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8-31-12 ( The Aftermath of the Retirement Party)

We spent the day unpacking the truck and camper.  It was hot and the first time we have been dripping wet from humidity in months.  And don't get me started about them dang Love Bugs.  I wonder why they are not called Hate Bugs, (oh yeah, I know).

My first priortiy of the day was a haircut.  Lukily, Audry had an available appointment today.  When I got to the intersection of Crossroads there were about 20 cars at the intersection coming from Picayune.  This is not the Crossroads of pre Katrina.  If the hurricanes stay this frequent, the population will keep growing from people leaving the coast.  Crossroads will be a big city before long.

I thought there was a gas leak in Bogalusa today, then I realized that I was smelling the Mill.  It don't take long to remember that smell.

Ferny has loved the big house today.  We went started unloading, she got on Lauren's desk and sprawled out and slept for hours.  We came in for lunch and disturbed her, so she went in the closet and slept.  She woke up around 4 pm for her evening treat.  I guess she is as tired as we are.  Not to mention, she likes her alone time.

We have heat, humidity, love bugs, a stinky mill, and an increase in population since Katrina.  I refused to move to Alaska where it was cool, fresh air, beautiful scenery, and mosquitos.  I must be insane.

8-30-12 (Day 91- HOME)

Home Sweet Home

We watched the weather again this morning.  We decided it was time for the horse to find the barn.  We thought we would skirt around the remnants of Isaac and miss most of the weather and traffic.

We were about 10 miles North of Shreveport when it started raining.  It was a light rain, not a big deal.  We made it to Alexandria and it was still light rain and not a big deal.

We got out of the rain, and saw a big, black cloud.  This was not rain, it was Love Bugs.  I forgot how much they mess up the windshield and stink.

I 10 through Lafayette must be the worst Interstate from here to Alaska.  Ferny put both paws on Lauren's arm in an attempt to stop bouncing.  Finally, the road got better.

We saw plenty of insurance vehicles, power trucks, and FEMA vehicles heading north and south.

We took one of the first exits in Baton Rouge to buy gas.  They were not selling gas.  There were no signs or news broadcast to warn of this.

We took another exit as we were leaving Baton Rouge and bought gas.  Easy on and easy off.  The hard part of this exit was the extra 20 cents a gallon price we had to pay.

We were about 8 miles from Covington when we got in a traffic jam and several rain showers, (actually down pours).  After 25 minutes, we were glad to get to 190 and see the traffic was moving.

We were suprised that Covington and Bogalusa had a lot of trees down and a lot of water on the roadway.

We expected the worse when we got home. Luckily we were wrong,  everything was fine when we got home. 

Our good friend showed up shortly after we got home with cashews.  We had a great visit.  He knows that I love cashews. 

We drove 423 miles today. The total mileage of this 13 week trip was 14,488 miles. We have 5,397 pictures of our retirement party.

Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/QfGEW61FKsQ4aE1T7

8-29-12 (Day 90 - Still Dodging Isaac)

We woke up this morning wanting to go home. The want to did not happen today.  After watching the Weather Channel and seeing that Isaac is stalling, we decided to stay around Gladewater, Texas.

We did move 5 miles to Shallow Creek Resort.  This campground is definitely worthy of the resort name. 

We went to Walmart and stocked up in the hopes that we can go home tomorrow.

We returned to our RV Resort and found out that there was another camper here from Mississippi.  Actually, this camper is from Stone County.  Lauren went out on a quest  to find who was here.  It was a couple from Wiggins.  He was the manager of Pine Burr Country Club a few years ago when we were members there.  They are also trying to get home.  As I said before, It is  "A Small World."

I don't know how many times I have heard Lauren say, "We should have stayed in Alaska."  Considering Isaac, and this heat and humidity, I finally agree with him.  But I also have heard Lauren say that he is like a horse that sees the barn and is ready to go home.  All he can see is the barn.

We ate Frito Pies tonight.  I remember the first time I ate a Frito Pie.  Evelyn took us to Pine Malt Stand and she ordered all of us, (there were a bunch of us in the car), a Frito Pie.  I thought this was the best food that I  ever ate.  I have tried to mimic this since then, I have never had a Frito Pie that taste that good.

The yard fairy mystery has been solved.  We know who you are.  Many thanks.!!!

8-28-12 (Day 89 - Dodging Isaac)

Eufaula Lake

We woke up this morning, walked around the campground, and before we knew it, we had walked over a mile.  We watched the weather channel and realized that there is no way to head home and get out of the path of Isaac.

We decided to head south 224 miles.  We are not out of Isaac's path but neither is our home.  We will try to head closer to home tomorrow.

