CRUISING AND DANCING ON THE NORTH COAST

North Coast, Oregon - Oct. 1 - 4

THE SHORT CUT
Leaving the Columbia River Gorge and eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, we headed to the Pacific Ocean.  The sun came out, the scenery was beautiful, and our GPS guy did an amazing job getting us through the concrete spaghetti junction in Portland and Vancouver.  About 20 miles from Nehalem, the GPS guy took us on a short-cut, or as we call it "the cow path".  As we turned onto Hwy. 53 the road was narrow and as we were debating if we should, or if we even could turn around, I spotted a warning sign "Road Narrows Next 19 Miles".  WHAT!?  By now there was no where we could turn around and had no choice but to continue on the narrow, winding, and bumpy path they call a highway.

Logging on the right side of the road.  Lucky us,we didn't have to squeeze by any logging trucks.

NEHALEM STATE PARK
Our campsite backs up to the sand dunes along the Ocean; we can hear the crashing surf and waves.  We took a path over the sand dunes and walked the beach while the tide was out.

Heavy surf washed a lot of foam up on the beach.

Sittin' in the sea grass lookin' at the ocean...ahhh.

THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR - Oct. 2
We drove north to Astoria through the driving rain and fog.  Astoria was once the salmon and tuna canning capital of Oregon...and maybe even the world.  The canneries went out of business when fishing boats started processing their fresh catch on board.  We spent a few hours at the Maritime Museum learning about the treacherous and dangerous Columbia River Bar.  The Bar is not a place to kick back and order up a beer or other favorite beverage.  This bar is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean and the two bodies of powerful water collide causing numerous shipwrecks, death, destruction and all kinds of havoc.  As ships from around the world approach The Bar, specially trained Bar Pilots board the ships to safely guide them across The Bar and into the Columbia River so they can continue their journey up to the ports of Portland and Vancouver.

This bridge in Astoria spanning the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington is just
over 4 miles long and built to withstand wind gusts up to 150 mph, and river flow of 9 mph.

IF IT'S NOT ONE THING, IT'S ANOTHER
For several reasons, any day of sunshine is a welcome relief.  Last week, after a sleepless night listening to pouring rain pound the roof (sounds like rapid machine gun fire) we discovered that the bedroom slid-out leaks.  In the morning, Jim reached for the shirt and sweater he had thrown on the floor before going to bed and they were sopping, dripping wet.  Although the clothes soaked up a lot of the water, some of the carpet was drenched.  We got the carpet dried out, and have temporarily solved the problem by keeping the slide-out in while it's raining...which is just about every day.

Wet on the outside.  We're dry on the inside.

Also, the microwave quit working.  The fixit list is getting longer.

BRAKE DANCING - Oct. 3
We got in the Jeep and started cruising down the Coastal Scenic Byway - Hwy 101, passing through small fishing villages and stunning scenery along the way.  Our destination was Tillamook, home of the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory.  About 15 miles outside of Tillamook, Jim got a panicked look on his face and said "OH, SH*T, we don't have any brakes!"  OMG, and deja vu.  At least this brake failure event didn't happen in rush hour traffic like it did with the RV in Phoenix last year, and it didn't happen on some of those scary mountain roads we experienced earlier on this trip.  By doing a brake dance using low gear and the emergency brake, Jim finessed the Jeep into Tillamook without killing us or anyone else.  We found a Ford dealership and service center where Kelly, the mechanic, took a look and diagnosed the problem as a broken brake line and said "this isn't a Jeep town, and we'll have to order parts, but we should have it ready tomorrow."  We rented a car and left the Jeep with Kelly. 

"I'm not a happy camper".

Late Friday morning, Kelly called with good news...the Jeep was fixed.  We packed up, left Nehalem State park, picked up the Jeep, returned the rental car, and drove to Cape Lookout State Park where we'll stay the next few days.

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGEous

SNAKE RIVER - Sept. 23
On our way west to the Columbia River Gorge, we spent one night in Huntington, OR on the bank of the Snake River.  The Snake River is the largest tributary into the Columbia River.

Sunset on the Snake River

BOARDMAN, OR - Sept 24 - 27
The next 3 nights we camped on the bank of the Columbia River at the wonderful city park in Boardman, OR. 

Sunrise on the Columbia River

We took a day trip to Pendleton, OR and toured the Pendleton Woolen Mill.  This mill is the maker of the beautiful and high quality wool Pendleton blankets and fabric.  It's been in operation since 1910 and owned by the 6th generation Bishop family. 

