Thursday, May 31st - into Glacier National Park

This morning I had to go to the local State Farm office here in Kalispell and take care of some life insurance business. Got that taken care of, stopped at Starbucks and when I got back to the camp, MA was ready to go.

We drove first to the Apgar Visitors Center at the west entrance to Glacier NP. The Going to the Sun Road was closed beyond Avalanche Creek. So we drove only as far as we could, stopping, taking pix the entire way, going & coming. I will post some of the pix when I get a strong Internet connection. We stopped for lunch at the Lake McDonald Lodge, situated on the north side of the lake. We love having meals in these old-style log lodges. This lodge was built in 1912.

After Glacier NP we drove to the town of Whitefish, made some cell calls (strong signal) and returned to our camp in Kalispell.

For dinner I broiled chicken breasts on the grill and MA cooked corn-on-the-con and made a great salad. We ate outdoors on the picnic table...delightful!!!

Wednesday, May 30th - Big Fork, Montana

This morning we moved over to the Glacier Pines RV Park here in Kalispell. We will be here 4-5 nights, depending on our activities here in the area of Glacier National Park.

This afternoon, after lunch at Perkins, we drove down to Big Fork, a very cute artsy town that Tony told us about. It is near Flathead Lake and is very interesting.

Tomorrow: Glacier National Park!

I Brake for Bears

Yesterday, while driving between Plains and Elmo, Montana, we came up over a hill and as we crested the hill, saw a brown bear about 100 feet ahead, coming out into the roadway. I braked fairly hard but was not going to be able to stop. The bear moved over into the oncoming lane and, fortunately, we missed the bear completely. The speed limit is 70 mph and 60 mph for trucks. I was going about 55 mph.

MA is convinced that it was a small grizzly bear since the grizzly is indigenous to Montana.

Tuesday, May 29th - into Montana

This morning we said goodbye to a lovely city: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and drove over the Bitterroot Mountain Range to Kalispell, MT.

As we left CDA, there was a terrific view of the famous "floating green" at the Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort. MA took the pic as we were driving on I-90. They tout themselves as being the most beautiful golf course in the world. That may be but the cost to play was $225 and I did not see the value in that deal. I have played Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula of California. I don't see how ANY golf course could be prettier than Pebble Beach.

We stopped for lunch in the old mining town of Wallace, Idaho. We parked the coach and Jeep right downtown and walked all over the downtown area. We ate lunch at the 1313 Club. The story goes that when the business started in the early 20th century, it was the 13th saloon and the 13th bordello in the town.

After a little shopping, we visited the former Oasis Bordello, closed in 1988. The madam and the working girls left suddenly in January 1988 when they got word that the FBI was coming to Wallace. It IS true that a horde of FBI agents swooped into Wallace but, it was to arrest a crooked sheriff, not to shut down the brothel. We took the tour and it was very interesting.

We crossed over into Montana and are in for the night at the Wal-Mart in Kalispell.

Monday, May 28th - Mining Country

Ken and Jan picked us up at 10am and we drove east to their old hometown of Cataldo, Idaho. We stopped to visit the Old Mission State Park where the oldest standing building in Idaho is located. Once named the Mission of the Sacred Heart , it was built by the Coeur d'Alene Indians under the guidance of a Jesuit priest 1848-1853. The building was abandoned in 1887 when the mission moved to DeSmet, Idaho.

We drove over to the town of Cataldo and saw the property that was formerly owned by Ken and Jan. In 1996, the area was flooded by waters from the Coeur d'Alene River. In 2001, they negotiated a buyout with the federal government and they became full-time RV'ers at that time.

We stopped for lunch at the Enaville Resort and Snakepit in Enaville, Idaho. The building housed many business in its day, including a bordello (mining the miners).

Later we drove further east to the town of Kellogg, Idaho, home to the now closed Bunker Hill Mine Company. Silver, Zinc, lead and a little gold were mined and smelted in this area. It has been one of the top targets of EPA clean-up initiatives.

On the way back to our camp, Ken spotted a moose wading in a pond about 200 yards off the highway.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene with Ken and Jan! We hope to see them in July when we are in Lake City, Colorado.

