We departed Narrows RV Park 25 miles south of Burns and headed north to US-20 where we turned east, headed for Idaho. There are some passes over 4000′ on this road before starting the long descent heading east. US-20 closely follows the Malheur River all the way across the state until it dumps into the Snake River that separates Idaho from Oregon.
Most of the drive across Oregon on this stretch of road is very pretty. The river has provided much of the path for the road as it passes between tremendous palisades of lava, basalt and ash laid down over the last 15 million years. I don’t know how this part of the world looks in other seasons but this spring the scenery is stunning and the plants are open for business. Flowers, pastures and birds are everywhere.
We entered Idaho across the river from Nyssa, Oregon, and almost immediately started driving through pretty flat farmland. Lots of alfalfa growing here and it is emerald green, contrasting with the beige soil where irrigation is not provided. The farm hands were busily putting around on their tractors, both in the fields and on the roads. We traveled southeast up the Snake River for about 30 miles until we came to Marsing which is an ugly little town sporting many abandoned buildings and failed structures. A few miles further and we pulled off at the Riverhaven RV Park.
Riverhaven Park borders a flat section of the Snake and has an enormous green lawn between the RV spaces and the river. Dogs and cars are not allowed on the grass. The park boasts of having wi-fi but it does not work. The spaces are very close together and not level plus there is no pool, no clubhouse, one restroom and no attendant on duty but the Passport America price per night is only $15. It is very quiet but there are lots of bugs due to the proximity of the river. Many swallows were working their hearts out trying to devour all the insects but it is a lost cause. There’s just too many of them.
We got some pix on the drive here that you can see by clicking here