Galileo Live!

Some of our group headed downtown to the Telus Museum of Science to see a planetarium show about Galileo in honor of the 400th anniversary of his first use of his telescope. The show featured a live performance and audience interaction. The dome was used basically as a giant screen. Well worth seeing.

Then we took the LRT to the Calgary Tower, and Nanci, Dennis, and I went to the top, where you can see 360 degree views of Calgary. One exciting, albeit somewhat vertigo inducing feature, is a section that juts out with a glass floor. Stepping out on it for the first time took some doing, but I got more used to it and even took a photo of my feet looking down at the base of the tower.

The base of Calgary tower

Lee looks down through the glass floor

Dennis at a tower window

Nanci enjoying the view of Calgary

During the evening, the Rowes, Johnsons, and Simingtons came over and we did some research and talked about options for camping in Banff and Jasper National Parks.
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Chuckwagon Races and the Big Show

We headed to the Crowfoot Station to take the LRT back to the Stampede around 3 p.m. This time we went to the south entrance to the park and walked through the Indian Village. Only one tipi was open, and it was occupied by a woman who barely looked up at visitors. We soon decided to move on and walked along the midway. Dennis wanted to find the big Lammle's store so he could peruse more caps before deciding on a souvenir.

When we got out of the store, the storm broke. It poured, and for a few minutes, it hailed. We ran across the street to take refuge on a porch, and finally decided that going in to see the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit might be more entertaining than watching the rain. Since we weren't familiar with the stars, much of the display was lost on us, but there was one really unusual player piano that included miniature percussion instruments in the base.

Tipis of Canada's first nations.

Some folks took shelter from the rain on the porch of the Stampede store.

At 8:00 p.m. we were in our seats in the grandstand, ready for the chuckwagon races. The races involved teams of four horses pulling a wagon, with four outriders on horses supposedly loading the wagons, then leaping on their horses and following the wagons around the track. Although it seemed chaotic and I didn't really understand the finer points, the races were certainly exciting. However, we heard that two horses had died this year in the event, one from an apparent cardiac event and another euthanized after a broken leg.

The start of a chuckwagon race.

The Big Show stage being put together for the show.

During the intermission, the arena was transformed. A giant tractor pulled a fantastically complex stage into place, and the stage was set for the "Big Show," an extravaganza involving singers, dancers, acrobats, musicians, motocross riders, and lots of extras, dramatic lighting, and a fireworks finale. The acrobats on the "Wheel of Death" gave a heart-stopping performance, especially since it rained during the entire show. The motocross had to be cut and the wheel of death act curtailed because of the weather, but the show was still a real spectacle. Cables suspended from the top of the stage to the grandstand allowed performers to fly around above the audience's heads.

For dinner, many in the group went to the buffet in the Pengrove Saddledome, but Ken and I decided to go to Mavericks, where we had a really excellent herb crusted roast chicken.
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The Calgary Stampede

We took the LRT CTrain from nearby Crowfoot Station to the Stampede just after 10 a.m., along with Dennis and Cheryl and Mike and Judy. At first sight the Stampede grounds looked like a big state fair, with a colorful midway dominated by thrill rides. We decided to go first to the Western Art display in the BMO building, but we had to thread our way through the giant vendor area first ("Official Calgary Stampede Souvenirs Here!).

The art exhibit included all you would expect, plus some unexpected items. For example, an entry in the "Sugar Icing and Cake" category looked like a stack of Stampede food, including a burger and hot dog. One wall of the giant exhibit hall was dominated by an assemblage of squares forming a large mosaic type picture of a horse. Each of the individual tiles was created by a different artist, with the theme of honoring the horse.

Unusual art.

Over 100 artists contributed to the mosaic.

We had lunch at "The Range" (basically a food court) with Dennis and Cheryl, and then went to the grandstands for the rodeo. Everyone in our group had seats in the same area (Gold Section, Level 5, right in the center (thanks, Wes!), so we saw all of the group there, including John and Margie. Fortunately our seats were under cover, since it was raining on and off all day.

