Thursday Aug 31 - Olympia, WA

Yesterday’s excitement took place after 10:00 p.m. Driving back to the campground, we saw a large column of smoke – with a reddish tinge. Believing that it was a manufacturing plant operation of some kind, we didn’t think much about it. But as we got closer and closer we realized it was a) a major fire and b) it was very, very close to the campground.

Threading our way through the fire trucks and hoses to get to our campground, we knew we would be in for a long night. Apparently, someone has been dumping their logging scraps in a pile for a long time and it ignited through spontaneous combustion. The fact that there is a fire district dispute over who responds didn’t help. We were told that the fire had started at about 6:30 but the first fire truck didn’t arrive for more than 30 minutes – by that time, the fire had made its way to the “large” pile of wood and was burning furiously.

Our concern was of course, that the fire and/or sparks would jump the fire road and ignite the campground forest area. Naturally, a large crowd was out watching the fire and fire fighters. I asked a couple of firemen if we should evacuate. At first they said, “No. We feel we have it contained. We’ve done this before.” About a half-hour later, they said, “We’re thinking of asking for evacuation.”

Knowing that it would be almost impossible to get the motor-home out through the maze of fire trucks, we loaded all the “important” stuff into our rental car and started to evacuate on our own. By the time we got to the campground entrance, the fire fighters were saying it wasn’t necessary, but stand by – they’d know for sure in 30 minutes.

About an hour later, a young lady fire fighter came around to reassure everyone that they had it under control, the relative humidity was rising (to alleviate the dryness), there was no wind, and they (the fire fighters) would remain in the campground all night to make sure the fire didn’t flare up again.

This morning the fire was still smoking; probably will go on for several more days. Fortunately, they were able to keep it from spreading – not only from the campground, but several surrounding piles of wood, a mini-storage lot, and several businesses. It could have gotten really nasty. We were lucky. (By the way, when I say “piles of wood”, I’m not talking about your back-yard trash pile. These piles are taller than a two-story building!)

The photo was taken this a.m. of the smoking remains. You can see that the access road isn’t very wide. The flames (last night) were jumping higher than the trees – probably a couple of hundred feet into the air. That fact, coupled with the accompanying sparks, made everyone very nervous. Having a calm evening with regard to the wind was the main saving factor.

In addition to the fire, we saw a double trailer semi flipped on its side on the South bound on-ramp to I-5. And we heard that a Mercedes doing over 120 mph had rear-ended a bread truck on the I-5. Must be something in the water?

Wednesday Aug 30 – Olympia,WA

If you found “errors” in yesterday’s blog, I apologize. I ran out of time to do a thorough edit and rather than delay posting another day, I submitted “as-is”. Later I noticed my thumb in the picture – sorry about that! (Then to make matters worse, when I logged on today (Wednesday), found that yesterday's blog hadn't been posted! Sometimes the web-site is a little flaky, or the Internet connection wasn't as reliable as I thought.)

We visited another gourmet food store yesterday! Bayview Thriftmart. The name doesn’t sound like a gourmet food store, but we found lots of goodies, particularly in the cheese section. Really too bad that our fridge can’t hold any more stuff. Guess we should start eating what we’ve got!

One piece of good news. When we checked into the current RV park, they told us we had to leave on 1 September because they were booked solid for Labor Day weekend. There is another campground close by that I could get into but it’s not as nice as this one. Yesterday, we were told they had a cancellation so we could stay, but in another site. So we moved – about 40 yards! But this site has more foliage around it so we feel like we’re really in the woods. Never thought I’d be happy to move 40 yards, but the effort to disconnect / connect / set-up the motor home is a lot easier than the trailer. Plus all the sites in this RV park are back-ins – no pull-thrus. Getting the trailer into this site would have been a pain (never conquered backing), but the motorhome is just an overgrown car when it comes to backing.

So we are pretty much set for location. Our plan is to leave the 7th and head over to Sequim to see Shell and Lyn McGuire – long-time friends. Shell and I worked together at Hughes Aircraft back in the 80’s.

The photo is from the sand-castle contest on Sunday in Olympia. I didn’t have the wide angle lens and there were too many people to get it all in. But it was a “mural” of Japan complete with a temple, Mt. Fuji, and the Samurai and Geisha. I believe it won the best of show.

Off to another fun-filled day in the northwest. We were supposed to have a little rain last night – after 72 days of no rain – but I didn’t hear it.

Wayne

Good intentions? - Tuesday a.m.

Good intentions have weakened as the days seem to come and go more quickly than before. Here it is Tuesday a.m. and I realize I haven't written since Friday. Sorry about that.

Margaret continues to improve. Yesterday was her first day without a mid-day nap. She also has an "improving" outlook that she is actually beating this thing. The decision to stay put for several days is also helping. Even though we have been busy "running around", it is less stressfuly than being out on the highway, wondering where we'll stay the next night.

The problem with not writing every day is you tend to forget what you did two days ago. I used to think this was my aging brain (and maybe it is), but lots of folks seem to have the same problem. So I'll recall what I can and leave the rest for Margaret to think of!

Sunday a.m. we went to the Olympia Farmer's Market. (Photo above) Not sure if it is the "largest" of anything, but it's quite nice with a large assortment of veggies, fruits, seafood, meat plus the usual flowers and "made" stuff. It's always a lot of fun with lots to see and sample. Unfortunately we only have so much room in the motor home to store perishables.

