IT'S A WRAP

After leaving Dillon we spent the next day on the road headed for Brigham City, Utah where we spent the night in a tight campsite barely big enough for our coach.  Guess we won't be gong back there again.  Let's see, that was Tuesday so we spent Wednesday driving through Salt Lake City on our way to Beaver, Utah where we spent Wednesday night.  Thursday we proceeded south on I-15 headed for Las Vegas but only after we went about 150 miles through heavy rain and an electrical storm that had lightening bolts striking the ground less than a mile in front of us at times.

The coach performed flawlessly the entire trip and we found ourselves back at the Las Vegas Motor Coach Resort at about 1:00 pm.  Our contractor was still cleaning up our lot after construction of our new addition - (I guess two weeks notice of when we would be back was not sufficient) - so we cooled our heals in the staging area until things were ready for us to park.  We have now been here two whole days and still have lots to do to get things cleaned up.  Our addition is done except for a couple of tweaks and now we have to figure out how we are going to fill it up.  More on that later.   We are glad to be back at the very best "camping" spot we have ever been to and it is all ours.  I guess you could say we are home.

For now I leave you with a photo of one of our favorite plants.  It does not bloom until we are long gone in the summer.  This year we are back in time to see it before it goes back to sleep.  It's looking a little ragged around the edges already but you get the idea.

Note the smokeless, blue sky in the background.

BACK IN DILLON, MT

We are back in Dillon, Montana on our way back to Las Vegas and in our quest to get out of the smoke and into clear air.  So far we have not been successful.  This area was in the clear a few days ago but since then the winds have shifted yet again and although we are close to the edge we are still getting smoke bad enough to keep the windows closed.  We had planned an extra layover day here and we are sticking with that schedule but we will not be enjoying the clear air - it is somewhere else.  We ARE headed in the right direction however and should be clear of this tomorrow.  In the meantime we enjoyed a nice sunset last night due to all the smoke particles in the air.

WEST

NORTWEST

SOUTH - Yesterday Afternoon

This morning the hills in this photo labeled SOUTH are about 98% obscured by the smoke.  I have been whining about the smoke yet we are fully aware of the disasters in Florida and Texas.  What is happening here in the west seems to be of little concern in much of the rest of the country with the focus on the south but the west is on fire and we are loosing thousands of acres of some of the most beautiful country in the USA.  It is a disaster of a different kind and thankfully it has resulted in minimal loss of life.  Let's pray that the winds die down and the rains come soon.

AQI here is improving and we are headed away from the fires.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN LOOKING FOR CLEAR AIR

Most Current US fire and smoke map.

By the time this gets posted we will be on our way back to Las Vegas.  We have made several tweaks to our schedule which will get us there next week.  We have made so many changes now that I hesitate to say where we will be and when because we are getting pretty good at changing our minds.  As of right now we are going to make a 50 mile trip tomorrow to fuel up and position ourselves in a campground in Coeur d'Alene that will allow us to get an early morning start on Sunday.  There is a great deal of construction on I-90 eastbound in the area of Logan Pass and going through there on a Sunday will allow us to avoid the construction delays.  Probably still a lot of narrow single lane road but we must handle that either way.  The early start is needed mostly because we will be traveling all the way to Dillon, Montana in hopes of getting out of the worst of the smoke.  That is a longer day than we normally like (about 400 miles) but will be worth it if the air is clear there.

Here are a couple pictures from the Sandpoint area.  Sandpoint has had the distinction of having the worst air quality in the nation in the last few days.  Hate to leave Larry and Linda behind but it is time to move on.  Tonight our last dinner of the summer together - Sushi.  Maybe it will be smoked Sushi?

This about half way across "Long Bridge".
Normally those trees in the distance would be clearly visible.

4:30 pm on Labor Day,

HUNKERED DOWN

So much for today's plans.  Woke up to the worst smoke yet since we have been here.  Both the house and the motorhome are closed up tight trying to keep the air as healthy as possible.  Burning eyes and headaches are here, at least for me.  As you can see from the photo below (red X) we are lucky, there are no fires burning nearby us - at least not at the moment.  But the current wind patterns are bringing much of the smoke from elsewhere here.  Everything is so dry that if a fire does start it will get very big very fast.  Not sure if there a much in the way of resources to fight fires right now either.  There are red warning signs on the highways to remind everyone of the fire danger but I don't think anyone needs to be reminded with all this smoke.

