Ellen's Trip Log

Washington, Victoria and the Park

One thing about travel is that it must always be an adventure. And on our latest trip, we are discovering, and being true to the moment. I think I mentioned in my last blog that we would be driving the length of Whidbey Island and taking the ferry at Keystone to Port Townsend. Fast forward here. When we called about reservations for the campground at Port Angeles, the helpful lady told us the large ferry from Keystone was down, and only a car ferry was working.

So, we recalculated, as Sacagawea ( our navigator ) often states, and drove to the Edmonds ferry which could carry both our GMC and our trusty conestoga caboose. Short ferry ride, and then a wait for the drawbridge while several sailboats passed through. Our helpful lady also told us about the Victoria tour. We met some fellow travelers early the next morning, and were transported by bus to the ferry. It was a day tour, with morning at Butchart Gardens, a windshield tour of Victoria ( we really enjoyed the upscale neighborhoods ), then most of the afternoon on our own.

The gardens are so lovely. I bought a book with photos of the four seasons in the gardens, because words just would not suffice. Our time in Victoria was leisurely. We strolled the waterfront, then enjoyed High Tea at the Empress Hotel. We have visited Victoria twice before, and each time our ritual was High Tea and walking the harbor. Our tour host was such a nice person. He seemed to anticipate our every question and need. When we all gathered on the bus for homeland security, he handed out magazines and cross word puzzles to fill our time. We had a lovely day, no driving, no reading maps, just riding, gazing and relaxing.

The next day we broke camp to enter Olympic National Park. We visited the Park information center, and were heartened to see what lay ahead. The National Park is breathtakingly beautiful. We lunched at Crescent Lake, in the old lodge circa 1902, at a window table overlooking the lake. The dock, the cabins, all were so charming. After our first introduction to the Park, we were off to Forks. What a surprise ! We arrived just in time to see the town transformed by Twilight. Just in case you are not familiar, the books and movie have taken many readers by storm, and the vampire romance is set in Forks, WA. Jessica filled me in on the general story line. Arriving in Forks, we saw signs in stores, marquees at the motel, stores stocked with sweats, shirts, water bottles, rubber boots, hats etc all with logos pertaining to the series of books. And Russ and I even took a photo of the red pick up truck apparently related to the romance.

The last few days have found us visiting the Timber Museum ( interesting conversation with a gentleman aged 79 born and raised here ), walking the Hoh Rain Forest, a sunset stroll on Rialto Beach, and a magic hour spent in the Makah Indian Museum at Neah Bay. It is part of the Makah Indian Reservation. We missed Makah Days, by one day. But, judging from construction on the winding road leading north to the edge of land on the Straight of San Juan de Fuca, tomorrow will be very interesting. We would enjoy the Indian dances and Salmon Bake, but the traffic would be daunting. We enjoyed the leisurely drive, the views of the Straight, and the calm before the storm.

Tomorrow we again break camp, as we head south for Oregon, and Fort Clapsop. We will immerse ourselves in Corp of Discovery history, and see how many miles our trusty pair will accomplish after that. We are starting to think of home.

Olympic National Park is so very beautiful. We don’t know how we escaped it until now. It does take some planning to visit, but it is worth every mile. The popular parks receive so much publicity, but this National Park is a hidden gem. We will be back.

We hope that all is well in your neck of woods. The cedars, douglas firs, maples ( which are turning by the way ) and sitka spruce that surround us on the mountains are green and growing.

Love,
Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Snake River to Vancouver

Time flies when we are traveling. I think my last post was from Granite Lake on the Snake River. Lovely RV park, with views of the river and a paved path that, if we were so disposed, we could stroll 16 miles along the river.

We reluctantly moved on from Granite Lake and headed for Sand Point, Idaho. We should not have been concerned- Sand Point is a little bit of heaven in Northern Idaho. We found a camp below the bridge. Sand Point is surrounded by water on two sides. So, it appears to be an island nestled in the jewel of the lake. There is a marina and park just off the main street, and we dined at the Trinity, on the patio overlooking the marina. The boats slowly going out and coming in were our dinner entertainment.

Crossing the border was uneventful, although there were more specific questions to answer for both the American and Canadian check points. Evidently we had the right answers, because we were eventually waved through. Trusting our navigator, we found the campground. We had chosen one in a small town ( we thought ) just over the border, but we were in for a joyous surprise !

