957 June 15, 2023 Fixing Things

We were ready to pull into the shop at 7am. 

Unfortunately, they couldn’t accommodate us until 9am.  We then waited in the very comfortable lounge in huge leather recliners.  There was TV and a very nice coffee maker.  We even had our own bathroom.  We used their WIFI and spent a lot of time on our phones.  It was cold and rainy and very windy and so we were content to be inside. 

At noon, we took the Jeep out to lunch at the Granary Kitchen. 

Barrie was a great mechanic and he kept us informed with every step in the process of diagnosing and then fixing the cracked connector hoses for the diesel exhaust system. 

By 4pm, he had finished.  We paid and we were on our way!

We traveled north to Edmonton where we stopped at The Tire Spot.  The Jeep had been showing low tire pressure in the right front tire and we wanted it fixed.  This was a small one-man shop. When we called him at 5pm, he told us that he would stay until we arrived.  He was pleasant and professional.  He had all the right stuff to do the job.  He found a small one-inch screw embedded in the tire.  In thirty minutes, the tire was back on the Jeep.  The man would not accept payment.  Tim offered a second time and the man said he would be offended.  He wanted to help us and it was his pleasure to do so.  WOW! 

At 6:30 we were back on the road.  We didn’t know what we were having for dinner or where we were staying for the night but we were fixed! We are so grateful that the RV didn’t break down earlier on the trip in a remote location. We were very lucky that we were in a town that had a professional truck care center.

We ate raw veggies and crackers and we found a Walmart in Whitecourt about another 100 miles away.  Route 43 will take us all the way to the Alaskan Highway.  So far, the road has been great.  We will see how it changes as we travel further north.  Tim drove until 8:30 and we stopped for the night. 

956 June 14, 2023 Blip In The Trip!

I did try to walk this morning but between the cold and wicked wind, the hills, the altitude, and the lack of sleep…I didn’t get far!  Same mountain; different sky.

We left Glacier National Park behind as we traveled north.  We passed Many Glacier.  Maybe someday, we will get back to see it!   We crossed the Canadian Border at Piegan Port of Entry into Alberta.  The border crossing was simple.  We had only to show our passports and confirm that we had no drugs or firearms and then we were through.  We passed Waterton Lake National Park of Canada.  This park attaches to Glacier and is an International Peace Park promoting relationships between people of all cultures.

We passed vast expanses of open, verdant green fields punctuated by ranches.  The sky was a perfect blue with puffy blue clouds.  There was a forecast for wind all day with temperatures in the fifties.  We really did get the very best day at Glacier yesterday.

We drove through the Blood Indian Reservation and then past Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump…another site to save for a future trip!

WE stopped at Tim Horton’s (a Starbuck’s equivalent) for a cappuccino.

We had a bird strike the windshield.  Fortunately, there was no damage to the glass…the bird was not so lucky.

As we approached Calgary, the sky began to darken.  It drizzled then dripped then rained!

Last night, my laptop met a tragic end.  We stopped in Calgary at the Best Buy to purchase a new computer…the blog must go on!

Driving out of Calgary, the engine light on the RV came on.  Check Engine…Poor DEF Quality.  WE talked to a good friend, Scotty, who works as a diesel mechanic.  He said as long as the coach was not losing power, it was okay to continue to drive it.  We made an appointment at the Cummins dealer in Edmonton for tomorrow morning.  It wasn’t much longer before the RV began to derate.  We stopped for gas in Red Deer.  Diesel was 1.44 Canadian per liter or about 5.49 per gallon.  When we were finished fueling, the RV would hardly move.  It took many phone calls to Scotty who tried hard to help us from far away.  First, he suggested that we disconnect the batteries and leave them off for awhile before reconnecting.  He was hoping that would reset the codes.  It didn’t work.  He also found a You Tube video of a way to disconnect the sensor form the DEF system.  Tim finally got the darn thing off and that didn’t work.  In the meantime, we had called every truck service center in the area.  No one could send out a mobile unit.  Glover International said that they would help us tomorrow if we could either drive or tow the RV to their service shop.  Eventually, we did drive less than 5 miles an hour for the 4 miles it took to get to Glover; flashers blinking.  We drove on back roads and it took a long time but we got here safely.  We are sleeping in the parking lot. We have the alarm set for 6:15 and we are hopeful that tomorrow we will get some help!

I had lots of time today to set up the new laptop…blog published…works great!

Just a small blip in the trip!  All fixable!

955 June 13, 2023 Crown Of The Continent

I took a short and gentle walk this morning. My view was outstanding.

We packed a cooler and went to see Glacier National Park. As we turned out of the campgound, we saw this fox…a good omen!

We arrived at the St. Mary Visitor Center. We overheard a ranger talking to a couple. She said that as of 7am today, Going to the Sun Road was fully open!!! Wow!! My heart leapt and Tim was excited. We were going to get to see the whole scenic road today! This was an incredible gift.

