After 23 days on the Olympic Peninsula in WA, it’s time to head home to family and friends on the east coast. It has been decades since I’ve spent that amount of time with my sister, Susan and brother-in-law Will. Truth be told for Sue & I, it probably goes back to the early 70’s. It has been a mellow time to reflect and appreciate how they live, work their land, the animals - chickens and sheep and Danny that crazy loving Irish setter. One of the sheep, Blackie, was rejected from his mom at birth. They hand raised him in the lower level of the house where he learned to use the dog door to get in and out until he was too big. Nine to ten years later, he still comes in to visit and was tolerant of Nina coming nose to nose. The morning we left, Will roused the chickens off their roost to gather enough eggs for a wonderful breakfast for all of us, Jay, Jeanne, Harry, I and Sue & Will.
We have been moving slowly out of WA, ID & WY enjoying the west with no alarm clocks and no schedule. First night was in SE WA in the Yakima River Canyon on BLM land at the Lmuma Creek CG. To get there, we went through the fruit producing country of Yakima - apples and peaches this time of year. The canyon was created by a combination of the upheaval of plates, lava flows flooding the area and erosion of the Yakima River creating a canyon with beautiful smooth folding mountains on either side of the river. The Yakima is one of the most popular rivers for trout and steelheads.
Continuing into ID with more fruit, wheat and livestock country along the Columbia & Snake rivers, we ended up at another BLM CG, McKay’s Bend on Crystal River in Lewiston, ID. As a note to ourselves, this was a gem. Beautifully manicured grass, paved pads, full hookups and showers along the river for a modest $9 w/the senior pass. This river is also extremely popular for steelheads and has BLM CGs scattered all along the banks. Most are free. Some just a parking lot but all are perfect for an overnight.
Heading SSE towards the Sawtooth National Forest, another overnight was at Donnelly Lake City Park. Although a bit isolated and lonely as the only residents, the location was beautiful. We thought we would spend the next night up in the valley of the Sawtooth but it was high, cold, rainy and snow was a certainty the next day in the pass at 8700’ so we continued down in the rain to Craters of the Moon NM - good for a convenient overnight and early departure.
In 2014, we spent a month in WY and the Tetons so hoped to relive the wonderful time we had at Signal Mtn. CG for a couple nights. The pass getting into Jackson was a twisty, turning 6 miles of 10% grade up & down that shook the brakes badly. Once in the valley it was cold. We decided to go to the campground anyway and let it speak for itself. “Cold, gray with snow covered ground and picnic table and someone was in our favorite site - keep moving!” Life is an experience and we have never been east over the Togwotee Pass and the Rockies. At 9658’ and snowing at the summit, I was glad it was Harry’s shift but coming down below the snow line, we had a majestic bull moose pass comfortably across the road in front of us. Further east, Dubois was a pretty cool western town and we made Dubuis BLM CG along the Wind River our home for the night.
Central WY going east was sagebrush plains with pronghorns, prairie dogs, cattle, horse and oil rigs. We got a kick out of signs that said, “Drive slowly and enjoy the Wyoming scenery”. The speed limit was 80 mph. We decided on another city park in Douglas, Riverside. It was a pretty nice grassed park along the Northern Platte River with showers, dump and water all for free for up to 2 nights. There was another RV/trailer rig there for company . . . and then we were joined by 4 guys and their dead pronghorns yet to be processed. More on that later because it is late and I am still reasoning out the whole hunting thing of the northwest. Especially after Harry looked in the dumpster to see what they left behind . . . .
Heading through NE, we decided to try the scenic route which basically went where we wanted to go on a fast 65-70 mph road w/no traffic. It was gray and rainy and after some agriculture including sunflowers, much of the landscape was the same rolling plains. Who knows, maybe we bypassed oil rigs. There were trains though. Long coal trains with 135 to 150 cars. Two engines to push and two to pull. Loaded eastbound and empty coming back, they were continuous on 3+ plus tracks. "Clean coal" we assumed. We were headed to Bessey CG in a NE National Forest near Halsey and raced to get across a track ahead of a train to avoid the wait. Nice park w/electric sites and all the amenities for $5.50 w/SP. Of course we hear the trains but that has been a constant in Canada, Alaska and all around the NW.
With 1788 miles to go, we’ll start making some tracks tomorrow to get home.
