A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 270 miles from Glenns Ferry, Idaho to Alpine, Wyoming.
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Travel from Glenns Ferry, Idaho to Alpine, Wyoming
We drove our coach 270 miles, over four hours of driving, from Glenns Ferry, Idaho to Alpine, Wyoming.
Here’s the map route, heading east:
An interactive map, with potential stops marked:
Our actual stops:
Preparing to leave:
Mural:
Snake River:
Love’s travel centers have been adding RV parks; this looks like a decent one, with pull-through sites:
Wide load:
Shoshone:
Zoomed perspective of the road (highway 26):
Another wide load:
We chose this route so we could visit Craters of the Moon National Monument:
It has some RV parking, which barely fits us, so we were able to visit on a travel day — a first for us:
We unhooked our truck, and drove around the park (see a forthcoming post about that):
When we got back, the RV parking was full:
Onward on US-20:
Arco, Idaho, the first city in the world to be lit by atomic power:
We made an unplanned stop at a rest area, to take a break from unnervingly high wind gusts:
Peaks:
Fuel stop:
We had to wait for a long time due to an inconsiderate truck driver that had parked and gone inside; the convention at truck stops is after fueling you can pull forward and stop for up to 15 minutes, but this driver was gone much longer than that:
Potato fields:
Snake River:
Palisades Dam:
Palisades Reservoir:
“Welcome to Wyoming”:
Our destination:
Basement subwoofer
In a basement compartment of our coach was a subwoofer, presumably synced with the outside TV. We hardly ever use that TV, and wouldn’t want to be booming loud bass sounds when we do, so I’ve had the subwoofer unplugged for ages, and recently removed it and put it into storage.
Here’s the subwoofer, nicely mounted on a shelf:
It is a wireless subwoofer, so the only attachment is a power cord:
The empty shelf:
That seemed like a good place to put a fire extinguisher and first aid kit, so they’re out of the way, but always reachable:
A much better use of that space!
Y Knot Winery RV Park
We stayed at Y Knot Winery RV Park in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A brand-new RV park, still installing landscaping, plus a winery and restaurant.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-07-11
- Check out: 2023-07-13
- 2 nights
Weather:
- Sunny
- High temps ranging between 94-99°F, lows around 58-63°F
- Some evening wind, 23 MPH gusts
Noise:
- No road noise
- Train horn noise (didn’t hear it overnight, fortunately)
- No neighbor noise (no neighbors!)
- A little construction noise
Site:
- #24, pull-through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; left it connected
- Fairly level
- Gravel about 60 feet long by about 12 feet wide
- Grass between sites about 15 feet wide
- Young trees
- No picnic table etc yet
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, somewhat conveniently located
- 80 PSI water, somewhat conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, very inconveniently located (4 10-foot pipes needed; could have managed with 2 if parked the truck in front of the coach)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 17-22 Mbps down, 26-32 Mbps up, 52-115 ms ping
- Verizon: 11-27 Mbps down, 16 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- AT&T: 120 Mbps down, 8-20 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Winery and restaurant
Our review on Campground Reviews:
So new, still under construction
We stayed here for two nights on our way through Idaho on I-84. We were in the new section, which was being landscaped as we arrived. We were originally in site 31, but they hadn’t finished landscaping it yet, and I could tell from a distance that it was going to be far too short and sloped for us. Since we had the place to ourselves, we pulled into site 24 and called the lovely ladies at the winery to explain the situation. They were more than happy to swap our site and also noticed that I had (like another reviewer) accidentally selected 3 nights, instead of 2, through the online booking site, so she gave me a refund for the extra night. This place is going to be really nice when they finish the landscaping, and I look forward to coming through in the future. The restaurant at the winery was also very nice and worth a visit. We camped at Y Knot Winery RV Park in a Motorhome.
The campground map; we had booked site #31, but ended up in site #24 (read on for why):
This was site 31, occupied by sod pallets:
I asked them to move them, but we then realized that the site was very unlevel (several inches front to back, and some side-to-side), plus they were still working on it. So we decided to take one of the sites that already had sod, and was much more level:
Our site:
The sewer hookup was super inconvenient; good thing I have 40 feet of hoses:
Sometimes I think we could offer an RV park design consulting service, to help people avoid mistakes like this.
