We meet David and Cecily, Corinne's brother and sister-in-law, in Philadelphia for lunch. They are in Philly for David's associate's wedding.
The deli they chose is overflowing with typical Jewish foods. We are overwhelmed and eat hugely. For the next 3 hours we walk around Center City exploring the architecture and window shopping.
We drive back to our campground, stopping to photograph the scenery in Old Pennsylvania. Tomorrow morning we leave for home!
Sadly, this is the last entry in our blog. If you want more details, call us or email us!! Farewell, blog followers, and thank you for your loyalty.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Day 119 - Friday, 10/16/09, ON THE ROAD
Corinne wakes up with a migraine and realizes that last night's experience with the rain seeming too loud was her typical phonophobia which is a precursor to the migraine.
Rain, construction and lots of trucks turns a 2 hour 20 minute trip into a grueling, 3 1/2 hour trip.
We're in PA, only 2 days from home. There are beautiful stone houses and barns.
Rain, construction and lots of trucks turns a 2 hour 20 minute trip into a grueling, 3 1/2 hour trip.
We're in PA, only 2 days from home. There are beautiful stone houses and barns.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 118 - Thursday, 10/15/09 - SETTLED
Dani and Gary leave for work, taking Nathan to school. We leave Danielle and Gary's home for Patapsco State Park Campground in Ellicott City.
On the way, we stop in Historical Ellicott City. There is an old Baltimore and Ohio RR Station there. The old stone buildings are from the early 1800's. Most contain curio shops, gift stores, restaurants or vintage goods. One is a 5 story building only one room wide. There are old row-houses also.
We eat a crab lunch at a Beer Emporium that offers over 100 types of beer.
There is a hidden wooded road off the highway that is quite beautiful with its fall colors.
In our boredom with the rainy weather, we decide to go to a 5:00 movie called "Couples Retreat". It is mediocre. Bob doesn't like the way that the movie makes fun of testicular cancer.
Our dinner is leftover chicken caesar salad and cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.
Corinne can't sleep for an hour because the rain is so loud on our overcab bed vent. She wishes she had earplugs.
On the way, we stop in Historical Ellicott City. There is an old Baltimore and Ohio RR Station there. The old stone buildings are from the early 1800's. Most contain curio shops, gift stores, restaurants or vintage goods. One is a 5 story building only one room wide. There are old row-houses also.
We eat a crab lunch at a Beer Emporium that offers over 100 types of beer.
There is a hidden wooded road off the highway that is quite beautiful with its fall colors.
In our boredom with the rainy weather, we decide to go to a 5:00 movie called "Couples Retreat". It is mediocre. Bob doesn't like the way that the movie makes fun of testicular cancer.
Our dinner is leftover chicken caesar salad and cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.
Corinne can't sleep for an hour because the rain is so loud on our overcab bed vent. She wishes she had earplugs.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day 117 - Wednesday, 10/14/09, SETTLED
Bob moves the RV to Ellicott City and plans to stay overnight there so he can have his last campfire and a couple of glasses of wine.
It rains all day. Corinne goes back to Target for rain boots and shampoo for Nathan.
Gary eats dinner with his sister Julie. Dani and Corinne split leftover pad thai. Very good for the sinuses.
It rains all day. Corinne goes back to Target for rain boots and shampoo for Nathan.
Gary eats dinner with his sister Julie. Dani and Corinne split leftover pad thai. Very good for the sinuses.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day 116 - Tuesday, 10/13/09, SETTLED
Dani returns to work and Nathan goes to daycare. Corinne spends most of the day weeding Dani's front gardens. They are overrun with ground ivy, wild violets, prickly weeds and dandelions.
We eat dinner at the Crackpot and then Dani and Corinne go shopping at Target for a backpack for Dani's trip to Dallas this coming weekend to visit GiGi (Great-Grandma Ruth Stern).
We eat dinner at the Crackpot and then Dani and Corinne go shopping at Target for a backpack for Dani's trip to Dallas this coming weekend to visit GiGi (Great-Grandma Ruth Stern).
Monday, October 12, 2009
Day 115 - Monday, 10/12/09,SETTLED
Dani stays home from work. She still has trouble breathing, and is so weak that she can barely lift Nathan, who weighs 32 lb. We decide to send Nathan to daycare so that Mom can get some rest, since he is very clingy to Mom and cranky with Grandma. Grandma doesn't rate any more now that Mom and Dad are home.
After Gary returns from work, we order take-out Thai food. Good for clearing the sinuses. Gary is starting to feel punky, too, so he doesn't feel like cooking.
After Gary returns from work, we order take-out Thai food. Good for clearing the sinuses. Gary is starting to feel punky, too, so he doesn't feel like cooking.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Day 113 - Saturday, 10/10/09, SETTLED
We are visiting Corinne's daughter Danielle Stegman and her husband Gary, along with their 2 1/2 yr. old son Nathan. Corinne is so excited to see her little grandson, whom she has not seen since Corinne and Bob's wedding 4 months ago.
Dani has a cough. Nathan is halfway through a cold, too, and no longer has a fever.
They have an overnight planned so we can babysit, and they decide to go despite the fact that Gary is starting to feel under the weather. They do dinner and a movie, and then stay at a nearby hotel. After a brief bit of crying, we distract Nathan easily with puppets and he is fine for the rest of the evening.
Dani has a cough. Nathan is halfway through a cold, too, and no longer has a fever.
They have an overnight planned so we can babysit, and they decide to go despite the fact that Gary is starting to feel under the weather. They do dinner and a movie, and then stay at a nearby hotel. After a brief bit of crying, we distract Nathan easily with puppets and he is fine for the rest of the evening.
Day 114 - Sunday, 10/11/09, SETTLED
Dani stops at a clinic on the way home from their overnight. She is diagnosed with bronchitis, and is given antibiotics, an inhaler, and cough Perles. She is pretty wiped out.
We take Nathan on a long walk with Fen, their Husky, who has been acting crazy and running uncontrollably around the house. It is the first time that Corinne has walked the dog, not to mention dog + preschooler. It works out fine.
Grandpa Bob heads to church and we walk back home, just in time for Mom and Dad to walk in the door.
In the afternoon everybody watches the Ravens. Then Gary makes a wonderful roast beef with twice-baked cheesy potatoes. He's a great cook and Danielle is very lucky. We plan to try this recipe at home - it's foolproof as long as you don't open the oven while it's cooking.
Grandma does bath and story time with Nathan to give Mom a break. It's hard for Nathan, though, because he is now very clingy after his parents' absence.
We take Nathan on a long walk with Fen, their Husky, who has been acting crazy and running uncontrollably around the house. It is the first time that Corinne has walked the dog, not to mention dog + preschooler. It works out fine.
Grandpa Bob heads to church and we walk back home, just in time for Mom and Dad to walk in the door.
In the afternoon everybody watches the Ravens. Then Gary makes a wonderful roast beef with twice-baked cheesy potatoes. He's a great cook and Danielle is very lucky. We plan to try this recipe at home - it's foolproof as long as you don't open the oven while it's cooking.
Grandma does bath and story time with Nathan to give Mom a break. It's hard for Nathan, though, because he is now very clingy after his parents' absence.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day 112 - Friday, 10/9/09, ON THE ROAD
We are driving by exploding milkweeds and cattails. There is goldenrod everywhere. It is a dismal day, misty and windy in the Appalachian Mountains.
On the roadside, we pass by two guys loading a dead deer into the back of a pickup truck. Are the hunting laws different in PA? They're looking around as though they're doing something not quite legal.
The area we are driving through is the Penn Alps, although it is in Maryland. The valleys are carpeted with colorful trees. We see red-tailed hawks soaring overhead.
Our big moment is driving through the Eastern Continental Divide at 2, 978 feet elevation. We drove through the Western Continental Divide 3 months ago.
We meet my cousins Joe and Judy Semo at a wonderful Greek restaurant in Rockville, MD, halfway between their work in DC and our campground. They treat us to a special dinner where the waitstaff knows them so well they don't even have to order.
As we get one hour from Clarksburg, our destination, the weather clears. Hurrah!
On the roadside, we pass by two guys loading a dead deer into the back of a pickup truck. Are the hunting laws different in PA? They're looking around as though they're doing something not quite legal.
The area we are driving through is the Penn Alps, although it is in Maryland. The valleys are carpeted with colorful trees. We see red-tailed hawks soaring overhead.
Our big moment is driving through the Eastern Continental Divide at 2, 978 feet elevation. We drove through the Western Continental Divide 3 months ago.
We meet my cousins Joe and Judy Semo at a wonderful Greek restaurant in Rockville, MD, halfway between their work in DC and our campground. They treat us to a special dinner where the waitstaff knows them so well they don't even have to order.
As we get one hour from Clarksburg, our destination, the weather clears. Hurrah!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day 111- Thursday, 10/8/09, ON THE ROAD
Rain again. We are driving on roller-coaster roads where you come to the top of the hill and can't see the other side. For my late husband, Bob, that was his worst nightmare. I can see why. You feel like you're going to fall off the edge of the earth.
There are many fields of soybeans in two different colors - rust and cafe'-au-lait tan. Are they using them for ethanol as well as corn?
We're not too enamored of this campground. It is dirty and the employees don't seem to care. We haven't been in one we dislike so much since Tennessee. There are not enough fire rings, the bathrooms smell, the water is odorous, and there is no sewer hook-up.
Outside our RV, there is a middle-aged woman sitting for hours hunched over in the rain on her picnic bench. We love to make up stories about people's behavior, so we wonder if she is meditating.
There are many fields of soybeans in two different colors - rust and cafe'-au-lait tan. Are they using them for ethanol as well as corn?
We're not too enamored of this campground. It is dirty and the employees don't seem to care. We haven't been in one we dislike so much since Tennessee. There are not enough fire rings, the bathrooms smell, the water is odorous, and there is no sewer hook-up.
Outside our RV, there is a middle-aged woman sitting for hours hunched over in the rain on her picnic bench. We love to make up stories about people's behavior, so we wonder if she is meditating.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day 110- Wednesday, 10/7/09, SETTLED
We treat ourselves to breakfast at the Hueston Woods Lodge, built in 1964. There are life-size paintings of Shawnee Indian tribal games and warriors.
It is a gorgeous day. We hike to Cedar Falls. The fallen leaves in Cedar Creek resemble an Andrew Goldsworthy sculpture - glued by water in perfect patterns on the rocks.
Corinne is photographing Fall flowers when she suddenly sees something moving in her viewfinder. OMG - it's a grey snake with yellow stripes, tongue flicking a mile-a-minute. Unfortunately he scoots away before she can get a good picture of him. Good think I'm not scared of snakes.
In the evening we have a mini Itkoff Family Reunion with as many relatives as we can gather at a Chinese Buffet halfway between Cincinnati, where they all live, and Hamilton, where Harriet and Nancy live. We get representative cousins who are children and grandchildren of 3 of my Dad's 8 siblings. Pretty good turnout.
As we are driving home, we hear the crunch of hickory nuts, osage oranges, and black walnuts under the wheels of the car.
It is a gorgeous day. We hike to Cedar Falls. The fallen leaves in Cedar Creek resemble an Andrew Goldsworthy sculpture - glued by water in perfect patterns on the rocks.
Corinne is photographing Fall flowers when she suddenly sees something moving in her viewfinder. OMG - it's a grey snake with yellow stripes, tongue flicking a mile-a-minute. Unfortunately he scoots away before she can get a good picture of him. Good think I'm not scared of snakes.
In the evening we have a mini Itkoff Family Reunion with as many relatives as we can gather at a Chinese Buffet halfway between Cincinnati, where they all live, and Hamilton, where Harriet and Nancy live. We get representative cousins who are children and grandchildren of 3 of my Dad's 8 siblings. Pretty good turnout.
As we are driving home, we hear the crunch of hickory nuts, osage oranges, and black walnuts under the wheels of the car.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day 109- Tuesday, 10/6/09, SETTLED
Harriet and Nancy have to go to work. We have heard that the rain that is predicted will not start until the afternoon, so we arrange for a horseback ride in Hueston Woods State Park.
There is a scary-looking flock of turkey buzzards perched in a scraggly naked tree at the edge of the corral. Definitely sets a mood of doom.
Unfortunately, the rain begins as soon as we get on our horses. The first horse assigned to me has something wrong with his eyes. One is very red and the other will barely stay open. He is very listless compared to the other horse. I tell the young man who is leading us that I don't feel right about riding a horse that might possibly be ill. He keeps saying "He'll be all right" and I keep insisting that as a nurse, even a nurse of humans, I know he's not "all right". Finally he gives in and gets me another horse. I ask him to promise that he will tell his boss about this horse being ill. He agrees. I hope he follows up.
I think to myself that it does not bode well for the horse with the eye problem that those buzzards are hanging around. I wonder what we will find when we return from our hour's ride.
None of us is wearing rain gear. The young man has his sleeves rolled up. Bob has a baseball cap and I put up the hood on my fleece and put on the leather gloves that I am so glad I stuck in my pocket. It is about 45 degrees out, and very windy.
My new horse, Lee, is very gentle, but very hungry. He stops way too often to eat, and I have to reign him in. When he nibbles, he falls behind and then has to trot to catch up with the leader. I'm not so good at bouncing with the saddle, and I can feel that my bottom will be sore tomorrow.
In addition, for some strange reason I keep sliding to the right in my saddle and I must constantly pull on the horn of the saddle to straighten myself out. So my right hand is getting very tired.
Bob doesn't seem to have any problems. The woods are beautiful and still, except for the raindrops plopping off the leaves, and the slupp, slupp of our horses' hooves in the mud. The colors are vibrant, even in the mist.
When we return to Hamilton, we treat Harriet to dinner at The Texas Roadhouse, which used to be one of my Mom's favorite restaurants when we'd take her out on pass from the nursing home where she was in assisted living.
After Harriet goes home to get ready for work the next day, we see a bad Bruce Willis movie called "Surrogates", about cloned humans in the future.
On the way "home" we see what we think might be a white mink (or an albino skunk?!) running into the woods from the roadside near the campground.
There is a scary-looking flock of turkey buzzards perched in a scraggly naked tree at the edge of the corral. Definitely sets a mood of doom.
Unfortunately, the rain begins as soon as we get on our horses. The first horse assigned to me has something wrong with his eyes. One is very red and the other will barely stay open. He is very listless compared to the other horse. I tell the young man who is leading us that I don't feel right about riding a horse that might possibly be ill. He keeps saying "He'll be all right" and I keep insisting that as a nurse, even a nurse of humans, I know he's not "all right". Finally he gives in and gets me another horse. I ask him to promise that he will tell his boss about this horse being ill. He agrees. I hope he follows up.
I think to myself that it does not bode well for the horse with the eye problem that those buzzards are hanging around. I wonder what we will find when we return from our hour's ride.
None of us is wearing rain gear. The young man has his sleeves rolled up. Bob has a baseball cap and I put up the hood on my fleece and put on the leather gloves that I am so glad I stuck in my pocket. It is about 45 degrees out, and very windy.
My new horse, Lee, is very gentle, but very hungry. He stops way too often to eat, and I have to reign him in. When he nibbles, he falls behind and then has to trot to catch up with the leader. I'm not so good at bouncing with the saddle, and I can feel that my bottom will be sore tomorrow.
In addition, for some strange reason I keep sliding to the right in my saddle and I must constantly pull on the horn of the saddle to straighten myself out. So my right hand is getting very tired.
Bob doesn't seem to have any problems. The woods are beautiful and still, except for the raindrops plopping off the leaves, and the slupp, slupp of our horses' hooves in the mud. The colors are vibrant, even in the mist.
When we return to Hamilton, we treat Harriet to dinner at The Texas Roadhouse, which used to be one of my Mom's favorite restaurants when we'd take her out on pass from the nursing home where she was in assisted living.
After Harriet goes home to get ready for work the next day, we see a bad Bruce Willis movie called "Surrogates", about cloned humans in the future.
On the way "home" we see what we think might be a white mink (or an albino skunk?!) running into the woods from the roadside near the campground.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day 108- Monday, 10/5/09, SETTLED
We help Harriet and her partner Nancy clean out their garage. Nancy's Mom has recently passed away and they are cleaning out and rearranging things in preparation for settling the estate.
For dinner we get Skyline Chili takeout, 4-way. When I was growing up in Cincinnati, I led such a sheltered life that I didn't even know that Cincinnati was famous for their chili! It wasn't until my Mom was ill and I came here every 2 months to assist in her care that I found that out. I love chili with spaghetti, beans, meat and cheese. 5-way would add onions.
After dinner, Harriet follows us back to our campground for a campfire and s'mores. It's a beautiful moonlit night with lots of stars out.
For dinner we get Skyline Chili takeout, 4-way. When I was growing up in Cincinnati, I led such a sheltered life that I didn't even know that Cincinnati was famous for their chili! It wasn't until my Mom was ill and I came here every 2 months to assist in her care that I found that out. I love chili with spaghetti, beans, meat and cheese. 5-way would add onions.
After dinner, Harriet follows us back to our campground for a campfire and s'mores. It's a beautiful moonlit night with lots of stars out.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Day 107- Sunday, 10/4/09, ON THE ROAD
Corinne likes waking up in the morning to see what's going on in our campground "village". Most people are leaving. Their activities are all very similar - washing down their camper, packing up the rugs and outdoor gear, shaking out inside mats, sweeping the stairs, hosing out their pipes.
Camping is very much of a playing field leveler. No matter who we are in real life, we are all pioneers here, charting new territories, packing up the wagons, hitching up the mules, and off we go to our next destination.
No matter our income, our sexual preferences, our age, our politics, our occupation, our gender, our family status, our ethnicity, our national origins, our home state, our religion. We all wave in friendship and we are equal in our enjoyment of our freedom and the outdoors.
There is one difference: This pioneer woman likes to have heat and hot water when she can.
BOB'S PROFOUND SAYINGS: The sun is bright.
The full moon is round.
On our arrival in Hamilton, my sister Harriet cooks us quesadillas with turkey and cheese. Yum.
Camping is very much of a playing field leveler. No matter who we are in real life, we are all pioneers here, charting new territories, packing up the wagons, hitching up the mules, and off we go to our next destination.
No matter our income, our sexual preferences, our age, our politics, our occupation, our gender, our family status, our ethnicity, our national origins, our home state, our religion. We all wave in friendship and we are equal in our enjoyment of our freedom and the outdoors.
There is one difference: This pioneer woman likes to have heat and hot water when she can.
BOB'S PROFOUND SAYINGS: The sun is bright.
The full moon is round.
On our arrival in Hamilton, my sister Harriet cooks us quesadillas with turkey and cheese. Yum.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Day 106- Saturday, 10/3/09, ON THE ROAD
Moving on to Illinois. Winding down. We're really starting to feel like our honeymoon is coming to an end. Bittersweet.
We are fortunate to have gotten a space at this campground. We get the last slot.
When we arrive, it is raining and we have no Wi-Fi. Fortunately the campground office is renting DVD's for $3. We watch a Cuba Gooding thriller called "A Murder of Crows" on our portable DVD player. Not your typical Cuba Gooding comedy, but compelling drama.
