We were expecting to hike in the Rain Forrest today, but, instead, the rain came to us.  We are both feeling a little ragged and longing for the ‘road to the sun’. We have decided to head back to Redding.

HOME! HOME! we feel like E.T.

Today we thought we were going to hike to the top of the world, Hurricane Ridge.  From that point you see a 360 degree vista of  Victoria, BC, Northern Seattle, Pacific Ocean, The Straight of Juan DeFuca, and Mount Olympus.  We did hike, but into a cloud or maybe it was heaven.  There were times I couldn’t even see Doug.  We saw deer and one very discriminating one that choose Doug’s Coors over Pepsi.

An interesting little town.  In the late 1800’s this was the port the where the China Clippers docked.  It was THE northwest trading center for the U.S. This was a thriving Victorian town until steam power replaced the sailing ships. This allowed ships to navigate Puget Sound under power.  At about the same time (turn of the century) the railroads finally made their way to the west coast.  Now large amounts of agriculture products and manufactured goods from America’s midwest could be brought to the new Pacific port of Seattle.  Port Townsend essentially became a ghost town overnight.  It was so quickly abandoned that the town could not afford to modernize and, therefore, didn’t tear down any of the buildings.

Today it is a tourist town with a downtown full of REAL Victorian buildings.  It is caught in a time warp. I read somewhere it was called the “Paris” of the US…….I don’t think I would go that far.

Doug and I are still speaking to each other.  No fighting either.  As you that know him know…you simply cannot fight with Doug.  He is a delightful traveling companion.  He makes sure that all systems are go and also make all the travel plans and is the navigator as well.  I am truly on vacation.   Do you know how hard it is to keep 400 sq. feet clean?  I can clean the whole coach almost without moving :  )

Although I would love to explore Gig Harbor more, we are moving up closer to Port Angeles today.

We spent most of one day driving through the North part of Washington close to the Grand Coolie Dam ( the largest dam in the US).  We are still amazed that this part of Washington is desert, dnot pretty or inviting in any way.

To continue on the “not so pretty note” we stayed at an Elk’s Lodge in Tacoma.  Our spot was next to the side of the building.  Inside there was a concert raging on with a band playing loudly.  They said it would be over bymidnight.  Did I mention that the front of the RV faces their container dump site?  The price was right and we were tired.  You won’t find nicer people than at an Elk’s Lodge though.

The next day was spent visiting with long time friends of Doug’s. First were friends from his Lamaze class when he and Benny were pregnant with Matt……Debbie and Robert Secombe.  They have kept in touch for over 30 years.  Debbie and Robert both have worked for American Airlines, he as a pilot and she as a flight attendant.  They currently live on Fox Island in a home built in 1908 that they have restored.  We get to see it tomorrow.  The evening was spent with a classmate from Stanford, Carl and Jude Mundt.

They live on Bainbridge Island in a home that is right on the waters edge with a spectacular view of Puget Sound.

As the crow flies, there home was only 15 miles from us, but with all the islands and bridges to traverse, it took us over an hour to reach their home.   We really thought we were imposing as they had just arrived home from a weekend of sailing their 40 foot sail boat.  Carl delighted us with the most delicious halibut dinner and Jude with a wonderful strawberry crisp.
A couple of very interesting things we learned…….Bainbridge Island was the real setting for the book Snow Falling on Cedars.  I remember loving that book.  After seeing this area, I think it will be a reread.  They, as a family also did a very interesting trip while their two girls were in 4 th and 7 th grade.  They swapped homes with three families in Europe, home schooled their girls and traveled around the world for 15 months.  As you can see, one evening with them was not nearly enough.

Yesterday we spent with Debbie and Robert.  We originally were going to spend the day taking a ferry and exploring Seattle.  I was a little under the weather, so we stayed at their house.  It was so nice.  Their home is on Fox Island and was built in1908.  It was originally built on the water but was later moved to it’s present location.  It is a little funky with many obvious additions that made it absolutely charming.  I loved touring every single room.  Robert is about 6’4″ and I am sure he has to bend some to enter a few of the rooms.  We also walked a little and saw several deer.  Debbie is a real animal lover and is involved with animal rescues.  There was a sweet cat in almost every room.

This is the only desert in Canada with temperatures in the 3 digits range last week.

We are in Lake View RV Park looking across the street to a private beach.  The surrounding area is desert like with lots of hills covered with vineyards. This morning I can see a group of women doing a boot camp on the beach.  Maybe I should go for a walk.  Actually, yesterday, Doug and I did a bike ride along this side of the lake after our short drive down here.  It is a very crowded area with a range of accommodations from resorts to seedy camping sites.  This park is tiered with 5th Wheels high above us.  Each of the sites are individually owned and most are here for the summer.  People get around in golf carts. We are considered “transients”.  This is a far cry from our camp site at Lake Louise and twice as expensive.  The girls would love it here.  If the wind dies down, we may rent a kayak this afternoon.