This has us thinking about starting out from here early.  I have computed that it is currently a 375 mile, six hour, drive to get out of the smoke.  Might be worth it.  We can do it all on interstate which so far is clear of fire danger on that route.  We will see how the smoke is tomorrow morning. Meanwhile it is breezy outside which can be good, bad, or very bad.  Time will tell.  Still would not trade places with the folks in Texas.  Been a crazy end to summer.

ANOTHER SMOKE'IN WALK

One thing we have had plenty of the last two months is smoke. We have had it here in northern Idaho and we had it in Seattle and by now we have HAD IT!  Some you have had it worse than us and some of you would have traded the smoke for the heat you are living with so we have little basis to complain.  Still, it is enough to give headaches and burning eyes and sore throats.  Thankfully it is usually not all of those at once.  It does not seem to be as bad in the mornings and that is when we try to take our walks.  This morning we did the longer (3.8 miles) of the three or four routes we like and so I decided to snap a couple of pictures just to give an idea of the countryside here.  It is lovely with or without the smoke.  It is also vulnerable to the source of the smoke - fire - and everyone around here keeps on their toes regarding that subject.  So far no actual fires in this area.  Our smoke comes from the Cascades, Canada and Montana.

Although it will be in the low 90's here the next two days the night time temps are beginning to drop and it is showing in the turning leaves with many falling already.  Soon the fires will be out and the smoke will be gone and so will we.  We have just over a week left here before we begin the trip south to our home for the winter.  What a contrast!  From the peaceful countryside we enjoy here to the chaos and flashing lights of Las Vegas.

You can see the hazy quality of the farther hills - that's smoke.

The Pend Oreille River

This is a busy rail line.  In the distance you can see the trestle that crosses the river.

HUNTING THE ELUSIVE HUCKLEBERRY

Yesterday we went on a trek onto the mountains in search of huckleberries.  These little berries sell for as much as $50 a quart down here in Sandpoint, which gives you some idea why folks go to great lengths to find them.  Many (some with long beards and guns) hunt them for profit.  Aside from looking intimidating the guns also have a more practical application because the berries only grow up high in places that the local Grizzly Bears live and it so happens they also love huckleberries.

We reached our objective several miles up a dirt and gravel road past the Grizzly Bear warning signs, about 20 miles from the last pavement and at an elevation of almost 6000 feet.  (Back in our backpacking days Arlyene and I often hiked all day to get to places like this.  Just did not feel right driving there in a truck but hey, we don't carry heavy backpacks as well as we used to.)  Our goal was the Roman Nose Lakes which, as you can see from the map below, are a bit out of the way.

Once we arrived at the lake, out came the buckets and Larry's fishing pole.  I carried the bear spray and Larry was at least well enough armed to get a Grizzly Bears attention so that the rest of us could at least outrun Larry.  We expected to find the area well picked already so we were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of berries.  While Larry fished Linda, Arlyene and I picked and we ended up with more than enough for Arlyene to make us a Huckleberry Crisp tonight.  We sneaked back down the mountain with our treasurer hoping the mountain men the area would not hold us up.  They didn't and neither did the Grizzlies.  Never saw one and very glad for that.

It was warm and very smokey from a number if fires in this part of the country.  (At the same time we are mindful of the great suffering going on in Texas.  I think we can put up with some smoke.)  No pictures of the beautiful mountain vistas because they just were obscured by smoke and haze.  It is worse today and this combined with fires in central Oregon have prompted us to make a change in our travel plans.  We had planned to travel with Larry and Linda (they in their motorhome) to Sisters, Oregon for a reunion with some previous business associates and their wives.  In part because of the smoke and fires in that area and in part because two of the couples have had to back out of the reunion for other reasons we are now going to depart from here in northern Idaho and head directly for Las Vegas.  We expect to arrive there about September 17th.

Hopefully the adventure is not over yet.  Between now and September 10th when we plan to leave we hope to do some fishing on the lake and celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary and Larry's birthday with a night out on the town.  Don't worry, it's a small town, we can't get in too much trouble.

Couldn't decided which one of these last two I like best so posting both.

TWO FOR TWO

With Linda in the Bay Area with her grand kids, Larry, Arlyene and I decided to run up to Schweitzer Mountain for an afternoon hike.  We chose the same hike Arlyene and I took last year where we were lucky enough to see a moose on the trail.  This year the three of us passed the spot uneventfully but later, on a lower portion of the trail another moose came crashing out of the forest right onto our path.  She started to run off but stopped to study us just long enough to snap a picture which gave us some concern that she might have had a calf with her.  In that case our presence could have been a real problem.  She eventually continued on down the mountain and we were able to continue on our way.  It was in the low 90's even at that higher elevation and I don't think any of the three of us could have moved out of the way very fast.

