Say Hello to VAN

Van, our new Class B RV, fits beautifully into our family, AND our parking spot!

We have gotten home from Yuma, our first trip with Van and Wally. Adding a puppy and a smaller rig at the same time takes a little adjustment.... OK, quite a lot of adjustment, but we did it! We drove the 5 hour trip on less than $100 in gas, a change from the Class A that we can get used to. We fit nicely in the park site and took a lot of questions from fellow campers who have also thought about going smaller. "That is so cute!" was the common remark. This from folks who know the joys and hassles of a Class A.

High points of the first trip with Van:

• Sitting behind the rig to watch TV and the stars while Wally finds a nice spot to rest in the sand.
• Creating a porch where Wally can relax off-leash between Van and car.
• Traveling light.
• Cooking light.
• Terrie DRIVING! but not too much. We just proved it was possible for me to drive the new rig.
• Packing/unpacking in the condo parking lot. No more traipsing back and forth across town to the RV park to get ready for a trip.
• No more RV storage fees.

Highlights of Yuma trip:

• Thanksgiving dinner with fellow Escapees.
• Meeting other Escapee dog owners at the 7 acre dog park.
• Swap meet shopping.
• Shopping in Mexico.
• Happening on a children's parade in Mexico.

 Every change comes with adjustments. We enjoyed discovering the surprises of Van. As Russell says, "Now we're really camping!"

Odd Pairings

Throughout our travels we have noticed entrepreneurs with small businesses of all varieties. Most are the predicable service or product oriented stores, some based in people's homes. Several have caught our attention because of the combinations offered. Some are just unique, other down-right unappetizing!

You decide!
Taxidermy and Cherries (farm road in Washington state)
Car Wash and Grill (that's burgers and other bar food in Dickinson, TX)
Homemade Candy and Hair Salon ( sign at a home in Tennessee)
Coffee/Storage/Car & RV Wash (Kallispell, MT, I think)
Anti-Monkey Butt Powder (advertising sign at hardware store in Couer d'Alene)
Motorcycle Accessories and Dart Supply Co. (I forgot, still thinking about candy/hair shop)

We will continue to keep our eyes open for folks just trying to keep their heads above water across the USA.

At Home

Looks weird, At Home. But that is how it feels and we are glad to be here. We spent several days at the RV park before putting the rig in storage, busy days.

We are now in the pattern of most retirees, exercise, errands, assorted projects. Nothing to blog about... until Tuesday.

Introducing Wally!

Russell started shopping the shelters and rescue agencies. There was a pattern: find the right dog, leave, think about it, go back, dog is gone. Heavy sigh. At the Vegas Animal Shelter I refused to leave and think about it. We were leaving with Wally, and he is the best choice. He is a dachshund/terrier mix; long, low, squirmy, weighing in at 15 lbs and full grown at about a year old. It has been noted that his white hair matches his owners. He is quiet, mostly, and well tempered. He is house trained, mostly, and will be a perfect RV dog.

The Trip to Vegas

We left Seattle heading south on I-5 to Vancouver, WA on the north shore of the Columbia River. This park was so nice and so much less expensive than we had been paying, (they took our Escapees card!) that we decided to stay a week. This gave us time to visit Portland, just south of the Columbia and allow the temps to drop a little in Vegas, well we could hope for that anyway.

The park is within walking distance of shopping, a real rarity for RV parks which are usually a little remote. The Seattle park also had shopping close by. Another commonality of the 2 parks; blackberries. I had thorn scratches and insect bites, but also a bunch of great berries to show for my efforts. We are still eating the berries that I froze. We also rode our bikes and walked the river shore and downtown Vancouver.

RV neighbors recommended the downtown farmer's market, a weekly event. On this weekend the area was also the scene of the annual Komuricon convention. Komuricon, we found out, is a group that follows Japanese anime characters, comics and games. The attendees dress as their favorite in colorful and creative costumes. It is a mostly young group, but not exclusively. They were playing games in the park, shopping and posed quickly for cameras. We enjoyed the show, music, shopping and lunch in the festival type atmosphere.

We took a day trip to Portland, OR. Our primary destination, Powell's Books. We enjoyed the shopping and people watching at the largest book store around. We walked several miles through town and decided that Portland is indeed weird. We enjoyed it more the first time we were there. The trip back north was grueling. All roads lead to the single bridge that crosses the river. We bailed out and ate dinner on the south shore.

We continued south on I-5 through Oregon and into California. This is a pretty drive, mostly through rural and suburban areas. Just north of Mount Shasta we turned off  the interstate to cross the northeastern corner of California. this is the shortest way to Reno. The 2-lane road was beautiful connecting 2 volcanoes, Shasta and Lassen. We just caught a glimpse of Lassen, but Shasta was obscured by smoke. There had been a number of fires in the area that were still smoldering. We stopped in Susanville on the eastern side of the mountains.

The second day we entered the desert created by those lush mountains of the previous day. In Reno we picked up the Truckee River and traveled along it for awhile then headed more south to pick up US-95 that takes you to Vegas. We were surprised by Lake Walker. This beautiful oasis is a deep and wide natural lake fed by the Walker River. We passed through the towns of Hawthorne, the largest ammo storage site in the USA. Nellis AFB stretches from Hawthorne to Vegas, it is massive! But the road was long and we kept driving to get to Vegas. We plan to retrace that path in October to actually stop and see a bit more.

Western Washington State

We made 2 stops on Washington's Puget Sound, first north to Bellingham then to Seattle. The trip to Bellingham included fruit stands, bike rides and a day trip to Vancouver, BC. We enjoyed the towns of Ferndale and Lynden, suburbs of the larger city as well. Lynden is near Mount Baker, a snow-capped volcanco peak that watches over the valley. We drove up during a bike event. Our car was working to make the steep grades, we were most thankful to not be peddling. Actually, the free fall  trip back down would have scared me too. We took a short hike and picnicked next to a series of small lakes that were crystal clear and beautiful.

We enjoyed several bike rides, but the hate we have long held for out bike carrier grew with each trip. We finally bought a new one that is so much easier to handle, what took us so long? Each ride was unique and eventful, through town, forest, coastline. The one common element was UP. I don't do UP very well, so trips were fairly short, I'm afraid.

We drove to Vancouver to see my cousins and have an early dinner prior to their Alaskan cruise. We walked downtown and enjoyed the street performers on a Sunday afternoon and got to walk a bit in Stanley Park with dinner at the Fish House. We got dessert at the water-side market. The border crossing was eventful coming and going. It seems that border agents are suspicious of Texans. We are all "gun toting" apparently; well Russell is actually. Anyway, they searched our car on the north bound trip and we must have passed. South bound, the agent asked to see our 45's. He believed us when we told him they were at home.

