The San Juan Mountains

We made it. It has been four years since we have been here. We have our fav states, Oregon and Utah, a fav road, US395, but the San Juan's are a special place to us. Nothing like them in the US. Barely 30 miles long north to south and a coupla dozen miles wide. Lots of 14's [peaks over 14,000 feet], deep narrow canyons, vista's and Jeep trails galore. Not much of a reason to come here unless you like to go up on trails to 12 or even 13,000 feet. Mining brought people here. You can see the remains of the old mines everywhere. From nothing  more than a dog hole, to mine shafts that go through mountains. Some mines are being reopened. Ever see a concrete truck on a one lane road? Well, we saw them and we gave them right-of-way. Holy Moly.

Tuesday, July 30 - We drove to Silverton, CO this morning. We heard that the Forest Service is strictly enforcing the 14 day limit.  Things change in four years.  The dispersed camping areas now have names, it's still dirt and rock, but it is fantastic.  We got a spot where we were before right on South Mineral Creek.  We drove to a couple of areas looking for places to stay before our friends arrive Sunday.  We don't want to get kicked out before they do.  We looked around town and it looks busy but everyone tell us that it is no busier than previous years.  Back at CG, we sat outside with our hors d'oeuvres and listened to the babbling creek and looked at the mountains in several directions.  It just doesn't get much better than this.

Wednesday, July 31 - Since the Forest Service is enforcing their 14 day limit, we headed out.  They had someone come in yesterday and take pictures of all rigs in CG, but they only do it occasionally.  So we have a witness to say that we left.  Also we have taken a picture of Koko in a different location with date and time to prove we were gone.  

It was a fun day.  We drove to Ouray to meet Mark and Bobbie Johnson, who live there.  Mark is the author of one of the blogs that we follow, "Box Canyon".  It was a pleasure to visit with them and they gave us helpful information about where we could hike and where we could take our Jeep.

When we arrived at Ironton, there were two fifth wheels.  When we returned from Ouray, a tenter had arrived.  Nice man and he told us that 30 Land Cruisers were arriving for the weekend for a mountain road rally and they would be in this area and the next large grassy area.  We said that would be fun.  I think that the "warning" was really a hint for us to move some place else, so they could have the premium spot that we were taking.

Thursday, August 1 - More and more people are arriving.  There are quite a few tents, but there are also tents that are off the ground, on trailers that carried the camping gear and on top of the Land Cruisers.  Two came in, one with a popup and one with a truck camper, to my way of thinking they are the sensible campers, after all, it's raining off and on all day.  We are having fun watching the different tent erections and the little children playing with all the dogs. 

Friday, August 2 - Arrivals were coming in as late was midnight Don told me - I was asleep, but the rain last night woke me up.  Thank goodness my "home" is nice, dry and warm.  When we awoke, the sky was clearing and a beautiful blue.  A little later a rain shower came.  We feel so sorry for these people that have driven from many different states to attend this rally.  Heck, we've driven from a long ways to get here and we feel sorry for us!

40% chance of rain today, but it was mostly partly cloudy. We delayed leaving until 10:30 to see how the day was going to develop. We took the Camp Bird road with the intention of driving to Yankee Boy Basin. We drove about 100 yards on the final turn to the Yankee Boy and encountered rocks we could not climb over. Recent rains had pushed some larger than basketball size rocks into the trail. Real Jeeps with 30 inch wheels could handle it, but it was not for the Liberty. We backed out and on a lark I took another road that I could see went UP. I did not consult the trail guide. Had I done that I would have not gone. Ignorance is bliss. Up we went finding ourselves on a narrow rock ledge with three Jeeps coming down. They hugged the inside and we did the outside with 4 to 6 inches to spare. WooHoo! Dorothy had a brief private conversation with the one of the women as we passed. She will not tell me what they exchanged. We continued up and came a fork where three more Jeeps were descending. I waited for them to clear the road. The last one asked if we were going to Sidney Basin. Dorothy asked "Could we"? He said "No, I had to use both lockers to make it. But follow us to Governor's Basin". And so we did. We we got to the end, and paused for lunch I consulted the trail book. Holy Moly, we had just done a Red rated trail, those are only for aggressive and skilled drivers. So much for trail books, we could not do the Blue rated trail to Yankee Boy, but we had no problems on the Red rated trail to Governor's Basin. Oh well, we got to drive a real rootin tootin Jeep trail today.

Former three story dormitory for miners

View From Governor's Basin - 12,000 feet

A chance of rain is in the forecast for the next 10 days.

Saturday, August 3 - It was not all that overcast so we again drove out Camp Bird Road to access the trail to Imogene Pass, a Blue rated trail that our guide book assured us that we could handle. We went about a mile before encountering stairs we bottomed out on. I reversed, got out and scouted and decided we could get down, but would not be able to get back up. And so ended out Jeeping adventure for the day. Before we got back to Ouray, the clouds covered the sky and a drizzle started. And that was the way the day remained until 7:30 until we saw the red mountains aglow with sun. Another day, we want to take the trail up the red mountains in the late afternoon.

Sunday, August 4 - We arrived back at Kendall CG along South Mineral Creek.  We love this place because you can sit outside, have Happy Hour, look at the babbling creek and the mountains - WOW! We were very surprised to find so few people here.  Last Tuesday the place was full.  We got our pick of where we wanted to be. Our neighbors greeted us. They were from Alabama (Mtn Brook). It's good to see someone from home and we think that they are the only Alabamians that we have seen on this trip.  Also fellow LDer Ken Fears came to chat with us.  We love meeting new people and renewing friendships.