The annual sandcastle competition was held next to the farmer's market. Rather than do it on a beach (which isn't close or convenient), they bring in truck-loads of sand for folks to work with. They also creat large sand-boxes for the kids to play in - which I thought was pretty nice, since the kids had just seen the "real" sand art. I took several photos of the better sand-castles and may post those later.

Monday a.m. we drove up to Camping World store in Fife (where?) just north of Tacoma. Always a fun place to shop for RV'ers - although we didn't think this one had as much stuff as the one we visited in Tampa earlier this year. After picking up a few supplies (mostly toilet treatment chemicals), we headed further north to visit the local Trader Joes. For those of you that haven't had the opportunity to visit a Trader Joes, let's just say it is a religious experience in food shopping. They have things you didn't know you needed, much less knew they existed. But alas, we were forced to stick to the non-perishables since our refrigerator is so small (and already full). I was able to lay in a supply of Two-Buck-Chuck wine. (Had the Chardonnay with halibut last night at Harold and Connie's - great stuff for $2.99!)

Got to run - another busy day

Friday - Aug 25th - Olympia, WA

Sorry about missing Wednesday and Thursday. I’m sure many of you are hanging on every word – well, maybe not. Lots happening and to summarize, we arrived in Olympia, WA, Tuesday evening, tired but alive, i.e., Margaret did not slay me as she promised many times.

We left Yakima, WA late Wednesday morning. Weather was beautiful, sunny, in the mid 70’s. Went west on US 12 between Mt. Rainier and Mt.. St. Helens. The drive is spectacular, running beside the Naches River up to the crest and then down into more valleys and canyons. Unfortunately, because we were in canyons and on mountain-sides for most of the drive, we couldn’t see either Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens. And by the time we were out in the open, the coastal clouds had arrived and blocked any view.

Because of road construction, I took an alternate route out of Morton, WA along Washington Hwy 508. Pretty, but probably not good for Margaret’s nerves. Although you couldn’t tell from the map, Hwy 508 is a narrow two-lane road winding through farms and forests, along rivers, and over NARROW bridges. The bridges were so narrow, that had I been unfortunate enough to meet another large vehicle, one of us would have to stop – and that’s no exaggeration.

Margaret was worried most of the way, but the motor home handled well. Maybe not sports-car – and I was possibly driving too fast (I didn’t think so) – but we motored through successfully. Margaret was pretty quiet except for the clink of the prayer beads. When we finally came out at Interstate 5 in Chehalis, she announced that she didn’t think she’d ever see civilization again. I admit, that after a couple of hours on back roads, you begin to doubt your route choice.

Anyway, we arrived in a small, wooded campground in south Olympia, just off I-5. Heavily wooded spots with almost full hook-ups (no TV). The spaces are a little small, but I am becoming familiar with backing the beast and was able to get into the slot without knocking down any trees or trash cans. I know I did well because none of the other campers came out to look and laugh!

Wednesday evening we went to bed early without much activity. I was too pooped to put sentences together so I thought it best to pass on the day’s blog.

Thursday morning was spent getting the rent-a-car. Enterprise came “all the way” from Olympia to get me. I know it’s only about 7 miles from down-town to the RV park, but it seems like a long way. They’re pretty good about this service.

We spent most of Thursday getting the motor-home spiffed up for company and recovering from Wednesday’s drive. Thursday evening we visited our friends in Olympia, Connie Wright and Harold Cleveland. We dined on their superb cooking – I think I gained 5 pounds from the meal – and enjoyed every morsel.

Friday a.m. we were able to participate in a routine that has become the norm when visiting Olympia. We (Connie, Harold, Margaret, and I) go to the Nisqually Red Wind casino where they have a sumptuous breakfast buffet. As a senior, it cost $4.00. What a deal.

Another benefit of being a senior at the casino is with the purchase of a $20 gaming ticket, they throw in another $7.00. Pretty good return on investment. After breakfast, we played for about an hour. Our gambling consists of the penny slots. But the payouts are pretty good (for a casino). After one hour, Margaret was up $50 and I was up $70. We will probably go back there next week a few times to stuff ourselves on breakfast and win some more money to help pay for the travels (yeah, sure!).

I mentioned in Tuesday's blog visiting a town called Toppenish near Yakima and their murals, but neglected to include a photo so I am putting it in today's. It was a small park downtown. The town is quite photogenic, probably a good place to spend time put together a photo story. Maybe next time? (After all, it's in the middle of wine country!).

Wayne

Yakima, WA - Tuesday 22nd

Although the signs on the Interstate said, Seattle 147 miles, we elected to take the "scenic" route, i.e., through Yakima wine country. The above photo is from the Hyatt winery, one of three I visited. Margaret, with her reduced sense of smell / taste from the bug, didn't participate.

To say visiting the wine country was the highlight of the trip would be overdoing it. However, I enjoyed it immensely. It is not like Napa (yet) - we were the only folks in the parking lot (which was good considering where I had to park and turn around!). The young ladies (all ladies and all young) were most gracious. All were particularly interested in the motorhome and where we had been, crossing the country.

One lady was amazed at the size of our RV. When I tried to convince her it isn't the largest around, she kept saying, "I've never seen one so large." Either she was pulling my leg or simply, as Margaret observed, she'd never had an RV parked in their parking lot - which wasn't very big.

We didn't get a picture of the "best" winery - BonAir. It was the last of the day and had some really good wine. Unfortuately, the U.S. laws are still cloudy on where wineries can ship and where they can't. Mostly due to various / and varied state laws. I did support the local economy and bought some wine at each of the wineries visited.