 The day before we left Boardman, we saw a sign for "Fresh Columbia River Salmon".   That got our attention!  We found the fisherman campground and were told we were about 4 hours too late as they were all sold out, but to come back tomorrow at 11 a.m. and they'd have more fish.  The next day we got to the fishing camp at 11:05 and the only salmon they had left was a monstrosity that would have fed an army.  We said "thanks, but no thanks".  Bummer, no fresh salmon for dinner tonight...or so we thought.

MEMALOOSE STATE PARK - Sept. 27 - Oct. 1
Staying in Oregon, we drove along the Columbia River and entered the gorge area.  The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest.  The headwaters are in British Columbia, Canada and the river flows 1,243 miles to the Pacific Ocean, defining much of the border between the States of Washington and Oregon.  The scenery is spectacular with the river cutting through rock and forming islands, gorgeous vistas, rock formations, and lush forests. 

We arrived, by luck and no help from our GPS, at Memaloose State Park which is a spit of land between I-84 on the south, and a railroad track and the Columbia River to the north.  Memaloose means "land of the dead" in the Chinook Indian language.  Lewis and Clark discovered many Indian burial vaults on the islands in the river.

SALMON FOR DINNER
Joe and Linda, the couple camping next to us were here to fish the river for several days.  When they arrived back at camp with their boat we went over to introduce ourselves and see if they had any luck fishing.  Linda had caught one beautiful salmon, and after we "ooed" and "aahed" over the fish, they both insisted we take it.  We said "No, we can't take your only fish".  They assured us that they had more fish than they needed and were going to give it away; so in that case, we gratefully took the fish.  Joe loaned Jim his fillet knife and we not only had REALLY fresh delicious salmon for dinner, we put enough in the freezer for 3 more meals.  Thank you Joe and Linda!  ATTENTION WALLEYE FISHERMEN:  we were told there is no limit on walleye taken from the river as there are too many and they eat the baby salmon; they just want those pesky walleye out of there.  Just might have to check out that rumor.

Jim: "I got my apron, now I just need your fillet knife, Joe."
Joe: "Nice apron, Jim".
 

I GOT CARDED
Saturday, we drove 5 miles to the town of Hood River for the Hood River Hops Fest where 42 local and regional breweries serve up some of their fresh brews made with hops grown in the region.  We got to the festival gate and they wouldn't let me in because I didn't have an ID with me.  Really, are you kidding?  I walked 6 blocks back to the car to get my ID and was allowed to enter the festival.  I would have been flattered, but NO ONE got in without an ID.  It was a fun time beer tasting, eating some great food from local restaurants, and people watching.

Town of Hood River

RAIN & SNOW
It's been raining almost non-stop since we arrived.  The locals say it's unusual to have this much rain this time of year.  Sunday, we drove through the Fruit Loop (an area of orchards, vegetable farms, and vineyards) to Timberland Lodge on Mount Hood.  We never did see Mt. Hood because the clouds were so thick.  The rain turned to snow and Jim had to put the Jeep into 4-wheel drive to get around an RV stuck in the snow on the highway.

Dang, I didn't pack my skis.

WASHINGTON GENEROSITY
On our way to visit the Columbia Gorge Falls Area, we took a side trip over the Hood River Toll Bridge to White Salmon, WA.  We stopped at the Riggleman Produce Farm to get some fresh fruit and veggies.  As we walked in, the delightful owner said "Oh, I'm sorry we aren't open today, but come on in and look around.  I see you have a Wisconsin license plate; are you really from Wisconsin?".  We said "ya sure, you betcha".  As we visited with the owner and picked out some apples, onions, and potatoes, she said "everything is free today!".  We said "WHAT?  No, we want to pay you".  She insisted she was not going to take any money, so we gratefully accepted her generosity.  Thank you Mrs. Riggleman!

FALLS
The most visited site in Oregon is Multnomah Falls; the tallest waterfall in Oregon.  The  water thunders off the cliff in 2 steps, with the upper falls dropping 542' and the lower falls dropping 69'.

Upper Multnomah Falls

SALT

Salt Lake City - Sept. 20 - 21

DOUBLE TROUBLE
We left Eden and headed south to Tooele (pronounced Too-ELLA), Utah to visit Bob Fuchs, Jim's best friend from high school.  We were invited to Bob and Debbie's home for homemade pizza and a night of the guys reconnecting and reminiscing about who was the biggest troublemaker a hundred years ago.