We are fortunate to have gotten a space at this campground. We get the last slot.
When we arrive, it is raining and we have no Wi-Fi. Fortunately the campground office is renting DVD's for $3. We watch a Cuba Gooding thriller called "A Murder of Crows" on our portable DVD player. Not your typical Cuba Gooding comedy, but compelling drama.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Day 105- Friday, 10/2/09, SETTLED
Today we have a nice lunch with Nate's parents Nels and Julie Agen, with indefatiguable Grandpa Jerry, the mechanical wizard.
Tonight is Game Night, for demos of Nate and Beth's All Games for Fun business of family games. We spend 2 1/2 hours loading up and setting up at a local nursing home. While we are waiting for people to come, we play a very complicated game involving sheep. It takes us 1 1/2 hrs. to take everything apart and deliver it to Nate and Beth's house at the end of the evening. Whew! Kezi is very helpful but at age 9, exhausted by the end of the whole thing.
On our way back to the campground, we see more roads that make us puzzle about how the WI roads are named with those letters. There is a DDD, and then a CG. We thought before now that they only went up to ZZ and that all the letters had to be dupicates. Now we're really confused. I don't think I'd be able to figure this system out if I lived here.
When we return to our campground, the normally quiet place with just a few RV's is now packed with vehicles fully decorated for Halloween. Kids are running everywhere, lights are on, campfires are lit. The owners told us this would be a big weekend, but we had no idea that so many people would show up. Apparently it is a very popular local event.
Tonight is Game Night, for demos of Nate and Beth's All Games for Fun business of family games. We spend 2 1/2 hours loading up and setting up at a local nursing home. While we are waiting for people to come, we play a very complicated game involving sheep. It takes us 1 1/2 hrs. to take everything apart and deliver it to Nate and Beth's house at the end of the evening. Whew! Kezi is very helpful but at age 9, exhausted by the end of the whole thing.
On our way back to the campground, we see more roads that make us puzzle about how the WI roads are named with those letters. There is a DDD, and then a CG. We thought before now that they only went up to ZZ and that all the letters had to be dupicates. Now we're really confused. I don't think I'd be able to figure this system out if I lived here.
When we return to our campground, the normally quiet place with just a few RV's is now packed with vehicles fully decorated for Halloween. Kids are running everywhere, lights are on, campfires are lit. The owners told us this would be a big weekend, but we had no idea that so many people would show up. Apparently it is a very popular local event.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 104- Thursday, 10/1/09, SETTLED
Beth and Nate go to work today. We take Kezi out for hot chocolate at the neighborhood cafe' while we have breakfast. Then we buy a few groceries and take a walk around the neighborhood.
While Kezi goes to her Grandma's for more home-schooling in the afternoon, we work on this blog. Finally we are caught up. Photos and more details will be added next.
We bring Subway sandwiches in for dinner and then take everyone to our campground for a bonfire and s'mores for dessert.
While Kezi goes to her Grandma's for more home-schooling in the afternoon, we work on this blog. Finally we are caught up. Photos and more details will be added next.
We bring Subway sandwiches in for dinner and then take everyone to our campground for a bonfire and s'mores for dessert.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Day 103- Wednesday, 9/30/09, SETTLED
We hang out at Beth, Nate and Kezi's house in Seymour all day, making tomato sauce and canning it. Everyone pitches in. We use the onions and tomatoes that they have grown in their garden all summer. There are 18 quarts by the time we are finished. It helps that they have a very powerful food processor.
Corinne helps Kezi, age 9, type a letter to her cousin Anya in Ithaca. We play Milles Bornes. Kezi is learning French as part of her home-schooling, so the cards are actually a teaching tool. It is one of the games that Nate and Beth are selling.
In the evening we take them all out to a nice dinner at TGI Friday's in Appleton, WI. There used to be beautiful apple orchards there, but they have all been cut down to build housing developments with million-dollar homes.
Corinne helps Kezi, age 9, type a letter to her cousin Anya in Ithaca. We play Milles Bornes. Kezi is learning French as part of her home-schooling, so the cards are actually a teaching tool. It is one of the games that Nate and Beth are selling.
In the evening we take them all out to a nice dinner at TGI Friday's in Appleton, WI. There used to be beautiful apple orchards there, but they have all been cut down to build housing developments with million-dollar homes.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Day 102- Tuesday, 9/29/09, ON THE ROAD
The trees and fields are really showing their Fall colors now. We are all bundled up. Corinne's hands are so cold that her rings are falling off.
Wisconsin county roads are named with letters, A through Z, then AA through ZZ. "Gina" the GPS says "Double East" for "EE".
We stop for lunch at The Abby Cafe' in Abbottsville, WI, Wisconsin's First City. It is a very cute restaurant with unusual sandwiches and meals served on Fiesta Ware. The owner has quite a collection of Fiesta Ware on display.
Corinne has an Apple/Cheddar/Bacon sandwich and we have the best coleslaw we've had in three months. They have a Rachel sandwhich, which is like a Reuben made with turkey instead of corned beef. Their sauerkraut is sweet and has grated carrots in it.
We are supposed to stay at the Outagamie Country Fairgrounds, which has a campground with water and electricity. When we arrive, the water has been shut off, and there is noone there to talk to.
Bob finds us another campground in DePere, WI, about a half hour away, so we head there and check in. They have no sewer, so we will have to dump our grey and black water tanks when we leave, but they have water and electricity. They also have fancy metal fire rings, with cutouts of deer at the top.
In the evening we connect with Beth, Kezi and Nate in their home in Seymour, WI. They have two cats and two birds, along with their old dog Bobo. They have already eaten dinner when we arrive, so we bring them Dairy Queen treats. Corinne has a ChocoCherry Blizzard for dinner, and Bob has a Banana Split.
Wisconsin county roads are named with letters, A through Z, then AA through ZZ. "Gina" the GPS says "Double East" for "EE".
We stop for lunch at The Abby Cafe' in Abbottsville, WI, Wisconsin's First City. It is a very cute restaurant with unusual sandwiches and meals served on Fiesta Ware. The owner has quite a collection of Fiesta Ware on display.
Corinne has an Apple/Cheddar/Bacon sandwich and we have the best coleslaw we've had in three months. They have a Rachel sandwhich, which is like a Reuben made with turkey instead of corned beef. Their sauerkraut is sweet and has grated carrots in it.
We are supposed to stay at the Outagamie Country Fairgrounds, which has a campground with water and electricity. When we arrive, the water has been shut off, and there is noone there to talk to.
Bob finds us another campground in DePere, WI, about a half hour away, so we head there and check in. They have no sewer, so we will have to dump our grey and black water tanks when we leave, but they have water and electricity. They also have fancy metal fire rings, with cutouts of deer at the top.
In the evening we connect with Beth, Kezi and Nate in their home in Seymour, WI. They have two cats and two birds, along with their old dog Bobo. They have already eaten dinner when we arrive, so we bring them Dairy Queen treats. Corinne has a ChocoCherry Blizzard for dinner, and Bob has a Banana Split.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Day 101- Monday, 9/28/09, SETTLED
Today is Yom Kippur. Corinne drives back into Minneapolis to attend Shir Tikvah's services. Bob stays "at home" in the RV, working on trip planning.
Services are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church to accommodate the crowd. The UU Church used to be a synagogue, so there are Stars of David on the Ceiling and on the pews.
However, there is no "Eternal Light", supposed to represent the ever-presence of God, so there are many references made to the fund-raising needed so they can have a portable one for future services.
It is a huge Reform congregation with a new young Rabbi. He is very animated and very kind. The Cantor is their music director, a professional singer and actor with a beautiful tenor voice.
We are all fasting, since dinner last night, until sunset. Many people have brought bags of food to give to the Food Pantry, to represent the food they might have eaten today.
There is a choir, led by a middle-aged woman in a white suit who used to be a high school music teacher. It is fun to watch her conducting. The harmonies add much emotion to this solemn day of repentance. There are also pianists, floutists, violinists, violists, and guitarists. I'm not used to having music during Conservative services at home, but I like it.
During the two-hour break in mid-afternoon, a professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota leads a discussion about similarities and differences between Judaism and Islam. I learn that the Quran, the word of Mohammed, has not been edited much since it was first written down. However, there have been many changes and interpretations of the Old and New Testaments.
Ramadan intersects with the Jewish High Holy Days sometimes, but not always. The Islamic lunar calendar does not have the added "catch up" month every few years that the Hebrew lunar calendar does.
In the early evening, we end the service by coming closer to the podium, linking arms and swaying while repeating a prayer called Havdalah led by the Rabbi. This prayer separates the Sabbath and Holy Days from the everyday work week. A braided candle is lit, spices are passed around for smelling, wine and Challah bread are blessed.
I am very moved by the thought that Jews all around the world are celebrating being sealed in The Book of Life by God at approximately the same moment. This synagogue has been very welcoming and although I miss my friends at home, and my family, I feel a sense of belonging here.
The sunset is amazing, a blazing orange sky with gigantic pink clouds. It is still windy, and we hear that this is part of a cold front which has come in from Manitoba.
Services are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church to accommodate the crowd. The UU Church used to be a synagogue, so there are Stars of David on the Ceiling and on the pews.
However, there is no "Eternal Light", supposed to represent the ever-presence of God, so there are many references made to the fund-raising needed so they can have a portable one for future services.
It is a huge Reform congregation with a new young Rabbi. He is very animated and very kind. The Cantor is their music director, a professional singer and actor with a beautiful tenor voice.
We are all fasting, since dinner last night, until sunset. Many people have brought bags of food to give to the Food Pantry, to represent the food they might have eaten today.
There is a choir, led by a middle-aged woman in a white suit who used to be a high school music teacher. It is fun to watch her conducting. The harmonies add much emotion to this solemn day of repentance. There are also pianists, floutists, violinists, violists, and guitarists. I'm not used to having music during Conservative services at home, but I like it.
During the two-hour break in mid-afternoon, a professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota leads a discussion about similarities and differences between Judaism and Islam. I learn that the Quran, the word of Mohammed, has not been edited much since it was first written down. However, there have been many changes and interpretations of the Old and New Testaments.
Ramadan intersects with the Jewish High Holy Days sometimes, but not always. The Islamic lunar calendar does not have the added "catch up" month every few years that the Hebrew lunar calendar does.
In the early evening, we end the service by coming closer to the podium, linking arms and swaying while repeating a prayer called Havdalah led by the Rabbi. This prayer separates the Sabbath and Holy Days from the everyday work week. A braided candle is lit, spices are passed around for smelling, wine and Challah bread are blessed.
I am very moved by the thought that Jews all around the world are celebrating being sealed in The Book of Life by God at approximately the same moment. This synagogue has been very welcoming and although I miss my friends at home, and my family, I feel a sense of belonging here.
The sunset is amazing, a blazing orange sky with gigantic pink clouds. It is still windy, and we hear that this is part of a cold front which has come in from Manitoba.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Day 100 - Sunday, 9/27/09, SETTLED
Our RV park neighbors' son is getting married outdoors today. It is drizzling. We feel badly for them.
"Gina" the GPS says "Staycoach Drive" for "Stagecoach Drive". We're puzzled about how this robotic reading system works. Is it a typo, or does she have a speech impediment.
The weather clears up a bit and we head for the Minnesota Renaissance Faire in Shakopee. There are jugglers of flames, clubs, bowling balls, garden weasels, sometimes while precariously balanced on a tightrope or slipping on banana peels. Comic fire-eaters blow flames at each other. "The Danger Committee" knife throwers cut cucumbers while they dangle from their assistant's mouth. Yikes!
We buy some beautiful ceramic numbers mounted on a cedar board for our house.
The temperature starts out at 70 degrees and drops to 59 degrees while the wind howls at 30 mph. This makes all the stunts even trickier.
At 7:00, after the Faire, Corinne drops Bob off at the RV and drives to Minneapolis for Yom Kippur evening services, Kol Nidre, at Temple Shir Tikvah. She never makes it, though, due to rain, construction, and the fact that she forgot to read their web site which said that their High Holiday services had been moved to a different, larger location.
She finds the note on their door too late to get to the new place. So she drives home and listens to Kol Nidre on the internet.
"Gina" the GPS says "Staycoach Drive" for "Stagecoach Drive". We're puzzled about how this robotic reading system works. Is it a typo, or does she have a speech impediment.
The weather clears up a bit and we head for the Minnesota Renaissance Faire in Shakopee. There are jugglers of flames, clubs, bowling balls, garden weasels, sometimes while precariously balanced on a tightrope or slipping on banana peels. Comic fire-eaters blow flames at each other. "The Danger Committee" knife throwers cut cucumbers while they dangle from their assistant's mouth. Yikes!
We buy some beautiful ceramic numbers mounted on a cedar board for our house.
The temperature starts out at 70 degrees and drops to 59 degrees while the wind howls at 30 mph. This makes all the stunts even trickier.
At 7:00, after the Faire, Corinne drops Bob off at the RV and drives to Minneapolis for Yom Kippur evening services, Kol Nidre, at Temple Shir Tikvah. She never makes it, though, due to rain, construction, and the fact that she forgot to read their web site which said that their High Holiday services had been moved to a different, larger location.
She finds the note on their door too late to get to the new place. So she drives home and listens to Kol Nidre on the internet.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Day 99- Saturday, 9/26/09, SETTLED
We just make it to the Farmer's Market in Savage after getting lost a couple of times. The GPS didn't help. We have lunch at a little bakery.
Corinne buys an outfit from a boutique called "Giggles" at 50% off. We stop at Walgreens and get flu shots. We'll be fighting with MVP to get reimbursed for them.
We drive around Burnsville and are disappointed by "The Heart of the City". The only thing of interest is the Theater Center.
Bob's daughter Beth and her husband Nate are visiting in Minneapolis for a Homeschooling Convention at which they will be marketing the educational games they sell.
We drive to Minneapolis a little early to explore. When we get there, we are tired and there is nothing we really have time to see. There is a nice city park near their house. We park our car, put the seats back, and take a much-needed nap.
In the evening we enjoy a nice dinner with Nate's cousin Rhonda and her husband Darwin in Golden Valley, MN, near Minneapolis. They have a daughter Mary Jo who is the same age as Nate's daughter Kezi. We have a lovely time on their patio eating BBQ while being warmed by their chiminea.
Corinne buys an outfit from a boutique called "Giggles" at 50% off. We stop at Walgreens and get flu shots. We'll be fighting with MVP to get reimbursed for them.
We drive around Burnsville and are disappointed by "The Heart of the City". The only thing of interest is the Theater Center.
Bob's daughter Beth and her husband Nate are visiting in Minneapolis for a Homeschooling Convention at which they will be marketing the educational games they sell.
We drive to Minneapolis a little early to explore. When we get there, we are tired and there is nothing we really have time to see. There is a nice city park near their house. We park our car, put the seats back, and take a much-needed nap.
In the evening we enjoy a nice dinner with Nate's cousin Rhonda and her husband Darwin in Golden Valley, MN, near Minneapolis. They have a daughter Mary Jo who is the same age as Nate's daughter Kezi. We have a lovely time on their patio eating BBQ while being warmed by their chiminea.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Day 98 - Friday, 9/25/09, ON THE ROAD
Tom and Gina have to get up at 5:30. They are leaving for KS to help their daughter with her house. We say goodbye and then at 6:00 go back to sleep in the RV for a few hours.
It rains, for the first time in 6 weeks in Minnesota. After breakfast at Perkins, we drive to our next RV park, 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis. It is a good day to stay inside, work on the blog, and finish the thank-you notes for our wedding gifts.
There are malls as far as the eye can see on both sides of Highway 13 in Egan. We decide we want to go to a movie in Burnsville, but forget to set our clocks ahead. By the time we look up, it is time to go to the movie and we have not had dinner.
We treat ourselves to popcorn, M & M's and slushies for dinner. We use our Regal Gift card at last.
It rains, for the first time in 6 weeks in Minnesota. After breakfast at Perkins, we drive to our next RV park, 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis. It is a good day to stay inside, work on the blog, and finish the thank-you notes for our wedding gifts.
There are malls as far as the eye can see on both sides of Highway 13 in Egan. We decide we want to go to a movie in Burnsville, but forget to set our clocks ahead. By the time we look up, it is time to go to the movie and we have not had dinner.
We treat ourselves to popcorn, M & M's and slushies for dinner. We use our Regal Gift card at last.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day 97- Thursday, 9/24/09, ON THE ROAD
Sumac is prevalent on the roadsides now, in cranberry and blazing red.
There are potato fields near St. Cloud, MN. A passerby stops his car and picks up stray potatoes that the machine turning over the field leaves behind. This reminds me of the biblical verse about leaving gleanings for the poor in the fields.
Two hours before Cottage Grove, we are in suburban sprawl. There are malls, stores, car dealers, corporate offices, and more malls. We so much prefer travelling through farm country.
We see the first taxi we have seen since Seattle.
ROADKILL: Raccoon
We are on the Mississippi River. Somehow that doesn't compute with Minnesota, but then Corinne has never had much of a sense of geography.
Our destination is Bob's friends Tom and Gina McCauley. We haven't seen them in a couple of years. They treat us to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, where Bob is very happy to get an excellent steak.
Just before sunset, we play bocce ball in their bumpy, downhill sloping front yard. Before the mosquitoes get us, the men manage to slaughter the women.
We plug the RV into an outlet in their garage overnight so the refrigerator can keep working. It's so nice to be able to stay in a real bed again!
There are potato fields near St. Cloud, MN. A passerby stops his car and picks up stray potatoes that the machine turning over the field leaves behind. This reminds me of the biblical verse about leaving gleanings for the poor in the fields.
Two hours before Cottage Grove, we are in suburban sprawl. There are malls, stores, car dealers, corporate offices, and more malls. We so much prefer travelling through farm country.
We see the first taxi we have seen since Seattle.
ROADKILL: Raccoon
We are on the Mississippi River. Somehow that doesn't compute with Minnesota, but then Corinne has never had much of a sense of geography.
Our destination is Bob's friends Tom and Gina McCauley. We haven't seen them in a couple of years. They treat us to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, where Bob is very happy to get an excellent steak.
Just before sunset, we play bocce ball in their bumpy, downhill sloping front yard. Before the mosquitoes get us, the men manage to slaughter the women.
We plug the RV into an outlet in their garage overnight so the refrigerator can keep working. It's so nice to be able to stay in a real bed again!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Day 96- Wednesday, 9/23/09, SETTLED
Detroit Lakes has the Amtrak Railroad going through it, with a cute old station house.
Most attractions in the 10,000 Lakes area have closed for the season, so we have another Free Day.
Bob fixes the turn signals and the flashers on the tow dolly, which need to have the contacts cleaned. Corinne tries to make the computer run faster by cleaning up some old files.
The microwave latch and the door latch to the "residential" part of the RV still need work.
In the afternoon, we attend a birthday party of one of the long-term residents of the campground, Carolyn. It is held in the Recreation Room. She provides all the refreshments, including Sloppy Joes, Vodka punch, and brownies. We bring her a jar of Beer Jelly which we found in Oregon. She is very grateful not to have to spend her birthday alone with just her birds.