Lauren and Ferny tried to ge me to stay in Alaska.  I could be in Alaska, fighting mosquittos, with weather that is  nice and cool without a  hurricane.  Maybe we should go back.

8-27-12 (Day 88 - Checotah, Oklahoma)

We were not in a hurry to get home today but somehow traveled 483 miles across  I 40.  All three of us were somewhat content until about the last 40 minutes of riding today. When Ferny Kat starts pacing in the truck, it is time to shut it down.

It has been a lot of fun not really caring if we were home or not for the last few months, then all the sudden Issac is heading toward the house.  I have mixed feelings.  I want to not care and stay away but I also have the care that I wish I were home to make sure everything is okay if, (or when,) the storm hits.

We loved being carefree for the last 88 plus days.  I hate that Isaac has made us face reality.  We have been considering selling out and going full time in the RV.  That is looking better and better at the moment.

We are staying at Terra Starr RV Park.  We have enjoyed sitting outside in the shade with a nice breeze and eating fried halibut.  At the rate we are going we will need to go back to Alaska before fall to catch some more halibut.

Campground Storm Shelter (need to bring this to the Land Mass between Mobile and New Orleans)

8-26-12 (Day 87 - Tucumcari, New Mexico)

We drove about 400 miles across I 40 today.  We had a pretty day with no rain.  The temperatures for most of the day were around 80 degrees.

We are staying at Kiva AOK RV Park.  We got excellent service when we arrived.  We were met by two differren people that assissted us to our campsite.  We never had to get out of the truck to walk in an office to register.  We have a big yard with a lot of shade, and it is quiet.

Ferny knows a good campsite when she sees one.  She was impatiently waiting for us to come get her out of the camper. She slept most of the day and was ready for some green grass, shade, and fresh air.

Before we left on this trip, I stocked up on peas.  Yes, peas.  I remembered last year in Taos, NM  craving peas and I could not find any.  Before we left, I gathered all the cans of peas in our cabinets.  I left home with 11 cans. 

We had spaghetti, corn bread fritters, and peas tonight.  I am down to 2 can of peas.  My supply is dwindling down after 12 weeks.

We are about 1085 miles from home,  We are watching Hurricane Issac and dragging our feet heading to Mississippi.  This is the first hurricane in a long time that I am not working.  I have to say it is a nice feeling not to have to work during or after a hurricane.

 

Day 86 (8-25-12 - Sun Valley, Az.)

We had a nice ride for 395 miles today, at least for the most part.   It was a much enjoyable ride through Vegas today than a few days ago when it was raining.  We actually got to see the scenery.

When we were around Flagstaff, Az. we got in a couple of thunderstorms.  I noticed  the temperature dropped from 94 degrees to 57 degrees when we got under the clouds.  Then the lightening started flashing and we were in torrential rain with hail.  Now, I know why the temperature dropped, its called ice.  Luckily, it was not long until we drove out of the thunderstorm and had pretty weather.

We are staying at Root 66 RV Park.  We have been outside for about 3 hours talking with our full timer camping neighbors. 

Full timing is looking better and better.

Day 85 (8-24-12 - Pahrump, Nv.)

We woke up this morning and thought about going back to Death Valley.  There is so much more to see.  Then. we thought,  not going to happen this trip.  We are tired and need to rest today.

We went out for lunch and had the oil changed in the truck.  We have been gone 12 weeks and a day.  As bad as we hate to it say is time to go back to Mississippi, "It is time." 

We will start home tomorrow.

Day 84 (8-23-12 - Death Valley)

Badwater Basin (282 ft. below sea level)

We have another check off of our bucket list today.  We rode 211 miles today round trip to Death Valley National Park.  We were pleasantly suprised at the beauty of this park.

Lauren has been wanting to go to Death Valley since we were in the area last year.  I had no desire to go to a dry, dead looking, desert.  I had no clue of what I was missing.  I never knew a desert would have this many different hues of colors in the landscape.

We were in elevation changes ranging from 282 feet below sea level to 5475 feet above sea level.  We entered the park on Highway 178 in California.  I thought the scenery was pretty good until we got close to the Badwater Basin.  It was not just pretty anymore, it was gorgeous. 

At Badwater Basin we were 282 feet below sea level.  This is the lowest elevation in the U.S.  We continued on our journey and rode through the scenic side roads and stopped at all the must see scenery in the Furnace Creek Area. 

Some of the most impressive areas were Badwater Basin, Natural Bridge, Devil's Golf Course, Artists Pallette, Harmony Borax Works Interpretive Trail, Zabriskie Point, 20 Mule Team Canyon, and Dante's View.