This is truly a gem in Canada and a place we would like to spend a few more days.  There are fresh fruit stand everywhere on the roadside.  We  would love to load up, but are not sure what will be confiscated at the border.  Cherries, apples, and grapes are the predominant crops.

The wineries primarily do reds in this area.  Had lunch with a view at the  NK’MIP  Resort. This is an Indian resort.  We have been told that this chief is quite an entrepreneur and has a beautiful winery, restaurant, resort, RV Park, cultural center.

We also went to an iconic place called Tickleberry’s for ice cream. One of their flavors was “sweet & hot”. ….the sweet was mango with a vanilla base and the hot was jalapeño pepper.  It was actually good when I tasted a small amount.  I am so boring that I didn’t buy it.  This little ice cream store was sort of out in the middle of no where. Doug and I walked in and it was swarming with people.  Doug had no choice but to wait in line :  ). (Doug here – I WILL wait for ice cream – always!)

Our final stop was a general hardware store that we were told we couldn’t miss seeing.

I was thinking, what is wrong with these people that a hardware store was a highlight of this town.  It was like an Ace on super super steroids, 5 levels full of everything your little homey mind can imagine.  We dropped $180 there 😁 (Doug here… WE Bonny, WE? I bought a single filter for the motor home – cost $12. Where’s Dr. Phil when you need him???)

Below are links to collections of photos I have selected to date. Click on each to see a larger version. Each gallery will open in a separate window on your computer. Hope this works!

Doug

Glacier National Park – One

Glacier National Park – Two

Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Bonny and I have arrived into the land of WiFi and thus can now create the next chapter in our travel saga. This morning I will include some random photos from our adventures.

First the Grizzly Hunt:

Bonny and I rode a ski lift at Lake Louise into the mountains to walk a couple of trails. BUT things changed… when we met Olivia!

On the trail was Olivia – Bear 57! I took this photo at about 40 yards handheld and it turned out just fine! We were fine too. Olivia seemed more interested in digging in the dirt than following us.

Our hiking was curtailed and we of course retreated to a wonderful restaurant for dinner. Bonny still was wearing her Bear Spray canister in the restaurant! What a trooper!

Today we leave these magnificent Canadian Rocky mountains via the Trans-Canada Hwy.  These 250 miles are probably the roughest Doug has driven.  If I didn’t have such faith in his abilities, I would have “white knuckled” much of the way….winding mountain roads, steep grades, rain, cliffs, two lane only roads,  and roundabouts.  I personally enjoyed the entire trip.  It was beautiful entering the Okanagan Valley.  This is lake country and known for its great grape growing climate-surprise! A Canadian Napa Valley.  Picture green hills covered in grape vine and apple trees, farm land with corn, pastures with cattle and horses edged with beautiful blue lakes.

As usual we didn’t have reservations or the Internet to search, so as soon as Doug had cell service, he started to call.  Our first choice was full and it even had 500 spots.  That was a little worrisome.  We were referred to Apple Orchard RV Park which was way off the beaten path. It has only 10 sites and is surrounded by apple and cherry orchards.

We sort of missed hearing the train every 2 hours at night, but the coyotes were out there.  The sunset was awesome and Doug is in hog heaven with access to the Internet.

What a fabulous day!!!!  Doug and I seem to get started way to late in the day.  We did a “walk” along what they call the Bow River Loop near our camp grounds.  It actually was too warm and we returned to our site and enjoyed a few hours reading.  I hate finishing a good book.  I have done that twice already on this trip, so have decided to read The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett.  Fall of the Giants is the first of three and I only have 29 1/2 hours of reading left.  Yippee!! Doug is reading a couple of books and sometimes he reads to me.  I love it.

Around 4:30 we decided to do the gondola ride in the ski area.  It was so beautiful, you could see the glaciers above Lake Louise that are not visible from the lake.  The ski area is very nice.  Makes me wish I could ski.

The biggest treat of all was Olivia, bear #57.  We saw her below us on the lift and then were treated to watching her forge all around the perimeter of the lift, actually on a trail we had hoped to hike.   Doug got some very good photos of her.  However the “Interpreter” person seemed quite anxious with her bear spray and Walkie Talkie.  There was a similar electrified fence (as at the soft sided camp ground) there that seems to give the visitors (us) a sense of security she didn’t share. She repeated that this bear had gotten very frisky and social and that if she chose to go through the fence she would simply do so.  I was ready to hop on the lift and head towards home.

Side note…We met a young family and asked them where they were headed…..Redding… to participate in Bethel Church.

How lucky does one get….we escaped with our lives and it started to rain just as we exited the lift.  We decided to reward ourselves with dinner out (we see certainly couldn’t BBQ).  We chose a place at The Post Hotel.  WOW.  We were admitted because we had the bottoms of our hiking pants zipped on….no bare legs in this place…..grubby hikers in a fancy French chateau …so we had chateaubriand and a bottle of wine.  Before you start thinking I am really spoiled…we had soup from WallMart for the previous two nights.  What I want to know is, who really lives likes this?  Andy, we celebrated your birthday for you.

