South American Adventure Begins

We want to give you a heads up about our upcoming adventure. We leave for Quito, Ecuador on New Years Day and will be traveling in South America until February 7th, and no, not in our RV. The adventure will take us from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands, then Santiago, Chile and nearby wine regions. Next the southern tip of Chile where we will hike in the Torres Del Paine National Park of Patagonia. After that the Mendoza, Argentina wine region and lastly Buenos Aires, Argentina. We are traveling with some very good friends, John & Susanna and Jack & Mary. As we have been planning this trip for over 9 months, to say we are excited is an understatement.

I have every intentions of blogging daily but the issue of internet access may make that difficult to impossible. Be patient.

We wish you all the best of the New Year in 2014!!

Wet, Wet Day

As predicted, it rained all day long and we were walking in the worst of it. We missed a downpour on our walk to the Harley-Davidson Museum and were happy to be dry while walking around the displays and learning more than we really wanted to know about the history of this iconic motorcycle. They had at least one of every model ever built with a storage area that held over 600 bikes. It was interesting to see how the motorcycle has evolved and then how that evolution affected society.

When we left the museum it was pouring down hard. Unfortunately for us a bridge over one of the river was under construction so we had to walk the long way around to the Milwaukee Market Place where we had a late lunch. We trudged back to the hotel in the rain, took a nap and waited for it to stop raining.

Since it is Halloween, I thought it would be fun to hit some bars before dinner and see some goblins and such. Our cab driver had suggested we go to the Spy Bar just across the alley from our hotel. What a neat place to hang out! We tried all three doors under the awning in the alley and the least likely was the one that opened. We went inside what looked like an old-fashioned hotel foyer and tried two doors, knocked and nothing happened. So we went back outside, checked the other doors again then went back into the foyer. This time I saw a sign about needing a password but before we could figure it out a hidden panel opened and we were admitted into the bar. If we had entered the Smoking Room off the main road we could have sat at a booth that would turn and admit us into the bar as well. After ordering a martini the barmaid gave us a sheet of paper with clues to find our way to the secret password and to discover other spy passages and eerie espionage tools. They had two-way mirrors in the bathrooms, a changing wall, a photograph that changed, a trap door from Russia, and an ejection bar stool. It was quite fun!

But no goblins or scary costumes. I guess the parties had all happened last weekend! We dined on small plates with wine and then headed home. Luckily the rain had stopped by that time.

We left Milwaukee on Friday morning.

Interview and Go

We slept late on Wednesday morning and then walked 1/2 mile to an nice cafe where I had baked oatmeal. Interesting taste!

Our interview with Homeland Security was at 11 am. We got there early and were finished by 11 am. They took our picture and scanned our finger prints, explained the program and gave us our membership number. Done!  Now we have expedited entry thru immigration and if we fly in USA we can bypass some TSA checks so no more removing shoes and taking off all my jewelry to get scanned. 

We walked along the Riverwalk to the Old Third Ward district where we had lunch and did a small amount of shopping. We walked out to the lakeside and around the art museum but we are saving going into any museums until tomorrow when it is supposed to rain all day. 

After walking almost 7 miles we took a nap before going out to dinner. Our dinner was at Sanford's where we had a fabulous meal of scallops and salmon with a caramel, banana tart for dessert. 

We were so depressed that the Cardinals lost that we stayed in for the rest of the evening. 

Milwaukee, WI

In order to expedite our passage thru immigration on returns from our travels out of the country we applied for a Global Entry pass. To get this pass we had to go thru an interview process with Homeland Security at one of many airports in the country. We chose to go thru Milwaukee since we could get the interview quickly and because we had never been to Milwaukee. 

We flew up on Tuesday afternoon so by the time we got to our hotel it was supper time. We got our room, turned on the A/C (as the room was hot) and then headed to Maden's German Restaurant. We had a nice meal at this famous and old icon of Milwaukee. 

We expected a cool room when we got back but that was not the case. We called the front desk and they sent up an engineer who could not fix the A/C.  So at 11pm we moved to a new -- and better-- room!  We have a corner suite with great views of downtown. I suspect we could see the lake if it weren't for the clouds and fog. 

HOME!

We had a great weekend with our grandson's and their parents. We didn't do anything special, but we just enjoyed being with each other. We got to watch Luca play soccer and Vincent ride his bike. Both boys enjoyed playing in the backyard sprinkler, playing baseball, flying a kite and playing in the park. We had hoped everyone could come out to the state park where we were camped but the weather just did not cool off enough. I can't imagine barbecuing hamburgers in 100° temperatures!

We drove home on Monday, Sept 9 and it feels so good to be in a big house where we don't run into one another.

As we look back on our summer, we see that we covered a lot of territory and tasted a lot of wine but there is so much more we could have taken in. Washington and Oregon are big states. Many people have asked if we went to Bend OR or Mt. Rainier, WA and we wish we could have but we ran out of time. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the many cases of wine we purchased, especially the ones we forgot we ordered! Our many pictures bring back memories of places we visited that were beautiful and the adventures we had while visiting.

I think our favorites were Crater Lake and Mt. St. Helens, but we also enjoyed parts of the Pacific Coastal regions, the many waterfalls found in Oregon, and the mighty Columbia River. Of course, the wine valleys are memorable too. We had such fun tasting the wines and meeting the many vintners and other tasters.

Thank you for joining us this summer. We are already planning our next adventure which will begin January 1. Hope you will join us again!

