Cape Disappointment

We changed our plans and stayed two nights at Cape Disappointment State Park just over the Oregon/Washington border along the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. We haven’t seen an ocean since our cruise! We thought it was a Lewis and Clark camp we hadn’t heard about but it was named by a British explorer who floated up the Columbia River, He determined it was not the Columbia and was “disappointed.” If he had tasted the water and found it fresh, not salty, he may have changed his mind!

The park is really nice with hikes to two lighthouses and the ocean beach. There is also a big Coast Guard Station there – the Columbia is a major shipping channel. It is a dangerous area for ships because of the weather and storms along with the tides change the sand bars in the river. There have been many shipwrecks along the coastline. We saw many fisherman in boats in the mouth of the river and along the jetty trying to catch salmon and crabs. We also saw remnants of World War II gun placements/concrete bunkers along the bluffs above the ocean – then called Fort Canby – protecting the mouth of the river. A Japanese submarine a actually fired at the US coastline just south of there in Oregon!

Roger toured one more Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center – I stayed home and read my good book!

Thinking of all the poor people along the eastern coastline along “Irene’s” path. So glad we came west and not east this summer!

Astoria, Oregon

Astoria is the home of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark spent November 1805 through March 1806, and the last stop on our Lewis and Clark tour! (You can give that last statement any emotion you wish!) They built the fort in an attempt to stay warm and dry through the winter months. A group of volunteers help the rangers by giving demonstrations and talks about the history of the expedition and we listened to a gentleman this morning that did a really good job.

Astoria and it's neighbor town, Seaside, are bustling with runners and their supporters this week-end because of the annual Hood River to Seaside Relay Race - about 200 miles. It consists of 1,200 teams of 12 and takes 4,000 volunteers to organize/direct it! We talked to a man at breakfast whose wife was running 3 different "legs" for her team - she started at 3 am on Thursday morning at the Timberline Lodge where we had lunch the other day - and ran 6 miles. He said the length of each run depends on the terrain and the runner. Participants have been running, walking, limping, by the RV park all day. There are many cars and vans with slogans - one said - "Don't Get Too Close - We've Got The Runs!" and another had a wooden caricature of a slug on the top of the car and a sign - "The Slugs are Slow but Steady."

We rode our bikes along the waterfront, (it's windy here like Brownsville) had lunch at a local brewery on the river, and saw the sea lions near one of the piers. They are huge animals and a noisy bunch - all pushing and shoving for a spot in the sun! I sent a video of them to Samantha and Emily.

Columbia River Gorge

On Tuesday, we travelled through the wheatfields on the plains of Idaho and east Washington until we hit the orchards and vineyards of south, central Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. The east side of the gorge has been marred by dams and railroad yards but the area we are in now near Hood River is lovely.
There are waterfalls everywhere you look and Mt. Hood is in the background!

We took a loop tour around Mt. Hood yesterday (Wednesday.)  Stopped and hiked along Cold Spring Creek to Tamanawas Falls - a beautiful way to start our day. We ate lunch at Timberline Lodge - a ski lodge at Mt. Hood. It is a National Historic Landmark - built in the 1930's as a WPA project. Believe it or not, they are still skiing on some areas of the mountain - in August! Gorgeous old building of rock and logs. We stopped and saw other falls on our way home - most of them close to the road - our legs were tired from our morning 4 mile hike!




We hiked the Eagle Creek Trail today - thinking it was only about 3 miles total - but we ended up with a longer hike than yesterday - about 6 miles! Our legs are soar tonight! But it was so nice - two falls on this one - Metlako Falls and Punch Bowl Falls. Today we had lunch at a cafe on the River and then toured the Bonneville Dam. We joined a ranger led tour that was really interesting and even got to see some salmon coming up the fish ladders!





There is an osprey nest, high in a dead tree, across the road from our campsite and we have enjoyed watching them. It was such a nice temperature that we decided to eat outside tonight. Roger took a bite of meat and a bee stung his lower lip! I had to pull the stinger out with tweezers! I gave him some Benadryl and ice but it is puffed up big! How freaky!