Our Place on Mineral Creek

Monday, August 5 - We sat outside and had our morning coffee and were in awe of our scenery.  Our friends, John and Mary Jane from Nevada, joined us today, along with Lucy, their well-mannered dog.  In the afternoon we took a trail to Red Mountain to observe and photograph the mountains.  We could not tarry because it was close to Happy Hour.  Once we arrived back at CG, they made margaritas for us.  I don't think we could ask for more.

Tuesday, August 6 - I have been planning this since we left home - spend my birthday at the rum distrillery!  They make the best pina coladas I have ever had and I have been wanting one for four years.  They were as good as I remembered; so good in fact, I had two, but since I wasn't driving it didn't matter.  I chatted with our daughter, my brother and as a special treat, my very very good friend, Ann, called to wish me a Happy Birthday.  For many years, Ann, Vicki (another very very good friend) and I celebrated our birthday month together - great memories!  Count me blessed that I am still kicking and have a great time.

We really like the exposed red mountains. If the weather improves next week, we hope to get some better pictures.

Telluride is just over the snaggled toothed mountains. Short distance by Jeep trail, a LONG drive on macadam.

Topped out at 12,000, so those are 14's in the background.

MJ, John, Dorothy and Lucy

Colorado

Heber City, UT. Mt. Timpanogos in background. The valley with granite walls reminds me of Carson Valley in Nevada

I expect we will be seeing more of these as private companies take over the management of Forest Service campgrounds. No charge for campers, but enforced payment for non-campers. Unintended consequences - illegal dumping.

Sunday, July 21 - We left Utah today which always makes me a little sad.  It was a long drive for us (5 hours) to get to Grand Junction, CO.  We are going to spend the night in the driveway of fellow Lazy Dazer, Dale Ellis.  We thought that the heat in Grand Junction was unusual, but Dale said that it was normal for this time of the year.  It's in the high 90's and low 100's.  After we arrived, Dave took us on a tour of Grand Mesa National Forest for 4 hours.  It's 10,800' at the summit. This place is large with lots of camping opportunities and it's cool. The daytime high averages 70 degrees.  We went out to a Mexican dinner and by the time we arrived back at Dale's we were exhausted.

Monday, July 22 - We drove  hour to Grand Mesa and are camping at Little Bear CG. The sites are well spaced which provides privacy and we have a fantastic view of the lake.  We got set up and after lunch I took a long nap because I still have not recovered from the sinus infection and the trip yesterday.  After nap, we toured some other CG's along the different lakes and decided our spot is the best.  If we decided to leave here, then there are a lot of very nice dispersed campsites, but they don't have the lake view. This is a nice place to sit outside and have Happy Hour. Looks like we may stay here a week as rains are forecast for here the area south. Great to put out the fires. Not good for us going up a dirt road to a dispersed parking location near Owl Creek Pass.

We did not have much of data signal yesterday, but it's fast today. We have three ABC stations here in the forest and a CBS station that comes and goes.

Good eating in Dorothy's Kitchen. Cauliflower with Turmeric, Chayote Squash with Tomatoes and Green Chile, Avacodo and Tomato salad

Tuesday, July 23 - We lazed the morning away surfing, then napped. Dale came up to visit in the mid-afternoon. We took a late afternoon drive looking at the variety of wild flowers blooming.

Wednesday, July 24 - Some clouds moved in and we got 3 minutes of mist, but the forecast rain did not get here. We paddled the yaks around the island in Island Lake. Yesterday, we had a really hot cell signal. Today, nothing. We decided to take a look at Island CG, found it had some sites with a view of the mountains and two bars of 3G, so we moved. On arrival the cell coverage was gone.  But the CBS station was rock solid. Of course, the only the thing of interest to watch is the news, which is not that interesting.

I had hoped that I had cured the problem of the refer cutting off every day or so by cleaning the jet. It went out last night. It relights without a problem. Conflicted on what to do. We could go back to Grand Junction and try for service. Which might or might not work. It would be several days until we would know if the tech did anything but take our money. And without phone service, we don't even know if they could look at it.

Thursday, July 25 - We have wanted to return to Silverton ever since we were there in 2008. They say you can not go back, but we want to try. It will be a new cast of characters this time. It may be crowded. And there is now a 14 day stay limit. Dorothy said this morning this trip was all about Moab, the Palouse and Silverton. The rest is just filler.

We drove 19 miles to get a cell signal so we could surf a bit. We are addicted. Still wondering where the two bars of 3G we saw Tuesday go?

I don't want you to think that we don't do anything but have fun or shop or lay in our sick beds.  We felt good today, but the elevation of 10,500' prevents us from doing anything but a little walking.  So we were constructive today - we cleaned the rig.  Now we have clean floors, windows, mirrors, bathroom and kitchen.  It's a lot easier cleaning Koko than a house.

Friday, July 26 - We sleep until 7! Lazed around, reading, drinking coffee. My blood pressure is 135/100, higher by far then ever. Perhaps it's the 10,000 elevation, but I have zero "breath" to hike. Ditto Dorothy, but her blood pressure is fine.

