Fini 7/19

We were on the road early, stopped of at Mickey Ds for coffee and crap before heading home.  I do like Wisconsin.  It is a wonderfully beautiful and wholesome state.  A ton of farms that look prosperous for the most part.  Very lush right now due to large amounts of rain.  The drive to and from Amy's is sort of amusing.  There is no direct way other than going on a series of county roads creatively named capital letters like L, M, I, V, winding with sharp turns as farm after farm after farm passes you by until you get close to the city.  Then we took a number of turns through several neighborhoods before reaching their home.  Again, we tried to,stay off the highways, preferring the scenic route.  We got home around 5:00.  In one piece and still married after 40 days and nights in a 23 foot travel trailer.  It didn't and doesn't seem that long.  We saw a lot, but didn't have as much time as we would have liked to have had in many places along the way.  We saw a huge chunk of this marvelous country, met a lot of nice people and campers along the way.  I spent a lot of time thinking and doing what people my age do when they allow themselves the time: reflecting on life, one's successes and failures, what remains on the bucket list to cross off, memories of my childhood, knitting, chatting with the R about his memories, goals. Successes and flops.  Things we wished we did as younger people, decisions we should or should not have made.  Then there were all the podcasts we got to listen to.  Hardly any TV, actually none since we left Rob and Desi in Wa and until the last two nights.  Minimal current events unless we were able to get it through eml or FB.

And now... the TV blares, mail needs reading, the HH needs unloading and washinglaundry en masses has to be done.  The truck is filthy inside and out and then there are the repairs and replacements of broken pieces and parts.  Not many, just a few.  Venetian is in full force, the music from the park is audible from our house.  The garden needs tending and......rain is forecast for at least the next three days!  Susan and fam were going to come, but won't now as Chris has work to do with the Flint water debacle and coming alone with the kids to be here in the rain isn't exactly what they have in mind!  And so it goes.....thanks for joining me on this. Entire.  I apologize for grammar - especially used of passive voice.  Not much editing went on..

And then there was Wall Drug and the Corn Palace

That evening we saw our first prairie sunset that was not quite a Michigan sunset over the lake, but nonetheless pretty.  Pooped and hot, we escaped into the A/C to read until our eyelids said "enuf for today"
The next morning, despite the R balking at going to Wall Drug.  We did.  And that is about all I can say about it.  Ice cream was good.  Free ice water!  Silly photos taken to memorialize the stop off marked by more very hot weather, lots of gawkers, shoppers and tchotchkes that we managed to pass on.  Next stop, described by a friend as a nice piece of Americana - The Corn Palace!  A huge venue filled with trivia and old equipment used to harvest and shuck.  But before going in, one HAS to stop and admire the facade of corn made into murals.  The one right now is 2 years old and is being eaten by birds, but they change it every two years to the tune of 180,000.00.  One side of the building even has Willie!  Lots to see inside.  There is a venue that doubles as an auditorium and gymnasium.  Apparently class C and D basketball regionals or something are held here amongst other things (conferences). This day the floor was filled with corn memorabilia.  The R not above collecting more baseball caps secured one for his collection.  I passed on everything.  We killed quite a bit of time and headed to Wisconsin - Madison to see our niece Amy and her family.  We found a nice  KOA for two nights and I met up,with Amy the first night, briefly seeing Bruce, Pete and Helen before they went out for dinner together.  The next night was to be a UofW evening.  We caught up with Pete at the Union where he is working as a youth assistant with the sailing camps and waited for Bruce.  Pete had a rough day with spoiled 15 y/o boys who wouldn't listen were smart asses and on a whole dangerous.  So he had to threaten to call parents before they settled down.  When I asked him if he ever did anything like that he replied "only at home, NEVER in public!".  We indulged in fried cheese curds (appetizer) and beer before venturing outside for more local beer, brats, corn, burger (that would be the R and me) while the others ate sensibly.  Then of course pictures.  Apparently, the U has wonderful,ice cream, so we sauntered over and had to taste a variety of flavors before meandering up,to,the Capital and campus before heading back to their house. BTW! The ice cream was wonderful and pure. We left shortly thereafter, knowing we had a long drive back home.  It was a worthwhile stop along the way and nice to see them as we have missed them in Charlevoix the last few summers.

