Ready to Roll!

Odds and ends, bits and pieces

2012-01-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

First off, let me thank all our friends for their words of wisdom concerning the ‘art of doing nothing’. Lee and I will certainly need more practice. Yesterday when we thought we would get in a full day of practice, we managed to do a few of the maintenance to-do’s and then a Walmart and Costco run. Today has been cleaning and laundry! I’m sure there is a doing nothing day somewhere in our future, but till then we’ll keep practicing. Tom, we may have to settle for your ‘one day each year’, but I’m hoping we can push the concept to two!!!

Our trip to Walmart was interesting. At least as interesting as Walmarts can be. It seems that Walmarts all have a lot in common, but then there is also some individuality among them as well. In Oro Valley, Arizona is one of the fanciest Walmarts you’ll ever see and then in other areas are some of the dirtiest Walmarts you can find. The surrounding population must have a strong influence on the type of Walmart found in that area. The Walmart here is unique in two merchandising areas. First there are lots and lots of storage containers, baskets, shelving, etc. I guess that’s because it’s a college town and the students have just returned for spring semester. Parents are in town helping them to get set up and organized for the new semester. Probably hoping that room organization will lead to better grades. Then also the store has the largest selection of toys I’ve ever seen in a Walmart. I think that must be because this is also a major retirement town. All those grandparents wanting new toys for the little ones. I know I sure was looking!

Today we drove along the beach and visited a Natural Foods Store…so much nicer than Walmart. However, it doesn’t have the right toilet paper or black tank drop-ins, so I guess Walmart will continue to be a part of our travels. At least I can compare them…maybe I should start a ratings and postings like on rvparkreviews…I’ll call in Walmartparkreviews!

Hope you have a great day whether you are in Walmart or just practicing ‘the Art’.

Its difficult doing nothing.

2012-01-16T15:44:00.001-08:00

We don’t have too many destinations for this trip south. We only have three definite ones: Wilmington, NC to see our son, Pensacola, FL for our niece's graduation, and then back to Wilmington, NC to meet our daughter and family. With lots of time in between we have decided that one of our goals for this trip is to sit back and RELAX.

The January issue of Escapees Magazine even has an article on this dilemma. Its titled “The Fine Art of Doing Nothing”. Lee and I have never been very good at Art…even this kind. So we arrived in Wilmington yesterday and made our list of to-do’s for today. But somehow things just don’t work out the way you planned. The water froze! So now we can’t take showers till it thaws and we can’t start on our list till we take our showers. Things must be done in order you know!!!

We did, however, get to see our son yesterday and we had a great visit. He took us out to dinner at his (and our) favorite Japanese Restaurant. It was so good to have REAL Japanese food made by REAL Japanese! We had sushi, tempura, tonkatsu, gyu-don, and several other dishes. The sushi chef has also started making his own flavored after dinner caramels…tiny little things, but oh so good! Of course I forgot to take the camera, but I’m sure we’ll go back and then I’ll get some good photos of all that wonderful food.

After dinner we came back and just chilled (practicing you know!). We discussed the fact that it was still really cold and we should leave the water dripping just in case it froze during the night. But too much chilling and we forget our lists of to-do’s and so forgot the dripping water. It froze and now we are waiting for the sun to warm the water so we can begin our list of to-do’s. Somewhere on that list is the ‘fine art of doing nothing’. Wonder if we’ll get to it today!

Hope you have a great day – whether it is doing nothing or checking off your list!

And on our way…

2012-01-15T17:33:00.001-08:00

Today we woke to clear skies and calm winds. It was a brutal cold day, but at least we were clear to move on.

After a few miles we came to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. This is the route we use to leave the Delmarva Peninsula. Our other choice would take us through Baltimore and Washington DC…a true nightmare in my book!

Excerpt on the Bridge-Tunnel taken from the web:

For over 46 years, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has captured worldwide attention as a modern engineering wonder and an important East Coast travel convenience. Crossing over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Bridge-Tunnel provides a direct link between Southeastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware plus the Eastern Shore counties in Maryland and Virginia), and cuts 95 miles from the journey between Virginia Beach and points north of Wilmington, Delaware.

Following its opening on April 15, 1964, the Bridge-Tunnel was selected "One of

the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in a worldwide
competition that included more than one hundred major projects. In addition, in 1965, it was distinguished as "The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

From shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel measures 17.6 miles (28.4 km) and is considered the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex. Construction of the span required undertaking a project of more than 12 miles of low-level trestle, two 1-mile tunnels, two bridges, almost 2 miles of causeway, four manmade islands and 5-1/2 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles.

Although individual components are not the longest or largest ever built, the Bridge-Tunnel is unique in the number of different types of structures it includes. In addition, construction was accomplished under the severe conditions imposed by hurricanes, northeasters, and the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean. If you are interested in more details, check the web http://www.cbbt.com/facts.html

We left the rural eastern shore of Va/Md and came out in the city complex of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk…what a conglomeration of towns! We were headed south and usually would drive over to Interstate 95, but this time decided to try a different route. We turned south on Hwy 17 and drove along the Great Dismal Swamp with a lunch break at the new Dismal Swamp State Park in North Carolina. There was a very nice hike that we would have enjoyed if it weren’t so …. cold! So instead we talked with the ranger and read the information and then took off south again. We then began to cross waterways and sounds and passed many cotton fields and a few plantations. With only 170 miles to travel and a beautiful sunny sky, it was a perfect day.

Hope you had a perfect day today too!

Like the birds we are flying south….

2012-01-14T15:06:00.001-08:00

Well, we are trying to fly south.

We had planned on leaving Nanticoke on Tuesday with a first stop at the Delaware DMV to have the rig inspected for another two years.

But Wednesday the weather called for rain everywhere we were headed. Why drive in the rain when you don’t have to be anywhere? We decided we could wait another day. It turned out to be a great choice as we spent the afternoon playing cards and Larry came over to teach us a new, really fun card game called ‘Three Down’. Then in the evening we went to Boonies for 1/2 price burger night. There were 13 of us in the group and so besides really good burgers, we had lots of great laughs. Back home we played a little more cards and then went to bed with plans to leave on Thursday.

Thursday dawned cool, but clear. We finished getting ready, mom fixed us a great breakfast of egg gravy on toast, and we pulled out for the DMV. Another snafu awaited us…the rig didn’t pass inspection! One of the rv brakes was not catching as it should. As we had recently had new brakes installed at the dealer in Smith Center, we were a little frustrated. However, we remembered an RV center just up the road so we drove on. After waiting for them to return from lunch, we had the brakes adjusted, drove back to the DMV and passed inspection. On the road again!

We were only going another 120 miles that day with a stop just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Pulled in late in the afternoon, hooked up the electric (nothing else available this time of year), heated up some soup, and with plans to pull out in the morning, we hit the bed before 9:00.

Our first night on the road was Cherrystone RV Park in Cheriton, Va. It’s a large RV park that is full and busy during the summer, but cold and empty in the winter. Thankfully they stay open all winter even though there are very few campers. Here we are all alone:

Woke up during the night to some serious wind! By the time we got up in the morning, the wind was really blowing across the bay. We decided we would again sit out the bad weather. It turned out to be another good decision as the bridge was closed to all large vehicles due to the high wind gusts. We took a quick ( and cold ) walk around the park and then settled in for the day.

Tomorrow we will fly south……???

Hibernating in the north

2012-01-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

We spent three months on the east coast hibernating!

We had a great time with family and enjoyed reconnecting with friends in Nanticoke. We spent lots of time with Michelle, Paul, and grandson Christian:

We had a wonderful birthday celebration for my mom’s 80th birthday:

We had a great Christmas and New Year and we took care of lots of doctor appointments. Now its time to get back on the road.

But it sure is hard to leave this little guy!

We plan on meeting in Wilmington, North Carolina where we can all have some fun in the sun!

Happy Holidays to everyone

2011-12-22T13:44:00.001-08:00

We are headed up to our daughter’s home in Pennsylvania tomorrow and wanted to say happy holidays to everyone before we leave!

We hope you all enjoy the day with your loved ones where ever you might be.

Here’s our little guy waiting by his Christmas tree:

At almost two he should be lots of fun for Christmas morning!!

ps…After three showers we hereby declare the shower leak to be fixed!!!!

The frustration is momentarily in check…

2011-11-26T13:34:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update on the shower leak.

Lee never could get it to stop so we finally gave up and decided to wait until Thanksgiving weekend when our daughter and son-in-law came down for the weekend. We convinced Paul that we would like him to recaulk our shower as a Christmas present. Lee cleaned it all out and had it prepped for Paul. Of course we found out it wasn’t completely prepped, so Paul did a little more.

This afternoon when I looked in the shower I was surprised to see he hadn’t done anymore than finish the cleaning process. But when I said something to Lee I was informed that he had finished!!!

He is so talented that you can’t even see the caulk!!! He does amazing work.

So now we wait till it dries and then we will check it out…but till then it sure does look great!!!

AGGGHHHH!

2011-11-06T09:22:00.001-08:00

Many, many months ago we had a leak in the shower. Lee caulked it and the leak went away for a long time. Victory over the leak!

Then the leak came back. So he caulked it again. Lasted a couple of months and returned with a vengeance.

Lee didn’t caulk again. Instead we went to the manufacturer’s service center and had them strip the caulk and recaulk the whole shower. They tested it and said it was good to go.

The leak returned two weeks later!!!!

It has now been a week and Lee has stripped the caulk and recaulked many, many, times.

We still have a leak!!

How much frustration can one person handle? I don’t know, but I think we might be about to find out!

AGGGHHHH!!!!!

A little look at Kansas

2011-10-29T08:43:00.001-07:00

While we were in Smith Center we took a couple of short day drives. The first was down to the town of Lucas, Kansas to the ‘Garden of Eden’. I had seen a TV show about this place many years ago and was looking forward to seeing it in person. What a place!

Samuel Dinsmoor(1843 – 1932), a retired schoolteacher, Civil War Veteran and farmer, began building this home in 1907 at the age of 64. He worked on the home and gardens for the next 22 years using 113 tons of cement and many tons of limestone from nearby quarries. He used the limestone logs as the walls of the cabin.

He built the home as a tourist attraction with the first floor and gardens included in his tours, while the second floor held the family bedrooms and the basement floor included the kitchen and family areas. Samuel built the house using a variety of wood, in fact each piece of furniture and all stairwells had to have a minimum of 5 different types of wood! Each room included from 3 to 5 doorways and none of the doorways were the same size. It could make one very dizzy walking through the house!

Outside he built many statues mostly with religious and political overtones.

In Samuel’s words the statues below illustrate the bringing down of civilization.

“There is the Goddess of Liberty with one foot on the trusts and a spear in her hand going through the head of the trusts. The trusts’ claws are getting nothing. Down below is a man and woman with a crosscut saw marked ballot, sawing off the chartered rights limb that the trust stands on. That shows how we can get away with the trusts and if we don’t get away with them with the ballot, they will be shot away with the bullet, as they were in Russia. They are getting too big. They have got all our sugar. Under this tree is a strawberry bed and I have stubs going up joining the tree above, to set out vines that will crawl around, without getting on my strawberry bed. Say! that tree will be a beauty. I want to see it in ten or fifteen years from now. I may be in the Mausoleum. If I am, some dark night I will slip out and take a look at it, or, some other people will see it which will be just the same.