The rain is thumping on the roof of the RV as I write.  I feel sorry for all those campers that expected to sit around a bonfire on a balmy summer night and even sorrier for the tent campers. I also wonder what the mosquitoes will be like tomorrow.

The Ice Field Parkway

At last I fell like I finally got to see a glacier up close and personal.  We took the parkway about 90 miles north of Lake Louise just into Jasper National Park. Along the way we saw several glaciers throughout the day.  Doug discovered a new phone app called GPySy Tour that followed our position on the parkway and narrated a description and gave us anecdotal information about what we were seeing…..it was great. I think I finally understand the difference between a glacier and an ice field and have a far greater appreciation of how these beautiful Rocky Mountains were formed. I am now a junior geologist!

If we ever are fortunate enough to return, I would like to hike the Wilcox Trail very near the Columbia Glacier Field.  It is about a 3 hour hike with extraordinary views of the glaciers and mountains.  This was recommended by one of the guides at the information center that found the swarms of tourists as unappealing as we did.  There  were long long lines of people waiting to  board a bus onto the Athabasca  Glacier.  As you know, Doug has an aversion to lines….so that was never going to happen.

Our last stop on the way back to our camp was this beautiful and VERY rustic lodge called Simpson’s Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.  If we weren’t expected back at the RV, we would have stayed for dinner.  This was not the “try to look rustic look” but the real thing……I would have liked to stay longer.

We came back for a glass of wine with our new neighbors my from BC.  They have been traveling since 2007 and have seen all of Canada and most of the U.S. wintering in Arizona, Florida, and Texas.  They were leaving the next morning, so we had a lot to learn in a short time.  The weather also changed and we were treated to thunder and lightening and a downpour instead of a camp fire.

A short word about Doug and the RV……He has done a wonderful job of making all of this work…..I have yet to be without power, fresh water, warmth, or a clean windshield.  The many systems on this RV are mind boggling.  Always the teacher, he is determined that I understand the difference between amps and volts and propane and a generator……this may take a lifetime :  )

Today we went to Banff.  It is approximately 30 miles southeast of Lake Louise down the Trans Canada Highway.  It is much bigger than the town of Lake Louise and dominated by the famous  Banff Springs Hotel. This is a castle like structure several stories high overlooking the Bow River and the water falls down river.  The majority of our time was spent exploring the hotel and enjoying a dinner on an outdoor patio overlooking the valley.  The view was stupendous. As usual, by the time I was starting to look in the shops, they were closing. (Doug here – good planning on my part!)

The town consists of several bustling streets overflowing with tourists, just like us. The day was especially warm, according to our server, at 87 degrees with a haze spoiling the view due to a couple of fires some where in Washington and Oregon and another in Jasper.
For this reason, we decided not to take the gondola to the mountian top.  We were rewarded with the opportunity to watch two large deer that decided to hang out in the parking lot. They paid very little attention to the people gathered around.

Today started off late because of train noise and going to bed after midnight. We can’t seem to adjust to the sunlight at 10 PM! Anyway, took a wonderful bike ride along the Bow River which is right by the camp[ground. Upon our return to our campground we found we had new neighbors – all the way from Long Beach, CA!. What a coincidence. Anyway we had fun trading Long Beach stories. The two couples in their Bounder were returning from the Calgary Stampede.

About 8 PM we decided to go up to Moraine Lake just in the mountains above us. We planned to eat about 10 so we had time for a quick hike and pictures of the lake near sunset. Well, the sample pictures are below and Doug will publish the remainder when we have better internet access. It is a beautiful glacial lake with the same unique aqua coloring due to being fed by glacial runoff. See for yourself!

Doug and I have discussion “when does a walk become a hike?” We concurred that, if most of the women are carrying purses, it is a walk. Today we “walked” to the end of Lake Louise and then some. Beautiful. Doug’s pictures will prove that!

The lake is a chalky blue, almost milky in color from fine particles of rock that are scraped as the glacier moves down the mountain. The lake is fed by melting glaciers. The silt coming down the mountain is forming mud flats and the sediment that will eventually fill in the lake. The lake will become a meadow when the glacier ends. We wondered how long it will take before Lake Louise becomes a meadow but we will have to wait to get that answer. We believe that that is how Yosemite Valley was formed.

This trip has really shown us how dependent we have become on the Internet. So many of my ” why” questions go unanswered. Today we paid $2 for 15 minutes of Internet connection. Tomorrow they are having a special for $5 all day! You have to sit on the sidewalk or on a bench outside a small office called “The Depot” and have a wireless connection. Phone cellular data is crazy expensive. Verizon is selling us 100 megabytes ( megabytes now – 1/10th of a GB) for $25. That translates into $250 per GB. Our Verizon plan in the USA has 15 GB for $50 per month. If we bought that 15 GB here is would const us $3750 a month! I bet there is some fascinating governmental regulatory reason for this amazing  difference.

We have actually considered coming back into the U.S. as we travel west just so we can text or make a phone call. I have even resorted to writing an occasional post card : )

The bike trails here are great, not paved but compact gravel.

