Cape Blanco and Depoe Bay

On Sept. 9, 2009 we left Sunriver, OR and headed west to the Oregon coast and Cape Blanco. We traveled to the Umpqua River and the Steamboat Springs Lodge to have breakfast. Here, there is a 90 mile stretch of the Umpqua that is only open to fly-fishing. A big highlight was to visit the steelhead pool on Steamboat Creek, 11 miles from the lodge, and see the many fish that had fought their way up to this point. From there we traveled to Cape Blanco which is on the Oregon coast about 25 miles south of Bandon, OR.

Cape Blanco is the most western point on the Oregon coast. The Cape Blanco lighthouse is the most southern on the Oregon coast. This lighthouse was proposed in 1864 and had it's first lense in 1870. We stayed at Cape Blanco State Park for two nights and had beautiful weather. We hiked, geocached, and enjoyed the remoteness of this area.

We left Cape Blanco and headed north to Depoe Bay, OR. Our friends Gene and Josie Whisnant have a cozy condo just back from the ocean where we stayed 2 nights in TREK. We had a great time visiting the area with Dorothy Blanchard and our friends. We saw the spectacular coastline and introduced our friends to geocaching. We enjoyed a cup of hot clam chowder at Mo's and a great dinner at the famous Tidal Raves restaurant.

Depoe Bay is the world's smallest navigable harbor. It has been carved and shaped by powerful natural forces. Waves run beneath lava beds creating spouting geyers that spray 60 feet into the air. Depoe Bay is also known as "The Whale Watching Capital of The Oregon Coast". We saw many whales in our short stay. Depoe Bay is also home for many different types of sport and commercial fishing.

Upon leaving Depoe Bay we continued north to Astoria, OR and crossed the Columbia River into Washington. We traveled to Long Beach, WA and found ourselves in a parade of antique cars. After exiting from the parade, we decided to head to Bay Center, WA which is at the mouth of Willapa Harbor. We spent the night at the KOA campground and had a cold beer at the local tavern and some delicious oyster dressing.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow. You can also click on the pictures above to enlarge them.

Our First Home Grown Oyster Feed

Several months ago, we decided to try and grow some oysters in front of our beach home. We planted 1,500 oysters in bags staked to a beach line. It was so successful that we planted another 1,500 oysters this past month. It takes from 9 to 18 months for the oysters to mature depending on the type. We really enjoyed our first harvest and have had many since.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Soap Lake Trip

If you are looking for a peaceful place to escape, then head to Soap Lake, WA. Soap Lake is a mineral lake located in the heart of Washington. It was one of the most known mineral spas in the country, prior to sulfa drugs and penicillin. Here, you can nourish your soul as well as your body with a soak in the water and then relax in the sun.

Dry Falls is one of the most spectacular geological wonders of the world. It is four times the size of Niagara Falls, stretching 3 1/2 miles wide and over 400 feet high. Today, it overlooks a desert oasis with lakes and wildlife. Sun Lakes State Park in just below Dry Falls. This entire area is very unique geologically and magnificent in beauty.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Ocean Shores, WA

Our final night (Sunday) was spent at Copalis Beach, just 6 miles north of Ocean Shores. Once we got our campsite, we went to Ocean Shores to visit the "Sand Castle" festival. Things were winding down, so we only got to see the one sand sculpture. They also had several chainsaw artist with their cedar sculptures. We left Copalis Beach early the next morning and headed home with lots of memories. Thanks TREK for another safe trip!

Ruby Beach - Pacific Coast (WA)

We rose early in the morning and had a good breakfast in a local restaurant. We felt relieved to leave Forks, WA in one piece!