The new moon comes up a sliver, hovers above the trees, and within two hours has set.
Most attractions in the 10,000 Lakes area have closed for the season, so we have another Free Day.
Bob fixes the turn signals and the flashers on the tow dolly, which need to have the contacts cleaned. Corinne tries to make the computer run faster by cleaning up some old files.
The microwave latch and the door latch to the "residential" part of the RV still need work.
In the afternoon, we attend a birthday party of one of the long-term residents of the campground, Carolyn. It is held in the Recreation Room. She provides all the refreshments, including Sloppy Joes, Vodka punch, and brownies. We bring her a jar of Beer Jelly which we found in Oregon. She is very grateful not to have to spend her birthday alone with just her birds.
The new moon comes up a sliver, hovers above the trees, and within two hours has set.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Day 95 - Tuesday, 9/22/09, ON THE ROAD
The rolling hills of North Dakota are lush with acres and acres of sunflowers bending in the wind. Hay bales are scattered, lined up or stacked for a few hundred miles.
There is still some corn, but there are signs that it is being used to manufacture ethanol. This is a very controversial process. Consumers worry about how much corn it takes to make a gallon of ethanol and wonder what will happen to the edible corn supply. Will it drive prices up? Will the Mexican population have enough for their tortillas?
The evergreens are mostly yews, for windbreaks, but most of the trees are deciduous. About 50% of them are turning yellow or maroon.
There are little mounds of rocks in the fields where the farmers have piled stones dug from their fields while plowing.
It's amazing how many colors of green, tan, rust, yellow, gold and brown fields one can count in a five mile strip.
When we see some white cows drinking from a stream. Corinne wonders if they are holy Brahma bulls. Bob says they are just the beef for White Castle hamburgers.
I-94 is interrupted by major road construction. Once again we see the humongous vehicles and the huge staging area from which the workers radiate for 6 miles in both directions.
There is still some corn, but there are signs that it is being used to manufacture ethanol. This is a very controversial process. Consumers worry about how much corn it takes to make a gallon of ethanol and wonder what will happen to the edible corn supply. Will it drive prices up? Will the Mexican population have enough for their tortillas?
The evergreens are mostly yews, for windbreaks, but most of the trees are deciduous. About 50% of them are turning yellow or maroon.
There are little mounds of rocks in the fields where the farmers have piled stones dug from their fields while plowing.
It's amazing how many colors of green, tan, rust, yellow, gold and brown fields one can count in a five mile strip.
When we see some white cows drinking from a stream. Corinne wonders if they are holy Brahma bulls. Bob says they are just the beef for White Castle hamburgers.
I-94 is interrupted by major road construction. Once again we see the humongous vehicles and the huge staging area from which the workers radiate for 6 miles in both directions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Day 94- Monday, 9/21/09, SETTLED
All night, the wind blew our TV antenna around, flapping it against the roof of the RV. It interferes with our sleep. We don't have a TV anyway, and wish we could just take it off.
This morning, the wind is 40 mph in strong gusts. Bob climbs up the ladder with string he has taken from one of our backseat storage bags and ties the antenna down.Very clever.
It's a free day, which we use for "system maintenance". We do laundry, get both vehicles looked at for their 3000 mile routine servicing, and buy some more gifts for family. Then we pay bills and take care of some paperwork.
Bob finds new running shoes, two pair of dress pants, and a short sleeved Western shirt on sale.
Corinne buys some tiny cowboy boots for her grandson Nathan. He's almost into a size 9! She sends a photo of the possible choices to Danielle on her cell phone and is very proud of herself for being such a techno-wizard.
The sunset is gorgeous, after a nasty, cloudy, rain-spattered day.
This morning, the wind is 40 mph in strong gusts. Bob climbs up the ladder with string he has taken from one of our backseat storage bags and ties the antenna down.Very clever.
It's a free day, which we use for "system maintenance". We do laundry, get both vehicles looked at for their 3000 mile routine servicing, and buy some more gifts for family. Then we pay bills and take care of some paperwork.
Bob finds new running shoes, two pair of dress pants, and a short sleeved Western shirt on sale.
Corinne buys some tiny cowboy boots for her grandson Nathan. He's almost into a size 9! She sends a photo of the possible choices to Danielle on her cell phone and is very proud of herself for being such a techno-wizard.
The sunset is gorgeous, after a nasty, cloudy, rain-spattered day.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Day 93 - Sunday, 9/20/09, ON THE ROAD
We awaken to the sound of rain on the little vent above our sleeping area in the camper. Fortunately, it clears up in time for the drive, but the skies are still cloudy all day (sounds like a song.... )
As we are driving, we see a flock of wild turkeys in a field. We have seen beehives in every state except The Beehive State (Utah).
There are entire families of tumbleweeds, large and small, escaping to safety on the other side of I-94. The wind is so strong across the prairie that it bounces the RV sideways across the road.
ROADKILL: Porcupine
Far in the distance, we see pronghorn antelope grazing among the rounded hills covered with prairie grasses. They remind me of funny stuffed animals. There are fewer and smaller evergreens. Many of the other trees are turning yellow.
In the sandstone cliffs that appear occasionally among the grassy hillsides, there are erosion holes that were probably begun millions of years ago. Some of the cliffs have eroded into columns, so that they appear to be giant brown lawn leaf bags standing side by side at the edge of God's driveway.
Sometimes the wind has eroded the peaks and given them the appearance of little top hats, or mushroom caps. We stop at a scenic viewpoint in the National Grasslands, just over the North Dakota border. There is a tumbleweed stuck in the tow dolly and a smooshed cowpie on the roadside where we stop.
It is 75 degrees, windy and rainy when we arrive at our campground. For the first time, we have to don our raingear to take the car off the dolly and set up the water and electricity for the night.
As we are driving, we see a flock of wild turkeys in a field. We have seen beehives in every state except The Beehive State (Utah).
There are entire families of tumbleweeds, large and small, escaping to safety on the other side of I-94. The wind is so strong across the prairie that it bounces the RV sideways across the road.
ROADKILL: Porcupine
Far in the distance, we see pronghorn antelope grazing among the rounded hills covered with prairie grasses. They remind me of funny stuffed animals. There are fewer and smaller evergreens. Many of the other trees are turning yellow.
In the sandstone cliffs that appear occasionally among the grassy hillsides, there are erosion holes that were probably begun millions of years ago. Some of the cliffs have eroded into columns, so that they appear to be giant brown lawn leaf bags standing side by side at the edge of God's driveway.
Sometimes the wind has eroded the peaks and given them the appearance of little top hats, or mushroom caps. We stop at a scenic viewpoint in the National Grasslands, just over the North Dakota border. There is a tumbleweed stuck in the tow dolly and a smooshed cowpie on the roadside where we stop.
It is 75 degrees, windy and rainy when we arrive at our campground. For the first time, we have to don our raingear to take the car off the dolly and set up the water and electricity for the night.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day 92 - Saturday, 9/19/09, SETTLED
Corinne goes to Rosh Hashana services at Congregation Beth Aaron in Billings, MT. This is a Reform Temple, but it's the closest to where we could find a suitable campground. There are only 4 synagogues in all of Montana. About 50 families belong to the congregation.
During the reading of the Torah, a South African congregant talks about seeing African villagers carrying their fire with them from village to village, just like Abraham did when he was going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac.
The Rabbi is a student who is doing a year Rabbinic internship at this synagogue. She does a very good job.
GPS "Gina" says "Left Honking Road" for "Left on King Road". We get a good laugh out of that.
It is 92 degrees today. Bob goes to a park and uses the day to plan the rest of our trip.
In the late afternoon Bob meets Corinne and a half dozen members of the synagogue at a local bridge over a creek to do the Tashlich service. Rabbi Karen leads us in some responsive readings and we throw some old bread into the water to symbolize throwing our sins away and being cleansed of them.
During the reading of the Torah, a South African congregant talks about seeing African villagers carrying their fire with them from village to village, just like Abraham did when he was going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac.
The Rabbi is a student who is doing a year Rabbinic internship at this synagogue. She does a very good job.
GPS "Gina" says "Left Honking Road" for "Left on King Road". We get a good laugh out of that.
It is 92 degrees today. Bob goes to a park and uses the day to plan the rest of our trip.
In the late afternoon Bob meets Corinne and a half dozen members of the synagogue at a local bridge over a creek to do the Tashlich service. Rabbi Karen leads us in some responsive readings and we throw some old bread into the water to symbolize throwing our sins away and being cleansed of them.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Day 91 - Friday, 9/18/09, ON THE ROAD
We are back in Montana again. Out West people use trailors from defunct trucks as advertising billboards, putting them close to the road in a field.
There are many log homes of various designs. Most seem to be built from kits.
Tumbleweeds cross the road. It is exceedingly windy.
Bob wants to invent a windshield coating so that insects will slide off instead of splatting on. Corinne agrees, since the ugly splatters make it hard to take pictures out of the front windshield at 70 mph when we don't have time to stop and she sees something spectacular.
PROFOUND SAYINGS BY BOB: Mountains are high. Redwoods are big.
Corinne drives to Billings to attend Rosh Hashana evening services at a Synagogue there.
There are many log homes of various designs. Most seem to be built from kits.
Tumbleweeds cross the road. It is exceedingly windy.
Bob wants to invent a windshield coating so that insects will slide off instead of splatting on. Corinne agrees, since the ugly splatters make it hard to take pictures out of the front windshield at 70 mph when we don't have time to stop and she sees something spectacular.
PROFOUND SAYINGS BY BOB: Mountains are high. Redwoods are big.
Corinne drives to Billings to attend Rosh Hashana evening services at a Synagogue there.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Day 90 - Thursday, 9/17/09, ON THE ROAD
We drive through three smokey areas. We can't tell what's burning, even though we see the smoke and smell it in the air.
There are odd low, triangular buildings built into hillsides that are insulated with hay or dirt thrown on the slanted rooftops. We wonder if they are storage for vegetables, like root cellars, or are they bomb shelters?
The terrain is changing from desert to wetland, and then back to desert scrub within a ten-minute drive. There is National Forest on the other side of the road.
Obviously Fall is upon us, as the aspens are turning yellow and orange.
There are odd low, triangular buildings built into hillsides that are insulated with hay or dirt thrown on the slanted rooftops. We wonder if they are storage for vegetables, like root cellars, or are they bomb shelters?
The terrain is changing from desert to wetland, and then back to desert scrub within a ten-minute drive. There is National Forest on the other side of the road.
Obviously Fall is upon us, as the aspens are turning yellow and orange.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 89- Wednesday, 9/16/09, SETTLED
This is one of the parks that offers us a free breakfast of pancakes, eggs and coffee. They are fabulous! We buy some sweet potato pancake mix and plan to try the sweet potato pancakes tomorrow - they will not be free, but they sound delicious!
ROADKILL: fox (or coyote?)
On the way to Craters of the Moon National Monument, we see mountains with creases that remind us of elephant hides.
There are dozens of ranches with hundreds of black angus cows.
One of the formations at Craters of the Moon is called Devil's Orchard. We see trees there with weird bunches of small branches. Finally we see a sign which explains that these clumps of malformed tiny branches at the ends of larger branches are called "Witches Brooms". They result from a fungus which causes unusual growth. Many early settlers cut these small branches off, causing the trees to die or become stunted.
We climb a cinder cone smaller than the one we hiked up in Lassen Volcanic Park. It is more tightly packed down, and therefore a lot easier to climb. The view from the top is not nearly as impressive, but we look forward to the challenge and climb it anyway.
Inside one of the smaller craters, caused by laval "spitting" we see snowpack still unmelted deep inside. This spitting results when activity is beginning to slow at the end of the cycle of the volcano.
We climb up to see the largest crater. Bob's philosophic comments: "It's deep."
Out here there is "just a whole bunch of nothing". Bob is disappointed that he hasn't heard any "Howdy!"s or "reckons". Corinne is disappointed that we still keep missing every rodeo that comes to town.
A funny thing happens to me today. I am on a hiking trail at Craters of the Moon National Monument, and I hear Hebrew behind me. I turn around to see two middle-aged couples walking together. As they get closer and pass me, I sing out "Shalom!" They stop in shock and say "Shalom! How did you know we were Israeli?" I told them I understood Hebrew, and we chatted for a moment.
Then I ask them how long they were going to be out West, and they say a week more. "So you're going to be away from home for Rosh Hashanah too," I say, sympathetically. "How are you going to celebrate?"
"We're going to skip it this year", they reply, with a hint of sadness and resignation in their voices. "But it's a choice we made".
Even though I feel for them, it is such a relief to talk to someone Jewish, and so "beshert" that it happened 2 days before Rosh Hashanah in the middle of Idaho!
I contact a Synagogue in Billings, Montana and hope to be able to attend their services. Still, I feel as though they have been sent to me by God just to help me feel less isolated.
As we get closer to our campground, we spot many beautiful, large, black and white birds. Later we find out they are magpies, the "Pest of the West". The white flashes on their wings are very dramatic.
When we get "home", we realize we have been sunburned, probably by the reflections from the sparkly volcanic rock. We are surprised, thinking we have been toughened by now.
At every campsite, we have a signature. We're the ones with the little white plastic fold-out bistro table leaning on the side of the RV.
ROADKILL: fox (or coyote?)
On the way to Craters of the Moon National Monument, we see mountains with creases that remind us of elephant hides.
There are dozens of ranches with hundreds of black angus cows.
One of the formations at Craters of the Moon is called Devil's Orchard. We see trees there with weird bunches of small branches. Finally we see a sign which explains that these clumps of malformed tiny branches at the ends of larger branches are called "Witches Brooms". They result from a fungus which causes unusual growth. Many early settlers cut these small branches off, causing the trees to die or become stunted.
We climb a cinder cone smaller than the one we hiked up in Lassen Volcanic Park. It is more tightly packed down, and therefore a lot easier to climb. The view from the top is not nearly as impressive, but we look forward to the challenge and climb it anyway.
Inside one of the smaller craters, caused by laval "spitting" we see snowpack still unmelted deep inside. This spitting results when activity is beginning to slow at the end of the cycle of the volcano.
We climb up to see the largest crater. Bob's philosophic comments: "It's deep."
Out here there is "just a whole bunch of nothing". Bob is disappointed that he hasn't heard any "Howdy!"s or "reckons". Corinne is disappointed that we still keep missing every rodeo that comes to town.
A funny thing happens to me today. I am on a hiking trail at Craters of the Moon National Monument, and I hear Hebrew behind me. I turn around to see two middle-aged couples walking together. As they get closer and pass me, I sing out "Shalom!" They stop in shock and say "Shalom! How did you know we were Israeli?" I told them I understood Hebrew, and we chatted for a moment.
Then I ask them how long they were going to be out West, and they say a week more. "So you're going to be away from home for Rosh Hashanah too," I say, sympathetically. "How are you going to celebrate?"
"We're going to skip it this year", they reply, with a hint of sadness and resignation in their voices. "But it's a choice we made".
Even though I feel for them, it is such a relief to talk to someone Jewish, and so "beshert" that it happened 2 days before Rosh Hashanah in the middle of Idaho!
I contact a Synagogue in Billings, Montana and hope to be able to attend their services. Still, I feel as though they have been sent to me by God just to help me feel less isolated.
As we get closer to our campground, we spot many beautiful, large, black and white birds. Later we find out they are magpies, the "Pest of the West". The white flashes on their wings are very dramatic.
When we get "home", we realize we have been sunburned, probably by the reflections from the sparkly volcanic rock. We are surprised, thinking we have been toughened by now.
At every campsite, we have a signature. We're the ones with the little white plastic fold-out bistro table leaning on the side of the RV.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Day 88- Tuesday, 9/15/09 - ON THE ROAD
The ragged, jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Range in the Rockies are very dramatic, especially in silhouette. Some are full of pines, some bare and brown with scattered scrub.
We pass through Darby, MT, an old timey town. Bob sees a Bald Eagle, but Corinne misses it. Some of the mountain roads are wide enough to look like ski areas, but we don't see any lifts.
When we stop at a gas station, there is a sad sign about a recently missing motorcyclist who has been lost in the mountains. Everyone is keeping an eye out for signs that he may have gone off the road somewhere into a culvert.
The Salmon River winds its way for miles at the foot of the mountains.
As we arrive in Arco, we see 80 years of high school classes' numbers painted in white on the mountainside.
We have noticed that, despite the 75 mph. speed limit on the highway, the speed limit is 25 mph through the little towns, some with populations of as few as 77. Arco has a hand-painted sign that says "15 mph within city limits". Who said you could do 80 mph in the West?
We pass through Darby, MT, an old timey town. Bob sees a Bald Eagle, but Corinne misses it. Some of the mountain roads are wide enough to look like ski areas, but we don't see any lifts.
When we stop at a gas station, there is a sad sign about a recently missing motorcyclist who has been lost in the mountains. Everyone is keeping an eye out for signs that he may have gone off the road somewhere into a culvert.
The Salmon River winds its way for miles at the foot of the mountains.
As we arrive in Arco, we see 80 years of high school classes' numbers painted in white on the mountainside.
We have noticed that, despite the 75 mph. speed limit on the highway, the speed limit is 25 mph through the little towns, some with populations of as few as 77. Arco has a hand-painted sign that says "15 mph within city limits". Who said you could do 80 mph in the West?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day 87 - Monday, 9/14/09 - SETTLED
In the pines around our campground, Bob spots a gorgeous bird. We find out it is a Clark's Nutcracker, a large grey bird with black wings, white wing tips, and white under his tail. He is eating the seeds out of the large pine cones. That explains why there are bits of pine cone all over the ground. This is a migratory bird which passes through Montana in the Fall and Spring.
We are excited to visit Lolo Hot Springs. Rt. 12 is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Although it is a beautiful drive, the Hot Springs itself is disappointing. It is privately owned and the "springs" has been made into a swimming pool. There are no other visitors and the owner is smoking. We decide not to pay the fee and head back home.
One nice thing about the scenery, though is the basoliths that are in the vicinity. They are gigantic rounded rocks formed in an area of the Cascade Range almost as big as Idaho originally. 54 million years ago, there was a meltdown of this part of the range which resulted in these unusual formations when they cracked and cooled.
There is a sign for a Moose Crossing, but unfortunately we see no moose. Many of the farms have beehives. Some have llamas and bison, as well as cows and goats.
Rosh Hashana is coming soon. We go in search of blintzes and fruit-on-the bottom yogurt. They are extremely hard to find in this area of the country. Noone here has even heard of blintzes and the only yogurts found in the stores, large or small, are the blended kind, full of gelatin and yuckiness.
Today at our campground, there are free cucumbers, and green and yellow squash. Fresh farm eggs for $1/dozen are waiting for us at the Rec Hall.
Tonight is Round Dancing. Bob comes for the snacks but does not stay. Corinne takes photos of the dancers' beautiful outfits, with all their crinolines, boots, and fancy cowboy hats. The caramel-covered brownies are really good.
