Marine layer hanging in!

Yep.....gray skies!  Drove from eastern Oregon where it was sunny, into the marine layer that got stuck over  Portland.  It will clear out soon, and the next three or four months here will be the most amazing weather on the planet!  Warm, dry, and sunny.  When we moved here, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

Why didn't we stop here??

road photos

Look carefully on left side of road, and see the mountain ......our first glimpse.  

No great photos of the Columbia River Gorge or Multnomah Falls......stay tuned for what I have in the archives!

Campsite in Boardman, OR

Rest stop to run the car

And what a DIRTY car it is!!  

We tried a couple of times to get it washed to no avail.  I am embarrassed to take it into the neighborhood!  Not sure why the rains didn't do a better job of cleaning it off a bit! 

These next several photos, or the photo stream, will show you the variety of Landscape in Oregon......then I will see what I have from last summer's trip to post.  

How sad....my only photo of Idaho!  

Now, a disclaimer....this, as many of the landscape photos you will see next, are moving photos.  You can tell by bug spattered windshield (no, they are not marks on my lens), and parts of RV in photo....like the rearview mirror on the right above!  I had a couple more of Idaho, but just way too bad to post.  :-)  

Portland!

We did the last 200 miles, and got into Portland Wednesday, June 23.  We left Florida on May 17, and traveled about 5000 miles.......took the "long cut! "   It was a great trip, and we sure did see a lot.

Our motor home proved spacious and comfortable, and our home away from home.  We would like to have a name for it, and pondered many times along the way.   Being  Star Trek fans, we came up with  Enterprise and Star Ship and even Escape Pod at first.  Maybe Voyager?  Journey?  Quest?  How about Road House?  

Anyway, Clem did get a bit antsy, and was ready to be home.  And I would like to hike some trails and do some bike riding and canoeing or kayaking.  We both enjoy staying in one place longer than one night, so I think our next cross country adventure will be planned a little differently.  The two trips so far have been centered on seeing major sights......filling the bucket list!  And we have done a good job of that, I believe!  I also want to see all the kitschy things and oddities!  We really enjoyed the state parks we stayed in, and will do more of that, in addition to National Parks.  We have a "passport" for national parks, and I love collecting the stamps!

I carried Loki in my arms into our house here,  and he looked around in wonder.  I snatched Sas up and shoved him into the carrier when he came down from his riding spot to get food, and took  him inside, where he charged out and  stalked around.  They got spooked for a bit when Clem came inside unannounced,  but within an hour  they settled in and recognized it as their home, settling into familiar spaces.    Funny....they have behaviors here that I have not seen in the other places, that have returned  immediately.  They had found places to be comfortable while riding in the motorhome, and were very comfortable when we were stopped, looking out windows and watching people and birds.  The knew instinctively when we were preparing to leave, and went immediately to their riding spots, waiting out the final preparations.  Very funny.  It always amazed me when people say animals are dumb.

We unpacked the RV in front of the house, and took it to its storage.  We had bid a sad farewell to the rental last November, and this time we said goodbye, knowing we would see it again.  We look forward to  many more fun trips with it, both short and long!

Thanks for coming along for the ride!  I like blogging it, and knowing that you have enjoyed it.  Until next time.....Happy Trails to you!   :-)

The Oregon Trail

Getting close, and we decided to just push through.  These last areas are ones we can visit from Oregon on another trip.  Idaho is another state we have never been to, and there are areas we want to see, but some of them were not on our route this trip.  We started to see upheavals of lava in the earth's surface, evidence of being near the Cascade range of volcanoes which still, after 10 years of living in Portland, amaze me.  They spring out of the ground suddenly, all snowcapped and beautiful.  That is, on  a clear day.  We do have a lot of clouds and haze in Portland which often prevents you from seeing them.   When they are visible, the locals say "the mountains are out, ", a phrase I have readily adopted!

Lewis and Clark took an entire year to travel from St. Louis to the west coast of Oregon, and countless people left in the 1800's to find the "Garden of the World".  They encountered hardships across the arid, grassless lands, climbing up hill and down often with no water.  1 in 10 died.  Their wagons sometimes tipped over on the steep grades.  That is, if they had wagons.  Many traveled by foot with belongings on their backs, or in wheel barrows.  I can't imagine.

In Oregon, trucks and RV's are still, on paved roads, warned of steep downgrades and possibility of tipping, and must reduce speed.  The last pass we went through had a brake testing area, three warning signs, and three runaway truck ramps on the down slope!  (and we avoided Montana passes!)   Our new GPS, made just for RV's, often announced "sharp curve ahead,"as we traversed zig zag roads through what is  some of the most beautiful country in the nation.  You go from arid brown slopes to tall stately fir trees to  rushing waterfalls, and into the Columbia River Gorge, which is breathtaking.  And up pops  Mt. Hood, at 11,000 feet, standing before you in snow capped glory, a dormant volcano.

