Mt. Rainier

Today we went to the mountain—Mount Rainier. It was cloudy and chilly when we left the house, and there was only a 50-50 chance that the clouds would break, but we figured it was a chance worth taking.

First, we drove through a beautiful state park which featured an old-growth forest. How marvelous were the tall fir and pine and spruce trees.  The phrase from Robert Frost came to mind: "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep…" I tried to photograph this old forest, but it was more than the camera could take in. It filled our eyes and hearts. 

The park had an excellent Visitor Center, complete with some taxidermy exhibits. This was my first glimpse of a Cougar. She was quite beautiful—tawny fur, long lovely tail, and green eyes that would surely have been flashing had she been alive. I estimate that she was about the size of a large Labrador. Of course, being the animal nut that I am, I thought how wonderful to be able to snuggle up with this great cat! If she were tame, I'm sure she would enjoy a good ear rub, just like Grady. Those daydreams pale in the story of the Cougar that actually stalked Charlie., He was on a hike with a group and went back for something. As he was re-approaching the group, they began shouting at him.  they could see the Cougar stalking him—down in the stalking position.  He finally turned around and shouted and ran at the beast, and it turned and ran away. (Note: this is not what the park brochures advise!) Charlie observed that it was like any other cat—didn't want a hassle—just an easy snack! (Charlie, forgive me for telling your story, but my readership is not large, so you will still have it to tell!)

On to Sunrise Ranger Station, which sits at an altitude of about 6000 feet. When we arrived, on went the coats (cold and windy) and we piled out of the car to check out the surroundings. this is a prime place for viewing Mt. Rainier, but the mountain was totally socked in. 

Wow! In every direction—like a 360-degree IMAX—absolute beauty. In one direction was a set of very jagged black mountains, looking to my untrained eyes impossible to climb. In another direction was a very tall hill, or short mountain, that was entirely an alpine meadow. There were lovely clumps of wildflowers—yellow, white, lavender, red, magenta—and lots of little fir trees from a foot or so in height all the way up to 6 or 7 feet.  High on the mountain sat a magnificent Mountain Goat. (As soon as the ranger spotted it, he set up a telescope so all the visitors could have a better view.) The goat was lying down, probably chewing his cud, gazing out over the valley.

This was the finest ranger station, in terms of visitor interaction, that I have visited. It was full of plant and animal exhibits. Some of the little alpine flowers have roots that go down 5 or 6 feet to provide both water and support from the winds. Taxidermy exhibits included several small animals, a Golden Eagle, and 3 Cougars.  They also had a number of touchable pelts, bones, etc. on display and were interacting a lot with both children and adults.  Hooray for volunteers in the National Park Service who keep things going even though Bush has dramatically slashed park budgets!

It was cold, dropping down to 33 degrees at one point, and then it started blowing cold, peppery snow. Even on August 30 you may need coats in these mountains.

Then came the main event of the day, and it was a Superlative Event! The clouds started breaking up, and Mt. Rainier began to appear.  Gigantic, magnificent, 8000 feet higher above us. It was truly a spectacular sight. As the clouds retreated, Charlie pointed out the various routes he and Robin and Meredith had used when summiting the mountain.  It was truly awesome.

I had seen Mt. Rainier from the air once. As my plane flew over Washington I had observed a lot of snow-covered mountains and wondered which one was Rainier. But then, a huge mountain, seemingly right beside me, appeared, and there was no doubt that this was THE MOUNTAIN—Mt. Rainier.

From the ground, it is not only huge and beautiful, but you can see the glaciers and cliffs, and you realize that climbing this giant is no easy task. May try, fewer make the summit. Truly spectacular in every way.

As we drove home, we all agreed that the day would have been well spent even if the mountain had remained hidden, but how thrilling to actually get to see it.

We came home tired and happy.  Then Robin fired up the grill and we had a feast.  Visiting Robin and Charlie is just the best!

Two Days of Sloth and Sightseeing

Well, I ask you…if you could sit in a comfortable chair and look out at this beautiful forest, would you do anything else?

Okay, in spite of the beautiful vistas of the Vaughan house, we have bestirred ourselves to do a few things.  Yesterday we went to the Locks, built in 1917, that allow boats to move from Lake Washington into Puget Sound. Big Locks!  Really big boats—mostly pleasure, although we did see a tug boat and one large barge. Even more interesting were the fish ladders. They are actually a series of weirs through which the salmon pass from the sea, traverse the locks, and go to their native bodies of fresh water to spawn. This is not yet the time for the major run, but there were a number of different kind of salmon moving through. They are bigger than I expected.  

The whole establishment was encased in lovely gardens. Flowers love the Northwest! The gardens up here are beautiful.

We ended the day with dinner at a seaside (Puget Sound) restaurant, where I had possibly the best salmon in the world.  Yummy!  It was great to watch the boats in the sound, and we also enjoyed watching an eagle or two.  

We ended the evening with Obama's wonderful speech. He is the first presidential candidate I've been excited by in many, many years. I pray for his victory and the end to this 8 years of madness.