This has been one of our better days.  Don suggested that we take a walk around the CG. We are on the highest level, so I knew coming back up would be challenging.  But after a couple of stops so I could catch my breath and rest, we completed the walk.  We saw the sign to Land of Lakes and I wanted to see it. In the afternoon the drove there but discovered that it was a trail not a drive.  I decided to blow it off, but thank goodness, Don wanted to walk. It was a half-mile hike on a paved trail to an overlook. But, what a view to the south. The same view we have from our campsite, but with seven small lakes in the foreground. We sat on the rocks for an hour or so taking it all in. We also chatted with a group of LDS students. That always a pleasure.

We stopped by a lodge on the way back to ask if we could use their wi-fi. Sure, no charge, and would we like a free cup of coffee. 

Saturday, July 27 - We surfed at the lodge and spent the rest of the day reading. We heard thunder in the distance and the sky clouded up from time-to-time. But no rain until after midnight. The forecast calls for an 80% chance tomorrow - the day we plan to head south.

Sunday, July 28 - We woke to clouds all around the horizon and occasional rain. We watched Sunday morning TV and suddenly the skies cleared. We took off down the Mesa to Delta where we found a City Market and bought $200 of groceries. We have stuff crammed everywhere. We continued south and paused at Montrose to wait out a shower. The vehicles are fairly clean and I just did not want to mess them up for no good reason. Well, we had not gone far when another shower overtook us and in 10 miles we got a little slimy. And so it goes.

Not wanting to go into the forest in the rain we opted to stay in the BIG state park at Ridgway. Electric for $29. Holy Moly. Oh well we can see the San Juan's all around and perhaps tomorrow we can find a suitable spot near Owl Creek Pass.

For any history buffs, this being the an anniversary of the Korean War, we are in Ridgway and it was General Ridgeway that saved South Korea after MacArthur botched the war all around. The general is all but forgotten now, but it was the force of his maverick personality that rallied the troops and prevented a disaster.

Heat Wave and it ain't tropical

What's the proper response to one or more motorcycle riders with their tires just inside the yellow line, and their left handle bar over the line? I have started to put my outside rear tire close to the line. This leaves several inches of the rig on or over the line. Just want to make sure I am doing right with these picket riders.

We note, with pleasure, that our friend Jim now has clean bill of health. We were worried about him. I mean all he gets to eat is vegan food and IPA. Plus forced high altitude hikes. Dorothy's brother is also vegan and his health is on the skids. I am telling you guys, the only way is processed pork for breakie and prime rib for dinner. Sure you can eat rabbit food for lunch if that will make you think you are eating right. Me? I would rather have a greasy pork chop.

Saturday, July 13 - We continued driving east on US26 this morning. This is a great highway because it is semi-scenic through the high desert and has very little traffic. It could compete with US50 in Nevada for low traffic. We camped at Bully Creek Park near Vale, OR.  Oregon has many city & country parks, which is one of the reasons we love this state. This is one of the best. The sites are very large, level, grassy with lots of shade trees - what more can could you want in a campground. Oh yes, we have a view of the reservoir. This is the desert and in the current heatwave the daytime temperatures are hot, but it cools off in the evenings.  You can sit outside in the shade and be very comfortable.

Sunday, July 14 - Since we are not in a hurry and this is a nice spot, we decided to stay another night. Almost every one was gone by noon, so we moved to a site with more shade.  Very nice sitting outside in the shade with a little breeze.  Our last night in Oregon. Just haven't spent enough time here this trip, so we will have to return. I am finally feeling much better.

Monday, July 15 - We said goodbye to Oregon and hello to Idaho once again. We are again camping in a county RV park. This one is on the Snake (everything in Idaho is either on the Snake or named Lewis & Clark) and has full hookups for $21. A deal.  It's hot and going to get hotter, 95+ for the next week or ten days.  Very few people here so it is extremely quiet. I feel so much better that I drove for 2 full hours so that Don could rest. I find it much easier to drive on the interstates because I can use the cruise control. We think Don is coming down with the cold stuff that I had. We did a big shopping trip at Walmart and got lots of veggies which we really need.  

Tuesday, July 16 - Today we resumed our usual method of camping - boondoocking or dry camping. That means that we do not have hookups.  You can do this when the weather is not hot!  We are in a Forest Service CG 18 miles from Heber City, UT at 7,800 feet.  We are situated in a lodgepole pine and spruce tree forest.  We had "Happy Hour" outside yesterday afternoon and the temperature was around 78 degrees.  Slept great!  

How did lodgepole pines get their name?  Indians used the tall straight pine trees to build their lodges - clever name, right.  More tree trivia - how do you tell the difference between a fir tree and a spruce tree - spruce tree needles will Stick you and the fir trees are Friendly.  Now you know that our trips are educational.

When we go to Oregon and Utah,  I feel such a sense of peace.  I don't know what it is, maybe it's the scenery but it certainly makes us happy - it's like coming home again.

Wednesday, July 17 - I won't say that the day was wasted but we didn't do anything fun.  We went into Heber City and made an appointment the Heber Valley Clinic because I was not getting any better.  The appointment was for 2:00 so we had time to kill.  We found a beauty shop and I got a much needed hair cut, then went to the library and to Tony's Mexican Restaurant, where we had a good meal.  It's so good to see people still using libraries.  Finally got to the clinic where I saw Dr. Tullis.  He's a young man and very pleasant.  We started talking about traveling and I told him we like Moab and we did some jeeping there.  He told me about going in March and leaving at 5:00 am in 10 degree weather to go on a 100 mile bike ride.  He said it got up to 20 degrees during the ride - I told you he was young.  I have a sinus infection - haven't had one in years, so I have medicine and should be better in two or three days.  And to top it off, Don is not feeling very well either - runny nose, sneezing, etc.  We got medicine for him also.  We MUST get well and soon.