As you head south from Forks, WA on US 101, your first sight of the Pacific Ocean is at Ruby Beach. The shoreline at Ruby Beach has it all - sand, pebbles, rounded stones, driftwood, and sea stacks. Between the mighty Pacific breakers and the towering coastal firs, the pebbles and sand of Ruby Beach serve as a barrier between two worlds. Occasionally sea and forest connect, but mostly this magical stretch of shore calls those looking to wonder, wander or just beachcomb.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Forks, WA

Nowdays, you cannot drive through Forks, WA and not sense the full impact of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" book series. It is overwhelming and will stimulate anybody's curiosity to read her books. There are four books in the series - "Twilight", "New Moon", "Eclipse", and "Breaking Dawn". Once you start the first book, you will not want to put it down. From then on, you will read the entire series - GUARANTEED!

We drove to LaPush and explored the scenes, as described in the book "Twlight". We had a great time and spent the night at an RV park in Forks, sleeping with one eye open. If you read the first book in the series "Twilight", you will understand the pictures in our short slideshow. For those of you who have read the first book "Twilight", then take this quiz and see how you do! CLICK HERE to take the "Twilight" quiz!

CLICK HERE to watch the short "Twilight" slideshow. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Makah Canoe Celebration

We were invited to a very special canoe celebration by Makah tribal members. There were 3 traditional Makah canoes that were given to three separate families. This was a promise made by tribal elders over 38 years ago. It is a goal of the Makah tribe to give each family, which can be very large, a personal canoe to resume their ancient fishing ways of the past. It was a very emotional and educational opportunity for us to celebrate with them. We enjoyed a delicious meal of specially prepared elk and salmon, which was served during the celebration.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Cape Flattery - Tatoosh Island

Cape Flattery is the most northwesterly tip of the USA (48 States) and looks across the mouth of the Straits of Juan DeFuca and Canada. The Pacifric Ocean is the backdrop and Tatoosh Island is located off the tip of the cape. There use to be a Makah fishing village on Tatoosh Island years ago, but no longer! In the winter, storms rage through this area, with winds of 100+ MPH on occasion! Look how calm and beautiful the day was for us. We had a great time exploring and seeing the spectacular scenery and the rugged coastline.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Hobuck Beach - Neah Bay, WA

On a spur of the moment, Nancy and I decided to take a trip around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. We had never been to Cape Flattery and had not been in this area for several years. It was going to be beautiful weather so ws just decided to head out in TREK for another adventure.

Hobuck Beach Park is on Hobuck Bay, which is located on the Makah Indian Reservation. The Makah tribe has built a very beautiful RV park at this beach. This is where the tribal members would launch their whaling canoes when harvesting the big gray whales that still frequent this area. This is not a practice anymore with the tribe. A few years back the Makah tribe was on national TV when they launch their canoes and harpooned a gray whale and took it to shore. They used the entire whale, in their traditional ways, to share with all tribal members. The hunt was not for commercial purposes, but for self-sustaining use only. This was a very special and meaningful event for the tribe.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow.

Day 29-34 (Clearwater River Valley, BC)

We traveled the Yellowhead Highway south to Clearwater, BC and spent the night at the KOA campground. The next morning we did some grocery shopping and headed up the Clearwater River highway to our friend's (Jim & Colleen Vadheim) cabin in the valley. Their cabin is located just outside of Well Gray Provincial Park on 70 acres of some of the most beautiful and pictureque land that you can imagine. From the first day of our arrival, until our departure, the time was filled with excitment, adventure, exploring, laughter, fun, good food, friendship, and many unforgettable memories together. Our day would start with a cup of coffee in the early morning, sitting on the deck, counting the black bear grazing in the surrounding pastures. We would occasionly see sand-hill cranes, Canadian geece teaching their young survial skills, a doe with her new-born fawn, and the pastured horses romancing each other.

We hiked into the bush, viewed some of the most dramatic waterfalls, took a boat trip up the pristine Clearwater Lake, played golf, and had a very interesting experience with a black bear that weighted around 600 lbs. or more. This was a very special time for us to spend with our friends and bring to a close our exciting trip. We headed home on June 11th which was our granddaughter's 18th birthday and for her graduation from high school on June 14th. Thanks Jim & Colleen for a great time - we love you guys!

