Road Trek Trial Run, Part 1

Spring break was the test run for the new to us Road Trek.  My vintage trailer was a basic homey little sleeping quarters with a propane stove for cooking and an ice box.  I had solar to run the lights and recharge batteries and I liked that it had few issues to go wrong.  Realizing the RT has a more systems we had a learning curve ahead of us to learn how and when to operate all the systems.

Prior to leaving on our week test run, I had it visit an RV shop to check out the systems and have a walk through to learn how to operate the systems. The night before leaving I slept in the RT to be sure we had enough blankets to stay warm and adjust the furnace for comfort.  I could not get the water pump to pressure equalize so we ended up staying and extra night to have the RV tech show me what to do to release the air lock.  Simple now that I know!!

The day we left it snowed…..rained…..sleeted…..blew….. a typical Northwest Spring day.  But we left and headed out for a few days..  Fortunately the snow was only a one day event and melted before afternoon.

The inverter blew a fuse so I had the opportunity to figure out a few things along the way. I can see that I will need to have an inverter hard wired to accommodate the laptop as the inverter plus the computer draw to many amps to use a 12 volt plug.  So many lessons.

We traveled the first night to Spring Canyon in Central Washington and spent the first night at one of our favorite spots.  With only one other camper/fisherman we had all the peace and quiet one could want.  Set up was a breeze and we settled in for a quiet night.  We explored the beach area before heading out the next morning.

         Nightly price for seniors during the off season, $4.50now $9.00 during the summer months.  

I have never seen the water level during the winter or spring.  It is much lower revealing long sand bars and exposing the beach and dock area.

That is a whole lot of beach front exposed!

Then we were off to drive down the Coulee Corridor on our way to the Center of the state at Vantage.

What a gorgeous drive during the spring.  Most of the center of the state is arrid and dry.... but for a few short weeks in the spring it is full of green. and some wild flowers to brighten up the landscape.

We did some sight seeing and some hiking along the way.  I have lived in Washington State all of my life except for 12 years.  I have crossed the state many times and never stopped near Vantage for the Wild Horses Statues.  Oh sure I looked from a distance but never stopped to hike up the bluff.  It was never a good time or the weather was bad, or, there was always a reason, an excuse, or a procrastination .  NOT THIS TIME!

The sculpture, ca"Grandfather Cut Loose the Ponies" was created by David Govedare from Chewelah, WA in 1989–1990 and is situated across the river from Vantage, WA.   It consists of 15 life-size steel horses which appear to be galloping across a ridge above the Columbia River.
 

The designer envisioned the horses emerging from a 36 foot tall tipped basket.  Funding restraints have prevented the basket from joining the wild horses but the horses have become one of the most viewed art installation in Washington State.

Presented as a gift for the Centennial Celebration of of Washington's statehood, the sculpture was conceived as a memorial to the wild horses which roamed the region.

While the horses can be seen from the highway from viewpoints when traveling East and West on I-90 they can only be accessed from the East bound interstate at a viewpoint that also overlooks the Columbia River.  It is well worth the short hike.


We also crossed over the Columbia River and made lunch at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest, another stop I had never made before.
 

The visitor center is only open on weekends this time of year though there seemed to be plenty of folks who were stopping.  There were several trails to explore and beautiful views of the magnificent Columbia River.

I guess I will need to put it on my be sure to stop again when the Center is open.

I am in awe of the size of the Columbia River.  It is certainly backed up here by a dam downstream but it's volume is mind boggling.  Last year the river was down a great deal as the Wanapum  Dam was repaired due to cracks in the dam structure.  This year it is back to the regular volume and the campground is back open.     

Stay tuned for Part 2 and the Road Trek Review

~Happy Trails~