We are excited to visit Lolo Hot Springs. Rt. 12 is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Although it is a beautiful drive, the Hot Springs itself is disappointing. It is privately owned and the "springs" has been made into a swimming pool. There are no other visitors and the owner is smoking. We decide not to pay the fee and head back home.
One nice thing about the scenery, though is the basoliths that are in the vicinity. They are gigantic rounded rocks formed in an area of the Cascade Range almost as big as Idaho originally. 54 million years ago, there was a meltdown of this part of the range which resulted in these unusual formations when they cracked and cooled.
There is a sign for a Moose Crossing, but unfortunately we see no moose. Many of the farms have beehives. Some have llamas and bison, as well as cows and goats.
Rosh Hashana is coming soon. We go in search of blintzes and fruit-on-the bottom yogurt. They are extremely hard to find in this area of the country. Noone here has even heard of blintzes and the only yogurts found in the stores, large or small, are the blended kind, full of gelatin and yuckiness.
Today at our campground, there are free cucumbers, and green and yellow squash. Fresh farm eggs for $1/dozen are waiting for us at the Rec Hall.
Tonight is Round Dancing. Bob comes for the snacks but does not stay. Corinne takes photos of the dancers' beautiful outfits, with all their crinolines, boots, and fancy cowboy hats. The caramel-covered brownies are really good.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Day 86- Sunday, 9/13/09, ON THE ROAD
Roadside walls on Hwy. 90 where they appear terraced are actually evidence of the glacial flood on the Columbia River Basin which left ripples of lava torn from the basalt as it was cooling.
Ten miles out from our campground, the terrain changes again, to lakes and white pine covered hills.
Who knew there was gold mining in Idaho? We also pass silver mines, saloons and old Spanish missions.
The ranch complexes have multiple buildings. There is usually a gateway made of gigantic logs in the shape of an upside down square "U".
At the rest stop, we luck upon another group of Navaho women who are selling their jewelry on blankets on the sidewalk. They are hundreds of miles from home, returning from a Pow-Wow in Idaho and heading back to Nevada.
Again Corinne finds piles of haystacks she wants to photograph. They are the round ones this time, piled high in alternating rows of perpendicular cylinders of hay. She finds the patterns beautiful, appealing to her sense of symmetry and mixed patterning.
The Clark Fork River seems a hundred miles long. It crosses under Highway 90 at least 10 times. Sometimes it is quiet, sometimes rocky and fully of whitewater.
We wonder how the Bitterroot Mountains that surround us got their name. Someone tells us that the Bitterroot was a food source for the Indians. I'd love to see what the plant looks like and taste it. Perhaps it has to be cooked to eliminate the bitterness, or even poisonous qualities.
When we arrive at our destination, The Square Dance Barn RV Park, there are fresh veggies waiting for us to take back to our "house", and a square dance that evening.
Not being square dancers, we are not allowed to join in, since everyone there is very experienced and we might mess up the squares. We enjoy watching, though. The people are very friendly.
There is a Western Wear shop in the barn and Bob buys a beautiful white shirt. He has been looking for one for months.
This campground is very unusual, in that the laundry facilities are free. The washers are outside under a roof. There are a dozen clotheslines strung up, and clothespins provided. We hang our wash on the lines, and by the time the dance is over, they are dry. I'm glad I have cute undies, since I'm not used to hanging my laundry out in public.
Ten miles out from our campground, the terrain changes again, to lakes and white pine covered hills.
Who knew there was gold mining in Idaho? We also pass silver mines, saloons and old Spanish missions.
The ranch complexes have multiple buildings. There is usually a gateway made of gigantic logs in the shape of an upside down square "U".
At the rest stop, we luck upon another group of Navaho women who are selling their jewelry on blankets on the sidewalk. They are hundreds of miles from home, returning from a Pow-Wow in Idaho and heading back to Nevada.
Again Corinne finds piles of haystacks she wants to photograph. They are the round ones this time, piled high in alternating rows of perpendicular cylinders of hay. She finds the patterns beautiful, appealing to her sense of symmetry and mixed patterning.
The Clark Fork River seems a hundred miles long. It crosses under Highway 90 at least 10 times. Sometimes it is quiet, sometimes rocky and fully of whitewater.
We wonder how the Bitterroot Mountains that surround us got their name. Someone tells us that the Bitterroot was a food source for the Indians. I'd love to see what the plant looks like and taste it. Perhaps it has to be cooked to eliminate the bitterness, or even poisonous qualities.
When we arrive at our destination, The Square Dance Barn RV Park, there are fresh veggies waiting for us to take back to our "house", and a square dance that evening.
Not being square dancers, we are not allowed to join in, since everyone there is very experienced and we might mess up the squares. We enjoy watching, though. The people are very friendly.
There is a Western Wear shop in the barn and Bob buys a beautiful white shirt. He has been looking for one for months.
This campground is very unusual, in that the laundry facilities are free. The washers are outside under a roof. There are a dozen clotheslines strung up, and clothespins provided. We hang our wash on the lines, and by the time the dance is over, they are dry. I'm glad I have cute undies, since I'm not used to hanging my laundry out in public.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Day 85 -Saturday, 9/12/09, ON THE ROAD
Bob wants to be able to buy cheap fishing licenses in every state where we travel and have discounts for people over 65.
There are fields upon fields of corn drying in the sun. The stacks of hay bales in the grassfields are sometimes as big as houses. Sometimes they are covered in green plastic, bungied down to keep them from blowing off.
A double tractor-trailer filled with square hay bales passes us. Corinne is fascinated with hay bales, but she would be more interested if they were round ones.
We pass a factory that makes the irrigators that we have been seeing all through the state of WA.
The farm fields are beautiful, with infinite colors of green, and so many different patterns made by the plows. Corinne loves it when we see close up what she has been admiring from airplanes all her life. Her favorites are fields with dark green alternating with light green stripes, or golden/green stripes.
One of the crops we pass for acres and acres has lime-green tops. We wonder what it is. Maybe it is potatoes, since we pass a huge building called "The Potato Bruise Lab".
Dust devils are blowing across the road. Seeing flat farmland at 2000 feet elevation is a surprise. When the plows or trucks drive down the dirt roads on the farms, they create clouds of dust for what seems like 1/4 mile.
There are fields upon fields of corn drying in the sun. The stacks of hay bales in the grassfields are sometimes as big as houses. Sometimes they are covered in green plastic, bungied down to keep them from blowing off.
A double tractor-trailer filled with square hay bales passes us. Corinne is fascinated with hay bales, but she would be more interested if they were round ones.
We pass a factory that makes the irrigators that we have been seeing all through the state of WA.
The farm fields are beautiful, with infinite colors of green, and so many different patterns made by the plows. Corinne loves it when we see close up what she has been admiring from airplanes all her life. Her favorites are fields with dark green alternating with light green stripes, or golden/green stripes.
One of the crops we pass for acres and acres has lime-green tops. We wonder what it is. Maybe it is potatoes, since we pass a huge building called "The Potato Bruise Lab".
Dust devils are blowing across the road. Seeing flat farmland at 2000 feet elevation is a surprise. When the plows or trucks drive down the dirt roads on the farms, they create clouds of dust for what seems like 1/4 mile.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Day 84 - Friday, 9/11/09, SETTLED
On our way to visit Grand Coulee Dam, we pass three beautiful small lakes - Lenore Lake, Park Lake and Blue Lake.
Around us is volcanic rock and glacial waterfalls, with desert scrub in between scattered farms and ranches. So different from the urban landscape of the last few weeks in Seattle.
There are signs that say "Hitchhiking Permitted" here. We are surprised, not thinking that hitchhiking was permitted anywhere any more.
The hills on both sides are vertically striped basalt formed by lava cooling, with house-sized rocks that floated along the lava stream and then were left in odd places. They are called "erratics".
On the way to Grand Coulee, we stop at an unexpected Viewpoint called "Dry Falls". There we read about humongous ice floes that melted 15,000 years ago, blocking the mouth of the Columbia River, creating a giant lake.
The resulting floods after all the ice melted created waterfalls bigger than Niagara Falls, and took with it miles and miles of rock and gravel which were deposited as cliffs on both sides of the water. These were called Coulees, which are wide canyons.
Grand Coulee dams the Columbia River and creates power for the Northwest and California. The Californians didn't want to use coal, so they buy power from Grand Coulee.
This is how "Gina the GPS" says the name of where we are staying: "So Plake Harvey Resort".
School has started. Summer vacations are over. There are vacancies at all the RV Parks and most of the motels and hotels. We are often the only people at the picnic areas where we stop now.
Around us is volcanic rock and glacial waterfalls, with desert scrub in between scattered farms and ranches. So different from the urban landscape of the last few weeks in Seattle.
There are signs that say "Hitchhiking Permitted" here. We are surprised, not thinking that hitchhiking was permitted anywhere any more.
The hills on both sides are vertically striped basalt formed by lava cooling, with house-sized rocks that floated along the lava stream and then were left in odd places. They are called "erratics".
On the way to Grand Coulee, we stop at an unexpected Viewpoint called "Dry Falls". There we read about humongous ice floes that melted 15,000 years ago, blocking the mouth of the Columbia River, creating a giant lake.
The resulting floods after all the ice melted created waterfalls bigger than Niagara Falls, and took with it miles and miles of rock and gravel which were deposited as cliffs on both sides of the water. These were called Coulees, which are wide canyons.
Grand Coulee dams the Columbia River and creates power for the Northwest and California. The Californians didn't want to use coal, so they buy power from Grand Coulee.
This is how "Gina the GPS" says the name of where we are staying: "So Plake Harvey Resort".
School has started. Summer vacations are over. There are vacancies at all the RV Parks and most of the motels and hotels. We are often the only people at the picnic areas where we stop now.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day 83 - Thursday, 9/10/09- ON THE ROAD
We drive through Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mts. The Cascades are jagged above the treeline. On the way, we visit Wallace Falls.
As we are driving up a big hill, we hear someone honking at us and pointing to our car. We pull over, thinking someone is trying to tell us we have a problem with our RV. This has happened twice before. Once we ignored the warning and found when we reached our destination that our car had slid nearly halfway off the tow dolly. So we are not going to ignore this signal.
Suddenly we see a very familiar woman standing on the shoulder of the road with something dangling from her hands: Joy and Ricardo have driven 80 miles to Stevens Pass to catch us, thinking we have left our binoculars hanging on the doorway to our bedroom. But they are not ours.
On the way home, they have picked up two hitchhikers from Albuquerque. We laugh at their craziness, but are grateful they are such good and loyal friends.
The road takes us through a tunnel in the mountain. There are many old RR trestles over clear creeks with small rapids. Thousands of fish are struggling to swim upstream.
The cliffsides along the road are so likely to have rockslides that the highway department has installed steel mesh overlays with 6 inches of cable going through the mesh.
Our campground tonight is in Soap Lake, WA, so named because the water is so full of minerals it feels soapy . The sand around it has a layer of salts on top. If you go to the edge near the water, the mud is like quicksand.
The campground provides you with a hose to wash off the mineral water before exiting the area. You are not allowed to enter their pool wearing the same clothes with which you swim in Soap Lake.
Fall is beginning to show itself in the changing colors of the trees and ground-cover. This makes Leavenworth, the faux-German town in the "Bavarian Alps" all the more charming. We eat weinerschnitzel and sauerbraten at a local restaurant.
The roadsides are covered with apple orchards. Under the trees are 6 ft. square wooden containers for the apple-pickers. There are miles of green apples, then miles of red. Corinne tries to photograph the boxes, but in her quest for the perfect composition, ends up with nothing worth saving. This goes in the category of "You Can't Have Everything".
This is not all the State of Washington one would expect. It is dry and desert-like, with sandy hills, scrub and sagebrush between the irrigated orchards. Many of the orchards use rows of cedars for windbreaks.
As we are driving up a big hill, we hear someone honking at us and pointing to our car. We pull over, thinking someone is trying to tell us we have a problem with our RV. This has happened twice before. Once we ignored the warning and found when we reached our destination that our car had slid nearly halfway off the tow dolly. So we are not going to ignore this signal.
Suddenly we see a very familiar woman standing on the shoulder of the road with something dangling from her hands: Joy and Ricardo have driven 80 miles to Stevens Pass to catch us, thinking we have left our binoculars hanging on the doorway to our bedroom. But they are not ours.
On the way home, they have picked up two hitchhikers from Albuquerque. We laugh at their craziness, but are grateful they are such good and loyal friends.
The road takes us through a tunnel in the mountain. There are many old RR trestles over clear creeks with small rapids. Thousands of fish are struggling to swim upstream.
The cliffsides along the road are so likely to have rockslides that the highway department has installed steel mesh overlays with 6 inches of cable going through the mesh.
Our campground tonight is in Soap Lake, WA, so named because the water is so full of minerals it feels soapy . The sand around it has a layer of salts on top. If you go to the edge near the water, the mud is like quicksand.
The campground provides you with a hose to wash off the mineral water before exiting the area. You are not allowed to enter their pool wearing the same clothes with which you swim in Soap Lake.
Fall is beginning to show itself in the changing colors of the trees and ground-cover. This makes Leavenworth, the faux-German town in the "Bavarian Alps" all the more charming. We eat weinerschnitzel and sauerbraten at a local restaurant.
The roadsides are covered with apple orchards. Under the trees are 6 ft. square wooden containers for the apple-pickers. There are miles of green apples, then miles of red. Corinne tries to photograph the boxes, but in her quest for the perfect composition, ends up with nothing worth saving. This goes in the category of "You Can't Have Everything".
This is not all the State of Washington one would expect. It is dry and desert-like, with sandy hills, scrub and sagebrush between the irrigated orchards. Many of the orchards use rows of cedars for windbreaks.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Day 82- Wednesday, 9/9/09 - SETTLED
Ethan wants to introduce us to the teacher whose class he took at Pilchuck Glass School in July. We visit John at his studio on Whidby Island, Cultus Bay Glass. We take the ferry with our car.
John proudly shows us around his garden, and he gives us many veggies to take home. There is art everywhere on his property, in the most unexpected places, on the walls inside and out. It is even sticking out of some construction that is in process on the grounds.
Whidby Island is a most picturesque and peaceful place. It feels a bit like Paradise, far removed from the troubles of the Real World.
John's wife Meredith has just returned from a trade show with her Stubborn Twig Designs greeting cards. They are based on prints of work inspired by bird books which she prints on glass tiles. Ethan buys some from her and give it to us as a gift. Awwwww.
John shows us a Monkeypod tree from Brazil. We have seen it before and wondered what it was.
ROADKILL: Rug and burlap bag.
Ethan names our GPS Lady "Gina".
Before we leave Whidby Island, we go to a little seafood restaurant and get dozens of fantastic mussels which even Corinne, who is not much experienced with such things, enjoys.
There are farms right on the bay. What a view!
We stop at Deception Pass to walk across the bridge and observe the swirly currents. Hundreds of birds fly over and under the bridge. Bob and I can't agree on whether they are geese or cormorants.
We pass a defunct drive-in movie theater with twenties of Airstreams parked in the back. Bob wonders if perhaps the Airstreams were for rent for patrons who got too excited during the movie.
John proudly shows us around his garden, and he gives us many veggies to take home. There is art everywhere on his property, in the most unexpected places, on the walls inside and out. It is even sticking out of some construction that is in process on the grounds.
Whidby Island is a most picturesque and peaceful place. It feels a bit like Paradise, far removed from the troubles of the Real World.
John's wife Meredith has just returned from a trade show with her Stubborn Twig Designs greeting cards. They are based on prints of work inspired by bird books which she prints on glass tiles. Ethan buys some from her and give it to us as a gift. Awwwww.
John shows us a Monkeypod tree from Brazil. We have seen it before and wondered what it was.
ROADKILL: Rug and burlap bag.
Ethan names our GPS Lady "Gina".
Before we leave Whidby Island, we go to a little seafood restaurant and get dozens of fantastic mussels which even Corinne, who is not much experienced with such things, enjoys.
There are farms right on the bay. What a view!
We stop at Deception Pass to walk across the bridge and observe the swirly currents. Hundreds of birds fly over and under the bridge. Bob and I can't agree on whether they are geese or cormorants.
We pass a defunct drive-in movie theater with twenties of Airstreams parked in the back. Bob wonders if perhaps the Airstreams were for rent for patrons who got too excited during the movie.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Day 81-Tuesday, 9/8/09, SETTLED
Today we go to a Salmon Ladder on Puget Sound and watch three different kinds try to swim upstream. Once they get out, they jump for joy, literally, doing backflips and coming fully out of the water, sometimes in twos and threes. It's really something to see. They use the smell of the ocean to guide them from the fresh water to the salt. Underneath the fish ladder there are acrylic windows that allow us to see the salmon as they enter, stop and try to acclimate themselves to the reversing current of the bay where it meets the sea, and finally scoot themselves out the other end to the ocean.
In addition we watch two sets of boats move from the ocean to the sound through the Ballard Locks. They have to be raised up 15 feet to get out. Watching the staff work with the ropes to guide the boats through is fascinating. Boats don't have to pay a fee.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at an authentic Oaxican Mexican restaurant that is nothing like the usual Tex-Mex that we normally get. The mole' sauces are sweet and the tomatillo is out of this world. Bob gets tamales, a special treat since his sister-in-law Carmen was not able to make us any when we were in Texas, due to her injured wrist.
In addition we watch two sets of boats move from the ocean to the sound through the Ballard Locks. They have to be raised up 15 feet to get out. Watching the staff work with the ropes to guide the boats through is fascinating. Boats don't have to pay a fee.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at an authentic Oaxican Mexican restaurant that is nothing like the usual Tex-Mex that we normally get. The mole' sauces are sweet and the tomatillo is out of this world. Bob gets tamales, a special treat since his sister-in-law Carmen was not able to make us any when we were in Texas, due to her injured wrist.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 80 - Monday (Labor Day) , 9/7/09, SETTLED
Joy and Ricardo have set up a brunch to be hosted by Joy's daughter Becca at her house in Burien. They have cooked everything in advance. Two of her other siblings Aaron and David were there with their spouses, but Devorah was absent, since she had to buy homeschooling books for her two girls.
Ethan and Heather enjoy the brunch, meeting some fellow Seattlites with one degree of separation.
We go to the local Goodwill and have a hard time finding a place to park. Heather and I both buy necklaces.
Heather is coming down with a cold, so we go back to the apartment to feed her some tea. Bob and Ethan go out to get Vietnamese soup, which is the perfect thing for a chilly day and soothes Heather's throat.
After supper, we watch a Netflix copy of "Stepbrothers" on Ethan's computer. We contemplate several times turning it off, but we stick it out, and it gets better towards the end.
Ethan and Heather enjoy the brunch, meeting some fellow Seattlites with one degree of separation.
We go to the local Goodwill and have a hard time finding a place to park. Heather and I both buy necklaces.
Heather is coming down with a cold, so we go back to the apartment to feed her some tea. Bob and Ethan go out to get Vietnamese soup, which is the perfect thing for a chilly day and soothes Heather's throat.
