Smoke in the air..........

Enjoying the down time but disappointed that we can't see any views. We awoke to smoky air. We decided to drive south along a valley between mountain ranges and we saw NOTHING. Nada...only the haze of smoke. We explored a bit of Missoula but decided that the view of the campground was the most interesting. We have discovered Bota Box wine.....very easy to carry along.....and no cork. The larger boxes state that they are good for a month once open. How great is that. We discovered it at the golf course in Detroit Lakes after our round of golf with the Hatlies. I ordered the chardonnay and found it to be very tasty. The young waiter sheepishly admitted that it was 'box' wine when I asked him for the label. I found more of it in a gas station/convenience store/casino in Montana and grabbed a bunch. It comes in the small box and the large 4 bottle size. It's packaged in Lathrop, Ca near my mother's house.....(big wine country). Not sure if I can find it in Florida so may have to stock up.....altho we are consuming it at a fairly alarming rate.

Tomorrow, we would like to head south into more scenic country. We will call ahead to inquire about the smoke issue before starting out. We would like to wander about Jackson Hole and the Teton area and maybe meander up to Yellowstone. It would be a return trip after many many years and I'm sure there are alot of changes. But the mountains never change.

We are in no hurry to get home. The open road has its appeal and we have all the comforts of home with us.....This country is quite amazing. The views through the windshield are expansive but the towns are rather homogeneous. There was a time when there was some originality but now you can find a Starbucks, a Walgreens and assorted fast foods and restaurants on every corner of every town. They all kind of blend together..... but the expansive horizon is always different and beautiful.

I ordered "A River Runs Through It" by Norman MacLean on my Kindle and it is perfect for this part of the trip. He captures the mountains and the rivers and fly fishing and relates it to life. He grew up in Missoula and started writing at the age of 70. I will order the movie when we get home.....I'm trying to figure out what role Brad Pitt played...

Hopefully, we'll have a more scenic update after tomorrow.

Idaho into Montana

We are currently in Missoula, Montana. After spending a couple days in Lewiston, Idaho, pondering which way to go, we got good advice from the attendant at the Costco gas station and went for Hwy 12 across the Bitterroot Mtns. This is the same road that we came into town on and weren't too happy about it. But heading west, it is designated a scenic road so they have added many many turnouts and passing lanes.

The twin cities of Lewiston, Id and Clarkson, Wa are located on the Clearwater River. A wide flowing byway that is a haven for fisherman. Outdoor Magazine rated the area as #1 place to live for fishing, hunting and boating and such. Chinook and sturgeon are the big draw they tell me. The climate is very temperate, warm and dry in the summer and no snow and barely near freezing in the winter. It is becoming a popular retirement area. It is a clean nice place with a many vacant store fronts on the main streets. Because this area was the home of the Nez Perse Indian Tribes, there are many statues and tributes and small casinos.

We had lunch at a popular restaurant on the river one day.....further up the river is Hell's Canyon, a wild and narrow Class V rapids, popular with tours. Instead, we explored a more sedate setting. Since entering North Dakota on our way west, we have noticed all the signage pointing out the Lewis and Clark trail.....I suspect a lot of it was designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of their crossing about 6 years ago. Last Sunday, we drove over to Astoria, Wa to view their first view of the Pacific. The interpretive center was OK but staff were volunteers and money was very scarce. In Lewiston, on the Snake River (the Snake and Clearwater join in Lewiston) is a beautiful center with a very informative film on their travels thru Idaho and their survival due to the help from the Pez Nerse and the Shoshone.

It is all very well done with artifacts and sculptures and maps.

The next morning, after being reassured by the Costco attendant, we headed west on 12. Our views were limited somewhat by smoke from wildfires. We followed the Clearwater , a wide and shallow and swift flowing river. There were a few fly fisherman and an occasional boat. It reminded me of "A River Runs Through It" movie and indeed, the author grew up in these mountains.
I have to admit that I did not drive at all. It was just a bit more intimidating than I cared to tackle. We stopped along the way to let the driver nap and make coffee. The drive was about 250 miles and scenic all the way.
We left Lewiston at 700 ft and arrived at the pass at over 5000 ft. It was a slow climb and did not feel that steep.
At the top were firefighters, many of them looked like the Native Indians of the area and were speaking a native language and were covered in soot. They were heading out to a new fire. The Montana border is at the pass and this sign greeted us
as we started down. It was slow but not troublesome in the beast. We are at a large KOA campground in Missoula and again at a decision point in our travels. The air is very smokey and visibility limited and we can't see the surrounding mountains. And for all you Floridians, the temperature was 46 this morning and is to get near 90. It is very dry and didn't feel so warm yesterday.

And now, more wedding pics. This one was taken at the rehearsal dinner and yes, its the same clothes I wore at the reunion for those of you keeping track. Paul, however, had a bigger wardrobe and was able to find something else.