We arrived home safe and sound to Fox Island. Upon completion of our trip, TREK'S odometer had an additional 5,500 miles. We averaged 21.8 miles per gallon on our trip - not bad! You better get yourself a ROADTREK before they run out of them!

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 28 - Jasper, Alberta

We arrived with plenty of time to get a great campsite and tour the town. We had a great time looking at all of the shops and decided to have pizza for dinner. So far we had not seen a moose, so we purchased "Bowinkle" as a magnetic mascot for TREK. After dinner we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone and headed back to the campsite. As we approached our campsite, we notice an elk feeding in the meadow next to our campsite, so we took a picture. Nancy is a Bev Doolittle fan and so before we left in the morning, she took some very beautiful pictures of the many aspen that were in the area. Our next stop will be in Clearwater, British Columbia where we are looking forward to visiting our friends, Jim and Colleen Vadheim. They built a cabin on 70 acres of land in the Clearwater Valley and we will be staying with them for 5 days exploring the countryside.

Leaving Jasper, we headed west through the mountains and the Yellowhead Highway south to Clearwater, BC. We passed the second highest mountain in British Columbia which is Mt. Robson (12,972'). They say you can never see the top of the mountain because of the clouds. We found out that this was a true statement, so we took our picture and then I goggled a picture so you can see the top of Mt. Robson.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 27 - Hinton, Alberta

After leaving the Icefields, we traveled north to Jasper, Alberta. We wanted to head east towards Hinton because it would be closer to Miette Hot Springs, plus we wanted to do some laundry, relax, and catch up on things. Miette Hot Springs is nestled high in the mountains without any other distractions. It is the hottest springs in Canada. When I was here as a little boy, we could not go into the hotsprings because of a polio epidemic in Canada. This was very upsetting, so one of our goals for this trip was to finally take a plunge and enjoy this Canadian pleasure. After stopping to buy groceries in Jasper, we headed east across the Athabasca River and came across a herd of Big Horn Sheep, which were coming out of the mountains to water in the river. After taking a few pictures, we found the Hinton KOA campground, which was very nice. We finished all of our chores and got up early the next morning and headed to the hotsprings. As we traveled into the mountains we saw a black bear sow and her 3 cubs. We learned that a Black Bear sow will usually have either 2-3 cubs every other year. We arrived at the hotsprings and soaked for longer than we should have before heading to Jasper to spent the night. They have 4 pools - 2 hot pools with different temperatures and 2 cooler plunges at different temperatures. We learned to use the pool rotation effectively, so we stayed for almost 2 hours and never got light headed. We wanted to spend the night in Jasper and to walk the town, so we headed west to find a campground at Jasper.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 26 - Columbia Icefields

The final leg up the Icefield Parkway was spectacular. There were just too many glaciers to mention by name so we took many picutres to share with you. The scenery was very special, but extremely fragile. There was a haze in the air from the controlled burns in the area, but cleared up as we traveled north. The glaciers are definately shrinking in size, as was especially evident at Athabasca Glacier (Columbia Icefield). This glaicer is currently about 85 sq. miles in size, but receding around 33' per year. I can remember as a young boy, this glacier being all the way to the road. I took a picture to show you where this glacier is today in comparison with the road. The first time that I was here would have been 60 years ago with my parents. We both felt that this part of our trip was very memorable.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 25 - Lake Louise

We woke up early and headed to Lake Louise on a very beautiful morning. We wanted to be able to have a full day of hiking and exploring. We by-passed the freeway and took the old road to Lake Louise and it was spectacular. It is hard to explain traveling and viewing the scenery of the Icefield Parkway. The emotions that you feel cannot be explained in words. You need to see it for yourself to understand. We arrived early at the Lake Louise campground (10:30 AM) a got a great campsite close to the bathhouse. There are two magnificant lakes in this area, Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. We packed up lunch and headed up the road to Moraine Lake, which was still frozen solid. We hiked around a bit and then had lunch. There were several people that were brave enough to walk on the frozen lake, but we decided to just watch them.