We stopped near the Visitor' Center and ate lunch.  This was our first picnic in a Date Grove.  It was like being in Hawaii under the palm trees, except there were no tropical winds and no Pacific Ocean nearby. 

Our last stop was Dante's View.  Not only did we go up in elevation but the temperature decreased 15 degrees.  We had a breathtaking view of Death Valley overlooking the road and the places that we had just visited.  I am still amazed that  a desert can be this pretty. We exited the park on Highway 190 and headed back to Nevada.

One thing that I have learned about traveling in the USA, It is definitely, "America, The Beautiful."

Dante's View (5475 ft. Above Sea Level)

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/ifUgpG4jXxoVZGxh6

Day 83 (8-22-12 - Pahrump, Nevada)

Co Pilot

We traveled 193 miles in 3 states, (Utah, Arizona, & Nevada), to get to Pahrump, Nevada.  We are staying at Lakeside Casino and Resort.  It is a beautiful campground.  We have a campsite on the 7 acre lake.  We can gamble, swim, get in a hot tub, paddle a boat, fish, or just sit around and look at the pretty scenery.  I bet we spend most of our time looking at the scenery.

It was raining when we left Hurricane, Utah this morning.  It rained most of the night.  We finally drove out of the rain after about an hour.  Then we heard the emergency alert message on the radio.  There were flood warnings in Las Vegas.  Yes, it is desert and that was just where we were heading.  By the time we got to Vegas, it was flooding.  It is  not a lot of fun riding through Vegas in all the traffic, flooding rain,  and pulling a travel trailer. Just ask Lauren, he will concur.

I fixed a bite to eat after we arrived.  The ducks came from everywhere trying to get a handout.  I got Ferny out of the camper expecting her to run them off.  She was not interested in them and went back inside.  She is so Sheltered.

We were wore out from yesterday and spent the day lazing around today.  We decided to go to the casino tonight.  Let me tell you up front, this is not the Gulf Coast Casino's.  The Campground is a lot more impressive than the casino

We are at what was called Terribles Lakeside Casino. They have dropped Terribles from the name. It is now, Lakeside Casino. It is a fantastic campground, or as they call it a RV Resort. This campground puts Hollywood Campground to shame, But Hollyhood Casino puts this casino to shame.

We were rewarded for our walk to the casino tonight with a hat, a mouse pad, 2 luggage bags, and 2 fannie packs. (I can't wait to see Lauren wear his - Ha Ha).  We had fun on the video poker machines.

We are planning to head to Death Valley tomorrow.  I hope the unusual cool temperatures will stay with us.  You can bet that I will have plenty of water on board for the trip.

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/QXqpscbGLzbVQGYA6

Day 82 (8-21-12 - The Narrows)

I have been wanting to hike The Narrows since our visit here last June.  We came to Zion National Park, we were riding the Harley. We took the shuttle from the visitor's center.  We got off at most of the shuttle stops.  The last stop was the Temple of Sinawava.  We got off the bus and walked for over a mile down the Riverside Walk.  It was a great walk along the Virgin River.  We got to the end of the trail and decided we were not prepared to walk any further.  Walking further required that we walk in the river.  We had on jeans and riding boots.  We decided to come back and do this another day.

We had a great trip to Alaska this year.  On the way back, I mentioned to Lauren that I wanted to hike The Narrows on the way home.  Lauren thought this was a good detour on the way home.  We headed here from Seattle.

We got a great deal on a campsite at St. George RV Resort.  We have full hookups cheaper than we had no hookups in Canada.  Not to mention, we have a pool and a hot tub.  Everything fell into place, we thought this must have been a good decision.  Then, we had flood watches and warnings.  I talked to a park ranger a couple of days ago and was told that if you are in the wrong place in the canyon and have a flash flood, you are "Toast."  That put a halt in the plans to hike in a slot canyon.

After a couple of days, of wanting to hike The Narrows and wondering if it was the right thing to do.  We decided it is either now, or never, (or next year).  We took off this morning with our back packs loaded with water, extra clothes, and food.  If we happened to be in a flash flood in this canyon today, we could have survived at least a couple of days, (as long we were not in the toast area).

We took the Shuttle, hiked a little over a mile on ther Riverside Walk and were in the water by 9 a.m.  It was exhilarating.  We had to wade in muddy, shallow, deep, unsteady undertow. and every now and then we had a sandbar on the side of the river.  We did all this while looking up at the gorgeous canyon walls and the blue skies.  

We were glad that we invested in walking sticks yesterday for this hike. There were so many times that I almost slipped and fell in the water. Several times I bobbed back and forth about 8 or 10 times before I got my balance. I bet if someone video taped me, I would have looked like a bobber in the water.