Thursday, July 18 - This is not the day we are getting well.  The camp host said that they have been getting afternoon rain each day for about a week.  Had a light rain Tuesday, just enough to mess up the windshields.  Yesterday, we had very light rain, thunder and lightning.  But it is keeping the temperature down so that it's comfortable.  We stayed in our sick bed almost all day. Bleah!

Friday, July 18 - We were not in top form, but felt good enough to take a drive. First to Cascade Springs. Not worth our time, but the views along the way were OK. Then Mount Timpanogos Cave. We knew we could do the cave tour as you have to hike up 1,000 feet to the entrance. When we pulled into the parking lot around noon, there were teenagers laying down all over the place that had made the hike and survived - just. That confirmed to us that it was way beyond our best effort on a good day.

Saturday, July 20 - I will once again say that this has been a most unusual trip.  We have spent more time in cities and shopping than ever before.  Today was no exception.  We went into Orem to shop at Costco.  Then we had to buy a new phone.  My phone is in the throes of death and would not hold a charge.  I did not want a new phone and certainly not a smart one.  I just want to be able to talk on the phone, like in the old days. We had the great luck of getting a very knowledge sales lady that was most helpful and did not try to get us to buy any upgrades.  We rounded out the day with Walmart and laundry.

Our park host has a little dog that seems to suffer separation anxiety and has never been disciplined, so there has been a lot of yipping going on.  It was pretty bad yesterday.  The host site is fairly close to us and his family is camping here also.  Tonight the family had a cookout and they did not want the dog to bother them while they were eating, so they tied him up at the vacant site next to us.  We were sitting outside trying to read when we heard this dog crying.  Don went to see what was going on and came back and told me about the dog's situation.  It was breaking my heart, so we took our chairs over to the site and sat with the dog trying to keep him calm.  He's a cute little dog and very sweet, even let me hold him several times.  If you aren't going to take care of your dog, why have one.  

Moving to cooler Colorado tomorrow.

Back To Oregon - Again

This trip we have been back and forth between Idaho, Oregon and Washington several times. Not a lot driving, as many of our destinations were just across a state line.

We have had hookups and stayed in more private campgrounds this trip than ever before. Washington state parks are pricey, not as much as California's, but getting there. As we head south we hope to get back to parking where there is nothing but horizon and the cost is low or free. The stats so far:

• Private - 13 nights at 6 places
• Public - 54 nights at 19 places
• National Parks - 10 nights at 5 places
• Free - 13 nights at 9 places

Dry camped 40 nights. Hookups 42 nights. A BIG change for us.

 

Our last free parking place

Wednesday, July 3 - One of the things we like to do when we travel is to visit state capitols. The outside of the capitol in Olympia is less than impressive, as they used local sandstone which discolors quickly. But once you step inside, it's breath-taking in it's grandeur. They used three different marble's and all the chandeliers are one-of-a-kind by Tiffany. The main chandelier weights 7,000 pounds made of bronze. Obviously they are priceless since Tiffany no longer does that kind of work. The capital was started in 1920 and only took a couple of years to complete.  It is the most impressive we have visited.  In the afternoon, we took a kayak trip on the Hood Canal.

All of the lighting in the Washington Capital is by Tiffany. These are two examples. This is said to the heaviest chandelier in the world. It's larger than it appears as the room is huge.

 

Thursday, July 4 - We arrived in Portland and have "camped" in our friends driveway.  They are at their beach house and won't be back until Saturday. We are certainly glad to have a place to stay since everything is full for this week.  They have a very beautiful home and you can tell that a lot of time has been spent in the yard.   

 

Friday, July 5 - We went to the Rose Gardens and the Japanese Gardens, which is the reason we are here. There were so many types of roses so I didn't even try to remember the names. There was a Cambodian couple having their wedding pictures made and were wearing the traditional bridal attire for the occasion - lots of gold on the bride.  The groom was less than happy about the whole thing, but he smiled and posed when necessary.  

 Taken In The Rose Garden Of Portland's Washington Park 

 The Japanese Garden in Portland's Washington Park 

 

Saturday, July 6 - Another grocery shopping day.  We have been to Costco, Barbur World Market and Safeway.  I am amazed that our small refrigerator and freezer can hold everything we bought, but we will eat well for the next week or so. Don replaced backs of the kayak seats. Good thing as mine has been broken since I first fell in it a long time back. 

We ate dinner with Mary Ann and Debra at the Thai Orchid Restaurant. I had Evil Jungle Noodles. I could not resist the name. Chicken, bean sprouts, in a curry over a bed of cabbage and rice noodles. Yum

Sunday, July 7 - I needed to do a little laundry and Mary Ann & Debra did it for me - how's that for wonderful hostesses!  I cooked dinner for them and their friends, Merl & Jerry.  It was a little more difficult cooking a large meal along with dessert when you only have one mixing bowl.  But everyone seemed to enjoy it.  The broccoli salad was a big hit.  Jerold Packard is an author of nine books.  The one I want is "Victoria's Daughters", that's Queen Victoria.  I told him that we were going to the Maryhill Museum the next day and he told me that one Victoria's granddaughters was a contributor to the museum.  We had great conversations all afternoon and evening.