We got up at 3:30am so we could SKYPE with the girls before they went to bed. Samantha wanted to tell us all about school and her new teacher - then she took the computer to her room to show us how they redecorated it. It's real cute and she loves her new "art station" with all her arts and crafts supplies. Emily was crying in the background because she couldn't talk until she ate all her dinner! Samantha said "she's being Miss Cranky Pants!" They are excited to go to Bali on "holiday" next week. Emily says they are going to "ride on an elephant!"

Megan and Carlos just got back from a fun week-end in LasVegas with David and Monica. Good shows and good food but not especially lucky at gambling!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

August 22, 2011 our 42nd wedding anniversary – how have that many years gone by when we haven’t aged a bit?! We celebrated on Saturday with our boat ride and dinner so today was a quiet travel day – we are headed to the Columbia River Gorge.

Roger went to see the Dworshak Dam near Orofino, Idaho yesterday– you know how he loves the engineering details of dams! I stayed home – the last thing I wanted to do was get in the car and ride again!

Hells Canyon

We decided to splurge and celebrate our anniversary with a jet boat ride on the Snake River in Hells Canyon! We're getting more adventurous in our old age! The weather was glorious and we had such a fun day!
We drove about 1.5 hours to Whitebird, Idaho - up and over the mountains - and then 17 miles down (and I mean DOWN into the canyon) on a gravel road, to Pittsburg Landing, on the Snake River. We have been driving in mountain terrain for so long we were awestruck when we drove up to the plains - miles and miles and miles of farm and grass lands.
We have decided that the #1 item you need when visiting Idaho is BRAKES! When we finally began our descent to Whitebird, we drove, I should say coasted, about 15 miles down a 7% grade. There were several "run a way" truck stops along the way - deep sand, high angle run offs designed to stop a vehicle. Somewhat comforting!
The advantage of the tour we took is that it actually begins in Hells Canyon - so the whole adventure is in the canyon. The disadvantage is, you have to drive there - down, down, down to the boarding spot. As we drove into the parking lot we saw a Piper Cub coming in to land on a small airstrip across the river - looked pretty "tricky" with the canyon walls! This area is called Hells Canyon because of all the rapids on this part of the Snake River. They are rated on a scale of one through six - we went through one Class 5, two or three Class 4's and many Class 1-3 rapids - exhilarating! Oregon is on the west side and Idaho is on the east.
We went 32 miles up the Snake River to the Oregon Visitor Center at Hells Canyon Dam, had lunch and then began our return trip. Fun going up but really exciting coming back down at full speed through the rapids - we got wet! Roger got some good videos of the smaller rapids but during the bigger ones we were in life jackets, holding on tight - the camera would have gotten soaked!
The jet boats are really a neat way to ride the rapids but there are also plenty of kayaks and rubber rafts on the river. Apparently, there is a feud between the boaters and the rafters similar to the cattle vs sheep ranchers! There were several private jet boats - they use them to sport fish large sturgeons - the guide told us they cost about $70,000!! If they catch a sturgeon, it is illegal to even take them out of the water so, they have to get pictures of them near the boat! They are huge and often take 4-5 hours to "land."
There are three old sheep ranches on the river - none in operation now - what an isolated life they led!
We stopped at Mack's, the only restaurant in Whitebird for dinner - people we met on the boat told us they had good food. What a surprise - a gourmet type place in this little tiny town! A really nice end to a perfect day!

LoLo Motorway

We slept with the window open and listened to the river! Got up early and drove up to the LoLo Motorway - sounds like a race car track but, trust me it is as far removed from that as possible! It is actually, the trail, on the mountain ridge, that Lewis and Clark traveled, that eventually led them to the plains. There is a fire look-out at Crested Butte, about 10 miles further up the trail, that is no longer used by the forest service and is rented out for overnight visitors. We really wanted to see it but, the road was so bad we eventually turned around. Can't imagine the view from up there! We did hike back to "Sinque Hole" - another Lewis and Clark campsite, before we started back down the mountain. Roger is having such a good time exploring all these places he read about in the journals and I am in awe of the arduous journey they endured! I feel like I am "roughing it" with no cell phone!
After our early morning hike, we left the campground and drove another 50 miles in scenery just like yesterday. There are many small creeks that flow into the river so it gradually gets bigger with less rapids.   We are in Orofino, Idaho tonight - at a BLM campground on the Clearwater River -
Internet but no cell phone!