We stayed at an interesting park in Seattle near the intersection of I-405 and I-90, easy access to just about everything. We spent time at the Bellvue Mall, movies, shopping, food, art all together. We also met up with the Rutherfords and walked downtown, including Pioneer Square and the Market. The Rutherford's have gotten out of RV mode and had rented a house across the Sound in Bremerton. We spent a day bumming around the University of Washington area. Another day we enjoyed a drive to Tecoma and the shoreline at the southern end of the sound.

This trip, from the time we left Vegas in May, has been one of breakage. In Bellingham, we had to replace the RV alternator. Russell found a great truck service shop that took good care of us. In Seattle Russell's computer gave out. Office Max saved that day. A nice lady, Pam, was able to recover and transfer all of his data to the new unit. So when talking about our next stop, we decided that home was a good destination.

Cle Elum

We arrived here yesterday in time to set up, get in and turn up the air. The 90's in mid afternoon are really hotter than we have become accustomed to.

Today we hit the path early. We were on our bikes about 8:30 for a ride on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Our park is a short drive through the neighborhood and a stair climb (Russell carried my bike up for me!) to the Rails-To-Trails path. This one follows the Yakima River, just south but out of sight of I-90. The trail itself is not paved, but hard packed dirt and gravel. We really had to watch the road to avoid deep loose gravel and larger rocks. The route to Cle Elum is pretty with lots of trees lining the way. We got to the train depot - really - and took the surface roads to town for a cup of coffee. We found a great local place and met Red Dog, a very nice local who gave us a lot of good info and insights. We got back home for a total of about 10 miles, ready for lunch.

This afternoon we drove to the nearest Walmart in Wenatchee. Several people told us that it is a pretty trip across the pass through the Cascade Mts. We headed back east and then north on a very busy mostly 2-lane state highway to the Apple Capital of the USA, if not the world. The Wenatchee area really reminded us of California; arid hillsides, lush orchards with irrigation. We enjoyed a stop at a local fruit stand. You could see most of the food growing within sight of the stand, except the onions which are from Walla Walla.

The drive back was not as busy, but just as pretty. As we neared flat farm land Russell noticed a smoke cloud obscuring an otherwise blue sky. As we got closer, the flames were evident on the south side of the ridge just south of the freeway. This appears to be a large fire, but we have no reports as yet. It does look like our park is well west of the affected area and will remain out of range.

I-90 in Eastern Washington State

“I don’t know what we are looking at, but it is really beautiful!”

“It’s some water.”

 You will have to guess which of us said what, but that shouldn’t be a trick!

 We have just stopped at a rest area on the eastern side of Washington state, same one we hit 3 years ago when passing this way. I was thinking about blogging and decided that I could do it now and transfer to online later. We will stop in about 150 miles for a few days in central state.

We are entering the farming section of the state. It has wider expanses of pasture land and more than just hay type grasses in cultivation. The fields have been beautiful with a variety of greens and yellow-tan colors depending on the level of irrigation and rainfall. The predominate color is what I have decided to call DRY. It is sort of golden. At some places the farmers are working at bailing. Is the grass ripe or just tired? It is full and the corn is really pretty, not like the shrunken variety we drove past in the drought stricken corn belt.

 Some nice things about traveling in a motorhome: With the generator on, I am free to blog, and I can go make lunch so the chicken salad will be ready at the next rest stop! Very Cool!

 Back on the road and we ate too soon. Just past our stop is the fabulous river view I remember from our previous trip in 2009. You are driving along these wide, barren, rolling hills when you start to get glimpses of a massive river. As you near the bridge, there is a Scenic Overlook area to gape and stare at the gorge made by the Columbia River as it flows from the north and makes a turn west. We kept going, but I took as many pics as possible along the way. We were barreling down this 6% grade, curving toward this bridge with traffic on all sides. I’m all over the cab trying to get the very best on-the-move photo when here comes a Model T (yellow), 2 motorcycles and a camper on the on-ramp. Good news! I got the picture!

We entered another farming region, and a number of Vegetable Stands that looked really great from I-90. We were starting to glimpse snow-capped mountains between the ridges closer at hand. Then all of the traffic began to slow as we saw smoke ahead. Firemen were on the shoulder fighting the grass fire before it got to the trees. Fire in the median was being allowed to burn as long as it didn’t get any wilder than it was. We exited at the next town and saw more trucks on their way to the blazes. It was no surprise to see the FIRE BAN sign as we neared the RV park.

Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s

After a couple of not-totally-successful tries on the Centennial Trail, I talked to a lady working at the campground who recommended another trail, a way better one. We drove about 20m east on I-90 and headed south to the Bull Run Trailhead. She assured me that we would see more animals than people. From the looks of the parking lot, word has spread since her last trip out there.  This trailhead is at mile 33 of about 60, so we had a choice and decided to head east to the town of Cataldo, a 16m round trip.

 A quick trip to the potty and reading the sign there revealed that there are 36 species of pine trees on the continent. More reading would probably have told me how many we would see on the trail, but I didn’t hang around that long. Anyway, I had a mindset for the ride. The first I noticed were the long needle type. There were several short needle types; I say several because the branch patterns varied. My favorites were the ones that look more like fern branches hanging off of pine trunks. They are wide lacy branches that lay delicately on top of one another. Names of these different types would only cloud my scanty knowledge!

But there was more to see! We biked along farm fields, lava rock mountains, deciduous trees of all types, lakes, marshes, and a river that beautifully reflected all of it. We stopped at the Mission Café for a great lunch (Russell a hamburger, me a turkey-cream cheese-cranberry sandwich). And then hit the trail back to the car. It was just a pretty going west.

Day 2:

We headed directly south out of the park down US 95 to the town of Plummer and then east to Heyburn State Park. Looking more at the map, Russell decided to not bike that section which travels a bridge over a narrow section of Coeur d’Alene Lake and then up the shore line to Harrison. We would drive to the town of Harrison instead.  Now the trail, set out by the train company roughly a century ago, is a distance of less than 15 miles. The state road, connecting several towns along the way, is closer to 30 miles of sheer beauty! We stopped to see where the St. Joe River flows between 2 lakes that it separates. Weird to see the river flow between 2 still bodies of water. The St. Joe is the highest navigable river on the continent-a little known fact.

Harrison is definitely a river town. All activity centers on the river and the bike trail that runs along the river. It is a pretty town of bike shop, bars, ice cream shop, and houses on the bluff above a very busy marina and river below. We headed west from mile 15 towards the Bull Run Trailhead of the previous day. This section of the path is even more populated with bikers and walkers. It is also even more beautiful. Marshes are full of birds, lily pads of different types, cattails and other marsh grasses. A chain of lakes is connected by the Coeur d’Alene River. Evidence of the timber business glory days is sprinkled in and still active, but only in a limited way.

