Corps of Engineer Parks-Plymouth Park

We traveled about 320 miles today from Mountain Home, Idaho, to Plymouth, Washington. Really, folks, we are not going to continue this feverish pace to get to Washington...well, duh, Sparky, we ARE here in Washington now! We have about ten days until my brother's wedding in Easton, WA, and Eldo just decided to hurry up and get here and wait....which is fine with Sparky, too! We're are going to sit and recoup from eating our way through Sedona and doing the tourist things, and staying in a park that was above our 30.00 a night budget. The park in Sedona, Rancho Sedona, was very nice, very shady, had its own swimming hole by a creek, laundry, etc. and it was 51.00 a night, but it WAS within walking distance of town. Since we are in the middle of nowhere at the moment, (not even a grocery store too close) we'll have to really plan to eat at home....wa-a-a-a-nh! (That Sparky can be a whiner sometimes! sighs Eldy) Eldy wants to know if I'm gonna fire up the grill tonight, ha ha! Maybe I'll have him do it! (see yesterday's blog)

He got on the recreation.gov website this morning and found a Core of Engineers park here in Plymouth, WA. Where is THAT? you ask. Plymouth, a VERY small town, is west of Walla Walla, WA and south of Kennewick, WA, and it appears to sort of be in the middle of nowhere...except it's close to the mighty Columbia River, and it's right off highway 82. It's called Plymouth Campground and it's on Lake Umatilla. The Columbia River is just a hop, skip, and a jump past the lake. Unfortunately, there is no way to go down to the river at the park. However, there is a "day use" area at this park with a little beach and swimming section. These out of the way spots are rather common to Corps of Engineer parks. They usually have something to do with a dam or waterway, and every C.O.E. park we have stayed in has been exceptionally well thought out and the facilities have been excellent. This park is no exception and it's incredible! First of all, it's laid out totally different than your normal RV park. The sites are set up in horizontal, parallel positions down each side of the main road in the park. Almost every site is a pull through. You pull off the road and into a little mini lane parallel to the main road. The sites are HUGE, the park is heavily shaded, but trees are NOT a problem with big rigs. We have a huge metal picnic table, a fire pit, and a large cement pad that the picnic table sits on, then a large graveled area so campfires can be had in the fire pit without worrying about starting a fire in the grass or trees. There is a TON of room to spread out your camp chairs, lounge chairs, and anything else you want to put out. Hammock, anyone? There is even a tiny little laundry since towns are few and far between here.  With the Golden Age Senior Pass, we are paying 12.00 a night for FULL hookups and this huge, green living space for the next week. The area around the park is high desert, and the nearest major town is Kennewick, WA, about 24 miles away. But the park itself is a little green oasis in the desert. They water the grounds and it's really green. And, it's level and flat so I can ride my bike around. Gotta keep trying to keep some semblance of fitness around here, or my body is going to start complaining!

There is a nice breeze blowing every day so far and the humidity is low here, even though it's in the nineties. (Now, if I can just get Sparky to sit still for awhile!)

We are a little far from the Columbia Gorge area, but we'll probably hop in the car after a day or two of rest and go exploring!  See you somewhere tomorrow......We just heard there is a big boat race in Kennewick this weekend, an unlimited hydroplane race--think Miss Budweiser in the good ole days....sounds like fun and Friday is FREE admission, always a good thing to go explore when stuff is free! See you on the Columbia River tomorrow.....