Today we went to the Boeing Museum of Flight. They had everything from a model of Leonardo's "Dream of Flight" to one of the special replicas of  the Wright Brother's plane. Three very exact copies were made of that plane for the Centennial. We also walked through an actual Concorde (such small seats and windows!) and one of the older Air Force Ones. There were also good exhibits on the history of space flight. I recommend this museum to anyone interested in the history of flight.

What a wonderful visit we are having with Charlie and Robin, and we are enjoying this beautiful city.

We Really Did It!

Tuesday, August 26

After a wonderful time, we finally left Victoria behind.  Two ferry rides and some driving brought us to this lovely house on a hill top, surrounded with beautiful trees.  Visiting Charlie and Robin seems like being in a great mountain lodge.  Remember the "Hundred Acre Woods" of Winnie the Pooh?  One could imagine being there!

Last night was a first for us:  We went to a professional baseball game.  As the little kid in glasses who always made the third out when the bases were loaded, I was surprised that I was even willing to go to this game.  I'm getting more broad-minded in my old age.

Anyway, we had a great time.  Charlie asked me what surprised me most:  Well this may sound pretty stupid, but remember my history!  I was surprised at how huge the field was.  I was shocked to see how many directions a hit could go, and it was amazing how well the outfielders caught the hit balls and how far they could throw them—and even throw them to the right places!

We won!  Yea!  Allison joined us, so it was great to have a little time with her as well.  We're having a good visit and have some fun things planned.

What a Blooming Day!

Friday, August 25

I am sitting in this beautiful hotel, hearing the lovely Netherlands Carillon ringing just across the street.  The air is cool; the day has been sunny—a perfect day for the Butchart Gardens.

After a lovely drive around the island, seeing beautiful homes and parks on the sea, we drove over to the gardens.  What a magnificent place!  I didn't even take many pictures.  Where would I begin?  The gardens are overwhelming in a wonderful way.  Roses upon roses upon roses upon every other flower you can imagine!  We realized that Victoria is in "High Spring!"  There were Hydrangeas everywhere, in many colors.  Begonias and Fuscia and Zinnias and Lilies and Lobelia—even Salvia and the Everlasting Plant in my own garden.  The only thing missing were the spring bulbs.  It was a beautiful sight, and we enjoyed it immensely.

The day could hardly have been improved.

We are preparing to get up in the morning and ride the ferry to Seattle, where we will spend a few days with Charlie and Robin.  We're really looking forward to that visit.  I may not report every day, but will be back soon!

Meanwhile, we have LOVED our time in the wonderful city of Victoria!

At Rest, Almost

We've had a lovely day!

After allowing ourselves to sleep a little later than usual, we ate breakfast in the Hotel Gold Lounge.  Don must be in their computer.  They called him Dr. Wheeler and upgraded us, and what a treat it's been!

We ate in front of an open window, overlooking the Inner Harbour.  A friendly sea gull joined us, apparently understanding that I was a soft touch!  This bird is not an endangered species, and he was obviously used to being fed, so…let's just say that he and I ate breakfast together!

After breakfast we went to the Royal Museum which was quite a treat.  The animal displays were marvelous, and we enjoyed the excellent exhibits about the two main kinds of Indians, or First Peoples as they are called in Canada:  those who lived by the sea and those who lived inland.  I loved seeing the totem poles as well.  They are quite stylized, and each pole has has certain animals on it, probably with religious connotations.  

The latter picture is us, having tea in the Palm Court.  What a lovely high tea it was.  We began with strawberries and cream, and then moved on to wonderful tea, unbelievable sandwiches, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and chocolate goodies to die for!  This was the highlight of the day!

After tea, we went out and walked all around the inner harbour, then came back to our lovely room.  We are thoroughly enjoying this century-old hotel.  We are fortunate enough to be in the old, original part; simply lovely!

At Rest

Saturday, August 23

We are being lazy today.  We drove from Bremerton down to the Olympic Peninsula and drove through that beautiful forest.  Then we headed to the ferry for Victoria.  The crossing was a little rough on Don, so after a light lunch, we are resting in our wonderful hotel room that overlooks the inner harbor.

Victoria is as lovely as I remember from my long-ago visit with Charlie and Robin and their girls.  the weather is mild and sunny.  We look forward to a couple of days here.  

Prehistoric Cataclysm

The Dry Falls

Dry Falls Washington

We spent the night at Sandpoint Idaho, which is on Pend Orelle, a large lake in the Panhandle of Idaho that was formed by the outflow from Glacial Lake Missoula. Glaciers would periodically dam up the flow of the Clark Fork to form a lake with up to 550 cubic miles of water in the valleys of the mountains of Montana. When these ice dams would break this lake would drain in as little as four days. The ensuing floods would flow over Eastern Washington. The result is known as the Scablands. In one place, now known as Grand Coulee, this flow was concentrated along an existing valley. The falls created by these floods eroded the Grand Coulee back into the volcanic plateau over 20 miles. The Dry Falls behind Fran are the result of these floods. The pools at the bottom are plunge pools from the falls. The picture above only shows about half of the width of the Coulee. The top picture shows the huge dry falls.

During these floods, the flow over these falls would exceed the flow of all of the world's rivers combined. It is an amazing sight. (PBS sometimes has an excellent program about them.) Fortunately all this happened, and happened over again during the last Ice Age.  