The statues below are mounted above a small building. According to Dinsmore:

“ This is my coal house and ash pit, with Labor crucified above. I believe Labor has been crucified between a thousand grafters ever since Labor begun, but I could not put them all up, so I have put up the leaders – Lawyer, Doctor, Preacher and Banker.I do not say they are all grafters, but I do say they are the leaders of all who eat cake by the sweat of the other fellow’s face. The Lawyer interprets the law. The Doctor has his knife and saw ready to carve ;up the bones. The Preacher is saying to this poor fellow crucified, “Never mind your suffering here on earth, my friend, never mind your suffering here, secure home in heaven for A-l-l E-t-e-r-n-i-t-y and you’ll be all right.” This is the stuff he is giving Labor for his cake. He knows nothing about Eternity and that he does know, if he knows anything. What fools we be to sweat to give the other fellow cake. The Banker has the money, takes the interest and breaks up more people than any other class. “

While building this house he married his second wife. He was 81 and she was 20. They had two children! His wife complained that she didn’t see him enough and so he built this little guy outside the kitchen window so she could see him waving whenever she wanted!Busy, busy, man!

The home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Lucas had two other places to visit, but we ran out of time. However if you are ever there, you might enjoy the Grassroots Art Center where you can see some very creative art displays. Or the Museum of Largest Things. Lucas is home to the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the the World’s Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction and Museum. Wow…now that’s a title!

We had lunch in a little restaurant, bar, pool hall combo. Lee had fried chicken livers – yuck! But he enjoyed them. And then we walked down to the Brant’s Meat Market which had been in the same spot since the 1930’s and was run by the third generation of the Brant Family.

On another free day we drove just a few miles east of Smith Center to the US geographical center! It was an unusual place in that it was located in the middle of a field and not much around it. This small chapel with seating for FOUR people and a sign! I guess not many people have the US center as a destination. But it was interesting and a place to say we have now been to!

From Smith Center we had planned on a leisurely trip back to the east coast with stops in Illinois to see my grandmom and then Virginia to spend time with Lee’s brother. However, we are flexible and so when family needed us to get back quickly, we were able to put the rig in gear and MOVE OUT. Now we are back on the east coast and settled in till after the holidays, when we will head south for warmer weather.

Where’s the randomness when you need it?

2011-10-08T16:49:00.001-07:00

So after writing about ‘randomness’ and the little quirks of the rv, we had a major quirk.

We had scheduled a visit to the manufacturer to have some minor maintenance done on our ‘06 5th wheel. Simple stuff like new brakes, new slide rubber seals, some caulking repairs, and slide realignments. Some cosmetic fixes as well to make it all look new and shiny.

We stopped for the night on Saturday about 50 miles north with plans to drive on in on Sunday evening so they could start work on Monday morning. Work starts at 6 am….ugh!

Unfortunately as we were pulling into our Saturday night campground we hit a big dip, bump, and bang. When we stopped and unhooked I thought the hitch looked a little strange, but didn’t realize how strange until I opened the bedroom closet door to find the cabinet wall in pieces and the floor bowed up about a foot! Yelled for Lee and out we ran to look at the hitch. The welding on the pin box had broken and the box had rammed up into the belly of the fifth wheel. (That is my explanation however not technically correct).

We called our road side service and they began looking for someone to come and help us out. However, none of the welders were interested in tackling our problem due to the potential for a fire hazard with the welding inside the fiberglass belly. Eventually they gave up and called the sheriff’s office to see if they could help. We were in a very small town where everyone knew everyone and thankfully they passed our information on to a young man who was home for the weekend. So on Sunday he came and spent several hours giving us a temporary fix so we could limp on down the rest of the way.

We arrived at the service center on Sunday evening and Monday morning at 6 am we were ready with our ‘surprise’ for the service crew.

They jumped right in and took the front off our rig, the pin box and frame apart and began the fix.

We left on Friday with all our wishes completed as well as a new pin box!

However, the excitement was not yet over. We drove only 150 miles as we needed to stop and retorque the pin box. We stopped in the small town of Seneca at the Stallbaumer’s RV Park. We planned to do some cleaning on the rig, some laundry, and retorque the bolts. I started the laundry and Lee got out the tools to do the torqueing. While I was inside considering dinner options, Lee was outside working. Until he came running to the door with blood running down his face! I grabbed my purse, the town map, the keys and off we went to the emergency room. The wrench did not fit properly and slipped off causing Lee to land face first in the iron pinbox!

Thankfully it was a very nice emergency room with no waiting. The nurses cleaned him up, the doctor stitched him up, and we were sent home. ( I suggested a picture, but he declined!)

Today we have chilled and rested and tomorrow we hope to move on. We plan on leaving all the excitement behind us and again make jokes about the little random events of rving!

RV Randomness

2011-09-29T08:08:00.001-07:00

Lee and I have developed a name for some of the strange happenings here in our RV….we call it ‘RV Randomness’. Here are a few of our examples:

Shortly after we brought the RV home the air conditioner was making horrible sounds. We read everything we could about the air conditioner and then Lee took things apart and cleaned it out thoroughly. Still made the noise. So we had dad come over to listen and see what he thought…noise was gone. RV Randomness!

After about a year we found a pool of water in the linen closet and there was water between the shower and the closet. We dried it all up and as there was not water in the basement, we figured it must be from the shower walls. So Lee caulked all the seams over and over. Got rid of the leak…for several months…then it came back ONCE! RV Randomness strikes again!

Then we got a small leak under the bathroom sink. Lee replaced all of the faucet rings, but it still leaked, so he replaced the cartridges. Still leaks, but only about once every month or so. We can’t figure out where the water comes from, and since it only happens rarely, we just leave a small container and paper towel under the sink. Part of Lee’s shaving routine is to check the paper. Sometimes its wet, but most times its dry. RV Randomness!

Our hot water in the bathroom sink is sometimes hazy and bubbly. Not often, but sometimes. Never in the shower. Never in the kitchen sink. Just the bathroom hot water. RV Randomness!

Occasionally when we stop for the night we don’t hook up the water and so just use the fresh water and pump. Most of the time the water is just as good coming from the tank, but on rare occasions it has come out dirty looking. So we empty the tank and refill and its fine for a while and then…boom…here it is dirty looking again! Then it will just clear up on its own. RV Randomness or dirt in the bottom or our tank? UGH

Now we are on our way to the manufacturer in Kansas. Our rig is an 06, and so it is time for some maintenance work. Maybe they will even fix some of the ‘RV Randomness’ ??????

Do you have examples of ‘RV Randomness’ ?

ps..Judy, thanks for joining my blog. I’ve read yours and love it! My family is from Minnesota and I can relate to the accent and language! I’ve tried to send you a comment, but for some reason have not been able to. I’ll keep trying, but meanwhile, welcome!

RMNP–Elk finally!

2011-09-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

When we went to Yellowstone we were told we would see bison, moose, and elk. We saw bison and moose, no elk.
When we went to Grand Tetons we were told we would see bison, moose, and elk. No elk.
Going to Rocky Mountain National Park was going to be my last chance to see elk. So off we went with great determination to see elk! I also wanted to go into Colorado in order to see the golden aspen and as such, had planned our arrival for late September with hopes the aspen would have turned.
We left the rig in Cheyenne and drove the 2 hours to Estes Park, Colorado which is the only town on the outskirts of the eastern side of RMNP. We made reservations to stay at the Silver Moon Inn which is located just one block from downtown and is overlooking a small stream (they called it a river, but that was an exaggeration).
The drive through the mountains to Estes Park was beautiful.
Our first stop was the Estes Park visitor center where we ate our packed lunch and picked up some maps. And then we were off to drive the southern drive down to Bear Lake where we would try a short hike. With an elevation over 10,000 feet, we were not too sure how I would do with the breathing.
On the way we stopped at a visitors center overlooking a meadow. Guess what I saw? ELK!! The male elk was having quite a time as one of the females kept trying to leave the harem and run away. He was having none of that…so every time she would slip off, he would have to chase her down. He was mighty determined to keep her, but she seemed equally determined to get away.
After a few minutes of entertainment we continued on toward Bear lake.

As we hiked around the lake, I saw the aspens turning beautiful shades of gold.

After driving, hiking, and driving some more we were ready for a peaceful nights sleep. After watching the season premier of Grays Anatomy, of course! It was a lovely little hotel and we enjoyed our ‘vacation’ in Estes Park.

The next day we drove into the park along the Trail Ridge Road up to the Alpine Visitors Center and the highest point on the road (over 12,000 feet).

The aspen were definitely turning gold up there!

We were WAY up high and looking down. The road was nice except it did not have any guard rails. When I asked the ranger about that he said that they took them out as they seemed to give people a false sense of security and there were more accidents with them in than out. He said that most of the time when people go over the side it is on purpose…ugh.

We really liked this quote in the visitor’s center.

We were way above the tree line and into the alpine tundra area.

The golden colors of the aspen as we head back down to Estes Park and then back to Cheyenne. Another great ‘vacation’.

That is the last of the western mountains for us this year. It is into Nebraska and Kansas now so I’ll be putting away my mountain advisory book for awhile. Hope your days are smooth and flat too!

Truckin through Wyoming

2011-09-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

We reluctantly left the Grand Tetons and headed further into Wyoming. We decided to go east across the Moran pass and then turn south toward Lander. The first part of our trip was slow and rough as there was about 30 miles of dirt and gravel construction. But we took our time and made it through with only two problems – a chip in the windshield and a VERY dirty truck and rig!

We found Lander to be a great little town and would gladly go back some time. We found someone to fix the windshield chip, had a great steak dinner:

spent time in a lovely museum:

A great quote my mom will appreciate.

The inside of an early RV…the sheepherders wagon. It had everything but the bathroom – bed, table, kitchen, and even good storage!

And we always think we need more room. This cabin was for a mom, dad, and 14 kids. How did they ever find the privacy to make 14 kids?

and hiked around Sinks State Park:

The Popo Agie river flows down from the mountains and then disappears into this cavern (the Sinks) and travels less than a quarter mile, but it takes over two hours before it pops back out in ‘the Rise’.

The water rises into this beautiful small pool which contains a huge assortment of trout. No fishing is allowed, so the fish just get bigger and bigger.

Our rv park was a little strange, however. It looked as if the owners had tried very hard to make it a great place but then decided it was too much work to keep up. So the grassy spots were all high with weeds, the office was a mess (when you could find someone there), and it was $5 to do a load of wash!! The other strange aspect was the alignment of the hookups…your sewer hose was right under your neighbors picnic table and there was no place to move the table.

Leaving Lander and heading south to Rawlins, Wyoming we passed miles and miles of snow fences. The snow and the wind must be vicious here in the winter!

We spent only one night in Rawlins, but we made our short stay productive. First we visited the Wyoming Frontier Prison. I had never been in a jail before, so I was pretty amazed at how horrible the facilities were given that this particular jail was used until the mid 1980’s.

The cells surprised me as they were very small (4 x 7) and contained a set of bunks, toilet, and sink.

We also saw the room where people were hanged and then the gas chamber. I don’t believe in the death penalty, so I found those two places to be really horrible. I think prisons should be horrible places to be, I just don’t want people put to death.

