John Day

Heading out from Bend we took Hwy 26 east. This was the first time the now-frequently used term 'butt-clenching' (and its variations) were introduced into our family vocabulary. As in, we're cruising happily along out of Bend, then the highway takes a sharp left, and then, oh, we're going straight down another hairpin into Prineville, aren't we?!? Then, safely at the bottom, "Well, that was a butt-clencher, wasn't it everyone?" 

Luckily from there on out the road meandered peacefully through some farms and we were all able to relax and enjoy the drive. 

 As we got closer to the John Day Fossil Beds national monument we wound through the canyons, in awe of the scenery. 

The Sheep Rock.

In these more remote areas it can be a bit tricky to find a good place to camp for the night. Sometimes things are advertised as RV parks, but they are really mobile home parks with mostly full-time residents and tricky parking and navigating. We could technically head to a true campground, too, but in unknown areas we're still not in the 'zone' to drive into an area that we're not sure we can get out of. (We do have roadside assistance, do you think they'd come if we accidentally put our RV in a tent spot and can't get it out?)

We found the John Day fairgrounds (and RV park!), which turned out to be a great place to stay. We were within walking distance of downtown, and the only stoplight in the whole county. (They have a bench there on the corner, so you can do a bit of car watching on a slow evening.) We had deer walk through in the evenings, and the only radio station in the area was on the corner. (The programming kept us on our toes, you start the morning with old-school country, progressing into more pop-ish country, then disco/jazz in the evening.) 

We also had our first laundromat experience, which was fun to do as a team.

She's way cuter than Rachel Green, and way more helpful. =)