We zig zaged back and forth across the river. Sometimes we had a bank to walk on, sometimes not. I was in waist deep water a time or two. When the water got really swift, it was all I could do wade against the current.

We walked 8 miles today (4.7 miles in the Virgin River) and 47 flights of stairs.  Our hike in The Narrows is minor.  There are a lot of people that hike from the top of The Narrows down.  This is a 16 mile hike that requires a permit. We are so proud that we hiked our little part of The Narrows and did not twist an ankle or fall in the water. 

Once we got back to Riverside Walk we ate our  peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  It don't get any better than this.

Walking in the cool water looking at the gorgeous canyon and the beautiful blue skies is an amazing experience. I am so glad that we took the time on the way home to do this hike. I have another check to check off of my bucket list.

Pictures  https://goo.gl/photos/ZXryR4ku3u3VLiPf9

Day 81 (8-20-12 - Spent the day exploring Zion NP)

Mother Nature changed our mind about hiking The Narrows today.  There were floods in the area yesterday evening, we had rain off and on last night, and the forecast for today was a flood watch by noon.   We decided  this might not be a good day to be hiking in the bottom of a slot canyon.


We went to St. George, Utah so I could get my monthly weigh in with Weight Watchers.  I love being a loser!  The receptionist at WW had hiked The Narrows from the top down.  She confirmed that we had made a wise decision not to hike at the bottom of the canyon with the weather forecast. 

While we waited for our truck tires to get rotated, we ate breakfast at IHOP.  Lauren told me that I probably gained the two pounds that I lost last month after seeing me eat so much.  He is probably right.  Hopefully, we will hike The Narrows tomorrow to burn off some of these calories.

We decided to see the parts of Zion National Park that we have never visited.  We took a 20 mile ride north on I 15 to Kolob Canyon Drive. It was a very pretty 5 mile drive.

We went to Virgin, Utah and drove 20 miles on the Kolob Terrace Drive.  Another pretty ride.  We went in and out of Zion National Park numerous times.  We had pretty red roads, (that are the trademark of Zion NP), cattle guards, rough paved roads,  and rough gravel roads.  The Kolob Reservoir was very pretty.  We thought we would ride the road around the reservoir.  After many bumps and mudholes, we turned around.  Lauren was having a ball and I could tell he was wanting to put the truck in 4 wheel drive.  He turned around when he found out that the road was flooded in two different places. The elevation changed the temperature from 94 to 70 degrees.

When we got back, Fernie had had enough of being an indoors cat.  She insisted that she was coming outside.  She enjoyed the little bit of grass  in our campsite and is quite a bird watcher..   

We had some more of that Alaska Halibut again tonight.  Dang!! that fish is GOOD.

Pictures    https://goo.gl/photos/rjkSh8n5muj5aacbA

Day 80 (8-19-12 - Resting Up at Hurricane, Utah)

Looks like my 1997 Firebird Covertible

We had a laze around kind of day.  We rode about a half mile from the campground to Quail Creek State Park.  There were plenty of people enjoying the day boating and swimming on the beautiful blue lake surronded by red rock hills.

We drove to Zion National Park Visitor's Center to get information on the hike to The Narrows. We walked the Riverside Walk last year but did not go into The Narrows. We plan to  continue at the end of the Riverside Walk, wade through water, and hike in the gorgeous canyon tomorrow. 

Unfortunately, Zion National Park has a thunderstorm sitting over it right now and this  causes flooding in the canyon.  Hopefully, the flooding will clear by morning and we will be able to hike in the narrows.

Our Camp Yard Art

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/9Fu9JsoKGRe87Hby8

Day79 (8-18-12 - Hurricane, Utah)

Too Hot

We traveled 335 miles south on I 15 to Hurricane, Utah.  It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get through Salt Lake City and it's suburbs.  It was a good thing it was a weekend on the busy 4-5 lane interstate.

After getting out of the Salt Lake City area, the scenery got a lot better.  Lauren drove for 7 hours to St. George RV Resort.  We saw our first triple digit temperatures this year.

This is the first time in a long time that we stayed a campground with a swimming pool and a hot tub.  I don't think we will want the hot tub, but the swimming pool has already been put to good use. 

We plan to stay in this area for 3 days and visit Zion National Parks, one of our favorite national parks.

Let's go back to Alaska

Pictures https://goo.gl/photos/YzFkxmXj73tF9FS26

Day 78 (8-17-12 - Brigham City, Utah)

1 last glimpse of Yellowstone

It took us an hour and 20 minutes to travel 48 miles this morning to West Yellowstone.  There was one car after another heading into Yellowstone NP at 10 a.m. this morning.  I can't imagine how busy it will be this weekend.