We rode north for roughly 4m, then back to town for lunch. We set out toward the bridge to the south to see how far we could get. Riding, you can usually hear a biker coming up to pass, they often say, "On your left." I heard conversation coming from behind and expected the usual, but instead just heard very quick peddling coming around. This boy, on the smallest bike I have ever seen without training wheels, was totally focused on passing me, which he did in grand style. He may have been 4, certainly not 5 yet. I felt very old. Very slow. Totally outclassed. The boy's father had a slower pace, but passed me all the same, congratulating the son on his good job. Precious. Mom caught up later with 2 toddlers in a carrier. A neat family outing.

We got within sight of the bridge, called it done and headed back. Another 4m out and then back. On the return trip I saw the shadow of a fairly large bird coming up from behind. A soaring hawk swooped down ahead before landing in the tall branches of a pine. We also spotted several nesting osprey. The smaller birds I can't name, but they certainly add to the music of the trip.

Now when I cite the mileage on our trips, I am talking about the miles that I traveled, give or take. Russell logged way more than that because he would get a significant distance ahead and then come back to see how I was doing. Sometimes, he went ahead when I turned back, and of course he beat me back to the start. He didn't go twice the miles, maybe half again. He got more exercise. I took more pictures and had all the exercise I could handle.

We are taking advantage of the rails that connected these logging centers via the Rails-to-Trails program. They carved out the mountains to create the most direct, flattest route possible. We all thank them, mostly. Signs along the trail warn bikers to not get off the path to respect private property. A longer version sign warns that the soil may still be contaminated with lead and other harmful matter. The trail and associated Wayside stations are the only safe locations. They warn to carry hand sanitizer and use it liberally prior to eating and to not sit on the ground or place food on the ground. Interesting.

Bike Rides

Any time the conversation turns to fabulous bike rides, Russell will get a glazed far-away look as he describes the Hiawatha Trail. Well, yesterday he got another run at it and fell in love all over again. I did not feel like I could handle the full 14m trip, even though it is down hill. And there is no way I am going back through the 2m tunnel that begins and ends the trip.  The remainder of the trip is fully worth it, however, as I have been hearing for the last 24 hours.

The trip is a rails-to-trails project that follows the original Hiawatha Train path. It crosses trestles that soar over the river below so that you are on eye level with some tree tops and looking down on most. There are a total of 7 tunnels, most of them short and only 1 monster. I uploaded some pics from previous trip in '09.

Today we both traveled parts of the Centennial Trail. This is a path that stretches 24m across the Idaho panhandle, mostly along I-90. It also winds through the small towns along the way. This morning we drove west to Post Falls to ride the last 5m from there to the Washington border. Actually, construction near the border stopped us a mile or so short of the goal but the return miles were just as pretty headed back east.

A short shopping trip, lunch (Huckleberry Shakes), and a drive back to Coeur d'Alene and we were good for a few more miles. We picked up the trail on Lake CDA for a beautiful ride along the shoreline. I gave out as the road began to rise fairly steeply(my assessment) into the hills east of town. We were not alone on this cool, overcast day. several groups of bikers, runners, kids, and families enjoyed the track. On the lake boaters, skiers, and a parasailer added to the scenery.


A good day all around. Look forward to more tomorrow.

McGregor Lake, MT

Russell has been fascinated by the small town of Libby, MT for several years. It is in the most northwestern county of the state. We heard about the great fishing in an area between Libby and Kalispell, a chain of many small lakes, creeks and the Kootenai River. We also were told about a nice RV park. All rumors were proved correct.

We spent several days at Lake McGregor Lodge, scenically located between Lake McGregor and Little Lake McGregor, a short walk to each. A short drive on US2 takes you to the Thompson Chain of Lakes and the Fisher River. We fished, dodged deer, picnicked, and caught nothing but a few rays and some more mosquito bites. We also enjoyed the lodge owners and their restaurant. The restaurant-store-bar-casino is typical of lake hangouts whether on Lake McGregor or Texhoma.

We drove to Libby several times to look around and shop at the Town of Eagles. It's cool to see the nests on phone poles in town with mature and baby eagles. The sculpted metal birds were much easier to photograph.

Yesterday we left Montana after the better part of a month. We are now in Coeur d'Alene, again. We are now at the Blackwell Island RV Park. Coeur d'Alene is southwest of Libby, barely 100 miles between them. The trip between the 2 cities is over 200m first northwest, then south. The Bitterroot and Cabinet Mountains line the Mountana-Idaho border. What a great use of 5 hours.

Photos are on the new phone. will post after I figure out HOW!

Western Montana

Our stay in Coram included several evening drives through Glacier Park in search of WILD GAME! The closest we got were the vast herds of mosquitoes that attacked us on each and every outing. The crowds and construction discouraged us from a return trip to Logan's Pass until Sunday evening, when we correctly figured that at least the construction would be on hold. The traffic was also at a minimum. My goal was to hike the 1.5m path from Logan's Pass to Hidden Lake. This is a paved track that winds through an alpine pasture of low grass and shrub, wild flowers, small water falls and pools of marsh. With the setting sun casting a variety of shadows and colors from behind the mountain, it was a glorious walk, if a bit tiring on the mostly-uphill parts. We had to be getting close to the lake!  Russell said not even close, so I asked someone on the way down. He confirmed Russell's opinion of maybe a third of the way. I couldn't go any further and Russell wasn't all that interested. I mean where we were was fairly amazing.

Heading down hill we saw 2 beaver looking animals identified as marmots. Don't guess we have seen that animal before. We approached a very excited parking lot. Big horn rams were roaming between cars to lap up the water. I swear there was plenty of nicer water all over the place, but they seemed to like the extra mineral content of asphalt. We also got a wonderful look at the long-haired mountain goats grazing in one of the pastures.

A day hike produced a bumper crop of huckleberries, gathered up in the 2 water bottles we were carrying.  We picnicked, and relaxed by McDonald Lake. Sunset at the lake with mist rolling in was another terrific evening. We also had time for cooking out and enjoying the RV park.

I guess that putting some distance between the events and the blog is that only the brief summary remains, not a blow-by-blow account.

GOING-TO-THE-SUN ROAD!!!

We arrived in Montana a few weeks ago, and I hate to complain in paradise...but....

In the last 2+ weeks we have fixed the refrigerator, 3times; replaced the ice maker, 2 times; installed a new fresh water hose, only 1 time; ate/cooked food out of a cooler and someone else's freezer for 10 days (at least) and wound up flat on my back for 3 days thanks to a pair of arthritic hips. In the middle, and certainly not the least, my dad had several falls and is now nicely recovering from a hospital stay of 4 days. So we have been in the towns of Helena, Polson, and Kalispell with little to share in the way of a tourism report. We can tell you about some helpful folks and good repairmen, however.

