Not much to report for the last two days...just putting the west behind us...Wednesday we left Colorado and drove the entire length of Kansas & Missouri and into Illinois. Today, Friday, we drove through rain for a good part of the day...seems the closer we got to East Tennessee the harder it rained...anyway, we made it home safe & sound around 6:30 pm...still had a little travel money too. It's always good to get home. Oh, we drove a total of 8014 miles...............
Hope all of you have enjoyed this blog as much as we have enjoyed posting it...
End of Blog!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday Sept. 15...Rocky Mountain National Park...
Today we drove through Rocky Mountain National Park from the west entrance to Estes Park, CO. Fall has started to take hold here…the aspens are turning golden and are beautiful. The drive to the summit pass was uneventful, we had hoped for a moose sighting but saw nothing…no deer, no elk, and no moose…bummer.
The Alpine Visitor Center was very nice. The views were great but rain was threating and the wind had a definite chill. We had lunch at Charlie’s request and started the drive down the eastern slopes. Our first elk sighting came shortly after leaving the center…one young bull and several cows were resting on the slope a short distance below the road.
The rain was intermittent and the clouds drifted in and out…the vistas were wonderful with the dramatic clouds over the mountains. Elk sightings became more frequent…one huge bull was resting in the grass less than 20 yards off the road…another herd with the head bull grazed in a meadow perhaps 150 yards from the road.
Disappointed at not seeing a moose, but elated at seeing so many magnificent elk…we departed Rocky Mountain National Park and turned toward home.
The Alpine Visitor Center was very nice. The views were great but rain was threating and the wind had a definite chill. We had lunch at Charlie’s request and started the drive down the eastern slopes. Our first elk sighting came shortly after leaving the center…one young bull and several cows were resting on the slope a short distance below the road.
The rain was intermittent and the clouds drifted in and out…the vistas were wonderful with the dramatic clouds over the mountains. Elk sightings became more frequent…one huge bull was resting in the grass less than 20 yards off the road…another herd with the head bull grazed in a meadow perhaps 150 yards from the road.
Disappointed at not seeing a moose, but elated at seeing so many magnificent elk…we departed Rocky Mountain National Park and turned toward home.
Monday Sept. 14 "One fossil views another"
Today we left Kemmerer and headed back to Fossil Butte to see what they had to offer…turns out, the only thing they had was an excellent display of fossils ranging from small fish, a 13 ft alligator and a 10 ft tall palm branch…all very interesting. Sorry we didn't get any photos.
Setting our GPS for Vernal, UT we headed south into Utah and then Colorado. The drive took us through some astounding country…dry barren hills and broad green valleys. We drove the Sheep Creek Geological area on the way to the south end of Red Gorge. The lake viewed from the high vantage of the canyon rim was great. We stopped in Vernal for lunch and just had to laugh at their slogan of “Utah’s Dinosaur Land” and accompanying dinosaurs!
Next we continued on to Dinosaur National Monument. There we toured the visitor center and hiked the trail through the quarry to observe fossils embedded in the rock walls of the quarry…I had seen this before, but Charlie was “wow”ed by it. We finished our visit by driving the self guided tour through the park with spectacular pictographs & petroglyphs…evidence of human habitation of the area dating back several thousand years.
It was getting late so we headed down the road again…this time for Craig, CO. Almost had a collision with several deer along the way…but old “eagle eye” Bob, with Charlie screaming at the top of her lungs, missed them!
Setting our GPS for Vernal, UT we headed south into Utah and then Colorado. The drive took us through some astounding country…dry barren hills and broad green valleys. We drove the Sheep Creek Geological area on the way to the south end of Red Gorge. The lake viewed from the high vantage of the canyon rim was great. We stopped in Vernal for lunch and just had to laugh at their slogan of “Utah’s Dinosaur Land” and accompanying dinosaurs!
It was getting late so we headed down the road again…this time for Craig, CO. Almost had a collision with several deer along the way…but old “eagle eye” Bob, with Charlie screaming at the top of her lungs, missed them!
Sunday Sept. 13 On the road again...
Today was another of mine and Charlie’s travel days. We drove most of the day, leaving Superior, MT this morning and ending up in Kemmerer, WY for the night. By the way, Kemmerer is home to American’s largest open pit coal mine, Fossil Butte National Mont., and last but not least…the “Mother J C Penny Store” see photo.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturay, Sept. 12... Spokane revisited...
We started our day with a wonderful breakfast atop Mount Rainier at the Paradise Inn and then headed for my old stomping grounds in Spokane. In route we saw Mt. Rainier mirrored in Reflection Lake and it was fabulous.
Reaching Spokane we found the downtown area still had it’s beautiful river park. We walked the downtown waterfront and even rode the carousel for good measure.
Unbelievably I remembered the address of the Long John’s Silver I built in early ‘78. It was easy to recognize with the large boulders I had placed in front of the building…however, the old boat was gone, bummer! The restaurant now serves curry dishes and has belly dancing…go figure.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, Sept. 11 Mt. Rainier Day...
Remember Sept. 11, 2001...
Today Charlie and I got a little later start than expected. As we mentioned yesterday, we did have a car issue that needed to be addressed…..translation: a new fuel pump for the Yukon. With a lot of luck (or blessings from the Good Lord!) we didn’t get stranded on the east side of Mt. Saint Helens where it started acting up, instead, we were able to drive to Olympia, find the GM dealership, and get a place to stay. Of course, we had to have a guy from Guam tow us from the motel to the dealership at 6 o’clock this morning, BUT the good news is all repairs were made and we still made it to beautiful Mount Rainier today! We are spending the night just outside the park at Rainier Outland Lodge staying in an original 100+ year old log cabin. The furnishings are not quite that old…actually the place is very comfortable…even has internet. I wanted the second cabin from the right...Charlie demanded an upgrade...
