At Lakehead Marina/RV Park

This has been an eventful stay and we hope to return one day. We look out the window to see sail boats, fishing boats, and tankers. The largest we've seen was just over 1000ft in length. And we are so close! This really is a cool  place.

We rode bikes on the shoreline hike/bike trail towards town. We stopped at the top of a hill in a beautiful park, the hill had more to do with our turn around than the park.

We took several walks along the shoreline. I walked a side street from the marina to the bridge and met a nice lady in her garden. Betty, my new friend, took me on a tour of her amazing garden, front, back and across the street on the banks of the bay. She and her husband own and operate an inn on the bay side of the harbor.

I was walking across the lift bridge when a microphone voice garbbled something. The message, if not the words, was clear; GET OFF THE BRIDGE. Lights flashed, horns blared, barricades lowered. I got the message. After all the excitement, a small pilot boat came through the channel. It headed out to a tanker, stayed a bit, then returned alone. You'd think a phone call would have been easier.

We took another walk, crossed the lift bridge and then the Minnesota Slip Bridge for pedestrians to the convention center. We entered the Skywalk that takes pedestrians uptown through a variety of offices and stores. You exit several blocks up at street level and can walk across that street to another Skywalk entrance where you climb/ride upstairs and eventually exit at a different street level, a block or 2 further up. You can go north/south or east/west crossing streets at any number of locations. Maps are posted to let you know where you are and what street you are about to cross. We still got lost.

Today we walked the sandy shore of Lake Superior on this side of the bridge. We saw a number of ships waiting to come into harbor, the backs of houses we had seen from the street, and a bunch of shore debris. Just like walking on the Gulf shore, there is driftwood and trash. Of course the wood is different and there are rocks instead of shells, but the trash is the same crummy stuff.

Today we got our first experience of heavy traffic of the auto, pedestrian and ship variety. Cars were really backed up waiting for the bridge to lower. Coming back, we had the same situation on the return trip. I guess that the combined factors of sunny day, summer and weekend led to traffic jams.

We drove out to the burbs for some groceries and came back from the top of the hill down to the harbor. What a great drive! Any skiier would love this slope! It also showed us how very red the lake still is. "Still" is an operative word because we have only seen it this color. We only assume that the lake is normally a different color.

Signing Off

Since I have become so sporadic (lazy) about writing, it is no surprise that I am winding up the Smith's On The Road Travel Blog. Another reason for coming to a close is that we aren't traveling much any more. The last 2 years have been more about real estate than touristy destinations. As usually happens with a new house, projects take more priority and funds than trips. Our sort-of-new Class B van sees most of its action in the Phoenix shopping centers than roadside attractions. It allows us to keep Wally in air-conditioned comfort while we shop and lets us pick up more/bigger items than the Saturn.

We have bought a"Santa Fe traditional" as the listing agent described it. We are on 20 acres in the Harquahala Valley between Saddle Mountain and Eagletail Mountain about 60 miles west of Phoenix. We look forward to meeting new visitors at the Rio Valley Market to bring you in the final 5 miles of the trip. We do have a few May "bookings" already and hope to have lots more old friend drop in as the weather cools in the fall and winter. Russell even put in 30 and 50 amp plugs for our RVing friends.

We are really enjoying the house. It reminds us so much of living in Carbon several years ago. The house is similar in design, "only these folks knew what they were doing when they built it," as Russell has observed several times. We are back to having property to walk and enjoy but without the chores of  fencing, cattle, mowing, etc. In addition we have access to BLM and state lands, and a vast wilderness area. We've taken a number of hikes and Russell has been able to take off with some of the neighbors to explore areas that neither of our vehicles will manage.

Yes, we have neighbors close by. There are 3 other houses in our immediate area, and others not far away. Bonus: the ladies quilt and everyone likes dominoes. I had the pleasure of going to a quilt gathering today. I know they can teach me so much!

We will still use the Las Vegas condo and hope that others will take advantage of it when in town. Please let us know when you will be in Nevada.

We will take trips as the temps soar in the Sonoran Desert. With the van right outside the back door, packing is convenient and the Saturn will remain at home. Our focus will be more about the destination than the camping.  We've learned that we can usually pull into any campground late and find some spot where we will fit; the Monaco required far more planning.