The bride is so photogenic and beautiful and these pictures should be in a bride's magazine. ( All pics are clickable)

Here is the only pic I've received of the family. Starting from the left....Marybeth, Jon and Andy and Mason in front. Then Mike and Jenna from Colorado, the bridal couple, the new MIL in the purple dress and her handsome husband in his tux and then Travis, our grandson and Jeff's son who lives in Mazatlan Mexico and his very beautiful girlfriend, Tania. The couple left the celebration amid sparklers and cheers. They are loving their time in the Caribbean and hoping the hurricanes stay away.

In the middle of somewhere.......

We are currently in Lewiston, Idaho. We drove farther than intended yesterday and felt the stress of the 2 lane winding highway......it would have been very scenic and enjoyable in anything but our current mode of transportation. This area is called the Palouse. It was formed during the ice age and is all hills and gullys....some quite dramatic. They grow wheat on these rolling, steep areas and it said in Wikipedia, that in the early 1900's it took 40 horses to pull the large machinery. Seems to me that if you wanted to grow wheat that bad, you would just move to North Dakota.

We are undecided about direction from here but "tomorrow is another day" and we will just postpone thinking about it. Mostly , we are concerned about roads and in talking to those who know, we would have more of yesterday.

So, we will wander about this area along the scenic Snake River. Looks like there is lot to do if you like fishing and white water rapids and sightseeing by helicopter. Maybe there's something for the less adventurous as well.

Destination: East

The guests have returned to their homes (and electricity....yeaaa), the honeymooners are in the air on their way to the Caribbean for 10 days, and the travelers are pointing the MH east. Not exactly sure where but we have some ideas. We don't have any more pictures to share but hope to have them in a day or so. On morning, some of us headed out for breakfast in downtown Portland. Here we are, left to right, Paul, Mason, Marybeth, moi, Jenna, Mike, Andy and Jon. We had a great meal at Mother's Bistro and Bar, highly recommended. We all stayed at the Nines Hotel in the heart of downtown. Very urban contemporary. On Saturday night, we all met for dinner in their Departures restaurant on the top floor. Asian fusion food.......delicious and expensive but fun. They serve 5 thick slices of seared beef and a very very hot rock and you cook your meat on the rock as you like it. Someone mentioned that it also cost $6 a slice. I stuck to the vegetable tempura, the chicken skewers and the garlic rice with an egg, sunny side up on it. And I managed to not take any pictures. I'm hoping someone else captured the atmosphere for me.

It was a wonderful, family weekend. The notorious NW weather was just perfect and everyone was beautiful.

A Wedding

It was just perfect and beautiful. Here's a sampling of the wonderful day. More later when we catch our breath. ( all pictures are clickable)

We made it........

1400 miles in 3 days.....not bad for our lumbering coach piloted by the 'over the hill' gang. The first day was tough, after 2 days of staying up too late and enjoying the fruit of the vine too much, but we perservered and did almost 500 miles. We arrived in Billings, Mont to a lovely campground, surrounded by the hills and with all the amenities and an initial charge of $72 until we balked and then it came down to $50+....still about 20 + what we usually pay a night. Anyway, across from us were these adventurers, making a much smaller footprint than the rest of us in our behemoths. A slight twinge of guilt crept in until I turned on the shower, the TV, the queen sized bed and especially, the nice potty.

The trip was uneventful. We basically followed the Lewis and Clark Trail.....along the Missouri,

followed the beautiful Yellowstone ....



and then along the mighty Columbia. Mt Hood peaked thru the clouds to give us a quick view of its beauty.

Several years ago, we read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. An excellent and very thorough depiction of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I need to reread it. It is not on Kindle or iBooks so may actually pick up a real book.

Tonight is the rehearsal and dinner. Paul and Jeff enjoyed a golf outing at their club and Jennifer and I had manicures and pedicures....what a treat.

Tomorrow the rest of the family join us. The Ct kids will look forward to having electricity and showers once again. They were fortunate to have no damage but school opening has been delayed a week and they are tired of eating melting ice cream.

Class of '61

We grew up in east central ND. A city of trees and well kept homes but nothing to distinguish it from so many .......until 1959 when the World's Largest Buffalo came to stay. As a band member, I was required to attend the dedication and we were granted the honor of sitting under it's ample appendages. There were dignitaries and speeches and we were bored. Nelson Rockefeller was there but I only know that because I read it at the Buffalo Museum near by. If you pass by on I-94, you too can see it.








We spent two evenings with a very large representation from our class and the nearby Catholic school. Altho we share our reunions now, there was very little "mingling" back then between the Protestants and the Catholics.








Here is Paul telling Linda that he would have enjoyed getting to know her better back then, but his mother didn't approve, so the PK had to settle for another Methodist.








Here are myself, Karen, Karen. And Paul. i'm writing this on the iPad and can't adjust the pic so just click to make them normal sized.