We  spent our last night at a site right on the Columbia River, which was beautiful.  We encountered several  campers as we walked  a trail along the waterfront, and chatted with some just sitting and watching the sunset.  The road we followed to Portland followed the Lewis and Clark trail, and the Oregon Trail.  We have already visited some of the  sites in eastern Oregon, and I will look up some photos from a road trip last summer to add, especially for my Florida friends!  I also have photos of central Oregon, which is high desert, and another place that amazes me, with its unique landscape.  But the Gorge is still my favorite, and now that we have the motor home, I noticed signs as we drove through for camping, and want to do it there.   Funny how sometimes you don't notice things until they pertain to you!

the legend

Indian legend says three maidens were being chased by a bear, and they prayed to be saved, and the spirit answered by lifting the earth up to save them.  The gouges in the sides of the rock face are from the bears claws.  Further, the maidens were transported to the heavens, and became a constellation, whose name alludes me.  

back to Devils tower

While I have the hotspot working, here it the tower.

Look closely at the tiny dots in the foreground......people climbing the boulders!  And the tinier black dot on the left hand side is not a spot on my lens, but rather a rock climber.  Remember.....the clouds are bringing rain!!

Wyoming to Utah

I was able to get them after all!

Click on photo for additional photos.

Wyuti

What, never heard of it?  That's because I made it up!!  We drove through the rest of Wyoming and into Utah, and now are in Idaho......WY-UT-I.    :-)

Wyoming was gorgeous, and I was thinking again about the Steinbeck book, and him saying that he was simply in love with Wyoming.  Then we hit Utah , and that was gorgeous.   We went from pretty to prettier yesterday.  Even in the morning mist and leftover rain Wyoming countryside was beautiful.  Wide open, empty, but beautiful.

We plan to return and do a vacation in Utah, as it offers countless state and national parks, and of course, Salt Lake, enough to spend a lot of time.   We stopped in Brigham for the night and went out looking for two restaurants that had great ratings on Yelp.  Both closed!!  Maybe they don't open until "season?"  AND, I didn't take my camera, so missed the photo of the historic Mormon church, and gorgeous scenery of the mountains that surrounded it.  All snow capped and beautiful.  But we had dinner, then went back and sat on picnic table and enjoyed the sunset.  Which was very late.  Probably could have driven longer, but it was a full day, and we were tired and went to bed early.

A small aside about Utah.   Movies shot here include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , Thelma and Louise, and the Greatest Story Ever Told.  Utah has the highest literacy rate, largest average household size, second highest birth rate, and second lowest death rate in the 50 states.

Now driving across Idaho using the verizon hotspot.  No photos today.

Wyoming and Devils Tower

I have photos for this, too, but will have to wait.

You have really entered the west when you enter Wyoming, and its welcome sign is different, as is the west.  Our goal yesterday was Devils Tower, an amazing monolith that climbs 875 feet above the plain, which is already nearly 5000 feet above sea level.  It juts up as you approach, and can be seen from 100 miles away.  If you saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it was the object of obsession in that movie.

It is such an amazing sight, that when Teddy Roosevelt came upon it in the 1800's, he made it the nations' first National Monument.  (yes, the first national park was Yellowstone, but this was the first monument.)

You will see in the photos that unfortunately  it was hazy, and the clouds were gathering, and I had a very gray sky to shoot against.  (photoshop anyone???)  And we drove on, and into rain.  It cleared for a while when we reached Casper, thankfully, as we stayed here last night, and were able to hook up and stay dry.  Then the clouds let loose for real!  It has rained much of the night, and we both expected flooding when we got up this morning, but it apparently drains very well.  The big puddle that gathered next to the coach last night is about the same size!

Casper is the second largest town in Wyoming, and host to one of the only three enclosed shopping malls in the entire state, with 90 stores, and a theatre that has second run movies.   As you can imagine, we are not going there!!  Actually, the thing I would like to see here is the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.  The Gold Rush trails, Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail all went through here, and it tells the stories.

We turned south from Devil's tower instead of continuing on the northern route through Montana.  We were concerned about passes with the crazy spring, and sure enough, one of our fellow travelers told us they went to Glacier Park  and had to turn around because of snow.  So we head in the direction of Salt Lake City today, and then make the diagonal up toward Portland.  A little out of our way, but better safe than sorry.