The rodeo was colorful and featured the usual events, including bull riding, bronc riding, barrel racing, and calf roping (now called "tie-down roping" to avoid offending the sensibilities of the audience). One unusual event involved teams of three kids trying to catch and ride little wild ponies (mostly unsuccessfully). The spectacle was entertaining, and we were really surprised by the amount of money at stake in the various events.

One of the successful bronc riders.

One of the barrel racers who didn't fall.

Rodeo really isn't mostly to my taste. Although frequent references were made to "animal athletes," it seemed to me that most of the animals were frightened or in pain at least part of the time. The barrel racing involved actual horsemanship and graceful horses and riders, but even that event led to two horses and riders falling because of the wet condition of the arena.

After the rodeo we tried to watch a cutting horse demo, but all the seats were full, so we went on to look at animals in the ag building. The miniature horses were quite a contrast with the Budweiser Clydesdales and the Percherons.
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Calgary!

This morning we got up a bit late, but still were ready to go before the agreed upon time, so I set out with Sweetie to take a walk. Sweetie didn't last long (she gets tuckered out easily), but I walked a short loop trail with interpretive signs put in by the Nature Conservancy. I saw many varied wildflowers and learned that Mountain Rough Fescue is the official grass of Alberta.

We set out around 9:45, with Frank and Valerie leading the way, followed by the Rowes, and then us. The trip to Calgary seemed long, partly because it was overcast and kept threatening to rain, and most of the way was across broad prairies. Like Montana, this is "Big Sky" country. The golden fields of canola did brighten the scene. They looked almost sunny, even with clouds overhead.

We finally made it to Calgary, after many months of planning and looking forward to seeing many of our friends from Southern California here. When we pulled into Calgary West Campground, it was raining steadily and had clearly rained heavily for some time. The rig rocked back and forth as we tried to navigate the gravel streets that had large gullies from the rainwater runoff. When we got set up, it felt really good to be warm and dry and at home again.

The campground is on a hillside, so we have a view of Calgary's northwest sector. We enjoy the city lights at night.

We learned this morning that Wes and Jenske were having a serious problem with their motorhome. The emergency brake was stuck in the "on" position, so they had put in a call to Good Sam Emergency Road Service. Since they were camped in the national park at St. Mary, we weren't sure where the nearest service would be available, and it seemed that they would probably miss the rodeo tomorrow. It turned out that they were able to have the emergency brake bypassed, so they continued on towards Calgary, but it was late and they had to stop short. They'll finish the journey in the morning, hopefully arriving in time to make the rodeo for which the group has tickets at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.

The rest of the group that had been traveling with Wes and Jenske decided to come on to Calgary, and they pulled in a few hours after we did. We had a great reunion, with lots of hugging, out in the road behind our rig, and we got to meet some new friends. Ed and Marlyn introduced us to their friends Walt and Sheila and Walt Sr., Lou and Judy and Natalie, and Ron and Linda. Dennis and Cheryl and Mike and Judy came in together. John and Margie came by to visit (they're staying at the Holiday Inn). We're excited to see everyone, but at the same time, it seems like we're just picking up without missing a beat.

Calgary West is a very large campground. It's on a hill overlooking the city, so the views are great. One problem is that the promised wi-fi works only in sections A and B, and our group is in C. Ken went ahead and put up the Hughes Net dish, so we're on our own network. He got it up and running without a single hitch, but the DirecTV is giving more problems. We'll try it again tomorrow.
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Waterton National Park

We left Glacier Campground at 10 a.m., along with Tom and Nanci. Valerie and Frank stayed to do laundry (their dog had thrown up in bed the night before), and Don and Cassie stayed to travel with them. The drive around the southern tip of Glacier National Park and up the west side was very scenic.