After lunch we headed to Lake Louise, which I can still remember visiting as a young boy with my parents some 60 years ago. When we arrived at the lake, you cannot help but notice the Fairmont Lake Chateau Hotel. There were a lot of visitors, so we decided to hike to the end of the lake, which is at the base of the mountain range. Along the path, you could not help but notice several rock climbers ascending and desending the cliffs. The lake is open year-round and offers many recreational opportunities to visitors. The weather was beautiful and started to get very warm, so we decided to have a cold beer and wine at the hotel and look back at the lake and the glacial fields in the background.

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Day 23-24 (Banff, Alberta)

We left Waterton Lakes early and headed to Banff, which is the beginning of the Icefield Parkway route to Jasper, Alberta. It was a very beautiful day and the scenery was spectacular. The Canadian Rockies are larger than life, rugged, and very pristine. Banff is nestled in the Bow River Valley and is located in Banff National Park. Their are two primary townships within the park (Banff & Lake Louise) and the entire area is an outdoor paradise. It is a wilderness area filled with wildlife, unusal rock formations, high alpine meadows, glaciers, and jade green lakes.

We stayed for two nights at the Tunnel Mountain campground just outside of Banff. We walked to town and then discovered that they have a trolley car transportation system, so we took advantage of that service. We strolled the town and visited the famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which was officially opened in 1888, when the Canadian Pacific railroad was built. We took a relaxing plunge in the Banff Hot Springs pool and had a very hard time leaving. We topped the night off with dinner at the "good old" Spaghetti Factory!

We took a hike to the Hoodoos, which overlook the Bow River valley and could see the Banff Springs Hotel in the distance against the pictureque backdrop of the mountains.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 22 - Waterton Lakes National Park

We crossed into Canada without any problems and got to show our passports for the first time ever. Waterton Lakes is located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada and borders Glacier National Park in Montana. There are three beautiful lakes (Lower, Middle, and Upper) which are located at the base of the Canadian Rockies. The mountains are very spectacular and rugged and there was alot of snow on them. Upper Waterton Lake was still frozen. You cannot help but notice the Prince of Whales Hotel when you arrive at the very small quaint town of Waterton which overlooks the middle lake. It was built in 1926 and named after Prince Edward. We camped at the park in Waterton and enjoyed riding our bikes around town and the lake. We took a short trip into the mountains to Red Rock Canyon and hiked out to the falls. It was very beautiful and we enjoyed having lunch by the river.

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Day 21 - St. Mary's, MT

We left Fort Benton and got diesel and went to Wal-Mart for groceries in Great Falls, MT. We tried to get some Canadian money, but the banks did not have any, or so they told us. After trying 5 different banks, we decided to get out of town and use our credit card in Canada. Our next stop was St. Mary's, MT, just south of the Canadian border at Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. We crossed over into Canada (Alberta) at Babb, MT and got to use our passports for the first time. It was a very smooth crossing with very few questions. The area around St. Mary's is very spectacular and beautiful. You are looking straight at the Rocky Mountains. You can cross over to the westside of the Rocky Mountains through Glacier National Park at St. Mary's. We stay at the St. Mary's KOA and had a great campsite. One thing that you can always count on at a KOA, is a hot shower!

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Day 20 - Fort Benton, MT

We had a long haul from Medora, ND to Fort Benton, MT. Fort Benton is considered to be the "birthplace" of Montana. It was founded in 1846 by the American Fur Company at the head of navigation on the Missouri River. It was the premier Blackfoot trading post in the Northwest. Steam stern wheelers would travel to Fort Benton to bring new settlers into the area, plus take furs back down stream. Lewis and Clark put their canoes into the Missouri River at the Fort Benton site on their return trip from discovering the Pacific Northwest route. It is a very beautiful historic town with only about 1,500 people living there today.