Wilderness Gateway

We are overnighting in Wilderness Gateway National Forest Campground ($4.00/night!) on our way to Kooskia, Idaho. Roger has found the most beautiful places to stay on this trip – we are camped right on the Lochsa River and can hear it as it meanders over rocks and through the woods.

We stopped at “Travelers Rest”  - now a state park – this morning. It is the area along the LoLo Creek where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805 and in 1806 before and after they went over the Rocky Mountains at LoLo Pass. There was a volunteer there, from the local Lewis and Clark group, who gave  us a guided tour and explained how the archeologists discovered that this was actually the place where they camped.

You will be surprised at how they figured it out! Historians and archeologists studied Lewis and Clark’s journals and had narrowed the location down but needed “proof” of the exact camp area. Since they  were truly a military unit, the camps were always laid out according to military protocol. So, they could figure out where the campfires and latrines should be. They knew from the journals that many of the men were sick and Lewis often treated them with a powerful laxative that contained mercury – fondly, nicknamed “thunderclappers!” The archeologists found large amounts of mercury in a latrine area convincing everyone that they had found the correct camp site!

We then drove through Clearwater National Forest and the Bitterroot/Rocky Mountains. Our next stop was the LoLo Pass Visitor Center – a beautiful log cabin type building. They have audio tapes you can check out, like a library book, listen about Lewis and Clark’s adventures, and then return to one of several different places in Idaho. As we left there, there was a sign that said “Winding, steep road – next 99 miles” – and they were not exaggerating! We traveled through 85 miles of the most gorgeous wilderness we have ever seen – around every curve there was another panoramic view of the mountains and alpine forest – all the way following a clear bubbling river right next to the road! The Lochsa River is a premier white water rafting/kayaking river in the spring. I can’t even imagine how it roars through the gorge then! No way to capture it all with a camera!

Emily called last night and when I answered said “Tima, can you get on SKYPE? Call me on SKYPE!” Such a cute little voice! She wanted to tell us all about a dinosaur birthday party she went to; show us her apron she made at school when they made cupcakes; and tell us how she can swim without her floaties! Such a cutie! Samantha is in school so we will have to wait until the week-end to talk with her – the time difference makes it difficult when she goes to bed and school early.

 

Hiawatha Trail

We drove from West Glacier to Kalispell for one night and then on to Missoula, MT. More beautiful country! Someone told us "Missoula is the Austin of Montana" - a university town, music and the arts and we would add traffic! A couple of "down" days with full hook-ups for laundry etc. Roger got the car washed!

We drove west to the Idaho/Montana border today and rode the Hiawatha Rail to Trail bike path. What an experience! You ride 15 miles downhill and a shuttle takes you back to the top - my kind of biking! It is in mountain country - the scenery is panoramic and gorgeous. We rode through 8 tunnels and over 7 high trestle bridges. The first tunnel was 2 miles long - dark, cold, wet and scary! We had to rent lights to put on our handle bars - next time I'll bring a big spotlight and duct tape it to my bike! The trail is gravel and bumpy - more like mountain biking - and we were covered with dust when we finished but, what fun!

Roger had a flat tire soon after we exited the big tunnel - so glad it did not happen in the dark! He changed the tube and pumped it up with a CO2 inflator and it went flat again a short time later. Thought we were doomed but, would you believe the "Trail Marshall" came by and helped him fix the valve core and pump it up again. The bike gods were with us because it was fine the rest of the way. We were really worried we would end up walking either back up or down!

Polebridge

We drove about 25 miles into the northwest section of the park this morning to Polebridge Loop. The entire town of Polebridge consists of the Polebridge Mercantile and the Northern Lights Saloon and about 15 full time residents! The mercantile is known for its great bakery and our cinamon rolls proved the rumor true!
After a fun chat with the locals we headed further into the "boonies" to Bowman Lake. You would think that traveling down a dusty, bumpy gravel road for 12 miles through prime bear country would have been rewarded with seeing a bear - but, no such luck! The lake was lovely and is the starting point for many backpackers and long hikers who really explore the wilderness of Glacier National Park!