Detour Towards Home

We left Grand Tetons on Tuesday morning and drove through Denver to spend the night at a Walmart in Aurora.  Then the long drive thru Kansas. But we stopped early in Dodge City so I could do some laundry before arriving at our daughter's on Thursday.  The drive down to Norman Oklahoma is almost as boring as Kansas.  We have to stay at the Lake Thunderbird State Park this time as the fairgrounds camping is taken over by non other than the Fair!  Imagine that!  Thank goodness we have a nice spot and are planning on the grandkids spending some time with us at the lake. 

Rainy Days and Mondays

About the time we finished breakfast and I got our backpacks ready for a day of exploring and hiking the rain set in!

We headed out anyway but before we got to the road we realized the rain was not going to stop for a long while. So we changed directions and went into Jackson to grocery shop and walk around the square. On the way back we considered washing the Jeep and RV in the rain since it was raining so hard but by the time we got to the campground it had let up.

Late afternoon was dragging on, so despite the rain we went for a walk through the campground which is over a mile long. At one end we watched a momma moose and her juvenile calf and then in the center we watched three bull moose munch grass around the bathroom. Mortimer likes that part of the campground the best. It's where I saw him yesterday too. The other two just go where he leads.

It stopped raining while we were walking but it is certainly not finished! So that John does not have to grill in the rain we are dining out tonight. I won't complain about that!

Lazy Days and Sundays

After a very busy two days with our friends it was nice to relax a bit. We got up late, John went fishing, I rode my bike and watched a momma moose and her babies, lunch, naps, more fishing while I walked along the river and a big campfire to end the day. Nice!

White Water Snake

Saturday morning found us having breakfast at The Bunnery before our white water rafting adventure on the Snake River. We had SO much fun.

We were eight plus our guide in a raft. And with this group you can have nothing but fun and laughter! Kathy and Mary wasted no time in claiming the back of the boat because it was supposed to be the driest place to sit. John and Paul got the bow which got the most water. We were all supposed to paddle at the same time as our bowman but they struggled keeping together and with any kind of regular pace so Mary counted " one, two, one, two". It didn't help much because John wasn't wearing his hearing aides!

Just before one set of rapids the guide asked if anyone wanted to 'ride the bull'. This involved sitting on the bow with your feet in the water while hanging on to two handles. Paul volunteered. He fell back into the boat before we even got to the rapids! John hoisted him back up then three seconds into the rapids he fell back into the boat where he took the rapids and the resulting splashes laying down! The rest of us were laughing so hard we could not paddle! I suspect that our guide had one of his best days ever!

We saw several ospreys and a couple of juvenile eagles but the bald eagle was the show off because he flew across our bow twice. What a magnificent bird!

Immediately following lunch we rode the tram to the top of Jackson Hole Ski area for a fantastic view of the valley followed by beers at The Mangy Moose.

Two of the five couples headed for home today so there were only three couples for dinner at The Snake River Grill. We started with a pizza and ended with donuts and this was an elegant restaurant! I guess I better clarify that the pizza was a steak tartar pizza and the donuts were home made and served with three dipping sauces that were devine! In between we had very good entrees of lamb, steak, scallops and pork.

Death Canyon

Our friends who had backpacked into Yellowstone called and would be heading to Jackson early on Friday afternoon so we decided we could hike Death Canyon before they arrived.

We headed up the trail starting about 10 am. This was a favorite hike we made last summer so we knew what we were getting into - two steep climbs, long traverses across a rock field, a beautiful view of Phelps Lake, a noisy waterfall and the reward of a green, grassy, shaded spot next to the stream for lunch. On the way down we kept hearing voices from far away. After close inspection with the binoculars we found two young men rope climbing the vertical cliff over our heads. From the volume and pitch of their voices we surmise they were not having a good day! I hope they made it down okay. We are not in the best of shape for this hike so it seemed to take a lot out of us but we made the almost 2000 foot vertical climb and back in 4.5 hours and walked about 7.5 miles. There was no sign of bears.

When we reached the bottom we got a text that our friends Dave & Mickey and Lanny & Katie were waiting for us at Dornans with cold beers in hand. It was a welcomed sight to see our friends from home!

We met up with them and two other couples, Kathy & Paul and Mary & Jack, for supper so we could hear all about their adventures in the Yellowstone wilderness.

Bad Luck Day

John has so been looking forward to fishing in the Gros Ventre River this trip so today I had time to myself while he fished. Unfortunately the fish were not biting.

I did get the Jeep cleaned on the inside. But before that I took a ride on by bike and discovered Mortimer the Moose and his buddy napping under the trees at the edge of one of the campground loops. I had to ride back to the RV to get the camera so I could get e decent picture of him. They are magnificent animals.

While eating lunch I glanced up to see a huge crack growing across our windshield! One day on our trek from Washington to Colorado we discovered a small chip in the center of the windshield. We considered getting it fixed but decided that since it hadn't grown, maybe we could get home before it grew any bigger. WRONG! It was growing right before our eyes! We talked with Newmar and our insurance company and now hope we can get home before the whole thing comes crashing in on us. We are going to try taping it with clear tape in hopes it won't grow more or at least not leak.