This evening we went to a Ranger presentation on the Year in the Life of a Grizzly. Did you know that an adult Grizzly eats the equivalent of 75 Big Macs a day (200,000 Buffalo Berries a day) during the 6 months they are not hibernating? In addition, the sow grizzly will go into labor and deliver up to two cubs during hibernation!  These babies are a little over 1 pound at birth and are hairless.  Apparently she wakes up for the big event. Cleans up the cubs, shows them the food supply and goes back into her deep sleep while the cubs eat and grow. When spring time comes, they exit the den and start looking for Buffalo berries and tourists. Incidentally these cubs are not twins but the grizzly has delayed implantation of embryos from potentially several mates!

They have done a lot here in the park to protect the bear population as well as the human population. This large camp ground has an area for “soft” side camping and another for “hard” sided vehicles, like our RV. The area for tents is surrounded by a very unobtrusive fence that is electrically charged to keep the bears out of that area ( or is there to keep the people in?) – remember Jurassic Park? Our area is unprotected since we can keep our food easily secured and we can stay up at night counting the bears. (kidding)  There is a train that comes near the park it seems every 2 hours day and night. We could not understand why the engineers seem to lay on the horn. Apparently the trains are the number one killer of bears in the park. Total number of bears counted is 60. The train is also the number one cause of insomnia and eventual psychosis in the campers, particularly if you are trapped inside of an electric fence for the night – !!

Another interesting thing they do here to protect the wildlife is called “twinning”. As we were driving on the highway into the park we noticed what appeared to be very short tunnels on the road. They are actually overpasses for the animals to get from one side of the busy highway to the other side. Does it really work, we asked? We were told that 10 species of large mammals use these. A great way to prevent road kill.

Doug accuses me of changing the subject without telling him where I am going with the conversation…..ATTENTION….. I am changing the subject and going back to our conversation with Harry and his wife (Black Foot chief) of July 4th. We asked them if referring to them as Indians was offensive or would they prefer to be called Native Americans. He was OK with either but prefers Native American. We also talked about all the controversy about current the trend of forcing team names to be be changed to be politically correct. Harry and Jana said the only term that is ” highly offensive” is the name Redskins. I was always taught the it was the Indians that scalped the white man. Harry said it was the English settlers that paid a bounty for Indian skins and scalps first, not the other way around….hence the name “redskin’. He also said that the price paid was different if the scalp was that of a child as opposed to an adult. It seems the brutality was horrendous on both sides. Doug and I have always thought this “Redskins” issue was silly bickering in a world with so many other important issues to address….talking to Chief Harry helped us see “Redskins” through the Chief’s eyes. A good day… a lesson learned and our opinion changed with knowledge of the origin of this name. The chief is fine by the way with Indians, Warriors, Braves etc. Those are honoring Native Americans. “Redskins” is a dark term of slaughter for bounty and the cheapening of human life.

How delightful it is to wake up surrounded by pine trees and sunshine. Yesterday, July 5th ,we woke up to rain, wind,clouds, puddles and mud. We weren’t very motivated to get started, so we didn’t. A late start and a border crossing into Canada yielded a beautiful drive through the prairie land of Alberta…..farming and ranching for as far a your eye could see.

Calgary is one of the biggest cities I have seen in a month and has a population of 900,000. It is very clean on the periphery with lots and lots of newer looking housing tracts. My question is why they were built so close together when there is so much land? I can’t answer that because we also don’t have any wifi access. Our phones and tablets are essentially off…the expense here for cellular Internet access is enormous. Could it be that Canada does not want its people glued to a machine? The subtle differences you see here are interesting. Everything is also written in French. You can’t buy liquor at Costco or WallMart. Our debit card was not accepted at Costco and their money looks funny! We arrived July 5th in Lake Louise about 9:30 at night but it was still daylight here in the north country!

Today we just explored and looked into what we want to see here. We tried to go to Lake Louise Chalet twice, but the traffic was so incredibly bad, we turned around. We will go early in the morning tomorrow. We started driving up towards an ice field, but got so enthralled with taking pictures of the wildflowers, that we never made it.

After an early dinner, we attended one of the ranger led shows in the camp ground on hiking “ToThe Top” of Temple Mountain. Great history lesson, safety tips, and humor. Our camp site is one of the nicest we have ever been in despite the fact that it only provides electricity 30 amps (occasionally), no available water and no sewer connection. The sites are all pull through that will accommodate a big rig and are situated at least 20 yards from your neighbor’s site with forest and pines in between for privacy….we hope to extend here at least 3 more days…we just have to ask daily for cancellations and be willing to move.

June 30,  2015  In to Canada, Waterston Lakes

Today we went up the road into Canada via the Chief Mountain entrance.  The first WOW was the wild flowers…….white,blue, yellow, pink, purple all along the road for miles….the day clear and the sky cloudlessly blue.  We passed range cattle that were casually walking in the road and more than one bull smiled at us.  With the top off our Jeep, we almost have a convertible.

