Hell's Canyon
The first major stop we had was in at the border towns, Lewiston/Clarkston. [ ID/WA]
Although we did stop in Couer D'Alene, Idaho, and that place is gorgeous!
Back to hells canyon.
At the top of this massive hill covered only in dry dead brown grass we pulled the car off the road and looked into the valley. There was a huge city nestled in the bottom of the canyon with a river running through it. The river was actually the state line between Washington and Idaho. It was hotter then a sunny day in hell and the radio couldn't pick up any stations. Eeiry. Down we drove. We stopped for gas and saw a brochure for a tour down Snake River, right through the heart of Hell's Canyon. It was pretty pricey but we thought it would be a good idea anyways. The river looked cool and it promised rapids and a super fast boat. We were in. Driving up the massive hill in the middle of town led to a few problems. I say it was hot, and I mean HOT. Waiting at a red light mid-hill I noticed that my check fluids light came on. Followed by the check engine light and all those other lights you did not want to see. Looking up, back to the road and light, I see that the front of the car is now billowing smoke from under to hood. This can not be good. Problem.... we are midhill. Cars in front of us, cars behind us, no where to go but further up the hill. The light went green and I gunned it. Hoping and praying that the sudden burst of energy with ZERO fluid in the car would not lead to spontaneous combustion. Luckily it didn't start on fire, but I worried of the damaged that few hundred yards could have caused. Right at the top of the hill was a Wal-Mart. We pulled in, do you think there was one tree providing shade to park the overheating car under? Not a chance. Opened the hood to a face full of smoke/steam, took of the coolant lid to find a dry dry empty tank. Oh dear. Called AMA, there wasn't much they could do besides tow us to a garage and that would take about 2 - 3 hrs for them to arrive. um no thanks. So what else is there to do? Call Daddy. Being a mechanic in the past he had some good advice, let it cool down, fill it with water and drive to a garage. Sounds cheaper then getting a tow! So we killed a few hrs in wal-mart. Finally made it to a garage and the guy said, oh I can't get you in until 3 - 4 days time.....!!! ... What? We explained the situation, how we were from Canada and on a trip and 3 - 4 days would cost us a lot of time and money and etc. Funny how more accommodating people become when they find out you are Canadian. He went in to the garage, found the stuff we needed [ coolant] after getting the model etc of the car. Funny Reaction when we told him the Kms [ he assumed Miles ] so was very astonished! And then he proceeded to pour the coolant onto the road through the engine of my car. We had blown a hose. We got a new hose and another jug of coolant and were on our way in 45 min or less. He was amazing. The river tour wasn't until the following day, so we drove through town out to Camp Timothy to set up the tent. Decided against using the air-conditioning in the car. I had to use a shirt or something to grab the steering wheel to drive, it was that hot. Deodorant turned to liquid in an hour.
The trip down the river was cool. Huge canyon walls on either side, amazing scenery and sun shining everywhere. We stopped at a historical site for lunch. There was a small fruit garden that boasted grape vines, pears, apples, plums and a few other fruits. It was great. Around the side of one of the buildings was a thermometer perched on the wall. It was on the shady side of the building. It read 36 * C. This is out of the sunlight in the shade with a light breeze. 36 in the SHADE! Jamie and I had been putting on 45 factor sunscreen every hour or so. It was so hot we felt like our skin was melting off. After lunch we took a dip in the river, which was cold, but so refreshing it was worth every minute of it. At one point along the tour, we were at the junction of three states. WA/ ID/ OR. Neat.
Continued on from there West. To the coast of Oregon, along the pacific coast highway.
Although we did stop in Couer D'Alene, Idaho, and that place is gorgeous!
Back to hells canyon.
At the top of this massive hill covered only in dry dead brown grass we pulled the car off the road and looked into the valley. There was a huge city nestled in the bottom of the canyon with a river running through it. The river was actually the state line between Washington and Idaho. It was hotter then a sunny day in hell and the radio couldn't pick up any stations. Eeiry. Down we drove. We stopped for gas and saw a brochure for a tour down Snake River, right through the heart of Hell's Canyon. It was pretty pricey but we thought it would be a good idea anyways. The river looked cool and it promised rapids and a super fast boat. We were in. Driving up the massive hill in the middle of town led to a few problems. I say it was hot, and I mean HOT. Waiting at a red light mid-hill I noticed that my check fluids light came on. Followed by the check engine light and all those other lights you did not want to see. Looking up, back to the road and light, I see that the front of the car is now billowing smoke from under to hood. This can not be good. Problem.... we are midhill. Cars in front of us, cars behind us, no where to go but further up the hill. The light went green and I gunned it. Hoping and praying that the sudden burst of energy with ZERO fluid in the car would not lead to spontaneous combustion. Luckily it didn't start on fire, but I worried of the damaged that few hundred yards could have caused. Right at the top of the hill was a Wal-Mart. We pulled in, do you think there was one tree providing shade to park the overheating car under? Not a chance. Opened the hood to a face full of smoke/steam, took of the coolant lid to find a dry dry empty tank. Oh dear. Called AMA, there wasn't much they could do besides tow us to a garage and that would take about 2 - 3 hrs for them to arrive. um no thanks. So what else is there to do? Call Daddy. Being a mechanic in the past he had some good advice, let it cool down, fill it with water and drive to a garage. Sounds cheaper then getting a tow! So we killed a few hrs in wal-mart. Finally made it to a garage and the guy said, oh I can't get you in until 3 - 4 days time.....!!! ... What? We explained the situation, how we were from Canada and on a trip and 3 - 4 days would cost us a lot of time and money and etc. Funny how more accommodating people become when they find out you are Canadian. He went in to the garage, found the stuff we needed [ coolant] after getting the model etc of the car. Funny Reaction when we told him the Kms [ he assumed Miles ] so was very astonished! And then he proceeded to pour the coolant onto the road through the engine of my car. We had blown a hose. We got a new hose and another jug of coolant and were on our way in 45 min or less. He was amazing. The river tour wasn't until the following day, so we drove through town out to Camp Timothy to set up the tent. Decided against using the air-conditioning in the car. I had to use a shirt or something to grab the steering wheel to drive, it was that hot. Deodorant turned to liquid in an hour.
The trip down the river was cool. Huge canyon walls on either side, amazing scenery and sun shining everywhere. We stopped at a historical site for lunch. There was a small fruit garden that boasted grape vines, pears, apples, plums and a few other fruits. It was great. Around the side of one of the buildings was a thermometer perched on the wall. It was on the shady side of the building. It read 36 * C. This is out of the sunlight in the shade with a light breeze. 36 in the SHADE! Jamie and I had been putting on 45 factor sunscreen every hour or so. It was so hot we felt like our skin was melting off. After lunch we took a dip in the river, which was cold, but so refreshing it was worth every minute of it. At one point along the tour, we were at the junction of three states. WA/ ID/ OR. Neat.
Continued on from there West. To the coast of Oregon, along the pacific coast highway.
posted by jarthurs | 3:32 PM
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