Later we went into the Ginko Petrified Forest, an area of petrified wood and Indian petroglyphs that were very beautiful and interesting.

All in all, it was a fascinating day. Eastern Washington was a veritable sea of wheat fields—they absolutely engulfed us. Farmsteads in the distance would be swallowed up by the rolling fields. Then we went into quite a desert, mostly earth, rock, and sagebrush, which surprised us since we think of Washington as a maritime state. Eventually, rising above the desert was Mount Ranier—what a giant!  Gradually we left the desert behind and began to enter mountains covered with more and more evergreen trees. After Snoqualmie Pass, we passed through the outskirts of Seattle, and are tucked into Bremerton tonight. We leave for Victoria in the morning.

I've been overwhelmed for several days by the mountains, mountains, ranges of mountains. I had no idea there were so many mountain ranges in the west.  

Don tells me we've now traveled about 3600 miles, which in some weird way means we're halfway home!

Thanks to my conversation with Elaine this morning, I've been able to load pictures.  So, for any of you who are interested, I'll add the planned pictures on the earlier blogs.

Off the Beaten Path

Thursday, August 21

We spent last night in Kalispell at a lovely hotel. We arrived in the afternoon, so we had some down time, and the hotel happened to be a great place to relax and rest. In the courtyard were Hydrangea Bushes—in full, fresh bloom—short growing season up here. It's a lovely old town that is being preserved, and they are controlling new building too, which adds to the loveliness. There is a lot of Prairie style architecture. Kalispell has its own civic chorale and orchestra too.

This morning we headed for Glacier National Park. It was a time of great beauty and intrepid driving! The road to the top was aptly named "Going to the Sun Road." It is a one-way-pretending-to-be-two-way road, very steep with many very sharp turns. To add to the fun was the construction! (This depression-era road is in need of a lot of repair.) Don drove us up, and I drove us down—mostly in 1st or 2nd gear. (See picture!) I can describe the road; the scenery is beyond description. Sadly, most of the glaciers are gone, and the few remaining are significantly smaller. Nevertheless, it is an awesome landscape.

Don found an interesting option as I drove toward Idaho. There was a place not too far off the route that promised giant Cedar trees. We decided to take this little side trip. That led us to 10 or 20 miles of two-lane road, which led to 4 miles of tiny, two-lane, which dead-ended into a small parking lot. We had seen massive cedar trees as we drove in, and in the center of the lot was a true giant.  It was quite deserted, except for an old van.  An Indian woman (about our age) and her dog were in the van.  She wanted to walk with us on the path of a couple of miles, so we went together, along with her well-trained dog.  Her name was Katya and she is from British Columbia. What a walk. The signs said that the oldest of the trees were about 500 years. They were huge. They were great beauties. It was really a primeval forest; an experience we will always treasure.

Road Notes & Humor of the day:

We enjoyed the Hungry Horse Dam, and the aptly named Hungry Horse Town, touted on a billboard as the "Best Dam Town In the West. The locals had apparently gathered at "The Dam Tavern" one night and decided they had a name that needed using, hence the "Dam Gift Shop," the "Dam Canyon Shop," etc.

For those of you who wondered why we were taking coats, it was 55 when we left Kalispell this morning and 44 when we got to Glacier.  We've worn those coats every time we left the car today.

Since leaving The Black Hills, we have seen one car from Massachusetts and one from Florida, leaving us as one of the big three winners of distance driving!

We didn't see any of the grizzly bears we were warned about in Glacier, but we have some choice instructions for safety!

The landscape of western Montana was much the same, but more human-sized as we drove along. Still very beautiful.  We hit Idaho about 8 this evening and are now tucked into a nice Best Western.  I've taken care of two customers—aren't computers wonderful?

Now it's off to bed.

On the Road Again

Wednesday, August 20

Today was spent in the car, driving from Yellowstone to Kalispell, Montana.  We drove through the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness area. It was a lovely route, particularly while the sun shone. We drove through rain during the latter half of the day.

On a Road Day, it seems appropriate to discuss Snow. These people take it very seriously! You see great "snow fences" away from the highway, presumably to keep the blowing snow from covering the interstate too quickly. Then, there are signs that can be activated telling everyone the road is closed. They mean it too. It's the first time we've seen giant wide gates that close off the interstate! Along the sides of some roads are tall, red-tipped stantions. Their apparent use is to warn the snowplows where the side of the road is. I really don't want to be driving here when the snow flies!

We ate lunch at a lovely Rest Area on the highway.  There was a sign giving the history of the area.  People have hunted in these mountains for thousands of years, but there are no signs of people living here. So, naturally, that was the place for an Indian Reservation—Crow, this time. All was well until gold was discovered. The Indians were then moved further west, out of the way (and out of the money as well!). That's pretty much the history of the American Indians.  If I were an Indian I think I'd be pretty bitter.  

We were again overwhelmed by the immensity of the landscape. It was quite beautiful, if very remote. I don't know, and can't imagine, what it would be like to live in a place like this. I loved the business we passed out on the highway: Spa & Retreat. It was truly a retreat—far, far away from everything.