Tagart Lake Hike

I was in a real funk Wednesday morning but a nice hike is just what I needed to get out of it. We chose Tagart Lake because it was a moderately hard hike, short (4.5 miles) and scenic. We started out in scrub then gradually hiked up into aspen then the pines. I so enjoy the smells of the forest - sage brush, pines and evergreens, fresh water and clean mountain air. It was just what I needed to cheer me up! As we neared the lake we got a really beautiful view of the mountains with clouds skirting the peaks or wrapping around their mid sections. It was so nice and peaceful, too.

After lunch we had to go into town. As John was taking the bikes off the rack he noticed that my front tire was flat - again! Also the rack holding the bikes had a crack that needed welding. We found places to fix both the rack and bike while enjoying some shopping and ice cream.

The daily afternoon rain shower missed us today making for a beautiful evening next to a campfire and watching the stars emerge in the clear sky.

Grand Teton National Park

We are camped at Gros Ventre Campground and have little to no cell service. We have to drive a short ways to get decent cell service and not sure where we can get Wi-Fi. So I am writing this blog daily so that if we can get cell service we can at least keep you up dated on our adventures but I'll have to add pictures at a later time.

We drove into the Tetons on Tuesday afternoon during one of the daily rain showers so we got wet as we unhitched the Jeep. Since we had been cooped up in the RV all day we decided to take a walk around the campground to stretch our legs and familiarize ourselves with the layout of the area.

As we were circling the C Loop we noticed people stopped with cameras in hand. That almost always means there is wildlife to view. Sure enough, they were watching a huge bull moose graze on the bushes behind the bathrooms. Then he needed to rest so he laid down. We only had the iPhone camera so the picture is not the best.

For whatever reason, I was absolutely exhausted and turned in around 9 pm and John came to bed shortly after that.

Too Much Going On

I just can't seem to find the time to record our adventures --we've done so much!

Friday was a good day - bad day. It was a good day because we had a nice run up Italian Pass over to Crested Butte and we had a great time and a beer with our friends at a pizza place then dinner at at an Italian restaurant. But it was a bad day because Mike's Jeep broke a tied rod in the middle of the trail. After a couple of hours of working on it and not able to make a temporary fix the men rolled the Jeep to a wide spot on the trail and left it there. Mike was able to get the part and a mechanic up on the mountain the next day and drove it off.

Saturday morning we had a farewell breakfast with promises of getting together next year. We then hitched up the Jeep to the RV to go over Cottonwood Pass again. In the RV it took us 50 minutes to drive the 14 miles of gravel road to the top and 30 minutes to drive back down and into Buena Vista. We then headed to Conifer where we parked in Ray and Judy's driveway for two nights. We had a wonderful visit with our friends!

Monday morning we got a late start on our way to Tetons National Park because we were having such a nice visit with Ray and Judy. I guess we got a little too relaxed because I spilt a whole glass of water on the couch and floor and John missed two exits on our route. It was not a good start to our day!

We got as far as Rawlins, WY and will have a 6 hour drive today. We can't wait to get there and Rest!

Taylor Pass

We awoke to a heavy cover of fog again this morning but it did clear out for a beautiful morning and then we experienced rain again this afternoon.

John and I were the designated leaders for today and we got to lead the group over a very difficult pass that we had never driven before. The last time we Jeeped in Taylor Lake this pass was closed due to excessive rain.

We started our trip with a delightful visit with the volunteers at the US Forest Station at Dorchester Campground. The couple manning this station live in the log cabin that was built as part of Dorchester Township in the late 1800's. Elaine had prepared for us a gourmet breakfast of several coffee cakes, an assortment of fruit and cheese, coffee and tea. All the cakes were baked on their wood burning deluxe oven/stove that also heats the cabin. It is a one room log house big enough for the bed, two couches, a desk and kitchen table plus the stove.

A short drive later we were on Taylor Pass which is considered a very difficult road up to the top of the pass that separates Crested Butte and Aspen. It was narrow and steep with large boulders over a 4 mile stretch. Part of the trail ran in a creek which was fun until we had to climb out. Since John was in the lead he got to show everyone else the way but it was so challenging that he requested help from Rick who is very experienced at directing drivers over the trouble area. Everyone made it through the tight turn, up a steep grade, between a boulder and a tree.

Taylor Lake was near the top of the pass and is very pretty. Mary used to come out to Taylor as a child with her family. One day her father made her walk the four miles up to Taylor Lake to go fishing. She was very tired and wanted to sit down but he would not have it. She had to fish. So she just threw her line out and immediately declared that she was stuck on a bush. When her dad helped her reel in, she had caught two cut-throat trout at the same time!

The back side of the pass was not hard and led us to Aspen. From there we drove over Independence Pass back to Buena Vista and then Cottonwood Pass back to Taylor Lake (this is our 3rd trip over Cottonwood Pass). A roaring campfire rounded out this memorable day.

Williams Pass

We drove over some of the same ground today as we did yesterday but it was worth the effort to reach Williams Pass. We drove through Tin Cup and over Tin Cup Pass, then Cumberland Pass to Hancock Pass. This circled us around a mountain so that we could access Williams Pass and come out near the Alpine Tunnel.

Most of these roads are rough but not hard to drive. Williams Pass, on the other hand, is very difficult. This road (if you can call it that) is only open in August and due to the fact that the snow melt has no where to go the meadow is always knee deep in water. A local Jeep club found this pass, which used to be used by miners to get their ore to the railroad, and maintain it by bringing in small rocks and gravel to fill in around the boulders. But the water and mud erode out their efforts and we are left with a challenging run.