Sod cleanup:
Other sites; there were only two other RVs in the park:
A truck with a load of trees:
They took a corner a bit too sharp, and broke the sewer cap (another reason that’s a stupid place for it, though to be fair RVs wouldn’t normally be going that way around the corner):
Unloading the trees:
This RV park is across the road (and part of) the Y Knot Winery; we went there for dinner:
The finest wines of Idaho (video clip):
Bread:
Charcuterie board:
My steak and baked spud:
Jenn’s dessert:
Vines:
The old campground; we wouldn’t fit in most of those sites:
The new campground:
Video: La Grande, Oregon to Glenns Ferry, Idaho motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 242 miles from La Grande, Oregon to Glenns Ferry, Idaho.
Travel from La Grande, Oregon to Glenns Ferry, Idaho
We drove our coach 242 miles, about four hours of driving, from La Grande, Oregon to Glenns Ferry, Idaho.
Here’s the map route, heading southeast:
Interactive map, with potential stops marked:
Another interactive map, with the places we actually stopped:
I-84:
Cementworks:
Rest area stop:
Snuggling with Paladin:
A video from our internal security cam while our coach was driving down the road; it’s a rolling earthquake, but much more stable than a trailer. If you look closely, you may notice Paladin asleep on the stacked dining chairs in the lower-right corner:
River:
I-84:
“Oregon Thanks You, Come Back Soon”; yep, we’ll be back every year, as we tour around the country and return to Washington each year for health checkups etc:
“Welcome to Idaho”:
Another rest area:
A biplane crop duster:
Fuel stop:
Paladin asleep:
River:
Murals:
Water tower:
River:
Y Knot Winery:
Our coach parked at the winery while we checked in:
Their RV park, still under construction:
Grande Hot Springs Resort
We stayed at Grande Hot Springs Resort in La Grande, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Our second visit to this resort; our first visit was in a rented trailer on the way to Yellowstone. This time we were also on our way to Yellowstone, via the Tetons, but in our motorhome.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-07-09
- Check out: 2023-07-11
- 2 nights
Weather:
- Sunny, thunderstorm
- High temps ranging between 84-92°F, lows around 51-59°F
- Some evening wind, 20 MPH gusts
Noise:
- No road noise
- Rumbling train noise (no horns)
- No neighbor noise
Site:
- #31, pull-through, gravel
- Didn’t need to disconnect toad; left it connected
- Fairly level
- Gravel about 90 feet long by about 11 feet wide
- Grass between sites about 20 feet wide
- Tiny picnic table on grass
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 50 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 15 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
- Verizon: 13-27 Mbps down, 9-13 Mbps up, 36 ms ping
- AT&T: 5 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 140 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpsters
- Thermal pools
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Convenient spot to stop in Eastern Oregon
This was our second stay here, and it was just as nice as the first time. However, I didn’t remember feeling the earth move whenever one of the huge freight trains went by, which we definitely felt this time. If you’re a light sleeper, just be aware they go by all night. Our site was a decent-sized pull-through with the most ridiculously tiny picnic table I’ve ever seen. The hot springs soaking pools were nice after a long day of driving, but the mosquitoes put a damper on the experience. As did the loud, obnoxious group of partiers in one of the pools. Having said all that, though, we did enjoy our stay here as it’s a nice, convenient stop along I-84, and the grounds are very nice, with a small stream running through it. We camped at Grande Hot Springs Resort in a Motorhome.
The campground map:
Interactive map:
Our site:
Tiny picnic table:
Utilities:
Our site:
We went for a dip in the big pool on our first evening, during the adults-only time after dark (which was not as pleasant as it could be, due to several very loud people, and mosquitos):
Pools:
The entrance sign:
Fountain in center of driveway:
Office:
Bridge over hot canal:
Tent sites beyond canal:
Open area:
Feral cat (notice the ear tip); probably staff:
Fire pit:
Group tent area:
Cabin:
Yurts:
Garbage and recycling:
Other sites; the park was mostly empty:
Neighboring hot lake:
Sunset:
Video: Welches to La Grande, Oregon motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 262 miles from Welches, Oregon to La Grande, Oregon.