We had a really nice drive today traveling through 4 states: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah. 

We are at Brigham City, Utah after traveling 309 miles.  We are staying at Golden Spike RV Park.  We have all the amenities of home except a big yard.  We will only be here one night, so it is not a problem.

We plan to travel toward Zion National Park tomorrow.

Smoky Mts

Pics  https://goo.gl/photos/qKHDnVmcForKvxkq8

Day 77 (8-16-12 - Another day of Tourism at Yellowstone)

There was nothing hot about Mammoth Hot Springs last night.  We all huddled together to stay warm.  Fernie got under the covers and layed on Lauren trying to stay warm.

The sun was shining and it warmed up quickly.  We had a beautiful day with the temperatures in the 70's.  We are going to miss this wonderful weather when we head further South starting tomorrow.

We enjoyed our walk at the Norris Geyser Basin.  We stopped at Gibbon River and had lunch.

We went to Old Faithful three years ago and decided that we wanted to go back.  There was so much traffic today, that we never found a parking spot.  We decided we had already been there and done that and left.  We are spoiled and easily tire around a bunch of tourist.

We took a ride through Firehole Canyon.  It was beautiful, but again there was too much traffic and people for us.

We enjoyed the views of Gibbon Falls on the way back to camp. 

After we got back, we hiked to the Gardiner River across from the campground.  The trail was strenously up the hill and harzardous down the slippery rocky trail.  We are relieved that we  made it to the river and back without injury.

We have enjoyed our 2nd visit to Yellowstone.  The views, the geysers, the waterfalls, and the wildlife are what makes this place special to us.

The fitbit count for today is 5 miles and 49 flights of stairs.

We grilled sausage on the fire pit tonight.  This will probably be our last campfire this summer.

We hear the Lawn Fairy has struck again.  Thanks again, Lawn Fairy!!

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/Xd8cxMoJSBjwtaL97

Day 76 (8-15-12 - Another Day at Yellowstone)

We woke up to the sound of elk this morning.  We looked outside and a herd of elk were walking around at our campsite.  It was a good thing they came by and woke us up at 8:00 a.m.

We cooked a nice breakfast and went to Mammoth Hot Springs and walked on the boardwalk around the springs. Walking on the board walk over the hot springs on this cool morning was nice.

We took a ride to the  Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone NP to Cooke City.  We saw herds of buffalo in Lamar Valley.  They were everywhere. We stopped several times to wait for buffalo to get out of the road.

We ate a picnic lunch at Soda Butte Creek on the way back to Mammoth Hot Springs.  We stopped at Wraith Falls and Undine Falls.  Undine Falls was much more impressive than Wraith Falls.  

The weather was nice today with the temperatures in the 70's.  It was a gorgeous day to see the pretty sights of Yellowstone, then the temperatures dropped.

We came back and waited for the wind to die down before we built a fire.  It finally died down, but was still blowing cold wind when we built a fire.  We cooked potatoes and steaks on the fire pit.  it was so cold that we pulled out our heavy, rain proof, wind proof, hooded jackets.

Tonight, Lauren finally told me how glad he is that he has his heavy jacket.  When we were packing to leave on this trip in May, I insisted that we bring our windproof, waterpoof, camouflage jackets. Lauren assured me that they would not be needed.

By the way, we were cold with the campfire and the jackets.  We were glad when the food was done and we could go inside.

When we were in Alaska, we wore these jackets almost every day.  Every time we turned around, a man was holllering, "I can't see you. "  It went right over my head. After a few times of hearing this, I asked Lauren, "Why is he always hollering this at us?"  Lauren explained that it was because we were in camouflage.  I think he needs to get a life.

We have traveled every entrance of Yellowstone NP and love each and every one.  We consider our time in Yellowstone NP as being on a different planet.

Pictures  https://goo.gl/photos/v6qg6YadDR6VrRFP6

Day 75 (8-14-12 - Yellowstone National Park)

We traveled 60 miles to Yellowstone National Park.  Yellowstone NP is one of our favorite places.  We had a nice, pretty ride into Mammoth Hot Springs Campground.


We rode the motorcycle through here three years ago. We loved the area and wanted to come back. This is the first time this trip that we really miss our motorcycle.

It is a gorgeous day, but a little warmer than we are used to.  The wind is howling.  The howling wind, we are used to.

We took a short ride looking around today.  We took several walks in and around the campground. We have spent most of the day relaxing.  We have been traveling pretty hard for the last two days and it is time to take a break.

We are watching herds of elk from our campsite.  On one of our walks in the campground today, we had to go a different route so we would not cross between a momma and baby elk.  We, (or rather me),  did not want to upset momma.