So, today we made a short 20 mile trip to Coram, MT, which is just 7 miles west of the west entrance of Glacier Natl. Park. Nice drive, great RV park, more glorious weather, all systems still working, attitudes nicely adjusted.

We were set up before noon in perfect time for an easy at-home lunch and then a drive to Glacier. The Crown of the Continent is well named! The rugged glacial-shaped peaks really do resemble a crown climbing to the continental divide at Logan Pass. The famed Going-To-The-Sun Road is open every summer, between the end of June and early to late September if there are no avalanches or mudslides. This is a narrow window! One we missed several years ago, in fact the road never completely opened that year. Going-To-The-Sun Road is a 50 mile climb and descent from the town of West Glacier and St. Mary's on the east side. It bisects the American portion of the International park. There are less than 10 drivable entrances to the 1800 square mile expanse. Only 1 road connects two sides. All others are an in and out situation, at best. There are countless places to hike in and out for as long as the body and terrain allow. For me, that is a very limited proposition.

I only took 75 pictures today! Russell took a few also. Our drive started in West Glacier, along the south side of McDonald Lake and then climbing up from the Flathead River into the "Crown" of the Rockie Mountains. Wildflowers, Alpine meadows, craggy mountain ridges, waterfalls, more waterfalls, and glaciers. We stopped at the visitor center at Logan Pass for a walk around. The drive up included a 30 minute delay waiting for our turn on a 1-lane road due to construction. It was nearing 4:00, long time since lunch, long drive back. So we headed west. We will leave early another day to make the full 100 mile round trip.

As we neared town I read really good reviews of a local pizza restaurant. They were right! We had a fabulous BBQ chicken pizza with pineapple and onion. Home by 6:00 with a sip of wine in the shade and breeze of the evening. What a nice day!

Helena, MT

July 9, 2012

We drove west out of the Black Hills on I-90 to the town of Sundance, WY. Sundance is the town that gave an outlaw and an actor the famous name. It all started when Harry Longabaugh broke out of the local jail. We stayed at a nice owner-operated park for 2 nights. The owner recommended that we take the loop through some beautiful country instead of just the out and back trip to the Devil’s Tower.

The legend of Devil’s Tower is that some Indian girls were playing when a bear surprised and chased them up a large, flat-topped rock. The gods heard their prayers to save them so the rock grew up to the heavens as the bear scratched and clawed at the sides of the mountain-sized rock. The girls went directly to heaven; the bear was just out of luck. The eroded columns of the tower lend credibility to the legend. Once scientist thought it was a volcano core, but it is now considered an igneous intrusion. The columns are in a continuous, if slow, state of deterioration as evidenced by the boulder debris at the base of the tower. Kids veer off the mile-long hiking path that encircles the tower to climb and play in the boulders. More experienced kids scale the sides to ascend straight up the face. On the loop back to Sundance we stopped at the town of Alpine, population 15; but passed on the sink hole at Vore. The pre-horse Indians would stampede a herd of buffalo off the cliff into the sinkhole.

 I-90 heads west and north out of Sundance towards Billings, MT. We are into our 4^th trip to Montana. It is really a beautiful state. Our first stop was to revisit Little Big Horn. We happened on an archeological documentary of the battle on the evening prior to our visit. With that info and a CD that we purchased to guide our tour, we really did enjoy the stop. Custer is proof that arrogance just can’t be cured.

 The drive from there to Helena is 300 miles of beauty. We crossed over and followed along the Yellowstone, Jefferson, and Missouri rivers numerous times. What Lewis and Clark would have given for our ride!

A truck stop parking lot was a pretty good place for lunch, views of snow-capped mountains from each window. We had plenty of Weight Watcher (too many steaks and desserts!) frozen dinners to choose from due to a stock-up the previous day. So we went in the c-store to buy drinks and ask about the off-freeway road just ahead. The nice lady verified a good, easy road so off we went.

Ammonia. It is a very distinctive smell; not bad, clean, fresh, and totally out of place in an RV. So I began searching for the source. Russell suggested the refrigerator workings might be involved. A Google search confirmed his fears. A hole rusted through spewing ammonia gas from deep in the guts of the ‘fridge.

 The road was not the gem promised. Assorted sections of construction, at one point a gravel road, had been sprinkled along the way. So we were bouncing along trying to figure out how to take care of the refrigerator problem, how bad is it, and how much will it cost. We called ahead to the RV park in Helena and the owners offered to let us put all of our frozen food in their upright in their garage. When they take a trip on Wednesday, they will leave the back door open for us to have access. The office carries block ice for us to fill the cooler we have been totin’ around in the car. Today we found a service shop that can take us on Thursday and it will cost less than expected. Not a bad outcome! It is amazing that every time we encounter problems, nice people are there to help, where ever "there" happens to be.

 We have hopes of seeing some of the town in the intervening days and leave Friday for Kalispell. At least that is the current plan.

Black Hills, SD

July 4, 2012

 The Black Hills are in the southwest corner of South Dakota, famous for the natural wonders and a few man-made ones. Mount Rushmore and Chief Crazy Horse monuments are in a loop that encompasses monuments, caves, lakes, rivers, amazing rock formations, and some wild roads. The only major town in the area is Rapid City to the north. Hill City, Keystone and Custer City are tourists’ towns touting their historic roles in the ol’ west and selling t-shirts.

To me, the roads are a story in themselves. A man named Peter Norbeck was a water well driller in the early 1900’s who saw the need for a road through this beautiful wilderness. He spearheaded a group who devised the best path through the mountains, creating the Needles Highway. Needles are the best way to describe the rock formations that are found among the pines. Norbeck built towering bridges to support roads that wind over and on top of one another. He blasted rock out of mountains to create tunnels of varying height and width. The shortest tunnel is 10’7”. The narrowest is 8’4”. There are a total of 6 tunnels, each different from the last. There is one where you enter with Mount Rushmore framed in front of you. Understandably, each tunnel comes complete with cars, motorcycles, and tourists with cameras dodging one another. The best was the woman who followed their car on foot so she could film the process! (Russell found it more irritating than funny.) So at each tunnel the driver stops, honks, waits and carefully comes through to find a parking spot to join the crowd.

 Peter Norbeck went on to become a state representative, governor and US senator. His committee presided over the investigation of Black Friday of 1928. Quite a man!

 We have stayed in 2 RV parks in this area. The KOA is very close to the monuments on the western side of the loop. It is huge, family oriented and expensive. Short Stay. Wolf Campground is small, personal, retirement oriented and reasonable. Long Stay!  The owners have 2 wolves and give each visitor an education about the animals while you are free to pet them through the fence. They had a pot luck dinner last night providing the ribs and corn on the cob! We look forward to leftovers and more visiting tonight. This park is on the east side of the loop just miles away from the well-known Custer State Park.