The drive this a.m. was horrendous. Crossing central Washington state, down along the Columbia River gorge and up into Ellensburg, was very difficult. The wind was out of the NorthWest at roughly 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph (estimate). It was tough keeping the beast in the lane.

After our winery crawl, Margaret spotted a town by the name of Toppenish. Virtually every square foot of wall space in town is covered with a painted mural of the old west. Almost all signs in town are in Spanish indicating the large influx of Latinos working the crops in Yakima valley. In addition to the grape / wine aspect, there are many orchards of cherries, apples, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums.

We went into an Amish store but didn't find anything we needed to buy.

Tomorrow it's off to Olympia, WA for a reunion with old friends and some time at the casino for Margaret to win more money. (Another story for another day.)

Wayne

Moses Lake, Washington

Today was eventful. We covered more miles in the motorhome than we have before - 233 miles to be exact. Margaret is a tired this evening but doing well. We entered the Pacific Time Zone in the middle of the Idaho panhandle, just east of Couer d'Alene. I mention this because it gave us an "extra" hour of travel time today.

Our first stop of the day was in the town of Wallace, Idaho. There are many statistics about this small mining town which I leave to the web surfers. But to mention a few:

* The 1997 film Dante's Peak was mostly filmed in the town of Wallace, with the large hill next to town digitally altered to look like a volcano. One scene shows Pierce Brosnan driving a pickup down Main Street to escape the volcanic eruption. Many scenes take place in the historic downtown area, visible from the nearby highway.

*The last traffic light on an Interstate highway to be removed was on a stretch of I-90 in Wallace, on September 15, 1991.

*Every building is on the National Historic Register.

*The tool called Pulaski is believed to be named for a ranger in Wallace.

*Actress Lana Turner was born in Wallace as was politician Bill Thomas

There is much ado about the 1910 forest wildfire that decimated the area.

There is a silver mine tour (we didn't take) in down-town. There are two mines in town that go down over 2,000 feet below sea-level. This, considering the town itself is about 3,000 above sea-level, is something. Glad I'm not a silver miner.

We stopped for lunch (and a nap for Margaret) on the north-eastern shore of Lake Couer d'Alene. The info sign said it was formed by a glacial dam which diverted the water into what is now the Spokane River. The sign also said the depth was "unknown". We debated that at length over a ham sandwich!

Even though we are it in the middle of no-where (anywhere north of the Mason-Dixson line is no-where), there is quite a bit of populace and activity between Couer d'Alene and Spokane, WA. Although we didn't stop in Couer d'Alene, it appeared (from the Interstate) to be a hub-bub of recreational activity. Lots of golf courses, tennis courses, and a huge lake with lots of boats and marinas. Spokane, WA looked prosperous with many large churches visible from the Interstate. (You have to understand, that in a 36 foot motorhome, with a schedule (self-imposed, to be sure), one doesn't get off the interstate and get "lost" on side-streets!).

Then we hit central Washington state - officially, the Columbia Plateu. Lots of lava flows, lots of plowed fields, lots of small lakes, not much else! Bleak, was Margaret's description.

After consulting the Trailer Life RV Park directory, we decided to push on to Moses Lake, WA. Still haven't seen Moses; although we did spot a smoldering bush! So it's back to paved paradise(s) for the evening. One gets spoiled without hook-ups. But there is a trade-off between scenery and air-conditioning!

The photo for the day wouldn't upload. Don't know why. Maybe tomorrow? In the meantime, I will investigate other options.

More tomorrow.
Wayne

St Regis, Montana - cleaning day

After possibly over-doing it yesterday, we elected to stay put - here being about 30 miles due east of the Idaho / Montana border (on I-90). The campground (RV Park) is quite picturesque.

The owner (or previous owner's) hobby was carving critters out of tree stumps. So we are "surrounded" by various bears and eagles. Although you can't tell from the photo, the brown lump in the RV on the dash is Suki - the cat (not a tree stump). He doesn't travel on the dash, but likes to sleep there when the sun is shining.

We used today for general housekeeping - laundry, vacuuming, washing floors. Because the RV spent most of its life in the Utah vicinity, we continue to find lots of fine dust in cracks and crannies. It will take a while to get it completely clean.

It was cool this a.m. - about 40 degrees, but got into the high 80's this afternoon. Needed the air conditioning while inside. This is our first stop at less than 3,000 feet in elevation since leaving Olympia, WA in late June. The altitude has been tough on Margaret's breathing since contracting her pneumonia. Hope the denser air will help.

The RV park hostess was sympathetic to Margaret's condition. She also had pneumonia earlier and said it took her forever to fully recover. After every "little" job, she had to rest. We're finding that with Margaret also. A nap is needed after each activity, no matter how seemingly insignificant or difficult. We will definitely need to pace ourselves to avoid any relapse.

We will push on tomorrow and should be in central Washington - but not sure where. But we will definitely be stopping frequently to avoid a recurrence of yesterday when Margaret was ready to kill me if I didn't stop!

Best wishes to everyone.
Wayne

Lost Creek State Park, Montana - NOT Idaho Falls

Because I have missed two days in my logging, this should be particularly long. Insteady, it will be relatively short - primarily to keep everyone up to date on what's happened.

First off. Margaret received the green light from the doctor Thursday a.m. that she was ok to travel. He gave her prescription refills on her meds and reminded her that she would still require 5 more weeks to recover.