But we are not complaining! This is what John and I enjoy about off-road Jeeping - the challenge of us in the Jeep against Mother Nature. Five of the seven Jeeps that made this run are Rubicons, and the other two are stock Jeep Wranglers. Three of the Jeepers have never done this route before but one of them is a very experienced driver so we didn't worry about him. One of the Rubicons was driven by a very in-experienced driver. He got stuck and it was 15 minutes before anyone realized that he had driven almost half of the pass in two-wheel drive when he should have been in 4-wheel drive. Once he was geared down he had no problems. One of the stock Jeeps got stuck and had to be pulled out but that was no problem for these guys. Once over the pass we all whooped and hollered! We Did It!

The rain came in, as usual, this afternoon but tapered off as we returned to the campground. We got back from our drive in time for Jeff and Linda to crank out some home-made ice cream! The party started under our awning but moved to the meeting room when the rain started coming down again. Carol and I whipped up some appetizers and everyone sat around telling stories, reveling in our adventures in the mountains and enjoying our friendship. Four couples in this group had anniversaries this month and of those four, three were this week including John and I. We all celebrated!

Fourteener Climb

Today dawned clear and sunny but clouded up this afternoon and we had a few light showers to contend with but otherwise it was a nice day.

Two Jeeps dropped out today so we are down to 8 in the caravan. I guess we were too rough on them. We started off with the long drive over Cottonwood Pass and over to the road we were on yesterday out of St. Elmo. But this time we turned up toward Hancock Pass. This road is not technically difficult but it is very narrow, steep and rocky. There was no rest from bouncing around for the whole 7 miles it took to get us to the 12,140 ft. pass with a time of 1.5 hours. We then drove up to Mt. Antero which is 14,239 ft. Four Jeeps went all the way to the top, and two drove over to White Mountain at a little over 13,500 ft. and two stayed at the 13,100 ft. parking area. The view from the top is spectacular!

Then back down that very steep, narrow, rocky road with a stop for lunch along the way. We went back down toward St. Elmo and then headed east to Pitkin where we had ice cream and then back toward Taylor Lake on Tin Cup Pass. The rest of these roads were not so steep and rocky but they were still a bit of a challenge until we got near the bottom and it was just a dusty, gravel road. That is when we stopped to watch a bull moose with a huge rack. It would have been nice if he had been closer but we still got a pretty good shot, I think. We also saw several deer along the roads today and waited on a herd of free-range cattle to cross in front of us.

We didn't get back to the RV's until after 6 PM so we eat out at the only restaurant in the area with friends from the caravan.

Jeeping in the Rockies

Sunday morning we prepared to head to Taylor Reservoir where we will camp at the Dream Ranch RV Park and discover new and old routes through the middle of the mountains surrounding Taylor Lake. Taylor Lake is north and east of Gunnison, east of Crested Butte and south of Aspen but our mountain climbing area will go as far east as Buena Vista and as far west as Marble.

Sunday was spent driving to our campground and reconnecting with this group of people whom we have Jeeped with for five years now. It also rained most of the afternoon before clearing up around supper time. We have been told this is a daily occurrence.

Monday dawned dark and cloudy as we were literally covered with the fog of a cloud hanging over the lake. But the day cleared and was sunny and warm with some clouds forming again in the afternoon but they did not spill any rain on us. We left the park with 10 Jeeps in a caravan. We drove up to the town of Tin Cup and then continued on over Tin Cup Pass at 12,154 ft. and down to the town of St. Elmo. Along the way we spotted three moose in a field. By the time we got the camera ready, one moose disappeared in the woods so we got a picture of only two of them.

We lunched and wondered around St. Elmo before heading up to the Mary Murphy Mine which at one time was one of the biggest producers of gold. Past the mine we climbed up to Pomeroy Lake. We were at about 12,000 ft. Pomeroy Lake is small but it was nice to get out and walk around for a bit. Then we returned by the same route. Parts of this route were pretty difficult with lots of rough rock and some rock climbing. We then had a 50 mile drive back to Taylor Lake on the paved and gravel road over Cottonwood Pass (12,126 ft).

It was a long day but that didn't stop several of our group from enjoying a fire, s'mores, and wine.

Oh, by-the-way, today was our 41st wedding anniversary!

Going Our Separate Ways

John went fishing and I went shopping, that's about as separate as we get on these trips!

It's beautiful in the Gunnison Valley. The day starts out quite cool but warms up into the upper 70's by noon, starts out with clear skies and clouds up and acts like rain but doesn't rain in the afternoons, then clears up again for a nice cool evening. It really doesn't get much better. Add to that a hot air balloon flying over and its awesome!

John got the fishing bug as we drove by the Gunnison River the other day so I encouraged him to gear up and go. He talked with a local fly shop to find the best spot and had pretty good luck during the morning session. The afternoon session was just too warm and the fish weren't biting.

I rode my bike to the Farmer's Market and loaded up on fresh vegetables, peaches, eggs and fresh baked bread. Then after lunch with John and a video chat with our kids and grandkids, I again rode my bike to town and browsed the downtown stores.

We had dinner at a place called "Garlic Mike's". It was very busy so we sat at the bar to eat, which we don't mind because we always meet interesting people. In this case we met two couples celebrating their anniversaries as were we. The neat thing was that one couple actually knew someone from Sedalia that we know also! Small world.