We've noticed that gas stations serve many needs beyond gas and restrooms. There is a general store of snacks, supplies, and assorted junk. Then, there is the restaurant. The best part? The Casino!  Another common business we see are the Storage Facilities. I liked the one named "Stowaway Storage." Apparently all over America people have more stuff than they need or really want!

On the road, we continue to see things and signs that amuse us.  A sampling of today:

Bumper sticker: I'm for Separation of Church and Hate

 

Signs:  

Kicking Horse Production Area

High Fire Alert Today  (in the pouring rain!)

Testicle Festival  (we didn't ask)

And our favorite:  

Please Neuter Your Pets and Your Weird Friends and Relations

It's quite chilly this evening, in the low 60s.  It seems appropriate that tomorrow we drive to Glacier National Park.  Brrrr

Yellowstone

Tuesday 8/19: Yellowstone

Our day in Yellowstone equaled two days of experience! New visitors should plan a least 2 or 3 days here. We've been here before, of course, so it was scheduled as a quick visit on this long trek. We had our agenda: favorite places we wanted to see again. But Yellowstone had its own agenda for us, and it was a humdinger!

We were with people from all over the world. When you think about it, this is a geological site that is unparalleled throughout the world. Crowds of people were the norm, and we just had to overlook them. You can't begrudge anyone this excellent experience. It is quite a place for people-watching! (I often think of the Glamour Dos and Dont's. What a place for them to canvas—both men and women!!)

I think this day proved to be our best experience in Yellowstone. First, it was a clear sunny day. Our previous visits had been cloudy. On a sunny day, everything shimmers with light and color! The pallid pools of color we remembered were exchanged for sights of great color and beauty. I know that I carry away a different feeling for and appreciation of Yellowstone than I've ever had. I know I have a new level of respect for the place and its inhabitants.

Yellowstone is a place of wildness. Life and death are on display in every direction: Beautiful forests contrasted with groves of dead and dying trees. Spectacular color in water, surrounded by the white chemical layering of death. Living microscopic creatures in pools that would quickly kill any animal or person with their heat and acidity. Large areas marked as unstable for walking, contrasted with a huge buffalo lying placidly beside one of the poisonous basins. And within areas you wouldn't want to touch, buffalo tracks and spoor.

I hadn't known that nearly all of the national park is actually within the caldera of the world's largest volcano. And the caldera is far from dead. Geysers, hot springs of water laced with acids and chemicals, fumaroles that roar with hot gasses, bubbling pots of water and of mud—all speak to the activity of the area. Boardwalks are everywhere, and you are told (needlessly in my case!) not to step off of them! And Don tells me that, with 3 data points, the volcano has errupted every 600,000 years—and it's due again any time! Even better, there are domes that are growing measurably and Yellowstone Lake is tilting!   I remarked that geologists may know that, but I wouldn't stake my life on it—and then realized that by being there I was staking my life on it not happening! Knowing what might happen—sometime—is quite different from thinking it will happen—to me. Kind of like the end of the world.

Intellectually we know that the center of the earth is hot, explosive, moving and changing. But we don't really know it; can hardly think of our earth in that way. Here, you come face to face with the inhospitable power of the earth that lurks under the nurturing surfaces we call home. And you can't escape the fact that we have no ability to control this power. And God, who created it all, is more powerful yet.   "He is good, but not tame. (Lewis)

There are such highlights: Emerald Pool, Grand Prismatic Springs, the Dragon's Mouth, and the mud pit that I've always thought of as the gate to Hell. How bizarre to drive along the road and see steam rising from the grass—or a mud pot boiling away. Then there was the parking spot next to a metal drain—smoke seeping out of it…(Don chose another parking place!). It's all beyond imagination—it is other-worldly. It is too awesome to actually describe, but it is a visual experience everyone should have.

Then, there were the animals. As we entered the park last night, a small herd of elk—does and fawns—were settling into the green meadow by one of the hotels. They were watchful, but largely ignoring the many people (including me!) taking pictures.

Buffalo were to be our major animal experience. Driving down a less-prominent road, we realized that the few cars ahead of us had stopped. Why? Well a great bull buffalo was calmly walking down the middle of the road between the stopped cars! He was huge. You could hear the clops of his feet on the pavement like they were iron-shod! He was calmly looking back and forth at the cars and people. He came to our car—his head right beside mine (window down of course) and looked me straight in the eye. I was momentarily transfixed. As he passed, I regretted not taking a close-up of his giant head, but later I realized what a rare experience it was—looking into the eye of a buffalo and living to tell the tale! What a moment.

That buffalo was, on some level, engaged with the folks he was looking over. We joked that he was on the park payroll! But our other experiences with his kith and kin were quite different. We were fortunate enough to be caught in 2 "Buffalo Jams." We are rather blasé about bear jams, you know. A person sights a bear, stops his car, other cars stop, everyone takes pictures of the bear, who is wandering off up the mountain. You know the drill.