And after the tour we went on got our flu shots…ugh… and then treated ourselves to a great Thai dinner.

On to Cheyenne….

Hope you all had a great weekend!

The Grand Tetons are GRAND!

2011-09-24T16:19:00.001-07:00

From Island Park, Idaho we drove through Yellowstone and then south into Grand Teton National Park. Thanks to recommendations from several friends we decided to splurge and stay inside the park at Coulter Bay. We were really glad we did!! A great park in the woods and just a short walk to the lake.

The morning view from our campground. Just a short walk down to the marina where there were boats waiting to explore the Jackson Lake and the Tetons rose up in the background. A beautiful way to start the day.

And of course we took a drive in to Jackson. I always thought the town was Jackson Hole, but the town is Jackson and the area is Jackson Hole. The town square has arches with elk antlers. Elk shed their antlers every year and grow a new set in the spring. So there are a lot of antlers around to be picked up!

One morning we had rain…a first in many weeks. We had planned on a drive down to Jenny lake and did not let the rain stop us. Besides, Lee was glad to go over some wet roads in order to rinse off some of the dust from the bottom of the truck!

Shortly thereafter the rain went away and the sun came out. Jenny lake was beautiful (of course!)

We drove up on the mountain to get a view back of Jenny lake and the Tetons:

Our last day at Coulter Bay was fun as our friends Dave and Nancy joined us for a soup lunch, then they went kayaking and we did our prep work for leaving. When they returned we had bread pudding for dinner (followed later with pop corn!) As the day ended Lee and I walked down one more time to the beach to watch the sunset over the Tetons. A very magical place!

May your days be full of magic as well!

One more look at Island Park, Idaho

2011-09-24T10:51:00.001-07:00

Besides enjoying our friends and Yellowstone, we wanted to see some of eastern Idaho. It is a very pretty place, not too crowded, and has great scenery….a place we might return to again.

We went to Harriman State Park to see the Trumpeter Swans, but there were only two and they were way across the lake. More will arrive in the next month.

It was a nice hike though and we did see lots of ducks!

And of course we stopped for pie and coffee!

Another day we drove south to see the potato farms of Idaho. Idaho potatoes – right? Wrong, now its mostly hay, cattle, and wheat fields.

We saw some old grain elevators and some new corporate elevators:

We saw a few potato fields:

And these interesting storage buildings. Always triangular and often covered with earth.

We also saw the Grand Tetons from the west side and we would soon be moving over to the east side.

We stopped at Mesa Falls to see another view of Idaho. It’s a great state with lots to see and we have only just touched it!

A note to our readers, family, and friends:

I am way behind in my blogging. We were in Island Park in early September. It is now late September and we are in Wyoming. But I will catch us up and probably fall behind again!!

Hope you are all doing well and keeping your life all caught up!

Yellowstone–the south loop

2011-09-20T18:13:00.001-07:00

While we did consider the north loop our favorite, the south loop had some pretty amazing sights as well. And of course there was Old Faithful!!

We started off early enough, but we were only a few miles into the park when we came to a halt as the bison walked around and across the road and everyone slowed down to look and take pictures.

Once the bison were past then it was on to the geysers, hot spots, and beautiful colors:

And of course a stop at Old Faithful where we waited with the other 1000 people for her to blow her top! (why is it a she??)

It was a little disconcerting walking around, even on the boardwalks!

We crossed the continental divide twice as we did the southern loop.

And then we came to Yellowstone’s large lake on the east side. Not very clear due to smoke in the area . And of course there were more bison!

This one I could have touched…not that I would!

More water:

More geysers:

And the day ended with a steak dinner and a brilliant rainbow:

Good living!!!

Yellowstone–north loop

2011-09-19T13:58:00.001-07:00

While you could spend many days in Yellowstone, we decided we would need to do it in two very full days. Our first day we chose to drive the north loop. It was an amazing day, with unbelievable sights. Here are just a few:

These two pools were right next to each other. One was a bright blue and the other a pure white. The colors throughout the park were astounding!

Yellowstone is a massive park and includes a great variety of landscapes including meadows with lovely streams.

This is Mammoth Hot Springs area, one of our favorites of the day.

That is not snow…..

From Mammoth Hot Springs area we continued around the loop to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the massive waterfalls:

A day full of amazing sights and beautiful colors. Next is the south loop!

Having fun with friends

2011-09-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

We went to Island Park, Idaho for two reasons. One to see Yellowstone, of course, and two because our friends Dave and Nancy were finishing up a work kamping job at a near by Nature Conservancy.

After a day of touring Yellowstone, we met Dave and Nancy for dinner at a great little Spanish Restaurant in West Yellowstone. We had four different tapas and then a paella that was meant for two, but easily fed all four of us. Although we did scrape the pan to get every single delicious piece of rice!

The next day we drove out to the Nature Conservancy – Flatt Ranch to check out where they were working. It was a great little place with a lot of interesting information and a beautiful porch to sit on and watch the animals go by.

Here is Dave and his boss, Sara, showing us how one should sit and watch for animals!

A little about the Flat Ranch Conservancy:

The Nature Conservancy of Idaho initiated its most ambitious conservation project to date with the purchase of the Flat Ranch in 1994. This 1600 acre ranch is located on the headwaters of the world-renowned Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

At the Flat Ranch, the Conservancy strives to demonstrate that land use practices designed to restore and protect the natural features of the area are compatible with the cultural heritage of cattle ranching.

Today the Flat Ranch is used by cattlemen as well as by the Conservancy. A great partnership.

Lee and Dave inside the conservancy cabin checking out the weight of the antlers. And to think the elk shed them and grow new each year…they are very heavy!

Later in the week, while Dave did ‘projects’, Nancy joined us and we did a canoe trip. Here we are getting ready to shove off:

Besides all the giggling as we grounded ourselves, one of the highlights of the canoe float was this mama and baby moose hanging out by the bank. We also saw lots of other birds, including a young eagle, and many, many fish.

It was a beautiful day and a great way to see the natural beauty of Idaho while spending time with our friend! We are so glad we chose to stay in Island Park and that our friends were still there!

Kinda–Sorta

2011-09-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

To boondock in the RV world means to go without hookups –water, electricity, and sewer. Most people who boondock have a portable generator for electricity and they use their tanks carefully. An RV has 3 holding tanks – one for fresh water, one for toilet sewer called the black, and one for shower and sink water called the grey. Some RV’s have really large tanks making boondocking even easier. We, however, have medium size tanks. Our fresh water is 63 gallons which can last us quite a while as we can always use bottled water for cooking and drinking and I can skip dishes by using paper plates. Our black is 39 gallons which will usually last us for a week. But our grey is 55 which sounds like a lot until you realize how much water you use when you take a shower. And there is our problem with boondocking….we like the long, hot, showers. Or even short, hot showers. But either way we like daily showers and you just can’t do that with a 55 gallon holding tank.

When we left Three Forks we drove south on 287 and then 87 into Idaho. It was a beautiful drive through rolling hills and following a mountain stream. The colors were beginning to change and so the fields were all turning golden. Our destination was just over a hundred miles into Island Park, Idaho. We had reservations for Henry’s Lake State Park. We would have water and electricity, but no sewer. So we were going to kinda, sorta, boondock. We had reserved a nice big pull through right next to the bathrooms and showers. The plan was to use the showers at the park and to be very careful with the cooking. Maybe I wouldn’t cook at all and we could just eat out!

The views were great and the showers worked just fine. We even found out about a grey water dump, so Lee carried over buckets from the sinks and we had easy sailing for a full week. I did have to cook, but only a few times! Now we know a little more about boondocking, but I think we will still limit our selves to doing without sewer only when there are nice showers near by. We do like our creature comforts!

Stopping by Three Forks, Montana

2011-09-17T11:25:00.001-07:00

After leaving Missoula we headed east on the interstate to the small town of Three Forks. The three forks (Jefferson River, Madison River, and Gallatin River) all come together here to form the Missouri River.

A sign here at the beginning of the Missouri said that if you put in the water here in a raft, you could reach the Gulf of Mexico in two and a half months. That’s a lot faster than I travel in my fifth wheel!!!

Three Forks State Park is also a major location for the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803.

The town of Three Forks is very small, but has 3 nice hotels. One of which is the Sacajawea Hotel. This statue of Sacajawea is in front of the hotel.

I love old historical buildings and so went inside to look around and take a few pictures. However there was a wedding going on and so I was able to just get the one. It was a grand old place!

We stayed at Camp 3 Forks over Labor Day weekend and it was never too crowded. They put us up on a hill and away from the families. However, we were near the chickens and roosters!

Off to Henry’s Lake State Park and Yellowstone!! Safe travels to you all!

Missoula Moments

2011-09-04T18:44:00.001-07:00

I can’t seem to keep up with writing in the blog. At night when I’m trying to sleep I think about what I’m going to write, but then when the day comes I just get too busy. We (especially me) are loving the wide open spaces of the west. When I look at going back through the cities of the east to get on the east coast, I shudder. So I keep looking at different routes trying to avoid the cities for as long as possible!

However, I must go back and talk about Missoula. Gotta catch up somewhere, sometime.

From Columbia Falls and Glacier National Park, we drove south past Flathead Lake.

We stayed at Jim and Mary’s RV park just west of Missoula The park is a really great little place. Flowers and green grass everywhere. Nice wide pull- thrus and quiet evenings. On Tuesday night they had Cowboy singing and homemade Huckleberry ice cream…yum! We sat with a lovely couple who had been fulltiming for 14 years! I wonder if we will still be going as strong after 14 years…sure hope so!!

Our primary goal for staying near Missoula was to restock before heading into Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. So we made a trip to Costco, Super Walmart, and an organic grocery store. The refrigerator was stuffed!

But of course while in Missoula we found a couple of fun things to do.

We drove out to the National Bison Range:

There were lots of bison, but they were pretty far off the drive:

We also visited the Missoula Smokejumpers Visitors Center. We took a guided tour and were lucky to be there just as a call came in. So we were able to watch a group get suited up, loaded on the plane, and take off:

And we took a drive down the Bitterroot Valley to see the summer mansion of Marcus Daly, a copper baron. The house was built in 1910, but was boarded up after Mrs. Daly’s death in 1941 and reopened as a state facility in 1987. Amazingly the floors and walls and even window coverings remained in tact and are still the original. The house had 25 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and many modern conveniences such as showers and double sinks! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was a beautiful home and a very interesting tour.

And so our ‘moment in Missoula’ was over and we were off to Three Forks, Montana.

Ice Cream for the Soul

2011-08-31T15:57:00.001-07:00

I originally titled this 'what you can find in the men's bathroom', but the more I thought about it, the better I liked 'ice cream for the soul'. So I changed it!

During mom and dad’s tour of Salt Lake City, dad visited one the men’s bathrooms. It had hundreds of handouts!!! And not about ‘having a good time’! These were all inspirational and thought provoking. Its strange to have them in a bathroom, but even stranger that they were only in the men’s room. Do they need more help? Maybe….
Anyhow here are two that dad picked up.
IM ONLY ONE
By Edward Everett Hale

I am only one
but still, I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still, I can do something.
And because I cannot
do everything,
I will not refuse to do
the something that I can do.