Gunnison, CO

We took a nice two mile hike this morning from the the campground to the visitor center and back. We then packed up and headed on down the road to Gunnison. We thought we might stay at a campground on the Blue Mesa Lake but changed out minds after seeing the place. Colorado is doing a lot of road work this summer. We sat for about 20 minutes where they are tearing out the road to widen and repave it. This has happened several times in our travels this summer.

We are staying at the KOA in Gunnison and will have the opportunity to go bike riding, trout fishing and antique car browsing at a big car show. We connected with some friends of ours who will be Jeeping with us next week. Nice day!

An Awesome Gorge

Happy Birthday, grandson Liam!!!

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a 48 mile long gorge through steep canyons, but at its narrowest point at the bottom of those canyon walls it is less than a quarter of a mile wide. Rim to rim at its widest it is 9 miles wide compared to the Grand Canyon at 21 miles wide. In those 48 miles, the river drops an average of 96 feet per mile and at one point it drops 480 feet in a two mile stretch. The park covers only 14 miles of the canyon. I think I read that this canyon is the steepest and narrowest canyon in the US. It was named Black Canyon because of that steepness, one cannot see the bottom because it is shrouded in a dark shadow.

We hiked a two mile loop trail along the ridge of the canyon and then enjoyed several view points along the rim. John spotted a bobcat with a dead rabbit trotting along the side of the road. We also have numerous mule deer grazing their way through the campground. They all seem to have a fawn or two with them. A bear has been sighted in the area but we haven't see her and her two cubs.

Being a national park, they try to teach us about the geology of the area. What we have gotten out of that is that there are many, many layers of different types of rock that have been pushed and shoved, then eroded by the river over two million years. The colors streaking across the canyon walls are amazing. One wall is called the picture wall and I could make out two long, skinny, pink dragons flying across its face. I dare you to see them too!

In 1901 explorers tried to navigate down the river through the canyon and came out saying it could not be done. But two more explorers inflated rubber air mattresses, loaded them with supplies and floated down the full length of the canyon. It was a wild ride! A few years later, because of their discoveries, a 15 mile tunnel from the river at the upper canyon was dug through the hard rock and out into the valley to deliver water to a parched land that is now rich and fertile farm lands. In 1939 it was made into a national monument and in 1999 was dedicated as a national park.

TMI? Enjoy the pictures.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Today we drove north to Montrose and into the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. We have driven past this park several times over the years and kept saying that next time we would stop. So today we stopped. Tonights campground program was listed as learning about astronomy but the ranger only talked about life giving water and how astronomers are looking for planets that have liquid water and quite possibly life. But he also alluded to the fact that water on earth is becoming a precious commodity due to the fact that there is only a set amount of water on earth but more and more people using that water. Did you know that 11 months out of the year, the Colorado River does not have enough water to reach the Sea of Cortez? It dwindles out into mud before it reaches the sea. Something to think about.

After the ranger talk we joined about 7 amateur astronomers with their monster telescopes, computer aided telescopes and large binoculars. We looked at star clusters, twin stars, the planet Saturn with its rings, dead stars, and far off galaxies. A photographer was taking pictures of the night sky with a 15 second lapse timer on his camera so that the stars were as clear as day in the photo. Astronomy is a big part of this park as it is one of the darkest locations in the US. If we had wanted to stay up past 11 pm we could have watched the Perseids Meteor Shower shoot falling stars through the night sky.

Eastward Bound

We left Walla Walla early on Monday morning and began the marathon drive to Durango CO going through Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. We spent Monday night in a Walmart parking lot in Provo, UT so we could get to our campground near Durango in time to take a short walk, shower and then meet our friend Dave for supper. We had a very delightful evening with him and his family. He fixed pizza on his BBQ grill that was outstanding!

Repeat - Walla Walla Wines

One would think that the winery tasting rooms would be busy on the weekend but I guess that the Wine and Food Fair in Prosser is taking all the business from Walla Walla as the tasting rooms were mostly empty of patrons. That is a good thing for us since we get more attention and more tastings.

We rode our bikes around the town on Saturday morning. In 1904 a fort was built here to protect the farmers from the Indians and today it is the VA Hospital Center. Walla Walla has several nice green parks and a good bike trail system.

We tasted at Gramercy Cellars and Canoe Ridge Vineyard in town before heading out to Waterbrook Winery and 3 Rivers Winery. More wine will be showing up in MO this fall!

Today we tasted at Spring Valley Vineyards, who has named all their wines after the founding family, and Morrison Lane. We met the owner the other night at Charles Smith Winery and had a very nice visit with his wife today. We also tasted at Mark Ryan Winery.

As we were looking for another place to taste wine, we came across a free concert on the Plaza in the middle of town. It was a blues band called The Kingbees and it appeared that the musicians were older than us as was most of the audience. But they were very good. We stood by our bikes for almost an hour listening to them.

Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant came highly recommended by a couple we met while tasting at Gramercy Cellars. It was a old lumber mill resurrected as a winery and restaurant. The couple who recommended it actually work there and Mckenzie was our waitress. We discovered late in the evening that she was an aspiring opera singer when she belted out an opera passage for her boss. She will be working on her Masters this fall. Sounded to me like she will do well as an opera diva.

Walla Walla Wines

We took care of some chores this morning and then headed downtown for lunch before driving to some vineyards. We ate at a French place so, of course, the portions were small and expensive but tasty. When we got back in the Jeep it would not start. John found a multi tool and banged on the battery terminals and it started right up. Its a mystery as to why this is happening. Its not the first time but we would like to get it fixed so its the last time.