So we are getting spoiled.  Two for two.

This was our 2016 moose encounter.

Today's 

Lookout at Picnic Point

Total hike today = 3.8 miles.

SEATTLE UPDATE

Wow!  It has been over a month since our last update so time to catch up a bit.

We started by spending a month parked in Larry and Linda's driveway in Idaho, including the 4th of July.  After the 4th Arlyene flew back to LV for a week to tend to family stuff there and after she got back we set out in the Jeep for the Seattle area, leaving the motor home in Larry's care.  Along the way we traveled US Highway 2 across Washington and stopped in Leavenworth for the night.  The next day we traveled to the home of long time friends Craig and Janet were we have been house/cat sitting for them while they travel in Alaska.  We have visited with friends from as far south as Olympia and north from Bellingham - and many points in between.  It has been a great time and we have been grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with our many friends in the area as well as with daughter Mary.  Reconnecting with Seattle traffic has not been as much of a joy but we have been able to manage it reasonably well.

Our stay here in Mountlake Terrace ends tomorrow, Sunday, as we head back to Idaho in the rain.  During our two week stay here it has not rained one drop anywhere in the Puget Sound area.  One of my main jobs here has been to keep their beautiful vegetable and flower gardens watered and healthy and with no rain that was a daily activity.  The rain is coming at a perfect time as we leave.  Not excited about a six hour drive in the rain but I expect we will see some breaks along the way.

UPDATE: We are now back in Idaho after an unevenful six hour drive and not too much rain as we left Puget Sound.  We will stay here about three more weeks and then, accompanied by Larry and Linda in their own motorhome, we will head for Sisters, Oregon for a reunion with three other couples.  We will be there about a week and then part company to begin the trek back to Las Vegas crossing Oregon and Idaho before heading south on I-15 north of Salt Lake City.  We plan a couple of two night stays along the way.

While we have been away construction on our new addition at the resort has been progressing.  We are looking forward to the new storage area and bathroom that will be a great addition to our lot, especially while entertaining.

IDAHO UPDATE

Time for a quick update. 

Since leaving Dillon, MT we spent a night in Missoula, MT with Yogi Bear and his friends, then drove over the mountains to Coeur d’Alene, ID where we spent three days getting a chip in the windshield repaired, restocking at COSTCO and having a dinner out. From there we spent several hours at the Cummins Coach Care facility in Spokane getting some routine scheduled maintenance items taken care of after which we drove back to Coeur d’Alene and then north to Sagle, ID where we are currently located. As we did last year we are parked in the driveway of our good friends Larry and Linda. It is like having our own RV park for one. So far we have been sharing their rural, small town life here and enjoying it very much. That included the 4th of July with some of their extended family. With Larry's help I also managed to replace our broken coach steps making it much easier and safer to get in and out.

Good Old Yogi welcoming us to Missoula.

Road construction right in front of our camping site in Coeur d'Alene.  Pretty noisy.  😕

Waiting our turn at Cummins in Spokane.

Next week Larry and Linda fly to San Diego for a few days and Arlyene will fly to Las Vegas the same day to visit her mom and check in with family members. They will travel to the Spokane airport together. That will leave me here for about five days to tend the homestead and keep Rusty (Larry and Linda’s dog) company – or the other way around….. I have been saving up some book work and other administrative chores for those days so I think Rusty and I will keep busy enough.

After everyone returns Arlyene and I will be traveling to Seattle for the first couple weeks of August in the Jeep where we will house/cat sit while using or friends home as a base for our Seattle area business and visits. All subject matter for a future post.

Bear Grass at a Montana Rest Area in the mountains.

Train full of coal and oil tankers crossing the Pend Oreille River near Larry and Linda's house.

Trying out the new inflatable kayak. 

Looking towards Lake Pend Oreille

Our RV Park for one.

WELL THAT WAS INTERESTING

At our RV park in Dillon, Mt.  The Jeep was clean when I took this.

They say that a clean Jeep is a Jeep waiting for an adventure.  Our Jeep was still pretty clean since leaving Las Vegas so today we took it for a drive.  We actually had a number of good choices for places to explore but the bad news is that this being Montana and all it is a long ways away to get to anything.  (Except the Dairy Queen.  It's real close.)  Arlyene spotted what appeared to be the kind of Jeep road we like to explore to we headed off to the Big Sheep Creek road.  The entrance to this road was only 46 miles back south on I - 15!  But that was closer than any of the other options.   For Montana that is nothing at all.  Turns out that this road is a "National Back Country Byway".  We had never traveled one before and if this one was any example these roads are fairly well graded and maintained.  Unlike many Jeep roads we have traveled this one had no areas that were any trouble at all for our Jeep.  In fact I think you could have driven most of it with a mini van.  Dirty, gravel and remote, no doubt about that, but not really a driving challange.  In the first 15 miles of the 66 mile total drive on the byway, I think we passed perhaps a dozen vehicles and they were all going the opposite direction from us.  That should have been a clue.  We of course had no internet or cell coverage and at one point were questioning some of the preparations we should have made but didn't.   