We built a fire and cooked pork chops and Olathe Sweet Corn.  Our nice neighbors in Seattle gave us a couple of ears of OlatheSweet  Corn as we were leaving Seattle.  We ate this corn for the first time last year in New Mexico.  This is our favorite corn.

After stepping on Ferny's paw and making her holler and me jump.  I had to bribe her with her favorite treat to get her to come out from under the couch.  She had her comfort food and came outside while we cooked.  She was as carefree as a cat could be. I hope she don't get fat from all this comfort food. I need to be more careful.

We are without hookups and are utilizing the battery power to have lights. Guess it is time to call it a night.

Pics:  https://goo.gl/photos/ee84AXXmyp6hAwhQ7

Day 74 (8-13-12 - From Osburn, Id. to Livingston, Mt.)

We had a nice ride for 333 miles to Livingston, Montana.  We are at Livingston RV Park.  It is a nice park with full hookups.  It is a good place to rest until  tomorrow when we head to Yellowstone National Park. 

We plan to stay a few days in Yellowstone at Mammoth Springs Campground.  We went to Yellowstone a few years ago and loved this area.  We wanted to go back, do some hiking, and explore the sights.  While we are here, we are going to check out the possibility of working here next year.

We are not sure if we will have cell phone or mifi coverage. 

            

Pictures  https://goo.gl/photos/rZQcuEdVwPcdRWREA

Day 73 (8-12-12 - Spokane, Wa. to Osborn, Id)

We had a nice drive today. We enjoyed the scenery from Seattle, Wa. to Osburn, Id.  We stopped a few times to take a break and enjoy the scenery and to stock up at Walmart in Spokane, Wa.  We covered 332 miles and it was a lot easier than a lot of days when we covered half that many miles in Canada or Alaska.  Thank goodness to be in the Lower 48's with interstates.

We have a nice campsite at Blue Ancor RV Park.  It is shady, quiet, and has full hookups, including cable TV.  When we got here, I heard a noise and thought it was static on the radio.  I realized that the noise was coming from the camper next to us.  It was the a/c.  It didn't take me long to remember where the a/c switch was in our camper.  It was hot. This is the first time we have had the a/c on in our camper since 6-4-12. 

I did the laundry and cooked some hamburgers.  It is 8:30 pm and it is dark.  This is the first time that I have seen darkness before going to bed in weeks.  I bet I sleep good tonight.

Pictures  https://goo.gl/photos/LvKQoyY9TpC4zMjK9

Day 72 (8-11-12 - Seattle)

Space Needle

We took the bus downtown today to see the sights.  It was a gorgeous day.

We went to Pike's Fish Market and watched the guys throw fish. It was hilarious.

We ate lunch at the Tom Douglas rub with love Shack.  We had fabulous BBQ chicken and pork sandwiches outside while watching the people walk by on the street.

We took a walk to the Space Needle.  We had to wait an hour  to go up.  It was worth the wait, the views were breathtaking. 

When we left the Space Needle, we took the Monorail back.   It was my first mono rail ride.  It was short and sweet.   It that took us 20 minutes to walk up to the space needle.  It took over an hour to wait for our turn to go up in the space needle.  It took only 2 minutes to travel on the Monorail back down to the street where we started walking.  I loved it.

We stopped at Hard Rock Cafe and went to the terrace bar and had a beer.  We had another gorgeous view of the city from the rooftop.

Our trip to Seattle was very enjoyable.  I was really amused at all of us waiting for the okay to walk signal and everbody walking across the road together.  The song, Walk this way, kept playing through my head.

We are not sure it was worth all the hassels of yesterday, but we are glad we made it to Seattle. 

We are exhausted and won't be sleepless in Seattle tonight.

Young Rabbit Eating Clover At Our Campsite

Pictures    https://goo.gl/photos/uAGt6Saj7YSzBXWz9

Day 71 (8-10-12 - Back to the USA or a better name, Suprise, Suprise!!)

The scenery changed quickly after leaving Clinton, BC.  All the sudden, the landscape changed from meadows and forrest to desert.  We were pleasantly suprised. 

This was a day of suprises.  We kept getting one suprise after another.

We drove a little further and drove through Frasier Canyon for miles.  We had curves, uphills, downhills, switchbacks, and tunnels as we drove above and through the canyon.   The scenery was gorgeous.  We were suprised when we realized that we had been on the road for 2 hours.  Yesterday the scenery was serene. Today,  the scenery changed.  All the sudden, the drive was exciting.  A nice suprise.

The truck trip odometer turned over at 10,000 miles today in Yale, BC at 11:35 am. We have quite a few miles before we get back to Crossroads.