Sunday, May 27th - Spokane

After doing some Internet research, I realized that there was quite a bit to see back in Spokane, Washington. So we ate breakfast in CDA and then drove the 30 miles west. We parked near Riverfront Park, the site of the 1974 Spokane World Expo. The park is terrific! The Spokane River flows westerly right thru the park with major water falls surrounding an island in the middle of the river.. There are footbridges to cross the river above the falls. We even took a aerial gondola across the river, above part of the falls. They are really spectacular!

We then drove thru Gonzaga University, noted as a Jesuit college and for its excellent basketball teams. Bing Crosby grew up near the university and is an alumnus and major benefactor. Gonzaga is named after a young 16th century Italian Jesuit, Aloysius Gonzaga, who died in Rome trying to save young people from the plague. He was later named the patron saint of youth.

Saturday, May 26th - Lake Coeur d'Alene

Today we drove south around Lake Coeur d'Alene. We stopped for gas in the town of St. Marie's (pronounced St. Mary's). Some young fellows that gave us route suggestions, also recommended Bud's Drive-In for hamburgers. MA & I both got the double cheeseburget and we shared an order of curly fries...VERY good!

We drove back toward CDA on the route closest to the lake, hwy 97 where I took the righthand pic.

In the pic on the left, notice the tall "pine tree" at the very top of the hill. That is a cell tower disguised as a pine tree.

This evening MA went to see Pirates of the Caribbean - Ends of the Earth. I stayed home and watched NBA basketball.

Friday, May 25th - to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

While MA drove the Jeep into downtown Spokane, to shop at Chico's, I bundled up the coach and drove to our new campsite, River Walk RV Park in Coeur d'Alene (aka CDA). I stopped for diesel fuel at the Flying J in Post Falls, Idaho, just two miles over the state line.

Ken & Jan met me at the RV park and we went to lunch at one of their favorite haunts, Franklyn's Hoagies in CDA. It WAS very good! Meanwhile, MA fed herself after shopping and joined me at the camp in CDA.

We picked up our mail at the main post office in CDA. Then I cleaned up the exterior of the coach. Later we went scouting for dinner and found the Tomato Street restaurant...a very good choice.

Wednesday, May 23rd - Northern Idaho

This morning I filled out an application to become a member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks. The reason this came to happen is that many Elks Clubs around the USA have RV parking available to members at a very reasonable cost. Plus they seem to have a good time and are involved with local charities. After (and if) I am approved (balloted) I will be initiated. That is scheduled to happen in Overland Park, Kansas in late July.

Riding along with Ken & Jan, we drove up to far northern Idaho today. We stopped in Sandpoint to eat lunch at the Second Avenue Pizza parlor. Then MA and Jan wanted to go shopping in the original Coldwater Creek clothing store in Sandpoint. As you can see, Ken and I were there for the girls...to offer constructive comments and support.

Finally, we drove thru the area of Lake Pend Orielle which is a 45 mile long, very deep cold water lake. At the south end of the lake is a small U.S. Navy facility that tests miniature submarines in the deep water. Back during World War II, there was a huge naval base built here at the south end of the lake. Over 300,000 sailors, bound for the South Pacific and the Mediterranean, got their advanced training at Farragut Naval Base.

Tuesday, May 22nd - to Spokane, Washington

Yesterday, we called Ken & Jan Tilton, a couple that we met in Yuma, Arizona back in January and traveled with them to Quartzsite, AZ and Puerto Penasco, Mexico. They had planned to be in the Spokane area about this time. Lo & behold, they were. They are parked at the Elk's Club in Spokane and asked us to join them prior to our going into Coeur d"Alene, Idaho.

So, this morning we drove the 100 miles from Coulee Dam, WA to the Elk's Club in Spokane. We had an afternoon visit and then went to the Lodge for Taco Tuesday. We will be here three nights and Ken & Jan have offered to show us the area. They sold their home near Coeur d'Alene in 2001 and have been full-time RV'ers since then.