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Day 18-19 (Medora, ND - Teddy Roosevelt Grasslands)

Medora, ND is a very small community nestled at the southern most end of the Teddy Roosevelt Grasslands, commonly called North Dakota Badlands. It is where Teddy Roosevelt built a cabin and hunted. He had such a fondness for this area that he later proclaimed this area as a National Park, along with many others. It is a very fertile wild and rugged landscape with plentiful wildlife, reptiles, and birds. The southern unit of the park has a herd of wild buffalo and horses, of which we took some pictures. The many brillant colors were especially enjoyable at dawn and dusk.

The town was named after the wife of a French nobleman, who raised cattle, built the first slaughter house, and was responsible for bringing the railroad into this area. He became very weathly by shipping beef to the east coast. The town is famous today, not only for it's history, but for the musical performances throughout the summer months that attract people from many different countries.

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Day 14-17 (Rapid City, SD)

We arrived in Rapid City, SD on Friday (May 22nd). This was of course Memorial Day weekend. Our engine indicator light came on again and would not go out at all. So we decided to check this problem out with the local Dodge dealership in Rapid City. We found Dodge Town and needed to see a diesel mechanic. Just our luck, their only one, was on vacation until Tuesday (May 26th). We decided to stay and get our oil changed at the sametime. Not knowing where to stay for four days, we decided to join KOA which had a campground about 1/2 mile from the dealership. As it turned out, we had a great time.

First of all, they had a breakfast at the campground every morning where you could eat all of the pancakes you wanted for $1.00. We got to meet John Horton, who had been cooking pancakes at this campground for over 20 years. He had flipped over 1 million pancakes since he started cooking breakfast each morning at the Rapid City KOA. John is also a retired professional cowboy rodeo rider, and currently writes poetry and sings cowboy songs. He is very humble, but exceptionally talented and loves to entertain people. We got to know John and became very fond of him.

We also weathered 3 inches of rain in less than 3 hours with lots of high winds, thunder, and a spectcular lighting show. We took in the Memorial Day bike race in Rapid City, visited Art Alley, and did the President's Cache Walk through town. Rapid City is known as "The City of Presidents". There is a bronze statue of 35 American presidents located on different corners in the historic downtown area.

We visited a very amazing Native American gallery of arts and artifacts, then went to the local micro-brewery and had drumettes and a couple of home brews. We eventually got TREK back in running order and headed up the road to Medora, ND and the Teddy Roosevelt Grasslands.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 13 - Mount Rushmore & SD Badlands

We spent the night in Keystone, SD at Kemp's Kamp RV Park. We were hoping to watch the American Idol finals, but missed out. We got up early and headed up the road to Mount Rushmore which was 4 miles away. We arrived early and had breakfast at the memorial site, watched the presentation, and hiked to the base of the sculpture. There were not very many people around, so we enjoyed exploring the area. After our visit, we were excited to head east through the South Dakota Badlands. We were also looking forward to staying the night in Wall, SD and visiting the "famous" Wall Drug Store and have a cup of 5 cent coffee and a home-made doughnut. The drug store is 76,000 sq. ft. in a town less than a thousand people. The owner of Wall Drug came up with the idea during the depresson, of offering FREE ICE WATER to thirsty travelers. Not only did they successfully survive the depression, but they have become the #1 roadside attraction in America today!

The Badlands are a geological feature that rise up out of the prairie created by wind, water, and time. They are mystical and give you the feeling of a painted desert, moonscapes, and Jurassic Park all put together. It is hard not to imagine, as you cross the Badlands, the thousands of Tatanka (Bison) that migrated across the grasslands of this magnificant arena of beauty. At one point in history, the Plains Indians would hideout in the Badlands or camp up against them for protection. There were also many famous outlaws that had their strongholds in the area.

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Day 11 - 12 (Custer State Park)

We spent two nights at Crooked Creek Ranch RV Park and it was very peaceful. It borders the Michelsen Bike Trail which cover 109 miles of old railroad bed converted to a bike trail. We had every intension of riding this portion of the trail, but decided to catch up on laundry and relaxation. We met Mike, Maxine, and Mini Swartz from California. They also have a Roadtrek, so we stuck up a friendship with out any issues right away. We "Trek'ers" stick together. We also met up with Dennis Bennett, his wife, and two labs. There daughter Julie, an actress, is a very close friend of Adam Lambert (2009 American Idol finalist). We had a big day of traveling and adventure ahead. We went to Sylvan Lake, explored the Wind Caves, did Iron Mountain Road through some very narrow tunnels, and spent the night in Keystone, SD.