A quick note on Deadwood, South Dakota

A VERY  quick note , as I was driving, and Clem was not for stopping.  Even though Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock were buried on the hillside above town!  Side by side at her request.  A great western town, it is actually on the National Historic Register, and you can see why when you see all the wonderful old western buildings.  I drove fairly slowly, and Clem snapped a photo of the sign for me.....sort of.  I will post the photo later.

 Got frustrated last night with slow connections.  We have been around 5000 feet elevation, and though in prairie now, forest, for the last several days, and services are sketchy to say the least!  Even Clem's Verizon service was out.  Our waitress the other night told another guest that if he walked out to the end of the parking lot, he might be able to pick up cell service.  They just take it for granted. How spoiled we are!

By the way, just before getting to Deadwood, we went through Sundance, where the Kid got his name!  He was said to have shot a sheriff here, and then headed for his "Hole in the Wall" hideout about 150 miles southwest.

I now realize I also forgot to mention the Crazy Horse Memorial, which we visited after Mount Rushmore.  The Indians wanted everyone to know that they had heros too, and they "hired" a sculptor to carve another nearby mountain with a statue even larger than Mt. Rushmore.  All four heads of Rushmore would actually fit in the head of that statue!  It was started in 1948, one lone man, with no money working on it.  We still can't quite figure out the "hired" part if he had no money.  And the family has taken over the project.  Donations and $10 per person entrance are the only funding at this point.  You can now make out a face, thanks to the work that was done over the last 10 years.  Needless to say, it will not be finished in our lifetime.

Fun Seeker Camper....cute little thing with a great name!  Saw a couple on our journey.  

Mount Rushmore

I was unprepared for my reaction when we got there yesterday, and I can't now put it in words. Quite a feeling to be standing in front of this magnificent monument that is so representational of our country.  You are struck by its size, and by how smooth the surface is, carved into the mountainside.  And how real the likeness of these great men.  The story of its creation, first envisioned by a local man, and brought to reality by then famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum.  He and his workers blasted and drilled for 14 years, and it stands as it did at his death, unfinished.  I don't think I ever realized that, but it was supposed to show the men to their waists, but his death, and lack of funding, halted the process.

The process was amazing, working from a 1/12 scale model,  and provided for the likeness and the smoothness, which  attests to his talent.  From his studio alongside the mountain , he even decided to add a piece of flint to the eyes to bring life to them.  They are being carefully preserved with modern methods, which hopefully will prevent it from being destroyed by the elements.  

We stayed last night just outside of the park at an amazing KOA that was more a resort than a campsite!  Complete with all the amenities, plus horseback riding, two restaurants, a huge kids area with games and a giant bouncing surface, and several stores.  There were 600 camp sites, plus cabins and a large lodge.....amazing!  Kids everywhere having a super time.  A great place for a family vacation.

Have to mention the huge number of Motorhomes and trailers we have encountered in the last several states, and especially here!  And tons of rentals, too!  We were walking to see the sunset two nights ago, and a family pulled into the camp, and the man waved and smiled.  The next night I was in the office, having checked in to the next site, and he came in!  I smiled, but he did not recognize me.  Today, we pulled in for gas, and as we were walking back to the RV after checking out the store and paying, there he was!!  I smiled, and asked him if he was following us!  I reminded him where and how many times I had seen him , and he said they were headed for the same destination today as well!   Pretty funny!  They have rented, and are doing a big circle of the parks, then back home to Michigan.

We spent a second night in the Badlands and visited nearby "world famous" Wall Drug.  This was a small town drug store whose owner took his cue from the Burma Shave signs, and installed signs all along the road advertising "free icewater."  It became known as the ice water store, and they still offer that, and free donuts and coffee to honeymooners and veterans.  Over the years it has expanded and taken over other properties along the road, and now fills nearly an entire block, offering everything from soup to nuts.  One of those places you have to go to once.

We also revisited the entrance to the park, which we had driven through with the motor home with car in tow, heading for our camp site.  This allowed us to stop at the look outs, and really enjoy, and do a little walking among the formations of rock.  It really looks like giant sand castles, and it does leave a sandy surface where you walk, even though it is hard.  Kids were having a great time climbing over the structures in one area.  It was also a clear blue sky, so I got some shots with better back grounds, so you may want to look at the album again if you have already done so!


On Saturday we left the Badlands and entered the prairies once again, and then were  surprised to come over a ridge and behold forested rolling hills!  It was a drastic division between the grasses of the prairies and the forest of ponderosa pines, and it was stunning.  We marveled the rest of the day yesterday, and then again today how beautiful it is in the Black Hills.  I thought it may have been the prettiest landscape on this journey, but it is hard to really choose!