A lot of salt in the hair of these two.

TEMPLE & TABERNACLE
Tooele is on the shore of The Great Salt Lake and about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City.  Saturday, Jim and I drove to SLC to visit Temple Square; the headquarters for the Church of The Latter-day Saints (LDS).  The LDS complex is in the center of the city on 35 acres.  Beautiful gardens surround the Temple, Tabernacle, visitor's centers, museums and office buildings.


It took 40 years for the Mormon pioneers to build this beautiful granite temple between 1853 and 1893.
Only members "in good standing" are allowed inside the Temple; that left us out. 

We listened to an organ recital in the Tabernacle.  This is the home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra.  The pipe organ was originally constructed in the 1860's and has been rebuilt and enlarged through the years.  It has 11,623 pipes.

SNOW & ICE?
Sunday we drove west to Nevada on I-80 and stopped to get a better look at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  This unique natural feature covers 30,000 acres and looks like snow and ice.  The Flats reminded me of January in Wisconsin.  The wind across the salt flats was hideous with wind gust of 50-60 mph.  Jim struggled to keep the RV from blowing off the road.


This is what is left of Lake Bonneville after it dried up thousands of years ago.  That's a lot of salt!

We spent the night a few miles from the Idaho border in Jackpot, NV at a casino RV park.  A visit to the casino and $40 provided us with about 10 minutes of entertainment.  No jackpot for us.

HELL, HEAVEN AND EDEN

SCENIC, STEEP AND SCARY - Sept. 16 - 17
We left the Idaho panhandle driving south along the Idaho/Washington border.  Coming down the steep mountain pass on Highway 95, we stopped at a scenic overlook with a spectacular view of the Snake river winding it's way through Lewiston, ID.

This mountain pass is beautiful, although scary, with runaway truck ramps every few miles.

Runaway truck ramps on both sides of the highway.

Signs at runaway ramp inform truckers "No Fine For Using Ramp".

We stayed on Highway 95 driving along Hells Canyon which divides Oregon and Idaho.   The Snake River flows through Hells Canyon which is 10 miles wide and deeper than the Grand Canyon.  Again, the highway is twisty and the scenery breathtaking.

We arrived at Canyon Pines RV Resort in Pollock, ID and got a prime campsite on the bank of the Little Salmon River.

HEAVEN AND HELL
The next day we drove to Heavens Gate Vista, located in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.  The narrow paved road soon turned into a single lane gravel road switch-backing up the mountain.  We hiked the challenging trail to the fire ranger station on top of the mountain and had a visit with the ranger and his wife, and were treated to an expansive view of mountain peaks in 4 states; Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana.

I'm on the top of the world!

Ranger Station at the top of the trail.

"You get paid to be here?"  "Yup, not a bad gig for a retired Fireman."

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR
There are very few places to pull over on this harrowing road when meeting another vehicle.  At times, the sheer cliff drop-offs made my stomach churn and forced me to close my eyes.  Coming around one blind curve we almost crashed head-on with a pick-up truck.  Jim put on the brakes, the Jeep's back end fish tailed, and I almost wet my pants.  The truck driver stopped a few inches from us, rolled down his window and  said "Howdy!  We Made it!  Are y'all having a good day?"

Should have worn some Depends.

EDEN AND THOUSAND SPRINGS - Sept. 18 & 19
We left Hells Canyon and drove southeast through Idaho.  Coming out of the mountains the scenery changed to high desert country and fertile fields where the famous Idaho potatoes come from.  The area is dry, but irrigation provides lush fields in the valley for produce, cattle and sheep.  We stayed in Eden, ID at Anderson Camp RV Park outside of Twin Falls.

"I found something to wear in Eden."

The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway follows the Oregon Trail.  Near Hagerman, ID we stopped to view springs cascading water from the side of the canyon into the river below.  The numerous springs are believed to be the reappearance of the Lost River, which sinks into lava fields 90 miles away.

Water cascading out of the side of the cliff.

PANNING & PANHANDLE

Garrison & Helena - Sept 13 & 14

Continuing west, we stayed 2 nights in Garrison, MT and made a day trip to city of Helena.