It has been a pleasure to write a blog. I like composing my thoughts for public consumption; and it's been great to have a source of info when a question arises, like "Where were we....?" The biggest pleasure has been the comments from friends who have followed along with our travels. Thank you so much for that support and encouragement.

Notes along the Way, February 2013

Feb 6, 2013

Congress, AZ

How many shades of purple are there? After an evening walk in Congress, AZ, I really don’t believe that there is a finite answer to that question. Everywhere we looked were more varieties of pink, purple, blue. Mountains. Clouds. Sky. Plants. All were bathed in some shade of delight.

The walk was about more than “purple mountain’s majesty,” we were paying a visit to Methuselah.  Methuselah has made a previous blog appearance. She is the 3000 year old saguaro.  The old lady needs some of her many arms supported by wooden frames, but others are stout and strong, pointing skyward. She is not only a thing of beauty; Methuselah houses a village of birds. Who knows how many generations of wrens have made their home here. The oldest saguaro in Arizona is in the middle of the cactus garden of North Ranch, the Escapees RV Park in Congress. Many of the full/part time residents have worked to cultivate and label a surprising number of specimens. Paths wind through the garden and a bridge takes you over the wash that must have a vast amount of water pour through on occasion. I really hated to see the final rays of sun… until the stars began to show up!

Seems there’s always something to see.

ADDED NOTE: We saw more than scenery while in Congress. We met with a realtor and toured several houses that Russell had found online. We feel in love with one and made an offer which was accepted. So on our first stop from Vegas the 6-month trip to the east coast got a significant alteration.

Feb 8-9, 2013

El Paso

Our first task crossing into Texas was to get the van inspected. We had registered by mail to have the Texas plates, but no inspection sticker at all could get us stopped and ticketed on the interstate.  

We got settled at the Mission RV park before going to visit our nephew and his family, Michael, Stephanie, Parker and Woody. Michael has been stationed at Ft. Bliss for about 6 years. We always enjoy seeing him and the family. This time we got to meet Woody, their Jack Russell mix and they got to meet our Jack Russell mix, Wally. Mix is an important word here because the dogs look nothing alike; they are both white with spots. End of that story.  They had a blast chasing each other and Parker in and out of the house. We enjoyed homemade hamburgers, a rare treat when abiding by Weight Watchers. This trip we stayed for 2 nights to enjoy more of the fun.

Feb 12, 2013

Pilot Point

We arrived in Denton on an especially chilly damp day after a long drive from Big Spring. (We stayed in Big Spring once many years ago. I saw no improvement.)

We stopped long enough to get Wally a much-needed grooming and have lunch before heading out to visit our friends the Atnips. They have a new home in a beautiful location, pure horse country. Horse country is defined by the type of pastures, the type of fencing, and usually the size of the estate. Horse country homes are estates, cow country homes are ranches, at best, but they are usually more acreage. Anyway, leaving Denton to arrive in this rolling countryside feels like way more than the 15 miles it really is. Larry and Vicki don’t have horses, but their home fits right in with the feel of an estate. We enjoyed an evening of their hospitality.

Feb 15, 2013

Arlington

We are hanging out at the Treetops RV park, getting some business out of the way. It has been good to rest and get organized from the long trip from Vegas.

We have taken Wally on several walks in the park and nearby neighborhood. The terrain, landscape, and feel of the area is so different from the desert of Nevada. Daffodils are popping up along with other early bloomers and shrubs. There is one shrub, totally forgettable 11 months of the year, but covered in bright pink blossoms in the early spring. We had one at our house in Richardson and Plano too. I have no idea what it is called, but it is nice to see it once again. The temperatures are roughly the same as in Vegas, but it has a different feel in north Texas. Humidity is what most call it. This time of year, however, it comes without the negatives of biting chill of winter or oppressive heat of summer. It is what makes the black loam soil slightly damp and fragrant, the morning grass dewy, and gives the air just enough coolness on a bright sunny day.

It has been nice to hear perfect strangers sound just like I do. Nobody says, “What part of Texas are you from?”