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Day 10 - Crazy Horse Memorial

"They made many promises, more than I can remember - They never kept but one: they promised to take our land, and they took it" (Red Cloud, Lakota Chief 1891)

Crazy Horse is pointing and saying, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."

In the mid-1940's a group of Lakota elders approached famous sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and ask if he would create a memorial to their history and heros. This was after Mount Rushmore had been started. He agreed and the project began in 1948 and the work continues today at the memorial site. Although Korczak has died 7 of his 10 sons, daughters, and wife continue the project today, strickly on donations. They have refused any government assistance due to past history. Inheriting this project and it's goals from their father, they continue to fulfill this original committment. They have built a beautiful museum which includes the original home and studio of Karcsak and an extensive presentation of Plains Indians artifacts and history. This memorial site is a very spiritual and emotional experience to visit. Putting the magnitude of this creation into perspective, upon completion the final sculpture will be as long as a cruise ship and taller than a 60 story skycraper. Crazy Horse is the world's largest carving and is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

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Day 9 - Deadwood, SD

After the TOWER, we headed through Spearfish and onto Deadwood, SD. In the 1870's was the site of the last big gold rush in North America. In fact, in Deadwood on upper main street you can still take a tour of the Broken Boot gold mine. Fueled by gold, Deadwood became a lawless camp of get-rich prospectors and a business district largely of saloons, dance halls, card palors, and bordellos. Then came frontier legends like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane who lived and died in Deadwood and are buried in the local cemetary. Today, it is designated as a National Historic District. Our first impression arriving in Deadwood, which was set deep withing the mountains of the Black Hills is a very western, wild, casino filled, and Harley's. It is still a rough, dusty, dirty authentic western town. It is a mecca for gamblers and it was interesting to see the variety of people in town. Kevin Costner has left his trademark after "Dancing With Wolves" and owns an entire building which is filled with movie memorbilia of his past. He also has a an attraction called "Tatanka", which is the story of the bison and a huge sculptural reinactment of a "Buffalo Jump". Not being gamblers, we walked around the town for awhile, ate dinner in town, and took the trolley back to Whistler's Gulch where we were spending the night with TREK.

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Day 8 - Devils Tower ("Bear Lodge")

We arrived in Sundance and spent the night. We learned something interesting about Wyoming. We took a walk to a convenience store to buy some beer. You can only purchase alcohol in Wyoming bars, so we did with out.

We got up early and headed for Devils Tower. This is a huge monolith rising up from the Black Hills valley. The Belle Fourche River runs along it's base. It is 5,112' high, which is over 900' from it's base. The Kiowha legend tells of 8 children (7 sisters and a brother) playing in the forest. Suddenly, the boy is struck dumb and began growing claws and hair, while running on all fours. The terrified sisters ran, as the "Now Bear" brother, chased them. The sisters came to a very large stump, which spoke to them saying, "Climb up on me now!" The stump started growing upwards immediately, as the BEAR clawed all around the stump trying to reach them. The seven sister were then born into the sky and became the seven stars of the BIG DIPPER. Devils Tower is a very popular rock climbing challenge and there are over 200 routes to the top.

This magnificant pillar set in the Black Hills was established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 as America's 1st National Monument. We hiked around the base of this BIG ROCK and took many pictures. We saw many rock climbers and a giant BULL snake crossed our path. We also observed many examples of Native American prayer taliman's hanging from the trees, which stand for safety and good health.

Exiting from the park, we got to take a photo of the Mayor of Prairie Dog Town (see photo).

