camping with critters

We're now on the Oregon coast, at a great campground west of Salem. Ya'll can see that the place is silly with rabbits. I feel like the original bunny meister. ( or St. Francis?......) Conrad doesn't seem to be bothered by their presence, or they by his. Nature at it's best !

We visited Portland on the way here, and were very impressed. It's a truly green city, with many parks, and everybody rides a bike, it seems. Washington Park is huge, with a great rose garden that Joannie loved.

During that visit, we stayed at an rv park situated in the Columbia river gorge. The scenery was magnificent, with many waterfalls gracing the area. We had a great view of Mt. Hood and the surrounding Cascades. Each mile covered surpasses the last, it seems.

Our next move will be to a state park on the southern OR coast, then into California. We'll post from there ( Good Lord willing... )

the great northwest

Washington state has welcomed us with cool temps ( now coming around nicely ) and warm people. We went to a shindig called "Pig in the Park" in Spokane, held in a riverfront park and full of craft & food vendors, also live music. It was a fun day. Upon leaving that area, we again encountered those fierce westerly winds that make you feel like a trout trying to swim up-stream. And all that while climbing steadily, but a beautiful drive. We did get a flat trailer tire and also had our gas bottle cover somewhat disintegrate along the way. I'm gonna try to piece it back together til we can locate a replacement. (thanks to duct tape & screws maybe) We keep saying "It's all part of the adventure" and have soldiered on.

We stayed at a great park in the mountains east of Seattle for a few days, then headed for Everett. An old friend, Bev Trauger & her husband Dave, welcomed us to the area and we had a great stay & visit. Dave is retired from Boeing, while Bev 's still with them. We toured the grounds on one day, and the actual factory on the following. Man, do they take care of their people! Every amenity imagined, and a few more you couldn't. If I thought they'd take an old codger like me, my app. would be in like lightning. Anyway, the factory was absolutely amaz-ing. They've built a new tour center & gallery, with great displays like engines and other related components. And the tour itself was phenominal, seeing those big planes being built. The latest, the 787, is really neat and quite the bargain! (172 M as opposed to the 747 @303M) I almost took out the ole' VISA card. Can you picture ToJo Airlines? (and those of you who know me might imagine the quality & attire of the stews....) However, Joannie brought me back to reality in a hurry.

We're now camped near a town called Elma, and rode out to the coast yesterday. Between the mountains & the coast, beauty is all around us. More to come later.....

the beat goes on...

We're now in northern Idaho, having spent the last few weeks in Montana, with side trips into Wyoming. During this time, we got to tour Yellowstone NP, camp & tour in the Grand Tetons and many other sites. Cody, WY was a neat old cowboy town and chow was great. We darn near got boots, a hat, & spurs, but quickly came to our senses. ( It's called NO JOB ! )
We've seen some absolutely breathtaking scenery and a huge assortment of wildlife. Joan was ecstatic when she COULD have reached out and touched a buffalo ( she wisely decided not to ) and there've been elk, antelope, wolf, and some bear. At one camp, they posted a grizzly warning and am happy to report we avoided being a bear buffet.
We've had some fantastic drives, among them a route called the Beartooth Pass, with elevations surpassing 10,000 ft. We actually felt like we were on top of the world. Another road was called the Chief Joseph Highway, taken by the Nez Perz tribe in attemting to escape federal troops that were chasing them. We were in awe of what we were passing thru. Words cannot properly describe the beauty of this land.
One of our most memorable experiences was visiting Little Big Horn battlefield ( Custer's downfall ). To be present at such an historial place was quite moving. We were lucky to get there at a great time with fewer visitors around. Very cool....
Am happy to report that vehicles are behaving, Conrad's trooping along nicely, and we're eating quite well on &5.75/day ! Well, maybe just a bit more. Anyhoo, Joannie has not yet left me, and we're kinda likin' this life on the road thing. Who knows what the future holds?
Our next step will carry us into Washington state. More on that later. Will post again soon !