Forgot to mention SD

july 19 - late entry
Since SD, the trip has seemed like a whirlwind., but despite not posting anything since Wy.,  SD and the Badlands was a must see.  The drive was long..,.it didn't help that we were led astray by Google maps (and the paper map was of no help).  So after driving in and out of the Badlands several times, and the R justifiably from driving three sides of a square, we somehow found it mid afternoon after landing in Rapid City! This of course was not our goal, and since the day was rapidly passing us by, we ended up just taking a scenic drive through this strangely stark expanse of land. A bit creepy in some ways, but oh so lovely.  Quiet.  Lumpy land carved out by winds and water creating an amazing panoramic view of nothingness, sparse grass, dry rice lets, prairie dogs no where to be seem ,but evidence of their "digs".  Apparently the best time to see it is late afternoon when the sun casts shadows over these primaries rocks, but alas, we couldn't stay.  There were a few areas that I tried to photo because of their coloring, but the pics didn't do it justice.  It was a spiritual journey for me.  Slogging on, trying to find somewhere to lay our heads, we drove on hoping to get toMitchell to see the Corn Palace.  But, oh dear!  The rodeo was in town and while I was doing my usual hunt with no help from wifi, we were dissuaded from coming further east and I was given the name of a place that had openings.  It was a bout 20 miles west of Mitchell.  Not much to,say about it other than it had the things we have come to appreciate (water, electricity and sewer hookups).  When we started to undo, the R discovered the storage door was jammed and wouldn't open.  Not a good start, but we tracked it back to our last stay when we noticed the bag that held our leveling blocks came up missing.  It probably blew away, but was no where to be found.  So the blocks were put in the storage area, and we think, because the roads and drive were winding and bumpy they fell over and jammed the lock.  Of course the tool bag was in there too.  Fortunately there was one of those eye candy rigs next to us with a kindly gentleman who opened up one of his storage lockers to reveal any kind of tool imaginable that we both laughed about. Mind you this included a generator, electric saw, drill and three tool boxes.  Pretty sure we could make it work!  Using a long flat screwdriver, the R managed to get it open so we could finish the job.  If worst had come to,worst we could have just left it hooked up, but it wouldn't solve our next stop. TBC ont'd

Probably last post (and at home)

