La Push - Sept. 25 - 26

On our way out of Indianola headed for La Push, we went by the Grover’s Creek Salmon Hatchery. They have an automated bucket lift built in the 1990’s by Accumar, Will’s company that brings the salmon up to the hatchery where the eggs and sperm are collected. The salmon are then given away but only good as “smokers” because they are pretty beat up. Timing is everything! When we arrived, they were giving away fresh salmon caught the night before from the bay as part of research. We got a nice silver side salmon to bring along.

La Push on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula is part of the Quileute Indian Reservation. Sue and Will rented a cabin in the Quileute Oceanside Resort and we parked alongside. The pictures really describe this area the best but finally we have arrived at the Pacific Ocean with a couple days of beautiful sunshine and Nina has died and gone to heaven running the beach with her cousins, Danny and Llewie!

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Indianola, WA - Sept. 21 - 24

Finally the anticipation of seeing my sister after about 7 years sets in! She suggested we take our time, enjoy Pt. Townsend, stay for lunch and get to her house in the afternoon. Pt. Townsend has the infamous Wooden Boat Festival in early Sept. that would be nice to see someday but the old buildings, shops, restaurants and marinas were worth the walk around. After scouting out the Pt. Townsend Brewery to get a “Growler” (half gallon jug) of Hop Diggidy IPA as a special birthday request, on we went to Indianola. The GPS wasn't really keeping up with where we were which then became further complicated by the fact that I either didn't remember or wasn't told that my sister’s street had been renamed and renumbered. We got close enough and then went by which house looked familiar from pictures!

Coincidental to our arrival, Sue and Will had just been given a 30’ Baba sailboat. It’s a cutter rig built in Taiwan with a solid teak interior, hand stitched tanenbark sails, skylights and bowsprit. The boat had been sitting at a slip for 7-8 years and the owner feeling guilty about not being able to take care of it, searched around for someone to take over. My brother-in-law, Will’s name came up and through a random act of kindness has become the new proud owner of “Miracle! No need to change this name!  I wish I had taken some interior shots because it has an open layout below with enough headroom for Will who is 6’6”. The cushions and seats are all high quality naugahyde. It’s a beautiful, sturdy big 30 footer that will give them many years of comfortable sailing.

We had lots of fun going down memory lane, celebrating birthdays, meeting the dogs, the sheep and the chickens. We, of course, had to see the new boat, the old boat Penelope named after my mom and then travel over to Hansville to visit with my cousin Drew and his friend, Lauri.  He has built himself a beautiful home that captures the views of his property and the mountains beyond. It’s quite a life out here. I think I’ll stay!

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Deception Pass State Park, WA - Sept. 20

From Baker Lake, we continued on the Cascade Loop Scenic Highway through the Skagit Valley Region. We passed through Sedro-Woolley, a logging community, Burlington, Mt. Vernon and La Conner which was the highlight. La Conner is a fishing/artist community with a Victorian flair. It also has the largest commercial bulb industry second to Holland. Of course this time of year, all we saw were the bare fields but could really get a sense of what the color must be like March – May when the tulips are in bloom with Mt. Baker and the Cascades in the background. The farmhouses were really cool too.

Deception Pass was beautiful with an incredibly strong tide coming through. Nina and I poked through many of the trails around the campsite finding great views, birds and a beaver cruising around the swimming area. This was really a quick overnight so we could be a bit more organized and cleaned up before getting to my sister’s the next day.

We caught the Coupeville/Pt. Townsend ferry the next day. Although I did make a reservation for the 11:45, we arrived early enough to drive right onto the 11:00 and didn’t really need it at all. The Washington State Ferry system is really slick. 

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Baker Lake, WA - Sept. 17 - 19

We decided to move around to Lake Baker in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest so that we could pass through Concrete to do laundry, find a post office and stores for miscellaneous stuff. Aside from an innovative town sign, there was hardly a soul walking the streets and many store fronts empty. The laundromat was the busiest business around as well as a hardware store that sold everything making perfect sense given the lack of competition. It is a cute town though and passing back through, we will be looking up a bakery we read about after the fact.

The north side of Mtn. Baker has a scenic byway that I’m sure is spectacular and tempting but we wanted to continue the push to the Pacific. It may have been a good decision because we found that although campgrounds were listed as open online along the lake, more than half were actually closed. The same was likely to be true north. We stayed the first two nights at Horseshoe Cove CG and then moved over to Lower Sandy which was dispersed camping/free. This campsite was one of the nicest we have had! These were lazy days for biking and great beaches for Nina to run. I also found a great pond behind a pump house with an amazing collection of at least 7 different kinds of ducks.

We will be traveling down to Deception Pass State Park Friday night before arriving at my sister’s house in time for her birthday Saturday. They really aren't that far away at this point so we will be looping back to see the San Juan’s later.