Our drive today took us to Northstar Winery who had a very nice cabernet, Abeja was closed, and Dunham Cellars. They had mostly red wines at Dunham, cabernets and syrah, with about 7 vintages to taste but they kept opening wines from their library for another patron so we got to taste them too. We thought the Syrah wines from 2006 and 2007 were good but we expected better from these older wines. So we bought a white wine.

After driving around the country side and residential areas of Walla Walla we ended up back downtown. John found a tasting room to stop in while I shopped at a couple of toy stores for the grandsons. When I finally got back to John, he had tasted a couple of rye whiskeys (not wine?) and was enjoying the music of an 80-something lady pianist. We spent another hour at the bar before going next door for a pizza dinner.

After the heat of the day it was nice to lay back and enjoy our A/C and TV.

Walla Walla, Washington

I love saying that name! Plus it is a very nice city of about 38,000 people and tons of wineries and tasting rooms and good restaurants.

We arrived on Thursday after a lovely drive through the Walla Walla Hills. The miles and miles of golden wheat fields over rolling hills contrasted with the green corn, orchards and vineyards in the valleys made for idyllic scenery. We were told that this region produces 1% of the world's wheat!

Once we got settled into the campground we rode our bikes to their downtown which is located only 1/2 mile from our RV. There are lots of tasting rooms as well as a Macy's, shops and restaurants. Our first stop was a bike shop to fix my flat tire. We walked 1/2 block and stopped into Charles Smith Winery tasting room. We then found another tasting room for Sinclair Estates Vineyards. We also checked the menus at several restaurants and got recommendations of places to eat. By the time we did all of that, my bike was fixed and we headed back to the RV for naps and showers before dinner.

We ate at T. Maccarone's and had a shared four course dinner that was very good. We had a bottle of Abeja red wine blend that was very good. We plan to find that winery for a tasting. As we strolled the streets after dinner, we ended up back at Charles Smith who had a blues band playing and BBQ on the side. We ended the evening visiting with a nice vintner who invited us to his place before we leave the area.

Columbia Point Golf

I talked John into playing golf today even though it was very hot and we didn't get the earliest of tee times. A gentleman from the area played with us. He is newly retired so his golf game was not much better than ours, that's a good thing! It was a nice course with some challenging holes, lots of hills and well protected greens (sand traps). John and I tied scores so I can't brag!

Tri-Cities

We left Prosser Monday morning and drove about an hour down the road to the Tri-Cities area along the Yakima River. Richland, Pasco and Kennewick make up the three cites that have grown together here where Lewis and Clark camped on two different occasions. Other than wineries and nuclear reactors, aquatic recreation and wildlife watching, there is not much else to do around here.

We are camped on Lake Sacajawea where the Snake River spreads out above the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. Thankfully we have a shaded site because the weather has turned hot. It got up to 100° today but will cool off to about 60° tonight and then back up into the 90's again tomorrow. We drove into Kennewick this morning to hike on an island on the Columbia River. After a lunch of gourmet hot dogs we drove along the Heritage River Trail to Canoe Island where we rested with a glass or two of beer at a marina. Its just too hot to do much else.

I mentioned nuclear reactors because this is where the world's first production-scale nuclear reactor was created as part of the Manhattan Project. We had hoped to take a tour but they only give two a month and we'll miss both of them.

Horse Heaven Hills

Horse Heaven Hills is an AVA in the Columbia Valley wine region that has a history of producing some really good wines. Two of the largest wineries in the US are located here. Columbia Crest Winery is well known but the second largest winery in the US, Chateau Ste. Michelle, has a tasting room here as part of its red wine production facility on Canoe Ridge Estate.

The vintner at Columbia Crest told us they can put out 100 cases an hour at this facility and they have three lines running five days a week. If they get behind they add another day and they are considering adding a fourth line. We tasted some nice cabernet sauvignon and will have a case delivered when it gets cooler. They also produce some nice merlot and syrah.

We drove past Chateau Ste. Michelle twice before figuring out how to get up the steep hill to the tasting room. It was a small room and not very busy on this Sunday morning. One other couple were tasting at the same time we were. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary and trying to find a wine they could lay down for the next 10 years to open on their 50th. Not a bad idea. After picking our favorites, a syrah and a cab, we ate lunch on their patio overlooking the Columbia River.

This whole area is considered high desert and only receives 8 inches of rain a year. One wouldn't think that would be good for growing grapes, apples, peaches, cherries, corn, and other grains but the Columbia, Yakima and Snake Rivers all converge here and provide enough water to irrigate thousands of acres of land. The contrast between the desert hills and the lush green valleys is striking.

Cabernet Court and Port Avenue

The Farmer's Market served us a great pancake breakfast and I filled by bag with lots of local produce! John talked with a guy from a local winery - imagine that! I got my hair cut and then we rode our bikes on a bike trail to Grandview and back which was about a 20 mile round trip ride.