The drive was jaw dropping, breathtaking, awe inspiring. Actually, there are no words to describe this place. The pictures are gorgeous but they don’t capture the vastness, the height of the mountains, the fragrance of wildflowers and wintergreen and pine, the cool and pleasant breeze, the brilliant sunshine, the perfect weather, the roar of the rushing water…everywhere! Because it is so early in the season, the snow is still melting. The waterfalls are stunning!

Lots of pretty pictures!

For about 10 miles we rode along St. Mary Lake, a glacial lake.

The squirrels were having a party!

We spread a tarp and ate our lunch along Lake McDonald…just us.

We were joined by this mule deer.

We walked up to this waterfall. This was the site of an avalanche this winter. We walked on the packed snow and remnants of pine trees. The fragrance of pine was sharp and overpowering; almost peppery.

This road is truly an engineering marvel.

My favorite picture of the day.

Jackson Glacier. There were 100 glaciers in the park when it opened over 100 years ago. Now, there are about 25 and every one of them is receding.

We went back to the RV for some quiet time and a fresh camera battery. We repacked the cooler and went back to the park for a picnic dinner. We saw a fox running across the meadow. We then drove to the Red Eagle Trailhead. We hiked about a mile before turning back. There were some dense gray clouds and then some thunder. It chased us back in a hurry but it never did rain.

Today was a very special day, one that we will never forget.

954 June 12, 2023 Glacier Decision

My walk this morning began with the Lewis and Clark Overlook.  In this place in the early 1800’s Lewis and Clark met with the local Native Americans.  They were the first white men that the tribe had encountered.  The pair was warmly greeted and showered with gifts of berries and animal furs and horses.

I continued my walk along the river.  It was cloudy and cool and a cold drizzle fell. 

I walked back to the campground and the rain had stopped.  I just did loops to get some steps in.

We left before 9am.  The road to Missoula continued to twist and turn with the path of the river.

We saw a bald eagle soaring overhead.  There were also lots of magpies flitting about.

We passed by western towns and ranches and rodeos and casinos.  We passed a custom cowboy hat shop.  There were lots of lambs and foals and calves.  There were tractors and old pickup trucks and farm equipment.  There were small country churches with signs for vacation bible school and Glory Days Tent Revivals.  There were many timber related businesses; log cabins, chainsaw carving, and firewood for sale.  There was plenty of big open sky and lots of green rolling hills and toweing mountains.

30 miles along Flathed Lake.

We drove a long way today.  We had originally talked about stopping in Columbia Falls.  We changed our plan and decided to continue to Route 2 around Glacier National Park.  This scenic route ran along a deep gorge.  The views were amazing but too hard to capture as we made our way on the steep and winding road.

We were going to stop in Pinnacle but then we went even further.  We were hoping for a campsite in Browning but the campground there was full.  Finally, we settled in St. Mary.  The campground here is directly across from the East Entrance to Glacier National Park.  Although stopping at Glacier was not part of our “plan”, it seemed a shame to drive past.  Going To The Sun Road is not completely open.  We can enter on the east side tomorrow without a reservation and drive until the road is blocked.  We are excited to spend the day exploring.  Many people would have planned this excursion long in advance.  We decided it today!  The way we travel allows us to choose where we spend each day.

As we drove through the countryside today, I began to think that it would be nice to have a log cabin with a green metal roof tucked into the hillside.  Then, I thought I might also like to live in a cottage by the sea but I also love the desert and it would be so nice to have an adobe house in Borrego Springs.  Maybe we should just keep our wheels and keep on moving; taking turns living in each of those places!

953 June 11, 2023 Salmon River

I went for my walk on the dirt road. I had told Tim that I was going to stay in view of the RV because of our remote location. I got out there and felt good and decided to keep walking to the end of the road at the organized campground. The campground was empty and I began to do loops. I soon heard a car. It was Tim who had seen me walk into the woods thirty minutes before. He had been waiting for me to emerge and when I didn’t, he came to find me. I won’t do that again!! I did take a whistle…thank you Vicki!

It took us a little while to manuever the RV out of our site. There was a pretty decent dip at the entrance and Tim had to drive thoughtfully and gently to get us out!

Soon, we were on our way. As we drove through the valley, we saw lots of pronghorns. We even saw a mama with a tiny newborn. The baby was only about a foot tall and was walking on weak and wobbly legs…too cute!!

We also saw ground squirrels scampering across the road and pairs of sandhill cranes.