Tidbits about Glacier:
We heard one of the locals complaining that it was "too damn hot" - it was 68 degrees! He'd never survive in Texas!
The ranger presentations in the evenings have been very interesting. They mark certain trees in the forests, put small barbed wire strips on them and then collect the bear fur that is left when the bears rub the tree. They can then track the bears from their DNA. There are about 50 wolverines in the park - none in Michigan anymore. They are very difficult to capture or track because they are so vicious - "one bad, ass sociopath of the park!"
They tranquilize them and insert GPS devices and have been amazed at how far they roam and how quickly! Eagle's eyesight is so keen it could read a newspaper from 7 stories up! So, now you are ready for a game of Trivia! As much as we have enjoyed the park, considering our national debt - I think there is room for some cuts!
The locals say they had a "hard" winter and spring was 3 weeks late but this summer has been the nicest in several years - lucky us!

We rode our bikes along the paved bike path from the campground to the little town of West Glacier late this afternoon - about 6 miles round trip. We stopped at the local bar for a beer, started talking with some people - guess where she was born and raised? Jackson, Michigan! They live in Wisconsin now. Met a couple last night at dinner from Lansing - he had a Tigers baseball cap on - they live in Missoula, MT now. Heather posted on Facebook that she saw a guy with a "Keep Austin Weird" T-shirt in KL the other day. It truly is a small world!

I found a neat T-shirt for Roger - it says "Glacier National Park" on the front - on the back it shows a guy hiking up a cliff with the caption "Let Someone Else Climb the Corporate Ladder."

We still have not found a car wash. The car is now covered in a thick layer of dust - stuck in the cow poo! It is driving Roger crazy - I told him to think of it as an "anti-theft" device!

Hidden Lake

We had the most memorable day! We rode the express shuttle bus to Logan's Pass (the place we couldn't find a parking spot the other day) and hiked the Hidden Lake Trail. OMG! The most beautiful place we have ever been!
The trail is 1.5 miles each way and climbs 460 feet in elevation - not horrible, but at an altitude of 6,650 feet it was invigorating to say the least! We saw big horn sheep, mountain goats, and a marmot. Here it is August 13th and we trekked through snow! Glad we had our hiking boots and poles - it was steep and slippery in many places. The scenery is so awesome - like scenes from "The Sound of Music" Everywhere you look there is a snow melt waterfall and right next to glacier snow there are wildflowers trying to bloom in the sunshine. The lake is located at the foot of the mountains and the water is a lovely blue/green. We sat on a rock and ate our lunch and just soaked in the beauty - want to save it in our hard drive so when we need a peaceful place we can go back there! Now we know why Glacier is called the "Crown Jewel of the Continent."
Logan's Pass is about 28 miles up Going to the Sun Road. Ten miles of it drives past Lake MacDonald! We couldn't stop to take good pictures because we were on the express shuttle bus but, we did our best to get
Bird Woman Falls, Haystack Falls and Heaven's Peak. Kinda' nice to sit back and relax and just drink in the scenery.

West Glacier

We went to another park ranger presentation last night - this one about how trees, plants and animals survive the brutal winters here. Glad I don't  have to! She said they did a recent survey to determine the average length of stay in Glacier National Park and asked the audience to estimate. Roger and I said "3-4 days." What would you guess? The answer really surprised everyone - 3 hours!!! We plan to spend 6 days and haven't seen half of it!
We drove Hwy 2 from east to west Glacier this morning. Followed the Flathead River most of the way. More beautiful scenery!
We are staying at Apgar Village National Park on Lake MacDonald - a huge glacier lake. Back to Internet service but on and off cell phones and no TV - too many trees! A bigger campground but not as pretty as Two Medicine. We need a connection to the world so Roger can make plans to get our jacks fixed!
We took the "Trail of the Cedars" hike this afternoon and then stopped at many scenic look outs along the drive back home - mostly waterfalls along the Avalanche River, which eventually drains into Lake MacDonald. The water is crystal clear and a lovely shade of blue/green.