This afternoon was spent tasting wine. Just a block away from the RV park is a group of tasting rooms and restaurants on Cabernet Court and Port Avenue. We strolled from one to another and enjoyed a nice afternoon and came back this evening for dinner. We tasted at: Apex Cellars, Coyote Canyon Winery (really liked their Sangiovese and Primotivo, an Italian red wine), Hogue Cellars, Martinez & Martinez Winery, Mercer Estates, and Thurston Wolfe Winery (a great Zin). We had supper at Wine O'Clock again and did a flight of three Syrahs with dinner. We also made a trip to a vineyard outside of town owned by the guy John visited with at the Farmer's Market. Daven Lore Winery sits at the top of a hill overlooking the valley and it was beautiful. There is a huge contrast between the green growing areas along the Yakima River and the dry, brown, desert hills surrounding us. We would have taken a picture but there was such a haze from the fires around here that it would not have turned out well.

More Wine Country

Thursday morning we awoke to the alarm only to find that the atomic alarm clock had malfunctioned overnight and we had overslept by an hour and a half! Good thing we only had a a 5 hour drive ahead of us.

We gladly left the fog of Whidbey Island and headed inland and south toward Yakima Valley. We are staying in the Wine Country RV Park in Prosser, WA where there are over 40 wine tasting rooms from vineyards surrounding the town. And Prosser is in the middle of Horse Heaven Hills AVA so its only a short ride north or south to find more wine. John thinks the "H3" area grows some of the best wine grapes in the world. Just a short walk from the RV we can find about 10 tasting rooms and two miles by bike takes to another area where there are another 10 tasting rooms.

Friday morning we rode our bikes into this small but friendly town. While at the visitor center, I found out that there was a fun play at their local theater. I also found a place to get my hair cut and the Farmer's Market is on Sat. morning where we can also get a hot breakfast. Then we rode the two miles out to the wine tasting rooms. We tasted at Mercer Winery and Alexandria Nicole Cellars where we bought only two bottles since they don't ship to Missouri. We stopped at Wine O'Clock for lunch of wonderful pear & bacon flat bread pizza cooked in a stone oven while tasting two flight of Bunnell Family Cellars wines, one white and one of red blends.

Friday evening I 'abandoned' John and attended the local theatre production of "Dixie Swim Club", a comedy that follows five college swim team women over their life time of gatherings at the beach. During intermission, I tasted wine made by the Community College vintners class. The lady from the visitor's center sat with me and as we were walking out after the play I mentioned to her that I was from Sedalia and a lady in front of me asked "Sedalia MO? My daughter lives in Sedalia MO!" Small world.

Sammamish Maiden

Just a side note if you are interested. This local Indian tale is about a maiden with a name that is un-spellable and unpronounceable.

One day she was gathering food from the sea when a particular shell she wanted kept slipping away from her and deeper into the water. When she reached for the shell the fourth time a hand grabbed her and held her. Then a man spoke to her. He told her how beautiful she was and then told her about his world under the water. The maiden returned several times to talk with this man until one day she asked to see him. He stood up and was a very handsome man. She took him to visit her family and everyone was fascinated with him. After several visits the man asked for the maiden's hand in marriage but the father refused. The sea man was hurt and told them they would have a very hard time earning living and for the next year there were no fish or kelp for the family to eat, gather or trade. The next spring the maiden again went out to the sea and called for her sea man. He came to her and again he asked for her to come live with him under the sea. This time the father agreed with one condition that his daughter come home to see the family so they would not worry about her and they could see she was happy. The maiden returned each year but each time she was more and more like the sea with hair like kelp, her skin more like scales and shells and fish a part of her clothing. After four years the father let his daughter go back to the sea never to see her again. But the sea came alive with all the fish and creatures the family needed for a rich life. Now, when you see kelp floating in the water, you will know that this maiden is nearby.

CCC and Fort C

Seems our journey's today centered on the letter 'C'. We started off by trying to take a picture of the Deception Pass Bridge but it was fog bound to a point where we couldn't even see the far side of the span. So we traveled on to the Bowman Bay area of the the State Park where we had no vista other than a fog bound island in the bay surrounded by sailboats and trawlers waiting for the fog to lift, and those we sometimes lost in the fog. While in the park we visited the CCC Interpretive Center.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was established in 1933 by Pres. Roosevelt to put the unemployed young men of the depression era to work earning money and gaining an education but also saving the nation's natural resources. These men built roads, cleared land and built state and national parks, erected bridges, put up protective railings on roads, built kitchen shelters, bathrooms, picnic areas and caretakers homes. The bridges over Deception Pass was engineered and built by the CCC. In return for their hard labor, the men received free clothing, bedding, a place to sleep and three square meals a day. Oh, yes, they were paid a whopping $30 a month. But during the depression, this was enough to send home $25 and keep $5 for yourself.

After lunch in Anacosta we grocery shopped then drove south on Whidbey Island to Fort Casey. This fort was built to protect the western US from enemy attack. It was known for its disappearing guns. These huge cannons, I think about 12 of them, were mounted on a berm where they could be raised to fire over the top of the hill and then lowered below the rim so they could not be seen. They were never fired. The fort was used during WWI and WWII mostly for training of troops. It was decommissioned in the 60's and is now a tourist destination.

Next to the fort is Admiralty Head lighthouse. Built in 1903 it was an important landmark for ships traveling in Puget Sound until about the 1920's when steamships replaced sailing vessels. Today it is an interpretive center and wedding spot.