Our ride today took us along the Salmon River. This river actualy begins in the valley where we spent the night. The river is mostly snowmelt. The force of the moving water was incredible and as we traveled it gained breadth and speed. The scenery was dramatic. This river sits in the deepest gorge in the United States; even deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Sockeye salmon do come here to spawn. It is hard to imagine the that the fish are able to come this far inland. They make a 900 mile journey from the Pacific Ocean at the Columbia River in Oregon. They continue to the Snake River and then return here to the place of their birth to perpetuate the species.

We stopped to watch skilled kayakers negotiating the swiftly moving current.

More pretty pictures!

This afternoon we had lots of clouds and then some rain. It was nice to finally settle at the Sula Country Store and Resort in Sula, Montana. We will make our way further north tomorrow.

Today’s drive was spectacular!

952 June 10, 2023 Idaho Is Full Of Surprises!

The town of Filer was preparing for Filer Fun Day as I took my morning walk.  They were setting up food trucks and yard sales.  There is going to be a car show, a rodeo, and fireworks.  We are not staying.  We are moving on.

When I think of Idaho, I think of potatoes and beef…until we crossed the Snake River Canyon.  We rode over the bridge and pulled into the scenic overlook.  We got out to walk.  It was quite beautiful!

We didn’t see this parachutist take off but we did watch him land near the river. We saw him pack his chute and then trudge up the steep bank.

Indeed, as we drove out of town, there was lots of farmland and hayfields and steerage yards.  We took the Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Route 75N.

We saw jagged lava fields strewn with sagebrush where open range cattle grazed.

We stopped for breakfast and we could see rugged snow-covered peaks looming in the distance.

We arrived at a great valley in Bellevue.  My phone issued this message:  Flood Warning Affected Area ahead.  Proceed with caution.  There were no road signs or closures though the fields were swampy and the diches were brimming and running fast.

Hailey and Ketchum were quaint, upscale, western mountain villages.  There were miles of paved bike/snowmobile trails along the road, following the path of the rushing river.

We entered the Sawtooth Recreation Area and began to look for potential camping sites. 

We stopped at the Frostbite Flats Trailhead and walked to Boulder Creek.  The air here smells fresh and is crisp and clean.  I read later that this portion of Idaho has the cleanest air in the lower 48. 

The wildflowers are lovely.

Two military jets buzzed by not that far above us.

We continued our drive on the winding road flanked by tall pines.  There were patches of snow as we climbed to 8,700 feet. 

We stopped at the Frank Church Scenic Overlook.

From the overlook, Tim spotted a road in the valley below.  He decided he really wanted to camp down there!  We found Salmon River Road and parked the RV.  We saw a sign for a campground in 4 miles.

We need to scope it out before venturing down this dirt road.  We walked for a while and then Tim went back and got on his bike. 

He passed a ranger who said we would have no problem getting to the campground with the RV.  He also said there was dispersed camping.  And so, we drove about 3.5 miles and found such a beautiful spot.

We sat outside by the creek for most of the afternoon and evening.

After dinner, we took the Jeep and took all the rough and rocky trails.

The last road took us up the mountain where we had a terrific view of the valley below.

We are so glad that we did not take the interstate.  GPS told us that there was a 24-minute difference in time and the highway route was 80 miles further.  It will take us longer timewise to travel this way but we would have missed all of this incredible scenery!

When Oliver was a baby, we took him to the Atlanta Aquarium.  He was not yet able to walk.  When he saw the first tank of fish, he got so excited.  I was holding him on my hip.  He kicked his fat little legs and pointed.  He wanted to see more!!  That’s how I feel here.  I can’t wait to see more!

951 June 9, 2023 Finally Idaho!!

When I got up the sun was just rising.  I immediately scanned the area for elk.  No elk…but a beautiful view from our front window!

While Tim did his workout in the RV, I walked on a trail parallel to Route 93. 

It wasn’t long before I spotted a pair of pronghorns.

I walked for more than 1.5 miles before turning around.  A guy in a camper stopped to tell me that there had been a badger in the culvert ahead.  He suggested that if I walked very quietly, I might spot him.  He was gone when I got there though!  We did see a badger crossing the road later in the day. 

There were more pronghorns in the fields across the way.

We were on the road before 8 this morning.  Our goal was to make it to Twin Falls, Idaho.  Once again, we had a pretty ride.

We stopped in the small town of Wells at the Napa Auto Parts Store.  We were able to find windshield wipers that were a little shorter than our others but they had the proper mount.  The guys in the shop were super helpful!

We did get some short bursts of rain and we were glad to have new wipers!

We passed through an area of heavy deer migration.  The roadside fences were 7 feet high and there were bridges across the road for the deer to use to cross.  There were no roads connecting the bridges and the surface was covered with soil and vegetation.  There must have been a significant problem with the deer here to justify this expensive solution!

We stopped for a rest at a picnic area outside of Jackpot, right before the Idaho line.  We didn’t realize that there was no egress from the rest stop but Tim was able to get us turned around without having to unhook the Jeep.