Monday, May 21st - Seeing Grand Coulee Dam

We ate an early lunch at Flo's Cafe in Grand Coulee, WA, a village adjacent to Coulee Dam where we are parked. Later we went to the Visitors Center for the Grand Coulee Dam. The dam was built between 1935 and 1942. Initially, the purpose was to create Roosevelt Lake and Banks Lake for farmland irrigation. Plus, the dam (along with others) would provide flood control by taming the wild Columbia River. Following completion in 1942, the dam was vital in providing electrical energy to Boeing, Alcoa and other industries of the Pacific Northwest key to the war effort. Grand Coulee Dam was (and is) the largest concrete structure on earth.

Sunday, May 20th - to Grand Coulee Dam

We left Yakima and drove northeast to Coulee Dam, Washington. On the way, we passed Dry Falls overlook and visitors center. At the end of the last Ice Age, massive Lake Missoula was created by an ice dam. When the dam melted, the lake swept westward with 10 times the water force of ALL the rivers in the world. This force of nature created the Columbia River Gorge. As the torrents forged westward, it created this geologic wonder, the Dry Falls. At the time it created a waterfall many times greater than Niagra Falls. The waterfalls dried up leaving these massive cliffs that are surrounding land mostely devoid of water. These depressions are called "coulees".

Grand Coulee is the largest of these land formations. We are now camped in the village of Coulee Dam at the casino. Tomorrow we will see the Grand Coulee Dam.

Saturday, May 19th - Yakima Area

We found Mel's Diner in downtown Yakima this morning and enjoyed a very good breakfast. The facility seats 160 and it was full the entire time we were there.

We drove around Yakima for a while...a very nice and clean city. Then we drove north on highway 821 thru the Yakima River Canyon. It was a pretty drive but not any noteworthy pix.

After afternoon naps, we ate dinner at Applebee's and saw the movie "Georgia Rule". Cute!

Tomorrow we will pack it in and meander northerly.

Mount Rainier Visit Canceled

We had originally planned to camp in Mt. Rainier National Park for about five days and have the opportunity to visit this dormant volcano. Recently, because of MA's desire to make an unplanned trip to Louisiana to visit her ailing sister, we decided to drive the coach to Yakima (where we are now) and drive over to Rainier on a day trip.

However, that day trip has been canceled. Last November, 18' of rain fell on the park in 36 hours, causing major flood damage and washing out many of the park's roads. Some roads were so covered in snow that the road repair has not even begun yet.

So we have decided to see Mt. Rainier NP at a later time.

BTW...did you know that you can click on the thumbnail pictures and open up a larger pic?

Friday, May 18th - Gypsy Sez We Gotta Move

Gypsy was not a happy camper ( a little doggie play on words there) at the casino in Toppenish. EVERY time we took her outside to go potty, she got prickers stuck in her paws. Enough of that!
So we hitched up and drove 20 miles north to the Wal-Mart parking lot in Yakima, WA. Besides, MA let it be known that it was time for an Olive Garden fix.

So after we got parked, we ate in downtown Yakima at the Olive Garden. I stopped by the local Onan parts dealer and bought an air filter and a fuel filter for the generator. While I was under the coach replacing the filters, the Wal-Mart security guard came by to offer his comments.

Yakima seems like a nice city. We will probably stay here a couple of days.

MA paid our "camping bill" by shopping for groceries and supplies at Wal-Mart. She is now off doing laundry while I clean up the inside of the coach.

Thursday, May 17th - Into Washington

We left the wonderful campsite at Memaloose State Park and drove 100 miles to Toppenish, Washington, not far from Yakima. We are parked at the Yakima Nation Legends Casino and plan to be here several days.

Wednesday, May 16th - Mt. St. Helens

We got an early start to the day (for us) and left camp at 9:00, stopped in Hood River for gas and McDonald's breakfast. Then we crossed the Columbia and drove west on Washington highway 14. Whereas the Oregon coastline of the Columbia is comprised of larger towns, tourist attractions and industry, the Washington coast is mostly small villages, historical markers (big on Lewis & Clark), residential and farming. The drive is equally spectacular, simply less development.

We got to the visitors center for Mt. St. Helens and they discouraged us from taking the 52 mile drive to the interior. The facilities were not open for the season and there was some cloud cover around the caldera. So we spent several hours watching movies of the eruption and the aftermath as well as several stories of rescue. It was VERY interesting.

We headed back to camp but made several stops enroute. The first was at the Vista House, an overlook on the Oregon side. From this high place, we could see quite a distance up river and down.