A buffalo jam is qualitatively different. First, these animals are about as large as most cars. In any contest between buffalo and a vehicle, the buffalo would be the (possibly dead) victor over the wrecked car! So when these guys decide to cross the road, or lie down upon the road and rest, everyone has no real option but to stop—and wait—and wait. They are simply going about their lives, totally ignoring the cars and picture-taking. They live here, and grazers though they be, they are pretty much at the top of the food chain. (This is "free range grazing" at its highest level!) As they finally wandered off the road, we all slowly started driving by, windows down, cameras clicking. They are not silent beasts. I could hear great gruntings and snortings and deep breathing. This was a neat way to observe the life of the buffalo: eat, chew cud, roll in dirt, bellow a bit, feed the calves, observe weird people looking at us again!

We saw deer. We passed a lake thick with geese, pelicans, and many kinds of duck. At our picnic, two beautiful little gray birds inspected us and our lunch. There were a number of ravens that kept watch over the tourists. We didn't see moose or grizzlies on this trip.

But at the end of the day, there was another wonderful animal sighting. It was a buck elk—his rack must have been 6 feet across—grazing, not too far from the road. I (who had been too tired to walk another step) quickly exited the car and followed others down onto the field. He was simply beautiful, and so large you would never mistake him for a deer. Amazing to see another large animal, simply grazing in the cool of the evening, absolutely unconcerned about the people (no one got very close at all). He was the most beautiful stag I'd ever dreamed of seeing—truly the king of the forest.

It was a most wonderful day!

Monday 8/18: New Territory

This has been a spectacular day! I believed that the best way to get to Yellowstone was to revisit The Black Hills, and I was right. But I had no idea what was between the two parks. I guess I imagined the usual old mountains. Nothing usual at all, but amazing!

We stayed Sunday night in the little town of Sheriden. Loved driving through it today. It is obviously a very old and prosperous little town. There were so many beautiful old-fashioned buildings. Their town is thriving, helped along by tourists, but not a tourist trap. It's just a charming old town.

Have I mentioned the sky? I had forgotten how blue and clear the sky can be. And the sun is so bright…so much brighter than at home. I now believe the Nova program on the dimming of the sun. The air is dry and fresh and cool. I wore long sleeves today and was very comfortable.

Yesterday, while describing the countryside, I forgot to mention all the now-grass-covered cinder-cones. We passed by one that had been excavated by the highway department, and it was a mass of red cinders. That explains why many of the roads we are driving on are red.

As we drove into the Big Horn Mountains, I was blown away by the largeness of the landscape. The sky is huge. The mountains and rolling hills are immense. The size of "our world" is so much larger than at home. In fact, in some strange way, the size of everything is somewhat seductive. Our earth is bigger than we know. One thing isn't large: the rivers are what we would call creeks!

As we drove through these magnificent mountains, in between were not valleys, but high plains of rolling, grassy hills. A lot of the hills are free range grazing, and we were warned that cattle might be on the road.

The roads are touted as being very busy. We were warned that cattle might be on the road, deer might be on the road, and one road warned that it was a Bear Usage Area. I half expected to see a bear in his vacation togs, perhaps carrying a camera. We never saw any of those animals on the road I hasten to add.

The day has added to our list of animal sightings. We saw Pica, Chipmunks, Marmots, Deer, Elk, Buffalo, and the ubiquitous cattle! We loved sighting the hawks. Sometimes they fly purposefully, probably hunting, all level flight looking like they are watching the ground. But sometimes they must fly simply for pleasure. They look like they are dancing in the air. Hawk dancing—a beautiful sight.

We drove a long distance on a very primitive road, and then walked for a couple of miles to see an Indian Medicine Wheel. This was a circle made of stones, all on the ground. In the middle was a stone cairn, which was made of stones enclosing a shallow pit. Radiating out from the center cairn were 28 spokes. Then there were 6 circular cairns on the outside. The whole thing had been fenced with wooden posts and wire. Hanging from the wire were numberless offerings that had been left. Many Indians consider this a spiritual place and they come for observances and to leave offerings. There was everything from bandanas and ribbons to horsehair, medicine pouches, dried corn, and even in one place several Buddhist prayer flags. They believe this wheel was built in 1200 AD. I found it interesting that in yet another culture stone circles were considered sacred or powerful. The trail up to this wheel (which was about as high in the mountains as you can go) was bordered on both sides by many wildflowers, bushes, and trees. What a beautiful rock garden nature can design. As we were descending, we heard some very large animal in the valley bellowing and bellowing. I don't know exactly what this large (and I believe male) animal was telling the world, but he was quite determined about it!

Then there was the drive down all these mountains. Miles of 10% grade and sharp curves, it was a drive in 2nd gear, with our speed held at about 45 or 50. Don called it a roller coaster, and we now have steeper roads than we remember from the Lake District in England. In fact, we had several of those descents throughout the day. Fortunately, neither of us is really scared by these kinds of roads, but we did pay attention to our driving!

Driving through western Wyoming wasn't anything very special. It was agriculture: potatoes, some corn, wheat.

From Cody we went up the Chief Joseph Byway to Dead Indian Pass and into a incredible valley know as Sunshine Basin because only the sunshine can get into this area with ease. Deep canyons, soaring mountains, and broad plateaus were a feast for the mind and the eye. Then along the Beartooth Plateau up to over 9000 feet and large alpine meadows. Finally into Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance sometime after 6.

What a spectacular day. Don is the best travel agent ever!