I can't pull up anything on the net,so I'm not sure where I ended.  I think we were settling in to Yellowstone.  I am so glad we came.  I  was concerned about crowds at this time of year and between that and the heat we were dealing with, I want sure.  Anyway, after we were settled in we took a drive into the Crater area of the park and delighted in walking along the path with crowds..and I mean both.  Parking was not as bad as I thought.  We lucked into a spot not far from the Crater remains.  I was amused as we passed by the unisex toilets at the visitors from Asia who were puzzled by this concept.  Nattering away, you could see the puzzlement in their faces as they held up the lines forming.  Walking to the first area, the heat was formidable but the breeze balanced that out as we meandered around the people taking selfies, oblivious to holding up the people behind.  There was little sense of driving on the right.  Warnings of holding into ones hat and glasses were unheeded by those who did not read English and varietal hats were seen deserted in the hot waters.  I believe 5,000'gals per minute poured out of the first Crater, forming a waterfall into a river nearby.  The other Craters had various names and distinguishing features including a rainbow coloring.  The smell of sulfur off and on, the small spurts in and along the way.  Fascinating.  We had enough time to find Old Faithful so we set out again, with the crowds.  Once at that area of the park we were amazed at the beauty, once again.   Following the crowds like lemmings, we found a seat facing the ole gal/guy waiting for an eruption.  The Rangers come by and do an oral presentation which is where we heard the expression "sometimes she blows twice a day, sometimes once a day and sometimes not at all."  She had not blown that day, so we had a good chance.  The Ranger 'splained that she was no longer the greatest geyser, and while he was talking he pointed to the BeeHive which was a walk away from where we were sitting but visible.  That one is the biggest, or so he told us (later to be disputed in the literature we read).  Thinking this was not our day or time, I convinced the R to walk through the Lodge.  It was phenomenal.  Any photos I took did not do it justice (nor of the Craters) .  Julie C will take care of that when she comes this way (ha ha). A violinist played in the background on the second level.  The first level crowded with people checking in and waiting for the restaurant seating. It was an old style grand log Lodge of three levels. Open to all levels and with stairs that were easy to navigate.  A romantic place to be sure. The second level offered seating and a clear view of Old Faithful, should she decide it was her time to explode.  We gathered beers from local micro breweries and found great seating overlooking the park.  She sputtered.  She died.  She sputtered again and the group ahead of us exclaimed "Seriously, we drove this far for that!"  Just as we were about to leave,she sighed once more and gathered steam, over and over again until she finally erupted.  An anti climax hat was steeped in eruption dysfunction!
The walks were what we needed and after a couple of hours we meandered back to the campsite for dinner.  The next morning, we left but chose to take the middle drive through the park exiting on the east side.  Along the way, both the day before, we encountered some traffic jams.  The first few were of people stopping to photograph the wild life, but my favorite was the day we left when a huge buffalo decided to cross the road, much a bit, walk in the road, munch a bit more along the side of the road, walk in the road for a while then cross over to the other side to the river.  Much to our amusement.  The drive through the park is exquisite and a wonder.  The trees, the waterfalls, the deep gorges, the snow, the winding curves and the height of 10,000 ' of Avalanche Pass which of course drained our mileage as we slowly drove to that altitude.  We had fleeting thoughts of a vacation with grandchildren......fleeting.  How would they survive without wifi or active things to do?  OK scratch that idea. We enjoyed just entertaining ourselves.  Of note we were in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming as we approached Yellowstone,
Our next stop: Cody Wyoming.  And I fell in love! Again struggling with wifi we had trouble reaching places to accommodate us.  Full. Full. Full when able.  Finally I found a place with no reviews on Cody's outskirts but not off the path.  Described as a fishing haven and a Dude a Ranch, this fit the bill and my bucket list (not for the fishing).  The few reviews I found were very high so we tried and after much de,as I getting a call back, we feigned that we had poor phone connectivity and called back to find they did indeed have a spot with a full hookup.  Not knowing.....we drove to the classic ranch sign "over the bluff, you will see us" and passed an Osprey nest at the entrance, then a lake and then the office.  There were a number of cabins nearby and an area that housed horses.  The ad boasted rides and a ranch dinner and breakfast.  An apologetic Brit who was holding down the fort checked us in, had us sign a liability disclaimer and pointed to our area.  Back down the drive to an area that had 4 RV hookups next to a residence that I assumed was the owners.  It took the R about six attempts to get settled in our spot - hard to explain why, but we settled in and after a nap, went in to Cody for a walk about, dinner and the Rodeo.
 Cody has a new and old section.  We chose to walk the old town which housed a number of shops, primarily western where I found a beautiful pair of red sequined cowboy boots.  The R was having none of that, so dispirited, we walked to the Irma hotel that Buffalo Bill Cody built.  They had a free "shoot out" at 5:00.  Seating on the porch was spare to say the least, but we luckily grabbed a picnic bench that overlooked the show, ordered dinner and shared our bench with a delightful Danish family.  The show as honky and amateurish but fun and we enjoyed the company of our new found friends who were also going to the rodeo. The food, not so memorable.
And off to the Rodeo!  We arrived early and stood in line for tickets, then walked up,to the near grandstands, only to decide to move to the other side where we could see the dudes getting ready to be released on the steers and horses and their buck a room tricks.  I wondered why there were so many horses, calves, steer, bulls and brahma bulls in the corrals we passed on our way to the seats. But it was obvious by the end of the day.  A lot of fun!  it started with a drill team of women on horses, all dressed in glittering red white and blue, then there was the unbroken horse riding, followed by calf roping (male and female) barrel racing(male and female) - and boy were they fast!  The peak was a little 35# girl on a huge horse that walked and occasionally trotted around the course without any errors in 6".  Her first and from a family of competitors.  Too precious.  Other times were under 20 seconds unless they fouled and got a 5 second penalty. Now.... back to the crazy bulls and brahma bulls!  They are led into a narrow paddock that barely accommodates their size.  The cowboys somehow arrange a strap around them which is ultimately what they hold onto.  Some wear helmets and neck supports (the cowboys) and they are shuttled through a series of gates where they take a long time, with the help of others to get everything just right (whatever that means).  They each have their own stuff.  All had chaps of various colors and designs, vests to match, often with crosses, boots and spurs.  Many prayed and crossed themselves before getting into the gate.  A range of ages, competing each night for some sort of prize.  The oldest was a man of 50 who did not get out of the gate before being thrown and knocked unconscious.  EMS is on site but I didn't see much concern (like taking him off on a stretcher).  There was a very young looking kid who also got thrown early on, not knocked out, but limping a lot.  Brush it off!  Be a man!  I have to say the young kid had the meanest looking brahma of the bunch and I had odds against him surviving the 6 seconds.  So after all, it seemed that the entire groups of animals were in fact used.  At the end they were fed and were frisky enough to be seen with ah hem, large erections (the bulls).  Not sure is any got lucky, but they looked content as we walked out.  This BTW is consistent with what I read earlier about when animals are fed - as in working animals are not fed until the work is done.
I also have to say that the clowns are amusing and the riders that divert the bulls from the riders are pretty amazing and good looking!
So that was Cody.  And I have fallen in love with Wyoming.

Yellowstone day 31 and 32

Back to our neighbors....he was a proud Army VET, all his clothing had reference to his years of service in Vietnam and beyond.  He and his wife, along with 11 week Yorkie puppies came from Fla to support a local band they follow back home.  He has a contracto be here for a month performing 3 times weekly.  The puppies are adorable. - Coco and Channel.  Coco is the curious one constantly getting into things and quite a handful.  Channel more reticent quietly observing her sister being chastised.  Both are housed in a pack n play divided into piddle pad and sleeping area where they cuddle one another.  ANY estrogen my body still had the ability to lie as I held these little 6# boney balls of soft fur!  Both Yorkies andLucy's  breed are from the part of England from whence my family hailed.  So I think it is reasonable that I get one! OK back to reality
After we settled in early that afternoon, we took a drive through the lower part of the park.  It did not seem to be overly crowded until we got to the Crater area.  There are three ways to traverse the park.  The northern route is over 100 miles around traveling anywhere from stop to 35mph.  Yellowstone was not on our agenda to start off, but I am really glad we came.  This came about when I pointed out to the R that I wanted to go to SD and the Badlands on our way back.  His plan did not include this because it would take us out of our way heading back.  However, Crater Lake was out of our way too, so he relented!

Day 31 onward to Jellystone!