We stopped for the night just south of Twin Falls at the county fairgrounds.  It is quiet here.  I walked in the surrounding area.

There was a fish fry for dinner but we are trying to eat healthy stuff so we had fresh mango and quinoa bowls.

After eating, we put the last sticker on our map. Finally, Idaho!

We already know that we want to come back here.  We have driven by lots of places that we would like to see.  Just in Nevada we passed Valley of Fire State Park, Basin and Range National Monument, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Great Basin National Park, and lots of Jeep trails.  The mission of this trip is Alaska.  Even so, we debated taking the highway from here to get there faster but I think we have decided to take the scenic route through the middle of the Idaho instead. 

950 June 8, 2023 Ely, Nevada

We began the day with our usual exercise routines. Then we drove north through traffic and out of Vegas. We passed the grittier, more industrial areas and then we were in the desert.

We stopped for a rest and some breakfast in the Pahranagat Valley.

The topography, geology, and vegetation changed rapidly as we continued our drive.

We climbed in elevation and the air grew cooler.

We stopped again in the small town of Caliente. I walked along Main Street and Tim picked me up a little while later.

Ahead, we could see rain cells. This should not have been a problem. When we stored the RV in Las Vegas, it was very hot. When Tim cleaned the windshield last evening in preparation for our drive today, he noticed that both windshield wipers were shredded! There was no close place to go and find our specialty wipers. Fortunately, when the rain did come, it was gentle and Tim was able to drive.

We arrived at the Ely Elk Viewing Campground in midafternoon. This is a free, no hookups place. We took a nice walk. The scenery is stunning. The elk are here most often in September through April. Elk like to climb to higher elevations in the summer. We saw lots of evidence of their presence…but no elk today!

Tomorrow we continue our journey north.

949 April 18 – June 7, 2023

We flew from Las Vegas to Atlanta on April 18th. We arrived at David’s house at 2:30 in the morning. It took a day or two to adjust to the time difference but it took no time at all to feel loved and welcomed. The children woke up the next morning and were thrilled to have us there. The next four weeks were filled with lots of crazy fun! We played and played. We played board games and made up games and Lovey World and doctors and Wild Kratts. We read and we painted and we played outside. We went to swimming lessons and the boys are motoring in the water now. We baked and we cooked. We worked on lots of Lego projects. Both boys are truly Lego Masters now! We went to a Braves game and celebrated Austin’s fifth birthday on the same weekend. Andrea and I took the boys to see Mario Brothers at the theater, and we went to the Lego Discovery Center. She and I also took them for a walk at the creek. The boys played in their small pool and did the water slide. They threw water balloons and chased us with Super Soakers. The boys are sweet and smart and kind. They are good brothers…most of the time. On the weekends we had sleepovers in Oliver’s room.

Tim and I did a few house projects. We painted the perimeter fence and David helped when he could. The visit was busy and the time passed quickly.

On May 16th, we flew to Baltimore. We stayed with Kyle and Allison and we were at home there as well. It was so nice to spend time together. I really wish that I had taken more pictures!

We got to visit with mom several times and she and I had a sleepover too!

We helped with flower beds and mulching and mowing. Kyle and Tim and I planted a vegetable garden. Everything was pushing up through the soil before we left.

We got our labwork, dental appointments, and physicals.

Kyle and Allison went to Annapolis for their first anniversay and we took care of the animals. Daisy decided she wanted to sleep with us!

While we were home, we also had an amazing time catching up with friends. The three weeks were over too soon!

On June 6th we flew back to Las Vegas. We collected the RV and Jeep from storage. We used Wednesday for gathering supplies.

I enjoyed an early birthday dinner.

Tomorrow, we begin our journey to Alaska!

948 April 12-17, 2023 Vegas Antics

We have spent a lot of our time here getting things done.  The Jeep is clean inside and out and we took it for an oil change.  The sandblasted windows have been replaced. 

The RV is clean inside and out. 

The air conditioning is being replaced as the old units were causing electrical problems. 

We went to the Las Vegas Ballpark to see the Las Vegas Aviators AAA team play.  The park was gorgeous and it was fun to see baseball!

Vegas Strip during the day was teeming with people. We drove through very slowly because of construction and just watched, absorbing the circus atmosphere.

We went to see Cirque De Soleil The Beatles Love at the Mirage.  It was a great high energy show and we loved it!

We had to use everything in the fridge and so we didn’t go out to eat until Sunday.  Bootleggers had good ratings and was close to the RV park. The food was delicious, authentic, Italian. We sat in a booth that had been visited in previous years by legends including, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra.

Tomorrow we fly to Atlanta and then in 4 weeks, we fly to Baltimore. June 6th, we will return to Vegas and after a day or two of prepping, we will head north toward Idaho!

The blog will resume when our travels continue!