Typical view on the drive around to the east side of Glacier National Park

We stopped at St. Mary Visitor Center and watched an interesting film about Glacier Park produced by the Discovery Channel. Native Americans have lived in this area for 10,000 years. The Blackfeet reservation is adjacent to the park, and a Blackfoot elder was shown telling the next generation about the sacred places in the park, especially Chief Mountain. After lunch we drove on north on Hwy 17 and found a place to pull off to view that mountain—a very imposing presence, clearly formed by glaciers.

Our rig and Tom & Nanci's at the St. Mary Visitor Center.

Lee with Chief Mountain

When we came to the US-Canadian border, we stopped at Canadian Customs, where we showed our passport and were asked only a few routine questions. The only surprise was that after we said we had no firearms, the officer inquired, “When was the last time you traveled with firearms?” Tom and Nanci had left their passports in their rig, so they were delayed a bit by the irate customs officer. As we pulled over to wait for them, Frank and Val and Don and Cassie crossed the border, so our group was all together again.

Just inside the Canadian border is the signboard for Waterton Glacier International Peace Park.

The Lovelace, Marks, Rowe and Erdmann rigs at Waterton Springs.

We stayed at Waterton Springs Campground, just outside the Canadian national park. After we set up, everyone except Tom and Ken went to the Waterton Village—ostensibly to do some shopping. Actually we ended up doing some sightseeing too, including my first view of a bear foraging by the roadside.

Alas, our US Senior Passes didn’t get us into the Canadian park, so we ended up paying about $5 each to go into the Village. We saw lots of deer, including one fawn. There were signs warning that the deer could be unpredictably dangerous towards dogs. We wandered around some of the shops, including one chocolate shop that smelled like heaven. Frank remembered a waterfall from their previous trip, so we went to see Cameron Falls. The rushing waters followed the inclined sediment layers in an unusual pattern. A sign indicated that the rocks exposed by erosion were the oldest in the province.

On the way back to the campground, Frank followed a sign to the Bison Paddock, where we saw a massive bull bison sitting calmly only 10 feet from the road. Later we saw a small herd, including some calves.

We invited everyone over for a few minutes in the evening so that Don and Cassie could see Venture. They travel in a motorhome, have a fifth wheel at a resort in Palm Springs, and own a home in North Carolina near their kids.

We are going through "internet withdrawal" since we can't use our Verizon modem in Canada without paying exorbitant roaming fees. It is so convenient to be able to get online while we're on the road or in places where we're not staying long enough to warrant putting up the dish. Ken did put the Qube out so he could watch TV.
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Independence Day

There was lots of red, white, and blue in the clothing and decor today, reminding us of the 4th of July celebration. We "celebrated" by going into West Glacier with Nanci to do laundry. The washers cost $2.50--ouch!

Nanci provided the special crowns

This evening after happy hour, we had a potluck barbecue. Everyone brought their own meat to throw on the barbecues plus a dish to share. It was all delicious, and topped off by Nanci's brownies and Trader Joe's chocolate star cookies. Afterwards we played a couple of games. Valerie and Nanci won the two rounds of CLR, and Don won at Farkel, snatching victory from Nanci, who was the first to top 5000.

We did what we could this evening to get ready to roll out again tomorrow morning. I washed the front of the rig and the truck (or at least gave them a swish and a promise).
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Going to the Sun Road via the Red Bus

We left just after 9:00 a.m. for our tour scheduled to leave Apgar Village at 9:30. When we got there we found Jon Hart, our tour guide, and Red Jammer #102 waiting for us. In addition to the 8 in our party, there was a couple from Georgia and a couple with a young daughter who looked to be around 10. It turned out to be Jon's first season working as a Jammer driver and tour guide, but he had experience before at Yellowstone Park and seemed eager to tell us what he knew about Glacier National Park and to learn more.

Tom & Lee getting on the red bus.

Tom got to ride shotgun and be a consultant to the driver.