Crazy Horse

I've been asked about the Crazy Horse Memorial.

First, a little background. You really cannot travel through these states without an increased awareness of the Lakota Indians. Like all Indians, they were totally mistreated and cheated by the U.S. of A. Crazy Horse was one of the last big chiefs, and he was murdered by a drunken soldier while he was standing in a U.S. fort. The drunk stabbed him.

This land is considered sacred to the Lakota. In the memorial I remember a quote from one of the chiefs that goes something like this: They made many promises. I do not even remember how many promises they made to us. They only kept one—their promise to take our land.

The Indians decided years ago (1949) to carve out a memorial like unto Mt. Rushmore. They chose Crazy Horse as their model. the carving is taking place on granite that has a more reddish cast. It's a huge cliff, visible from the visitor's center. The head is largely finished I believe. He will be sitting on a horse, the upper portion of which will be carved in such a way as to be rising from the rock. The horse's head is now outlined, but not carved. Crazy Horse is looking out over the plain, with one arm extended and finger pointing. They are beginning to carve under the arm now.

It has taken so long primarily because of the need for money. It was conceived as a private venture and doesn't receive funds from the government. Also, even with funding, it just takes a long time for something this massive to be completed.

I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, but everyone should see it at least once. If I could figure out how to post a picture, I'd do so.

The Black Hills

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play.

We have spent the day on that range! Saw all of the above animal, plus all the cute Prairie Dogs. Apparently the buffalo were roaming far afield because we only saw one of them. We've seen many deer, including 2 does with their babies, and a family of Mountain Goats, baby included, lots of antelope and numberless Prairie Dogs. I think my favorites are the wild burros, who are really quite eager to eat out of your hand! I want to bring one home as a pet!

Before I say another word about the Black Hills, you could easily spend a full week enjoying all the different experiences—and we did that in 1999. This time, we were just passing through and checking out a couple of our favorites. Of course, we saw Mt. Rushmore. (I was trying to add a picture to this blog, but can't get it to load.) We drove through the Custer State Park Wildlife Refuge. The guide booklet, and at least three signs, warned us that buffalo are dangerous and we should not approach them. I cannot fathom anyone being brash enough to approach one of those huge beasts! (Well, maybe the same guy I once saw approaching a Grizzly Bear in the Canadian Rockies!) Anyway, it's a beautiful drive. Then we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is fantastic and we could see a little more has been accomplished since 1999. Since they started it in 1949, we don't expect it to be finished in our lifetime. It is wonderful, however.

Then we drove to Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming. You will remember it from "Close Encounters." It is really a stunning site to behold.

We spent the afternoon driving through eastern Wyoming. The landscape is comprised of large angular hills, mostly covered with grass (golden this time of year). They stretch out forever. Occasionally you will see trees, mostly around old farms, but the effect is just velvet covered hills.

We ran on to 2 signs we enjoyed today: Jumpy Monkey Coffee and First National Pawn Shop.

It's been a great day. Tomorrow we pass through the rest of Wyoming and into Montana (and Yellowstone).

The Black Hills

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play.

We have spent the day on that range! Saw all of the above animal, plus all the cute Prairie Dogs. Apparently the buffalo were roaming far afield because we only saw one of them. We've seen many deer, including 2 does with their babies, and a family of Mountain Goats, baby included, lots of antelope and numberless Prairie Dogs. I think my favorites are the wild burros, who are really quite eager to eat out of your hand! I want to bring one home as a pet!

Before I say another word about the Black Hills, you could easily spend a full week enjoying all the different experiences—and we did that in 1999. This time, we were just passing through and checking out a couple of our favorites. Of course, we saw Mt. Rushmore.  We drove through the Custer State Park Wildlife Refuge. The guide booklet, and at least three signs, warned us that buffalo are dangerous and we should not approach them. I cannot fathom anyone being brash enough to approach one of those huge beasts! (Well, maybe the same guy I once saw approaching a Grizzly Bear in the Canadian Rockies!) Anyway, it's a beautiful drive. Then we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is fantastic and we could see a little more has been accomplished since 1999. Since they started it in 1949, we don't expect it to be finished in our lifetime. It is wonderful, however.

Then we drove to Devils Tower in eastern Wyoming. You will remember it from "Close Encounters." It is really a stunning site to behold.

We spent the afternoon driving through eastern Wyoming. The landscape is comprised of large angular hills, mostly covered with grass (golden this time of year). They stretch out forever. Occasionally you will see trees, mostly around old farms, but the effect is just velvet covered hills.

We ran on to 2 signs we enjoyed today: Jumpy Monkey Coffee and First National Pawn Shop.

It's been a great day. Tomorrow we pass through the rest of Wyoming and into Montana (and Yellowstone).

We're Getting There

We took off from Iowa about 8:30 this morning. Have I said that Iowa is a wide state?

The Interstate System is truly a wonderful national resource! On Friday we traveled about 630 miles. Had we been in one of those covered wagons, it would have taken a couple of months to get that far. Love the Interstates! On the other hand, using the Interstate is like racing through the back alleyways of the area. On the blue roads, you see more of the human aspect . You get to see the homes and small towns, and sometimes even the people. Today we did a little of both.

