Bauer Tales from the RV Trails: Hay Pyramids in Washington State

Monday we had high hopes of finding the pumpkin patch we stopped at last year on the Interstate between Spokane and Pasco but the only problem was we couldn't remember where exactly it was. The pumpkin patch ended up being almost at Pasco which was 2 hours from Spokane but the kids were quite patient in the car despite the seemingly never-ending turns that did not produce our end result as quickly as anticipated. Finally, however, we found it! It was such a fun stop with amazing home-cooked meals in their country shop and then adventures to be had with climbing the 2 hay pyramids and the kids even tried out the mini hay maze setup. It was actually quite amusing watching the kids as it was about as high as Emerson's head. They didn't find their way out and finally asked to be lifted out but they definitely wore off some energy running around.

We also visited the (almost sickly) petting zoo where the animals did not look quite right and then finished off the adventure with a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch. This year we could actually pick one and will carve it in Palm Springs. Emerson had fun finding just the right pumpkin and Avalynn was ecstatic with her little baby pumpkin she found and carried around the rest of the trip.

The kids were quite tired after our stop so we continued the journey along the Columbia River in Oregon (one of the prettiest drives I have been on) and then headed south on US-97 towards Klamath Falls. Once we left the main interstate it certainly felt like we were in no-man's land but it was a nice drive through the high desert terrain. For dinner we stopped at a Bear Country Diner in Madras which was a diner filled with bears - stuffed and statues. The kids had fun exploring the restaurant and luckily the waitresses thought it was cute and not a nuisance. We made it to North Redmond KOA, in the dark and rain, and settled in for the night.

Today it was about 8C out so we called it an inside day and headed to Target in Bend and Olive Garden for lunch. I had hoped to camp in Klamath Falls but after driving through the downtown it looked like quite a run down place - perhaps we missed where all the tourists go? We pulled in to a Rest Area just south of town and cooked up a fish and risotto dinner while the kids happily played, just glad to be out of their seats for a while. I like to try to keep somewhat of a bedtime routine while on the road so whenever I can we pull out the little wash basin and do bathtime and get into jammies and have snack before we head off driving for a couple more hours in the dark. Sometimes it works and they fall asleep but other times no such luck.

Tonight we're camped in Abrham Lake, CA (just south of Weed). We had hoped to make it to Shasta Lake but strong winds took us off the Interstate (one we were glad to see after taking the scenic US-97 for all of Oregon). We are praying for that familiar California sun to show its face soon!