As you can see from the photos, Mt. Rainier is a dominate feature on the horizion in this area…we could see it from Olympia like it was a mile away, when in fact it was more like 50 miles away…it is magnificent. I know you all probably don’t want to see ALL the pictures I made, but I have included a few.
Today Charlie and I got a little later start than expected. As we mentioned yesterday, we did have a car issue that needed to be addressed…..translation: a new fuel pump for the Yukon. With a lot of luck (or blessings from the Good Lord!) we didn’t get stranded on the east side of Mt. Saint Helens where it started acting up, instead, we were able to drive to Olympia, find the GM dealership, and get a place to stay. Of course, we had to have a guy from Guam tow us from the motel to the dealership at 6 o’clock this morning, BUT the good news is all repairs were made and we still made it to beautiful Mount Rainier today! We are spending the night just outside the park at Rainier Outland Lodge staying in an original 100+ year old log cabin. The furnishings are not quite that old…actually the place is very comfortable…even has internet. I wanted the second cabin from the right...Charlie demanded an upgrade...
As you can see from the photos, Mt. Rainier is a dominate feature on the horizion in this area…we could see it from Olympia like it was a mile away, when in fact it was more like 50 miles away…it is magnificent. I know you all probably don’t want to see ALL the pictures I made, but I have included a few.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, Sept. 10 Leaving Oregon...
This morning we drove 7 miles north of Astoria to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary in search of eagles. However, the eagles were a little camera shy and stayed well out of range. On our way back to Hwy. l0l we spotted some floating houses on the river, not sure if they were permanent houses or just fishing cabins, but they I thought they made a nice photo.
The port of Astoria was busy this morning with lots of ships moving in and out of the harbor. To leave Oregon we crossed the 4 mile bridge from Astoria to Washington State. Our last view of Astoria was of the beautiful column on the hilltop.
In Washington we headed to the east entrance of Mt. Saint Helen. I was in Spokane when Mt. Saint Helen blew in 1980 and felt the concussion there. In fact, I still have a gallon pickle jar half full of ash from the blow, let me know if you would like a sample. So today I was pleased to see the recovery the land around Mt. Saint Helens had made, but it is still rumbling!
Next we headed to Olympia to spend the night and have a car issue addressed. However, not before we got our first sight of Mount Rainier…really impressive!
The port of Astoria was busy this morning with lots of ships moving in and out of the harbor. To leave Oregon we crossed the 4 mile bridge from Astoria to Washington State. Our last view of Astoria was of the beautiful column on the hilltop.
In Washington we headed to the east entrance of Mt. Saint Helen. I was in Spokane when Mt. Saint Helen blew in 1980 and felt the concussion there. In fact, I still have a gallon pickle jar half full of ash from the blow, let me know if you would like a sample. So today I was pleased to see the recovery the land around Mt. Saint Helens had made, but it is still rumbling!
Next we headed to Olympia to spend the night and have a car issue addressed. However, not before we got our first sight of Mount Rainier…really impressive!
Wednesday, Sept.9 Crusing the Oregon Coast...
Departing Lincoln City this morning we started up Costal Hwy. 101 with a destination of Astoria, Oregon for the evening. However, it would not be a direct drive, we made several stops along the way. Cape Kiwanda was first to divert our attention with its huge sea stacks off shore and the fantastic sandstone headland carved by wind and wave. Riding the waves off shore were several surfers. We had never seen surfers using paddles to propel themselves off the crest of the swells…we watched for a while.
Next Cape Meares with the shortest lighthouse, at just 38 ft, on the Oregon coast caught our attention. We toured the lighthouse and marveled at the enormous lens that amplified and projected the kerosene light to a distance of 13 miles at sea. The mysterious Octopus Tree was also nearby.
With more than 4500 miles under our belt we decided it was time for an oil change…Oil Can Henry performed the task in a reasonable amount of time right after a scrumptious lunch at Burger King.
Pushing northward along the coastal road our next stop was Ecola State Park and “Terrible Tillie” the light house that is atop a huge rock 1-1/2 miles off shore. At first we could see it in the distance …however the weather was closing in and it slowly disappeared into the mist. Sea Lions could be heard barking in the surf but we were unable to find a point from which to observe them…bummer!
By early evening we arrived at beautiful Astoria. The hillside was covered with vintage, Victorian houses, some offering fresh cut flowers for sale. The architecture made for a charming town. Atop the hillside on which Astoria was built, stands the 125 feet high Astoria Column (which contains 166 steps…I know because Charlie made me climb everyone of them!!) This pictorial frieze column completed in 1926 tells the story of Astoria from its beginnings as an Indian Village, to the arrival of settlers and the railroad, a unique monument. A replica of a Indian burial canoe also stands on the summit...Another full day of enjoyment!
Pushing northward along the coastal road our next stop was Ecola State Park and “Terrible Tillie” the light house that is atop a huge rock 1-1/2 miles off shore. At first we could see it in the distance …however the weather was closing in and it slowly disappeared into the mist. Sea Lions could be heard barking in the surf but we were unable to find a point from which to observe them…bummer!
By early evening we arrived at beautiful Astoria. The hillside was covered with vintage, Victorian houses, some offering fresh cut flowers for sale. The architecture made for a charming town. Atop the hillside on which Astoria was built, stands the 125 feet high Astoria Column (which contains 166 steps…I know because Charlie made me climb everyone of them!!) This pictorial frieze column completed in 1926 tells the story of Astoria from its beginnings as an Indian Village, to the arrival of settlers and the railroad, a unique monument. A replica of a Indian burial canoe also stands on the summit...Another full day of enjoyment!
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