And of course the Hatlie's showed up because they would never miss a good time.
Class reunions are an interesting group. My theory is that only those that feel pretty good about their lot in life show up. Not proven of course but anecdotal info might bear it out. The enthusiasm for meeting and greeting was infectious and catching up was great, even if we can't remember the details. The classmate's band was excellent , if a bit too loud for conversation, and music and dancing styles haven't changed in 50 years.

There are plans to get together on a dedicated Facebook page and to meet again in 5 years, god willing and if the creek don't rise. Speaking of which, the rivers are near to overflowing, the dam is releasing water and the mosquitos are breeding and eating.
We visited relatives and wandered down once familiar streets.





This is my
house, Paul lived across town in the parsonage. We stopped by the cemetery to see the family sites.






It was a fun trip, rememberances of people and places and experiences that made us what we are. We'll do it all again before we know it.

This morning we had every plan to drive east and fly from Minneapolis to Portland for the really BIG event in 5 days. Instead, we inexplicably turned WEST.................



Don't panic Jennifer, (anymore than you already are !). We'll be there on time !

Location:Jamestown, ND

Life is good....

The weather has been perfect and we are soaking it up. We played golf with Judy and Guy ( HS classmates from So Cal who have a cute summer place here). Midway along, we were joined by another classmate, Lynn, who has a home here as well. Yes, we played as a 5-some and the golf police did not care. Judy and I walked the course,( did not play the ball as it lay nor keep score), Lynn carried his bag, played well as did Paul and Guy.....pretty good for old people who have known each other for OVER 50 years.








Later, we slipped out onto the lake on their spacious pontoon boat.








Reminder to self......pick photos that are flattering to all and show MY best side.......anyway, this is moi with Lynn and Judy and a view of the shoreline.




Here's a better group pic....thanks to Lynn.



And so we ended a perfect day among friends. And a note to Mark and Annette......if you hurry, you can still join the festivities on Sat. We missed you on the boat but we talked about you !!

We head out this morning for Jamestown, ND and hoping everyone wears nametags with big print.
We are also watching the weather closely and wanting it to miss the CT kids.

Location:On Lake Sallie, Detroit Lakes, MN

Still alive and well.....

Sorry for the lack of posts of late. We,ve been moving right along and have been plagued with poor or non-existent internet or 3 G coverage at times. Other times, I was just lazy, tired, short on witticism or drunk.....well, the last one might be an exaggeration but I did do damage to a bottle of wine one eve.


We left Lexington behind and entered the Land of Corn as documented above. And, the world really IS flat out here in the plains. There are millions of acres of corn out here, interspersed by soy beans. I need to google ( oops, sorry Michael, I meant Bing) to see how they grow but miles of them are dark green and the breezes make them move in waves like water. I couldn't get a good picture as we zipped by.........well, we really don't zip along, more like a graceful lumber.

We spent Monday night in a local park, with electricity, in Forest City, Iowa. This is home of theWinnebago/Itasca factory. The town is very very small andits surprising they can find over 2000 workers. In July there is a big rally of winnebago owners and it attracts over 1200 RV's. They must overrun the roads and few restaurants. We did the 2 hour tour and thought it well done. They build 100 a week. Before the recession, they did 250.

Last night we arrived in Detroit Lakes, Minn. It is a series of lakes, very popular summer resort and we have friends with cute lakeside cottages. We'll catch our breaths, clean the house, golf and get in the proper mindset to see old classmates from 50 years ago.

Location:Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Days 10-11 All creatures great and small..........

The Master Mechanic of this trip came thru once again to save the day. By replacing the water pump one more time and the pressure reduction valve, we have water. I won't bore you with details but I'm sure glad I brought him along for the ride. And not to be outdone, I managed to save his life when he cut his finger, the blood flowed freely and he felt the need to almost faint. Having a nurse trained in OBGYN made all the difference, and he recovered quickly. What a pair we are !!

We enjoyed our visit to the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday. We know nothing about horses but enjoyed the museum, the statues, the grounds. We watched some jumpers practice their art and were stunned when the horse tumbled after the jump
and rolled onto the rider. He got up slowly and limped off, the horse seemed fine. Another horse balked each time as he came to the fence. Not sure how that lithe young lady managed to stay on the horse each time but guess it's part of the sport.
Several horses are memorialized on the grounds but the most famous is Man of War and this magnificent statue marks the site. He was actually embalmed and interred in a casket.

Later, we met Jan and Curt for dinner at Windy Corner Restaurant, a unique dining place with excellent food with a little different twist. Highly recommended. The back roads around Lexington are very scenic with the large horse farms and expansive fencing. We came upon a favorite area of theirs where the horses are happy to stroll over for an offering of carrots. We forgot the carrots but this colorful fellow made us smile.
On Saturday, beautiful Lillie Medora came out to greet us. She is beautiful and very tiny at a bit over 6 lbs.
We're moving on out this morning.....heading northwest. Talk later..........