Travel to Othello, WA - MarDon Resort.
Today was travel day — leaving Coeur d’Alene, ID and heading to Othello, WA. Othello made the cut simply because it was on our route west toward the Seattle area and fit our preferred three‑hour driving window. We’d never heard of Othello, but Lynn found MarDon Resort and picked it for this leg of the trip.
Lynn was up around 0515. The air quality was still unhealthy (AQI 132). Kirk was up at 8am, and we started our usual routine: no breakfast, just pack up and get moving.
By 0925 we were on the road. It was a 150‑mile drive (about 2 hours 40 minutes) with an ETA of noon — which meant we’d need to kill some time before the 1pm check‑in. We missed the “Welcome to Washington” sign, forgetting how close the border is. It was only about 20 minutes into the drive, and Lynn was busy handing out breakfast (protein bars and a Celsius). The sign flashed by on the left side of the highway — who puts it on the left?! They’re always on the right! She still managed to snap a photo through the windshield, but it was a blurry mess.
At 1045 we stopped at the Sprague Lake rest area for a quick break, then continued on. By noon we pulled into another rest area in Ritzville, WA to burn half an hour and have lunch at the picnic tables. Eating PBJ sandwiches at a rest stop felt like a milestone — are we officially old now? LOL. By 12:30pm we were back on the road. The GPS was acting up again, giving us reversed north/south directions. The road signs were correct; the GPS was not. Fortunately, we trust our eyes.
By 1:10pm we arrived at MarDon Resort. It was a great spot right on Potholes Reservoir. Our site in the Blythe Bay area (BB#2) was large, level, and cement — very spacious with a nice water view. The resort has a mix of cabins, cottages, rental homes, beach tent sites, full‑timers, mobile homes, and travelers like us. A huge campus with a store and restaurant on site. Plenty of walking territory for Lynn.
However, upon arrival we discovered we had no power. None! Lynn googled possible causes and found the correct one — a battery kill switch had come loose during travel (roads were a bit bumpy!). A quick fix from Kirk and everything powered back up. The truck drove great, though the speedometer is off by about 6 mph. Cruise control worked fine. Kirk is thrilled everything is functioning with the fancy new tires and wheels (Lynn too — whew).
By 3pm we were settled in and relaxing. It was very hot, and around 4pm Kirk unloaded the e‑bikes… when it was 94°. No idea why he chooses the hottest part of the day to “work.” LOL.
For dinner we rode our e‑bikes to The Beach House on site. It was hamburger special night (2 for $26), so we went with that. The burgers were very good. Kirk ordered sidewinder fries (we had no idea what those were), while Lynn stuck with regular fries. The sidewinders turned out to be thick twisty wedges — crunchy outside, soft inside, and fantastic.
After dinner we sat outside enjoying our site and the water view… until the mosquitos showed up in full force. We lasted about ten minutes before retreating. Both of us got bitten several times — ugh. Time to break out the full arsenal of creams, lotions, potions, candles, bug zappers, Thermacells, and bracelets. If there’s a mosquito‑repelling gadget known to mankind, we seem to own it!
A hot travel day, a great new campsite, a good burger, and a mosquito‑filled finale — welcome to Othello.
Weather – (Othello, WA) – High 97*, Low 57*. Winds 2-6/10 mph. No rain. A bit humid.
Traffic – None.
Food – The Beach House – good burgers and sidewinder fries.
Notable – MarDon Resort.