Leaving Arco,  we passed through   Butte City, population of 74, a run down area that hardly qualified as a City.  The few homes in the short area of residency was comprised on tiny houses in ramshackle condition, a closed convenience store and thT was about it.  It was hard to imagine the population was even 30 inhabitants.  Beyond that there were huge expanses of farmed land that continued non stop til we saw signs to the Idaho National Labs.  We wondered who was farming the areas, and we were unable to answer that, pausing to say "it takes a village" so there must be someone out there beyond our view.  The area beyond the Lab alternated between fecund fields and brush, alternating on both sides of the road.  Mud Lake had a population of 358.  The Public Health Bldg was open to all on Thursday's.  Poverty and the need for traveling resources was apparent as we continued to pass through expanses of farm fields in various states of harvest.  This is where I got curious about how theses massive fields were harvested.  The R thought that there were workers with big equipment who travel with the growing season doing this.  In my research I found nothing to support this, but it seemed reasonable since the machinery had to be huge and expensive.  Then I started wondering how this was all timed.  What happened if these dudes and dudetts came too early or too late, then what?  Two growing seasons were apparent.  Those harvested were primarily these massive 2200# bales, piled up piled up on one another, some tipping abit, the lower level. I read was left to absorb moisture from the ground and any excess from the hay bales piled above.  Some of these were stored under "saranwrap" type plastic seen on boats that are wintered, in long rows, others under lean to buildings, but no silos. Then I read about Farmer Lung and feeding patterns of horses by cows, working cattle vs food cattle, sharing this new found knowledge with my on site Funk and Wagnall historian to keep him up on this trivia.
Cruising along we ran into road repair and the use of a Pilot car that alternated leading our side with incoming traffic.  On each side was a dude that kept the traffic at bay until the Pilot car arrived caravanning traffic from the other side.  When we passed the fresh asphalt we noticed big bags of ice strategically placed along the new paved road.  We found this amusing, but assume there must be some benefit gained.
On and on we drove getting closer to Yellowstone which we approached from the west intending to leavet in a massive park on the west side from the east..  we noted again, watercraft inspection areas.  These were tents set up with inspectors who went over the watercraft history and condition to minimize bringing in invasive  snails, weeds and whatever.  This included kayaks and canoes..  we secured a spot, but again, only for a night.  Without phone service and or wifi, trying to stay ahead of reserving spots has become a challenge as the season gears up.  The spot we had was in the edge of the park next to the road with an inconveniently placed tree that required navigating around as the R backed into the space.  One would think we had become proficient with this, but each day is another hit or miss!  I am assigned navigation from behind the HH and in view of the R directing him to hookups.  In this case helping him avoid taking out a big tree.  The spot was so narrow we had no space on 2 sides of us and a shaved down picnic table hat seated 2.  Regardless, it was what we could find and were happy that the neighbor we met after a drive around Yellowstone was friendly and welcoming.  We found him under his Class A trying to fix his grey/black plumbing system that was taken out by a blown tire in a car ahead of him.  Lying on a packing mat with all his tools and pieces neatly arranged around him as he lay on gravel in over 100 degrees.  Yikes!  He pulled a red Jeep behind him and had an American flag and POWflag flying from the front drivers side.

Day 30 cont'd Arco and beyond to day 31

The hail was small but mighty, then more rain, a bit more hail, rain and then the sun came out.  The kids then got serious about putting tents up and retired early.  We ate, and retired early!
The next morning, breakfast was served by KOA and we marched off for Belgian waffles before packing things up.
The parade to the bathrooms and to breakfast was quite impressive with all the teens. Glad we had our own bathroom and shower.

Arco day day 30

Arcos claim to fame is that it was the first town to have Atomic power thanks to the Idaho National Labs that are on the eastern outskirts of the town.  The lab is a part of the Dept of Energy and is responsible for good bad and ugly things.  Spread over about 100 acres with nothing nearby, it seems like a reasonable place to have such a lab.  Most employees live about 50 miles away in Idaho Falls which is reputed to be a lovely city with many outdoor options.
Another of Arcos claims to fame is all the carvings on the surrounding mountains/hills by the high schoolers.  However we were drawn to an area called Craters of the Moon.  We were not able to find camping in the surrounding State Park so we meandered into Arco.  Anyway, Craters is a volcanic area that stretched for miles and miles and the evidence is along the highway stretching for miles.  The state Park has a highly organized program for adults and children, and as is true of Arco, the big event is the Eclipse on August 21, 17.
The KOA campground which has become our default was fine.  It had laundry facilities (done)and a shop that had an amazing array of "stuff" that I perished waiting for my washing cycle to reach "rinse" for fabric softener.  I actually found Visine eye lubricant drops for the Rooster who gets dry scratchy eyes in the evening.  Back at the site, sitting in the shade of a tree with the awning up, blogging (or so I thought, only to lose the whole thing), a huge bus pulled up,with about 40 or 50 teens.  Much more interested in frisbee, eating, and doing teen things, attention to setting up the group site was of no importance.  However, the sky turned black and the wind picked up and I wanted the R to take the awning down (to no avail as we had planned to grill out, and he did not think the impending storm would be a big deal.). I checked the radar and weather, and it did not give us any indication of what would follow.  Thunder, lightening, the kids were eating and the "adults seemed unfazed.  I wanted to alert the mgmt, but the R said no.  Then thunderous rain and the kids skeedaddled under tarps while the adults put the food away.  Hats and frisbees &.  sleeping mats went flying; we had scooped up our chairs, but the awning was still up and the R was happily grilling away.  The awning ripped at which pointI had to screech and we jointly got it down.  Lucy was cowering in the bathroom and the HenHouse rocked.  Then came to hail!