Osoyoos is the Canadian version of the Riviera ! It is the warmest place in Canada, and has the warmest lakes. So, every canadian within driving distance, or flying, chooses to vacation there. We chose it because it is located in the Okanagan Valley. Miles and miles of orchards, but also GRAPES. Many wineries, wine tasting, and fruit stands everywhere. First we sampled the wines, then we browsed the vegetable and fruit stands. With our wine cellar replenished, and the inside of our trailer smelling like cherries, nectarines, melons, and apricots, we dined in style.

Our favorite wine, and dining experience was at the Inkameep Cellars next to our camp, of the same name. They have strong red wines, which we really appreciate. We lunched on wine and cheese, sitting on their patio overlooking the Okanagan Valley and Osoyoos Lake.

We pulled out of our camp on Thursday morning, once again looking back, at the beautiful valley. Sweeping vineyards covered the sloping hills, as Caitlin would say “ a violent shade of green “. From the valley, we climbed into the Cascades. The drive was spectacular, as we wound our way north to Vancouver.

The city and surrounding cliffs and ocean are so lovely. We crossed bridge after bridge, arriving at Capilano Campground late in the afternoon. Travis’ family live in North Vancouver, not far from our camp. Diane picked us up on Friday, and we toured Stanley Park. A hurricane devastated the park two years ago, and they are still trying to reclaim it beauty. We traced many of Travis’ childhood haunts in the park, and other parks and beaches. What a lovely place to live. Diane grew up in a forested area, near a lighthouse and beaches. We ate lunch in a quaint Irish Pub, on a street lined with vibrant colorful flowers. Our last stop was a park with a cliff overlooking a sweeping vista, islands, and passing ferries in White Cliff.

A perfect end to a perfect day, we dined with Diane and Ray at their lovely home. After dinner we shared family photos. Travis’ brother Bryn and his wife Gina put together a DVD to celebrate Diane and Ray’s 40th Wedding Anniversary. Featured were childhood photos of Diane and Ray, and their sons- Travis, Bryn and Rhett. They chose music, to match the photos. It was so beautiful and moving, the smiles through the years.

Today, Ray and Diane are sharing some of their favorite places with us. We enjoy sharing our family stories.

Tomorrow, we cross the border and move on down the coast. We have changed our itinerary. Instead of continuing to the Oregon Coast and Bend, we are driving the length of Whidbey Island, taking a ferry to Port Townsend, and continuing to Port Angeles. We will camp near there, and take a ferry over to Victoria for the day. Then we will visit Olympic National Park. Caitlin and Travis gave it a 10 this past week when they were camping there, Ray and Diane spoke highly of its beauty.

We may be out of service area for both cellphone and WiFi, so the airwaves will be silent for a few days. But, we will resurface, with tales to tell.

We hope that all is well in your neck of the woods,
Love, Ellen/MOM/Grandma

Book Week/ Lolo Trail

This week has largely been devoted to the Book Signing and associated activities. It has been fun and busy. Wednesday dawned cool, and found us layering clothes to prepare for the day at the Lemhi Historical Museum. Russ and I stopped by the Saveway Market to pick up a fruit tray from the deli. There were plates of home made cookies, fruit, and coffee for the visitors.

Russ set up a table in the middle of the Museum, with his books front and center. Alberta had advertised the Book Signing in every way possible. Bob took photos of Russ and I in front of the marquee by the bridge over the Salmon River. Little did we realize how special the day would be. A number of “ Cobalt boys “ arrived for books. But, they stayed to talk, and I took photos of the “ boys “ including Russ. About mid morning, Mike McDonald walked in and said, “ Hi, I lived in Cobalt, and I have a suitcase of memorabelia in my car. Do you want to see it ? “ He had driven two hours north to come to the Book Signing, and brought the most amazing group of class photos, including about 5 PTA albums from the beginning of the Cobalt schoolhouse, in 1950. He had photos from his personal albums with many, many color photos of Cobalt he had taken in October of ’87.

The day at the Museum, during the Book Signing, was a mini reunion for many of the former students and residents of Cobalt. Emotions ran high, and nostalgia was the order of the day. We had planned on leaving on August 14th, headed for the Lolo Trail, but decided to stay an extra day to scan the photos.

I digress for a time to tell about Thursday of our week. Russ and I have been planning to bring a new family member to live with us. He will be a male chocolate standard poodle puppy. We have been corresponding with a family in Montana, who have beautiful standard poodles. Our puppy was born on July 28, along with his litter mates. On Thursday, we drove up to Montana to see the Mama and her puppies. We were able to hold the puppy, who nestled against each of us, and we felt instant love. We will be returning to pick up our puppy the 3rd week in September.

