Captivating

We woke up to ice and sleet covering the ground. For breakfast, I took Barb to the Flying J truck stop just a few miles from the campsite. Driving on even the main roads was dicey. The truck stop was surrounded by trucks that had spent the night with a sprinkling of RV’s and cars mixed in. The word from the truckers was bleak. It was even more treacherous on the passes on both sides of us.

We spent the morning in La Grande. The Oregon Trail passed through here and La Grande was a major camping area for the wagons. As the morning progressed, the ice and snow on the streets melted. We returned to the rig around noon and found our neighbors preparing to leave. The DOT cameras on the website showed that the roads on the pass had cleared and temps were above freezing. But the DOT website also warned of impending storms.

Barb and I decided not to go. In this instance, erring on the side of safety did not work. As we toured the historic city of nearby Union, the weather continued to warm to 42 degrees and the skies were blue with puffy clouds. We had an early dinner in Union. After eating at the truck stop for breakfast, Barb did not want to eat at Gravy Dave’s which had been recommended by the camp host. We did eat at the historic hotel which had entertained the likes of Clark Gable. A fine meal in a very empty town.

On returning to the campsite at around 6, the skies were still clear and temps were in the 40’s. On checking the DOT website cams for the passes, it again showed that the roads were clear and temps above freezing. Opportunity lost. We would have had plenty of time to leave this Grande Ronde Valley, beautiful and captivating. But I really don’t want to be a captive.

It is now 8 a.m. on Sunday, it is snowing/sleeting and the web cams show that chains are again required on the pass. It may be another captivating day in the Grande Ronde.