The grounds are manicured with lots of grassy areas around the park and between the individual campsites. The spaces are wide and there are lots of trees for shade. That is nice, given that the forecast high for today is 92 degrees. So far, it has only made it to 85, perhaps due to a high cloud cover. I will get some photos of the park to share later.
In the meantime, we spent the day lazing around the "house." Then we took the dogs for a long walk around the town residential area and past the public school, which includes a high school and a grade school (presumably K-8). The high school is on the right below and the gymnasium is on the left. The grade school is further to the left out of frame.
The local post office is right across the street from the RV park. As you can see, the locals have both a sense of humor and a good deal of civic pride. The whole town has an appealing Old West flavor.
There is a nice city park, and we discovered, another RV park. The city park has a tennis court and some play equipment. One of the features of Dayville that surprised us is how green people keep lawns in this desert town.
There appear to be two churches in Dayville; the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Presbyterian Church. We were unable to locate an address for Dayville Pres, so we didn't make it to the morning worship service. The SDA church, of course, had their service yesterday. Well, when we went walkabout today, we came across Dayville Pres. We had already learned that they have a ministry to bicyclists, offering hot meals showers and a floor for a sleeping bag. Apparently, there is quite a bit of bicycle and motorcycle traffic in the area.
The big kahuna among businesses in Dayville is the Mercantile Store, or Dayville Merc. as it says on the store front. It is a quaint building built in 1896 and in remarkably good repair. Indications are that it has been in business continuously for 114 years. The store has a little bit of everything. Fred Meyer it is not, but if you need some groceries or gifts or hardware or pet supplies or an ice cream cone, check it out. The fellow who waited on us is a young man, perhaps 30 years old, who is in the process of buying the store. It was his first day on the job. We wished him good luck and a successful run, until he turns it over to someone else. Maybe he will be in his 60s then and the store will be 144 years old!
In front of the mercantile is a facade depicting an old west town. It is very cute and fits right in with the old west theme that many of the buildings share. We found the locals to be very friendly and helpful.
Our original mission, when we left the RV park on this junket was to have lunch at the Dayville Cafe. The reviews are very encouraging, and they do not exaggerate. We had a "Dayvilly Filly," the local version of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. Served with real, honest to goodness french fries, it was very well prepared and large enough for both of us to enjoy and have just enough room left for rhubarb pie a la mode. The pies are what seem to get the raves in the reviews we read, but I give a big thumbs up to the whole place: food, waitress, pie, atmosphere...and the new "Dayville Centennial" hat I purchased there. Oh, and if you are out of work, they're hiring!
The old west theme is pervasive in Dayville, but not obnoxious. There are a number of old farm implements and wagons displayed here and there. They add a nice flavor to the town's ambiance and underscore the civic pride that is evident here. What's more, this being a farming/ranching area, over 100 years old, my guess is that they didn't have to spend a lot of money to acquire these displays. I imagine local residents were happy to unload some of these relics from their barns and back forties!
Tomorrow, we intend to do some exploring in the surrounding area, perhaps the vaunted John Day fossil beds, perhaps the Chinese Museum in the city of John Day. We shall see!
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