After braving the Pass between Salmon, and Hamilton, MT, where we experienced heavy rain, and 1/2 “ hail, we arrived back in Salmon, and met Alberta and Bob for a Dutch Oven Dinner with friends. The meat was ribs, with cheese potatoes, and salads. Dessert was home made ice cream with huckleberries, over warm brownies. The food was delicious, and the conversation with their dinner group was so enjoyable.

We spent Friday, scanning over a hundred photos of Salmon, and some class photos from the Cobalt Schoolhouse. We celebrated with a Red Pot Dinner with Alberta and Bob. They have worked so hard on research and marketing for Russ’ book on Cobalt. We can never thank them enough for all their dedication and hard work.

We did head North yesterday, after a minor delay for a flat tire. AAA came and Les Swab performed their magic, and we had lunch at the North Fork Cafe under lowering skies. We headed to Lolo, and connected with # 12 and headed west. We found the going slow, as the highway construction crews had chosen to rehab the narrow road through the canyon. We had over 30 miles of stops, pilot trucks, rain and mud. Our truck and trailer look like we went through a swamp ! Finally, we arrived at our campground beside the Lochsa River ( at the confluence of the Clearwater ) and like Lewis and Clark, bedded down for the night. With the sound of the rushing river, and some rain, we downed a bowl of soup each, and headed to bed.

Today dawned cloudy, but opened up to sun soon enough. The canyon is so beautiful. I tried to imagine it through the eyes of Sacagawea, and the Corps. Perhaps they were thinking of obstacles, making canoes, and finding food. Russ put the coordinates in the Nuvi for the Fenn Weather Station. We drove a ways, and found it. Being Sunday, it was of course closed. But, we found a friendly Ranger in his civies, and he told us where the station was located. We duly photographed, cited, and checked it out.

Then we returned to the campground, hooked up, and headed for Clarkston, and the Snake River. We are esconced in a beautiful camp, laundry processing, and we are about to reduce all evidence of the mud and grime coating our trailer and truck. We will dine out tonight, and pick up a few provisions. We will be good to go north to Sand Point tomorrow.

We trust that you are safe and well, and send warm wishes to one and all,
Love,
Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Book Signing Week

We arrived in Salmon, Idaho late Friday afternoon. We escaped the worst of the rain from Challis to Salmon. The road paralleling the Salmon River had some washouts, and mud slides, but they were cleaned up before we arrived. The blue/ black clouds loomed ahead of us, but we never did catch up to them.

Bob and Alberta had a brand new Arctic Cat. The four wheels turn independently of each other, which is quite interesting. Saturday afternoon, Alberta took me for a rideof a life time up the mountains behind the house. We climbed over 1,500 feet up the mt on an ATV dirt road. I took some good photos of the views we saw. One view was up the Lemhi Valley, with Salmon in the foreground. At one point we forded a creek in the Cat, and went up really steep hills with ease. A very exciting ride.

Sunday was quiet in Salmon. When people say they roll up the sidewalks on Sundays, it reminded me of that comment. Quiet, Quiet, with most stores closed. But, we found the Alco store open, and browsed some very interesting things. Our indoor/ outdoor thermometer for the trailer had a casualty regarding the outdoor sensor. It fitted just perfectly into the front fenders of the trailer. Unfortunately, a bumpy road “ ate “ the sensor. So, our outdoor temps were whatever we imagined ! We found a new set and now we are scientifically correct on the current indoor/ outdoor temps.

Today has been an exciting day. Russ was scheduled for a 9:30 am interview at the radio station for broadcast of Voice of the Valley. Alberta and Bob Weiderrick accompanied us, as our research and marketing team. They have been wonderful to help Russ all these years in researching the book on Cobalt. Alberta has done so much PR work, and Bob has been marketing the books far and wide. The interview time arrived and did not disappoint. All four of us went in for the radio interview so Russ could introduce his team. I was so excited, I just remember snatches of the interview. But, I acted as chronicler and photographer, so I kept busy.

We visited Kay’s Hallmark after the radio interview. She had purchased many books, and wanted more ! So, we returned to the trailer, printed an invoice, and delivered her books. The Book Signing will be at the Lemhi Historical Museum on Wednesday, so Russ will be busy preparing for that. Alberta has been very busy, because we saw a sandwich board outside the Hallmark store advertising Russ’ Cobalt book. And Bob told us that the marquee near the bridge in Salmon was announcing his Book Signing on Wednesday ! We went back to take a photo of that.