We did drive through Custer State Park, saw a few animals, had a picnic and took short hikes. It is very pretty, diverse and sprawling. You drive in and out of the park to several lakes and along the Needles Highway.

 We leave in the morning for the area around Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.

South Dakota

June 28, 2012

We arrived in our newest state to get colored in on the map on Monday. We traveled west along I-90 from Minnesota and stopped for the night just over the SD border after driving over 400 miles from Duluth, fairly tired.

The drive south began on I-35. With our previous trip to Grand Marais, we drove most of the eastern length of the state. We talked about stopping at Mall of America in Minneapolis, but decided to conserve the time for later stops. At that point the glacial lakes of northern Minnesota had given way to rolling farm lands, looking much like Wisconsin and other states at the eastern edge of the Great Plains.

I-90 intersects I-35 just north of the small town of Aurora Lea, MN. The drive west skirted most all of the farm communities along the way. The most interesting we saw was Blue Earth, MN, home of the Green Giant of vegetable fame. The town constructed a 65 foot monument to the big fellow. Big enough that we expected to see him from the highway, but no such luck. From the Internet pictures, he looks just like the one you see on all of those cans and frozen packages, so we called it done and drove on.

We stopped just shy of Sioux Falls, SD. We took time for laundry and a dip in the hot tub. We met some folks who were returning from Mount Rushmore who gave us some good pointers about the place.

We stopped the next day in Mitchell, home of the world’s only Corn Palace. We enjoyed the huge arena that is decorated with murals of corn, wheat, and other local products. The palace is the brain child of 2 businessmen in 1910 who were concerned about the lack of growth in the town. The corn festival has been held in August every year since except for interruptions like drought and war. Volunteers were working the day we were there on the 2012 theme of Sports. It was interesting to watch them prepare the wheat and then staple it to the wooden mural bases. The corn work, in 12 different colors, appeared to be finished. Inside this modern arena, not the original building of 1910, we saw a film of the history of the palace and its town. A souvenir shop is set up on the basketball court. Corn murals are high up on each wall surrounding the stage. This building serves the community in many ways!

We continued west, the land getting more flat, producing more hay and cattle than corn. We were entering the Badlands of South Dakota. We spent the night at the National Park. I’m hoping that the temp of 110 was a record high, but maybe it gets that hot on a regular basis. Just before sunset the temperatures dropped to only 90 so we went for a walk in the formations. The area consists of dried up mud beds and eerie sandstone peaks that erode at a rate of about an inch per year. We didn’t know that the first dinosaurs were found in this area. The science of paleontology was born and continues in this area.

Yesterday we started out with a drive through the remainder of the loop through the Badlands. We enjoyed the 30 mile drive and were rewarded with getting to see bighorn sheep at Pinnacle Point. It is weird to see how the grasslands weave in and out of the parched hills.

The famous Wall Drug of Wall, SD was our next stop. The line here is, “free ice water!” This simple small-town drug store of the 1940's has become an iconic tourist stop due to the cleaver advertising of the druggist’s wife. It is now 76,000 square feet of photos, food, t-shirts, hats, restaurant and even some drugstore items. Wall and Mitchell prove that a little ingenuity and hard work can pay off for everyone in a community.

Duluth, MN

June 2012 will long be remembered in Minnesota. The 24 hours immediately following our arrival saw at least 10 inches of rain from a storm that included thunder, lightening, wind and hail. There has been sporatic rain since then and many repercussions; road closures, raging rivers, cool temps, and a very red hued Lake Superior.

Yesterday we left a rainy Duluth on MN61 northeast up the North Shore to the touristy village of Grand Marais. This town is much larger than the others we passed along the way and it sits right on the shores of Lake Superior. Most towns sit back off the shore. On the 100m trip we drove through 2 tunnels whose mountain cliffs drop straight into the lake. We stopped at the Split Rock Lighthouse and after the docent led tour browed through the fog horn house, lighthouse and one of the three homes built for the families who made this rock their home for a number of years begining in 1910. It was Kid Day which was really fun to watch. There was more staff, all costumed in 1920's attire, and they had games from the period going on. the lighthouse sits atop a huge cliff, which didn't have road access at the time. All goods and people arrived by ship.

We crossed numerous rivers. As we moved north and gained elevation, the rivers got wilder. We stopped several times to watch the water tumble down moutains, crash onto rock shores and foam muddy red. One such place was perfect for a picnic.

We arrived in Grand Marais on a clear crisp afternoon. We shopped and walked around a bit. We poked through the most upscale Ben Franklin's I have ever seen, a far cry from the sleepy shop I worked in San Marcos. We walked on a rocky shore and picked up a souveigner rock. Kids were trying, with mixed results, to skip them across the water.

We headed back to the car when the rain caught up with us. We had escaped it just north of Two Harbors managing to stay just ahead of the front for most of the day. But here it was, so it was time to head back south.The rain had continued north and east, so we had a nice drive home with only one stop at Two Harbors for dinner. We found an Irish pub for fish, chips, and beer. Perfect. We then walked the pier at the lighthouse that we had seen several days before, but rain, wind and fog had stopped any idea of walking on a long pier.

On the Road: St. Louis to Duluth

We left Missouri on Sunday, heading east through Illinois, stopping somewhere north of Springfield. We don't remember the name of the town or park, but it was nice enough and we met a couple walking their dog. They had just left Wisconsin headed to St. Louis as we were doing the opposite. We told them we were headed to Duluth, what should we do along the way? He said he didn't have any idea, however, "if you're going to Duluth, you have to go to Two Harbors just up the road!" He had spent summers there growing up and remembered it fondly.

We drove through miles of corn fields, through Rockford, IL, Madison, WI and the Wisconsin Dells. It is all beautiful country, lush and rolling farms with amazing rivers. It is one picture post card after another. We stopped Monday at Osseo, WI at Stone Creek RV Resort, an amazing place. The sites are huge with large concrete picnic pads and picnic tables, beautiful trees that don't interfere with your ability to park and function. It really was a gem to discover. The Wisconsin chapter of Escapees was having a rally there starting today, but the early birds were there yesterday afternoon. That was a nice coincidence and we met some of those folks.

Today we continued north to see the state become more wooded and roughed. We crossed into Minnesota and Duluth in time for lunch. Our location is absolutely perfect. We are at a marina on an island, connected by a short bridge, that is within walking distance of the harbor and an area called Historic Canal Park. It is an old warehouse district that has become shopping and restaurants to the tourists. We got lucky arriving and setting up between cloud bursts and began looking at what to do in the rain in an area well suited to walking. We'll drive to TWO HARBORS!