Glacier National Park

I drove part the of way to the east side of Glacier National Park and came across ranchers herding cows down the road. Poor Roger! When we got to East Glacier and he went to unhook the car, it and the tow bar were covered in cow poo! What a mess! And we still haven’t found a car wash!
There isn’t much in the town of East Glacier but there is a 13 foot bridge and our motorhome is 13 feet, 1 inch. We were reluctant to take a chance – it is our house! - so Roger unhooked the car (in case he needed to back up!) and lowered the suspension. I drove the car under the bridge and then guided him through. He hogged the road and blocked traffic but came through with room to spare!
I drove ahead to Two Medicine campground to “scout” a campsite. It’s tricky because they don’t take reservations and the rangers have nothing to do with the process – it is all “first come, first serve” – if you get there too early campers have not left yet and if you get there too late, the campground is full. There are limited big rig sites and many are taken by tenters . Frustrating, but, hey, they were there first! I was about to give up when we saw a pull through site that had just been vacated with a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. The camping gods were with us! The only bad news was no cell or internet connection.
We took a boat ride across lower Two Medicine Lake – in a lovely old 1924 boat and then took a guided hike to Two Falls. The guide said interrupt and ask any questions – just not about world events or sports – she hasn’t seen a TV in well over a year! The hike began with a talk about bear safety. We think we are all set – got our bells and spray – NOT! Apparently, adult bears have poor hearing and the bells are not loud enough to warn them of your presence. The cubs hear them and are curious enough to follow the sound – of course, where the cubs go, Mama follows. Hence, the rangers and locals call them “dinner bells!” We are such city slickers! But, the bear spray is a must and we had the good kind – sprays a long distance! The guide told us she was ready to dock the boat once and a black bear sauntered out of the woods to get a e drink and then laid on the dock and took a nap. They had to wait out in the lake until he woke up and went away!
We went to the ranger campfire talk and learned all about moose! I got excited a couple of times when we were driving because we saw what looked like the back end of a moose along the road but they “free range” the livestock around here and they were just wayward cows!
We drove up the east side of the park to Many Glaciers. Beautiful scenery but we couldn’t do any hiking – they have closed the trails do to increased bear activity in the area. Say no more, we’re outta’ there! Most of the glaciers are in this north eastern part of the park – nestled in the mountain passes.
“Going to the Sun Road” is the main east/west artery through the park. It is about 50 miles of the most gorgeous vistas you can imagine. There are many scenic overlooks and trailheads so it is fun to drive – stop and hike back to a waterfall – then drive on. We went about half way – had intended to hike from Logan Pass – but the parking lot is way too small and it was a major traffic jam with no hope of getting a spot to park so we decided to take the shuttle from the west side of the park while we are camped there. Road construction doesn’t help the situation but they certainly can’t do it in the winter! The park runs “Red Bus Tours” in neat old touring cars and they help the traffic some.
We met a couple from D.C. on our first hike and they told us there was a good newspaper article in a recent edition of the N. Y. Times all about Glacier. The writer recommended two restaurants in East Glacier and we’ve tried them both. The “Whistle Stop” for awesome omelets and huckleberry French toast - I had a  crab omelet – and Serrano’s Mexican Café – the place was packed!
Today is a “down” day – Roger needs to do some “real” work – we are moving to West Glacier in the morning.

RV Repair

Good news: The RV repair shop was expecting us and got the motorhome in on time this morning and diagnosed part of our problem.
Bad news: We need 2 new jacks.
Good news: They are under warranty.
Bad news: Atwood doesn't have any in stock - they need to make them - 2-3 week delivery time!
Badder news: "We forgot to tell you this - the warranty only applies to parts, not labor - that will be $300, please!"
We will have them delivered to a repair shop somewhere in our future travels. Once they are put on, then they can figure out what caused them to fail - a computer problem perhaps?
Could be worse!

We will head to Glacier National Park early tomorrow morning. We are excited! We talked with our friends, Mike & Lorraine, and they gave us many tips on what to see and do - it's one of their favorite spots!
We bought "Bear Spray" and bells at the sporting goods store today - $46.95 each for the spray!!! We certainly are not planning on any back country hiking but want to hike popular trails to lakes and waterfalls and figured we should be prepared. The bear spray is a super, duper pepper spray that sprays 30-35 feet - comes with a "holster" so you can keep it handy! The directions say not to use it if you are "down wind." Just my luck the bear would be on the wrong side of me! The bells are like big "jingle bells" that you attach to your clothing so they make a lot of noise while you walk. Hope we see some bears - but, from a distance, like while driving in the car!!

