Cor-vuh-lis or Cor-vah-lis?

You know, I still don’t know for sure how to pronounce it, but I spent a lovely two weeks at the Benton County Fairground RV park. As a young person in 4-H, I spent a lot of time at fairgrounds, primarily the Martin County Fair. It’s a great idea as well – for fairgrounds to rent out their RV sites when there isn’t a fair going on.

We had a great spot, and it was a first long-term camping with only water and electric – no sewer. I wasn’t sure how much of a challenge this would be since we’d been staying at parks that were full hook-up (electric, water, sewer). Surprisingly, we didn’t have any issues. Our grey and black tanks were sufficient for that long of a stay. We used less water, but that’s probably just a good thing in general. We also had a spot in an area that hardly had any other occupants, so Arthur was on full-time neighborhood watch.

Must keep RV safe.

I did rent a car and ended up with one that I’d never had the chance to drive before – VW Tiguan. It was an older model, but interesting nonetheless.

Did it rain a lot? After coming up from Morro Bay, it wasn’t really that bad and definitely not unpleasant. We had a lot of days of sun and hit the 70s a few times.

The trying part of the trip to Corvallis was the stretch after we left Highway 101. It started out great. There was a beautiful snowfall and a good amount of traffic that was moving at a decent clip on 126 after Florence. There was an intersection in Mapleton where literally everyone else turned right to go to Eugene, and I decided to go straight on highway 36. 🍫🍫🍫 Not sure how the snow compared on 126, but 36 winds next to the Siuslaw River, which was high and angry. It was extra exciting because highway 36 was pretty narrow, and I was in the outer lane, right near the angry river. The good news was that there was no one else on this road, so I did Pac-Man the road for quite a long time. I did see some very beautiful small towns, including Deadwood near Triangle Lake. All in all, it was about 40 miles of white-knuckle driving.

When we arrived in Corvallis, I stopped at the Walmart to grab some supplies because – believe it or not, they don’t have a Target in Corvallis. Strike one against Corvallis. Between the RV, the Girl Scout cookie table, and somewhere in the store, I lost one of my airPods. I usually only use one airPod at a time, so I only lost one. 🍫 I didn’t discover that I had lost it until we were at our campsite. I did end up trying to go back and see if anyone turned it in, but – alas – no such luck.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but I love to tour old houses. Frank Lloyd Wright homes are my favorite to visit, but any historic home will do. So, I toured the Deepwood Mansion in Salem, OR. It was a great tour with knowledgable guide and a friendly group of young women. When I told them about my journey, one of them offered me her phone number and said to call if I needed anything while I was in this part of Oregon. Really can’t emphasize enough how many extremely kind people I’ve met on this journey.

The gardens were just starting to bloom, and the woodwork in this place was amazing.

After Salem, I headed over to Silverton, OR, for lunch at the Main Street Bistro and for a tour of The Gordon House, the only publicly accessible FLW house in the NW. The couple that commissioned the house were farmers, and the conservation group had to move the house from the farm land when new owners decided to tear it down. I’ve been able to tour Kentuck Knob, Fallingwater, and Taliesin. Can’t wait to see more on my travels.

On my way back from Silverton, I stopped by the Willamette Valley Pie Shop. This was a great idea provided by the gals I toured the Deepwood Gardens house with. I picked up some gifts there for my Dad’s birthday, and a Marionberry hand pie for me!! It probably goes without saying that it was delicious, and Dad enjoyed the gifts I found for him there.

I did end up swinging by and touring the other historic house in Salem – the Bush House. This was a grander house than the Deepwood Mansion, but it wasn’t as lovely. Before the tour, I was able to walk around a small gallery on the grounds of the house that featured art from local school students. It was really nice, and I ended up getting to meet one of the young artists who was there with her Mom.

The last highlight of Corvallis was the Ol’ Spaghetti Factory. The last time I had eaten at one of these was when the one in Minneapolis on Washington Ave was still open – maybe decades ago? The food isn’t great, but sometimes it’s the nostalgia that enhances the flavors.