After supper, we watch a Netflix copy of "Stepbrothers" on Ethan's computer. We contemplate several times turning it off, but we stick it out, and it gets better towards the end.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Day 79 - Sunday, 9/6/09 - SETTLED
We meet again for breakfast at the Fourteen Carrot Cafe'. As we are standing in the waiting line at the restaurant, a busser comes by us with a cart full of dirty dishes from the back part of the cafe'. The hallway is narrow and a cup of coffee overturns and spills all over my clothing. I have nothing in the car to change into. The woman apologizes, and I get a free breakfast.
Chris, Holly and Derek want to see Ethan's studio. We marvel at the amount of work that Ethan has begun, waiting for the next step in the process. Heather has some lovely glass sculptures there as well.
At Traver Gallery, where Ethan usually has his work, Dale Chihuly is currently exhibiting both paintings, vessels, and glass sculptures. There are two pieces of Ethan's still there. Upstairs at Vetri Gallery, we see the work of several of Ethan's friends.
Heather lends Corinne some wrap-around palazzo pants to change into. We chill at their apartment for a while and then go to see "Moon" at the local theater. It is a spookily realistic sci-fi thriller about cloning, which we enjoy.
Chris, Holly and Derek want to see Ethan's studio. We marvel at the amount of work that Ethan has begun, waiting for the next step in the process. Heather has some lovely glass sculptures there as well.
At Traver Gallery, where Ethan usually has his work, Dale Chihuly is currently exhibiting both paintings, vessels, and glass sculptures. There are two pieces of Ethan's still there. Upstairs at Vetri Gallery, we see the work of several of Ethan's friends.
Heather lends Corinne some wrap-around palazzo pants to change into. We chill at their apartment for a while and then go to see "Moon" at the local theater. It is a spookily realistic sci-fi thriller about cloning, which we enjoy.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Day 78 - Saturday, 9/5/09 , SETTLED
Heather is off of work. We go to meet everyone for breakfast.
We take a boat ride at Portage Bay through the locks to the ocean. Salmon are jumping like crazy on their way upstream. The pilot explains about Native American fishing rights in the Bay and we see many setups along the banks where tribal groups have set up platforms with various rigs for catching salmon. The views of Seattle are beautiful.
For dinner we go with Heather and Ethan to his friend Granite's house. They have built a pizza oven in the backyard. There are several other glass artists and their significant others there. Everyone brings ingredients and we each get to make an artisan pizza for everyone to share. They are all delicious. The young folks are all very talented and a lot of fun to party with.
We take a boat ride at Portage Bay through the locks to the ocean. Salmon are jumping like crazy on their way upstream. The pilot explains about Native American fishing rights in the Bay and we see many setups along the banks where tribal groups have set up platforms with various rigs for catching salmon. The views of Seattle are beautiful.
For dinner we go with Heather and Ethan to his friend Granite's house. They have built a pizza oven in the backyard. There are several other glass artists and their significant others there. Everyone brings ingredients and we each get to make an artisan pizza for everyone to share. They are all delicious. The young folks are all very talented and a lot of fun to party with.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Day 77 - Friday, 9/4/09 - SETTLED
Ethan returns from Pilchuck. He is working at his studio, and Heather is also working.
We go to the Space Needle for views of Seattle on our own. The Experience Music Project (EMP) is right next door. There is a display about guitars. In the middle of the lobby is a floor-to-ceiling sculpture made of hundreds of musical instruments which play according to a computer program. Upstairs the rotating display this month is about record albums with the theme of Outer Space.
Later we meet Ethan and Heather for sushi. Yum! For dessert they take us to Molly Moon's, a relatively new organic ice cream parlor with exotic flavors like lavender and sage.
Ice cream cones in hand, we head over to a favorite "city lights across the sound" viewing spot the old Gasworks. There are several young men there juggling flaming batons while dancing hiphop. One of them has his dog off leash.
I am calmly watching the fire show when suddenly the guy's pit bull heads directly for my ice cream cone, which I am about to lick. Heather yells at the dog and he retreats. The guy apologizes, but still does not leash his dog. We leave.
Our camper is plugged in to the electricity at Joy and Ricardo's. It is parked on their cul-de-sac, and due to their generosity, we have the luxury of staying in real beds and using real bathrooms for a week. We are getting spoiled because they are making breakfast for us every morning. Yippee!
We go to the Space Needle for views of Seattle on our own. The Experience Music Project (EMP) is right next door. There is a display about guitars. In the middle of the lobby is a floor-to-ceiling sculpture made of hundreds of musical instruments which play according to a computer program. Upstairs the rotating display this month is about record albums with the theme of Outer Space.
Later we meet Ethan and Heather for sushi. Yum! For dessert they take us to Molly Moon's, a relatively new organic ice cream parlor with exotic flavors like lavender and sage.
Ice cream cones in hand, we head over to a favorite "city lights across the sound" viewing spot the old Gasworks. There are several young men there juggling flaming batons while dancing hiphop. One of them has his dog off leash.
I am calmly watching the fire show when suddenly the guy's pit bull heads directly for my ice cream cone, which I am about to lick. Heather yells at the dog and he retreats. The guy apologizes, but still does not leash his dog. We leave.
Our camper is plugged in to the electricity at Joy and Ricardo's. It is parked on their cul-de-sac, and due to their generosity, we have the luxury of staying in real beds and using real bathrooms for a week. We are getting spoiled because they are making breakfast for us every morning. Yippee!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Day 76-Thursday, 9/3/09 - SETTLED
While we are visiting with Ethan and Heather, we are staying at our friends', Joy and Ricardo Pocasangre in Bellevue, WA. Today we are touring downtown Seattle with them.
We visit the Natural History Museum at the University of Washington, where we are treated to a display about coffee. The rest of the museum is about the history of the Native Americans who first settled Washington.
After a Greek lunch, we head downtown to the Seattle Art Museum, which is having a Free Day today. The Andrew Wyeth display is coming down soon, so it is very crowded. Hanging from the ceiling is a show involving several Ford Tauruses with laser light rods projecting from them in all directions. There is a huge cloak made from dogtags. My favorite exhibit is the African Masks, which are displayed on mannequins wearing Western clothing, creating disturbing dissonance.
We go downtown to the Pike Place Market for Happy Hour. The Fish Flingers are in action. Upstairs at Joy's favorite French bistro, we request the torch singer to do "Blue Moon" for us. Later we have delicious salmon bisque at another restaurant. We feel as though we have been eating constantly all day.
We visit the Natural History Museum at the University of Washington, where we are treated to a display about coffee. The rest of the museum is about the history of the Native Americans who first settled Washington.
After a Greek lunch, we head downtown to the Seattle Art Museum, which is having a Free Day today. The Andrew Wyeth display is coming down soon, so it is very crowded. Hanging from the ceiling is a show involving several Ford Tauruses with laser light rods projecting from them in all directions. There is a huge cloak made from dogtags. My favorite exhibit is the African Masks, which are displayed on mannequins wearing Western clothing, creating disturbing dissonance.
We go downtown to the Pike Place Market for Happy Hour. The Fish Flingers are in action. Upstairs at Joy's favorite French bistro, we request the torch singer to do "Blue Moon" for us. Later we have delicious salmon bisque at another restaurant. We feel as though we have been eating constantly all day.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Day 75 - Wednesday, 9/2/09 - ON THE ROAD
Today is Ethan's last day teaching at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. On the way, we stop in Seattle and pick up Heather at their apartment. She has just ridden her bicycle home from work at The Glass Eye.
On the way up to Stanwood, we see quite a few log trucks. We wonder why some trees have a lighter set of outer rings and darker inner rings. Is it because of nutrition, water, sun? They are all the same type of tree, but as individual as fingerprints.
There is a town called "Millersylvania". What is the meaning of Sylvania? There is Sylvania, the light company, then the state of Pennsylvania. Funny thoughts come to mind when you are mesmerized by the road.
We arrive just in time for dinner. Ethan has saved us four plates of pasta and salad.
After dinner is the Walkaround where Ethan's students show their work from the last 3 weeks. We see a large variety of pieces, from tiny to huge, from students who range in age from 20's to 70's. They are all "beginners" but their skills vary widely. The teaching assistants and Ethan have also made work. It is all quite astounding.
After the show, Ethan dresses in women's clothing for the final demo of the session, "Lady's Night".
On the way up to Stanwood, we see quite a few log trucks. We wonder why some trees have a lighter set of outer rings and darker inner rings. Is it because of nutrition, water, sun? They are all the same type of tree, but as individual as fingerprints.
There is a town called "Millersylvania". What is the meaning of Sylvania? There is Sylvania, the light company, then the state of Pennsylvania. Funny thoughts come to mind when you are mesmerized by the road.
We arrive just in time for dinner. Ethan has saved us four plates of pasta and salad.
After dinner is the Walkaround where Ethan's students show their work from the last 3 weeks. We see a large variety of pieces, from tiny to huge, from students who range in age from 20's to 70's. They are all "beginners" but their skills vary widely. The teaching assistants and Ethan have also made work. It is all quite astounding.
After the show, Ethan dresses in women's clothing for the final demo of the session, "Lady's Night".
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day 74- Tuesday, 9/1/09 - SETTLED
Bob realizes that his cell phone has not arrived yet. He goes back to Chinook Bend Campground in Lincoln City to retrieve it.
Meanwhile, Bev and Roz take Corinne on a photo tour of urban Portland. She takes pictures of bridges, including the St. John Bridge, murals, fountains, condos with interesting formations, and gates. There is a new condo complex called The Pearl which has recently added a fountain to make it more child-friendly. Corinne lucks into some adorable photos of toddlers playing in the fountain in their diapers. Because she does not photograph their faces, she does not have to get their parents' permission.
When Bob arrives back in Portland, he brings Buffalo Jerky, Elk Jerky and Salmon Jerky that he has bought at a roadside stand. He stops at the Otis Cafe' to get Bev's favorite Molasses Bread, which she shares with us later. His favorite part of the day was the Oyster Burger at the Otis. Being a total foodie, he remembers everything about food.
Meanwhile, Bev and Roz take Corinne on a photo tour of urban Portland. She takes pictures of bridges, including the St. John Bridge, murals, fountains, condos with interesting formations, and gates. There is a new condo complex called The Pearl which has recently added a fountain to make it more child-friendly. Corinne lucks into some adorable photos of toddlers playing in the fountain in their diapers. Because she does not photograph their faces, she does not have to get their parents' permission.
When Bob arrives back in Portland, he brings Buffalo Jerky, Elk Jerky and Salmon Jerky that he has bought at a roadside stand. He stops at the Otis Cafe' to get Bev's favorite Molasses Bread, which she shares with us later. His favorite part of the day was the Oyster Burger at the Otis. Being a total foodie, he remembers everything about food.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Day 73- Monday, 8/31/09,SETTLED
A day for just hanging out. Bob walks to the neighborhood grocery store with Roz and Bev while Corinne does a laundry at their house.
In the evening, we go to a dinner cinema to see "A Woman in Berlin". We order pizzas as we buy our tickets and they deliver them to our seats, which have a little foldout armrest containing a large tray for the food. Very unique and fun. The movie is a rather dark subject, but it is worth seeing, being a Lena Wertmuller film.
In the evening, we go to a dinner cinema to see "A Woman in Berlin". We order pizzas as we buy our tickets and they deliver them to our seats, which have a little foldout armrest containing a large tray for the food. Very unique and fun. The movie is a rather dark subject, but it is worth seeing, being a Lena Wertmuller film.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Day 72- Sunday, 8/30/09 - SETTLED
This morning we have breakfast with Ben, Basilia, Collin, Bev and Roz at their favorite cafe' right around the corner from their house.
The rest of the day is spent doing the Waterfall Trail with Roz and Bev. Multnomah Falls, the final one, is definitely the most visited by other tourists, but not necessarily the one we enjoy the most. However, one of the best things about it is that we are there at that golden time of day when everything takes on an almost mystical color.
On the way home, we stop at McMenamin's for dinner. It is a very well-known complex of buildings which house a spa, a hotel, a bar, and two restaurants. The gardens are beautiful and the food is spectacular, served in Victorian decadent ambience.
The rest of the day is spent doing the Waterfall Trail with Roz and Bev. Multnomah Falls, the final one, is definitely the most visited by other tourists, but not necessarily the one we enjoy the most. However, one of the best things about it is that we are there at that golden time of day when everything takes on an almost mystical color.
On the way home, we stop at McMenamin's for dinner. It is a very well-known complex of buildings which house a spa, a hotel, a bar, and two restaurants. The gardens are beautiful and the food is spectacular, served in Victorian decadent ambience.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Day 71- Saturday, 8/29/09 - SETTLED
Today is a very exciting day. We go to the Oregon International Air Show at Hillsboro, OR. There are constant surprises as various types of aircraft swoop and make designs in the air with their contrails.
Sometimes the pilots take pleasure in creating suspense. They fly out of range and then suddenly reappear, engines roaring, as if from nowhere. Corinne gets a little spooked by all the noise and drama and grabs on to Bob for security.
When the rainclouds suddenly open up, everyone runs for the Vendors Tent. There are giveaways from dozens of companies, most of which involve free food. That makes Bob very happy. Corinne's favorite is the popsicles.
The last act is the Thunderbirds, which is the US Air Force Precision Flying Team. Their finale is very dramatic. They come in from four different directions and appear to be heading right for a collision. Suddenly they fly just slightly under each other so they just miss. You can hear everyone catch their breath.
On the way home, another RV forces his way in front of us. We can see in his back window. Bob is driving, and exclaims in irritation: "Look, his bed isn't even made". Imagine that, an RV driver that is not only rude, but also sloppy!
Sometimes the pilots take pleasure in creating suspense. They fly out of range and then suddenly reappear, engines roaring, as if from nowhere. Corinne gets a little spooked by all the noise and drama and grabs on to Bob for security.
When the rainclouds suddenly open up, everyone runs for the Vendors Tent. There are giveaways from dozens of companies, most of which involve free food. That makes Bob very happy. Corinne's favorite is the popsicles.
The last act is the Thunderbirds, which is the US Air Force Precision Flying Team. Their finale is very dramatic. They come in from four different directions and appear to be heading right for a collision. Suddenly they fly just slightly under each other so they just miss. You can hear everyone catch their breath.
On the way home, another RV forces his way in front of us. We can see in his back window. Bob is driving, and exclaims in irritation: "Look, his bed isn't even made". Imagine that, an RV driver that is not only rude, but also sloppy!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Day 70- Friday, 8/28/09 - SETTLED
This morning we meet Ethan's girlfriend Heather's Mom, Holly, new stepdad Chris, and brother Derek. An adorable cafe' in downtown Portland is the perfect place to share a nice breakfast. We click immediately and talk easily and freely. There are many laughs all around.
Funny things our GPS Lady says: "Hawt Horn" Avenue instead of "Hawthorne".
"Moe Risson Brother" instead of "Morrison Bridge"
"I-5 Ee" instead of "I-5 East"
"Dove Doctor" instead of "Dove Drive"
".1 miles" instead of ".1 mile"
In the late afternoon we go up to Big Pink, the office building where my nephew Ben works in management for a contracting firm. His office is on the top floor and we get a wonderful 360 degree view of the city of Portland.
Funny things our GPS Lady says: "Hawt Horn" Avenue instead of "Hawthorne".
"Moe Risson Brother" instead of "Morrison Bridge"
"I-5 Ee" instead of "I-5 East"
"Dove Doctor" instead of "Dove Drive"
".1 miles" instead of ".1 mile"
In the late afternoon we go up to Big Pink, the office building where my nephew Ben works in management for a contracting firm. His office is on the top floor and we get a wonderful 360 degree view of the city of Portland.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Day 69- Thursday, 8/27/09 - SETTLED
Roz and Bev take us to Mt. St. Helens. The scenery there is so dramatic. There are trees that were felled and sculpted by the volcano. The landscape was scoured by the lava.
We hike partway to the crater. After viewing the film at the Visitor's Center, we catch our breath as the curtains open to gigantic glass windows showing the volcano itself. Very effective technique.
On the way home, we stop at an EcoCenter where Roz and Bev had stayed a few years ago. The entire dining area is open to the outdoors, and there are bees everywhere.
A touring helicopter lands just outside the dining room and we are fascinated by the closeup view of how the jetset lives.
We hike partway to the crater. After viewing the film at the Visitor's Center, we catch our breath as the curtains open to gigantic glass windows showing the volcano itself. Very effective technique.
On the way home, we stop at an EcoCenter where Roz and Bev had stayed a few years ago. The entire dining area is open to the outdoors, and there are bees everywhere.
A touring helicopter lands just outside the dining room and we are fascinated by the closeup view of how the jetset lives.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day 68- Wednesday, 8/26/09- SETTLED
Our RV Park on the Columbia River brings to mind the title of an old movie: "Airplanes, Trains and Automobiles". We're definitely in the big city of Portland. It feels so different than being out in the middle of nowhere. We are right across the street from the Portland Yacht Club, so maybe we should add "Boats" to our descriptor.
My sister-in-law Bev makes her famous Mixed Grill with chicken, salmon and steaks, and we enjoy a nice evening with my sister Roz and her son Ben. For the first time, we meet Ben's lovely wife Basilia and her son Collin. I haven't seen Ben since 1989, so this is a big treat.
My sister-in-law Bev makes her famous Mixed Grill with chicken, salmon and steaks, and we enjoy a nice evening with my sister Roz and her son Ben. For the first time, we meet Ben's lovely wife Basilia and her son Collin. I haven't seen Ben since 1989, so this is a big treat.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Day 67-Tuesday, 8/25/09, ON THE ROAD
We are at the 45th Parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Pretty cool concept.
What is with Oregon and devils? Seven Devils Road, Drunken Devils Road, Devils Lake, Devil's Punchbowl, Devil's Creek.
ROADKILL: Plastic milk cartons.
Our GPS fuse gets lost, who knows where or why. The GPS dies when the battery finally runs out of juice because we can't plug it in. We are so dependent now on "Our Lady", even if her robotic self reads "Drive" as "Doctor", we feel lost without her and we get lost without her. We're not used to Mapquest directions any more, and they don't reflect construction re-routings.
What is with Oregon and devils? Seven Devils Road, Drunken Devils Road, Devils Lake, Devil's Punchbowl, Devil's Creek.
ROADKILL: Plastic milk cartons.
Our GPS fuse gets lost, who knows where or why. The GPS dies when the battery finally runs out of juice because we can't plug it in. We are so dependent now on "Our Lady", even if her robotic self reads "Drive" as "Doctor", we feel lost without her and we get lost without her. We're not used to Mapquest directions any more, and they don't reflect construction re-routings.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Day 66-Monday, 8/24/09, SETTLED
Free day for Bob. He stays "home" and cleans house, builds a fire, eats leftover pizza, drinks wine and listens to zydeco music on our CD player.
Corinne shows her art work and hats to guest Carol and manager Karen at Chinook Bend Campground. Carol wants a hat called "Pinky" for her granddaughter's birthday.
Corinne goes to Yaquina Head but the tide is too high to see anything in the tidepools. Instead I go around to a different road and find Quarry Cove, which we had not seen the first time we were there together. There are harbor seals on the rocks only 30 feet from the viewing station.