Pics from Oregon and Idaho

July 9th

We left Crater Lake, again experiencing different changes in the eco system.  We started thinking  it would be nice to stay in one place for more than a night. However, with no reservations ahead of time, we have only been able to get an overnight spot. The drive was a long one, passing large farming areas, listening to TED Radio Hour and inadvertently coordinating photos with screen shots of the temperature and what we were listening to at that time. Leaving the heavily wooded area of CraterLakePark heading south we entered a very hot area with temperatures to 108!  Hills and distant snow topped mountains became desert as we left Oregon into Idaho.  At a temp of 100 Ted was playing "forgiveness".  .The hills looked 

We left Crater Lake, again experiencing different changes in the eco system.  We started thinking  it would be nice to stay in one place for more than a night. However, with no reservations ahead of time, we have only been able to get an overnight spot. The drive was a long one, passing large farming areas, listening to TED Radio Hour and inadvertently coordinating photos with screen shots of the temperature and what we were listening to at that time. Leaving the heavily wooded area of CraterLakePark heading south we entered a very hot area with temperatures to 108!  Hills and distant snow topped mountains became desert as we left Oregon into Idaho.   Sandy in color but not consis Hard, with cracks declaring their thirst..  ranches often in the hilly areas.  Altitude was around 5,000'..  a town called Juntura with a small population housed an Oasis.  No gas, but ice.  In a blink another small town disappeared and we began feeling desperate for a gas station. Passing through higher hilly areas on one side a river happily swept through on our left.  106 degrees, more arid, no gas station in sight, fuel tank showing less than 50 miles left.  Hills with scrub, plateaus, 107 degrees. 

like the Michigan Dunes we have all climbed.  Sandy in color but not consistency. Hard, with cracks declaring their thirst..  ranches often in the hilly areas.  Altitude was around 5,000'..  a town called Juntura with a small population housed an Oasis.  No gas, but ice.  In a blink another small town disappeared and we began feeling desperate for a gas station. Passing through higher hilly areas on one side a river happily swept through on our left.  106 degrees, more arid, no gas station in sight, fuel tank showing less than 50 miles left.  Hills with scrub  The R and I lapsed into a somewhat humorous conversation about Harry and Harriet, the Pioneers who crossed this area in the 1800s, who are 5-10miles a day.  How did they stay hydrated?  Who wants to cook in these temperatures?  How many days did they eat grits?  What were their protein sources?  What happened when a baby decided to present itself?  Who had the energy for "that"? No DVDs to entertain the young urns'. Disappointment t at more mountainous regions. Challenges by Natives.  We made our own story!
Still with climbing temps to 108 and cars, trucks, motorcyclists without helmets, other cars pulling one thing or another passed us frequently as we maintained the speed limit.  Most apparently found the yellow lines a suggestion.   Many small towns, no gas homes that varied between pristine and tumble down, we stayed on US 20.  Farming more obvious with silos and hay now bundled in ever increasing sizes.  Corn in the early stages, and harvest ready. I was surprised for some reason as I thought how much further along the growing season was when compared to home.    It was obvious after I thought it   Through in my head.  Duh. This mystery of farming"habits" created a monster in me as I searched Wiki for growing seasons and crops.  Irrigation was varied, some areas with access to rivers used ditches along the side of the road with plumbing pieces to somehow make it work.  Some had large irrigation systems on wheels as we know. Steer moseyed in the fertile areas close to water.  In my agriculture search I was surprised that hay not potatoes are the crop most grown in Idaho.  No taties seen.  Agriculture became more visible, but hay.  Bales were huge and I found they were about a ton a piece.  They were piled 3-4 high about 5 deep.  Some farms seemed prosperous and the area they farmed was far beyond my imagination.  We passed the only church, a tiny abandoned one.  Huge silos, abandoned farms and convenience stores, historical markers which we stopped to read telling about violations on Native Lands guaranteed by treaty.  On a more humorous note, we passed a massive piece of machinery

, dead in the field, with a huge bale of hay sticking out its behind.  Seemingly unable to move beyond that vulnerable state I called it the "constipated combine".  Would mi real oil enemas help?.signs along the road warned of roaming cattle, the hills began to look almost prehistoric
No significant towns, no places to stop, we found a spot in Mountain Home late in the day.  The owner was generous, just asking our name and ETA promising to save us something.  
This is being written on a document app that I found.  It requires me to eml it to myself which can then be pasted into the blog.  This may appear as 2 entries.