Ice Cream for the Soul…Author Unknown
Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman
remark "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don t even know
how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why I never!"
Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart." Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing),
"Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."
Naturally I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then he did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good
already."

The wisdom of kids!
Enjoy your day and may you have a great day tomorrow too!

Glorious Glacier!

2011-08-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

I know I have used the words glorious, awesome, amazing, beautiful, breathtaking many, many times. But sometimes those are the only words one can use. Either that or pictures to try and convey the magnificence of Mother Nature:

Sometimes its just better without words!

Look at mom!!

2011-08-27T15:12:00.001-07:00

We met my mom and dad in Whitefish, Montana for a couple of terrific dinners. Food was ok, but company was outstanding.

My parents were on an America by Rail trip along with neighbors and good friends Maxine and Larry. They took a train from DC to Chicago to Salt Lake City and then by bus they toured Salt Lake City, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and had come further north to see Glacier National Park. They had a great trip and we scheduled our travels to coincide with a stay here outside of Glacier.

I didn’t take very many pictures, but here is a view of the flowers in front of their hotel – the Grouse Mountain Lodge.

And here is a picture of the four of us – dad, mom, me and Lee – inside their room.

We joined the group for their farewell dinner and after dinner Lee and I volunteered to take group photos with all the cameras. Here is the group trying to get organized – glad that wasn’t my job!

They had a great time and it sure was fun to see them! Tomorrow they leave and we will be off to see Glacier National Park.

Spotlight on Spokane

2011-08-25T09:09:00.001-07:00

Leaving Riverside we followed the Okanagan river for several miles.

It was fascinating to see how green it could be on the irrigation side and how dry and barren just across the road. By the way, do you think the hillside with all the dishes is where Jodi Foster contacted the aliens?

After turning east on US highway 2 we began to see fields of golden wheat just waiting for harvest.

We had two reasons for visiting Spokane. The main reason was to visit with Kay and Bob who had recently retired to Spokane. This is Lee waiting in the boat with a view of the back of their beautiful home.

And here we go on a boat ride along the lake. Kay’s brother Ken is driving…thanks Ken for a great ride!

Kay and Bob’s home is just a few steps from the water, but that isn’t true for everyone on this lake. However, some people are determined to get to the water and can be very creative in how they do so!

Here they used the good old way of many, many, many stairs:

This one was mechanized with a motorized lift. With the steep hill, I’m sure I would be screaming all the way down!

And this one used A LOT of old tires to make their stairs.

I don’t think I’d want to get to the water this badly, but just think of the exercise you could get!

A view of Kay’s home from the front. Beautiful house for beautiful people!

The next day we took the truck in to a Dodge dealer for some regular maintenance and they gave us a shuttle ride over to the mall where I got another really bad haircut! With the truck all greased and oiled we decided to drive on over to Coeur d’Alene.

This is the world’s longest floating dock. It wraps all around the marina.

This looks like a great new water toy that we will have to check out for Nanticoke:

Kids jumping off the rocks and into the lake. Oh, to be young and foolish again!

On our last day in Spokane we drove up to the Green Bluff area of fruit stands and farmers markets. Our first stop was cherry picking! In less than 15 minutes we picked 7 pounds of the best tasting cherries at a price of 75 cents per pound! YUMMM

A lovely three days visiting good friends and a beautiful city.

Tomorrow it’s off to Montana!

Omak and the Omak Stampede

2011-08-19T19:15:00.001-07:00

While we did not schedule our visit based on the Stampede, we did decide this would be an excellent opportunity to see a local rodeo. It was certainly popular enough to pack our RV Park! The rodeo starts on Thursday and runs until Sunday afternoon with a carnival attached as well as lots of food booths. Our waiter at the Pizza Inn had suggested that we might park downtown and walk the 2 blocks to the stampede grounds, so that’s what we did. We also decided to be healthy and we ate dinner at home before we left. The rodeo started at 7 pm and we left the campground at 6 giving us lots of time for lemonade, ice cream, and wandering around.

The rodeo turned out to be much smaller than I had anticipated. There seemed to be more Rodeo Queens than participants. But the Rodeo Queens were lovely, the participants gave a good show, the rodeo clown was hilarious, and the livestock gave everyone a run for their money.

Notice all the pink? There is a special fund raising going on in rodeos to raise money for cancer research as well as local assistance to those who need. For every ticket sold, one dollar must be used locally to help cancer patients or pay for mammograms. So far rodeos across the country have raised 9.75 million!

The rodeo ends each night with the ‘Suicide Race’. This race begins at the top of a very, very steep hill (see below) and goes down and through the river and then into the arena. It was too dark to take any pictures, but you can see the hill below and if you do a google on Suicide Race in Omak, there are several u-tube videos. It is really scary to watch and is aptly named.

It was a fun introduction into local rodeos and now I want to go to the world championship rodeo in Vegas…bet its something to see!!!

Silver and Gold Friends

2011-08-18T20:26:00.001-07:00

Make new friends but keep the old

One is silver and the other gold…

Do you remember the song from scouts? Well I don’t know if the old friends are silver or gold? or the new friends? But either way, we are having lots of fun with both the new and the old and they are all truly silver and gold!

Our main goal in staying in Riverside was to drive up into Canada to visit Dan. Dan and I had taught together in Japan back in the early 90’s. I was there for only 4 years before Lee was transferred back to the states. But teaching in an International School was a great experience and Dan certainly helped to make it an awesomely fun time as well! Dan spent over 20 years living and teaching in Japan, but when he retired last year he moved back to his home of Canada.

So off to Canada to see Dan:

Our first stop was the city of Penticton where we would stay with Dan’s sister Sharon. Penticton is a lovely small city nestled between two large lakes with orchards and wineries flanking the sides.

This is Dan and I on a bluff overlooking the city:

Dan’s brother-in-law Bob took us on a terrific driving tour of the area. We saw the lakes and wineries as well as some interesting sculptures. This one is called the “baggage handler” and was originally downtown. But someone removed a very important part of his manhood and so the statue had to be moved. This winery bought the statue and put it here for all to admire.

Bob was a history teacher and so was emphatic that we see the location of the last spike in the building of the trans-Canadian railway. According to Bob the railway was built to provide protection to Canadians from the wild men and women south of their border!

Regardless of Bob’s misinformation…it was a lovely spot to stop for a break as we were driving north about 2 hours to Dan’s hometown of Revelstoke.

The town of Penticton, in the Okanagan valley, is warm and dry, while the town of Revelstoke is up in the mountains and is a skiers paradise. Here we stayed with another sibling – Dan’s brother Norman and wife Diane.

During the summer the town of Revelstoke provides live music every night in the town square. We spent a few very pleasant hours listening to music and checking out the lovely little town.

After another wonderful meal (Dan’s family are all excellent cooks) and a good nights sleep, we drove up to Mt Revelstoke National Park.

A quick stop to overlook the town.

Awesome country….

The mosquitos were terrible on top of the mountain. This was the first time we had been bothered with the nasty pests in over a year! Thanks to Diane we had bug repellent, but even so we covered up with sweatshirts!

The area is covered with many beautiful wild flowers. Even though we were a little late in the season, we still had a beautiful showing of mother nature’s art work!

Back to Penticton where we spent another night at Dan’s sisters beautiful home. On the way we joined Dan’s other sister Jen for a great dinner at a Thai restaurant and then braved our way through a ferocious thunderstorm.

The next day we headed back toward the US after a stop at SORCO (South Okanagan Rehabilitation Center for Owls). Dan’s brother Ken is the facility manager and caretaker of the owls. He gave us an interesting tour of the facility as well as a brief history of several of the owls.

This little guy will live his life at the center as he has only one eye. Since owls are hunters, they need both eyes to survive in the wild.

These four big owls will leave soon to return to the wild. Ken takes them back to their home areas when he releases them.

After a quick thank you we left for a bakery and lunch…yumm… and then it was on to the US. Thank you Dan and family for a wonderful view of Canada…great place and great people!

When we drove into Canada we noticed that there were many, many, fruit stands in Canada but only one in the US. We were therefore wishing we could bring some fresh fruit back into the US, but decided to be good and not. However, at customs we found out that you can bring in fruits/veggies that are in season! Next time I’ll load up!!

Tomorrow it’s the rodeo and then we move on east……

Checking out Highway 20 - northern Cascade Loop

2011-08-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

From Monitor on US 2 we drove north along US 97 to the VERY small town of Riverside. We chose this location as it was near the Canadian border for our trip to Canada to visit Dan, it was just north of Omak and the Omak Rodeo, and we could take a day trip on Highway 20, the northern section of the Cascade Loop.

Our campground is Margies Campground and Pottery Shop. Margie is the mayor of Riverside, a town of about 5 streets. It’s a small campground with mostly permanent trailers and a few full hookup spots. However, it is peaceful and quiet, and clean. Thursday before the rodeo the place began to pack in with tents and trailers parking two and three to a spot. Today is Sunday and they are all moving out. Laundry was only a $1.oo to wash or dry…pretty good deal. And it was a short walk to the local grocery store or the river.

Our first day in Riverside we took off and drove back west on Highway 2 to check out the North Cascades. It was a beautiful drive back into the mountains and cooler temperatures.

Near Washington Pass (5,477 feet) we took a beautiful hike down to a waterfall fed lake:

And a little nature lesson. Notice how the trees all have a bend near their roots?

Driving back down the mountains we passed another little ‘reinvented’ town: Winthrop the Western town! We stopped here for ice cream and then coffee. We had thought about having dinner here but it was just a little too early and way too crowded with tourists! So we drove on back to Omak and the Pizza Inn!

It was hot in Riverside… but we would be leaving soon for Canada. Maybe it would be cooler there?

Another little town on the Cascade Loop–Cashmere

2011-08-14T14:31:00.001-07:00

After visiting Leavenworth, we decided we needed to check out a more typical Washington small town. So we drove just a few miles back down US 2 to the town of Cashmere. Cashmere is the home of ‘Aplets and Cotlets Candy’. I had no idea what aplets were, but I was sure willing to find out. First however, was a stop at a fruit market to buy more cherries…yum, and then to the Apple Cider Mill for tastings and an apple butter milkshake. The tastings were great, but they were all out of ice cream so no milkshake today!

A stop at the ‘Best Bite Restaurant’ did indeed prove to be the best bite of hamburger we have had in a long time! The restaurant was small but very lovely inside and all ingredients were very fresh. In fact they grind their own meat every morning! The big yellow thing below is cheddar cheese on the hamburger. The only down side to the hamburger was the tomato …. they still aren’t in season here so it was a hot house tomato.

Then off to the candy tour. Lee’s real cute in his hair net! I didn’t allow a picture of me!

A little history lesson from the website of Aplets and Cotlets:

The Early Days of Liberty Orchards...