For the first time on the West Coast, I see surfers in their wetsuits taking lessons in the Cove.
As I drive back "home" to the campground, I stop at Depoe Bay to join a large crowd watching whales in the distance. They are definitely visible, but very hard to photograph. By the time you see one and get it in the viewfinder, they're back underwater.
At Boiler Bay, the waters are roiling among the rocks sticking out of the ocean. One can see how undertows are created.
Our suntans are starting to fade from wearing long pants and longsleeved shirts. The weather has been in the upper 60's for our time on the coast.
Corinne shows her art work and hats to guest Carol and manager Karen at Chinook Bend Campground. Carol wants a hat called "Pinky" for her granddaughter's birthday.
Corinne goes to Yaquina Head but the tide is too high to see anything in the tidepools. Instead I go around to a different road and find Quarry Cove, which we had not seen the first time we were there together. There are harbor seals on the rocks only 30 feet from the viewing station.
For the first time on the West Coast, I see surfers in their wetsuits taking lessons in the Cove.
As I drive back "home" to the campground, I stop at Depoe Bay to join a large crowd watching whales in the distance. They are definitely visible, but very hard to photograph. By the time you see one and get it in the viewfinder, they're back underwater.
At Boiler Bay, the waters are roiling among the rocks sticking out of the ocean. One can see how undertows are created.
Our suntans are starting to fade from wearing long pants and longsleeved shirts. The weather has been in the upper 60's for our time on the coast.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Day 65, Sunday, 8/23/09, SETTLED
At our campground this morning, we get a free pancake breakfast. We are camped next to the Siletz River and it is a beautiful morning.
If the people at a campground, either the owners, the hosts, or the other guests, are friendly and helpful, the stay is so much more enjoyable. Here we have it all.
At Munson Creek Falls, we meet another couple who joins us for lunch at our picnic table. They are there to have a family reunion. He is in his 80's and pretty spry. Good role models.
Later in the day we visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Bob figures out how to go through the samples line multiple times, while I am reading the signs explaining the cheese-making process. Most of the workers have gone home, but there are a few people still wrapping gigantic 30 lb. cheese hunks in plastic wrap and others cleaning the machinery. All the stainless steel machinery looks so spotless.
Hungering for movies, we find a theater and see Inglourious Basterds with Brad Pitt. Although the Holocaust is a difficult subject, this character study looks at it from a different perspective.
If the people at a campground, either the owners, the hosts, or the other guests, are friendly and helpful, the stay is so much more enjoyable. Here we have it all.
At Munson Creek Falls, we meet another couple who joins us for lunch at our picnic table. They are there to have a family reunion. He is in his 80's and pretty spry. Good role models.
Later in the day we visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Bob figures out how to go through the samples line multiple times, while I am reading the signs explaining the cheese-making process. Most of the workers have gone home, but there are a few people still wrapping gigantic 30 lb. cheese hunks in plastic wrap and others cleaning the machinery. All the stainless steel machinery looks so spotless.
Hungering for movies, we find a theater and see Inglourious Basterds with Brad Pitt. Although the Holocaust is a difficult subject, this character study looks at it from a different perspective.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Day 64 - Saturday, 8/22/09 - ON THE ROAD
We are back again at the Umpquah River Lighthouse. It was built in 1894 and was also a Coast Guard Station in its beginning years. One of the other things it is known for is its brilliant red lens.
It flashes red, then white, then off in a prescribed sequence. Each lighthouse has a unique signature.
The sea is the roughest it has been in three weeks, according to our tour guide. There are whitecap waves, and therefore no small craft are out.
This time we find a highway construction cone as roadkill.
Our drive along Tankenitch Lake brings surprises - water lilies among the duckweed. They are blooming beautifully.
At Heceta Head Lighthouse we find out that the sea lions had moved from Sea Lion Cave to 400 yards north. We can now see them. There are millions of cormorants on the sea rocks.
Heceta Head is the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Its setting and its construction are unique.
In Yachats we eat supper at Luna Sea Restaurant and take home cans of their freshly made tuna.
There are two people in Oregon who built lighthouses onto their homes, but they are not open to the public. There is one that is visible from the highway, called the Pelican Bay Lighthouse. The other is Cleft of the Rocks in the cliffs south of Yachats.
This area is well-known for its many glassblowers and glass shops.
A large gathering of people is on the beach. We later find out it is a 10th high school reunion. The people at the reunion tell us that there will be a wedding there later in the evening. What a concept!
In the distance we see rectangular structures in the water and wonder what they are. Someone at the overlook tells us that they are oyster beds.
It flashes red, then white, then off in a prescribed sequence. Each lighthouse has a unique signature.
The sea is the roughest it has been in three weeks, according to our tour guide. There are whitecap waves, and therefore no small craft are out.
This time we find a highway construction cone as roadkill.
Our drive along Tankenitch Lake brings surprises - water lilies among the duckweed. They are blooming beautifully.
At Heceta Head Lighthouse we find out that the sea lions had moved from Sea Lion Cave to 400 yards north. We can now see them. There are millions of cormorants on the sea rocks.
Heceta Head is the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Its setting and its construction are unique.
In Yachats we eat supper at Luna Sea Restaurant and take home cans of their freshly made tuna.
There are two people in Oregon who built lighthouses onto their homes, but they are not open to the public. There is one that is visible from the highway, called the Pelican Bay Lighthouse. The other is Cleft of the Rocks in the cliffs south of Yachats.
This area is well-known for its many glassblowers and glass shops.
A large gathering of people is on the beach. We later find out it is a 10th high school reunion. The people at the reunion tell us that there will be a wedding there later in the evening. What a concept!
In the distance we see rectangular structures in the water and wonder what they are. Someone at the overlook tells us that they are oyster beds.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Day 63-Friday, 8/21/09, SETTLED
At Simpson Reef we are treated to closeup views of sea lions, harbor seals, and walrus seals. The big guys are hauling out to molt on the rocks. They will be weakened by molting and just lay there for days.
Down on the beach, we explore rock caves at low tide. There are signs to "Beware of the Sneaker Waves". I see a little girl down at the bottom of the stairs without supervision. Sneaker waves can come up without warning and cause dangerous undertows. I'm about to go get the little girl when her mother and older sister show up and are totally unconcerned. Yikes!
We can see another lighthouse on a distant cliff.
Our GPS is funny. She says "double yoo Beaver Hill Rd." instead of West Beaver Hill.
I'm noticing that ponytails on men are very common out here. I like the look.
Unfortunately, there is a squished porcupine in the middle of the road as we are leaving.
Down on the beach, we explore rock caves at low tide. There are signs to "Beware of the Sneaker Waves". I see a little girl down at the bottom of the stairs without supervision. Sneaker waves can come up without warning and cause dangerous undertows. I'm about to go get the little girl when her mother and older sister show up and are totally unconcerned. Yikes!
We can see another lighthouse on a distant cliff.
Our GPS is funny. She says "double yoo Beaver Hill Rd." instead of West Beaver Hill.
I'm noticing that ponytails on men are very common out here. I like the look.
Unfortunately, there is a squished porcupine in the middle of the road as we are leaving.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Day 62- Thursday, 8/20/09, SETTLED
We stop at the Umpquah Lighthouse. It is closed, so we plan to come back another day.
There is a special event in town this weekend: The Oregon OldTime Fiddlers Jam. We are excited because we think we might be able to dance. Turns out the musicians take up so much space, and there are so many chairs for observers, that there is no place for us to move. However, we very much enjoy the amazing talent we witness.
This time we luck out and have a really good seafood dinner in Winchester, with a lovely view of the bay and all the sailboats moored there.
Drydocked on shore we see several old boats that are for sale or being worked on. We wonder what are the stories behind their history: Where have they been? What are the people like who worked on them or sailed them? Where are those people now?
There is a special event in town this weekend: The Oregon OldTime Fiddlers Jam. We are excited because we think we might be able to dance. Turns out the musicians take up so much space, and there are so many chairs for observers, that there is no place for us to move. However, we very much enjoy the amazing talent we witness.
This time we luck out and have a really good seafood dinner in Winchester, with a lovely view of the bay and all the sailboats moored there.
Drydocked on shore we see several old boats that are for sale or being worked on. We wonder what are the stories behind their history: Where have they been? What are the people like who worked on them or sailed them? Where are those people now?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Day 61- Wednesday, 8/19/09, SETTLED
Bob buys smoked salmon, smoked salmon sticks, and smoked oyster sticks. Yum!
We have a cranberry juice bottle in our refrigerator in the camper. When we go to open it, it is sucked in from the change in altitude.
In our search for gifts for family, we buy wine, cheese, and a lighthouse puzzle for Bob's son-in-law Nate in WI.
On the pier, we talk to people crabbing. One guy catches "a keeper" while we are there. It has to be male, over 5 3/4", carefully measured with a special ruler. Sea lions are stealing fish bait from their traps. Some people are using chicken legs for that reason.
It is very misty and overcast all day. The mist keeps moving in and out, so sometimes the trees look silhouetted and mysterious and sometimes they can't be seen at all.
We eat dinner at a little seafood restaurant where the food is only mediocre. Not only that, but the waitress has one of those laughs that sounds like a cackle, and her face does not change expressions. It is as though she is going to have a psychological breakdown any minute. Spooky.
We have a cranberry juice bottle in our refrigerator in the camper. When we go to open it, it is sucked in from the change in altitude.
In our search for gifts for family, we buy wine, cheese, and a lighthouse puzzle for Bob's son-in-law Nate in WI.
On the pier, we talk to people crabbing. One guy catches "a keeper" while we are there. It has to be male, over 5 3/4", carefully measured with a special ruler. Sea lions are stealing fish bait from their traps. Some people are using chicken legs for that reason.
It is very misty and overcast all day. The mist keeps moving in and out, so sometimes the trees look silhouetted and mysterious and sometimes they can't be seen at all.
We eat dinner at a little seafood restaurant where the food is only mediocre. Not only that, but the waitress has one of those laughs that sounds like a cackle, and her face does not change expressions. It is as though she is going to have a psychological breakdown any minute. Spooky.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Day 60- Tuesday - 8/18/09 - ON THE ROAD
Small World Story 2: At the Umpqua River Lighthouse Overlook, Bob meets a kindergarten classmate of his from the one-room schoolhouse he attended! They didn't recognize each other (no surprise after 60 years), but both remembered the name of their teacher, and they were born the same year.
His wife is also very nice. They live in Tampa now and we'll probably keep in touch. We have a 1-hr. conversation.
This happens every time Bob wears his "Monroe-Woodbury" t-shirt and/or his 1943 Model baseball hat.
Driving to Coos Bay, after we pass Glide, OR, we smell a horrible odor. Is it fertilizer? Carcases? Livestock? Chemicals from Roseburg?
We arrive in Coos Bay and love it already. We luck into a gigantic RV site because someone with a big rig backs out at the last minute and that was the only one this park has left. I'm excited because we are only 5 days from my sister Roz in Portland, and I can never get enough of the ocean.
Upsides: It's very posh here.
They have Bingo tonight, but Bob is not "a Bingo kind of guy" (his words).
A hedge separates our site from the next ones and there's a woods behind us.
Good Wi-Fi.
Downsides: No fire pit.
We're on asphalt, not on grass or pine needles.
There are video cameras watching us.
There is a sign that says if you don't pick up after your dog, you will be asked to leave the park.
Outdated DVD collection. (But on the other hand, we have to give them credit for at lease having DVD's, which few campgrounds do.)
On the way to dinner, we see hairy hilltops, some thick with tree-hair and some sparse and almost bald. We stop to see a herd of elk in the prairie. There are two bucks. Overheard from another passerby: "Aren't they gorgeous. Look good on the dinner table, too". To me, this does not compute. We hear the elks bugling.
After dinner at Fisherman's Grotto, (where Corinne has a calamari steak for the first time ever and finds it out of this world both in taste and texture), we go to Sunset Park on the beach for stunning views of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. The reflections on the water are gorgeous.
His wife is also very nice. They live in Tampa now and we'll probably keep in touch. We have a 1-hr. conversation.
This happens every time Bob wears his "Monroe-Woodbury" t-shirt and/or his 1943 Model baseball hat.
Driving to Coos Bay, after we pass Glide, OR, we smell a horrible odor. Is it fertilizer? Carcases? Livestock? Chemicals from Roseburg?
We arrive in Coos Bay and love it already. We luck into a gigantic RV site because someone with a big rig backs out at the last minute and that was the only one this park has left. I'm excited because we are only 5 days from my sister Roz in Portland, and I can never get enough of the ocean.
Upsides: It's very posh here.
They have Bingo tonight, but Bob is not "a Bingo kind of guy" (his words).
A hedge separates our site from the next ones and there's a woods behind us.
Good Wi-Fi.
Downsides: No fire pit.
We're on asphalt, not on grass or pine needles.
There are video cameras watching us.
There is a sign that says if you don't pick up after your dog, you will be asked to leave the park.
Outdated DVD collection. (But on the other hand, we have to give them credit for at lease having DVD's, which few campgrounds do.)
On the way to dinner, we see hairy hilltops, some thick with tree-hair and some sparse and almost bald. We stop to see a herd of elk in the prairie. There are two bucks. Overheard from another passerby: "Aren't they gorgeous. Look good on the dinner table, too". To me, this does not compute. We hear the elks bugling.
After dinner at Fisherman's Grotto, (where Corinne has a calamari steak for the first time ever and finds it out of this world both in taste and texture), we go to Sunset Park on the beach for stunning views of the sun disappearing behind the horizon. The reflections on the water are gorgeous.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Day 59 - Monday, 8/17/09, SETTLED
Shower privacy is a tricky thing in a campground. You're right next to someone you don't know, hearing all the human body sounds people make in the shower. You might not even see their face before you or they leave. You want to make idle conversation, but feel they might not want their "moment" invaded.
Bob has decided he will give in and get a hearing aid when we get home. Here's an example of why:
CORINNE: There's Sawyer's Rapids. BOB: Enjoy your travels? See, the vowels are about right, but the consonants are not even close.
In the last two days we meet people from Scotland, Germany, Alberta, British Columbia, Puerto Rico, Korea, England and Australia. It pays to chat people up - this morning we find a donated pile of firewood left for us by a neighborhing RV'er with whom we chatted the day before.
Bob is trying not to buy gasoline, since it is $3.45 a gallon here.
We go back to Crater Lake today to see the other side. Stunningly blue. Many surprises await us - lava fumerole pinnacles, a waterfall, rock formations we do not expect. One is called Pumice Castle, which juts out of the cliffsides. It reminds us of Bryce. The other is Phantom Ship, a little island close to the shore which resembles its namesake.
There is a tree sticking up in the middle of the lake. It is called "The Old Man of the Lake". People have been noticing it since the 1920's. It is free-floating and travels around the lake with the currents.
At one viewpoint on the other side of the lake that we did not visit last time, we are so close to where the tour boat rides that we can hear the ranger talking. There are some other small boats moored near the tour boat station that we figure must be research vessels, since private boats are not allowed on the lake.
On the way "home", we pass Viday Falls, which we can see from the road. We pull off the road and I go in a little closer to take more detailed photos, as is my habit.
Tonight's sunset is gorgeous, and the stars the most numerous yet. We have another good campfire. Not many places in the West let you have them due to fire hazard, so we are grateful. Nothing more relaxing for Bob than sitting staring at the fire with a good glass of red wine.
Bob has decided he will give in and get a hearing aid when we get home. Here's an example of why:
CORINNE: There's Sawyer's Rapids. BOB: Enjoy your travels? See, the vowels are about right, but the consonants are not even close.
In the last two days we meet people from Scotland, Germany, Alberta, British Columbia, Puerto Rico, Korea, England and Australia. It pays to chat people up - this morning we find a donated pile of firewood left for us by a neighborhing RV'er with whom we chatted the day before.
Bob is trying not to buy gasoline, since it is $3.45 a gallon here.
We go back to Crater Lake today to see the other side. Stunningly blue. Many surprises await us - lava fumerole pinnacles, a waterfall, rock formations we do not expect. One is called Pumice Castle, which juts out of the cliffsides. It reminds us of Bryce. The other is Phantom Ship, a little island close to the shore which resembles its namesake.
There is a tree sticking up in the middle of the lake. It is called "The Old Man of the Lake". People have been noticing it since the 1920's. It is free-floating and travels around the lake with the currents.
At one viewpoint on the other side of the lake that we did not visit last time, we are so close to where the tour boat rides that we can hear the ranger talking. There are some other small boats moored near the tour boat station that we figure must be research vessels, since private boats are not allowed on the lake.
On the way "home", we pass Viday Falls, which we can see from the road. We pull off the road and I go in a little closer to take more detailed photos, as is my habit.
Tonight's sunset is gorgeous, and the stars the most numerous yet. We have another good campfire. Not many places in the West let you have them due to fire hazard, so we are grateful. Nothing more relaxing for Bob than sitting staring at the fire with a good glass of red wine.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Day 58 - Sunday, 8/16/09 - SETTLED
We decide to ride our bikes to the Senior Breakfast Buffet at the Diamond Lake Resort 3 miles down the road. Then we finish the other 8 miles of the 11 mile bike loop around Diamond Lake. What a pleasure to not have to deal with cars. Twice we cross over the main road, but the rest of the time all we have to deal with is other bikers, and a few walkers.
It is a beautiful day, 76 degrees, and lovely scenery greets us, ranging from small creeks and lakes to meadows, to pine forest. We see some of the same hot pink wildflowers we had seen in Alaska years ago.
When we get back to the Resort, we order a Veggie Pizza to go, for lunch. Then we take it easy after such strenuous activity in the early part of the day, catching up on laundry and blogging.
It is weird being 10 feet from another residence. You can see into their windows and hear everything they say. Most people are friendly, but you know you are never going to see them again. Some just stare at you when you walk by. Seems like those are mostly people not from the US.
At sunset we go back there a third time to get ice cream. We sit on the giant logs at lakeside and watch the fishermen bring in their catches of salmon and perch. Only those who venture out to the middle of the lake in boats catch anything. The fish are not biting in the shallows, we are told.
What a day! Here we are allowed to have campfires, which Bob loves, so we gather our kindling and then sit around the fire and relax, watching the stars come out. We make S'mores.
Then Bob goes to bed and I watch videos for an hour and a half or so before I'm ready to turn in. This has become my usual pattern, since I am a night owl.
If we have wi-fi, I can watch my favorite shows on Hulu. It normally takes an hour and a half to watch a 43 minute show without commercial interruption because the wi-fi connection is usually "low" or "fair" and the show will pause for 30 seconds about every 5 minutes. It's annoying, but I'd rather endure that than read. That's my anti-intellectual stance in life.
It is a beautiful day, 76 degrees, and lovely scenery greets us, ranging from small creeks and lakes to meadows, to pine forest. We see some of the same hot pink wildflowers we had seen in Alaska years ago.
When we get back to the Resort, we order a Veggie Pizza to go, for lunch. Then we take it easy after such strenuous activity in the early part of the day, catching up on laundry and blogging.