We passed through an area where wind turbines were being installed. You know they are large, but you can hardly believe how large until you see them in pieces on the ground. Then we saw a Semi hauling ONE of the blades. His cargo area was about twice as long as the normal Semi. We're glad to see a Utility deciding to use wind power, and it makes great sense on the windy plains.

You never know what you'll see on these smaller roads. Imagine our surprise to see 4 life size gorillas along the fence line! Their presence was soon explained when we saw the Garden Statuary store. It was for sale, and we needed no explanation for that! Anyone want a life size concrete gorilla? A bit further down the road, a huge "bust" of a steer showed up. He really looked more like a shrine than a mere character in what was billed as a sculpture garden. He cast a brooding glare over the hillside and one could almost imagine people bearing offerings to lay at the base.

But the prize for weirdness goes to a particular RV! The engine of the affair was a full sized Peterbilt truck cab. It's chassis had been extended at least as long as a normal semi trailer, and the cab opened in the full RV built on the back. Don called it a "split level", and he was right. The front was one story, the back at least a story and a half. But the sight didn't stop there. Any self-respecting RV driver trailers a vehicle behind, and our boy was no exception. He was pulling a full size Hummer. But there's more. On a rack on the back of the hummer, rode 4 bicycles. What a caravan they were! I could only think that the only thing they left at home was the swimming pool.

We began seeing more animal life. Once we paused on the road for a family of wild turkeys to cross over: two adults and 4 or 5 turkey chicks. Turkeys in the wild are totally different than on the table! The hens were rather aggressive looking as they led the brood across the road. By the time we got into South Dakota, there was more and more pasture land. We began to see horses in the paddocks and more cattle in the fields. In one place was a big herd of "domesticated" buffalo.

The fields are changing. Still lots of corn. (I understand "amber waves of grain" in a whole new way!) Fewer soybean fields, but soy is still a big deal here. We passed a huge nitrogen distillery for the processing of soybean plans. There were several trucks turning into the driveway.

In the afternoon we saw our first field of Sunflowers. How beautiful they were, bright faces turned to the sun. As we passed, we could even smell their slightly acrid fragrance. Sunflowers are another big crop here in S. Dakota.

We entered a hilly region that leads to the Badlands. In one place there was a homestead preserved (not rebuilt). There we saw the fabled sod hut—not a house I want to live in. This particular family had later added onto it, with the back built into the hill, but with a wooden front. It was interesting, as was the prairie dog village that had grown up around it.

Finally, we made it to the Badlands. They are spectacular. We have pictures. The erosion has created beautiful peaks and cliffs and valleys (reminiscent of the wadis that Elizabeth Peters describes in her books.

And from the sublime to the silly, we ate dinner in the famous "Wall Drug", a sight not to be missed around here. Then on to Rapid City and Bed! We were really tired, and ours eyes filled with new sights!

The First Day Is the Longest

Yesterday the journey finally began! It seemed almost odd to be backing out of the driveway at last. We committed to this trip in July 07, and we've been planning it since last winter. So here we go!

Yesterday was a long day. We drove from Knoxville to Des Moines, Iowa, about 860 miles, in about 14 hours. This was our "escape day"—we left the Southeast behind and are now well on our way to the upper Midwest.

One of the joys of driving is to watch the landscape change. We didn't notice much until we were well into Kentucky. Then the sky began to enlarge. Gradually the land began to flatten out and the horizon receded farther and farther away.

There are oddities in the interstate system. We drove out of Kentucky, into Indiana, into Ohio, and back into Indiana. Yes, that was the direct route!

Indiana is quite a farm state. The landscape was flatter and almost without pause, on either side of the road, there were corn fields, interrupted by soy beans. The corn was quite beautiful! Each tall green stalk was tasseled out in a golden brown. In the soy bean fields there were solitary stalks of corn, not very tall, not tasseled, but proclaiming that these farmers do indeed rotate their crops. You can tell from all this detail that there wasn't a lot to look at!

On to Illinois. We noticed that we were entering what would have been the prairie. Low rolling hills stretched out in all directions around us and for as far as we could see. These are not the rolling hills of Tennessee, but lower and larger. Again, we were surrounded by fields of corn, with occasional soy bean fields. We saw enough corn to surely field or fuel the world! Here and there would be small groves of trees, often sheltering a house. Silos and water towers became a more important part of the horizon. If you closed your eyes and imagined away all the farms and substituted the tall prairie grasses, you would be engulfed and surrounded; like being at sea. I understood why the western pioneers called their wagons prairie schooners!

Surely if your ambition was to grow corn, this is the place to do it.

We stopped and ate in Bloomington, hope of State Farm Insurance, where Dad has done some training. Vast campus, huge office cubes, impressive parking garages—about 5 million square feet, according to Dad.

In Illinois, the sky is huge and the horizon far away. There was a long and most beautiful sunset, filling the sky for miles and miles, lasting even longer as we were driving west.

Not many RVs on the road. We only saw 9 all day.

We rolled into Des Moines, tired but feeling accomplished. I had intended to post this, but didn't have the password and was too tired to get it.

I'm writing this in the car, as we continue to traverse Iowa. Iowa is a very wide state! Since I'm writing in the car, I absolve myself of all errors and bad edits!

