The good, the bad and the indifferent

If you've followed this blog for very long you know we've stayed in some really scenic places, some that have full services and are carefully maintained, others that are picturesque but very rustic, and then there's this one.

Last night we stopped in Fruitland, Idaho, to catch up on laundry and shop for groceries. The place we'd intended to stay turned out to be right on the railroad tracks. Been there, done that, didn't like it, so we kept looking. There are very few RV parks or campgrounds in this area, so we opted for the "bare bones" approach.

The Exit-3 RV Park (ing lot), behind the Fruitland Produce Barn, served our purposes, and you can't beat $15 for the night, with water and power. The "park" is fully graveled, full of maple trees, so there's lots of shade, and right on the edge of vegetable fields that supply the produce market in front. Even though the park is near the freeway it was not particularly noisy, as the freeway is elevated and noise seems to travel up. It was hot, so we left the bedroom door open a bit, and drifted off to sleep to the aroma of mint and lemon balm. There are worse things!

Today we are moving west, toward John Day, Oregon. As we leave the Great Basin area I have to say, it's been heartwarming to see all the small (by industry standards) farms and ranches that are well maintained and producing crops of corn, wheat, alfalfa, and salad crops. I've seen more ranchers than I can count on horseback, or on the ground mending fence with their horse waiting patiently to the side, fat, sleek (and presumably happy) cattle and horses, teenagers running large farm machinery, and small rural communities that still pull together no matter what the economy is doing. THIS is America, and yes, this way of life still exists. I do need to set the record straight on one thing - in the Great Basin they aren't "cowboys", they are "buckaroos". If you'd like to see more of what this life is like, check out this link Kurt Markus then click on "western archive". Kurt Markus has a feel for the lifestyle that most authors and photographers just can't equal. Click on the link for his book "Buckaroos", to see what that offers. He captures this area with a sensitivity unmatched by other photographers.