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North Cascades, WA - Sept. 14 - 16

It’s always exciting to head towards a new, beautiful place and today it was the North Cascades! We passed through miles of wheat fields, many of which had already been cut. Beyond the wheat, we got into apple country, orchard after orchard with the harvest in process. It was interesting seeing the clusters of small cabins that the pickers must stay in when they are working an area. I regret not stopping the driver for a photo opp but he was on a roll. 

We traveled through great towns – Pateros with a hawk festival, Twisp where we hoped to go to a farmer’s market but closed as we arrived and the western town of Winthrop with the old store fronts.  After going through Washington Pass with views of the Liberty Bell, the first night stop was at Lone Pine CG in the Okanogan National Forest so we could hike to Blue Lake in the morning and continue on through the N. Cascades. 

Harry will tell you I drive him crazy wanting to see not just choices in campsites but campgrounds as well! We “toured” Newhalem, Colonial Creek which I liked a lot for the ducks in the creek, but finally chose the Goodell Creek CG on the Skagit River both because it was close to Newhalem and pretty cool with all the salmon jumping as they come up river to spawn. Campsite #13 was a great one. The National Forest outside the park as well as inside the North Cascades allow dogs on the trails which was a big plus.

By this time, we have gorged ourselves on huckleberries; ice cream, cobbler, pancakes, strudel, and then we moved on to fresh peaches and of course apples. I’m not sure I ever knew what a peach should taste like. Ours back home are picked so hard, mush out and get mealy instead of ripening. My sister tipped us off on getting some as soon as we got into WA peach country.

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The Grand Coulee Dam, WA - Sept. 13

The route to the Grand Coulee Dam was probably our least attractive choice yet. We made the mistake of taking Rte 95 to 90 instead of looping around Rte. 2. Lots of construction on an already ugly 2 lane divided highway. We found a very nice campsite in Spring Canyon CG in the Lake Roosevelt Nat’l Rec. Area above the dam looking out over the river. It was a hot 90 something so we all took a swim including Nina. After picking up BBQ at the Tropical Pig, we headed over to the GCD Visitor Center for a look around and the laser show.

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Another Day West - Sept. 12

It was such a temptation to head further north in Glacier to Bowman Lake passing by Polebridge Mercantile, a tip from Steve, but I know that I will come back to Glacier some day when I can hike where I want to and to insure that will happen, it’s best to leave wanting more.

We are trying to stay ahead of season closings further west so after pumping, watering up, propane, gas, hardware stop and hitting Montana Coffee Traders for cappuccinos and scones off we go onto Rte. 2. I diverted Harry onto a very narrow National Forest Road (763) so we could travel along more of the Kootenai River which almost sent us off the road when a couple logging trucks hogged most of the road. This was followed by a quick stop to ID and photo unusual ducks (common mergansers). Back on the road, my sunglasses were missing so a quick 2-3 mile detour back found them by the side of the road where I jumped out! Beautiful lakes, creeks, mountains and farmers market at Libby, we called it a day at a NF Campground, Bull River, at the junction of Clark Fork River. Harry took his first shower/bath in the river in ‘x’ days and I in the van. He made the better choice!

This is such a short post, it’s time to talk about food. Polly sent us off with “Road Food”. The Fishers and Freda/Magnells have been giving us tips along the way. We are trying them all but then there are the everyday meals. My own garden veggies have been eaten, frozen, rotted or frozen rotten at this point! (I hope everyone is enjoying my harvest at home!) We picked up some tomatoes and huckleberries at the farmer’s market in Libby but I have a new tip for all you RV/cruisers. It’s all about the hearts of romaine (Foxys or whatever) that we buy that don’t need washing wasting water and last forever! Inspired by Schooners, half them lengthwise and sauté both sides until pleasantly golden brown. Serve on a plate drizzled with balsamic glaze (a very necessary ingredient to sparkle any dish) and you will think that you are eating a very fine Belgium endive side dish. Try it at home!

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Glacier National Park, MT - Sept. 8 - 11

The next morning was the start of a great stretch of weather and our final leg to Glacier NP. There was a ski area that abutted the campground that we hiked around in the morning before heading off to Great Falls to visit the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The museum had a great exhibit and film that we watched about the portage over the Continental Divide. 

Still 150 miles from Glacier, we thought we would arrive too late to get into campsites at Glacier until I noticed online that St Mary's CG still had room and hadn't filled Fri or Sat nights so decided on the gamble. We did get a spot and the plan was to leave early the next day to move over to the campground in Many Glacier which we had heard was beautiful with lots of lakes, trails and the grand Many Glacier Hotel. Turns out two CG closed the next day in the park as well as 2 out of the 3 loops here AND St. Mary's had recent bear activity so all tents and soft-sided trailers had to leave meaning there would be a lot of competition for space both where we were and where we wanted to go. We decided to stay put and three days later were still happy we did. St. Mary's is very open with great views, meadows, aspens and lots of berries that bring the bears in although all we saw was bear poop!