Monday, July 8 - We bid goodbye to Mary Ann & Debra, but not before they gave us blueberries and thick sliced bacon.  They are absolutely the best!  We met fellow campers, Ken & Cora.  The Maryhill State Park is extremely expensive - $41 and I can't say that it was worth it.  It is along the Columbia River, which seems to always have wind.  Our campsite had Cottonwood trees which were really dropping "cotton".  My throat was a little scratchy and I had a dry cough - maybe pollen related. [Peach Park CG adjoins the state park. $25 for W&E. No reservation fee, no dinging out of state people $6 to stay at a state park.]

Tuesday, July 9 - We all went to the Maryhill Museum.  It was built by Sam Hill who had a friendship with Marie, Queen of Romania, one of Queen Elizabeth's granddaughters.  There is a collection of royal memorabilia which includes her coronation gown, crown, silverware, ornately gilded furniture and jewelry along with other memorabilia.  They also had an area dedicated to American Indian artifacts.  There was much that we had never seen before.  It was even better than the Neah Bay Museum.  One thing that they had that I had never seen before was a collection of chess sets - talk about ornate!  By this time I was getting tired and coughing a lot more so we made a brief visit to the Auguste Rodin Collection of drawings and back to the RV.  

Wednesday, July 10 - I was really sick and probably only awake about 3 hours all day.  Don cooked spaghetti and I was even too sick to enjoy that!

Thursday, July 11 - We had been wanting to return to John Day National Monument for several years. It is divided into three units, Clarno, Painted Hills and Sheep Rock.  The Painted Hills are spectacular at the right time of day and we got there at the right time.  We thought that we would need air conditioning so we went to the Mitchell City Park to spend the night.  Mitchell, OR is another small eastern Oregon desert town that does not have much going for it, but we did appreciate the park.  Of course, the weather was perfect and we had no need for electricity.  Oregon has a lot of city and county parks where you can camp and they are usually reasonable.

The Painted Hills in late afternoon

Friday, July 12 - We continued our John Day tour at Sheep Rock unit. We were most impressed with Cathedral Rock.  We had no idea where we would spend the night, but found Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day. It has dry camping for only $11 and a much needed Verizon signal. We parked under a large shade tree and surfed the afternoon away.

Cathedral Rock at the Sheep Rock unit of John Day NM

It looks like we are going to be using private campgrounds on our way to Colorado. Highs in 90's are forecast for all the valleys in the surrounding states the next few days. Oh and gas prices are going up, again. Our printer died. Curse Canon. I did not get to paddle the Deschutes River. If it's not one thing it's another.

Still on the Olympic Penisula

Still here, still wondering why we came.

Monday, June 24 - We wanted to see Hole In the Wall rock at Rialto Beach. The sky was gray, but no rain.  We parked the car and walked a few feet when the rain arrived. We waited a few minutes and the rain went away and so once again we headed down the beach. My new sandals are great - my feet don't hurt and I walk well in them. The sand on the beach is dark gray and there are enormous trees that have washed down the rivers and up on the beach over the years.  We started our walk and I had a goal of how far I thought I could go. Remember, no matter how far you hike, you have to return the same distance. I had a couple of rest breaks, as suggested by my physical therapist, Brian.  We noticed the gray sky, but it didn't look like rain so we kept walking. Once we reached my destination, we turned around. The gray sky contained lots of blowing rain. Luckily we had our rain jackets with us, but I had on jeans - yuck, wet jeans!  It continued to rain off and on all day as the weather forecast said it would.  

Forks is where a series of novels called Twilight were set. It was made into a TV series. The towns tax revenue went up 25% the first year of the series and has held at that level due to teenage girls with a crush on the vampire coming to Forks to swoon. There are several shops that sell series related items and even van tours to locations mentioned in the novels.

No Vampires Beyond Treaty Line

I posted the pictures for our daughter. But, I don't think she takes the time to read the Blog.

Tuesday, June 25 - Before we left Forks we had several stops to make. We had a 40 mile drive that took us 1.5 hours. It is a very curvy road to Lake Ozette.  We are camped with a view of the lake, but can't put the kayaks in because there are whitecaps on the water. The advantage of being here instead of Mora is that the site is open to the sky and the trees have leaves. The translation of that is it isn't depressing because it's so dark and we are not tracking in wet spruce needles every time we go out. There are many parks that we can return to time and again - this isn't one of them.  We're glad we came here and we are doing the whole loop, so we get to see the whole park. We will go to Neah Bay tomorrow.

Coming out of Mora we saw several exotic cars, Aston Martin's, AH 3000, Porsche, etc. even one with a prancing pony badge, What were they doing on a back road to nowhere on a Tuesday morning?

The last picture is heavily photoshopped. It was very gray day and everything in the original picture was gray. But through digital magic, it appears like there was some color to be seen.

Wednesday, June 26 - Left the CG around 8:30 and drove to  the Makah Indian Reservation on Neah Bay,. We wanted to see the Makah Museum which is a very informative archeological center of the Makah Indians. The village was buried in a mudslide in the 1500's and was excavated in the 1980's when a storm uncovered the village. Many artifacts were recovered which are on display in the museum. No camera's allowed inside.