I sign off now, still in Iowa, and facing a big yellow water tower with a big smiley face painted on it! We're having fun and smiling too.

The Day Before

Wow! I can't believe that we will actually be leaving early in the morning! We've planned this trip for such a long time, and we've worked really hard this past week to get ready, but it still seems a little unreal!

We both worked and worked last night on the actual packing. I guess it's about half done. That's not too bad, because a lot of my packing has to be done the night before! Grady goes to the kennel this afternoon. The mail is stopped and post card stamps and labels are ready, the paper is stopped, house cleaning is stopped. What could we be forgetting?

We are supposed to get our new internet host this very day. They are cutting it close. I'll feel better when that is completed and I know we'll have email and internet connections. I do have to keep up with clients this time of year, as fall scheduling is beginning. And I want to keep up with you all too!

I'm bemused by the electronic luggage. In the past, I've traveled with my phone and charger. For this trip I have the digital camera and charger and connection wires, the computer and charger, and of course, the phone and charger. Some would say that an I-phone could have simplified things, and they would probably be right. Some would also say that we ought to leave it all behind and just get totally away. They may be right also, but when you own the business you just can't leave everything behind for three weeks—especially at a busy time of year.

We're at work today, finishing up everything—hopefully. I confess that my mind is already on the packing to be done tonight, and the road ahead.

Are We Excited Yet?

We've just finished our last weekend at home before the big journey. Leaving home for three weeks requires a lot of planning and a lot of prep work. There are weeds to be destroyed, laundry to be done, food to be planned to last just through Thursday night, bills to pay, food and drink to fill the basket and cooler purchased, magazines to find, books to select, a van to be prepared and packed, etc. etc. etc.

The van is in the garage where it can be easily accessed. We're to the point of loading it---very gradually. It's not too early to stuff the magazines behind the passenger seat. Three "Os" and a number of "New Yorkers" have been saved for our reading pleasure. I like to peruse magazines when on the boring interstate highways, and I often read aloud good articles from the NYs. The books we are selecting and packing will be saved for nights in the hotel rooms.

Our vacation clothes are ready to go---this week we're wearing stuff we won't take with us. We've hung our jackets in the van, both light weight and heavier. It seems strange to be packing coats when it is so hot, but I well remember snow in Yellowstone one August, and we are going into pretty high altitudes. Better to have them and not need them than to freeze! Umbrellas are in place, as is our phone charger. We even have an extension cord rigged up in case we need some electric power. Let's face it: When two adults travel in a Honda Odyssey they don't tend to travel light!

Don has made a "drinks" run. Cokes are easy, but orange soda, Jones Creme Soda, and small bottles of water had to be found. I know, bottles of water are a terrible waste of plastic and they will live in landfills forever, but just one more time, I'm going for convenience. In view of the heinous reputation of plastic, I'm wondering why you can't buy plastic credit like carbon credits!

I think we are actually beginning to feel some excitement over this adventure that has been in the planning stages for so long! It will be great to actually back out of the driveway on Friday!

Getting Ready

We are finally into serious preparation for the journey. Don has prepared a great notebook with an itinerary, maps, hotel reservations, sights to see along the way. I love being married to a travel agent. Last spring we talked about what we wanted to see, and Voila! We now have a complete plan to follow! (And I didn't have to do any of the work.)

Stacks of things are appearing on beds and tables as we confront all the things that we might want to take, the things that we really want to take, and the things that we really need! Then there are the questions about how to pack in order to avoid carrying lots of stuff into the hotel every night. I will have a computer bag, my carry-on, and one suitcase. I like to taunt Don about this, because on all our European adventures he has had far more luggage than me. I discount the fact that he has been carrying teaching supplies on those trips. I prefer to feel superior.

We have both been working on clothing plans. 21 days means a lot of clothes, unless you want to visit a laundry, and we don't! And then, while we'll be leaving from and returning to hot summer weather, our destinations could be pretty chilly. So there are jacket and rain gear questions as well as lift-off and re-entery clothes. I've fallen back on the old trick of black pants, black shoes, and tops that go with them. That simplifies life so much. And I have this wonderful old rain coat with a zip out lining that I've been traveling with for about 24 years now. I pray that it will never wear out!

I asked Don is he thought we could actually spend three weeks together in one van and a succession of shared hotel rooms! We remain optimistic. And there is the old saw, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I think we'll get excited on the 15th. Right now we're working too hard to be excited!

Vacation Coming!

We are two tired people! But we are beginning to actually believe that this trip will take place.

Don just sent his newest book to the printer: a huge goal realized. He is preparing for our corporate board meeting in Victoria, British Columbia.

Fran is finished proofreading! Yea. Now she is dealing with contracts, retirement administration paperwork, banking, clients, customers, book distributor situations, etc. Leaving a clean and organized desk is the final goal here at the office.

And then there is trip prep. The cat has his reservation, postcard address labels are being created. We still have to stop mail and paper. There is remaining yard work that must be done before we leave. And the organization and packing of clothes for 3 weeks is no small matter.

I hope I can be blog-literate enough to share a few pictures and a record of our adventure. I also hope that you will enjoy reading it from time to time.