After a massive shopping spree at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Thursdays evening, we were ready to head out. Friday a.m. after feasting at Smitty's again (Margaret ate well; Swedish pancakes with lemon, butter, and powered sugar) we returned the rental car and prepared to head north.

Friday night was our first "experience" with a State Park Campground (on this trip). With the 5th wheel trailer, I was always reluctant to head into uncharted territory (i.e. no-hookup campgrounds off the main thoroughfare), but tonight we saw a sign for Lost Creek State Park (Montana - just north of Anaconda (the copper mine, not the snake)). 8 miles later, including progressively going from two lane state highway to one-lane gravel, we arrived in Lost Creek. I know why they called it that.

After asking some folks if "does this road go anywhere?" and getting the answer, that, "Yes, it does a loop later.", we proceeded. Let me say, it is good we didn't meet anyone. Fortunately, we were bigger than everyone else! We actually found a place I could easily back into. Don't know I could have done it with a trailer, but Margaret assures me I could have.

Anyway, spent a quiet night among the pines - in a narrow canyon with shear walls - a nice little creek running through it. No hookups obviously, so we ran the generator! But not for long; we know how generator people can be so obnoxious!

Evening came early. Morning came late. Because of the canyon walls.

After nervous negotiations through the "loop", we returned successfully to the main road - and within the hour, to Interstate 90. So off to the west.

Margaret's shart eyes spotted the Testicle Festival billboards in Clinton, Montana. We're not making this up. A Google search of Testicle Festival shows Rock Creek Lodge in Clinton, MT, having such a Festival starting on my birthday! Must be a connnection there somewhere. May have to stop on our way east?

Margaret pooped out today after 3 hours of driving. But she was ok after a one-hour nap. We'll have to learn how to pace ourselves and her endurance until she recovers.

Don't know, at this point, when we'll arrive in Olympia, WA (our destination) but it should be within 4 -5 days from here.

Margaret is feeling better overall, and should be able to participate in this blog soon. Hang in there all. We're on our way.

Idaho Falls - with a twist

A first! I think I was able to upload a photo today. Actually, several firsts. One, following Margaret's appointment with the doctor (complete with two shots), we made a road trip. Second, it appears I was able to upload a photo. Too early to tell if this is unique event, or something I can count on. (I may have been premature in my joy - when I clicked on PREVIEW, it doesn't show the photo. Maybe needs more work?)

Anyway, today was a day of many "firsts". After a pretty good night (considering the temperature dropped into the upper 40's - guess they may have an early Fall), we went out to breakfast. Visited "Smitty's Pancake and Steak House" in Idaho Falls. Margaret went for the Swedish Pancakes and finished the whole thing. A good sign.

We started for the clinic and Margaret announced she was ready for a manicure / pedicure. Another good sign. An hour later, she was groomed and ready for the day! So off to the clinic. Bad news, her oxygen "exchange" rate - a measure of how congested the lungs are - was back to where she was on Monday. Not good. But she felt good.

So off to one of the local attractions - Mesa Falls - about 60 miles north of Idaho Falls. Actually two falls - lower and upper. The enclosed photo is the upper - more photogenically attractive - although both are pretty. The walkway, overlooking upper Mesa Falls, goes right along the river / falls. Good thing I'm not averse to heights (joke there!).

The river - officially the Henry fork of the Snake River - cuts through basalt at the edge of a lava flow / mesa at the north end of the Snake River valley. The water originates in West Yellowstone and starts out at 52 degrees (based on natural hot water springs in Yellowstone) and a result, never freezes in Winter! They were to have built a power plant here but never got the required permits. The falls here are 114 feet high. The lower falls, are only 60 feet but the walkways / overlooks never get closer than the canyon edge (so the photos aren't great).

Anyway, Margaret did well on our first outing following the diagnosis. She was able to walk to the overlook - didn't try for the lower walkway down by the river, because of the steep steps, thought it better not to try. After a short time in the car, she felt good. So if the doctor gives her a green light tomorrow, we may be off on Friday.

The nebulizer, she got yesterday, seems to working well. I think that after a round of double anti-biotic shots at the clinic, she should be ready to roll. After all, we didn't go farther today than we expect on any given travel day. It's the "return-to-the-clinic" for 3 more visits that is the deciding factor.

Folks here continue to be super. The couple (4 sites down from us) from Bradenton, FL, got their furniture today and are ready to move in. But the moving company messed up including breaking stuff and loosing a priceless antique. They are disappointed but expect to move in over the week-end. A side benefit of life in a RV - being able to live "away" from home until it's ready.

By the way, if you haven't already, run - don't walk - to the video store and get RV with Robin Williams. We thoroughly enjoyed it last night. We related to almost everything in there. We haven't made all the mistakes he made, although we were simpatico with him / wife talking to the GPS unit. He called his Lola - we call ours, Miss Prissy! But the conversations are the same.

Fortunately, I haven't had the black water sewage dumping episode, but I know what it could be like.

Hope you enjoy. Maybe I can figure out how to post some more photos. Margaret took some great shots of Suki-cat figuring out why I was cleaning the windshield!

later,
Wayne

If this is Tuesday, 15 August if must be .... Idaho Falls?

Today was to be the day we headed north in pusuit of our adventure. I returned the rental car, disconnected and stowed the various hoses and paraphenalia, cranked up the beast and headed over to the clinic for Margaret's final exam and hopefully the green light to leave town.