More photoshop magic. Weak green are now vivid.

We stopped at a smoked salmon place where I bought two packs of smoked salmon. I should have bought more because it is nothing like what you buy in the stores at home.

We are now "camped" at a RV park in Port Angeles waiting out the rain and weekend.  Most of the time that we have spent in Washington is not the way that we normally travel.  After this trip, I can safely say that we have "done" Washington.  Weather wise, this has been a wet trip. Our first trip in 2006 was rain free for eight months and 15,000 miles.

Remember the herb encrusted salmon in the last post?

Thursday, June 27 - I woke up sick.  I don't know what was wrong, but I had severe chills but it was not the dreaded stomach bug. I had my sleeping bag and a fleece throw over me and Don put another one on me and I continued to shiver.  I slept intermittently for 12 hours. I rallied for lunch and we went out foraging. When we returned, I took a nap and then did nothing but lie around and doze the rest of the day.

Friday, June 28 -  I felt a lot better, thank goodness.  We went looking for a place to spend the next few days. Salt Creek CG looks good. Only $32 for a county park.  Washington state is expensive for RV's. In the afternoon, I did laundry and Don washed Koko and Pelli. We drove to Hurricane Ridge for sunset. Great views of the Olympic mountains. A little froggy to the north. No clear view of Canada.

Saturday, June 29 - We went kayaking this morning on Lake Crescent, which is a very clear lake, but right on busy US101, so the trucks can be heard on the lake.  I still can't paddle very far and our adventure was only one hour.  And it was an adventure because I fell into the lake getting in the boat and again getting out of the boat.  Actually, I was just testing the water to see if it was cold and it wasn't too cold. The Ridge is over 4,000 feet high and the wind was blowing 15 so it was damn chilly even with fleece on. A herd of deer live at the VC and two Israelis' with camera lens that looked like tank rocket launchers were taking pictures of the deer. I did not know that a lens with that sort of focal length could be used within 10 feet. We dodged deer all the way back down the mountain. What is about people and "wild" animals? Have they lived in an apartment too long? 

Trying to find a place to stay for the week of the 4th was getting extremely stressful. We want to go to the Japanese Gardens in Portland and this will be our last chance.  We called many places within a 25 miles radius, but everything is full.  I sent an email to my friend, Mary Ann asking for suggestions. She said that they were going to the beach, but suggested we park in her driveway!  We have "camped" in many driveways so we can add one more to our list. This has taken a load off our minds!  We thought you could always get in a private park, but they are full, so are the state, city and county parks.  People go to Portland for the holiday. Why? It's going to be great to see our friends again.

We have decided to try to find a place near Port Townsend for Sunday and Monday, then go south to the Hood Canal and spend two days there and then to Portland.

Sunday, June 30 - Straight line distances to most destinations on the Olympic Peninsula are short. However, travel times are long. This morning the GPS showed it was 22 miles from Port Angeles to Port Townsend. It also predicted it would take 62 minutes to drive there.

Port Angeles is the end of the rain forest. Sequim which is only a few miles east of PA is in a rain shadow and you could tell it as the grass along the road was brown.

We are parked at the Port Townsend fairgrounds. It's open grass field, very quiet, about 1/3 full and it's $17 for W&E. That's half what we paid the last few days so we could  use the Internet. Our "wi-fi" resets tomorrow so we will be online wherever. Terrible addiction. I guess it's like text messaging.

I know Canada is just across the water, but why are there so many Border Patrol here? Are the Canucks trying to sneak across the border to get Obamacare?

Monday, July 1 - I paddled around the Port Townsend. We did the tourist walk in town. Bought some seat back for the yaks at Pygmy Boats where gorgeous wood yaks are sold. Perfect weather, much cooler than yesterday.

Tuesday, July 2 - On the Hood Canal. More later.

Weather Reports

Sunday, June 16 - We left early so we could get a good parking place close to Powell's Bookstore.  The bookstore is HUGH!  It takes up a whole block and has four floors.  They have new and used books titles.  I got a credit for a couple of books and we each bought two books which showed great restraint on our part.  The "Gay Pride Parade" was getting ready.  We walked around for a little while, but the parade didn't start until later that day. The most interesting were the cross-dressers - they were really decked out. The weirdest dressed were not with the parade, just strange looking people walking around dressed outlandishly.  

Monday, June 17 - Our goal was to get to the Olympic National Park.  It's one we haven't been to yet. The weather forecast called for 60% chance of rain Monday and Tuesday and 80% Wednesday.  Ft. Stevens SP was the place we picked to hole up during the rainy weather.  Thursday's forecast called for sunny skies. We had been to Ft. Stevens before for a LD Get-Together three years ago. This is a very nice park, probably one of Oregon's best.  It has 257 sites.  Ft. Stevens was built in 1864 to defend the US against the Confederates - like that was going to happen!  It was active until after WWII. We went to the beach which has dark grey sand - I like the Gulf Coast beaches a lot better.  During Happy Hour a light rain started.  

Tuesday, June 18 - Since we were waiting for the 60% chance of rain,  we headed to the town of Seaside. Not a very impressive town, but Don did get another pair of croc's.  He bought a pair there three years ago. We then returned to Astoria to find a fish & chips place that was recommended.  It was closed so we chose another place - Captain D's would have been much better. In the afternoon Don went for a long trike ride. When he returned, I went for a ride. Apparently I was gone a long time, because as I was returning he was in the car to find me.  Still waiting for the rain - it's sunny here.