Anacortes, WA

There are lots of nice paths through the forest and along the inland lake of Deception State Park. We enjoyed a four mile hike along the perimeter of the park on this island. We walked along the Puget Sound shoreline, under the bridges and then we skirted the inland, freshwater Cranberry Lake before going back to the shore of the sound where we spotted a baby seal! It was sleeping on the beach while the campground hosts were keeping an eye on it while its mother fed in the kelp beds off shore. At high tide she brought the baby in to rest and sleep while she fed. At the following high tide, the hosts expected her to come back and retrieve her baby. In the meantime, they were babysitting it, keeping people away at a safe distance.

We chose not to wait for the next high tide in about two hours and continued our hike back to the RV. After lunch and naps, we drove to Anacortes on the north end of Fidalgo Island. As we were examining a map outside of the visitors center, a very nice lady visited with us about the sites, shops and restaurants in Anacortes. She was a veritable font of information!

We took two drives to island viewpoints that she had recommended and enjoyed the scenery, especially because the fog finally lifted (it was after 3 PM) and the sun was shining. Anacortes is gearing up for a huge Arts and Crafts Fair this weekend. There were signs to clear the 8 blocks of the down town plus all the side streets starting on Thursday night thru Sunday. I think it is a good thing we will be moving on before this event.

Whidbey Island and Deception State Park

We broke camp late enough that we didn't have to drive in rush hour traffic north to Burlington and then west over the bridge to Fidalgo Island which connects to Whidbey Island. Deception State Park is located on both sides of Deception Pass, a waterway between the two islands in Puget Sound connected by two bridges.

We had no problems getting a campsite which has not always been the case on this trip. Once we got settled in we took a short drive south to Coupeville as a way to explore where we are located. We drove past the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station where they fly four different types of jets. We have yet to see any of them fly overhead because of fog and clouds but they certainly are loud! The next town is Oak Harbor where we will find most of the necessities of life and then Coupeville which is a small village on the east side of the island on the far side of Penn Cove. It is a quaint little seaside village with neat shops and restaurants.

A nice dinner, campfire and a good book rounds out the evening.

Down Day

John has not been feeling well today so we have pretty much stayed in camp. John slept and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. We did get out late this afternoon to do some shopping.

After fighting traffic, again, we have determined that there really is not much difference from one large city to the next except for maybe one or two unique places of interest in each. Seattle has the Space Needle, Portland has beer (it took me awhile to think of that one), St. Louis has the Arch, Kansas City has the Chiefs (HA). They all have traffic problems, tall buildings, park settings, shopping centers, convention facilities, sports teams, museums, and lots of people.

An Off Day

We couldn't decide what we wanted to do today. We discussed going back downtown but there is a huge Seafair Festival going on with a parade tonight. We figured the crowds would be horrendous and we didn't feel up to fighting them. I got some laundry done and John completed some computer work. After lunch we tried to get the oil changed in the Jeep but there was a line so then we tried to find a Best Buy to get a new coffee maker but the address we input in Google Maps took us to their corporate offices. Next on the agenda was to do a wine tasting at tasting rooms in Woodinville but we got turned around trying to get there and then there was a huge line for a concert at one of the wineries so we turned around and went another direction but there was a wedding at the winery we wanted to go to so we couldn't find a place to park without pulling a u-turn to get into someone else's parking lot. By the time we got to the tasting room, John was so ready for a drink!

We tried Amavi and Pepper Bridge wines, Patterson Cellars and Goose Ridge wines. All came from the Columbia Valley. Goose Ridge was an impromptu stop but we enjoyed their wines the most.

Pike, Needle and Glass

Friday was our big day in the big city of Seattle. Due to all the traffic we had driven in and witnessed, we chose to use the mass transit system to get downtown. The express bus ride took about 33 minutes but we didn't have to drive or park, just step off and start walking. We did have to drive about 20 minutes to get to the park n ride lot.

Our first stop was the Pike Place Market. It's at least two blocks long and packed with people. The flowers were the most prominent item being sold (and smelled) then the fresh vegetables and fruit. There were several fish counters, one of which is famous for tossing their fish around and we found one meat counter. We did not buy anything as we had no way to carry it all day and keep it fresh. All the blocks around the market were full of people and shops. Even the original and new Starbucks. The smells emanating from the many food stands and restaurants made us hungry long before lunch time. We snacked on cinnamon rolls to hold us over to a late lunch when the crowds would be thinner.

After lunch and a stroll along the waterfront, we walked to Seattle Center where the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum and Space Needle are located along with several other science, kids and Sci-Fi museums. This center was the main grounds for the 1962 World's Fair with the Space Needle the centerpiece. Dale Chihuly is a prolific artist in blown glass getting a lot of his inspiration from the sea and flowers. The indoor exhibits had wonderful lighting while the outdoor pieces in the garden were sparking and glorious in the mid-day sunshine.

John visited the Seattle Space Needle as a child he thinks to attend the world fair. We rode up the elevator in 41 seconds to a viewing station that circles the tower. One floor below the viewing platform is the rotating restaurant where you must have reservations to enter. The views were awesome on this very clear and sunny day.

A bus ride to Pioneer Square and a short walk found us dining at Brooklyn Seafood, Steak and Oyster restaurant. We were seated at the Chef's Counter in comfortable, overstuffed, high backed chairs where we watched the seafood entrées being prepared. We started with a tasting of white wine and oysters for me and beer and oysters for John. Each oyster came from a different part of the Washington or Oregon coast and was raised in different ways such as on a rope or in a tray. We then dined on small plate and salads with lots of crab, shrimp and scallops. Oh, and a bottle of wine. It was such a fun evening and we didn't have to drive back, just hop on the bus.