Crater Lake and beyond 7/8/17r

Service was courteous and slow albeit the Hostess from Japan was limited in her  understanding of our questions.  An hour later our burgers arrived.  They were good.  I had 2 beers.
We left Lucy in the 4x6 cabin bathroom.  She was particularly interested in critters she smelled around the sleeping area so we were anxious to see how our service dog was doing and then took a long drive around the rim of the Crater.  Truly pristine. Huge, deep, clear, calm and 7,000 years old. Hard to imagine.  The rim and the grounds of the park are lined with talk sticks marking the roads which sustain 5' of snow yearly.  The roads are precipitous undergoing restoration.  Brave sods passed us frequently as we drove the speed limit.  The snow was still about 3-4' high on the northern side, but even driving to the park there were areas of snow still scattered amongst the tall evergreens and woodsy areas.  Fish exist, but I don't know who would dare.  Hikers abound.  Where we stopped there was an Asian family with a baby and a young girl who inquired about Lucy.  She declared that she knew a "human" named Lucy and that my hair was as white as the snowball she held in her hands!  We met the end with a barrier preventing further exploration.  At this time of day, we were fighting the sun which often blinded us.  Heading back we elapsed with no particular plan since we were once again without the ability to plan without wifi.
We originally thought we would stay 2 days, but that was complicated.  We would need to be in line at 7:00 waiting for the next person to leave.  The R would like to have hiked the area, but the hassle wasn't worth it.  We woke up,early to find the HH blocked in by a truck.  Whaaat?  With the help of the checkin/check out dude, a young man was roused from a deep sleep in the back of his truck and asked to leave so we could hook up.  It took him a while to get it together, gathering g his goods and chattels, and stopping to chat.  No hurry dude.  He allowed as how he was headed to the Redwood Forest.  So off we went, again with no,particular plan other than to get toOntario, the border between Oregon and Idaho.

Oregon Coast 7/3 - 7/5e

the fourth took us to a little town Desi recalled as a child growing up. Yachats.  We watched the parade which was dominated by a strong presence of the gay community,and restaurateurs.  Charming and delightful.  Candy, of course was a big hit along with beach balls and frisbee fold up things.  We went down to,the water to look for gems. It is a rugged coast, beautiful in its simplicity where we saw grey whales and sea lions, and a delight for the kids who intuitifly run across the rocks looking for things.  Caution from Desi about the tide and its dangers, the mother bears kept track of their young.  Poop bags held the gems  other than Chas who wanted to hold onto his in his hands and pockets.  Such a Chas thing.  Repeat the evening and the next day we went further south to Yaquina where we explored the tall lighthouse, sealions birds nesting and resting on the rocks.  Repeat the evening and cleanup, where we left the kids and headed to Cape Perpetua overlooking the ocean and headed to Sunset Bay State Park recommended by Desi.  Beautiful!  We drug,ed along the Botanical Garden area that has a nice history of being sold to the State by some dude who kept burning his mansions and getting into financial problems.  I miss my brain.  I would liked to have stayed another day, but The R had in his kind a trip to Crater Lake in lower Oregon.  He recalls reading about it when he was 12 in a Nar'l Geo and always wanting to go there. It was a brutal drive.  We forgot it was the fourth week/end and without wifi we were in a pickle in the late afternoon finding accommodations.  We lucked upon a recent cancellation for a cabin and took it.  Unloaded necessities and pleaded that Lucy was a service dog to avoid her staying alone in the HH.  We parked the HH in the parking lot as directed and went for something to eat at the restaurant which opened at 5:00.  We got there around 5:15 to be told it would be a 20-30" wait despite numerous empty tables.  Finally figured out after about 20" if we were willing to sit outside we could be seated immediately.  So we did did

Oregon to Idaho and between

Oh I am so confused.  The R reminded me it is still July not August.  Oh how I miss my brain which is becoming a daily mantra.
So after the wedding we went back to Renton to get ready for our trip to the Oregon Coast.  The clean up at the Bnb went quite well although our truck looked like the Clampet's with Lucy keeping a look out.  Again, Syd and Chris kept the kids in line while we purged the fridge, did some last minute laundry in the upper and lower levels, fed the kids organic somethings and managed to get out in time.  BTW, We got a favorable  review from the owners!    The R along with Rob delivered the keg of beer back to its owners, but we held on to the cider. Back at the ranch we fed the kids left over  BBQ for lunch and dinner.  However, by dinner some of us led by Susan decided our guts needed a break and she ordered Pho.  Rob and Tony ate more BBQ, but we ditched the rest.  I just retired early while the Rooster and others sat out on the deck for a late night.  Not to worry - the kids were awake at o dark and early but so was I.  Off we went for a 3-4 hour drive to Depoe Beach for 3 days.  Another fabulous Airbnb organized by Desi.  Lovely view of the Pacific from the large deck, huge kitchen and 3 full bathrooms.  Desi was funny, reviewing the sleeping arrangements, presenting us with the options which included a room with a deck,  a full bathroom and king bed.  She admitted she hoped she and Rob could use it as their honeymoon suite.  All of us, in her absence had planned on that, but in her graciousness she wanted to offer it to us old coots.  So sweet.
The kids ehad many diversions - TV, pool, games...but we also went down to the beach to have them run around in the waves.  Bummer.  No more BBQ, so Rob made dinner of pork tenderloin.  I'm telling you, the years he spent as a teacher communing with the other teachers over meals and Cooks magazine has made him into an amazing cook!  TBCont'd