We toured Ft. Clapsop, the terminal point of Lewis and Clark's grand expedition.

Wednesday, June 19 - Since we were waiting for the 80% chance of rain, we decided to do laundry. We went to the Mini-Mart Laundry.  Without a doubt it is the best laundromat we have ever used. An attendant was cleaning washers and dryers after every use, inside and out. And Wednesday was free dry day.  The Mini-Mart serves several kinds of coffees and has a very active lunch business.  It is a booming business. This was the best day - sunny and warm.  We each took another trike ride. Where's the 80% chance of rain.

Olympic National Park

I have debated with myself for years about coming here. It has a low attraction factor for me. You see I lived on the east side of the park in 1965. I rode my dirt bike on the logging roads and tooled around the paved roads in an AH Sprite. What could be so different on the other side of the hill? Well actually not all that much. Washington is OK, but for our money Oregon beats it every day from Sunday.

Thursday, June 20 - This was the day forecast for sunshine.  Can't get an accurate weather report here - it changes hourly!  We were on the road at 7:45 to get to the Olympic National Park. Where is the sunshine???  We drove in the mist from Aberdeen north to Kalaloch. We hoped to camp at Kalaloch, but we didn't have reservations.  Some days you just get lucky.  When we reached the CG, the ranger told us that a few sites were open for one night, but could be reserved the next day and we would have to move. We drove through the CG and only a few sites had an ocean view and all were small. The rest were in a dark forest.  The ranger suggested that we try South Beach because they don't accept reservations.  This is a great place.  We are parked on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It's gorgeous and only $5 per night with our old-age passport!  We drove to Ruby Beach. It's the one that is photographed to show off this area. When the sun comes out, we will go back. 

Friday, June 21 - The sun came out mid-morning while we were walking through firs and ferns. Because of the 120 inches of rain this side of the mountains gets, trees grow taller and faster here than anywhere else. That said, they seemed no more spectacular than firs and ferns at numerable other places. We beat feet back down the Hoi River to Ruby Beach. It was about time we got sun and scenery. Just goes to show, we like rocks and water more than firs and ferns.

Everyone takes this picture at Ruby Beach

South Beach $5 a night. Even better than Kirk Creek in Big Sur

We have been carrying around fire wood since we left Moab a month back. Finally last night we burned it in a fire pit near the chairs in the picture above. We invited the couples on both sides of us over and we chatted until 11pm. Sunset started about 8:30 and the western sky still had trace of light at 11.

South Beach at sunset

Food

Dorothy has cooked some of the best meals of her life on this trip. We have been eating really good. No weight gain either. We bought the Reader's Digest diet books and are getting into their meals. Tasty. Chicken piccata last night, herb encrusted salmon tonight, shrimp scampi tomorrow and smoked salmon is in the forecast at Neah Bay.

Photoshop

I never found much use for Photoshop. Way to complicated. Layers? I have used a feature in Picasa that enhances scenes by accentuating shadows, Thanks Jim for that tip. My favorite utility for managing pictures, viewing, renaming, moving from folder to folder, etc. went with death of my PC. The Mac is not very friendly for photo management, everything requires multiple steps using impossible key combinations and using different programs. I bought a program that helps, but it's not very fast. It has lots of ways to PhotoShop a picture on a level I can understand. The sunset above has been slightly altered. The red was made more red. Now I can make pictures of things I never saw and I can join 21st century photography. Well to my limits. No purple sunlight. Dorothy read an article about a man that has spent years taking pictures of The Palouse and he admits they are photoshopped. Google 'images:ruby beach' and you will see pictures that have been altered to other world colors. I wonder if such alteration is akin to painting on black velvet? It is beyond air brushing Playmates.

Saturday, June 22 - A lazy day, spent sunning in the sun like lizards while watching the surf. Clouds moved in at sunset and by midnight it was misting.

Sunday, June 23 - We headed north on US101 through Forks to the park service CG at Mora. There is a trail to several offshore rocks that I would like to photograph if the weather clears. Forks is a lumber town, now supplemented by all sorts of tours and items for sale related to the TV show Twilight about vampires. We got lost going back into Forks and would up in the Indian village of La Push. There is a most attractive RV park there so we asked the price. $40! Yippee Ki Yay. Groceries in Forks are priced higher than at Whole Foods.

We heard on NPR that sea levels will rise three feet by 2035. This will mean the displacement of liberals from the coast. Horrors! I wonder when the value of coastal property will start falling?

Monday, June 24 - Rain is in the forecast until Saturday. What to do? The fourth is approaching. We are stuck between rain and a holiday.

Oregon Again And Again

Oregon Again And Again

We have been in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, back to Idaho, Washington and now Oregon. Next Washington for a week or so, then back to Oregon.

Sunday, June 9 - Today's mission - see Palouse Falls.  But before we get there, we have a confession. Mary found a great COE CG on the Snake, $7 with hookups. However, when we got there, it was closed. The really bad news is that KOA had taken over management of the other nearby COE property. So yes, we stayed at a KOA. $28 and that included many signs prohibiting this and that, plus a guy in a golf cart to ensure you did not park on the grass or even hang the rear over the grass. Contrast that with our next stop, a private park that not only took Passport America, but had self registration. We went to the falls and they are scenic. But none of us saw a reason to extend our visit.  