The next WOW was turning a bend and seeing the Prince of Wales Hotel perched up on a knoll at the upper end of Waterston Lake.  This is the same vintage as all the lodges built in Glacier with magnificent windows overlooking the lake.  I should like to return for High Tea.

Waterston Village is quaint with a Main Street with high end shopping and very appealing restaurants.  There is a small marina, beach, and bike paths.   I want to spend a few days here, but reservations in the in town RV park are not to be had :  (    The guy at the bike shop said in winter the snow reaches the roof of the shop and that only 42 people remain in the town through the winter months.  I realllllly want more time here.

I was saddened by the news that Paula Blosser died.  She is from Long Beach and an original member of our investment club, Wins.

June 28, 2015. Two Medicine

Another entrance to the East side of the park is Two medicine Lake and campground and East Glacier Lodge.  Because of the heat, we simply cannot hike after mid morning.   We find sightseeing in the Jeep with the top off and the a/c on to be quite enjoyable.
A late lunch at a beautiful lodge frees me from cooking dinner…. usually!

Doug Here: While admiring Running Eagle Falls after our hike there, I met a Stanford classmate at the same observation deck! Small World.
Lesson learned today:  “Do not try to rinse out your black tank with the drainage valve closed and forget that the rinse hose is on”. Doug and I were blissfully taking a nap when there was a rap on our coach door…..we had water flowing from our roof.  Oops. Or should I say “Poops”? The roof is clean and all is well. The EPA will be talking to Doug soon… (No pictures of that event provided. Enough said, Bonny dear.)

East Glacier Lodge

June 29, 2015 Monday.  Going to the Sun Road & Logan’s Pass

Left early this morning for a drive to Logan’s Pass and hike to Hidden Lake.  Logan’s Pass is the half way point on the Going to The Sun road as one heads west across the Park.  The hike was only 3 miles but took up a several hours and crosses the Continental Divide.
The trail was part boardwalk, gravel, rocks, and snow, an easy 600 foot incline to a look out that was a breathtaking view of the valley, Hidden Lake, and several peaks.

Our hiking group in Redding  always say that a good hike has at least on of these features……water, wild flowers, or an exceptional view.  This was everything rolled into one.   The melting snow produced the most beautiful streams and waterfalls and the meadows of wild flowers in white, yellow, coral, pink, purple.  The mountain goats were very friendly and comfortably shared the trail with us.  The snowy areas were only about 1/3 of the trail, but posed the greatest difficulty traversing.  Crampons would have been quite useful!  The array of clothing was quite interesting from complete hiking gear complete with back pack and bear spray to shorts and flip flops.

We traversed the rest of the Going to the Sun road to the west side of the Park (40 miles total) and ate  at the McDonald Lake Lodge.  We scoped out a couple more hikes that we will do later in the week.

We have been “newsless” for the last week…..Doug set up our satellite TV and we were heard about the Supreme Court ruling on Obama Care and the recognition of gay marriage.  The (hopefully) unintended consequences of these rulings are going to have profound effects on this country as we know it.

June 27, 2015. Many Glacier Lodge

Since it is the weekend, we decided to stay on the East side of the Park and explore where we are camped.  We went to Many Glacier Lodge for lunch and was not disappointed.  The food was reasonably priced and wonderful!  The view from the dinning room was over Swift Current Lake.  It seems that the vendor that runs all the lodges hires young people from all over the U.S. for the summer.  Our server was from Salt Lake City and studying International Business in college.

We had a tour of the lodge celebrating it’s 100 th year.  All of the lodges in the park were built around 1913-1915 to accommodate summer visitors from the East that came by the Great Northern Railroad.  These are pictures of Many Glacier Lodge and of course -us.

June 27, 2015. Glacier National Park – Eastside

10:30 pm.  Doug and I simply can’t go to sleep while it is still light out.  They say this has been one of the hottest June’s in many years.  We would like to get to bed early so we would get up and get our day started before the heat picks up.  By 1030 it has cooled down and is time for a fire, but it is bed time.

This was a beautiful critter we ran in to in the parking lot last evening at 9PM leaving Logan Pass.  I thought we had to hike to see these things but they just wander around checking out the tourists!

Doug’s friend found him at the park headquarters!

(Bonny insists that I tell you that the upper picture is one SHE took of a real Big Horn Sheep while the in the lower picture I’m hugging a statue! Pretty lifelike isn’t it?- Doug)

On the Road Again…..first leg to Glacier National Park…June 23, 2015

At last……….I must have had delusions of grandeur to think that we could get back to Redding on Sunday and, then, be ready to leave for Montana on Tuesday.  Our brief trip to Long Beach was to celebrate MoMo’s promotion to high school,  Bob Carter’s 70 th birthday, and a lovely evening Duffy cruise and dinner with Doug’s sister Patti and her husband Dick.  We also wished Madi well as she departed for a week long mission trip to Guatemala. Family events finished and now onto Glacier and Canada!

We got on the road for the first leg of our journey to Glacier around 1 pm…only 3 hours later than planned…not bad.  We are hoping to arrive in time to have dinner with Tammy & Joe Florio in Bend, Oregon.  Looks like we are leaving Redding as temperatures soar to 114 degrees this week.