We avoided I-84 and took US-30, the Columbia Scenic Highway as far to the east as we could. We stopped at waterfalls and the town of Cascade Locks.

Tuesday, May 15th - Wine Tasting

We drove east to The Dalles and ate lunch at the Baldwin Saloon, built in 1876 right on the Columbia River and the railroad mainline. The French Dip and Reuben sandwiches were HUGE. MA & I ate one half each and took the remains home.

We drove further east and crossed the river near Biggs (on the Sam Hill Bridge) and went to Maryhill Winery, one of the better known wineries in southern Washington. They offered six of their wines for free tasting and five of their "reserves" for $5.00. We took the freebie route. The young lady serving the wine tastes was very informative and, as is usual in the wineries, had new and interesting adjectives to describe the wines. "Complex", "bold", "fruity", "lingering", etc. are all adjectives with which I am familiar regarding wines. But, today, I tasted my first wine that is "approachable". I never would have thought of a Columbia Valley White Riesling being described as "approachable", but, there we were, drinking it. I guess it was "approachable"...we bought two bottles.

Monday, May 14th - The Fruit Loop Trail

This is a pic of our campsite alongside the Columbia River. We are at Memaloose State Park. The water is the Columbia River and the land on the horizon is Washington State.

It was our plan today to drive the "Fruit Loop Trail". And so we did; however, most fruit establishments are not fully open until June & July. We did stop at a Lavender farm, and apple orchard and an Alpaca ranch. There we fed the cute cousins to the llama.

After fruit looping, we drove up to the Timberline Lodge, halfway up the south face of Mt. Hood, situated at 6,000 feet. There we had a nice lunch overlooking the valley below and Mt. Jefferson to the south.

Sunday, May 13th - Happy Mother's Day !!

MA and I are aware of how blessed we are to be able experience many adventures here in North America. Some times, when we are walking Gypsy, or taking a walk together, or just simply counting our blessings, we take a moment to thank God for the strong and loving mothers that we both had.

Camille and Margie are both sorely missed!

Saturday, May 12th - Hood River, OR

I left the coach at 8:15 this morning and trudged down the hill to the Union Pacific railroad tracks that run beside the Columbia River. Steam engine #844 was supposed to leave The Dalles at 8:00 and pass this way enroute to Portland with a full train of passenger cars. There were several other "railfans" waiting, along with me, above the tracks on a rock ledge. We waited and talked... talked and waited...for about 90 minutes. Finally, we got tired of waiting and left the lower area to return to our campsites. just as we reached the top of the hill overlooking the tracks, we heard the train steam whistle. I quickly grabbed the camera and set it to REC mode to get a movie clip and the magnificent sounds of the steam drivers and whistle.

It was a beautiful sight! Chugging along at about 40 mph. Somehow, in my haste, I did NOT get the movie clip I had hoped for. Seems that I had inadvertently pushed the REC button twice which stopped the recording so, all I have is the story.

Later we drove west to the town of Hood River, another quaint town alongside the Columbia. We ate a late breakfast and then shopped and toured the town. Then we drove over the Hood River toll bridge and visited a glass blower shop in White Salmon, Washington. We drove along the north side of the river (in Washington) and returned to Oregon at the The Dalles bridge. We went to The Dalles Dam Visitors Center and watch a short movie on the making of the dam.

Friday, May 11th - Columbia River Gorge

This morning, while walking Gypsy, I exchanged "Good Mornings" with a nice lady walking back to her campsite from the public showers. She told me about a small restaurant in Mosier, OR, about five miles west of the camp. She also told me about the Tom McCall Wildflower Preserve.

One of the great aspects of RV'ing is the interaction with fellow campers. You get the best information based on shared experiences. The lady was absolutely right about the Mosier cafe. MA & I had an exquisite lunch of bell pepper and crab bisque and grilled brie cheeseburger and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

We drove the historic Columbia River Highway up to the wildflower preserve and really enjoyed the wildflowers and spectacular views!

Afterward we drove into The Dalles and explored at the Discovery Center and Museum. There are many exhibits and lifesize dioramas on the subjects of the glaciation of the Gorge, native American life, the Oregon Trail and the life of the salmon. The Dalles was the end of the Oregon Trail. From here immigrants would raft on the Columbia River to their final destination in the Willamet River Valley, near Portland and their livestock would be herded on a southern route, a the Barlow Toll Road, around Mount Hood.