It is weird being 10 feet from another residence. You can see into their windows and hear everything they say. Most people are friendly, but you know you are never going to see them again. Some just stare at you when you walk by. Seems like those are mostly people not from the US.
At sunset we go back there a third time to get ice cream. We sit on the giant logs at lakeside and watch the fishermen bring in their catches of salmon and perch. Only those who venture out to the middle of the lake in boats catch anything. The fish are not biting in the shallows, we are told.
What a day! Here we are allowed to have campfires, which Bob loves, so we gather our kindling and then sit around the fire and relax, watching the stars come out. We make S'mores.
Then Bob goes to bed and I watch videos for an hour and a half or so before I'm ready to turn in. This has become my usual pattern, since I am a night owl.
If we have wi-fi, I can watch my favorite shows on Hulu. It normally takes an hour and a half to watch a 43 minute show without commercial interruption because the wi-fi connection is usually "low" or "fair" and the show will pause for 30 seconds about every 5 minutes. It's annoying, but I'd rather endure that than read. That's my anti-intellectual stance in life.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Day 57 - Saturday, 8/15/09 - SETTLED
We go from air conditioning all day to freezing cold at night. Pioneer woman Corinne wants heat and hot water in the mornings. There is ice on the RV from dripping water. The temperature out is 31 degrees!
Today we visit Crater Lake. There is a bike race on the way. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US - 1,932 feet deep.
What an astoundingly beautiful place! The water is so blue, almost navy in places, and crystal clear. There are several green lagoons at the edges. There is a boat ride around the lake, but the hike down is 2 miles, which wouldn't be impossible if it weren't for the hike back up.
While we are at one of the viewpoints, we see a half-dozen ambulances and police vehicles. There is apparently a medical emergency at the Cleatwood Trail.
What we have learned today: Never ask a young person how far the hike is that they have just completed, or how long it took. Their answer will never match your skill level.
Today we visit Crater Lake. There is a bike race on the way. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US - 1,932 feet deep.
What an astoundingly beautiful place! The water is so blue, almost navy in places, and crystal clear. There are several green lagoons at the edges. There is a boat ride around the lake, but the hike down is 2 miles, which wouldn't be impossible if it weren't for the hike back up.
While we are at one of the viewpoints, we see a half-dozen ambulances and police vehicles. There is apparently a medical emergency at the Cleatwood Trail.
What we have learned today: Never ask a young person how far the hike is that they have just completed, or how long it took. Their answer will never match your skill level.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Day 56 - Friday, 8/14/09 - SETTLED
Diamond Lake RV Park is special because each campsite comes with two chipmunks living under the concrete patio. We place a level under our wheels and find that the chipmunks quickly dig a hole at the base of the leveling device as well.
Today is Waterfall Day.
In our search for Lemolo Falls, 120 feet high, we follow Dread and Terror Ridge to the overlook. Some of the names are so humorous. We can see the snow on Bailey Mountain and Theilsen Peak, which is an inactive volcano.
Our next stop is Clearwater Falls, which has a clear pool at the top. The falls is 30 feet high.
White Horse Falls is a punchbowl falls. It is only 15 feet high, but impressive nonetheless.
At 272 feet in height, Watson Falls involves a 1/2 mile uphill hike. It is totally worth the effort.
Ketee Falls is closed due to damage. We can see that they are repairing something on the way to the falls.
Today is Waterfall Day.
In our search for Lemolo Falls, 120 feet high, we follow Dread and Terror Ridge to the overlook. Some of the names are so humorous. We can see the snow on Bailey Mountain and Theilsen Peak, which is an inactive volcano.
Our next stop is Clearwater Falls, which has a clear pool at the top. The falls is 30 feet high.
White Horse Falls is a punchbowl falls. It is only 15 feet high, but impressive nonetheless.
At 272 feet in height, Watson Falls involves a 1/2 mile uphill hike. It is totally worth the effort.
Ketee Falls is closed due to damage. We can see that they are repairing something on the way to the falls.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Day 55- Thursday, 8/13/09 - ON THE ROAD
The Smith River is emerald green and crystal clear. There are rapids in the gorge.
I begin to see Manzanitas again, my favorite tree. They range from ground-cover to 30 feet in height. Their bark can be brown at the base, like a normal tree, but seems to peel off in layers. First there is a red layer, then underneath there can be a yellow layer, smooth as a baby's bottom or sinewy and twisted.
We buy beef, buffalo and elk jerky at a roadside stand, just for the sake of saying we tried them.
Bob has always wanted to see Oregon, so he is especially excited about this part of the trip. The roads and scenery remind him so much of summertime in Mombasha and Monroe, NY, where he grew up.
We see U-Pick flowers along the road, with a gorgeous selection. We can't take any, though, because we have no way of keeping the vase upright during our travels.
There is a store called Burlesque, which has driftwood furniture and toys. Clever!
We are in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. There is a paved bike path along the Rogue River, like a tiny two-lane road below us. What a luxury, to have a two-lane bike path off the road!
On the left, we see farm fields, and rocky prairie with scrubby bushes on the right, interspersed with horse ranches.
At the roadside, there are huge pipes, for a pump storage facility to make electricity. The water is pumped from the Rogue River.
I begin to see Manzanitas again, my favorite tree. They range from ground-cover to 30 feet in height. Their bark can be brown at the base, like a normal tree, but seems to peel off in layers. First there is a red layer, then underneath there can be a yellow layer, smooth as a baby's bottom or sinewy and twisted.
We buy beef, buffalo and elk jerky at a roadside stand, just for the sake of saying we tried them.
Bob has always wanted to see Oregon, so he is especially excited about this part of the trip. The roads and scenery remind him so much of summertime in Mombasha and Monroe, NY, where he grew up.
We see U-Pick flowers along the road, with a gorgeous selection. We can't take any, though, because we have no way of keeping the vase upright during our travels.
There is a store called Burlesque, which has driftwood furniture and toys. Clever!
We are in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. There is a paved bike path along the Rogue River, like a tiny two-lane road below us. What a luxury, to have a two-lane bike path off the road!
On the left, we see farm fields, and rocky prairie with scrubby bushes on the right, interspersed with horse ranches.
At the roadside, there are huge pipes, for a pump storage facility to make electricity. The water is pumped from the Rogue River.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Day 54 - Wednesday, 8/12/09 , SETTLED
There is actually a giant redwood in the woods just opposite our campground. This morning we see it for the first time.
We return to the State Forest to see Big Tree. In the 1920's someone wanted to cut the tree down to make a dance floor out of it, but there were so many protests that it was saved.
Earlier in the week we had been told that there was a local herd of elk, but we had been unsuccessful in finding them thus far. Today we get lucky. We go back to the same place we had been before, and there they are! 20 feet from the edge of the road, they are placidly grazing in the tall grass and eating berries from the bushes at the edge of the meadow.
There are 3 herds, with three males with huge racks of antlers, many females and a few youngsters. We stand in fascination as they completely disregard us and keep on munching.
One stupid observer, though, tries to imitate their call until the other bystanders shush him and remind him that what he is doing could endanger us all.
On our return trip, we observe a toad "walking" in the road. Not hopping, but walking on all fours. That's a first for us.
I talk to my little two-year old grandson tonight on speaker-phone. It was the first time we can actually chat without SKYPE. He knows who I am and who Bob is, without prompting and just by our voices rather than images. It's so exciting, developmentally, and so emotional for us. We miss him so.
He tells us that he had ridden on a fire truck at school but they didn't turn on the siren "No, they didn't did do dat" and that he was going to wear his football shirt tomorrow "I wear pooball shirt" (It's the first game of the playoffs for the Ravens, which his parents are fanatics about).
In the evening, we hear a huge crash down the road. Soon there are sirens and we wonder what has happened. After about an hour, we hear the sound of chainsaws and we are told that a giant old maple tree has spontaneously fallen into the road and blocked traffic completely.
We return to the State Forest to see Big Tree. In the 1920's someone wanted to cut the tree down to make a dance floor out of it, but there were so many protests that it was saved.
Earlier in the week we had been told that there was a local herd of elk, but we had been unsuccessful in finding them thus far. Today we get lucky. We go back to the same place we had been before, and there they are! 20 feet from the edge of the road, they are placidly grazing in the tall grass and eating berries from the bushes at the edge of the meadow.
There are 3 herds, with three males with huge racks of antlers, many females and a few youngsters. We stand in fascination as they completely disregard us and keep on munching.
One stupid observer, though, tries to imitate their call until the other bystanders shush him and remind him that what he is doing could endanger us all.
On our return trip, we observe a toad "walking" in the road. Not hopping, but walking on all fours. That's a first for us.
I talk to my little two-year old grandson tonight on speaker-phone. It was the first time we can actually chat without SKYPE. He knows who I am and who Bob is, without prompting and just by our voices rather than images. It's so exciting, developmentally, and so emotional for us. We miss him so.
He tells us that he had ridden on a fire truck at school but they didn't turn on the siren "No, they didn't did do dat" and that he was going to wear his football shirt tomorrow "I wear pooball shirt" (It's the first game of the playoffs for the Ravens, which his parents are fanatics about).
In the evening, we hear a huge crash down the road. Soon there are sirens and we wonder what has happened. After about an hour, we hear the sound of chainsaws and we are told that a giant old maple tree has spontaneously fallen into the road and blocked traffic completely.
Day 53- Tuesday, 8/11/09, SETTLED
We look like racoons without our sunglasses. My feet are streaked from my sandal straps. Bob's ankles wear permanent sock marks. Our palms are like little monkeys' - creamy pink compared to the rugged brown of our fingers and hands. The tans snuck up on us.
There is evidence further down in the campground that the little bear cub has torn up several garbage cans' contents and littered them in the field. Strangely enough, we are not scared.
We visit the Lady Bird Johnson Redwood National Park. There is a huge cement bridge leading over the creek to the trail. While the trees are large and impressive, we find we liked the State Park much better, as it did not feel so commercialized.
There is evidence further down in the campground that the little bear cub has torn up several garbage cans' contents and littered them in the field. Strangely enough, we are not scared.
We visit the Lady Bird Johnson Redwood National Park. There is a huge cement bridge leading over the creek to the trail. While the trees are large and impressive, we find we liked the State Park much better, as it did not feel so commercialized.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Day 52- Monday, 8/10/09, SETTLED
We visit the state park that we heard had the biggest redwoods. Can't remember the name of it. The redwoods are unimaginably huge. We are very impressed by stories that they are more than a thousand years old. Next to them we feel dwarfed and unimportant.
There is a little trail through the redwoods that leads to a tiny waterfall. It is very peaceful there.
As we are driving back to our campground, we see an ad for another campground where there is a sign saying "Campground with host". It never occurred to us before that a campground wouldn't have a host and that this fact would need to be mentioned as a selling point.
In fact, we have been talking about perhaps some day in the future taking a summer somewhere we really loved on this trip and being a host. That would require cleaning bathrooms as well as answering people's questions and checking them in to the park, but we would get to stay in the campground for free.
In the evening, we are sitting around our little campfire outside our RV. Suddenly I hear a rustling and say to Bob: "There's something out there!" He runs to get our flashlight and shines it into the woods behind our vehicle. Sho' nuff, there's a real live black bear cub tugging at the black plastic of the garbage can at the edge of the road leading out!
After tearing off a piece and being unsuccessful in prying open the lid, he toddles off. We warn all the newcomers to the park about what we have seen.
There is a little trail through the redwoods that leads to a tiny waterfall. It is very peaceful there.
As we are driving back to our campground, we see an ad for another campground where there is a sign saying "Campground with host". It never occurred to us before that a campground wouldn't have a host and that this fact would need to be mentioned as a selling point.
In fact, we have been talking about perhaps some day in the future taking a summer somewhere we really loved on this trip and being a host. That would require cleaning bathrooms as well as answering people's questions and checking them in to the park, but we would get to stay in the campground for free.
In the evening, we are sitting around our little campfire outside our RV. Suddenly I hear a rustling and say to Bob: "There's something out there!" He runs to get our flashlight and shines it into the woods behind our vehicle. Sho' nuff, there's a real live black bear cub tugging at the black plastic of the garbage can at the edge of the road leading out!
After tearing off a piece and being unsuccessful in prying open the lid, he toddles off. We warn all the newcomers to the park about what we have seen.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day 51 - Sunday, 8/9/09 - SETTLED
We do the typical touristy thing and drive through a giant redwood tree. I remember doing that in 1988 with my kids, who were then in 5th and 8th grade. The tree is owned by an elderly couple, and they make $4 every time a car drives through. Seemed like a pretty constant stream of people.
Next we drive the Coastal Highway and walk along a black volcanic cinder sand beach where the Klamath River is on one side and the Pacific on the other. So amazing. There are Yurok Indians fishing for salmon, where there are two sacred rocks, Oregos and her sister, protecting the mouth of the Klamath.
The Yuroks have had rights to that land since time immemorial, and their ritual rites site is nearby. Each structure, all built of redwood planks, has a specific purpose.
It's in the 70's here, and at night gets cold enough that we are now using 2 blankets and having a campfire before we call it a night. This is the first place since TN, 7 weeks ago, where we were allowed to have a campfire due to forest fire restrictions. What a pleasure.
This campground is very rustic, with few amenities, save the BBQ and music the night we arrived. There is no working laundry at the moment, and only one bathroom, which is far away and mostly occupied by tenters.
However, it is in the trees and very quiet, so we feel we have the whole place to ourselves at night. They don't water their grass, so it is all brown. We're happy, though, because the wireless internet connection is strong and free of charge.
We buy salmon jerky and enjoy its saltiness and chewy texture.
In the evening, "Fog creeps in on little cat feet". It's kind of spooky, because it's really like a cloud is coming to the ground to envelop the place. Maybe we've watched too many horror movies.
Bob is excited about seeing the giant redwoods, which he has never seen before. What is the difference between redwoods and sequoias, we wonder? We are told that redwoods grow on the coast and sequoias grow further inland. They can both be old growth trees and huge.
Next we drive the Coastal Highway and walk along a black volcanic cinder sand beach where the Klamath River is on one side and the Pacific on the other. So amazing. There are Yurok Indians fishing for salmon, where there are two sacred rocks, Oregos and her sister, protecting the mouth of the Klamath.
The Yuroks have had rights to that land since time immemorial, and their ritual rites site is nearby. Each structure, all built of redwood planks, has a specific purpose.
It's in the 70's here, and at night gets cold enough that we are now using 2 blankets and having a campfire before we call it a night. This is the first place since TN, 7 weeks ago, where we were allowed to have a campfire due to forest fire restrictions. What a pleasure.
This campground is very rustic, with few amenities, save the BBQ and music the night we arrived. There is no working laundry at the moment, and only one bathroom, which is far away and mostly occupied by tenters.
However, it is in the trees and very quiet, so we feel we have the whole place to ourselves at night. They don't water their grass, so it is all brown. We're happy, though, because the wireless internet connection is strong and free of charge.
We buy salmon jerky and enjoy its saltiness and chewy texture.
In the evening, "Fog creeps in on little cat feet". It's kind of spooky, because it's really like a cloud is coming to the ground to envelop the place. Maybe we've watched too many horror movies.
Bob is excited about seeing the giant redwoods, which he has never seen before. What is the difference between redwoods and sequoias, we wonder? We are told that redwoods grow on the coast and sequoias grow further inland. They can both be old growth trees and huge.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day 50 - Saturday 8/8/09 - ON THE ROAD
Our marshmallow skewers hanging on the hook by the door is making a nice windchime when it connects with the metal rod we use to open our RV awning.
When you live in an RV, it seems you have to downsize everything, even your dog. Half the people we see traveling have what Bob calls "Little Yip-Yip Dogs". Some RV parks even specify that you can't bring a dog that weighs over 25 lb.
We have been seeing signs asking "Do You Have Defensible Space?". Until now we didn't understand what that meant. We figured it had something to do with fire safety, since the signs usually appeared at or near fire stations. Now we finally see a handwritten sign that explains: "Keep firewood far from the house. Keep a shovel on hand. Keep grass and brush cut short. Have an exit plan. "
We are led by a Pilot Car through construction due to "highway realignment". They are changing the shoulders to widen them, but their constraints include the narrowness of the road and the fact that there are cliffs on one side. The roads wind in extreme hairpin curves. The pilot car assures that noone speeds through the construction, which could injure both drivers and workers.
Our water bottles pop due to air pressure rising from the increasing elevation. They seem like they might explode; they are so fat. We feel we are in a roller coaster. It is helpful that the highway department has put in very tall reflectors, which reflect both on the bottom and at car height.
The Trinity River area is bounded by the Trinity Alps, rugged, rocky foothills coated with Ponderosa Pines. We pass two people getting ready to go tubing and kayaking. Looks like fun.
We see a huge sawmill at Weaverville. There are thousands of stacked full-length, tree-sized pine logs being sprinkled with water to age them. It's in a cute little Victorian town.
People build huge houses on the hilltops out West for the view. Can't even imagine the cost of just hauling all the materials up there.
Futher down the Trinity there are serious rapids. We watch as three teens tube their way through two sets of whitewater, screaming as they go through the rocky areas.
We get some nice sandwiches at Granny's Shack in Salier, CA, but they have no bathrooms. Aargh!
It appears that every National Forest sign says at the bottom: "Land of Many Uses". It took us four thousand miles to figure out the the saying applied to them all.
Route 101 winds in and out of ocean views and in and out of Tsunami Hazard Zones. The signs say "Entering Tsunami Zone" and then a few miles later when the road is higher above the water, "Leaving Tsunami Zone". Despite the fact that there is no severe weather predicted, and the water looks quite calm, I find myself heaving little sighs of relief at the second sign.
We see our second agri-pride sign of our trip. The first was a license plate back in Utah that said "I feed you". This time we see a hand-lettered wooden sign set up in front of a house that says "Fishermen Feed America". Driving these roads certainly does bring home the idea of where our food really comes from.
We arrive in Klamath, CA where we are rewarded by a free salmon/chicken BBQ dinner and live music. There are dozens of tables set up with umbrellas in the center, and a little stage with amps.
One of the guests who is not camping at our campground we call "Bikeman". He arrives on his bike and obviously has a mental health problem. Most of the time he is talking to himself, not making eye contact with anyone. The campground hosts seem very tolerant of him, so we figure he is a regular at their weekly BBQ's and they help him out with a free dinner.
We meet a young man, Eric, who is taking movies of the goings-on. He explains that he and his buddy, Ryan, are tent-camping here as part of a short road trip before college starts. They have known each other since Kindergarten.
There are three musicians. The string-bass player sits on his Handi-scooter the whole time. We hear that he sings beautifully, but cannot play and sing at the same time. The guitar player is an employee of the campground and provides the banter as well as doing most of the singing.
Towards the end of the second set, Ryan gets invited up on stage with his mandolin. For the rest of the performance, he joins the others to play and sing beautifully, a few old favorites and a few things he writes.
A Small World Story: Turns out Ryan is studying Film at Ithaca College and lives in Fall Creek! So we exhange details and plan to contact each other when we get home. Ryan already has a CD of his music and might change to the Music Department.