Travel from Welches to La Grande, Oregon
We drove our coach 262 miles, about four hours of driving, from Welches, Oregon to La Grande, Oregon.
Here’s the map route, heading east:
Interactive map:
Preparing to toad up in the maintenance area:
Mount Hood:
Our tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) reported a high temperature on the front passenger-side tire, which was concerning, but resolved itself (they normally run at less than 99°F):
Columbia River:
A stop at a rest area:
Paladin was enjoying sitting on the stacked dining chairs:
Interesting overpass:
Dam:
Sternwheeler river boat:
Bridge:
Wind turbines:
Another dam:
Bridge:
Another rest area; we were amused by the motorhome towing a jet-ski:
We ran the generator so we could use the ACs, but got a wiring status error; when I looked at the generator later, I noticed that the breaker was off; no doubt from when we got it serviced recently; I’m glad it wasn’t an actual fault:
Solar farm:
A viewpoint stop:
A sharp corner onto a dirt road towards our destination:
Our destination:
Mt Hood Village RV & Camping Resort, again
We stayed at Mt Hood RV & Camping Resort in Welches, Oregon. (Campground Reviews listing.)
Our second visit to this nice Thousand Trails Encore park; we stayed here last year in late July.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-06-30
- Check out: 2023-07-09
- 9 nights
Weather:
- Sunny
- High temps ranging between 74-90°F, lows around 50-61°F
- No significant wind
Noise:
- No road noise
- No train noise
- Negligible neighbor noise
Site:
- Hemlock Meadows #97, back in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach (on gravel)
- Unlevel; used blocks on the front jacks
- Fairly large site: gravel about 50 feet long by about 22 feet wide, plus about 20 feet wide weedy bark area
- Picnic table and fire pit on gravel
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 55 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, a little inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- Starlink: 22-83 Mbps down, 5-11 Mbps up, 35-110 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 11 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- Verizon: 10-13 Mbps down, 5-8 Mbps up, 150 ms ping
- AT&T: 6-8 Mbps down, 6 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpsters
- Closed indoor pool
- Onsite restaurant
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Excellent campground near Mt Hood
This was our second stay here, and still really love it. We were originally assigned a site in the Vine Maple Loop that would have been too small for us, so we asked if there were any open sites in the Hemlock Meadows section, which is a more open area with bigger sites. The helpful staff member at the front gate gave us a couple of choices and told us to let her know which one we picked. Seeing as it was the weekend of the 4th of July, we were so relieved that there was availability. We picked site 97, which was on a corner and gave us a large living area backing onto trees, with a good view of the sky for the Starlink. On a side note: We had dinner at the Dragonfly Cafe, which has really good food, but they seemed to be having some massive staffing issues. It took nearly 2 hours from ordering to checkout, and I’m pretty sure the one and only waitress walked off the job while we were eating as the one and only cook had to act as cashier. We never went back, fearing a repeat, which is a shame because I’d been dreaming of their eggs benedict for the past year. We camped at Mt Hood Village RV Resort in a Motorhome.
The campground map:
Interactive map:
Our site was nice and spacious, and we made use of our new flagpole for the Starlink dish (and you may notice something different about our truck; more on that on Monday):
Steak and potato salad, watching a Mariners baseball game on the outside TV from the tent:
Unlike normal Thousand Trails parks, Encore ones assign sites. We had originally been assigned a different site, but asked when checking in if they had other options, since we thought this wouldn’t fit us; they agreed it wouldn’t be a good fit.
Looking at it later (the left one in the following picture), we were definitely right to change; it was narrow and very sloped:
The main plaza area, with the (closed) indoor pool, rec center, offices, and cafe:
We enjoy when there’s an onsite restaurant; this campground has the Dragonfly Cafe:
We went there for dinner on our first evening (always nice not having to cook on a travel day). Which was a rather drama-filled experience; we waited over an hour for our food, then the server walked out partway through, and the cook had to come out and accept payment from us and others. It was tasty, though; burger for me:
Prime rib for Jenn:
Laundry:
Other sites in the Hemlock Meadows loop:
See our previous visit for lots more pictures of other loops.
We enjoyed our stay here, and would definitely stay again in the future.