Great Falls, MT

We had to leave our campsite in Devils Elbow, because it was reserved for the week-end, so we headed to Kings Hill National Forest Campground. Roger wasn't feeling a 100% so I drove through the mountain passes and valleys to get there -in the rain - did OK - good experience using the air brakes!
The campground is near Kings Hill Fire Lookout Tower (a little over 8,000 feet) so we drove up to see it. We thought it was abandoned but, there is a full time "Forest Engineer" on duty. She invited us "up" to see the view - awesome! It was a beautiful clear morning and we could see 13 different mountain ranges - one as far away as 100 miles. She explained how she calculates the location of fires and reports them to the firefighters on the ground. She lives in a 10 x 10 room with a small gas stove; a small refrig; a twin bed; a desk and her "fire finder." Notice I did not list a sink or a toilet! She has electricity and a phone but no internet or TV. She has one day off every 2 weeks and spends that getting groceries and water to take back for her next duty time. She has been doing it for several years and loves it - said she averages about 15 visitors a day! She stays until the first snow "that sticks" and then she works at the ski slopes during the winter.
On our way to Great Falls we stopped at a trailhead leading back to Memorial Falls. It felt so good to go hiking again! But the altitude does make a difference!
The drive to Great Falls followed a clear, bubbling stream that took us through a canyon with cliffs on both sides  and then eventually opened up to vast plains. As we got closer to Great Falls the plains became huge wheat fields. I don't know how to describe how big they were - miles and miles along the road and as far as the eye can see in all directions. They were like infinity pools - they just drop out of sight on the horizon! We saw one field where there were 4 huge combines, one after the other, harvesting the wheat. A long way from the small family farm!
The last picture is of our lunch picnic spot!
We are now at Dicks RV campground - our home until we get the levelers fixed. Great view of the railroad tracks - hope that isn't an idication of noises in the night!
PS - It is such a small world! We met a couple on the boat tour the other day whose daughter lives in Napoleon, Michigan - near where we grew up. And today we met some bikers, on their way to the Sturgis rally, one of them has a brother that lives in Bulverde, TX - near our house in Spring Branch!

Helena, MT

We are in Helena now - next stop is Great Falls where we have an appointment to get our levelers fixed. Poor Roger has been doing it the old fashioned way with wood blocks! But, hey, it works!

We are staying in another beautiful BLM park on the Missouri River called "Devils Elbow."

We took a boat tour up the river today through a canyon in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Lewis and Clark named this stretch of the river "Gates of the Mountains." Beautiful limestone cliffs hug the river. We saw eagle and osprey nests but no big horn sheep. There is a campground that is accessible only by boat but the picnic area was flooded by snow melt - the tables are now under 10 feet of gravel!

Some of the forest was destroyed by a huge fire in 2007 and many trees are being killed by a small beetle that gets under the bark. Sad to see the decimated forests.

We also went by "Mann Gulch" where 13 smoke jumpers were killed in 1949 by a fire that suddenly leaped from one side of the gulch to the other. Three firemen survived - 2 rookies who were physically fit enough to run up a 70 degree slope and find cover on the other side and the leader who started a backfire that cleared an area where he laid down and let the original fire pass over him! He could not convince the others not to try to outrun the fire. Scary stuff - couldn't pay me enough to do that job!!

Anaconda, MT

We stayed an extra day at Clark Reservoir because we had a flat tire on the car and couldn't get it fixed until Monday. We are "killing time" until our appointment to get the jacks fixed, on August 8th, in Great Falls so we drove to Butte and got groceries and then on to Anaconda. Time for power, sewer and laundry anyway.
There are "casinos" everywhere in Montana - not like Vegas and Macao - "one armed bandits" in small buildings; restaurants; laundromats; and gas stations! I can't imagine anyone wins much money in them - they certainly don't look like high stakes gambling centers!
The first day here my computer crashed! The campground owners recommended someone to fix it and after hearing the symptoms he suggested it would be cheaper to just buy a new one! So off to Walmart, the only place that sells computers in Butte. We paid the computer guy to download all my data so we stayed an extra night here too!
They say bad things happen in 3's - jacks, tires, computer - we should be done!!