Catching up on the Oregon trail

8/7/17 day 28, I think.  At an Oregon State Park Desi recommended, Sunset Beach,near Coos Bay, early morning with birds chirping and crows barking.
It is hard to believe that two weeks ago we arrived in Wa.  One thing that stands out in my fettered brain is that being around the kids and brands makes me miss my brain. We had a week before the wedding so we were busy during the day making decorations, running errands and churning laundry.  A trip to Costco for food and booze, a hunt for a leather soccer ball to replace the one Lucy got hold of and ripped which proved fruitless, so we settled on a gift card which allows Anders to buy what he wanted.  Rob said they had about 12 leather balls between the two of them (I thought that was an exaggeration of their manlihood, myself).I helped with these things and recalled the days of never ending laundry for the four of us while working, but hardly imagined what laundry for 6 involved.  Everyone had his or her own laundry basket to ease the sorting, but there was always random pieces I couldn't figger out.  Nora's or Eva's, Chassies or Anders's, then there were the orphan socks!  Rob took the helm with dinner prep each night and with various custody arrangements, Eva and Chas joined us first then Nora and Anders.  The Hen House filled with the girls as I had sleep overs with them, watching movies then crashing.  First it was Eva then both the girls.  Sleeping with Nora proved a challenge despite saying she sleeps as  a cocoon.  NOT!  Monday evening we went to Rob's soccer game after some more errands (haircut for Anders, ice cream for Nora and Jane, more books for Tony and a selection of dinner options at an organic, grocery/deli called something like PCB, but not.  A good friend Syd joined us on Tuesday.  She came from Milwaukee, Wi., and has a close relationship with Desi and her kids having lived with them for 9 months about 3 years ago.   She was a huge help playing with the kids and keeping them busy.
On Thursday we left for Tacoma with Susan, Chris and their kids arriving around the same time from Royal Oak.  Waze sent us in the wrong direction, but after switching to Google Maps, we arrived shortly after the rest of the crew.  The Air Bnb Desi secured overlooked Lake Washington and the bridge that collapsed soon after being built in the 40s.  The venue was down the hill and a short distance from the house.  The house had an upper and lower level with separate entrances.  The upper level was occupied the first night, but we managed quite well in the lower level until the next day when ALL the kids were relegated to the basement apartment with poor ole Syd.  The house had a fifth wheel that was also rented the day we moved to the 

entire house.  It was well equipped, food was readily available up the road and Susan of course, found a Starbucks!  We had a hot tub and an area the kids could play in which included basketball nets and trucks for Topher.  The front yard was quite large with a hammock, patio table and chairs, and a chaise to loll in.  Very nice.
Our fifth wheel friends were gracious and tolerant.  They came from Fla.  He is a "retired" and successful Investment dude.  They have a 9 month old little girl.Mom 

a remote teacher for home schoolers.  They did not look like they were more than their mid 30s, traveling the summer in a Suburban.
On Friday, people arrived who were from Olympia along with their children.  These were close friends of Desi's. I can't remember how many there were, but there were a lot.  Desi and her girlfriends along with Susan hunkered down for a briefing of what needed to be done both as maids and with decorations. All the kids were hungry.  Feeding them proved a challenge as we (Syd and I) did not expect them to arrive hungry. Cora questioned whether the tortillas, cheese, carrots, dip etc were "organic" announcing she only ate "organic".  Our response was that her mother purchased the food, so if it was ok with her mom it should be ok for her to eat.  They were very interested in the kid beverages we had for the wedding and had to keep them at bay from those.  I lost my S--t and was sent to my room by Susan.
 
Desi's dad arranged a Taco truck to come and we had about 30 people from out of town join us for a gathering.  The Taco truck had a wide range of offerings, a dude who took orders and a cook.  Neither spoke much English, but all was well.  The kids ordered whatever they wanted and did repeats as needed, as did the grown ups.  My sister, Jill and her man friend (is that what you call them) came from Southport NC.  They visited his son in Oregon and my niece in Seattle prior to coming and representing the Robson side of the family which I dearly appreciated.   The food 