Badlands SD

What a spectacular place. We drove around the loop, which is mostly paved, with many lookouts. But as the day clouded over with pending rain, we hurried to the area with unpaved road where the wildlife was supposed to be. We were not disappointed, as not long after leaving the pavement, we came upon a family of long horned sheep picking their way up the steep grade. Now, I have often been in areas where they are supposed to be, and have never actually seen one, so to come upon a family, I was thrilled! My partner maybe not so much so! "How many pictures do you need, Carol?" PLENTY, as you never know which ones will come out!!

We moved on and came across Prairie Dog area, and at first excited to see a few, I soon realized they were everywhere! Darting in and out, popping up and down, and making cute little squeaking noises. "Oh my gosh! Custest thing I have ever seen!!" says I. "No they aren't!" comes the reply!! Hmph!

Next came the buffalo, and we were both disappointed that they were pretty far from the road at the moment. One can imagine what it must have been like for the Lakota and their predecessors to hunt these plains. The Lakota word, and then the French trappers phrase for these lands meant bad lands, as they were so hard to traverse. And Chief Big Foot and his men cut a passage by hand to try to escape, but the result was the slaughter at Wounded Knee, not far from here. A sad tale once again in our history.

We both agree that this land is awe inspiring. If you click on the photo, you can see the rest of the album.

BIG day Wednesday!

Big blue sky, big puffy clouds, big farms with big silos, BIG open prairie land!

Clem cuts the pipestone.
The weather was spectacular after the flooding of the day before, and we went into the Pipestone National Monument before heading out, where we saw a very interesting film on the history of the pipes and Native Americans and spoke to a very knowledgeable park ranger who answered our questions about the Sioux Quartzite and pipestone beneath.  The quartzite is the second hardest rock, and it is amazing what they go through to get to the pipestone, which is softer and carveable.  We even got to try our hand at cutting some. The Native Americans are now the only ones allowed to quarry it there, and they still do, all by hand.  I was moved by the dedication to their heritage, even among the young.  I had to ponder what our children today would say if we told them we were going to go out and hammer and dig the earth and rock all day, to find this stone.    

We crossed into South Dakota and miles of flat open prairie.   The farms, when we saw them, were so huge, it was amazing.  Cattle looked like ants.  At one point there was a tractor that had cut two swaths, and was sitting there.  We estimated that it took us nearly 10 minutes  traveling at 65 mph to cover the length of one side of the circle!  Can't imagine how long it might take to cut the entire field!

Clem and Cornelius

Our first stop was in Mitchell, home of the world's only Corn Palace.  Now a basketball arena, decorated with real corn cobs, husks  and grasses in intricate designs that are reworked every year, it was first constructed in 1800's on a wooden structure.  Why, you may ask?  Well, it seems Lewis and Clark came thorough and said the land would never be any good for anything except buffalos and horses, and they wanted to prove the value of their agriculture.  I have to say the early designs were more elaborate, but it is still a sight.

We drove on along the prairie and  suddenly came to a steep downgrade, which I found surprising, since we had not climbed that I could remember, and there we were crossing the Missouri River!  Another gorgeous site that elicited "wows" from both of us.

Big state, and a long way yet to go, we booked a KOA in Belvidere, and were very surprised to find that the 1880 town, for which we had seen many bill boards ( oh yes.....lots of BIG BILLBOARDS), was actually very nice, and not the hokey tourist attraction we expected it to be.  A man  has actually collected authentic buildings from the 1800's and early 1900's, and moved them and assembled a town here, just like it would have been then.  Complete with furnishings and in some cases even photos of the families who had lived there.  In the old hotel, you can actually see the spur marks of the cowboys on the stairs from when they came down for breakfast.  Pretty fascinating stuff.

See more photos of 1880 town in albums.  

I have photos, but wifi here is very slow, and our hot spot not much better, so will add later.
Today we head into the Badlands, so it may be a few days!!!  Hopefully we will make it out safely! :-)

Moon over 1880 Town, shot from the motorhome at our campsite.

Had breakfast the next morning in the 1950's Dining Car of the train you see behind this unusual motorhome.  The old train car was original, and very neat.  The motorhome looks like converted bus, with the special touch of the horns!

Pipestone Minnesota

Whoa!  Batten the hatches and hold on to that steering wheel!  Minnesota was very windy, and apparently is most of the time.  1200 Wind turbines line the countryside and attest to that.  Minnesota is farm country, and settled by Scandinavian immigrants, who were called "sodbusters", as they cleared land to find the rich soil of the prairie.