Just after the turn of the century, a young Armenian named Armen Tertsagian emigrated from the Near East to the United States, working his way from Ellis Island across the rugged continent to the infant city of Seattle. There he met Mark Balaban, another young Armenian who was visiting from England. It wasn't long before the two became fast friends and decided to venture into business together.
But life in Seattle was far from easy. Their initial business ventures-- a yogurt factory and an Armenian restaurant-- were both ahead of their time. And the gray, wet winters were difficult for people used to the balmy eastern Mediterranean climate.
So Mark and Armen packed up and headed for Eastern Washington. On the far side of Stevens Pass, nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains they found a valley carpeted with fruit orchards. It was here, in the fertile Vale of Cashmere that they settled, purchasing an apple farm which they named Liberty Orchards in honor of their new homeland.
Times were tough for most orchardists in 1918, so Mark and Armen searched for new ways to make use of their surplus fruit. Apple dehydration seemed a logical first move and, coinciding with the onset of World War I, Northwest Evaporating was born. This new enterprise not only assisted the local farmers, but helped the war effort by providing "an apple a day" for the boys "over there". Other successes for Liberty Orchards included "Applum"- a delicious jam made from apples and plums, and a local cannery named Wenatchee Valley Foods.

The cannery, Mark & Armen's main business in the 1930's and 1940's, grew so rapidly that Mark's nephew, John Chakirian, was invited to join the company. During that same period, another use for surplus fruit occurred to Mark and Armen. Why not use apples to make Rahat Locoum, the popular near eastern candy they had loved as children? After much "research and development" on the kitchen stove, they perfected a delicious apple and walnut recipe. The candy was an immediate success, and soon Armen began traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest selling the "Confection of the Fairies," also known as Aplets®.
A few years later Cotlets®, made from apricots and walnuts , was introduced. Before long, people were sending Aplets & Cotlets to faraway friends and relatives as gifts from the Pacific Northwest. Gift recipients, unable to find the candy in local stores, began writing to Liberty Orchards to order more. A thriving Mail Order Department was born which continues to this day.
During World War II, sugar was a rationed commodity and Aplets & Cotlets became a "batch here, batch there" operation. But since food was a big part of the war effort, Mark and Armen concentrated on canning. When wartime hostilities ended in 1945, the cannery was sold so that Liberty Orchards could concentrate on the candy business.

Of course we sampled and bought! The candy is yummy and has now become a favorite of mine.

Just an example of another American success story and small town treasure!

Heading east toward Leavenworth, Wa.

2011-08-13T10:46:00.001-07:00

As we turned east we had to decide which route to take: US 2 or Wa 20.

Both had to cross the North Cascade range, and both were listed as scenic routes. We ultimately needed to end up in Omak which was farther north and therefore closer by way of Wa 20. We knew that we wanted to see the scenery on Wa 20. I had sent questions on the forums and the responses all said Wa 20 was a good drive.

But we choose US 2! Why? Several reasons: One, if we drove Wa 20 pulling the rig, Lee wouldn’t really get to see much as he would need to focus on the rig. Two, according to the Mountain Advisory book, Wa 20 was a little tougher route to drive and three, our good friend Martha said we really should see the town of Leavenworth. So US 2 it was!

Once we left Interstate 5 at Everett, the drive was beautiful:

Our campground was just past Leavenworth in the small town of Monitor. It was a very nice county park with big, grassy sites along the river.

The next day we drove back to the little Bavarian town of Leavenworth. What a strange little place! In the 1960’s Leavenworth was struggling economically and someone came up with the idea to capitalize on the surrounding mountains by transforming the downtown into a Bavarian town. So when people visit, they could easily be in the European Alps. Buildings are decorated with ornate woodwork and Bavarian motifs, flower boxes line the streets and shops, restaurants feature German cuisine, and shops have everything from local crafts to European imports. Surrounding the town are mountains that rise to 8000 feet. It really did feel like the European towns we had visited several years ago, but it also felt really fake. However, it is a major tourist attraction and was packed with people. We were quite ready to get back to our quiet park after just a few hours. We did buy some awesome cheese, summer sausage, and pastries. Yummm

Tomorrow we will check out the local fruit farms and the small town of Cashmere.

Welcome to our new readers: Carol and Johnny and Becky. Even though I say that I write this for my own memories, I sure do like knowing that other people are reading it too! So thanks readers…I hope we get to meet you on the road!

We’ve turned the corner - a recap

2011-08-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

We’ve gone as far north and west as we can and stay in the lower 48, so we’ve turned the corner and we’re heading back toward the southeast. Seems like a good time to recap our adventures and statistics so far. Actually I had intended to do it after 6 months but we were too busy, and while I’m still feeling too busy, its now or not at all!

We’ve been on the road for 11 months and it has been amazing.

We left Nanticoke, Maryland in September 2010 and proceeded SLOWLY through 14 states: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, California, Oregon, and finally Washington. We will now begin east and travel through Montana, Wyoming, a little in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, and back to Maryland. A circle taking 15 months. We are going back in November for mom’s 80th and Christian’s 2nd. We will stay through the Christmas holidays and hit the road again in January. The plan is to be gone for the cold months and then go back to the Bay for the summer before taking off again on another big circle.

A few summary facts:

We have stayed 340 nights in 39 campgrounds. The longest being 41 nights in Goodyear, Arizona; 34 nights in Sequim, Washington; and 33 nights in Benson, Arizona. There were plenty of one night stays as well as a week to ten days. My preference is for a week to ten days. It gives us time to just chill as well as see all the sights in the area. If we stay much longer then we worry about remembering the hitching and driving processes and if we stay less than a week, we either don’t chill or don’t see much.

Campground costs have ranged from $39 a night at Del Pueblo in Yuma, Arizona where we stayed for a week. The weekly cost is less than a nightly at most campgrounds and therefore another reason to stay a week. The lowest cost was $14 dollars at Diamond Lake in Kentucky which was a Passport America cost and $14 for the Escapee’s Ranch in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We have found Escapee’s to be a wonderful organization as they have terrific campgrounds, great members, awesome rally’s, and they manage our mail for us. If you are not an Escapee and you are on the road, you really should check it out. Passport America is a 50% off campground club which pays for itself after only a few nights. Some of the campgrounds have restrictions on dates and number of nights, but we still find it very useful in helping to keep our overall cost down. We have averaged around $23 dollars a night which is good since my budget was for $25 a night. However, we know that we are now heading into more expensive areas.

Diesel prices were $2.79 when we left Nanticoke, Maryland in September 2010. The highest was in California at $4.49 at Susanville, Cal. Now we are happy when we find anything under $4.(3.99) But those are few and far between. Hoping as we go east and that with the cost of oil going down, the cost of diesel will begin to drop. Of course Labor Day weekend is coming and the prices go up for the end of summer celebrations. And then the refineries increase prices due to winter heating costs. So who knows? But our average fuel cost was $400 a month and our budget was $425. We averaged 10 miles per gallon towing and 18 miles per gallon running around and we’ve traveled a total of 15,000 miles. We try to go less than 200 miles in any one day. The goal is to leave about 10:00 am, stop 1 or 2 times and set up by 3:30. When sight seeing we still get out about 10 and like to be back home by 4. Easy living!

Eating is a high point of this life style as it is a way to spend time with all the friends you meet on the road. Our grocery bill has averaged $425 a month and eating out has been $300 a month. Seems really high, but we had a few special eating out occasions which increased that average. Most months are closer to $200 a month for eating out. Of course that includes our afternoon stops for cobbler and coffee! We’ve had some terrific meals, but two of the best would have to be the steak we had at The Homestead Restaurant in Huntsville, Texas with Troy and the dinner we had at the Dockside Restaurant in Sequim, Washington with Michelle, Paul, and Christian. Both restaurants were incredible! Of course there has been lots of great little local spots as well.

We left Nanticoke with two goals: to reunite with family and friends from the past, and to see as much as possible of this great country.

As such we have spent time with four former bosses, uncles and numerous cousins, my 93 year old grandmother, my sister Sandra, people we had met in previous rallys, former colleagues and even previous students of mine. Now we can add many more new friends that we have met on the road and thru blogging. The next circle around will include lots of people stops!

And the sights we have seen…oh my!

Low Country of South Carolina:

Full moon over Big Bend National Park:

White Sands National Park in New Mexico:

Eastern side of the Sierras in California:

Redwoods National Park, California:

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon:

Columbia River Gorge in Oregon:

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington:

And finally, Neah Bay, Washington, the farthest northwest US corner!

Its been quite a journey and we’ve loved every minute of it. We hope your journeys are just as wonderful.

So where can I see it?

2011-08-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

While we were in Sequim we could look across the water and past Seattle and see Mt Baker rising in the distance. When we took the ferry over to Victoria, BC we could see Mt Baker rising in the distance:

So when we crossed over to the other side of the water and we were close to Mt Baker, I knew we would have some awesome views. Therefore we took one day to drive the Mt Baker highway to the end and Artists Point.

On the way we passed the Raspberry Capital of the world, Lynden, Wa, and watched this machine picking raspberries:

A quick stop at the ranger station to pick up maps and directions:

Our first stop was down a narrow dirt road to the Nooksack Falls:

We ate our packed lunch enjoying the sounds of rushing water:And then continued toward the snow covered peaks:

A stop at this meadow lake to view the snow:

And check out the really cold water:

I wondered if that was Mt Baker across the lake:

Mt Baker receives more snow per year than anywhere else in the lower 48. In fact it holds the world record for the most snow in one year. In 1998 Mt Baker reported 1,140 inches (95 feet). With all that snow it needs serious snow removal trucks:

Is this Mt Baker?:

Where is Mt Baker?:

We went as far as we could only to find that the road to Artist Point would remain closed this summer due to TOO MUCH SNOW! Even with the big trucks, it was just too much snow this year. So guess I’m not going to see Mt Baker!

However, here in the last cleared parking lot we met an old time car rally. There were about 20 of the coolest old cars:

While heading back toward the coast and Birch Bay, we turned down a valley road and stopped at a forestry museum. The volunteer was a retired forester who told us how this machine is used to bring down the big trees on the sides of the steep mountains. He was great to talk with and we saw lots of interesting things, including a two story cabin made from the logs of just one tree. However, I was so busy listening to our speaker, that I forgot to take any other pictures! Did you know: that Washington schools are among the best financially because a portion of all forestry profits goes to the schools? that when an area is harvested, it is immediately replanted with two year old stock? that a tree planter can plant 1500 trees in a day and all by hand with a shovel? that a few trees must be left as seed trees? and that we have one of the most productive cycles of harvest, plant, harvest in the world? Sustainable forestry!

Leaving the valley we looked back and what did we see? Mt Baker!!! Finally!!!!

We stopped in the little town of Everson for a good German dinner:

And then with one last view of Mt Baker we went back to Birch Bay:

It was interesting that we could see Mt Baker from far away, but couldn’t see it when we got close. Is that ‘can’t see the forest for the trees? or can’t see the tree for the forest?’

Its harder when they leave

2011-08-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

The kids left yesterday and so here are a few highlight pictures of our last week together in Birch Bay, Washington.

First we rode the ferry over to Whidbey Island from Port Townsend:

Then we drove northeast across the islands to Interstate 5 where we turned north until we reached Birch Bay which is just south of the Canadian border. Birch Bay is a typical small beach resort town with lots of RV parks and cabins to rent. Our park and the kids cabin were just a short walk apart.

We found a fun playground for grandma and Christian:

Michelle got into the fun too:

Michelle and Paul were told at the visitors center that crabbing opened a month early this year and so Paul drove to the marina in Blaine to try his luck. He brought up lots of crabs but all were just short of the limit size. Just as he was packing to leave, the police came by and told him he couldn’t crab yet!