We got to the border at Sumas, Wa. in 4 hours.  We sat in traffic for an hour to get to a customs officer.  As we were approaching, we heard one officer say to another, "I got this."  Another suprise was in the making.

After answering every question honestly, we were told to pull over and go inside.  We had to fill out a form with our signature, again we answered every question honestly.  We were told to have a seat.  At that time, I asked, may I please go to the bathroom.  He allowed it.  He had to go back to the desk to open the restroom door for me. Another suprise, that I could not just walk into the restroom without the officer's okay.  Thirty minutes later, after checking our camper and truck, we were cleared.  For a while, it looked like we were going to be deported to Canada.  It is amazing that we saw only one other vehicle tag from the USA in this hour of waiting to go through customs and suprise, this happened. 

I started calling campgrounds to find a place for the night shortly after entering the good ole' USA.  .  No luck.  We even tried to park overnight  at Walmart, it was  not allowed.  After about 120 more miles, 30 calls, 5 pm traffic in Seattle,  and being totally wore out, we found a campground. 

We are staying at Snoqualmie River RV Park in Fall City, Wa.  Our campsite in on the river.  It is a fantastic campground.  We are planning to stay here at least a couple of days and rest up from this
9 1/2 hour travel day where we covered 323 hard tiring miles.

We saw 3 deer and a coyote on the ride here. 

After crossing the border between the USA and Canada 6 times during the last 71 days,  I am suprised that today was this big of a hastle.  As I said , "Suprise, Suprise!!"

Pictures  https://goo.gl/photos/t1S1qnBEgndyQhrN6

Day 70 (8-9-12 - Another Canadian Travel Day)

We are in Clinton, BC.  We are staying at Gold Trail RV Park.  The campground is on Highway 97, a very busy road. The campground has thick green mowed grass and a lot of character.  Especially, the owner/chef.  He is cooking a buffet dinner tonight and has assured us that the food will be the best that we've had since we left Mississippi.  He also told us you can trust a fat cook as he patted his belly.  We traveled 327 miles to stay at this unique campground.

Lauren cooked the Saskatoon pancakes this morning.  They were pretty good, but I think I will stick with blueberry pancakes.

We had good roads to travel and pretty weather today.  We are no longer seeing snow topped mountains in the horizon. We had pretty views of rivers, hills, and country side.  One minute we were in the country and the next minute we were driving through a busy town.  We miss the primitive, isolation, of the North but realize that we have to go back to civilization eventually.

We  saw 4 deer and 1 bear today.  We were suprised to see this much wildlife.

campground/resturant office

pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/YrDZEjaJsL5VXvwHA

Day 69 (8-8-12 another Canadian Traveling Day)

When we left Meziadin Campground this morning, we heard thunder.  We had not heard thunder in a couple of months.  The last time we heard thunder was the night before we crossed the border in Montana.  We realized that we were getting closer to home, although we have a long way to go. 

We traveled 304 miles today to Beaumont Lake Provincial Park.  We are about 550 miles to the USA border.

We moved from the wild and exciting North Canada area where we had glaciers, waterfalls, and bear country and went to South Canada and found hayfields, cattle, and horses.  It is totally different scenery.  Thank goodness, the snow topped mountains are still in the distant horizon.

Canada's road signs are very different from the USA.  I got a little bored today and started taking pictures of the road signs.  I am trying to get as many as I can before I get to the USA border.  It helps to pass the time on this long journey back to the lower 48s.

This is the first day that we had a good radio station (notice the a).  We listened to a country music station for about 30 minutes before we lost it.  We are almost back to civilization. 

When we rode through Smithers, BC, I noticed an advertisement for McDonalds. I told Lauren that I would love a hamburger from McDonalds.  We ate a hamburger and fries from McDonalds. Our 2 combos cost almost $20. It was worth it. When you have been away from the lower 48 as long as we have, this is comfort food. 

We traveled about 7 hours.  We decided to do a ride through Beaumont Lake Provincial Park and see if we wanted to camp here.  After riding through, we realized that there were no campsites on the lake.  Lauren was ready to continue the ride.  I decided it was time to stop.  He looked tired, it looked like we would be having a thunderstorm shortly, and we had a really nice campground to stay at, Why not stay here? 

Lauren built a nice campfire and we grilled sausage.  It was a nice and quiet place to camp for the night.

The camp host came by and told us of the Saskatoon Berries and advised us to pick some.  We did.  They look like blueberries, but taste a more tart than a blueberry.  We picked them and are going to make Saskatoon Berry pancakes in the morning.  We are still living off the land.