Helena - Montana State Capitol

LUCKY THREE!
We took a trolley-train ride tour to hear about the rich history and see the beautiful historic mansions and buildings of Helena.  The streets wind around in a haphazard fashion since they were built following a creek (since dried up) and mining claims (since gone bust).  The main street is called Last Chance Gulch because, as the story goes, three fella's from out east came to Montana to prospect for gold and strike it rich.  Well, they didn't find any gold and decided to use the last of their money to buy supplies and head back east.  The night before they left, while camping by this creek, one of the fella's said "well this is our last chance, so we might as well look for some gold".  They starting panning in the creek and HALLAILUAH, THEY FOUND GOLD!  The 3 guys staked their claim and ended up pulling out $3 million dollars worth of gold...at $3/an ounce.  The gold found in Last Chance Gulch started a gold rush and Helena ended up with the most millionaires in the Montana Territory.

"I'm just resting my eyes."

Osburn, ID - Sept. 14 & 15
GOLD TO SILVER 
Today we continued on our way to the panhandle of Northeast Idaho and stayed at Blue Anchor RV Park in Osburn, ID.  Osburn is in the heart of silver country with the town of Wallace, ID just a few miles down the road.  Wallace is still a thriving community and all the buildings in the town have been designated historic landmarks.  After 1900, Wallace became one of the world's richest mining districts.  By 2011, the district had produced over 1.3 billion ounces of silver and today they still mine silver, lead and zinc.  They expect to take another billion ounces of silver out of the mountains.

DA HO'S IN IDAHO
We meandered around the streets of Wallace and stopped for a guided tour at the Oasis Bordello Museum.  January 1988, Ginger, the madam of the Oasis Hotel (the last of 13 Bordellos in Wallace), got a call from the sheriff warning her that Feds were in town.  Ginger and her girls grabbed some clothes and a few things they might need for a couple of days and cleared out, leaving everything else behind.  Ginger and her girls were too afraid to return to Wallace, so the Oasis has been frozen in time with clothing, furnishings and personal items still in place as they were that day in January 1988.  Ginger moved to California and eventually sold her hotel, with the new owner turning it into a tourist attraction and museum.  As it turned out, the Feds weren't interested in Ginger's business, they were in Wallace to investigate the sheriff who was on the take for gambling, drugs, and prostitution.

"I gotta see THIS!"  The green door on the left is the "hotel" entrance.

CHURCH AND CONFESSION
Sunday we drove further north along rivers, lakes, and through the beautiful mountains of the Idaho Panhandle.  We stopped in Cataldo, ID at The Old Mission State Park.  The Mission was built by the Coeur d'Alene Indians and Jesuit Missionaries in 1850.  The Mission and Parrish House have been restored and are open for viewing.
 

 

The Old Mission "rose like a miracle in an almost total wilderness where even log houses were rare..."

Inside the mission. 

My first time going to confession.

 

BIG HORN, BEARTOOTH, BOZEMAN & BEUNING

INDIANS WON THE BATTLE BUT LOST THE WAR - Sept. 6 & 7
Howdy!  I really need to get some cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat.  We're in the Wild West and spending 2 nights in Hardin, MT which is about 60 miles east of Billings and 15 miles west of The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  We visited this site early Saturday.  This National Monument is a memorial to the soldiers who died during Custer's Last Stand, as well as a memorial to honor the ancestors of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes who fought in this battle to protect their families, land, and way of life.

Metal sculpture at the Indian Memorial.

White headstones representing where U. S. Army soldiers fell at Last Stand Hill (George Custer among this group).
 Over 200 white headstones are scattered over the battlefield.

 

Red headstones represent where Indians fell.  About 60 red headstones are scattered around the battlefield.

 RED LODGE & ROCK CREEK - Sept. 8 & 9
We continued to mosey our way through southwest Montana and came to the charming western town of Red Lodge.  Our campsite on the north side of the Beartooth Mountains is on the bank of Rock Creek where the water is crystal clear and the sound of it rushing over the rocks makes this the prettiest campsite we've stayed at so far. 

Our back yard.

BEARTOOTH PASS
The northeast entrance to Yellowstone national Park is 60-some miles on the other side of the Beartooth Mountains. The road over Beartooth Pass winds up and over and through the rugged mountains with 20 mph hairpin curves, switchbacks, and spectacular views of the mountains and valleys.  The summit of Beartooth Pass is over 11,000 feet.

Beartooth Mountains

YELLOWSTONE

We entered Yellowstone National Park at the northeast entrance and gawked at the beautiful scenery and wildlife along the way to Mammoth Springs.