Christian likes to help daddy bring in the crab pot:

We also hung around the cabin:

and played with pails of water:

Michelle and Paul went out on a fishing charter. It was a great day as they saw all the whales we missed on the whale watching trip, they caught their limit of salmon, and they survived their first day away from Christian!

We went to the Hovander Farmstead to see the animals. While it was a beautiful day, there weren’t too many animals.

However, the flower garden was amazing:

And the children’s tea garden was a lovely spot for ‘tea’.

Check out this sunflower….

And of course we played in the water and found lots of interesting creatures……

We took a short drive into Canada:

with a stop at a Canadian winery,

and a Washington dairy.

Followed by a visit to the Million Smiles Playground in Lynden, Washington:

It was an amazing two weeks that went by way too fast. Lee and I are now trying to recuperate, but missing them greatly.

We’ve found that it is much easier when we leave them to go on our adventures than it is to watch them pull away from us. Guess that can be said for all the growing up events…hard to watch them move on, but so proud of them when they do.

Tomorrow I’ll be reading everyone else’s blog and trying to catch up…till then, have a good night.

And I think I’ll have….

2011-07-31T13:27:00.001-07:00

‘Discussing’ dinner options with mom:

and with further considerations:

I have decided upon….

We went out for one fancy meal at the Dockside restaurant in Sequim. It really was very delicious and our little guy was a trooper for over two hours!

I’m too busy…

2011-07-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m too busy to write. The little guy is here and we are:

Watching airplanes,

reading,

looking at fish,

checking out the starfish with daddy and cousin Bill,

digging in the sand,

checking out the water,

standing on top of the world,

playing in the snow,

walking with the deer,

and of course checking out the restaurants.

So right now I’m too busy to write, but I’ll tell you all about it later! Till then I hope you are with someone you love and having as much fun as I am!!!

Checking out Port Angeles

2011-07-04T18:40:00.001-07:00

The sun came out and we took off for another glorious day! Our plan was to check out Port Angeles to see if it should be a destination with the kids. We seem to have way more to do than our week will allow. But no matter the decision, today we would enjoy the sun and views of mountains and sea.The town of Port Angeles is on the San Juan de Fuca Strait directly across from Victoria. As such it is a shipping port, fishing center, and ferry terminal to Victoria.

The town has views of the strait on one side and the snow topped Olympic mountains on the other side. One of the entrances into the Olympic National Park is outside of Port Angeles.

It was very interesting talking with the locals and the comparisons they made with Sequim. It seems Sequim has the wealthier populace with retirees from California and Seattle. However, the restaurant choices seem to be better in Port Angeles and there is certainly more shopping as well as a hospital.

After checking out the small marine center with its touch tanks we walked over to the Saturday market and had lunch. I had a terrific pulled pork sandwich and Lee had the best fish and chips we’ve had yet.

A quick stop at the National Park visitors center confirmed the fact that we need to be there early in the morning for the drive up to Hurricane Ridge. With only a few entrances into the park, each one can become crowded during the summer days. So instead of driving on up, we chose to check out a playground (a must for little guys) and then the outdoor art space.

The Port Angeles Fine Art Center was a gift from Ester Barrows Webster to the city of Port Angeles. One of its claims to fame is that it is the ‘west-most center for contemporary art in the lower 48.’ The ART OUTSIDE is a walk through the forest with surprises at every nook and corner. It was very easy to miss some of the more hidden art works. Lee and I were constantly saying..oh look at that!

We have seen several beautiful buildings made with glass bottles but this was a first for plastic water bottles… maybe not so beautiful, but surely interesting.

The views of the town were also beautiful. The mountains in the distance are in Canada.

A cultural difference in the northwest compared to the east are the great number of drive through coffee shops. They seem to be on every street. This one was much larger than most so we figured it would be an easy stop with the truck. I had an iced mocha and Lee had a regular coffee and we enjoyed a few leftover donut holes from the Cock-a-doodle Donut shop in Port Angeles.

Then back home. It is supposed to rain tomorrow (again) but now I know the sun will return in all its glory!

Hope you had a glorious day too!

A few extra thoughts:

We were lucky last week to have Jeri and Terry come to the area for a few days. We’ve gotten together a couple of times and enjoyed sharing our stories and laughing. She writes a great blog and you can find it here: http://blog.willywagon.net/ Today Terry left Lee a little gift on their blog!

For some reason I am having trouble writing comments on some blogs. Weaver, Ederlys, Camping Millers… don’t know why, but I want you to know I am reading and you are in my thoughts!

And welcome to our newest reader…Longdog2! Do you have a blog? I would love to read it as well if you do.

Neah Bay–the farthest corner

2011-07-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

The sun finally came out and we took off! Our plan was to drive out to Neah Bay which is the most north western corner of the lower 48.

I packed a lunch and off we went. Our first stop was the little town of Joyce Washington (population – too small to list). We went into this neat little store and had a great time investigating all the nooks and crannies. In one corner there was an assortment of nuts and bolts sharing the spot with ice cream toppings. The plumbing supplies shared the shelf with the dishes. Paperback books were $1.75 and rubber duckies were 50 cents. We bought a post card from Joyce to send to Lee’s sister-in-law Joyce and then we drove over to the Blackberry Café. I had packed us a lunch, but who can pass up blackberries? I had a salad with blackberry vinaigrette and a blackberry scone followed by blackberry cobbler! Yum. Lee had a hamburger and the blackberry cobbler.

From there highway 112 followed the Juan de Fuca Strait. Across form the strait is Canada!

The tiny town of Seiku is popular with campers and fishermen.

Once we reached Neah Bay we were on the Indian Reservation of the Makah Indians. Our first stop was the Makah Cultural Museum. Photos were not allowed, but if you are ever in the area in the museum is well worth the stop.

The Makah Indians have always made their living from the ocean.

Leaving the town we headed further toward the point.

Once we arrived and parked we headed down the trail.

With the tremendous amounts of rain and the fertile soil, the growth of the trees is always fascinating.

Sometimes the path was dirt with roots, sometimes boardwalk, and sometimes tree stumps.

When we finally arrived the views were fabulous.

Returning home we took a different route and went by Crescent Lake, a part of the Olympic National Park. We stopped here and ate the packed lunch for our dinner.

Another beautiful day! See the blue skies!

Port Townsend, Washington- lovely coastal town

2011-06-26T11:48:00.001-07:00

Even though the sun was still hidden and it was drizzly out we felt we needed to start exploring the area. We are trying to get a feel for what is her before our daughter and family arrive in a few weeks. We want to know what the high spots are, where we can take the grandson to play, and which restaurants are worth the time and money. So off to Port Townsend we went. Port Townsend is one of only six towns in the US with a National Historic Landmark designation. The town was settled in 1851 as a late-Victorian seaport and home to rich captains and merchants. The town really boomed in the 1880’s and 1890’s with the promise of a railroad. The railroad never did come to Port Townsend, but the town has remained an active harbor and historical place to visit.

Our first stop was the Marine Science center located on the grounds of the Fort Worden State Park. This is a small facility but a great spot for kids and adults to learn about the coastal plant and animal life. They have lots of touch tanks and volunteers to tell you all about what you are seeing.

This is one of the touch pools full of colorful star fish:

I thought the floating dock outside was pretty neat. Maybe this is what we can build on our beach front back east?

The beach here has lots of white sand for playing especially with shovels and pails. The little guy should like this!

We briefly drove through the fort. There would be a lot to see if you had time to spend the day walking around. When Fort Worden opened in the late 1800’s, naval forces were the greatest threat to our country. Fort Worden never fired a shot in anger and was closed down in 1953 when airplanes made the fort obsolete. After its life as a fort, the property went through several uses including a brief time as a Fort Worden Diagnostic and Treatment Center (juvenile correction center). In 1971 the center closed and the state parks and rec purchased the site for the Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center. Today many special activities take place there and you can even rent the officers houses for family reunions. At this point the park is free, but with all the budget issues facing the state it probably won’t be for long.

Downtown in Port Townsend we found this great little playground just for tiny tots!

The playground is located right next to the Maritime Center where you can watch people building boats.

We walked down the street and found this great restaurant and pub on the second floor overlooking the water. As it was cool and rainy out, we sat inside and looked out.

Lunch was very good and was completed with an awesome bread pudding soaked in whiskey sauce…yum!

Meeting a friend for lunch and then Mt St Helens

2011-06-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

As we’ve said before one of the great benefits of this lifestyle is the people we meet on the road. Here is a picture of Jeri and I. We met for the first time in Yuma (she and Terry are members of our ‘graduating’ class) and as they were staying near Centralia, we were able to schedule a lunch date. Unfortunately Terry wasn’t feeling well and so didn’t join us. But we had a great time anyhow. Besides talking about this freewheeling lifestyle we now have, we also enjoy talking with Jeri and Terry about their world travels. While they’ve been to more places than we have, we enjoyed sharing stories of Asia and Africa.

But from lunch and hugs goodbye, we headed into Mt St Helens. The sun was starting to shine as we headed up the road so we had high hopes for a clear view of the volcano.

The higher we got, the more the clouds moved in, but we were still able to see the valley below the volcano. Mt St Helens erupted in 1980 killing 57 people and drastically changing the landscape. One river was moved, roads were completely covered and bridges destroyed. The road that goes up to the observation point is new and a beautiful drive with wide shoulders and solid railings. My kind of road!

Even after twenty plus years, the devastation is obvious.

One reason for the horrendous devastation was the way in which the volcano exploded. Instead of just going up and out the top and therefore flowing equally down the sides, it exploded out the side. Below you can see the crater formed when it blew:

When we got to the top it was a cold, cold rain and so we didn’t walk around too much. But we went inside the visitor’s center and watched a video before heading back down the road.

As usual the day ended with a stop for cobbler and ice cream..yum!

Day trip to Mt Rainier

2011-06-17T15:21:00.001-07:00

After our two week stay in Portland we went north into Washington. We stopped at Centralia, Washington just 100 miles north of Portland. A nice, easy drive except for all the traffic on the interstate. We are now at the Midway RV Park. It is very small, but very nice. Super clean and well landscaped with nice, big sites. It isn’t a campground you come to for the campground, but its great as a base to see Mt Rainier National Park and Mt. Saint Helens Volcano.

So on our first, almost clear day, we drove up to Mt Rainier. Mt Rainier NP was established in 1899 making it one of the oldest national parks. It is also one of the world’s most massive volcanoes at nearly 3 miles in height. Of course with that height and the clouds of Washington, we weren’t too hopeful that we would see the top. However, the park has three accessible areas that we were interested in seeing. First up was the Nisqually entrance and Longmire area. Longmire was built up as a tourist destination in 1883 by James Longmire who discovered the mineral springs that were everywhere in the meadows and marshlands.

You can see the bubbles from the mineral springs:

The area is also home to industrious beavers:

A lovely wooded trail:

and the Longmire Museum.

While this deer looks like a statue, he isn’t. He was just very calmly hanging around the visitor center enjoying the grass and sunshine. And maybe hoping for a handout!

From there we drove further into the park and started the climb up the mountain.

This is one of the 25 named glaciers in the park. This one is the Nisqually Glacier which is about 4 miles long and flows downhill about 6-12 inches every summer day.