Thursday, May 10th - to Columbia Gorge

We had a nice breakfast at the American Cafe in Lafayette, OR then packed up and drove to the Columbia River Gorge for a seven night stay.

All across the nation, gas prices have been skyrocketing. California and the Pacific Northwest leads the pack in hiking gas prices. This is what I paid this evening in The Dalles, Oregon.

I have been using the Internet to find the best (?) prices for diesel fuel. For several months, especially while killing time in Chino, California waiting for my Achilles tendon to get well, I have been trying to figure out where to get the best prices for fuel and to plan our fuel stops to coincide with the best prices, wherever possible. I have had my eye on Troutdale, Oregon which had been showing as having the VERY best prices in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, etc. Well, I almost OVERplanned. I last fueled up 600 miles back, in Corning, California and we were down to our last TWO gallons when we pulled into the Flying J truck stop in Troutdale, Oregon, right off Interstate 84. I put in $234 of diesel fuel AND was happy to do it! Judging by prices in other nearby locations, I saved nearly $40 by "astutely planning ahead".

After fueling, we stopped at Multnomah Falls, the second highest year-round waterfall in the USA. It really is spectacular! A bridge across the lower falls was built in 1916 and it makes for a great hike and an interesting photo.

We got set up in our new home for seven days, Memaloose State Park, right alongside the beautiful Columbia River. A ranger asked us if we would be interested in volunteering to work at a nearby state park in exchange for free campsite and hook-ups. Seems that the volunteers originally signed had canceled and they were looking to fill any or all of the time from now thru September. We actually considered modifying our plans for the remainder of May and volunteering but, after sleeping on it, we decided to keep our original plans intact.

Wednesday, May 9th - The Spruce Goose

After breakfast, we drove down to McMinnville, OR to visit the Evergreen Aviation Museum. This is home for the famous Spruce Goose flying boat. During World War II, Howard Hughes designed and built this plane out of wood, mostly birch wood, because he was prohibited from using steel and aluminum due to the war effort. The plane flew once, and only once, for about a mile in 1947. We enjoyed the museum for about three hours and then purchased two bottles of wine from the Spruce Goose Vineyard.

We drove down to Amity, OR to the Amity Vineyards. There we visited with other folks tasting wine and purchased six more bottles.

May 2007 - Week 1 - Greenville, SC

We made it to Greenville last Tuesday night, arriving around 9pm. Ashley picked us up and had graciously TiVo'd American Idol for MA. We set up the basement apartment as our quarters for the next week.

Wednesday morning began with a great welcome from Camryn & Ceci. They remembered us!
Later, MA & I drove south 45 miles to Lake Greenwood to investigate Cane Creek RV Resort, a lakeside community under development where you purchase RV lots, kinda like a condo. The development was VERY impressive but, quite remote from services like grocery store, etc.

Friday, Ashley and Javi drove to Pinehurst, North Carolina to attend the wedding of Emily Wood, a college roommate at East Carolina University. MA & I took over parenting duties for two days. Things went very well until MA & I got a mild case of food poisoning, probably from turkey meat that we grilled Saturday evening.

Ashley & Javi returned Sunday afternoon and we all went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Simpsonville...our old country friend.

Monday evening, Ashley & Javi hosted a small dinner party with Betty Alice & Richard Harper, next door neighbors. We all shopped for groceries at the Whole Foods Market where we took this pic. The dinner was delicious and the company was terrific.

We returned to Portland this morning and picked Gypsy up from the Tail-Wag-Inn. She was VERY excited to see us!

Tuesday May 1st - Goin' to see the Buzzalinos

We got up WAY too early this morning...7:00am for the 11:39am flight out of Portland Airport. We packed the last minute items and turned off the water & propane & heating systems and left for PDX at 8:05, 40 minutes earlier than we had planned.

SO...we stopped for breakfast at J's Restaurant in Newburg, OR. We both had the SENIOR skillets.

We are now at PDX awaiting boarding for our flight to Cincinnati (to connect on to Greenville, SC).