Feb. 19, 2013

Dallas

Drove in yesterday, I-35E from the south, and enjoyed a beautiful skyline even if bathed in clouds and smog. I have been coming up that road, anxious to see the familiar city that has changed so very much since the 1950’s when I viewed it from the back seat with my sleepy sisters. Son Kyle lives near the neighborhood where Mom grew up at the corner of Junius and Haskell. Much about that corner is still the same, but unfortunately the adobe apartment building that her family managed is gone. Anyway, the feel of Old Dallas is still there. And members of the Lott/Green family still call Dallas home, over 140 years after the first members of the clan arrived.

We took part in a newer tradition this morning, breakfast at the Goldrush. Kyle has lived within walking distance of this landmark for several years. It’s nice to go to a place where the owner knows his order and other patrons tell us what a “fine son” we have.

I’ve been making plans to see old friends throughout the week. It is so much nicer to chat and text when I know that we are nearby and will see them soon.

Texas Trip, Spring 2013

The trip kept collapsing. Plan to stay somewhere a week; no make that 5 days. All changes were due to a need to get back to Arizona and finish buying the new house, which we have now accomplished. Texas became more rushed, and we missed seeing several friends and family members, but we did see so many wonderful folks. The time spent with everyone was truly amazing.

Some time in early February, I took time to document the trip up to that point. My journal never made it to BLOG status but remained on the computer waiting for the day. Once we got to Dallas time seemed to accelerate beyond my ability to keep up. I am summarizing the remainder of the "Texas Loop" here and will post the earlier entries in the next offering.

We spent 10 fabulous days with Kyle and Karyn. What a treat! It has been years since we have that kind of quality time with Kyle and it was great to do the everyday kind of things together. We also had time to catch up with friends from our working days in Richardson.

From there we traveled south to Waco. The party lasted for 5 days. Two families joined us in their rigs at the Midway CORPS campground. This established a base for many other friends to enjoy the beauty of the park and old friendships. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality.

Hospitality continued just down the road in Austin where we spent 2-too-short days with friends there. The Bohas home is always a treat.

Houston was our last official stop before heading back west. We got to visit with my Dad, 2 sisters and their families. It was absolutely lovely to see everyone. Most families live on the west side of Houston which meant we did not spend time driving the length and width of the city. Niece Allison and future husband Mike stopped on their way from Austin to their home in Clear Lake City. We were also able to spend an evening with my high school friend and her husband who live in the area.

The only downside of that trip was the tummy trouble Wally was having. He didn't start feeling better until after a visit to the vet and we were heading west on I-10. He had too many schedule changes and stops to be able to keep up the pace. But he was a hit all the same.

Our final Texas stop took us to Boerne where Cousin Sharon fixed an impromptu lunch. Delicious! In fact, EVERYONE fed us. From El Paso to Boerne and all points in between we were treated in high fashion. We look forward to being able to repay that gracious hospitality when people come to see us in Arizona.

And that is another story.

Between Trips

We are in the throws of getting our lives in order for THE TRIP.

• Taken several short trips getting acquainted with the new rig.
• Getting doctor's appointments out of the way.
• Packing the paperwork that needs to accompany us.
• Clothes packing- summer is around the corner.
• Packing the stuff that we need to take to family in Texas.

Tentative leave date: February 1, 2913.

Tentative stops: Wickenburg and Tucson in Arizona, El Paso, White Bluff, Dallas, Austin, and Houston.....so far. So we'll be in Texas for at least 3 weeks. After that we are headed across the south on I-10. Next destination: numerous spots in Florida. After that we head north up the Atlantic coast. The goals are to visit family, investigate ancestors, and enjoy the sights.

We are trying to be planned and organized without creating restrictive deadlines. Our new rig allows for more flexibility and we really hope to take advantage of that feature.

This "lift off" is different from previous trips. In the Monaco many items were already packed, ready and waiting. Our storage space is different. We will take advantage of the rig, the car, and the storage box hitched to the rear of the car. Of course, there are a lot of items we have toted around the country that we just don't need for the smaller van. In addition, we need to have the condo ready to be on auto-pilot through the summer and into next fall. We are trying to plan and take care of things in advance so the day of departure will be relatively stress-free. The really great news is that with the van parked on the condo property, all of this is more easily accomplished.

I hope that some of the proposed destinations will be near you and our paths will cross. Please let us know

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.