Gooseberryleaf globe mallow
Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia

When we left Hilgard Junction State Park last Friday (8/28), we stopped at the Albertson's in Pendleton to pick up groceries. We were planning on staying at LePage Park near Rufus, a place we've stayed on several occasions, but they only had one site left...the one right next to the outhouse. We were willing to stay in the overflow section, but there is a rule there that no one can stay in the overflow section unless all spaces in the campground are filled. So we headed a few miles down the road and parked in a free area along the Columbia River just downriver from the John Day Dam. We had a much better view there and had the bonus of being able to watch Native Americans catching Salmon using nets.

Saturday morning, we headed off toward Portland, stopping at the Camping World in Wood Village to pick up a couple of items...which they didn't have. So we headed on down the road to the next Camping World in Wilsonville, but they didn't have what we were looking for either! In fact, the Wilsonville store was so bare, we asked the woman at the checkout counter whether or not the store was closing. No, she said, the new owners (FreedomRoads...apparently the company that had owned them before Affinity Group bought them, according to this Camping World employee) either had or hadn't changed over the computer system (I don't remember which) so they were not able to order new stock! Strangely, Camping World's website says nothing about being bought by FreedomRoads, although under "History," it does say they've "joined together" -- whatever that means!

Anyway, we went on ahead and spent the night at the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde. Shortly after parking, staff at the Casino cleared an area near where we were parked so that a rescue helicopter could land. They sat there for a long time before an ambulance arrived and they transferred the patient to the helicopter and took off.

On Sunday, we drove to Tillamook where we checked in at the Tillamook Bay City RV Park. First, though, we toured the Tillamook Air Museum.