We headed north on I-35 which emptied onto MN-61. Now this is a major thing to a girl who has spent a large amount of time traveling the state of Texas on I-35. I have been on that road through original construction, and various re-construction projects. I've been to Laredo and Gainesville and all points in between. I've driven 80 and hopelessly mired in standstill traffic. The worst is driving near 80 just trying not to be run down on the stretch between Austin and Dallas after a UT game. And now I have been to its most northern point in Duluth, MN. I have been to the headwaters of I-35! Amazing!

MN-61 is one of  "THE AMERICAN HIGHWAYS" you read about in Life Magazine and the tour books. It hugs the north shore of Lake Superior all the way to Canada. The portion in Duluth is in a neighborhood and therefore 30mph. But with the houses on that strip(called London Rd), 30 is too fast to take it all in. I really want to go back to the Congdon Estate, Glensheen. I saw a program about it in a series, America's Castles. All the houses are beautiful, several are mansions, and this one is open to the public.

We drove on out of the city through hamlets but mostly just lush vegetation that breaks out to show glimpses of the lake. At one point, we could see the lake with a fog layer just on top that grew and climbed over the trees to completely engulf the road ahead of us. It was really eerie, like this cloud bringing water out of the lake onto the shore.

Our first stop at Two Harbors was a visitor center. A very vivacious lady gave us the full scoop on MN-61. We have to go back for a full day to take in all of the cliffs, waterfalls and towns that are further north of today's destination.

We did go to the Two Harbors lighthouse and enjoyed the only continuously working lighthouse on the North Coast. We watched a ship pull up to the docks for off loading. It was just across a small channel and we could see it in full detail just before it completely disappeared into a fog. One second, it was gone! It takes more time to tell about it than it did to happen. It was time to head back.
The drive south was complete with rain, lightening, fog and hail.

The afternoon ended with fish and chips in Canal Park and a walk through the Corps of Engineer museum next door. We are back home for basketball finals and more rain. It is suppose to clear by the morning. We certainly hope so.

40 Miles Southwest of St. Louis

I just read an earlier blog about arriving in St. Louis. I said southeast of the city. Wrong. We are southwest, which means we are in Missouri, not Illinois.

The park is great, proven by the many campers who came here for Memorial Day weekend. Since I was here by myself, there was no need or motivation to venture out. I enjoyed movies, basketball and sewing. Russell was driving across the Northwest Territory to Niagara Falls and then to Montreal with Kyle. He had never been there before and really did enjoy the trip.

The area is beautiful; rolling hills, trees, rivers. I can understand why the earliest pioneers would leave this area and be put off by the flat plains of the midwest. We are far enough out of the city that we are beyond the suburbs, in the farmlands of Missouri.We are in the area where Louis and Clark planned and provisioned their historic trip. This is where Jesse James hung out before he was so well known. Every hamlet is "historic."

We have ventured into various parts of St. Louis and it's suburbs. I really enjoyed the genealogy libraries and was able to find an address for my great-great-great-great grand parents, 7th at Hickory. I drove there looking for a building that could have been there at the time, 1860. I did find one built in 1818 but further research showed that it was built at that time, but not in that location. I'm sure the founders of The Old Rock House never envisioned a move. Seems the original location flooded in 1840, was stored, block by block, and then rebuilt some decades later at its present spot.

Just like any home, our RV has been in need of some maintenance. I don't know how we always seem to find so much work to do, but we do. Since we are here for a month, it seems like a good time before we start hopping across the plains.

We leave here June 18 and will stay for a night in Rockford, IL, just south of the Wisconsin border. Then we head for Duluth, MN to see Lake Superior. We will be staying right on the Lake at a marina. From there we will swing through North Dakota to South Dakota for Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. There is no time frame yet. We are anxious to see a part of the country we have never been to.

THE ARCH

It is the focus of all things in St. Louis, and for good reason. There it is just off the banks of the Mississippi, on a bluff that the city is built on. It is a simple design, used by the ancients, an arch. There is a park all around the base that stretches to each side and through downtown in the form of an esplanade. This boulevard has sculpture, gardens, fountains, playgrounds and walking paths with old business buildings and modern skyscrapers on each side.

The people watching at the Arch is great. Everyone has a camera. Just like us, folks from all nations are standing, sitting, lying on their backs to get the right angle, trying to get the whole thing in a single picture, adjusting the sun's angle. I really liked capturing the sleek stainless steel structure framing St. Louis Cathedral, built centuries before. Also am proud of the reflection in a nearby glass skyscraper. Watching the sun reflect in various angles could create a whole book of photos, as I'm sure someone has done.

Kansas...finally

Prior to now we have gone to every state in the vicinity except Kansas. Oversight now corrected. We left OKC headed north on I-35. Once over the border we entered the KTA, a turnpike that bypasses Wichita and Topeka with beautiful roads, through even better scenery. Rolling hills, bright green pastures, happy cows. Every 50 miles or so there is an island rest stop between the north and south bound lanes with gas, McDonald's, travel info and picnic tables. There are no hassles with getting off/on the tollroad or finding a parking place big enough for us. The choices are limited, but the convenience cannot be beat.

We camped at Perry Lake (Corps of Engineers) northeast of Topeka. Sure wish I had taken a picture, it is a very pretty spot. Worth a return trip! We walked, rode bikes and rested. We took a trip down to Lawrence; home of KU, fabulous old homes, and the Kansas River. It has a thriving downtown that reminds us of Austin in the early '60's. Another day we drove to Topeka, the capital. The setting is just as pretty, but more industrial than Lawrence.

We are now just southeast of St. Louis. Russell and I have driven through the city but never stopped for any amount of time. Villa Ridge, a very small town is roughly 40 miles out on I-44. The park is a true campground- not a fancy RV resort; great trees, a small lake, fire rings, nice picnic tables. The owner told me the same story as other parks in the area, booked up through Memorial Day. But when I explained our situation, to follow, he said, "you come on in, we'll work this out."

Our situation is that Kyle is meeting us here on Wednesday evening. He and Russell are then driving to Montreal where Kyle will be living for the next several months. so in looking for a place to stay it was important to be somewhere that I would feel comfortable not only in the park, but getting around and doing things. This is such a place, so we will be here for a month. That allows us time to help Kyle, see the city, and decide on our next destination.

Next blog: a trip to the Arch!

Oklahoma City

We had a sunny day for our downtown walk in OKC. I guess everyone begins at the Federal Building Memorial. We had seen pictures of the memorial, but couldn't visualize the before and after. The first thing we recognized was the field of chairs. The field is in the footprint of the original building. The chairs are arranged by floor and east/west location of the person who was killed. So there are 9 rows of chairs in columns of varying number (this is hard to explain) Then I noticed the small chairs. The children. Entering from the west, they aren't immediately apparent. The west side had fewer fatalities. But since the second floor was the daycare center, most of those chairs are smaller. There were also 3 children on the ground floor who came with parents for social security business. The pond on the north side of the field is where 5th St. used to be and where the truck was parked.