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/sNSLYztDFTg9Tgav8

Day 68 (8-7-12 – Hyder, AK)

Bear Glacier

We took the day off from the rough traveling to sight see.  We thought we would take it easy and piddle around and relax and see the sights.  WRONG. 

We did a little piddling, we did see the sights, but the drive was not as relaxing as we expected.

We had an 8 hour day of sight seeing and traveled 143 miles.  We left camp this morning and headed toward Hyder, AK.  We saw plenty of waterfalls, glaciers, and snow, and not to mention, the beautiful trees, canyons, and mountains.  Bear Glacier was awesome on the way to Hyder.

Our first stop, (after we kept stopping to take pictures of the numerous glaciers), was at the Bear Viewing Platform in Hyder.  There is a platform that is supposed to keep you safe, while you are viewing bears eating salmon.  All the supposes were correct, except we saw no bears eating fish. 

While we were waiting on the bears, we learned some more things about those salmon.  The ranger pointed out a male and female in the water.  The female laid her eggs and the male salmon fertilized the eggs.  The male continued to run off any male that tried to get around his woman.  The salmon must take their vows seriously.

There were no bears, just a bunch of salmon to watch from the boardwalk.  We took a ride for about 20 miles to Salmon Glacier.  The ride to Salmon Glacier took us about an hour and a half.  The ride back down to the viewing platform took about an hour.  It was a dust you out, bounce around, and hug the shoulder kind of ride.  We were so glad that the year round avalanche warnings were not today.

We went back to the so called Bear Viewing Area.  Still no bears.

We stopped in Stewart, BC at a wonderful café named Temptations Bakery and Deli.  We had the best macaroni/tomato soup and a ham sandwich on home cooked bread that I have ever eaten.  Unfortunately, they sold all kinds of temptations.  We had to have some cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow.  I hope they are as good as they look.

We made it back and checked on Ferny.   I had this thought that Ferny was worried if we were ever coming home.  My worries were over, when I opened the door, and she was yawning.  We obviously woke her up and she didn’t have a care in the world.

We took a ride to find another fish ladder. We were unsuccessful.  We were in the middle of no where in Canada driving around a huge gravel pit on roads that are dead ending and are not on the map.  Not to mention, the roads were rough.  We gave up and went back to camp.

We have enjoyed our stay at the Meziadin Lake Provincial Campground.  It is the first campground that we have stayed at that has internet, but no other hookups. 

It got up to 80 degrees today.  It won’t be long until these wonderful campgrounds with no hookups are over and we need electricity.  We love these places.  We have seen a lot of beautiful scenery at our campsite that we would not have seen with the modern conveniences. We are going to hold out as long as we can. 

We cheated and ate some of the cinammon rolls for supper tonight (instead of waiting for breakfast).  I am glad we are headed South and not going back to Temptations Bakery.

Salmon Glacier

Snowball!!!!!

Pictures are here   https://goo.gl/photos/LAKjNikPp49499vk9

Day 67 (8-6-12 - MeziadinLake ProvincialPark)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHEILA!!!!

Our hopes that the road and the scenery would get better were answered.  We drove 295 miles on the Cassiar Highway to Meziadin Lake Provincial Park today.  The road got smoother, the scenery got prettier, the weather got prettier, and it was a great ride.   It was a great day to cover some ground.

We stopped for a picnic lunch on one of the lakes along the way.  Usually, Ferny has no interest in coming outside for a lunch break.  This was not a usual day.  She demanded to come out with us, and of course, she got her wishes.  She was so happy to get out in the sunshine and enjoy the scenery; we ate ham sandwiches while she ate grass.  It was the perfect picnic spot.

At the first rest area that we stopped, I noticed bear poop by the trash can.  I panicked; my bear spray was in the truck.  Lauren laughed at the next stop as I grabbed my bear spray for our picnic lunch. 

We saw our first bear shortly after leaving the picnic area.  We saw a total of 3 fox and 2 bears today.  

We are camped close to the Meziadin Lake.  We were told that we might not get a spot because of the salmon runs.  We got a site with a view of the lake and Ferny has some greenery to hide in.  We are all happy,

The Texans caught up with us again today, (the same ones that went on the glacier cruise with us).  They got here a few minutes after we arrived.

We are going to stay here for a couple of nights.  We plan to go to Hyder. AK tomorrow and see the bears.  And yes, I will have my bear spray.

Dang it is hot.  It is bikini weather.  Lauren got to see another bikini today, (It was beyond his expectations, LOL).

We saw the temps climb to 75 degrees today.We are in a primitive campground without electricity.  I could use some A/C right now.

We heard someone cut our yard, Thanks whoever you are!!!

Pictures   https://goo.gl/photos/PGJ8k3jJM3jk7bFJ6