There is a healthy population of both black bears and grizzlies in Glacier so we got our bear spray and tutorial from the rangers after hearing a few stories of the spray getting loose in hotel rooms and visitor’s centers. Sadly, my knee has not been doing well and knew I couldn't outrun Harry never mind a bear! We stayed with shorter hikes spending one day in Many Glacier and the next along the Going to the Sun Road up to Logan Pass. Our last day on the East side, we again drove the Sun Road picking up where we left off at Logan Pass, went for a hike and then over to the West side just in time to get one of the last couple sites at Apgar CG. We did see black bears (one w/2 cubs), moose, hoary marmots and the bighorn sheep. Time was running short for the grizzlies but if not here, perhaps our next stop in the North Cascades.

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Cross Country to the Pacific NW - Sept. 2 - 7

Finally, September 2^nd (Labor Day) at noon, we were off. Because we planned to take the Mass Pike west the first day, I thought this would be the perfect day to start our travels. For the most part it was but the traffic started bunching up in places for no particular reason so we chose Rte. 84 through Hartford instead. Night one was at a small Pilot truck stop in Montague, NJ. Although off the highway, it was noisy enough to get us up before 4 a.m. for an early start the next day.

The second day with a more respectable range of 665 miles got us to a Cracker Barrel in Elkhart, IN. This was actually a nice one in Amish Country surrounded by a half dozen inns, lots of grass and trees. Did you know CB’s now serve “wholesome” meals 600 calories or less! You can now get steamed broccoli instead of gravy and grits.

Day three ended at the Great River Bluffs State Park in Winona MN looking down on the Mississippi River and Black River Delta. This park is in a small region of the Upper Midwest that was not covered by glaciers at any time. The steep bluffs were cut by the meltwaters from the glacier coming down the Mississippi. Tom and Jean both sent messages about an award winning donut shop in Winona, Bloedows Bakery. Not to disappoint and wanting to be able to send a review back, off we went to indulge! The store was in an old saloon and the display of donuts impressive. We both got cinnamon rolls that were so big we should have shared! They were very good but also very sweet so we saved some for another time.

The fourth night was spent at an Army Corps of Engineers campground, Left Tailrace, on the SD side of the Missouri River. The campground was below the dam by the spillway where the water was teaming with seagulls, white pelicans and all kinds of fish. We watched one fisherman make quick work of his filleting by using an electric knife. Good stop.

We now were pretty close to the Badlands where we had thought we might stay long enough to rest. The weather was unseasonable warm at 104 degrees and the refrig. was having difficulties maintaining a temperature cooler than the high 40’s after days of sun baking the side of the van. We arrived in the campground midday and quickly realized there was no shade or electricity to cool the van. Nina couldn’t hike with us nor could she stay in the van. And then there were the warning signs for snakes . . . . . . ! We drove a good part of the Badlands Loop Road and it really was pretty with the colors in the rock formations and yellow mounds. Perhaps more time would have revealed more beauty but we decided to move on to the Black Hills National Forest near Rapid City, SD. Still hot at 80, we had a wonderful night in the pines by the lake at Sheridan Lake South CG.

Saturday was another long day of driving through SD, a small corner of WY and into MT through beautiful rolling hills and fields of sunflowers, sorghum, corn and MANY billboards. We passed through towns that appeared more like ghost towns and one, Lavina, a fictional scene from Stephen King with decent storefronts empty and a porch filled with chairs rocking in the wind, chimes playing but not a soul around anywhere. We spent the night in the King Hill Campground in Lewis and Clark National Forest near Neihart. The campground was dense with pines and had that wonderful woodsy pine smell. Not long after we got settled, a really bad thunderstorm came through with marble sized hail. That was a first for me. The noise on the van was deafening. No dents or damage though!

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Homeward Bound – Mar 22 - 24

Driving along, there’s lots of time to discuss routes, goals and objectives, destinations and then change them around a couple times! I had wanted to go home via the Dismal Swamp which is on the alternative ICW and then on up the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake. There is a Welcome Center at Dismal that is very nice where I hoped we could stay. When I called, they told me they don’t encourage people to stay in the parking lot over night but they know people do it. Not a strong No! Then we starting looking at the weather and night temps and decided we needed to winterize the van that day and we needed a dump station to do it. I started calling around and the obvious, a state park nearby, didn’t have the facilities. We finally found an independent campground willing. After that job, we wanted to get a bit more distance and ended up at a Cracker Barrel in Chesapeake, VA.

Day 2 of the home stretch was through the tunnels, over the bridge and up the Eastern Shore. Because we were breaking a two day marathon into three days, we stopped at Flea Markets, Antique Stores, poked around Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake/Delaware Canal, dinner at Woody’s Crab House in North East, MD and back on the road to a Cracker Barrel in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Tomorrow should find us home!

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