Well, a lot has changed since the last post and I'll try to catch you up without too many boring details. When I last posted, I was getting ready to sell my house and buy in Arizona. While experiencing first hand the housing woes of America, I finally managed to sell the house after the first "buyer" backed out on me two days before closing. My house reduced in value by 21% over the three years I lived there, but hey, it's over and I'm moving on. That sale has closed and the new house won't close until the beginning of November, so I truly am homeless. Except for my little castle-on-wheels, that is. It's serving me well, and the dogs love being with me pretty much 24/7. So much for the background; now for the travel journal entries: 
I left Minnesota on August 4th, accompanied by my daughter Shar, her father-in-law, and her two daughters (Kendra and Annika) in her SUV. My grandson Jake rode in the MUTT with me and was a great navigator and traveling companion. We drove across North Dakota and Montana; eastern ND is crop country—wheat, barley, sugar beets, oats, and so on – and then in the west it turns into grass country, which continues across Montana. I have never seen so much hay in my life! It was mowing & baling time evidently, because every field had bales as far as the eye could see.
We headed south in Livingston, MT and headed down to Yellowstone. I won’t go i
nto much detail here since I can’t add anything much to all the prose and drivel already written about the Grand Old Park. The only original kick I got out of the visit was when a car going way too fast roared past me in the 25 mph zone, then around several other cars. I told Jake that people that drive in a tourist area should expect slow traffic, and then a cop zoomed past us with siren and lights and sure enough, we soon passed the speeder and cop on the side. Justice can be so sweet!
The drive from Yellowstone to Washington was beautiful: mostly mountainous and forested. I entered Idaho for the first time in my life and want to go back some day to explore Coeur d’Alene in detail. Washington is a state of several different climates, much like Texas. There are rain forests, deserts, mountains, and of course the coastal region. I spent almost eight weeks there, m
ost of it at Shar’s, but also took side trips to the Olympic Peninsula and the ocean, as well as a couple campgrounds in the Cascades. I crossed Snoqualmie Pass four times and was awed by its beauty as much the fourth time as the first. Unfortunately, I was driving each time and the curves and climbs didn’t allow for as much gawking as I would have liked. Washington is truly a beautiful state and I’m hoping to get back there each year to visit the family and see even more of what it has to offer.
The trip to the Olympic Peninsula I mentioned earlier was with my friendLaura and her family. They have a beautiful vacation home overlooking Discovery Bay and we went on a great hike in the woods, ending with a beach walk, with the bluffs rising above us. We also visited Fort Worden State Park, again hiking through the woods and old abandoned battlements. The fort was built to protect the Puget Sound from invasion and is one of four forts that face the mouth of the vulnerable waterway from all directions. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, with great scenery and a lot of informational markers along the trails.
While staying in WA, I took another side trip to travel down the Oregon coast. I’ve been told many times that if I loved the WA coast, I’d be blown away by Oregon’s counterpart. Wow, were all of them right! I met a couple friends of mine there and spent four days traveling down about a third of the way down the state. Pat and Jan were also traveling in an RV, so we stayed at campgrounds together and caravanned during the days. The last night before we split up, we stayed at a state park right on the beach. I walked down and watched the sun sink into the water that evening and learned about the custom of raising a wine glass in a toast to the sunset. Next time, I’ll be sure and bring a glass to raise myself! The next morning, I was on the beach early enough that I had it pretty much to myself, so I could let Rave off leash and let him run. He was in doggy heaven! (By the way, my side trip to Oregon filled up my US map…I have now been in all of the lower 48 states!)
This is getting very long, so I’m going to end here for now and continue on to the next leg of the journey in my next post. I promise there won’t be as long a time gap as between this and the last one!
I left Minnesota on August 4th, accompanied by my daughter Shar, her father-in-law, and her two daughters (Kendra and Annika) in her SUV. My grandson Jake rode in the MUTT with me and was a great navigator and traveling companion. We drove across North Dakota and Montana; eastern ND is crop country—wheat, barley, sugar beets, oats, and so on – and then in the west it turns into grass country, which continues across Montana. I have never seen so much hay in my life! It was mowing & baling time evidently, because every field had bales as far as the eye could see.
We headed south in Livingston, MT and headed down to Yellowstone. I won’t go i
nto much detail here since I can’t add anything much to all the prose and drivel already written about the Grand Old Park. The only original kick I got out of the visit was when a car going way too fast roared past me in the 25 mph zone, then around several other cars. I told Jake that people that drive in a tourist area should expect slow traffic, and then a cop zoomed past us with siren and lights and sure enough, we soon passed the speeder and cop on the side. Justice can be so sweet!The drive from Yellowstone to Washington was beautiful: mostly mountainous and forested. I entered Idaho for the first time in my life and want to go back some day to explore Coeur d’Alene in detail. Washington is a state of several different climates, much like Texas. There are rain forests, deserts, mountains, and of course the coastal region. I spent almost eight weeks there, m
ost of it at Shar’s, but also took side trips to the Olympic Peninsula and the ocean, as well as a couple campgrounds in the Cascades. I crossed Snoqualmie Pass four times and was awed by its beauty as much the fourth time as the first. Unfortunately, I was driving each time and the curves and climbs didn’t allow for as much gawking as I would have liked. Washington is truly a beautiful state and I’m hoping to get back there each year to visit the family and see even more of what it has to offer.The trip to the Olympic Peninsula I mentioned earlier was with my friend
Laura and her family. They have a beautiful vacation home overlooking Discovery Bay and we went on a great hike in the woods, ending with a beach walk, with the bluffs rising above us. We also visited Fort Worden State Park, again hiking through the woods and old abandoned battlements. The fort was built to protect the Puget Sound from invasion and is one of four forts that face the mouth of the vulnerable waterway from all directions. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, with great scenery and a lot of informational markers along the trails.
While staying in WA, I took another side trip to travel down the Oregon coast. I’ve been told many times that if I loved the WA coast, I’d be blown away by Oregon’s counterpart. Wow, were all of them right! I met a couple friends of mine there and spent four days traveling down about a third of the way down the state. Pat and Jan were also traveling in an RV, so we stayed at campgrounds together and caravanned during the days. The last night before we split up, we stayed at a state park right on the beach. I walked down and watched the sun sink into the water that evening and learned about the custom of raising a wine glass in a toast to the sunset. Next time, I’ll be sure and bring a glass to raise myself! The next morning, I was on the beach early enough that I had it pretty much to myself, so I could let Rave off leash and let him run. He was in doggy heaven! (By the way, my side trip to Oregon filled up my US map…I have now been in all of the lower 48 states!)
This is getting very long, so I’m going to end here for now and continue on to the next leg of the journey in my next post. I promise there won’t be as long a time gap as between this and the last one!
1 comment:
Welcome back Marty! I've missed you and hearing about your travels. I'm always amazed at the many places you've seen and can only imagine the beautiful sights you've experienced. Good for you!
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