Taken not far off I-15 where the road starts.  No pavement from here on.

The first 20-25 miles winds through canyons following Sheep Creek.  (We never saw any sheep) Here and there we spotted a cabin, sometimes close to the road, often far off in the distance.  Folks out here pretty much live off the grid.  Hard to imagine this road being passable at all in the winter months.

Eventually we broke out into a large valley with mountains on all sides.  Still some snow on most of the peaks.  Here we started to gain elevation as the road wound between two ranges through the valley and towards a pass far up ahead.

This sign gave us hope.  "Maybe we won't die out here after all".

There were a couple of places where we had to choose "left or right".  None of our fancy electronic gizmos was doing a very good job of telling us where we were.  These roads do not show up on many gps maps.  We kept working our way to the right and heading North which turned out the be the correct choice but at one point we were discussing how we might divide up the one energy bar we had between us.  We also began to wonder how long it would take for someone to find our bodies.

As we continued north on Medicine Lodge Road we came to the top of a pass with the sign marking the Old Bannack Road.  It was just two ruts in the brush to the left of this sign.  In addition to being used for freight it was also used to supply miners working in the mountains.  Portions of the road we were on were also part of the route as well.

Highest elevation of the day - close to 8000'  (Dillon is 5100)

Heading down from the pass.

 It is hard to see in the photo above but the road disappears far off into the distant foothills.  We were encouraged to see the high voltage power lines and farther down we began to see actual cows, another good sign that we were headed in the right direction.

Map of the Byway starting from I-15 at Dell

Same map with topographical view.

So we were able to save the energy bar and instead pick up a pizza in town.  In another hour or two we will be checking out the Dairy Queen drive through.  Oh, and for our Las Vegas friends and family it never got above about 85 degrees today.

CRATERS OF THE MOON

One place I have wanted to visit for some time is the Craters Of The Moon.  Why?  Well I guess just because it sounded cool and because we have passed close by several times.  We have planned to come in the past but have had to cancel for one reason or another.  In fact we came close to that happening again.  But this time we actually made it and we were glad we did.  There are many places where you can go to see volcanic activity and geology and Craters is similar to many of them.  It is located on the Snake River Plain in south central Idaho.  It is the result of a geological "hotspot" under the surface plate.  The hotspot that the Snake River Plain passed over many, many years ago started near what is now the Idaho/Oregon border and it currently sits under Yellowstone - which  is expected to erupt again sometime in the next 300,000 years so if you have not been there you might have plenty of time to visit.....or you might not.

Because this area is not as well known there were no crowds.  Other visitors for sure, but no overflowing parking lots, no tour buses and no hassles.   The ranger at the entrance booth even gave us suggestions about places to visit and hikes we could take.  (There was no one in line behind us.) Hiking was high on our agenda and we were not disappointed.  We hiked up a steep volcanic cinder cone for a sweeping 360 degree view of the area.  Later we hiked 2.5 miles (out and back) to see some "tree molds" which are the result of lava overtaking a living tree.  In the case of the next to last photo here, the tree fell into the lava and the moisture in the tree caused it to leave its impression in the lava.  It looks like a tire track but that would have to be some kind of tough tire to leave its track in flowing lava!

So here are some sample photos of our trip today.  As is often the case the photos do not to justice to the scale of what we are showing.  I tried to give a little impression of the scale in the second and third photo.  One without any people and on with Arlyene standing close to the tree.   As always, you should be able to click on any photo to enlarge.

Still snow on the peaks to the north.

Looking back into the valley from the high point of our hiking day.

Same tree on the left with Arlyene close by.
That tree is on top of a 600' cinder cone which gives you some idea how long the cone has been there.

Beauty in both the foreground and the background.

No comment except glad you can not hear my huffing and puffing.
  (600 foot climb in about 1 city block to about 6000')

Much of the magma in this region has Titanium in it which accounts for the blue coloring.

Tiny, tough flowers were everywhere.  These looked like Arlyene's favorites - daisies. 

Note bug in flight(center).  I am proud of that one.

Tree Mold in lava - Not to be confused with bread mold.

One Last Look