Since the high today was to be 86 degrees, many in our group dressed in shorts, though we all brought light jackets. We would have been more comfortable if we'd worn jeans and taken heavier jackets, since we had the canvas top of the tour bus rolled back so we could see out more easily. As Frank said, the whole point of taking the Red Bus tour is to look up, since most of the grandeur of the park is overhead. We were able to stand up to take photos, but had to sit down when the bus was moving.

We learned a lot about the Red Jammers--for example, that they have been in service since the 1930s and were recently renovated by Ford. The views of Lake McDonald and of the mountains surrounding the glacial valleys were spectacular. Unfortunately, when we got to Logan Pass, at the Continental Divide, it was still socked in by the morning fog, so we didn't get to see the great views from the Visitor Center there. We were also disappointed that they didn't sell hot drinks, since some coffee or hot chocolate would have really hit the spot!

We got one impressive view of the mountains after another.

Fog covered Logan Pass.

We got only a glimpse of one glacier on our tour, Sperry Glacier. Our guide urged us to consider hiking the park, since some of the best access to the glaciers is not from the roadway. We will see some more glaciers when we drive around the east side of the park on Sunday on our way to Waterton.

When we returned from the tour, it was after 1:00 p.m. We ate lunch, and then Frank, Tom, and I set off on a hike to Avalanche Lake. The round trip was about 5 miles, with 500 feet of elevation gain, so it was a relatively easy hike, but from the time we left camp until the time we returned was four hours. An hour of that was driving to the trailhead and back to camp, so we spent about three hours on the trail, but much of that time was spent taking photos and just being awed by the views. The rushing waters of the creek are fed by glacial melt. The forest is littered with fallen trees, most of which have apparently been knocked down by the wind. The views of Avalanche Gorge and then of the lake and the waterfalls cascading down into it are magnificent.

Since we got back from the hike so late, the group decided to postpone the planned potluck until tomorrow evening.
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West Glacier, MT

We headed out of Kalispell around 10, after Tom and Nanci's rig was repaired. The drive to West Glacier was short and scenic, and the campground where we are staying is pleasant. The sites are all wooded, and it's far enough off the highway that we won't hear any road noise (but there is an occasional train whistle). After lunch we went over towards Glacier National Park, stopping first at the Alberta, Canada, visitor information center. A full-size dinosaur skeleton dominated the center, and the friendly Canadians were eager to help us.

We enjoy campsites that get us close to forests.

We and the Rowes got adjacent campsites.

Then we went to Apgar Village to the park visitor center and checked on where our Red Bus tour will depart from tomorrow morning. We enjoyed an ice cream cone after browsing through the shops. Ken and I shared a huckleberry cone--huckleberries are a local specialty, and I hope that I'll be able to find some to pick.

Tom & Nanci at shopping area just outside the west entrance to the park.

Across Lake McDonald we could see the mountains we'll ride through tomorrow on our tour.

Frank and Val and Don and Cassie had arrived by the time we returned to camp. We rested while they went over to the park. After happy hour, we all brought our dinners out to eat together and then sat around a campfire. Nanci brought out a surprise grab bag for the ladies, and we each got to choose a pair of red white and blue beaded earrings to wear for Independence Day. Thanks, Nanci!

Julie called to say that she is feeling better. She's taking an anti-nausea medication that is prescribed for chemo patients, and she says it's working very well. At her appointment today the baby's heartbeat was strong and the due date of February 11 was confirmed.
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Montana

Last night was our first official boondocking experience since we got our solar system installed. This morning we were showing our batteries charged 76%, so we’re happy with our system, especially since today was sunny all day. When we arrived at the Elks Lodge in Kalispell, our batteries were showing 100% charged. We're boondocking again tonight, since the Elks sites were full when we arrived.

I got up too late this morning to see the geese, but still had a pleasant walk. I spotted an osprey in the distance, diving for breakfast in the Pend Oreille

We crossed into Montana today. It’s the first time I’ve been in the state, but Ken flew into Great Falls for a business trip years ago. The drive across US 2 with the Rowes to Kalispell was long but very scenic, with views of snow-capped mountains, broad sunny valleys, and peaceful rivers, including the Pend Oreille and the Kootenai. We passed through one small town named Ponderay—evidently the residents have simplified the spelling.