But it wasn't to be. The Doctor declared there was still too much congestion. It was either into the hospital, or come in for double doses of everything for 3 more days! So it was back to the RV park - we at least picked a diffent spot, don't want to get into a rut. Called the rental car place - I'm on a first name basis with everyone there. And headed out for lunch. At least I'm getting quicker about breaking down and setting up and know where to go in town and how to get there!

Our next surprise of the day. We had just set down and where getting ready to order, when in walked a couple; a fellow I had worked with at Hughes Aircraft back in Los Angeles in the early 90's - Jacques Navieux. They had been visiting friends in Yellowstone and were heading back to LA. Adding to the surprise, Mrs. Navieux works for Coldwell Banker Realty in LA. She and Margaret had some common business acquaintences there. Small world.

The rest of the day was spent visiting pharmacies. Margaret is now the proud owner of a Nebulizer, complete with air compressor. The Doctor wants her to use it daily for the next 30 days. Normally they rent these machines, but since we wouldn't be back here for a "long time", the Doctor wrote the prescription for "lifetime" use, so the insurance company ended up buying it for us.

I picked up a copy of Robin Williams' RV DVD. We plan to have a few laughs tonight.

So at the moment, we think we'll be leaving Friday - 18 August - but of course that will depend on Margaret's progress. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Best to all.
Wayne

Monday in Idaho Falls

Sorry about missing yesterday, but there were no momentous events, unless you call the Doctor's pronouncement that it will take Margaret 6 weeks to fully recover from this bout of pneumonia! After I put my foot in my mouth, we recovered and decided we can press on with our plan - just modified.

Margaret did not have a session at the clinic today. Tomorrow we go in and see how she's holding up / progressing. If they are satisfied, we will head north. We have modified our plan and will skip north Yellowstone this trip. Instead, we'll take it nice and easy via I-15 and I-90, arriving in Olympia area sometime around the 20th.

Margaret is making progress on a physical basis. After an aborted attempt at Wal-Mart shopping this a.m., she spent the day resting while I did the serious shopping in Home Depot, Target, Albertson's and laundry drop-off. She seems to be in good spirits this evening.

For those of you with a shared sense of humor, I visited QuickSnips (barbershop). Before you wonder why I'd bother, after almost 4 months, the section of my head I can't see (or reach) was getting too long and needed a "professional" touch. The good news (other than they didn't laugh too long when I asked for a haircut) was they had a University of Florida Gator clock on the wall. When I asked, they said they said had several Gator supporters!

I think early Autumn is approaching. It was 47 degrees this a.m. A little chilly. Still in the upper 80's in the late afternoon. Between the altitude (4,800 feet) and the more notherly latitude, it does tend to be cooler here than Salt Lake City. As one local observed, new houses do not include air conditioning. It must be special ordered.

People here are very nice, as they were in Utah. Lots of LDS churches in Idaho Falls including an LDS temple. In case you didn't know - and I didn't - LDS temples are used strictly for special rites and ceremonies. Worship is done in the "regular" churches.

Streets are wide with plenty of beautiful landscaping. Since there is no shortage of water due to the promixity and size of the Snake River, everyone waters profusely and lawns, parks, and parkways are green - green - green. You can tell it's an irrigation thing when you drive out of the communities; all brown - brown - brown.

Hopefully we'll get some good news tomorrow and be able to head on with our adventure. One thing, Margaret probably won't be doing any hurricane / Red Cross thing until October (at the earliest).

Raise a tall cool one to our successful progress.

Regards,
Wayne

Saturday - Idaho Falls - follow up

Another day in Idaho Falls - more Bad News / Good News.
Yesterday evening we revisited the local clinic. Margaret has progressed from bronchitis to pneumnonia. At least they know how to treat that!

Everyday we'll go back to the local clinic for anti-biotic shots (better than oral) and serious inhaler treatment. She is supposed to have one more day of this at the clinic (Sunday night) and then will she be "well". Of course we have to wait and see.

Today (Saturday) was a day of fix-up and mend-up. Margaret spent a lot of the day in bed and "complaining" - to be expected given her condition. I took the day to fix a variety of minor fix-up's to the motorhome. Nothing serious, just minor tweaks.

The medical staff at the clinic say that 3 days of this treatment is usually sufficient. So tomorrow night (Sunday) should be the last day. But just in case, we're planning on staying through Monday night just to be sure. The we'll head out. Still unsure of route.

Weather turns cool last night. Guess Fall is on the way.

More tomorrow - better news hopefully.
wayne

Is it the darkest before the light?

Yesterday, things looked good. I took Margaret for a ride through "downtown" Idaho Falls plus a quick tour of the local shopping paradise. If it's got a Best Buy and a Circuit City, it's got to be paradise. Right?

That was yesterday. Today is today and what a difference a day makes. Margaret did not sleep last night - spent most of the night coughing (and the cough is not a pretty sound). Today she is zombie-like, but refuses go to back to the doctor. She has two more days-worth of anti-biotics. But these pills usually result in large improvements with a week. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

The wind is blowing constantly - maybe an artifact of the desert environ? They say it will be cooler this weekend, but to a lad from the south, it seemed like fall was here this a.m. A nice, crisp feel to the breeze. Maybe their fall comes early? After all, it is the middle of August and we're not that far from the Canadian border. Perhaps we'll get an early snowfall?

Tomorrow a.m. I take the rental car back - assuming we'll leave Sunday. I plan to do some miscellaneous chores to the unit like fastening our dining table so it doesn't rock. I think I've fixed the toilet problem - at least for the moment.