Great American Bison - right next to the car.

Mammoth Springs

Nature's sculpture constantly changing.



Driving back up Beartooth Pass, the Jeep started to sound an alarm.  I said "What's that?"  Jim checked the gages and said "the engine is overheating".  I won't repeat what I said.  We pulled off the road; steam was pouring out from under the car hood and the coolant was boiling over.  We let it cool down and started along our way.  It wasn't long before the engine started to over heat again.  We pulled into a picnic area by a beautiful mountain lake, got some water out of the lake and added it to the coolant thing.  We were able to get back home with no further problems.

That's hot, and so is he.

BOZEMAN, BILLION, & BEUNING - Sept. 10 & 11
We took winding scenic State Highway 78 past ranches and through tiny towns on the way to Bozeman.  As soon as we got set up at our campsite at the Bear Canyon Campground, we called the Jeep dealership in Bozeman and got an appointment to get the Jeep fixed the next morning.  The dealership name is Billion Dodge Chrysler and apparently the Billion's own most of the town.  Good name!

Jim called Craig Beuning, who moved here from New Richmond about 18 years ago.  We met up with Craig at his place of business, Full Circle Race Track, where dare devil speeders race around the indoor track in high tech go carts.

Look who we saw in Bozeman. 

In the evening, we met Craig for cold beer and a great dinner at The Plonk on historic Main Street.  We had a fun night sharing stories of the Nederfors family, as well as world travel adventures. Thanks, Craig!  (Anders, here's a message from Craig, "Call Me!")

SEPTEMBER 11
This morning I took the Jeep for it's repair appointment.  While driving down Bozeman's Historic Main Street, there were fire trucks and police cars parked on the street with lights flashing and several American Legion members standing along the street holding flags in remembrance of 9/11.  All American flags in the city were flying at half mast.   



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GOING WEST

BIG BUFFALO - September 2, 2013
Today we left home in the RV, got on I-94 West and made it as far as the Frontier Fort RV Park in Jamestown, North Dakota. Jamestown is home to the World's Largest Buffalo. I saw it from the Interstate and it was a huge...giant fiberglass buffalo. 

TAYLOR AND TEDDY - Sept. 3
Traveling west on I-94 though the eastern farmland of N. Dakota and looking for something interesting besides fields of corn, and sunflowers, I got kind of excited when I spotted several bright red semi-trucks traveling east.  The sides of the trailers were billboards for Taylor Swift's Red Tour.  The trucks were headed to Fargo and then to St. Paul where Taylor would be performing her Red Tour concert over the weekend.   The trucks were traveling in groups of 3 or 4, and we saw a total of 10.  That's a lot of  stage equipment!

We got to the Badlands of North Dakota, arriving in Medora to stay in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park for a few days. 

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam.

The campsites are on a first come basis, and we were lucky to get a shaded site.  It's hot, with the temps in the upper 90's.  We are dry camping (roughing it) for the next few days, as there are no RV hook-ups in the Park.  Generator use is allowed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so we can run the air conditioner.

This evening we ate at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue.  This is where a cowboy cook, puts a slab of steak on the end of a pitch fork, then plunges it into a huge vat of hot oil to cook it. 

Give me a pitch fork and a tub of hot grease, and I'll cook y'all a steak.

After the cowboy dinner, we walked over to the Burning Hills Amphitheatre where the lively Medora Musical is performed nightly.  It was a perfect evening to sit under the stars to be entertained with the singing and dancing.

God Bless America!

Singing and dancing.

BULLY AND BOOM - Sept. 4
This morning Jim golfed with our campsite neighbors, Bob and Sue from Texas, at the beautiful and unique Bully Pulpit Golf Course.  Since I saw the course 2 years ago, and only golf when I have to, I stayed at camp.  At 8 a.m. I started the generator, it ran for about 4 minutes and quit. It's always something.

In the afternoon, Jim and I took a drive north to check out the Badlands in the Parks North Unit.  We also wanted to see for ourselves what the oil boom in Williston looked like.  After getting stuck in the hideous congestion at Watford City, about 50 miles south of Williston, we decided to turn around.  Part of the highway was under construction and was jammed with semi-trucks,  and white pick-up trucks heading to and from the oil fields.  We saw hundreds and hundreds of RV's and trailers set up to house the thousands workers who have come from around the country to work the oil boom.  I can only imagine the circus in Williston.