8/7/17 day 28, I think.  At an Oregon State Park Desi recommended, Sunset Beach,near Coos Bay, early morning with birds chirping and crows barking.
It is hard to believe that two weeks ago we arrived in Wa.  One thing that stands out in my fettered brain is that being around the kids and brands makes me miss my brain. We had a week before the wedding so we were busy during the day making decorations, running errands and churning laundry.  A trip to Costco for food and booze, a hunt for a leather soccer ball to replace the one Lucy got hold of and ripped which proved fruitless, so we settled on a gift card which allows Anders to buy what he wanted.  Rob said they had about 12 leather balls between the two of them (I thought that was an exaggeration of their manlihood, myself).I helped with these things and recalled the days of never ending laundry for the four of us while working, but hardly imagined what laundry for 6 involved.  Everyone had his or her own laundry basket to ease the sorting, but there was always random pieces I couldn't figger out.  Nora's or Eva's, Chassies or Anders's, then there were the orphan socks!  Rob took the helm with dinner prep each night and with various custody arrangements, Eva and Chas joined us first then Nora and Anders.  The Hen House filled with the girls as I had sleep overs with them, watching movies then crashing.  First it was Eva then both the girls.  Sleeping with Nora proved a 
challenge despite saying she sleeps as  a cocoon.  NOT!  Monday evening we went to Rob's soccer game after some more errands (haircut for Anders, ice cream for Nora and Jane, more books for Tony and a selection of dinner options at an organic, grocery/deli called something like PCB, but not.  A good friend Syd joined us on Tuesday.  She came from Milwaukee, Wi., and has a close relationship with Desi and her kids having lived with them for 9 months about 3 years ago.   She was a huge help playing with the kids and keeping them busy.
On Thursday we left for Tacoma with Susan, Chris and their kids arriving around the same time from Royal Oak.  Waze sent us in the wrong direction, but after switching 
to Google Maps, we arrived shortly after the rest of the crew.  The Air Bnb Desi secured overlooked Lake Washington and the bridge that collapsed soon after being built in the 40s.  The venue was down the hill and a short distance from the house.  The house had an upper and lower level with separate entrances.  The upper level was occupied the first night, but we managed quite well in the lower level until the next day when ALL the kids were relegated to the basement apartment with poor ole Syd.  The house had a fifth wheel that was also rented the day we moved to the entire house.  It was well equipped, food was readily available up the road and Susan of course, found a Starbucks!  We had a hot tub and an area the kids could play in which included basketball nets and trucks for Topher.  The front yard was quite large with a hammock, patio table and chairs, and a chaise to loll in.  Very nice.
Our fifth wheel friends were gracious and tolerant.  They came from Fla.  He is a "retired" and successful Investment dude.  They have a 9 month old little girl

was very good.  We had a keg of beer, cider and Margaritas for the adults.  There was some confusion (by the adults) who thought it was lemonade and accidentally mixed other booze with it.  Stupid not to have labeled it, but no real foul.  Our first wheel new BFFs joined in the fray and thank goodness the Vick's finally made it after hassles with air transport from Cali.  So good to see them.  Chris and Rob grew up together.  He is married with a lovely wife Caryn and daughter Isla. They live in Whistler, he works for the Fair,into hotels and Caryn, a nurse is enjoying a years maternity leave with 60% of her salary for I believe 4 or 6 months!.  They were is Ca. to see Chris's brothers' family, well timed for this event.  Helen and Jim came from Chicago.  Later in the evening, the boys adjourned for scotch and cigars out behind the fifth wheel, away from the non smokers.  Cigars compliments of Alan, the fifth wheeler.  Topher, of course was a hit with all the kids.  He especially loves Anders often asking where he was and climbing all over him.  At some point Topher changed Anders's name to Dominic (Chris's cousin) and so it became a joke.

The maids, sans Susan retired to the hotel for a night of female bondage, got up and commenced decorating and alternating hair and makeup.  I was first in line for a wonderful cut and then shuffled off to help.  Desi made a spread sheet, emailed and hard copy of times and who, when , where we were supposed to be.  A true single parent and teacher, highly organized.Syd was in charge of the little ones.  Desi's sister did their hair, Chris got them in the shower and somehow they all managed to converge at the venue dressed.  The boys in bright yellow Converse shoes, grey shorts, pale yellow Oxford shirts and varietal bow ties.  All threatened with their lives not to get sweaty and dirty.  The little girls dressed with the moms and Desi escaped (by demand of the maids) and got Starbucks in her wedding dress!  The little girls had dresses that they could wrap around in various configurations.  None of them had anything but flat chests, but the attire suited and excited them. Cora and Eva in pink, Nora and her BFF, Natalie in yellow.  Crowns of little white flowers and near heels that they minced around in, feeling very special and pretty.

The caterer's and I worked in an ill equipped and tiny kitchen to get fund and tables set p.  Jill and Mike presented me with a Hen House themed jig saw puzzle and a pair of socks that saved my sore dogs as the night moved along.  They said "I'm not bossy, I am the boss". And somehow, it all finished on time for the ceremony.  Rob and I walked down together and then after what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Desi came down following the little girls tossing petals and the maids who stayed in the background with her 90 year old grandfather and father.  The little girls sat in front on the floor.  Desi looked like Marilyn Monroe in her vintage style gown, hair and hat with makeup to match.  Rob and his soccer buddy Mike, the officiant looked on, Rob smiling proudly.