We got off with a BANG….literally.  As we were loading the coach, we dropped and broke two bottles of wine…..not too sticky and fortunately ” white “.  I do hope I am PC….. can I say white?

I will never get tired of the drive North out of Redding.  It is so beautiful going through the mountains and the valleys.  Shasta Lake, sadly, is very low due to the continued draught.

We entered Oregon on Hwy 97 in a lovely valley.  It is haunting how suddenly Oregon is different.  The road changes and landscape is so green.  Suddenly there is water and green green fields.  It is a palpable difference.  Factoid – the entire state of Oregon’s population is about 1/3 the size of Los Angeles County alone.

We have kept moving despite many places we would like to explore….like the waterfalls at Post Falls, ID and the cities of Missoula, Kalispell, & Whitefish, Montana

Spent the last two nights in Elk’s Lodge parking lots ( RV ) with electrical hookups. Spokane & Kalispell……not beautiful, but the price was right.

The drive through Montana is breathtaking with mountains followed by vast valleys of cattle ranches and farm land and lots of green expanse.  We drove most of the time up Montana along the edge of Flathead Lake.  I didn’t know that it is the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi.  162 miles of shoreline.  We did spend a considerable bit of time following a house that was being moved intact by a semi on a two lane highway – SLOW!!!.   It was way too scary to pass, so we just plodded along.

After a quick dinner at the ELKS club of chicken and ribs ($8), we went into Whitefish. It was well worth it.  Such a beautiful quaint city with Whitefish lake for boating and all water sports and just up the hill is Big Mountain for winter sports.

It is 1015.  We are pooped and ready for bed and it is still light out.   I love it!  I’ll bet I would hate the winter.  It is probably dark at 3:30 pm.  I will have to confirm that.

We have been on and off the phone with Melanie tonight.  Apparently she was bit by her dog Teddy today (accident) and has lymphangitis.  She is currently in the ER getting IV antibiotics.

We have about a 150 mile drive tomorrow to reach our campsite at St. Mary on the East side of Glacier National Park.  After 3 days on the road we are looking forward to staying put for 7 days and simply exploring.  We heard the The Road to the Sun just opened last week.  This traverses Glacier East to West and can only be done by car…I think the Jeep will come in handy.

Friday June 26, 2015

Arrived at our camp site at St. Mary and decided to do just a little exploring around 4 pm.  We drove about 18 miles on the Going to the Sun Road and found ourselves at Logan Pass after several stops.  Every turn seemed to get more beautiful.  Even though the visitors lodge was closed for the day, we started on a hike filled with yellow wild flowers and patches of snow and multiple waterfalls. 

The temperature  dropped as the valley became shaded but the sun was still bright at 9:30.  Back at camp with a wonderful fire ( thank you Doug) we finished dinner around 11 pm.  An early start in the the morning is only wishful thinking for this old girl.

June 7th Bonny and I headed off to McCloud for a few days in the mountains AND  to experience our first Redding Elks Chili Cook Off.

The weather was great, the hiking beautiful, and the Elks were entertaining and convivial. This was our first official Elk RV trip – the first of many more to come we hope!

I have included some key pictures and I am sure the images will tell you more about the week than my typed words. It was a great time and we met new friends. I also found some previous patients there as well. All had had Coronary Bypass and one valve replacement. They were in the mountains with their families enjoying life. It was great to be part of that for them.

I got such a thrill as we rounded a curve just north of Yreka at mile marker 776…….the majesty of Mt. Shasta came into view.  When we left you could hardly see her for all the smoke.  Today she is clear and crisp and snow capped.  She is sort of like God….when you know where she is, you know where you are.

Miles traveled 1,230

We will be going down (flying) to Long Beach next week to meet our new sweet baby girl, Malia Rose, and to attend a memorial service for a dear friend of Doug’s, John Messenger.  John was a cardiologist at Long Beach Memorial and very instrumental in the development of the Heart Institute.

Well, we found an RV that we couldn’t resist. We followed the RV to a rest stop in Oregon and found that it was for sale! It had more mileage than we wished but it made up for the miles with outstanding new features.

First, it is brightly painted with high visibility (HI-VIS) colors to aid in road recognition and thus safety. Second, the new RV  has ample length and comes with a superb roof storage area complete with a roof mounted vented propane system. The most intriguing aspect of the roof is the rear deck with an onboard functional hen-house with six hens up there enjoying the view at more than 60 MPH.  You don’t find THAT feature at many RV shows do you now? (the hen house  is usually a major, major  upgrade) The hens do have a completely enclosed and protected shelter available for high speed maneuvers and frigid conditions if they are having any trouble walking on the deck. When the vehicle is stopped the hens are able to feed on a rear deck exercise area from an auto feeder and auto water source. The current owner told us that the hens have a heck of a time trying to peck at those corn pieces at 60 MPH so he must slow down or stop and activate the feeder or they will get “sickly”.