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Day 7 - Custer Battlefield

Packed up and left Cody and headed towards the "Battle of the Little Bighorn". We had to take a detour as the pass was closed on HWY 14. We went through Greybull, Worland, Buffalo, and Sheridan, WY. We went over Powder River Pass (9,668') in the Bighorn Mt. Range and the weather was great and the views were magnificant. We crossed over into Montanta and stayed at the 7th Ranch RV Park in Garryowen, MT. The couple that owned the park were educators and cashed in their retirement pensions and bought a section of land close to the battlefields. The facilities and views from out campsite were unbelievable. We got up early the next morning and headed to the battlefields on the Crow Indian Reservation.

The "Battle of the Little Bighorn" took place June 25-26, 1876. This site memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestrial and traditional way of life. Although the Plains Indians won the battle, they subsequently lost the war against the white man's efforts to end their independent, nomadic way of life. After the battle, Lakota and Cheyenne families removed their dead and placed them in sacred places. We viewed a presentation of the battle history and then drove through the entire area stopping frequently to take pictures and spend moments reflecting on the gravitiy of what happened here and why (clash of two cultures and the end of one). We left after spending a couple of hours and headed down HWY 90 to Sundance, WY and Devils Tower.

Also at this site, there is a memorial burial area for other American soldiers that have died in many other wars.

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Day 5 - 6 (Cody, WY)

Arrived in Cody, WY late afternoon and stayed at the Ponderosa RV Park. We spent two nights here. Next morning we went to the Buffalo Bill Museum and spent about 5 hours there. It is made up of 5 different museums in one facility, four of which we went toured. The four we toured were the Museum of Natural History, Buffalo Bill, Plains Indians, and Cody Firearms Museums. The Western Art Gallery was closed. We took a break and found 4 caches in the area before visiting The Irma Hotel, which Bill Cody built in 1902 and had his Wild West Roughrider Show headquarters. Within this beautiful hotel we got to see the "famous" cherry wood bar which Queen Victoria gave to Bill Cody as a gift. We had a great time and really enjoyed this flavor and history of this special town.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 4 - May 12 (Dillon, MT)

We are currently in Dillon, MT and are staying the night at Southside RV Park. The elevation is around 5,100' in Dillon and it is suppose to get into the mid-20's tonight. Dillon, MT is a farm and ranch community that has a touch of culture, history, and recreation. At one time it was the largest wool shipping point in Montana. It was also central for early Montana mining camps and settlements. We decided not to cross over Lost Trail Pass (7,100') because of the severe winter conditions in the mountains today, so decided to go east on HWY 90 to Butte, MT and then head south to Dillon, MT on HWY 15. We had dinner at Sparky's Garage Diner where we had a plate of BQ pork ribs, baked beans, sweet potato fries, and corn bread. that were outstanding. Our waitress, Melody, just graduated from University of Montana Western with a 4 year degree in education. She was very excited, full of idealism, and energy. She had just finished her first job interview and will be teaching 2nd grade. Her class load will be 13 lucky kids.

The University of Montana Western was built in 1890 as a Normal School, preferably a teacher training college. It recently has branched out into other academic areas, thus becoming affiliated with the Unversity of Montana. Melody's classes during her 4 year preparation were very much different than other institutions. She attended class for 18 days, from start to finish, and took her final. She would be in class for 3 hours per day for that time period. She mentioned that it was a very concentrated program, but she loved the learning experience.

As you can see from the picture above of TREK, we woke up to a very beautiful morning for our trip through Yellowstone National Park and onto Cody, WY.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!

Day 3 - May 11 (Missoula, MT)

NO pictures today!. We left the RV park and got fuel. We were headed south on HWY 93 over Lost Trail Pass (7,056') towards Dillon, MT. OOPS! Big change of plans - the engine diagnostic indicator light came on and we have decided to head west to Kellogg, ID and the nearest Sprinter dealership to get it checked out. After reading in the owners manual about potential problems, we decided to head west. Ever heard of Dave Smith's Motors, well that is who took care of our warranty issue in about 10 minutes and put us back on the road east again to Missoula, MT. After a 250 mile round trip to take care of this issue we decided to stop at Jelly Stone RV Park again, so we could watch "Dancing With The Stars" and "24". We had an interesting day, but were glad that TREK was healed and ready to continue on her journey with us.