They have a great Sam's Club here. Don't know whether it was better lit or the aisles were wider, but it was quite nice. No Costco however. Guess the shopping fever hasn't reached here yet?

That's all for now.
Wayne

Thursday - still in Idaho Falls

Sorry I missed yesterday's post. Lots happening; lots to tell.
First off, Margaret is getting better. We went for a ride today around Idaho Falls. She has made the turn and is getting significantly better. Life is good - thanks to "modern" medicine.

We extended our stay in Idaho Falls through Saturday night. So unless something else happens, we should be outa here Sunday.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a hoot. Since Margaret spent most of the day sleeping, she encouraged me to go for a jaunt. So it was off to Craters of the Moon National Monument. I don't know who came up with the name - it doesn't look anything like craters on the moon. But of course, when they (whoever) came up with the name, we hadn't landed on the moon.

Anyway, I learned more about vulcanology in 30 minutes at the visitor center than in my previous 60+ years. The Idano grin (look at a relief map of Idaho and you'll see a giant arc reaching from Wyoming to Washington state which is primarily the Snake river valley). From the southwest corner of Idaho (at the Oregon border) northeast to Wyoming (Yellowstone) there is a rift valley. Relating the short version, there is a hot spot under this rift which melts the crust causing a collapse - a caldera - in the surface. About 10 million years ago, this occurred at what is today the Oregon / Idaho state line. About every 2 million years, there is another collapse (effectively moving northeasterly). Craters of the Moon was about 4 millions years ago. The next big event should be in Yellowstone. But it could be another 400,000 years (plus or minus).

Craters of the moon is lots and lots of lava formations. I went into two cinder cones and looke down at the bottom (water collected). Vast acres of lava in various forms. If you look into vulcanology, you'll see that there is lava blown out, lava oozed out, and cinders blown out. This amounts to lava tubes, lava flows, hard lava, smooth lava, and more than I, as a tyro, could begin to accurately describe. I got some ok photos which I'll try to share.

On the way to Arco, ID, I passed a "museum" called EBR-1 at the Idaho National Laboratory. EBR-1 is the first nuclear power plant in the world. (EBR-1 is Experimental Breeder Reactor number 1). Arco has a banner in town proclaiming they are the first town in the world to be powered by atomic energy. The museum still has the light bulbs the scientists used to demonstrate they had created electricity!

On the way into the museum (out in the middle of the desert prairie), I was at the side of the road (photo op). A young man - probably security service stopped to see what I was up to? He was from Williston, Florida (small world). He asked if I was going to the museum. He said to pay attention to the two large objects outside the museum. They were / are atomic engines designed to power an aircraft. The program was cancelled by Kennedy but the engines are still functional (they ran them just before I got there)!

Margaret got to tour Idaho Falls - downtown, waterfront, and shopping centers. She's talking about manicures and pedicures tomorrow, so she must be getting better.

This afternoon was spent cleaning the toilet. Ah, the RV life! I hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon. Another story for sharing with a tall cold one.

Margaret is still coughing (ugly sound) so I'll close this. Sorry to have missed yesterday (when it was still fresh in my mind.

The saga continues...
Wayne

Tuesday p.m. in Idaho Falls, ID (still?)

Yes, after watching Margaret's recovery (or lack thereof) last night, I realized it was foolish to try pushing on. She needed sleep (which she got all day today) and no-stress of traveling. So I extended our stay here for two more nights. At the moment, it is my plan to depart Idaho Falls on Thursday (10 August).

All was not lost, however, I rented a Jeep 4x4 Liberty today so I could shop (groceries - wine, mostly). Tomorrow (Wednesday) I am going to try a short trip to Craters of the Moon National Park (about 70 miles west of here - near Arco, ID). Not sure what's there, but it sounds interesting.

Idaho Falls is a pretty little town. I say little, but they do have a Sam's Club and 3 State Liquor stores. The young man at Enterprise rental says they don't get hot weather (97 degrees last week vs 108 degrees in Salt Lake City). Eleveation here is about 5000 feet. Evenings are coolish - low 50's. The Enterprise guy says that new homes don't even come with air conditioning. (And the snow melts by 2:00 in the afternoon.) I'll take his word for it.

As I mentioned, Idaho Falls is another town on the Snake River. However, I was incorrect in several of my thoughts. According to www.wikipedia.com, the Snake River got it's name from the local indians gesturing with a waving motion to indicate the swimming of salmon spawing up the river. The motion looked like a snake (or so folks believed). Secondly, I thought I had read that the Snake was the last remaining American great river without a dam. Wrong. There are (again, according to wikipedia) more than 20 dams. There is an attempt to tear down the last four dams at the south end before it enters the Columbia (as its major tributary).

Even though we're not in Utah, there is a large Mormon Temple here in Idaho Falls, right on the banks of the Snake. Not surprising I guess, given our proximity to Salt Lake (about 200 miles to the south).

I found the dam here in Idaho Falls to be rather unusual. They ran a spillway down the river, splitting it in two. So the "falls" occur over a long stretch (sideways) of about 1/2 mile. The final leg runs through a small power plant before rejoining the main stream. Hard to believe that this is the same river we saw in Teton Nat'l Park and the one that Margaret, Carol, and Ryan went white-water-rafting on just a few days ago.

More after my great adventure tomorrow.
Wayne

p.s. If you believe anyone else might want to read of our exploits (such as they are), feel free to pass along the web-site. Again it's FernandinaBeachTravelers.blogspot.com - - (no www.)