When you live in an RV, it seems you have to downsize everything, even your dog. Half the people we see traveling have what Bob calls "Little Yip-Yip Dogs". Some RV parks even specify that you can't bring a dog that weighs over 25 lb.
We have been seeing signs asking "Do You Have Defensible Space?". Until now we didn't understand what that meant. We figured it had something to do with fire safety, since the signs usually appeared at or near fire stations. Now we finally see a handwritten sign that explains: "Keep firewood far from the house. Keep a shovel on hand. Keep grass and brush cut short. Have an exit plan. "
We are led by a Pilot Car through construction due to "highway realignment". They are changing the shoulders to widen them, but their constraints include the narrowness of the road and the fact that there are cliffs on one side. The roads wind in extreme hairpin curves. The pilot car assures that noone speeds through the construction, which could injure both drivers and workers.
Our water bottles pop due to air pressure rising from the increasing elevation. They seem like they might explode; they are so fat. We feel we are in a roller coaster. It is helpful that the highway department has put in very tall reflectors, which reflect both on the bottom and at car height.
The Trinity River area is bounded by the Trinity Alps, rugged, rocky foothills coated with Ponderosa Pines. We pass two people getting ready to go tubing and kayaking. Looks like fun.
We see a huge sawmill at Weaverville. There are thousands of stacked full-length, tree-sized pine logs being sprinkled with water to age them. It's in a cute little Victorian town.
People build huge houses on the hilltops out West for the view. Can't even imagine the cost of just hauling all the materials up there.
Futher down the Trinity there are serious rapids. We watch as three teens tube their way through two sets of whitewater, screaming as they go through the rocky areas.
We get some nice sandwiches at Granny's Shack in Salier, CA, but they have no bathrooms. Aargh!
It appears that every National Forest sign says at the bottom: "Land of Many Uses". It took us four thousand miles to figure out the the saying applied to them all.
Route 101 winds in and out of ocean views and in and out of Tsunami Hazard Zones. The signs say "Entering Tsunami Zone" and then a few miles later when the road is higher above the water, "Leaving Tsunami Zone". Despite the fact that there is no severe weather predicted, and the water looks quite calm, I find myself heaving little sighs of relief at the second sign.
We see our second agri-pride sign of our trip. The first was a license plate back in Utah that said "I feed you". This time we see a hand-lettered wooden sign set up in front of a house that says "Fishermen Feed America". Driving these roads certainly does bring home the idea of where our food really comes from.
We arrive in Klamath, CA where we are rewarded by a free salmon/chicken BBQ dinner and live music. There are dozens of tables set up with umbrellas in the center, and a little stage with amps.
One of the guests who is not camping at our campground we call "Bikeman". He arrives on his bike and obviously has a mental health problem. Most of the time he is talking to himself, not making eye contact with anyone. The campground hosts seem very tolerant of him, so we figure he is a regular at their weekly BBQ's and they help him out with a free dinner.
We meet a young man, Eric, who is taking movies of the goings-on. He explains that he and his buddy, Ryan, are tent-camping here as part of a short road trip before college starts. They have known each other since Kindergarten.
There are three musicians. The string-bass player sits on his Handi-scooter the whole time. We hear that he sings beautifully, but cannot play and sing at the same time. The guitar player is an employee of the campground and provides the banter as well as doing most of the singing.
Towards the end of the second set, Ryan gets invited up on stage with his mandolin. For the rest of the performance, he joins the others to play and sing beautifully, a few old favorites and a few things he writes.
A Small World Story: Turns out Ryan is studying Film at Ithaca College and lives in Fall Creek! So we exhange details and plan to contact each other when we get home. Ryan already has a CD of his music and might change to the Music Department.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day 49- Friday, 8/7/09 - SETTLED
We are heading back to finish our self-guided tour of Lassen Volcanic National Park, which last time was interrupted by darkness. Today we get an earlier start. It's only 78 degrees.
There were 855 lightening strikes last night at Hat Creek, where we were supposed to have stayed. I don't know how they count the lightening strikes.
I break down and spend the money on a new digital battery for my Canon G2 camera. Now all I need is a lens hood for both the Canon and the Fuji to prevent sun wash-out. At least I won't run out of power just when I come to the best photo-op of the day any more.
Bob has decided to experiment with a longer mustache and no beard. He has shaved most of his beard off, and left only the movie-star scruffy stuff. I finally get to see his chin after all these years. He is also letting his hair grow long. I'm excited. By the time we get home, if he doesn't chicken out, it should be great.
We climb the Cinder Cone, two steps forward, one step back. It is literally a mountain of volcanic ash. My walking stick helps, like a third leg to anchor me, but I'm very slow. Bob lopes ahead. The view of the lava blobs and painted dunes is spectacular from the top. On the way back at dusk, we are the only ones in the woods. It is absolutely silent save for the swish-swish of our feet in the ashes.
I fantasize about what we would do if we encountered a bear. We would make a lot of noise by popping our water bottles and I will beat him off with my walking stick. HA! Take that!
The road back is unfolding before us, reflections appearing one by one as though they are being unrolled from a huge reel. They are so golden and bounce our bright lights back so well we feel we are on an airport runway and we are the plane.
On the road back we see the flames from several small fires in the pitch black, and the road is very smoky.
When I was thirteen and babysitting my three sibs while my parents went out to dinner, the house on the hill just above us caught fire. I was afraid the fire would jump the woods between us and set our house on fire.
A year later when I was at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, the building that held the library with many sacred books caught fire. We campers had a double bucket brigade shuttling water from the lake in one direction and bringing the books out of the library in the other direction. We did this for at least a half hour until the fire department from Eagle River could come put the fire out. Ever since then, fires have freaked me out.
There were 855 lightening strikes last night at Hat Creek, where we were supposed to have stayed. I don't know how they count the lightening strikes.
I break down and spend the money on a new digital battery for my Canon G2 camera. Now all I need is a lens hood for both the Canon and the Fuji to prevent sun wash-out. At least I won't run out of power just when I come to the best photo-op of the day any more.
Bob has decided to experiment with a longer mustache and no beard. He has shaved most of his beard off, and left only the movie-star scruffy stuff. I finally get to see his chin after all these years. He is also letting his hair grow long. I'm excited. By the time we get home, if he doesn't chicken out, it should be great.
We climb the Cinder Cone, two steps forward, one step back. It is literally a mountain of volcanic ash. My walking stick helps, like a third leg to anchor me, but I'm very slow. Bob lopes ahead. The view of the lava blobs and painted dunes is spectacular from the top. On the way back at dusk, we are the only ones in the woods. It is absolutely silent save for the swish-swish of our feet in the ashes.
I fantasize about what we would do if we encountered a bear. We would make a lot of noise by popping our water bottles and I will beat him off with my walking stick. HA! Take that!
The road back is unfolding before us, reflections appearing one by one as though they are being unrolled from a huge reel. They are so golden and bounce our bright lights back so well we feel we are on an airport runway and we are the plane.
On the road back we see the flames from several small fires in the pitch black, and the road is very smoky.
When I was thirteen and babysitting my three sibs while my parents went out to dinner, the house on the hill just above us caught fire. I was afraid the fire would jump the woods between us and set our house on fire.
A year later when I was at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, the building that held the library with many sacred books caught fire. We campers had a double bucket brigade shuttling water from the lake in one direction and bringing the books out of the library in the other direction. We did this for at least a half hour until the fire department from Eagle River could come put the fire out. Ever since then, fires have freaked me out.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day 48 - Thursday, 8/6/09 - SETTLED
We are going to find Whiskeytown. It is the first cloudy day we have had so far. 73 degrees. No drama, just clouds leaking droplets.
The woman at the gas station says "Just get on 299 and follow the signs to Eureka. If you miss it, you shouldn't be driving". We miss it.
But we do find Whiskeytown Falls. It is on Mill Creek. The hike is 1.7 miles. It is 63 degrees at 1000 feet. We decide to challenge ourselves.
There is a family coming back with a 6-year old girl in bare feet. We figure if she can do it, so can we. They call her "Iron Feet". Little do we know that most of the hike is at extreme grades. There is no sign rating the degree of difficulty as we had on our UT and NV hikes.
Corinne has been having problems with her Canon PowerShot G2 camera, an oldie but goodie, not holding a charge very well. She has gotten by with charging it every night. After all that effort, we get to Whiskeytown Falls and the camera is dead!
The Falls tumbles down over huge boulders. It is about 300 feet tall, with two main drops, stopping in two pools. It is beautiful and certainly worth the hike. There is one giant tree trunk that has fallen diagonally across it and is worn smooth by the water. We watch a young guy with his dog balance their way across the log. Whoa!
Turns out all that's left of the old Whiskeytown is the cemetery, where the bodies were exhumed and moved.
Crystal Falls is aptly named. The water is perfectly clear. The walk is very quiet, save for a quail, digging a nest for her babies. We hear another bird call echoing in the Ponderosa Pines. We feel as though we have the woods to ourselves.
Today would have been my Mother's birthday, were she still alive (God rest her soul). She passed away 6 years ago. But perhaps she is still watching over me, which is why when I accidentally slam my pinkie finger in the car door, there is a National Park Visitor's Center 300 feet away. They have ice cold water bottles in their refrigerator which I use to keep the swelling down.
The woman at the gas station says "Just get on 299 and follow the signs to Eureka. If you miss it, you shouldn't be driving". We miss it.
But we do find Whiskeytown Falls. It is on Mill Creek. The hike is 1.7 miles. It is 63 degrees at 1000 feet. We decide to challenge ourselves.
There is a family coming back with a 6-year old girl in bare feet. We figure if she can do it, so can we. They call her "Iron Feet". Little do we know that most of the hike is at extreme grades. There is no sign rating the degree of difficulty as we had on our UT and NV hikes.
Corinne has been having problems with her Canon PowerShot G2 camera, an oldie but goodie, not holding a charge very well. She has gotten by with charging it every night. After all that effort, we get to Whiskeytown Falls and the camera is dead!
The Falls tumbles down over huge boulders. It is about 300 feet tall, with two main drops, stopping in two pools. It is beautiful and certainly worth the hike. There is one giant tree trunk that has fallen diagonally across it and is worn smooth by the water. We watch a young guy with his dog balance their way across the log. Whoa!
Turns out all that's left of the old Whiskeytown is the cemetery, where the bodies were exhumed and moved.
Crystal Falls is aptly named. The water is perfectly clear. The walk is very quiet, save for a quail, digging a nest for her babies. We hear another bird call echoing in the Ponderosa Pines. We feel as though we have the woods to ourselves.
Today would have been my Mother's birthday, were she still alive (God rest her soul). She passed away 6 years ago. But perhaps she is still watching over me, which is why when I accidentally slam my pinkie finger in the car door, there is a National Park Visitor's Center 300 feet away. They have ice cold water bottles in their refrigerator which I use to keep the swelling down.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Day 47 - Wednesday, 8/5/09 - SETTLED
There are big-time forest fires here in the mountains, which is both exciting and frightening. Our nostrils sting from the smoke. We plan to hike in Lassen Volcanic National Park, where a volcano erupted in 1915 and 1922, leaving huge truck-sized boulders and a crater with boiling sulfur pots.
The rest areas along Hwy. 44 are well hidden in the Ponderosa Pine Woods. They is evidence that they cut down as few trees as possible for construction.
We see a phenomenon we have seen before, where on an interpretive trail there are paved extensions. We start to call them "Future Benches", as though the Park Service is waiting for someone to make a donation for a bench and put their name on a plaque. Or maybe a new interpretive sign will be placed there when they have more funding.
The trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is spectacular, with truck-sized black kacite boulders left by the volcano as the lava cooled. There are red and grey kacite boulders left by an eruption thousands of years ago. There are rocks on the left side and pine trees clinging to the cliffs on the
right.
The signpost says 30 minutes for a 1/2 mile hike to Bumpass Hell, the sulfur pots and boiling springs left by the volcanoes. They are amazing, despite the pungent odor. But the signs lie - it takes us an hour to get in and 30 minutes to get out.
We get a late start, so we walk out of there at moonrise. Thank God the rocks on our path are white. It's a little freaky. I see moon shadows for the first time in my life. So awe-inspiring, a true religious experience! Who was it who wrote that song "Moon Shadow"? Van Morrison? I can only remember the first words: "Moon shadow, moon shadow".
Temperature drops from 92 when we depart our campground in the afternoon to 41 at night at 8500 ft. Dressed in shorts and tank-tops, we aren't exactly prepared for the cold, and end up putting on everything we can find in the car. I have 2 sweaters, an old airline blanket for a skirt, and my yellow rain slicker. Bob has a windbreaker and a green rain poncho. We are warm enough, with the effort of hiking.
There is a family who comes in just as we are leaving Bumpass Hell, the sulfur pools. Once again I have trusted that the Universe will provide - they have lights with them!
Bob has been worried about how we will get out in the dark. I have been figuring that we will just hold on to the rocks on the mountain side of the path and use my camera and his cell phone for light. There are cliffs on the other side. I've never known him to be quite so anxious.
I find out later that he was worried about encountering big wildlife on the mountain, like cougars and bears. We see chipmunks, but that's all.
While I am having a wonderful time traveling, sometimes I feel so rootless, like there is a big hole in my soul. I know it is because I am missing all my connections back home. My friends are such a big part of my life. On the one hand I am always looking forward to our next adventure, and on the other hand I am counting down the weeks until I can return to my "real" life, my home, my own bed, my neighborhood, my kitty-cats, being closer to my adorable little grandson Nathan.
We laugh sometimes at our Garmin GPS, and call it "her", as in: "Let's see what she has to say". We haven't named her, though.
Sometimes her robotness is hilarious, as when she says: "Turn on Rt. 90 NO, or when she attaches consonants to the wrong ends of words, as in "Eas Tauto Doctor", (for East Auto Drive). But we can't live without her.
The temperature is crucial to our comfort. We are constantly checking the gauge in our car.
We skip dinner. Bob eats fruit, but Corinne craves junk food. At 11:00, nothing in town is open except McDonald's, so we break down and order a McFlurry and a Large Fries.
The rest areas along Hwy. 44 are well hidden in the Ponderosa Pine Woods. They is evidence that they cut down as few trees as possible for construction.
We see a phenomenon we have seen before, where on an interpretive trail there are paved extensions. We start to call them "Future Benches", as though the Park Service is waiting for someone to make a donation for a bench and put their name on a plaque. Or maybe a new interpretive sign will be placed there when they have more funding.
The trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park is spectacular, with truck-sized black kacite boulders left by the volcano as the lava cooled. There are red and grey kacite boulders left by an eruption thousands of years ago. There are rocks on the left side and pine trees clinging to the cliffs on the
right.
The signpost says 30 minutes for a 1/2 mile hike to Bumpass Hell, the sulfur pots and boiling springs left by the volcanoes. They are amazing, despite the pungent odor. But the signs lie - it takes us an hour to get in and 30 minutes to get out.
We get a late start, so we walk out of there at moonrise. Thank God the rocks on our path are white. It's a little freaky. I see moon shadows for the first time in my life. So awe-inspiring, a true religious experience! Who was it who wrote that song "Moon Shadow"? Van Morrison? I can only remember the first words: "Moon shadow, moon shadow".
Temperature drops from 92 when we depart our campground in the afternoon to 41 at night at 8500 ft. Dressed in shorts and tank-tops, we aren't exactly prepared for the cold, and end up putting on everything we can find in the car. I have 2 sweaters, an old airline blanket for a skirt, and my yellow rain slicker. Bob has a windbreaker and a green rain poncho. We are warm enough, with the effort of hiking.
There is a family who comes in just as we are leaving Bumpass Hell, the sulfur pools. Once again I have trusted that the Universe will provide - they have lights with them!
Bob has been worried about how we will get out in the dark. I have been figuring that we will just hold on to the rocks on the mountain side of the path and use my camera and his cell phone for light. There are cliffs on the other side. I've never known him to be quite so anxious.
I find out later that he was worried about encountering big wildlife on the mountain, like cougars and bears. We see chipmunks, but that's all.
While I am having a wonderful time traveling, sometimes I feel so rootless, like there is a big hole in my soul. I know it is because I am missing all my connections back home. My friends are such a big part of my life. On the one hand I am always looking forward to our next adventure, and on the other hand I am counting down the weeks until I can return to my "real" life, my home, my own bed, my neighborhood, my kitty-cats, being closer to my adorable little grandson Nathan.
We laugh sometimes at our Garmin GPS, and call it "her", as in: "Let's see what she has to say". We haven't named her, though.
Sometimes her robotness is hilarious, as when she says: "Turn on Rt. 90 NO, or when she attaches consonants to the wrong ends of words, as in "Eas Tauto Doctor", (for East Auto Drive). But we can't live without her.
The temperature is crucial to our comfort. We are constantly checking the gauge in our car.
We skip dinner. Bob eats fruit, but Corinne craves junk food. At 11:00, nothing in town is open except McDonald's, so we break down and order a McFlurry and a Large Fries.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Day 46 - Tuesday, 8/4/09 - ON THE ROAD
The campground in Hat Creek where we were going to spend a few nights is evacuated due to wildfires, so we are going to change our route a little bit.
We go through an RV Wash this morning to get the red dust and sand off. The Rovin' Art RV looks a lot better now. I can take pictures out of the windows while we are moving if I absolutely must.
At the California border, we are stopped for an Agricultural Inspection to check for gypsy moths. The inspector gets on one of those sliders that rolls on four wheels under the car and checks the chassis. We get away with none found, even though he had a light. We are happy; he is disappointed.
The terrain is getting more green and more meadow-like, with less desert flora and more high grass. The hillsides are coated with cedars. There are oodles of clear ponds and small lakes. The transition from desert to pine forest is instantaneous.
We see stacks of hay for sale. Some farmers are raising llamas.
Our stop in Susanville, CA for lunch is relaxing.
We drive past Hat Creek and are astounded by the drama of the fire we could have been caught in. There is thick black smoke on both sides of the road. The road is closed. The firefighters are in their yellow gear. There are helicopters and small planes overhead constantly. We can see the flames.
We go through an RV Wash this morning to get the red dust and sand off. The Rovin' Art RV looks a lot better now. I can take pictures out of the windows while we are moving if I absolutely must.
At the California border, we are stopped for an Agricultural Inspection to check for gypsy moths. The inspector gets on one of those sliders that rolls on four wheels under the car and checks the chassis. We get away with none found, even though he had a light. We are happy; he is disappointed.
The terrain is getting more green and more meadow-like, with less desert flora and more high grass. The hillsides are coated with cedars. There are oodles of clear ponds and small lakes. The transition from desert to pine forest is instantaneous.
We see stacks of hay for sale. Some farmers are raising llamas.
Our stop in Susanville, CA for lunch is relaxing.
We drive past Hat Creek and are astounded by the drama of the fire we could have been caught in. There is thick black smoke on both sides of the road. The road is closed. The firefighters are in their yellow gear. There are helicopters and small planes overhead constantly. We can see the flames.
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