Majestic mountains and blue skies made for a beautiful drive:

The second area in the park we wanted to visit was the Paradise Visitor center. This is a large meadow area was named Paradise due to the fields of wildflowers. I was really looking forward to seeing them….

But no wildflowers yet…just snow!!!!

So after climbing around in the snow, visiting the visitor’s center, and having our afternoon pie and coffee, we headed further east in the park.

Washington had a lot of snow and rain this year and so with all the runoff, there were waterfalls all along the road.

A stop at Box Canyon for a short hike to the Steven’s Creek.

Notice how smooth the rock is from the rushing water:

Our last stop was at the Grove of the Patriarchs. This 1.3 mile hike leads into an area of old growth forests much like those we saw in the Redwoods. Along the way Lee stopped to push a tree back up, we walked across a swinging bridge, and….

We saw a bear cub! Or rather we saw each other…he was just as interested in us as we were in him. But thankfully, momma was too busy eating to worry about us! We never saw her.

On the way out we admired the big old trees and some interesting fungus:

No flowers, but we did see the sun and a bear!!

Catching up time

2011-06-16T13:57:00.001-07:00

When we took off in September, one of my goals was to write on the blog everyday. I don’t do a great job, so it only takes a few minutes, but it seems to be like exercising…I always have something more important to be doing!

And then I get so far behind that I need to do some catching up before trying to go back to the daily write up. If I didn’t want to have this all downloaded into a book, I would probably just fast forward. But I do want the memories recorded, so here I am doing catch up!

While in Portland we had many great times with my sister Sandra, our Excel friends Tom and Donna, and new friends Rita and Tom. We visited the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, rode the train and the streetcar, played cards, ate in great restaurants, and watched the clouds. We also did one long day trip on the only sunny day we had. We drove along the Columbia Gorge visiting viewpoints and waterfalls. We then stopped at the fish hatchery, dam, and fish ladders. From there we drove along the fruit loop (none of the fruits were in however) and on up to Mt Hood. We were lucky to see the sun peak through during the day.Our first stop was the Vista House and Overlook. Inside Vista House was all marble and stained glass. A beautiful spot to enjoy the Columbia Gorge.Bridal Veil Falls was the first of several falls that we stopped at to admire and hike around.

The largest fall was Multnomah Falls. It was also the most crowded as it was easy to reach from the nearby Interstate. At 611 feet it was pretty impressive. Walking up on the bridge resulted in a shower of mist, but worth the adventure.Horsetail Falls was one of the prettiest. Probably because there were fewer people and the sun was shining. This is where we sat and enjoyed a packed lunch before heading on to the dam and fish hatchery.

After the falls we continued on to the dam, the fish ladders, and the fish hatchery.

As the fish swam through this ladder they were counted. There was a viewing room down below and the fish would have to swim through a narrow channel. While we weren’t able to see very many, there were thousands that went through on a daily basis. Counting them must be a pretty boring job!

This dam and lake, like most COE’s, included a beautiful campground on the lake and hidden from the dam.

Fish raised in a hatchery have a top fin snipped off. The wild fish still have this fin and so fishermen know which fish they can keep – the ones without the fin. This hatchery is mainly salmon. It is one of the oldest hatcheries in Oregon (opened in 1909) and it is the largest in terms of fish production.

This is Herman the Sturgeon who lives at the hatchery. He is over 10 feet long, 450 pounds and 70 years old.

Because the day was so full, we did not do the hatchery justice. There was so much more to see – maybe we will get back someday.

The wildflowers and rhododendron have been amazing all throughout Oregon and Washington.

After the dam and hatchery, we continued on the fruit loop toward Mt. Hood. While none of the fruits were ripe yet, we did stop at a lovely winery and of course had to buy a bottle of wine!This valley is all orchards, nurseries, and flowers. If the sun would shine a few more days it would be a utopia for living.

Our first peak at Mt Hood. Its top is way up in the dark clouds.

The sun comes out and we see Mt Hood in all its glory.

At 6,000 feet on Mt Hood’s slopes, Timberline Lodge was built by the WPA in the 1937, is 55,000 sq. feet and is a National Historic Landmark. It is still used today as a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat. It is huge, impressive, and a fascinating part of our American history.

Mt Hood has snow year round and is used as a training site during the summer for ice climbing, skiing and snow rescue. The day we were there a girl had to be rescued after a huge sheet of ice fell on her. The ice was the size on an in ground swimming pool, so she was lucky to escape with just an ambulance ride and overnight hospital stay.

The views as we left Mt Hood:

One of the few days we saw some blue sky and sunshine and wow was it beautiful! A great ending to our two weeks at the Portland Fairview RV Park.

U tube sites to check out….

2011-06-15T09:03:00.001-07:00

I have three YouTube sites for you to check out if you have time.
The first one is our fifteen seconds of fame taken at Lassen National Park when we met one of the rangers who was doing a segment on snow removal. Remember there was a LOT of snow! We come on after about the first minute. And I would like to point out that I have about 5 layers on under that pink fleece...just wanted you to know its not all me!

http://www.youtube.com/user/LassenNPS

The second one is from a former student who is working for this great organization called Table for Two. The idea is to reduce obesity in this country and Japan while increasing food in underdeveloped countries.
http://tablefor2usa.wordpress.com/

And the third one is an original song written in tribute to those who have given so much to help the victims of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami . Recorded by a former colleague in his living room with an iPhone and some guitar backing. The singer is his daughter. It’s a lovely song with some amazing pictures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84qE9HUoPds&feature=channel_video_title
Enjoy the day.

This will only take a minute…..

2011-06-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

So ladies, how often has your man said..”I just have a little project to do…it’ll only take me 15 minutes”? And then 2 hours and 15 minutes later he is still deep into his “15 minute” project.

Well yesterday was one such day for us….

Our water hose had developed a permanent kink and so we decided a new no-kink hose was the way to go. As our hose is permanently connected via a reel, there is a certain amount of work involved in replacing the hose. (About 15 minutes worth I was told). We had purchased a no-kink hose at camping world last week and Lee was now ready to install. The old one came off and out fairly easily, and it wasn’t TOO bad replacing with the new one. But…

The new one was too big (diameter) to fit in the reel when rolled up.

So … back to camping world to buy a new hose. They did not have the no-kink in the right size so Lee had to buy a kinkable hose.

Brought it back, took the old-new one off, and put the new-new one on. It has now been way more than 15 minutes! But its all on and ready to be tested. My job is to turn the water on in the kitchen to be sure it is flowing. (tough job but someone’s gotta do it!). Nope, no water!!

So we look for kinks…after all this new one is a kinkable hose. Find what might be the problem – take it all off and straighten out – put back on – no water.

Okay, take it off again and check out the plumbers tape. Maybe we put too much on and it fell inside the hose. Sounds a little far fetched but at this point we don’t know what else to try. So off it comes, on it goes, and …. no water in the kitchen sink.

We are just about to admit defeat and go find our resident expert, Tom, when Lee says…Check the bathroom! Well there’s water just fine in the bathroom! Since it all comes through the same hose, this doesn’t make any sense. Now the problem is in our kitchen faucet. So Lee takes it apart, doesn’t see anything, puts it back together… and voila…we have water in the kitchen!

Our ‘15 minute’ job has taken about 4 hours and 15 minutes!

We never did figure out why when we changed the outside hose the kitchen faucet decided to stop working, but we are going to assume it is one of those little mischievous elves that likes to make living in a moving home such a challenge.

I wonder what ‘15 minute’ project Lee will find for today?

Portland…family, friends, great food, great times

2011-06-03T10:40:00.001-07:00

We arrived at the Portland Fairview RV Park after another rainy day. Tom (friends from the Excel forum) came right out to greet us…what a terrific welcome! On Monday we had a pot luck here in the park, on Tuesday we had a great happy hour at Tom and Donna’s followed by a late night of cards in the club house (I won!). This is inside Tom and Donna’s new Excel…what a kitchen!!

Wednesday, other than quick walks in the park between rain storms, we hung around the rig and asked Tom lots of questions. As an Excel owner for many years, Tom is our expert on Excels and we have been saving up a long list of questions for him.

Thursday we took the metro into Portland to visit with my sister Sandra. She is a great tour guide and we had a lovely time. Rode the train, the street car, and walked the streets while we visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden http://www.lansugarden.org/home (an oasis of peace and beauty in the middle of the city), ate lunch at Jakes, roamed the 23rd avenue area of neat little shops, and had an awesome dessert at Papa Haydn’s…famous for their desserts. Check this out: http://www.papahaydn.com/dessert.php We shared the strawberry rhubarb tort and the St Moritz chocolate cake…yum. When we got back home Tom brought us some excellent homemade chicken soup from Donna. What an excellent ending for the day!

Today the sun is shining!!! I think we will probably try to do some cleaning on the rig and truck and make a quick run to Walmart. I want some fresh greens for salads. No heavy foods today! But tomorrow is the Saturday market and I’m sure the foods will be awesome again!

Life on the road sure is grand, especially when the sun shines.

Its all about the friends, family and food!!!

April showers, May showers…sure hope the sun shines soon!

2011-05-28T18:32:00.001-07:00

I never minded April showers because I knew we would then have beautiful May flowers. But I must say the flowers here had better be stupendous to make up for the weeks of rainy weather! Here it is May 28th and it rained again for about the 15th time in three weeks. Yep, I think we have seen the sun maybe 6 times in three weeks. And its cold…who ever heard of needing the heater the end of May?
BUT…
That means the flowers will be amazing when the sun shines. And the blue skies here are just breathtaking. And there doesn’t seem to be any pollution. And there’s no mosquitoes! And it is so nice and cool for sleeping at night!
All in all the rain isn’t so bad. At least, it will be acceptable if it stops long enough for us to move on up from Eugene to Portland.
We’ve been in Eugene for a week (and an extra day), but we haven’t done too much. Went shopping the first day, off to the coast again the next day, and did some cleaning projects on the rig during the week. Oh…and we got our hair cut! Sure did need it. Haircuts continue to be the most difficult part of this lifestyle for us. Mostly watched the clouds come in and out during the day.
Here are a few pictures from our trip over to the Oregon coast. We drove over to Florence, then north on the 101 to the Haceta Lighthouse, then south on the 101 to the Sand Dunes National Recreation Area.
It was quite a hike over the sand dunes and through the forest to get to the ocean.

But we made it!

A herd of Elk along the road as we drove back to Eugene.

Tomorrow we will be in Portland and we will get to see my sister Sandra and we will meet Tom and Donna!!!
A couple of side comments:
Alan and Marilyn…I can’t seem to comment on your blog? Paul and Sue...your blog too?
I know Jerry was having the same problem with mine and she had me do something to fix it...but I don't remember what???
Welcome Doyle and Terri...hope we meet somewhere on the road!

The raging Rouge River

2011-05-21T21:13:00.001-07:00

Driving up to Crater Lake National Park we drove along the Rogue River. This river flows all the way to Gold Beach on the coast and all along the way it is a major fishing river as well as a river used for lots of recreation. In Grants Pass and Gold Beach it is jet boat tours, and in these northern sections it is for white water rafting. While there are some calm sections such as this, there are some class 5 sections as well.

On the drive back down from Crater Lake we stopped and enjoyed the Rouge River. There was a short walk with overlooks of the gorge. This area is neither used for fishing nor rafting. But the raging waters were beautiful and exciting.