Day 2 - May 10 (Missoula, MT)

We headed east and crossed the Snake River between Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID. We headed up HYW 12 along the Clearwater River scenic by-way for about 90 miles towards Lolo Pass. We followed the river through beautiful farms and pine studded gorges on a narrow twisty road. This is through Nez Perce country, where Cheif Joseph led his people. Along the route the Locha ("rapid waters") and Selway Rivers merge with the Clearwater. We got to see many rafters and kayakers challenging the wild rapid, especially along the Locha River. We traveled over Lolo Pass (5,225'), which is the state line between Idaho and Montana. We wanted to stop by Lolo Hot Springs as Skip was there when he was 7 years old. We spent the night in Missoula, MT at Jelly Stone RV Park, where we met Linda and Georgette from Kelowna, British Columbia. They also had a Roadtrek and it was fun to share stories with them. We had a great night and were ready for Day 3 to come!

We Are OFF And Trek'in - Day 1 (Starbuck, WA)

We got up early this morning May 9th (Saturday) and hit the road. We had planned on leaving Friday, but got hung up with the satellite dish installation. The weather was beautiful so we decided to go on HWY 26 when we crossed the Columbia River at Vantage, WA. This is the highway that you would travel if you were heading to Pullman, WA to watch the "Cougars" play football. It takes you through Othello and some beautiful farm country. We turned right at Washtucna, WA and headed to Starbuck, WA. This is a bump in the road and we stopped to check out the famous old jail house. Yes, there was a little restaurant across from the jail that served coffee, just not Starbucks. We spent our first night at the Tucannon River RV Park which is about 55 miles west of Lewiston, ID. This is a very nice park right next to the Tucannon River, which is one of the few "wild and scenic" rivers left in Washington. We got to use the satellite dish for the first time and beamed in on all of the local channels out of Seattle. It was great!

The 4-Way Test

A very close friend of ours shared the following statement with us regarding the things that we all think, say, and do. I would like to share what he had to say with you!

- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

These four principles seem like they are pretty good advice!

Grayland Beach State Park

On March 9, 2009 (Monday) we took Trek on a shake down trip to Grayland Beach State Park which is about 8 miles south of Westport, WA. We are preparing ourselves and Trek for our BIG trip in May to ID, MT, WY, SD, ND, and into Canada. We had a great trip and really had beautiful weather considering this time of the year. We had our camping spot pretty much all to ourselves and could climb the sand dune behind our site where we could look out over the ocean. We awoke the first morning to cold temperatures and YES snow. This did not stop us! We headed south for 5 miles to Tokeland, WA and bought some fresh dungeness crab right off the boat. We also hunted down some geocaches in the area for a total of 12 during our entire trip. Some of the great memories will be having clam chowder at the famous "One Eyed Crab" restaurant in Westport, visiting the Westport Meritime Museum, cooking pancakes on the grill outside, watching the surfers off the Westport jetty, enjoying a beach fire, and the beautiful walks on the beach and around the Westport area. We stayed for four nights and cannot wait to go back sometime soon. The weather, after the first morning, was clear and sunny with the temperature staying in the mid 40's. We hope that you enjoy our pictures!

The picture above is of the original Westport Lighthouse. Standing 107' tall this was dedicated in 1898. It is the tallest in Washington and the 3rd tallest on the West coast. The base sits on 12' of sandstone. Walls at the base are 4' thick and are made of brick with a coating of cement on the outside. It takes 135 steps to bring you to the lantern room. In 1898 this sat 400' from the high tide line, now it is 3,000' back from the high tide line. We love lighthouses and wanted to share just a little more local history.

CLICK HERE to view our picture slideshow. If you would like to read the picture captions, then change the viewing time from 3 to 6 seconds. When you have finished viewing the slideshow, click the BACK ARROW icon in the upper left corner of the page and it will take you back to our blog page - enjoy!