Monday, June 10 - We drove west to Sunnyside, WA in the Yakima Valley, where almost every bush has wine berries on it. We had a goal in being in this area.  It's Wine Country and we needed to go to some tasting rooms. We visited Tucker Cellars and Randy Tucker, the owner, was there. We sampled some wines and enjoyed conversation with him. We left with four bottles of wine and so did the Gardner's. We started Happy Hour early, but continued at the campground. I fixed dinner for all of us and once again we were able to enjoy it outside.

Tuesday, June 11 - We left at 10:00 for Prosser, WA where they have several tasting rooms.  The first was Coyote Canyon Winery where we tried some good wines. Next was Apex Cellars where we tried some more good wines.  We purchased four wines at Coyote Canyon and four at Apex Cellars.  Since we got there around 10:45, the knowledgeable sales ladies had time to spend with us and kept giving us wines to try.  By the time we got to the third winery, I had enough to satisfy me.  But they kept giving me wine!  The only thing that I bought was a bottle of delicious pickled asparagus.  Around 12:00 it was time for us to find someplace to get lunch.  We had Mexican and I had no desire to have a margarita with it.  Before we left town we stopped at Chukar Cherry Co. They don't have fresh cherries, they have many different kinds of cherry candy. This was a place Mary said was good.  And she was right!  Now we have 12  bottles of wine and cherry pecan chocolate candy.  

Fried asparagus was advertised at several places. Yuck!

Before returning to the campground, we stopped at Fiesta Foods, a Mexican grocery store.  The population of Sunnyside is about 80% Mexican.  The store had great fresh produce and very good prices, so we bought a few things.  Back at the campground, we opened the Roussanne white wine.  It is so good.  All of the wines we bought are white that are good in the summer.  So we had our last Happy Hour with Dave & Mary.  Mary fixed a Norwegian chicken dish for dinner that was delicious.

Wednesday June 12 - We bid David and Mary adieu this morning and headed toward Portland. We have spent 20 days with them and really did enjoy getting to know them better.  We shared many Happy Hours, delicious dinners, and day trips to take pictures.  It was a great time.  We will see them on the road again someday. It was a pleasure to travel with them. We found we share a lot of interests. Plus, I did not have to think about what to do, they planned the activities and we were pleased to follow. Now, we have to fend for ourselves again. Where to go, what to do, etc. We will just muddle along as we always do.

If you like good photo's, do spend some time on these web sites.  Mary's   David's

We have set a personal record, 24 days continuous days with electricity. Our other record is over 90 days without hookups. Tonight we are nestled in a USFS CG, called Trillium Lake, about 50 miles east of Portland. No hookups. Last week we had a fine campsite for $5 with electricity. Tonight, we are paying $10 for no hookups. We are sure half of that is because it's concessionaire operated. Still it's good place to veg for a few days and plan our next moves. Just fir and spruce trees. It's flat enough for peddling Trixie and a small lake for paddling. Mt Hood is close by. No TV here, but we have a really hot on-ramp to the Internet.

Thursday, June 13 - It was a rainy, cloudy, cold and dreary day.  Sounds like the start of a murder mystery, doesn't it.  Well it was the start of a lazy lazy day where we did almost nothing except surf the web and read.  Actually I enjoyed the day, just reclining in my nest, err bed. Before you think I was too lazy, I did cook three meals.  We watched two episodes of Downton Abby.  Thank you Doug & Roxanne, we are addicted!  Hopefully tomorrow will bring out the sun because the solar panels need it. 

Friday, June 14 - Sun and 60 degrees. I wanted to get to Flag Point to take pictures of Mt. Hood. This requires staying on Bennett Road, which we were not able to do. The roads did not match our paper or digital maps.

After lunch and nap, we put the yaks in the water for the first time since last year in Utah. We paddled out 50 feet and there was Mt. Hood.

We chatted with a Japanese family fishing at the boat ramp. They asked if we fished. We said, we only eat fish. We were surprised a few minutes later when two of the kids brought us three rainbow trout. They tasted great.

Saturday, June 15 - We are in an RV park in Portland. We thought about parking at a Wally World, but Portland does not like them or any big box stores. Kinda like GM food I guess. It's a good park. Across the road from the Columbia River. The Portland YC is across the street, the east border of the park is a snazzy CC and there are two more YC's, down the street. The place is full tonight.

We stocked up on foole and pita bread at middle eastern market and went to Fred Myer for basic foods. We tried to go to Powell Books, which is downtown, but everyone under 30 is downtown on a Saturday afternoon so there was no on-street parking and with the yaks on the roof we were too tall for underground parking. We will try again Sunday morning before the young ones get up.

I think we have only been to Portland twice, but we shopped today at the same Fred Myer as we did when Doug and Roxanne flew out and we drove pass Northside Ford where we got an oil change. But, that's about all we recognized. Driving in much of the city is like driving on the freeway in Marin County. Only non-standard ramps to the expressways and you are always turning the steering wheel.

Sunday, June 16 - We went to Powell's Book Store. It's the largest book store we have ever seen. I like military history. Most stores might have a few shelves devoted to it. Powell's had three 50 foot long aisles and the upper three shelves were higher than I can reach. There was a gay pride parade forming near the book store. We did a lookie-lookie.

Rain is forecast for the next several days. So we will move slowly toward the Hoi Rain Forest.