To actually talk about all of the scenes and settings would take more than a single blog. We passed on the museum, didn't need all of the details to mess with our overall sense of the place and time. The hurricane fence on the west side is covered with present day memorials and mementos from survivors. A wonderful ranger talked to us for quite some time about the other city buildings that were involved, a 16 block area. Maps on the grounds help to join the past and present. Why are so many people destructive? Whether it's a single death or 168, like at the Federal Building, what is the point?

From there we needed a change of pace and got that by walking south to Bricktown. We enjoyed the old buildings, the canal, the mosaics and other art. Middle of the afternoon was quiet except for the stadium where an early baseball game was going on. There are tributes to Oklahoma  playplayers of the past. Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench get the most attention. We talked about going in for the $5 lawn seating, but it was the last inning. Instead we walked across the street to a Sonic. I got my all-time-favorite summer drink, diet limeade....Yum! On our walk we saw historic hotels, glittering new skyscrapers, new construction, and an oasis park. Of course the Thunder support was everywhere, as it should be. OKC has minor league baseball and hockey teams in addition to their major league basketball team. They are located in Bricktown. Wish Dallas had been smart enough to keep their sports teams downtown.

We wanted to drive around a bit and found a very odd assortment of museums; Banjo, Railroad, Homing Pigeons, China Painters, Red Earth, Firefighters, Oklahoma Land Run, Telephone History, Women Pilots, it goes on. We decided on The 45th Infantry Division Museum, a state run museum. It has an amazing collection of artifacts from every era of American history. I really enjoyed the Bill Mauldin Room containing hundreds of his original cartoons from the 40's and 50's. He was on the staff of the 45th through Europe in WWII and continued to give a view of GI life long after. His characters were true and endearing. Russell couldn't get over the weapons collection, massive! We saw items we never knew existed in wonderful condition. The staff is very proud of their Hitler collection. They have towels, photos, and other household items from his homes and the bunker that was his final hideout. This is a well kept secret that we are very glad we took the time to discover.

As usual, my order of business is out of whack. I have not downloaded my pictures yet. I'll post them later.

The rest of this weekend is being devoted to family. Matt Felty is graduating from OU Law School tomorrow and we are here to show how proud we all are. We look forward to time with all of the Felty clan.

Interstate 40; Arizona to Oklahoma

We picked up I-40 at Kingman, AZ on Friday and arrived in OKC this evening, Monday. Now to arrive in Oklahoma two days after loosing in the first round of the NBA playoffs is somewhat humbling, but oh well! We are here for several reasons; it's our first time in this part of the state, we've wanted to see the Federal Building Memorial, and best of all, our nephew, Matt, is graduating from OU Law School.

We had some interesting stops along the way, Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Pampa.  After a fairly big lunch in Kingman, we had resolved to eat a salad at home that night but that was before we stopped at Black Bart's RV just east of Flagstaff. The RV park is in the OK variety, but Black Bart's Restaurant and Musical Review is way better than that. The waitstaff all sing with the awesome piano player. At times they took turns on stage, other times they all broke into song wherever they happened to be. Great fun and good salads too!

We stayed at High Desert RV just west of Albuquerque, a place we have enjoyed before. We got in early enough to have a homecooked meal and see the full moon rise over the mountains.

Pampa was our first stop back in Texas for a year. We stayed at the city park which turned out to be great! It seems that there is so much oil field work in the panhandle that it was available only because they limit stays to 14 days. We were in Pampa to get the vehicles inspected and get our driver's licenses up dated. Mine was expired and could have been handled on the internet, but we were here anyway and I felt like having a horrible picture taken today. Russell had learned that he has been driving with the wrong type of license for an RV our size. He studied all the way over and made a 90 on the written test. He also had to take a driving test and did very well on that one also. The folks at the DMV were very nice and helpful.

We'd had mail sent to Pampa because we expected to be there several days. Fortunately it was already in this morning. The post office in Pampa is a beautiful old building that I really enjoyed visiting. We had expected to be at least 2 days getting all of these things accomplished. We were gone before noon! It was really amazing to have all of these chores; 2 vehicles inspected, a driving test, a license renewal, and mail in a single morning. Small town America is great! Coming out of the post office a tall cowboy was walking in. He smiled, tipped his hat and said, "How'r yew this mornin?" How could you say anything but "GREAT!"

We had lunch in the town of McLean. Now unless you are related to Russell, you probably never heard of it, but Russsell's Aunt Irene, Uncle James and their family lived there for many years. We visited with a couple at the Shell station, which has THE BEST HAMBURGER IN TEXAS, who remembered James owning the Chevy dealership. He asked about all of the kids. Of course the kids are all about 60 now, but it was fun to share a memory.

End of the Rainbow!

My soggy walk this morning was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow coming out of the valley and stretching out beyond the hills. Further examination led me to find the rainbow's end in a field. As picture shows, there is no pot of gold at this end, maybe the farmer on the other side of the hills got the tangible rewards. My reward was the glow in my soul at such a rare sighting. The owner of this field will hopefully be blessed with a bounty of crops due to today's rains.

We are in the small, pop 1000 on a good winter day, town of Aguanga CA. Now for those who don't know, it is 17 miles east of Temecula in the coastal hills. Still in the dark? Temecula, a city of about 100,000, is just about mid way between San Diego and Los Angeles on I-15. This park, Jojoba Hills, sits just north of Mount Palomar. If the clouds clear, we plan to drive there today or tomorrow.

Jojoba Hills is a Escapees Co-op, the jewel in the crown! These folks have it all, including a long arm quilting machine! They have dinner dances a couple of times a month with a live band. The views from the community center hall and pavilion are out of this world breath taking. Tennis courts, horseshoes, putt-putt, extensive library, full size swimming pool, 2 hot tubs, a sauna in both men's and women's restrooms at the pavilion. They have citrus fruit trees, olive trees, various gardens and all kinds of plants from agave to pine. The mechanics shop is large enough to pull in any size RV with tools and equipment to just about do a re-build. The adjacent wood shop would have our son, Kyle, hooked forever. They have it all and more than enough room to make use of it.

Yuma Surprise

We enjoyed a week in Yuma, accomplishing most of what we set out to do. "Historic Downtown" isn't so much, unless you consider that most of the stores are history and probably have been for the last decade. We did enjoy lunch at Lute's Casino. The non-casino restaurant and pool hall has been in operation for over 100 years and does serve a mean hamburger. After placing our order, we found that the speciality of the house is potato tacos, a new one on us. They looked great and calorie-laden. The piano man was very entertaining as is the eclectic decor.