Monday p.m. - still in Idaho Falls

Whoever said, "Experience is what happens when you were expecting something else." was right on the money. Our plans to make it into West / North Yellowstone today didn't come to pass. Margaret had a serious bout of coughing last night with lots of congestion and some chest pain. So today, we explored the medical facilities of Idaho Falls!

Even though Margaret laughs at my University of Florida license plate (and frames), it came in handy today. A couple from Bradenton, FL (just south of St. Petersburg where we grew up) has just moved to Idaho Falls. I say moved; they are in their trailer (a few spots from us) and have just bought a house here. Anyway, they learned of Margaret's plight and volunteered to drive us to the Urgent Care clinic close by.

After a 45 minute wait in the clinic, another 30 minute wait at the pharmacy, and another 20 minutes wait for the taxi, we got back to the motorhome around noon. A quick bite of lunch so Margaret could take her anti-biotics and she was off to bed. Spent the entire day there. So it remains to be seen if she'll be up to any travel tomorrow. If not, we'll stay put for another day (or two?).

I hate to say she always gets sick after a Red Cross assingment, but with the long, difficult hours, she never gets enough rest and usually not enough food. Then the long ride home in the airplane with folks coughing and sneezing, it's hard not to get sick. Then there's a week or two of recuperating - and she says she's ready to go again! Sigh...

On an administrative note, some of you said you couldn't get into this blog to make comments. Feel free to send old-fashioned e-mails (doesn't that sound like a contradiction in terms!). I know at least two people are reading some of this (thanks Shell and Carol!).

If you were wondering where we stay during these travels, the quick answer is "paved paradise" - a phrase conjured up by an old buddy from Hughes Aircraft days. We used to RV together back in the old days and that was his term for concrete pads lined up like sardines in a can.

We concluded early on that there was a lot to be said for full hook-ups (electricity, water, TV cable, and sewer dumps) when you're in a large RV. The fact that the 5th Wheel trailer didn't have a generator meant we wouldn't have air conditioning. And most of this trip, we needed it almost every day. (Nights in Yellowstone / Teton was different - heat was needed - which is another story to relate.) Now that we are generator-people, plus we're heading back to the north where it's a little cooler, we are going to try some boon-docking (RV terminology for no hook-ups).

Even though we haven't explored Idaho Falls, I notice on the map that we're very close to the Snake River - again. It seems like everywhere we go in our adventure, we're next to, or crossing, the Snake River. Guess that's why they call it Snake River - it curls around? When we were in Grand Teton Nat'l Park we did see the lake and dam that creates the Snake River. If I can every figure out how to post photos, maybe I'll put that one in.

Hopefully, Margaret will feel well enough to move tomorrow.

More later,
Wayne

Northward, HO!

Sunday p.m. - Idaho Falls, ID
Finally got of out Utah. Not that I have anything against the Salt Lake City area - in fact, it would be a pretty place to live in, even if you weren't Mormon. It's just that after 3 weeks of looking at the same campground, we were ready to move on. City RV parks have many of the same drawbacks as living in a city apartment or hotel. It can be noisy at night (the RV park was surrounded by railroad yards - every morning at about 5:00 a.m., this one train came through blowing it's whistle. I know it was the same train - I got to know his toot - not like any of the others!)

Margaret came back safely Thursday evening to her new home. Even though she was glad to get back from D.C., the "trauma" of a new home, not being able to find anything, and the weariness of a week of heavy-duty Red Cross work, took it's toll. We moved up the road Friday (all the way to Brigham City, UT - about 60 miles) with a stop at the RV dealer to obtain a missing key to the motorhome deadbolt (they didn't have it). The roads were / are bad with lots of construction. The motorhome had lots of noises the truck didn't have. By 3:00 p.m. she was ready for blood - mine.

We spent Saturday "arranging" stuff. As I mentioned, there's lots of storage space in the motorhome - just different in size and location. By the end of the day, we were both pretty tired and Margaret was back to the "I'm going to kill something" mode.

Saturday night we got a good rest. Sunday a.m. we moved to the Wal-Mart Super Center and did some major shopping. This was good therapy for Margaret! Mostly groceries and a few odds and ends for the motorhome. Although we brought a lot of the RV accessories from the trailer, there were a few "unique" things for the motorhome. So now we're set - I think.

While in the Wal-Mart parking lot, I located the source of major "road" noise. There was a rubber bumper in the door frame (between the screen door and the solid door) missing. As a result, the screen door frame was slapping the solid door with every bump and dimple in the road. Very noisy while under way - which did nothing to calm Margaret's nerves. After a quick fix with some felt pads from Wal-Mart, we headed north towards Pocatello, ID.

The road in Idaho was much smoother which helped reduce internal motorhome noises. If you never driven a motorhome, every cabinet, window, glass, dish, possession you own, is right at your ear and a source for "Now what was that noise?". I'm sure you get used to it, but at the moment, it's trying.

The good news is that the "little" Cummmins diesel engine pulled every road grade encountered without any complaints or down-shifting. With the truck and trailer combo, we experienced the need to down-shift whenever we hit a moderate grade. We learned to live with it, but it added to the stress of driving in hilly terrain. In addition, the motorhome is easy to drive. Margaret should be "well enough" tomorrow to give it a go.

Our current plan is to head into West and North Yellowstone park tomorrow and see some of the sights we didn't get to with Carol and Ryan, including Yellowstone Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Mammoth Hot Springs. We're looking forward to being back in the retired tourist mode.