Several miles further down the road we came to an area with hikes down to the water. We were thrilled with this hike as it included all the things I love…water, trees, and big rocks to climb around on.

Can you see the rainbow?

The water is really, really cold!

Many of the trails for hiking along the river were also used for portage as there were strong warnings against trying to take a boat of any kind through these rapids. I sure wouldn’t want to try it!

Also along the way were beautiful lakes such as this one.

Back to the valley and 75 degree weather. Quite a change from the 40 degrees and snow that we saw earlier in the day! We ended the day with dinner at Patti’s Café in Gold Hill. A great meal to end a great day and it’s a good thing I hiked off some of the meal early!!!

Our rv park is right beside the river and so we will continue to listen to it as we go to sleep tonight!

The magic of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

2011-05-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

Finally after almost a week of cloudy, rainy days the forecast was for sunny and warm. So we decided to pack a lunch and head toward Crater Lake National Park. It was another beautiful drive through the mountains and forests. Well most of it was beautiful. We started by missing our turn and ended up deep in an industrial area…sorry no pictures! But once we got out of there and back where we belonged, this is what we saw:

Oh-oh..looks like we’re finding snow again!

Yes, we sure did find the snow!

Crater Lake has received snow in all twelve months of the year, and is covered in snow for eight months of the year. The rim drive around the park does not open until July and closes by mid September. They average over 40 FEET of snow each year! The average high temperature for May is 50 degrees and the average low is 29 degrees. So on our sunny, warm day we saw beautiful blue skies and 40 degrees. Once they begin clearing the roads of snow, they use crews on 10 hour shifts and feel lucky when they can clear a quarter mile section in a day. That’s 30 feet wide by 30 feet deep by a quarter mile….many tons of snow!

Crater Lake became a National Park in 1902. It is 183,000 acres. Only about 500,000 people visit each year, but then again it is not very accessible for most of the year.

Five miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high, the lake rests in the shattered remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. Over thousands of years Crater Lake filled with rain and melted snow. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. at almost 2000 feet. It is the tenth deepest in the world. Crater lake is fed only by rain and snow (no rivers or streams go in or out of Crater Lake) and so is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. The water is exceptional for its clarity and intense blue color.

The Rim Village café and gift shop was open with a cleared parking lot. After parking the car we walked down a short way that had been cleared and then climbed up on the snow bank to over look the lake. As you look at the pictures, look closely at the reflections. Without the trees, it would be hard to tell what is up and what is down because the reflections are so clear. Look closely for the dividing line….

This would make a tough jig saw puzzle!

How about this one?

Yes…we sure found the snow again!

Glorious shining sea

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In addition to the majestic redwoods we were awestruck by the California and Oregon coast. This coastline is very different from the one we are used to on the east coast. Here there are rocks and pounding surf, cold winds, and even colder water. When we stopped for pie we talked with a gentleman who had lost both his son and his son-in-law to that wild and violent surf.

Our first view of the water was outside Crescent City where we saw these three riders. What a beautiful ride….

The following are all views of the California coast driving south from Crescent City on Highway 101.

This is the Klamath River as it heads toward the Pacific Ocean.

Below is the view from the overlook where the river flows into the ocean.

While at the overlook we watched whales and osprey and even eagles. The dark areas in the ocean are reflections of clouds.

This eagle sat in the tree watching us as we watched him. We were there for about 20 minutes and he never moved….just sat there regally watching his world.

The following views are from the Oregon coast.

And after two sunny days the rain and fog moved in. The beaches were still beautiful, just a little strange looking.

This is in the town of Bandon, a lovely little fishing and tourist town.

From sea to shining sea…we love our country!

The amazing and awe inspiring Redwoods!

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Redwood National Park was created in 1968 when three California redwood state parks – Jedidiah Smith, Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek – were encompassed by the national lands. Logging continued to threaten the great redwoods until 1978 when Congress added another 48,000 acres to the original 58,000 acres. The new land included 36,000 acres that had been logged and turned into vast raw, clear-cut stretches. Today they are working hard to reclaim this land but it will take at least 50 years before the scars of logging disappear and another 250 years before the seedlings become modest sized. We are so fortunate that the American public has stood up and fought for all these wonderful parks we have in the US.

In addition to the giant redwoods, there were areas where moss covered the trees and ferns grew everywhere.

It was an amazing wonderland. We walked in peace and quiet with very little talking, just a lot of pointing.

This is one of the smaller trees that had fallen down and then had to be cut to keep the path clear.

It is a long way up….

The trees had amazing growths and burls on them. My dad would love to carve some of these.

Lee checking out the size…it was big!

But then we went to see the ‘Big Tree’……

This was another really big tree as well before it fell down. The root system does not go very deep, but instead spreads out.

The tree on the right attached itself to the middle tree and then lost its bottom half. But the top half remained healthy and continued to grow as it was using the host tree as its new base.

A beautiful bridge leading to the Lady Bird Johnson Trail and grove of redwoods.

The redwoods reaction to fire is interesting. First the fire plays a critical role by clearing dense ground cover and giving new seedlings the opportunity to grow. More intense wildfires remove the middle canopy layers of tanoak, hemlock, and rhododendron, scarring the redwoods as high as 100 feet above their base. Countless wildfires scorched the base of this redwood. Its thick, insulating bark lacks the volatile resins found in pines, firs, and spruce, and its sap is largely water. This combination slows combustion while the surrounding vegetation burns vigorously. Fires can burn repeatedly through cracks in the bark into the heartwood, but leave the outside growing layers intact. In time, the damaged heartwood decays, leaving behind hollows used as shelter by wildlife. Fire creates, not destroys, the mosaic of life in the redwood forests. (Copied from the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail guidebook. )

Fire had created a huge cave-like structure within the tree behind me. Many bears could easily stay dry inside.

While the redwood forest looks huge with miles of green in all directions, it actually contains less than 4% of the original old-growth forest. Intense logging from 1850 to the present reduced the once endless forests to a fraction of their original expanse.

The rings of this fallen tree give some insight to the age of the huge redwoods found in the old-growth areas.

More information on the redwoods (copied from the National Park Service guide):

The Coast redwoods grow in a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast of California and southwestern Oregon. The Coast redwoods tower over all other trees all other trees in the world. Trees over 370 feet tall (taller than the Empire State building) have been recorded across the region. Redwood forests develop the world’s greatest reported volume of living matter per unit of land surface. Giant sequoias (found on the Sierra Nevada’s western slopes of California) grow to larger diameter and bulk but do not grow as tall. The Coast redwood can live to about 2000 years old as they have no known killing diseases and do not suffer significant insect damage. Only man seems to have been their enemy.

Redwoods and Oregon Coast-Itinerary

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Even though we carry our home with us, we still like to go on the occasional ‘vacation’. Actually, we sometimes find it is easier to leave the rig parked and just take the truck even though it means we will need to stay in hotels. We did this when we went from Benson to Tucson to visit my cousins and we did again when we left the rig in Lone Pine and drove over to Death Valley.

This time we decided to leave the rig in Grants Pass, Oregon and drive over to the California coast to visit the Redwood National Forest. We left Grants Pass about 9:30 – early for us – and arrived in the Redwoods National Park by early afternoon. First we stopped at the Jedidiah Smith State Park where we ate a packed lunch and took a walk to see our first super big redwood tree.

Of course we had to stop for the afternoon pie and coffee:

And then on to Crescent City where we had our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean:

We went from myriad shades of green to shades of blue.

We continued down the coast visiting many of the Redwood National Park sites before arriving at the Requa Inn, our home for the night. The Requa Inn was built in 1914 and had not been changed much since then! But it was beautifully decorated, the breakfast was outstanding, and sleeping was wonderful! In addition it had a wonderful view of the Klamath River. We watched a bear on the other side of the river after dinner!

The view from the front porch. What a wonderful way to end the day!

On Friday we continued our exploring of the Redwood National Park before turning north on Highway 101 toward the Oregon coast.

We stopped in Gold Beach for the night with reservations at the Inn of the Beachcomber. Before ending our day, we were able to spend several enjoyable hours with friends Pat and Paul. We had met Pat and Paul in Paducah, Kentucky when we first took off as full timers in 2009. After a brief hello we went our separate ways that morning only to find ourselves parked next to each other at the next park! It was so much fun to see them again after several years and thousands of miles!

We enjoyed our seafood dinner and then they took us on a tour of the town. Unfortunately I forgot the camera! After a good visit we went back to our room. This is the sunset view from our balcony:

Saturday we woke up to a rainy, foggy, Oregon morning and began the drive back to Grants Pass. We originally thought we would retrace our route (101 to 199 and back to Grants Pass), but then looking at the map we saw a road that went directly from Gold Beach across to Grants Pass. However, after a little investigating, we found that the road was not for those inexperienced in Oregon snow covered back roads. So we studied the map again and decided to stay on the 101 north to Bandon (the cranberry capital of the west) and then take scenic 42 over to I5 where we would head south to home. It was an excellent choice!

Along the way we passed farm land with cows, sheep, llamas, and goats as well as timbered land. The picture below shows the timbered areas on the mountain side. It must be extremely difficult to harvest the timber on these steep slopes. After cutting and clearing, they go back up and replant for future use.

The view from Interstate 5 just before arriving back home:

Another great ‘vacation’.

And on to Oregon!

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As we left Susanville, we again drove through beautiful forests and along blue lakes. The road was very peaceful.

Thanks to a great suggestion from Art and Connie, we knew to stop at Burney Falls State Park. This was our lunch stop and then we took a mile hike around the falls. A wonderful break from riding in the truck.

Lee looking mighty fine in his hiking hat!

We were still in volcanic country as you can see from the tumbles of rocks.

A beautiful and peaceful walk and then back on the road.

We head toward Mount Shasta, California where we will pick up Interstate 5.

We pass Mount Shasta and after an overnight stop in Weed, Ca. we arrive in Rogue River City, Oregon at the Bridgeview RV Park. My view is of the Rogue River and the geese. Everything is green and in bloom right now. Very different from the views of a couple of weeks ago! In fact it looks much like the east coast area of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia with the mountains, small winding roads, and lots of green.

Tomorrow we head to the Redwoods and the Coast and another big change in scenery!

Susanville–we try Lassen from the north

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While we enjoyed our trip to Lassen Visitor center on the south side, we didn’t get to see much of Mt Lassen, so we decided to try the north entrance. Again it was a beautiful drive through forests of evergreen trees interspersed with green meadows, blue lakes, and splashes of snow.

But again there was a lot of snow and the roads weren’t cleared yet!

This time however, we were able to park the truck and walk down the road (on top of about 6 feet of snow!).

We walked about a half mile then turned back to the roadway. Our truck was parked just off to the right.

Can you see the big black rock behind the snow? It was sent down the mountain about 3 miles from the volcano. The other two pictures show small rocks that are scattered everywhere along the mountain sides.

The locals in Chester also suggested we try Subway Cave and so we did on our way back. Really cool!! It was VERY dark, wet, and somewhat scary. There was no one else there, which added to its mystery! While we had two flashlights, neither of them worked very well, so I held on tight to Lee’s arm the whole way!

The light disappeared right around that corner!

A map of the lava tube cave:

And back on the road to Susanville for one more day.