We really enjoyed a walking trip across the border to Los Algadones. Passports are safely tucked away in Las Vegas, but we went anyway with assurances from the border patrol guy on the phone that we would be fine. I got a new hat, vanilla and a purse, Russell got meds and Tequila. We had all we wanted to carry, so planned what to buy on the next trip over. The border patrol officers checked our docs, we had printed off copies of birth certificates in addition to our licenses. There really was only a slight delay, not the horror stories we'd heard. Just as I was walking away, the officer I talked to said, "Don't come back until you have your passport!" I completely believed him! We'll make another trip next winter to catch those other purchases.

The Territorial Prison was another nice surprise. It is a fraction of the facility that existed for 33 years around the turn of the last century. It was complete built by the inmates, a total of over 3000, and very advanced for its time, but overcrowding caused its closure in 1908. The buildings were later used as temporary housing for the high school at which time the mascot became, and still is, The Crims.

We walked along the Gila and Colorado Rivers which converge at Yuma. We walked under the single lane Ocean To Ocean Highway Bridge. And through the very popular park that provides sandy beaches along the Colorado River.

We were not able to see the 2 military installations, so that too will wait for another trip.

Yuma, AZ

For the last week, since the rally, we have been at Rovers Roost in Casa Grande. Most of that time I was sewing...YEAH! Russell was working, but not having as much fun. Both of us were enjoying the park and the town. I talked to several park folks about other SKPs (Escapees') parks. Everyone recommended that we come to Yuma. They said the SKP park, town, and Mexican border town of Los Algodones were all very safe and well worth a visit.

Driving to the Escapees Park southeast of town we passed the Marine Corps Air Station. It was fun to see a few jets land, and plan to take a tour if possible. We had a late lunch and then went to the downtown visitors center. What we found out was that there is even more here than advertised.

The vast irrigated farmlands were no surprise as we drove in; we've been on this stretch of I-8 before. This is the route we drove coming back from San Diego a few years ago. This is a continuation of the Imperial Valley of California. The bounty of produce from this region is courtesy of the Colorado River and its many irrigation channels. We walked along the banks of the river and stood at the point where STEAMSHIPS docked here! The safest way to transport goods to the southwest was out of San Francisco, around the Baja, through the Gulf of California and upriver on the Colorado. Today we walked the grounds and museum of the Quartermaster Depot.

The town appears to be prosperous, clean, and very historic. We hope to visit the old town, the Territorial Prison, a few produce markets, the Yuma Proving Ground in addition to the MCAS. That is certainly a full week!

Phoenix Rally

I kept thinking that I should write a post each day of the rally, but just lacked the energy at the end of the day. This is really good news, however, because several days later, you just get the highlights instead of that blow-by-blow description that gets much too detailed!

The basics:

• We managed to dry camp for 5 nights without water refill, having tanks emptied and electric provided only by our generator. We were completely self contained. Many folks do this for weeks at a time, but this was a first for us.
• We attended our first rally and really enjoyed it. The seminars, interaction with other campers, and exhibits added to our knowledge of RVing.
• We met many new folks and hope to stay in touch with them. We have new friends in Washington state, Massachusetts, New Mexico and British Columbia.
• Russell installed a new solar panel to help give our new house batteries a boost. A rally is a great place to do this because the vendors either have what you need right there, or manage to get it for you in a timely manner. There is also a wealth of tech help to draw from.
• The entertainment was truly entertaining, and geezer rated. Shows started at 7 and were over just after 8, just the right time to drag our old, tired bodies back to the rigs.
• We left without buying a new rig, not that many salesmen didn't try to change that!

A few details:

• Over 3,800 rigs were camped at the show, which was held at the Phoenix International Raceway.
• Assuming 2 people per rig, and guessing at the number of people who got day passes, there must have been about 10,000 people in attendance.
• All of the campers got a 4-digit number. A total of 4 people each had the same number. The game was to find at least 1 other person with your number. I found 2! We each got a t-shirt and a chance to win one of the many big prizes. No wins here!
• The best seminar we attended was led by a personal trainer who taught about a low impact approach to walking. She was great and I walked with her each morning. The class grew each day!

The layout:

• Picture a Nascar track. There is a large oval infield with a fenced perimeter. Next is a track, also fenced, then the grandstands are on 2 sides of the track. Of course there is lots of parking for all the folks who come to fill the grandstands. All of that fencing is designed to keep people safe and out of designated areas. There is 1 tunnel to allow people into the infield.
• The rally was set up in the infield. That meant that all traffic (trams, golf carts, vendors, RVs, workers, campers, day-trippers) was routed through this 1 2-lane tunnel! You can see the problem! Campers were arranged throughout the parking lots. Trams ran all day and into the evening to transport folks to and from, but we found it was just as efficient to walk. There was a single fenced-off lane for pedestrians.
• Phoenix! Saturday's temps were in the 90's! The other days weren't as hot, but OMG, Saturday was not good!  The huge tents that housed exhibits and seminars could only open the flaps and pray for a breeze. The mornings and evenings were very pleasant fortunately.
• The grandstands were only open in the evening for the entertainment. Handicapped seating was on the track, the rest of us were in the stands, behind the fence. The first night, getting out was a nightmare because of the way they were funneling everyone to specific tram pickup points. The remaining nights split the traffic flow in two directions; tram riders and walkers. That eased congestion and frustration immensely!

Methusala!

We met Methuselah on this first leg of our trip. We are at the Escapees' Rainbow park in Congress, AZ. Like all Escapees' parks, it is friendly, well planned, and fairly in the middle of nowhere. The area had snow on the ground yesterday morning, but had melted by our arrival about 2pm. The peak to our northeast still has a crown of white, but less than it had this morning. I hate to sound like we have sat around watching snow melt, but there are worse ways to spend a day!

Now, about Methuselah! She is a saguaro cactus said to have started life about 1600. At 4000 years old, she is very stately and home to dozens of cactus wren, sort of an ancient condo. Methuselah sits in a beautiful cactus garden on the north side of the RV park. The interesting paths circle around rock gardens of a wide variety of cacti, each labeled. Rabbits and other small burrowing animals live in the garden and throughout the complex. We really enjoyed our walk and the houses in this neighborhood.

North Ranch, the name of the RV park, has about 100 RV hookups and about 400 housing sites. The houses are all well kept, varying in size from single wides to roughly 2000sf. An interesting building restriction; you can only have 1 bedroom, but numerous dens! This is done to avoid having an age restriction in the community, but amounts to about the same thing.

Tomorrow we head to Phoenix and our first Rally. We will be dry camping for 5 nights, another new experience. We have been looking forward to this trip, now I'm starting to think about the logistics of showering and such basics.