More later.
Thanks
Wayne

At home in a motorhome

They didn't say it was going to be easy. But after a really, really long day, I am ensconced in the motor home awaiting Margaret to arrive from D.C. From her reports, she had a tough week and is looking forward to being at home (with cat and yours truly).

I arose at 5:00 a.m. today and starting packing the loose ends. Had planned to roll out of the RV park here in Salt Lake by 9:30 to be a the dealer's by 10:00. After what was supposed to be one hour of paperwork and another hour of walk through, it was to be time to start moving worldly possessions.

But of course, nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Considering what might have been, it actually worked out pretty well. The plan was to park the motorhome adjacent to the trailer to enable a short trip between units with boxes, et.al. Well, it was adjacentand you might have gotten several sheets of paper between the units. But both doors opened (without hitting) so it looked like it would work out. (The salesman had promised some help from staff in moving stuff - haven't seen them yet.)

And of course, just as I began the process, the heavens opened up. It is not supposed to rain in the desert. Fortunately it kept the temperature down. I was able to partially deploy an awning to keep most of the big drops off.

How close was I to the next unit? I couldn't open the slide(s) or even the cargo doors on that side. Fortunately, someone noticed my dilemma and moved the trailer on the other side so I could get at the cargo doors (between rain drops). Great fun.

As I worked, I experienced the classic good news / bad news. The new unit is significantly more commodious. I haven't begun to fill cabinets or cargo door storage. The bad news is the sizes aren't exactly the same so some stuff doesn't fit where it did the in the trailer. More important, Margaret is going to have a fit trying to figure out why I put stuff where I did. Not being a cook, I didn't have a feel for where tools and spices needed to be. Good news, even though the refrigerator looks like it's the same size as the old unit, it is quite a big bigger - room for more groceries.

Just got a call from Margaret at the gate - she's arrived. Got to go chill the White Star!

More later from yours truly.
Wayne

Last night in 5th Wheel C.O.W. ( I think) )

One of the challenges of keeping a log, or blog in internet-speak, is that one needs to keep it up on a daily basis, otherwise there is too much of a gap in events for the reader. My daughter tells me I need to be more “colorful”. Not sure what that means or how far one can go without it being over-done.

Today, Wednesday, Aug 2, finally yielded the test drive of the new motor-home. I continue to call it new, even though it’s a 2002 model, because it is new to us in more ways than one. They fixed the “klunks”. Said it mostly loose bolts plus the originally-diagnosed tie rod. Anyway, it was reasonably quiet on rough roads, of which there are many in the US of A.

So tomorrow is the big day. I’ll hook up the trailer (no small task when you’re alone) and head down around 10 a.m. to finish up the paperwork and begin to transfer worldly possessions. Need to be done in time to be back in the RV-park by 8:00 p.m. when Margaret flies in.

Had my final fix of Happy Sumo. A most interesting mix of Asian and Japanese food in Salt Lake. It has been a surprise how many ethnic and “unusual” restaurants there are. In addition to many Mexican restaurants – there is a large Mexican population here. One wouldn’t guess it. I always envisioned Salt Lake to be a bunch of Mormon missionaries riding around on bikes in tie and short-sleeve white shirts. Turns out that there is a large Tonga population plus the aforementioned Mexicanos.

Observation: Downtown Salt Lake City is a beehive (pun intended) of activity when it comes to restaurants. Every restaurant I’ve visited has been packed with large groups – families apparently – having a good time. It is amazing the variety of restaurants – even compared to other large cities.

The Brazilian steakhouse (Radizio) was something to experience. Waiters walking with chrome spits of various meats ready to slice and serve at your table. This after a salad bar with 31 varieties of salad, including hummus cerviche, ceasar salad, tabuli, quail eggs, et.al.

The next night was Tucci’s Italian with probably the best tiramisu outside of Carraba’s I’ve ever had. It tasted exactly like tiramisu sounds like it should taste from the ingredients. But then what do I know as a non-chef!

The Red Iguana is a Mexican restaurant to die for. Every night when I drive past, no matter whether it’s early or late, there is a line formed on the sidewalk and around the corner. Their walls are covered with Best of ... Awards. And they deserve it.

Some folks have succeeded accessing the Kodak Gallery web-site for the motor home pix. I still want to post directly to this blog-site so folks won’t have to visit two places. Still don’t know why it hasn’t worked. Sigh…

More tomorrow – on the big day – when Margaret arrives to her new “home” on wheels!

Motorhome envy?

As you may (or may not) have heard, Margaret and I decided to trade in the truck / trailer for a motorhome. Lots of reasons, which are better discussed over a cool one. I'm waiting for the dealer to call and tell me they have "fixed" the bugs we found during a test drive. I tried to add some photos to this posting - they say you can - but it didn't work. So I uploaded them to Kodak Gallery. (I have not personnaly used this web site but I know a few of you have.) I need to work on this part of blogging.
On a more mundane note, the heat wave finally broke here in Salt Lake City. Last week it was over 100 degrees (would you believe 108?) for more than 5 days. Today it is raining and probably may not make it up to 70degrees!
Margaret continues slaving away over a hot computer in Washington, D.C. for the American Red Cross. The heat wave followed her to D.C. She says it is over 100 degrees there! Fortunately, she is supposed to return to SLC this Thursday night.
Our plan is to have taken delivery on the motorhome by then and plan to head out no later than Saturday (Aug 5th). Still not sure of next stop, but it is to include some form of dinosaur grounds.
Wayne