We drove into black clouds that gave way to downpours of rain, and I was hoping it was at least cleaning my dirty car!  We arrived at our campsite and were guided into a spot that had standing water right where our door is!  Guess we may need to add boots to our list of supplies!  We re maneuvered, and got to a bit better ground, set up, and waited for the rain to subside.  The area is still this evening under a flood warning.

The goal today was Pipestone, near the South Dakota border, where  there is  an abundance of Sioux quartzite.    The pink/red  stone was used in buildings up and down the historic main street, and the town was added to the Register of National Historic places.  The Sioux cleared the prairie grass, and quarried the softer pipestone, beneath the  pink stones,  to make their peace pipes, and hence the name of the town.   Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha" tells of "the great Red Pipestone Quarry", and the area is still sacred ground of the Sioux and other Native Americans.  There is a pageant presented each year of the Song of Hiawatha on the spot where the quarry of an architect who built the Historic Moore Block, once existed.   The building that bears his name is covered with humorous faces, and on the National Register, as are many of the buildings.     Very interesting , now sleepy, little town.

Click on the photo to see more photos of the buildings.

Joe and Shirley's custom RV

At one campground we saw a diesel truck   hauling a 5th wheel.  But Joe assures us it was not like his!  He and a friend designed it, and it, by itself, can be used for camping!  We struck up a conversation with him this morning on a little walk around the park, and he gave us a peek inside.  Back seat converts to a bed, and there is a refrigerator and stove, and a shelf above for storage of , among other things, their guitars.  They play together often, and perform at senior centers.  A lovely couple, it turned out she had checked us in!  They are full timers, and work at the Rochester, WI camp during the summer months, in exchange for their stay, I would assume.  (We have met several couples like this on our travels. )  He hauls the fifth wheel with this truck, and then a small white car behind that!  When I asked what length  that came to, he said, longer than the law allows in a lot of states!  But they don't bother him.   We chatted, and he offered us newbies some helpful tips, and invited us to come and listen to them play guitar this evening.  Too bad we had to leave.  

An interesting note about this campsite.  Located in Rochester,  a large percentage of the occupants of the park are Mayo Clinic patients, and a free shuttle runs from the camp to the Mayo every half hour every day.  

Fun day in Wisconsin

Of course I had to stop at one of the cheese stands that beckoned yesterday!  We tasted and then stocked up on some really good cheese.  One was a Havarti with peppadews, those wonderful little hot sweet peppers that are popping up on all the olive bars.

 We finally got underway, and  Wisconsin did surprise me after all, as the wide farmland turned into hills and some rock cliffs as we skirted the Wisconsin Dells.  I had asked about visiting there, and was told "it's busy!!"  Turns out what I expected to be a big natural area is clogged with water parks and tourist attractions.  We could have taken an exit off the road, and taken a boat ride, but again....another time.

 I did , however, insist that we get off for Buffalo Phils.  Thanks to Fran, who sent me an article, I recognized it as a restaurant that serves food on a model train!!  Now,  how could we not go???  Clem was nervous about getting off the highway with the motorhome, but I insisted, figuring  if it was such a tourist area, it must be wide and high enough for us, or in the worst case, we could stop, unhook and back up! We did just fine, and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as did I.  He was soon taking pictures with his phone and sending them to his train buddies.

What a super place for a family to vacation!  Buffalo Phils was HUGE, not the quaint little place I had expected. When the train is not delivering food, it comes around with toys, and the kids get buffalo horn hats.  Yes, I kind of wanted one, but didn't ask.  I did, however, get my ice cream delivered in a train box!  And the back of the place is a huge arcade, with the biggest blow up bouncing surface I have ever seen.   There is a Great Wolf in addition to several other water parks, and more.  But we had our dessert and took off.


We skipped a few possible adventures and enjoyed the beautiful scenery right into Minnesota.  As we crossed the state line, we also crossed the Mighty Mississippi.  Wow!  Beautiful!  Pretty wide at that point, and little islands.....quite a sight!

 Our waiter Antoine, was all for joining in the fun when I asked if I could take his picture.

Our travel day today has been very pleasant, with lots of pretty things to see, instead of the monotony that can sometimes accompany travel on highways.   Steinbeck mentioned in "Travels with Charlie"  that one day you would be able to drive clear across country, and not see a thing.  How right he was.  I drove all day, so no photos out moving windows!  Clem really needs to pick up the slack, don't you think???  :-)  

 Loki cozzies up on the dash while I update my blog, and Clem watches the game.  Great sky!