep just to be sure to make it back to the RV park. Then we took the start of the Steen Mountain road to see the wild horses but there were none out today!

And finally, on the way back we took another road called the Lava Bed Rd because it went through an old lava bed. We pulled off the road and luckily with the Jeep we could drive back into the field itself and see the lava flow area up close. Very interesting and a little preview of things to come. Then the last stop was at the famous Peter French Round Barn. It is over 130 years old and is part of the area’s history with Peter French raising cattle on unclaimed land. The barns interestingly were built round with a center enclosure for mares and foals and the outer ring to train the horses on drawing wagons in all kinds of weather. There are a pair of horned owls and a new baby that now call the barn home.