Owning this technical masterpiece means that Bonny and I will  no longer have to rely on KFC for sustenance during our travels! Just a quick trip up that rear ladder and dinner is ready – scrambled eggs or …?

Talk about true freedom and living off the grid!

I need a hair cut and a pedicure…….My electric toothbrush has died….I am out of clean underwear…..it is time to return to Redding.  Oh did I mention, it is raining?  I don’t particularly enjoy outdoor exploring in the rain.

We are at Seven Feather’s RV Resort on the I-5 North of Medford.  It’s claim is that it wants to be the best RV Park in Oregon.  It is connected to the Seven Feathers Casino and is run by the Cal Creek Band of Umpqua Indian Tribe.  So far I am impressed.  When we arrived (in the dark) we were escorted to our site by a guy in a golf cart ( gratuities appreciated).  The cost per night is $36.  We have found that our cost per night on this adventure has been in the $20-30 range.  We have just decided to stay for the day and explore when the rain lets up, make a pot of soup, cozy up and read.  Coincidently The Bucket List is on the TV.

Doug and I have been on the road together in approximately 400sq.  feet for a little over 3 weeks.  He is very easy to get along with.  There is a definite division of labor.    He does everything on the outside and I do everything on the inside.  One of the things I made very clear before we ventured out was that I absolutely could not live for long in a messy coach.  For those of you that know Doug, I am not exaggerating when I say, Messy is his middle name.  He has blown me away with the pride he takes in the coach.   Wonders never cease!!!!  The cupboards are organized and the wood is polished.

One of my goals on this trip was to learn how to cook in a combination microwave/convection oven. The microwave broke shortly after we left and one burner on the stove just doesn’t seem to want to turn on.  I have actually done quite well with one burner and a bar-b-q.

Every where I go, I think it is the best.  I think of the kids and grandkids and how much they would enjoy each place.

One of the acquisitions Doug has made this time around is a little round thing that I thought was a white covered bar-b-q.  It turns out to be a satellite dish with much newer technology than our 10 year old RV has.  On this trip we are returning much less news depleted.  At this time in the news we are 3 weeks from the mid-term elections. There are 3 cases of Ebola in the US.  The nurse that contracted Ebola graduated 4 years ago and has worked in Critical Care and is one of 70 people that had cared for Mr. Duncan, the first to die of Ebola in the US.  Leon Panetta has just released his book. BO still stands firmly on “no boots on the ground” as ISSIL moves in on Baghdad.

I am learning that there are about four different kinds of camp sites….at least those in Oregon.  The first is the state or county parks with gravel pads, lots of trees, sometimes grass, a well worn picnic table, and a REAL fire pit…….places that make you want to hang out at your campsite.  The next have little or no trees, concrete or asphalt pads, very clean with laundry facilities, not much character but reasonably priced and put you near a city or attraction  you want to spend the majority of your time.  For me that would be Portland Fairview RV Park.  The third are very very nice “resorts” with flowers and all the amenities with very strict rules and no children or fire pits in site.  Many of these places only allow class A or C rigs of a certain age (Pacific Shores RV Resort).  Perhaps the price and word “Resort” are the clues.  The last are simply “parking lots” like the Walla Walla Elks or Whisky Town at Oak Bottom. This Seven Feathers might just be the best of everything……we will see when it stops raining.

As this trip comes to an end, we are talking about our next outing.  We are thinking of starting at Quartzite in Arizona which is a meeting of about 20,000 folks with Tiffin RVs.  This is on BLM land and is completely “dry” camping.  Waste is trucked out and Water is trucked in.  We were thinking it would be a good starting point in January for a tour of the South West ending with a visit with Matt in Dallas, Texas.  I have never set foot in Texas.

One of the great joys of travel, and RV travel in particular, is meeting fellow travelers. Bonny and I took a walk on the beach in Newport, Oregon today. There on the beach we met and talked with a wonderful American, Neil Lindstrom. Neil and his wife live in the north-east corner of Colorado where he is a retired farmer.  He and his wife are heavily involved in helping children and youth in Colorado. He financially supports a children’s summer camp near Estes Park, Colorado. Most interesting, he has been generously offering parcels of his own farm land to deserving young farmers in his area. He wants to help them get a start in family farming – something he believes is an important part of the United States. We agree. Hats off to Neil and his wife – real Americans!

133 miles of Oregon coastline from Astoria to Newport…….I enjoyed the scenery, Doug, however,  was white knuckling it for most of the trip as he maneuvered 62 1/2 feet and  38,000 pounds of vehicle  on the 101 Coast Highway.  He is really quite a good driver.

Oregon is my new favorite state and I think God’s favorite color is green.  The lushness of Central Oregon and the coast is unsurpassed.  I know I look forward to returning and enjoying the many bike trails that are everywhere in the state.

We stayed at Pacific Shores RV Resort.  This was the most pricey of our sites at $70 in the off season.  Unlike other parks, each site is individually owned.  There was an indoor pool, spa, and gym ( none of which we used :  (   ) BUT, the view from the front seat of our RV was spectacular with a trail down to a beach that we mostly had to ourselves. For future reference, space 128 is the most beautiful with ocean view, grass, and a forrest to the right.