It is warming up to near normal temps here in Salmon. Some sunshine is most welcome. We trust that all is well in your neck of the woods,

Love,
Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Winnemucca to Salmon

We headed out of Winnemucca before 8 yesterday morning. It was beginning to spit rain. It had rained off and on during the night, and continued across Nevada. The high desert and mountains, usually dry and pale in August, were much greener than in past years. We saw wild flowers along the side of the road. A surprise to us, and much enjoyed.

We stopped in Jackpot for gas, and a trailer check. The rain had stopped, but the wind was blowing. We traveled with the wind and blowing dust from Wells and across the Idaho state border and on to Shoshone. We slowed down some to give the trailer some purchase on the road, and she trundled along behind the truck.

Arrival and set up at the Riverside RV Park in Bellvue was a relief after the windy day. A bicycle group was enjoying the grassy meadow, with a sea of colored dome tents. We met our friends, Kathy and Steve, and their two darling grandchildren for gourmet pizza in Bellevue. We had a lovely evening, catching up on two years of activities.

This morning, we arose to a very cool day. Temps in the low 40s and rain. I took a photo of the bicycle group headed out. We had never seen port-a-potties loaded onto small trailers, and pulled behind pick ups. We later saw them headed toward Galena Pass, port-a-potties in tow.

Signs assured us that Galena Pass was open. Whew, as we were headed that way. We had driven # 75 several times before, so we had views in our mind’s eye of the breathtaking vistas. Today’s views were of mist kissed mountains, and the road ahead. Some of the mountains had fresh snow on the tops, and the temp at the top of the pass was 39 degrees. As we descended to the valley and Stanley, the temps climbed to a high of 45.

 We had a delightful gourmet lunch in the cafe, and looked in on several places to inquire about buying Russ’ book. All the managers, who make the decisions, were out until Monday. So, we peeked in on the remodeled Stanley Hotel, a historic log building, once owned by our friends in Hailey.

By the time we traveled on to Challis, the rain was reduced to a drizzle, and a very enthusiastic Forest Ranger named Dan, manning the desk at the Yankee Fork Historic Museum, eagerly bought a number of Russ’ books. He was impressed that Russ could use a memory stick to download an invoice, plug it into Dan’s computer, and print it out.

Russ inventoried a weather station at the Challis Airport on our way out of town. As we headed for Salmon, trailing along next to the Salmon River, we kept our eyes to the north, where blue black rain clouds lowered. Most fortunately, they hovered just ahead of us, and we arrived in Salmon and docked in Bob and Alberta’s spacious newly poured cement driveway. It was so nice to join them for a catch up on Salmon and Nevada City.

All is well in our neck of the woods, and we hope that it is well in yours also,
Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Ellen’s Trip Log- Idaho/ Vancouver

Russ’ cousin Thom asked me when we would be leaving this morning. I replied that I was not sure, we needed to talk about that. Thom said, “ Oh, you are leaving on Steele
Time .” I guess he was right. We were off like a herd of turtles at 10:15 am ! By the time we turned off all the right things in the house, hooked up the trailer, turned off the water,and checked the brake lights, we were finally off !

The 5th of August must be an auspicious day, because it was beautiful. Mountains, blue skies, clouds and open road. After all our oohs and aahs at Donner Lake and its surrounds, we climbed up to the high dessert and Winnemucca. Our conestoga has a way of reminding us to watch and learn. We docked at the Winnemucca RV Park, where we have stayed a number of times.

After a nice dinner, and programming our new TV, we took our ritual walk around the RV  park. Lots of friendly people, some with friendly dogs, too. We returned to our trailer, and the key would not open the door. Not a new problem, as we had to take the door
off the trailer twice on our long trip last year. But, the truck keys were in the trailer !!!
I tried my key in the other lock, which we rarely use, and wallah, it worked. Now we
have new rules, truck keys in pocket, and check bungee which holds the second Airstream eclectic lock in place.

Again, we were esconced in our Ekornes chairs, enjoying the campground ambiance, when I saw a lady in an adjoining campsite admiring our trailer. Then she walked to our
door, and I thought, she is going to ask about our Airstream. Well, not so. She came
to tell us that we had water shooting out of the pressure regulation valve. Russ raced
out to turn off the water. The lady’s husband told Russ that it can happen with altitude.
We will check on it tomorrow.

Last year on our big trip, the second day out we somehow had an entire container of
sour cream coat the inside door of the fridge. Then the next day, a container of pressurized whipped cream went off in the fridge. Fun ! We bought neither sour
cream nor whipped cream for the remainder of the trip.  (-:

All is well here, God willing and the creek don’t rise. We hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Ellen/ Mom/ Grandma