We spent a day at a state park thats main attraction is a beautiful lighthouse………Yaquina State Park.  The sea was very rough that day with anticipated storms.  We were warned to be careful of Sneeker waves which are exactly that.   We never saw one, but our previously mentioned acquaintances, Neil, said he and his wife were drenched by one near the beach.

We arrived in Newport, Oregon late yesterday 10/10/14. It rained most of the night and the fog was thick this morning. By noon all had cleared and we went hiking up a substantial hill at the south end of the beach. This is a beautiful part of the Oregon coast.

Below is a picture I took of Bonny at the summit. On the cliff just over her right shoulder and about a mile away, sits our RV. This turned our to be a beautiful day!

Welcome to Malia Rose deMetropolis – Born 10-09-2014

The day has been long as we were updated periodically about Lindsay’s progress in labor.  Then…………at 7:52 pm came Andy’s text….. It’s a girl!   Wait a minute……I predicted it was a boy!   Never, never take me to Las Vegas.   Janice says she looks just like her big brother, Dylan.   We can’t wait to see her.   With the miracle of texting, we ALMOST feel like we are there.   For those of you that aren’t in and around Long Beach,  Andy is my youngest son and Lindsay is his wife.   He is a Long Beach fireman and Lindsay is an RN and works in the ER at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.   This sweet girl weighed in at 7-14 and is 20″ long and HEALTHY.

Every year I start looking for stocking stuffers on January  1st.  It can get expensive when you are filling 16 stockings!  I saw some Chinook Salmon that I thought the boys might enjoy but it was $14 a can at the museum store.  My quest……..to locate this item at a more reasonable price.  This led us to this small cannery on the Skipanon River.  It is referred to as a micro- cannery.   These are quickly disappearing from the coast.  Josh, the manager,  greeted us and gave us a great personalized tour.  Fridays are busy for them as they get ready to go to Portland for Saturday Market. The canning machine they use was built in 1917.  He says it works perfectly but he is finding it difficult to get parts and a mechanic that can actually work on it.  I think he said he has to fly in a mechanic from the mid-west.  Besides learning about the hand packing and smoking process, I was fascinated by their best butcher ( is that what you call someone that filets fish?).  She is 81 years old.   She is also the chief  sharpener of all the knives.

I saved a little at $9.50 a can.  Merry Christmas boys.  Please don’t feed it to the dogs.

Today Doug and I are waiting on word of the birth of Andy & Lindsay’s second baby. It has worked out by design that Janice (our other daughter-in-law) will be taking care of her at Long Beach Memorial. Sweet anticipation! We feel very comfortable with her under Janice’s watchful eye.

Yesterday we visited the Maritime Museum here in Astoria. What an educational day it was. We learned a great deal about the Coast Guard and the vigorous and dangerous training. The area here where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet is considered one of the most dangerous in the word calling it the “Graveyard of the Pacific” with over 700 ship wrecks and countless loss of life. What makes the Columbia River so important is its ability to provide transport of goods to inland America as far as Lewiston, Idaho. Imagine! Today we are going to learn about the discovery of this area by Lewis & Clark.

Looking back at the pictures Doug has posted, it looks like we are always wearing the same thing….it is true. When we left Redding it was 100 degrees and we packed accordingly. It had been so long since we saw temperatures below 80, we couldn’t imagine needing anything but flip flops and shorts. Lesson learned.

One of the things I love about Oregon is the GREEN. It actually rains here. We have several umbrellas, but not a single one in the RV.

I don’t really have an obsession with Costco. When I meet someone that lives in Redding, I will often ask what made them choose Redding as their home. One of the answers I found very interesting was from a fellow hiker, Linda Katlin. They have travelled extensively around the US (looking for a place to settle in retirement). Gary is an engineer. They narrowed their search to only places that had a Costco, believing that that community would have the level of goods and services that they felt necessary to establish a home. They built their own home in Cottonwood. They live in the country but know that civilization is just down the I-5.

The Art of Racing in the Rain…..recommended read on many levels. I now can’t look at a dog without wondering what he or she is thinking. I know more about race car driving than I ever wanted to know & never ever give up.

Bonny and I visited The Lewis and Clark Center which is located at the site of the log fort built built by the  U.S. Army Discovery Corps led by Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Clark.  The group had departed St. Louis in May of 1804 and arrived here in November of 1805 at the Pacific ocean. This fort was designed and built from local trees in a few weeks to provide needed shelter from a bitter winter. It is magnificent to see and appreciate what these  remarkable individuals accomplished.

At the dusk at U.S. Army installations world over the U.S. flag is lowered and  correctly folded. The entire event and the bugle played is called “Retreat” followed by “To the Colors”.  The staff noticed my U.S. Army hat, the Park Rangers honored me with the opportunity to fold the flag. It has been a long time but my memory kicked in and I pulled it off. Whew!