Lunch was at a rest stop with a good view of the beautiful mountains we were driving through.

Chris called from the folk music jam at Ladd's Circle to say that they will sign the final papers tomorrow on the duplex they are purchasing, with closing set for July 31. The sellers agreed to do most of the repairs they asked for and will provide a credit to cover the electrical work.

During our drive, Tom discovered a minor problem on his trailer that he'll get repaired before we leave Kalispell in the morning.

Tonight we played a couple of hands of Rummikub with Tom and Nanci before heading for bed.
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On to Idaho

We were in no big hurry to set out this morning, so we slept in until 8 a.m. Our group has split up for a day or two, and today we traveled with Tom and Nanci east on US Hwy 2. We left the mighty Columbia River behind and headed across central and eastern Washington, passing miles and miles of cropland. Nanci says a lot of it is planted in a special variety of short wheat which is shipped to Japan.

Rowes are staying near Newport, WA, to visit an old fraternity brother of Tom’s, and we went a few miles farther and to a Corps of Engineers campground on the Priest River in Idaho. It's at the confluence of the Priest and Pend Oreille Rivers, and the campground has lots of evergreens. The camp hosts were very helpful in getting us situated, and they say that early in the morning, the geese will appear along the beach. There are three or four successive nestings, so the population is doing quite well. Unfortunately that means that the area around the beach is littered with goose droppings, which we originally thought were from dogs, so you can imagine they're not small. I hope to see some of the local fauna on my morning walk.

Our Priest River campsite.

The Priest River meets the Pend Oreille.

This is our first time in Idaho, so we’ll add it to our list of states visited, but we’re passing through only a narrow portion of the northern tip of the state and will be in Montana tomorrow.

We passed up the chance to visit the Albeni Cove Dam--the Corps project of which this recreation area is a part--so I couldn't title today's entry "Another Dam Day."

Tonight we played Rummikub. As usual, Ken let me win one round, but he got two out of three. Then we had mulberries and yogurt over shortcake for desert.
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Two Dam Day

After breakfast I picked some more mulberries from the trees along the river, only this time I wore latex gloves so my hands wouldn't get so stained. Some of us drove up the Columbia River to the Rocky Reach Dam to see the salmon going up the fish ladder. First we had to pass through security, including a metal detector. It was like airport security except that we didn't have to take off our shoes. At an underground viewing window, we could see fish of various sizes, some really quite large, swimming up the river.

The visitor center included an excellent museum the Museum of the Columbia which we had only enough time to look through quickly. We didn't know this gem was there and so had not allowed time to see it.

We drove north and east on US Hwy 2 on our way to Grand Coulee Dam, passing through some really impressive topography called the Channeled Scablands, formed by the catastrophic Missoula floods. We checked in to Coulee Playland Resort in Electric city and then went on a tour of the big dam. It was disappointing because the big inclined elevator that takes visitors down into the dam is out of service, so we only got to walk out over the penstocks of the third power station. Judy Simington called to say that they are in Helena, Montana, and to ask where our group was. We'll meet up with them in Calgary if not before. It was good to hear her voice.

After dinner we went back to the Visitor Center to watch a one-hour movie about the geology of the region before going to the laser light show which is beamed on the face of the dam. Ordinarily no water flows over the top of the dam, but for the light show a thin layer of about six inches is allowed to spill over, creating a giant white screen for the story of the mighty River Columbia.

Ken has been having quite a bit of trouble with his back. Hopefully it will feel better after a night's rest.

Sweetie ate a fair amount for supper tonight, but it looks like she is continuing to lose weight.
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Wenatchee, WA

We headed out this morning before 8 a.m. to dump at a free dump station provided by the city and then went on to meet Tom and Nanci and Frank and Val in a casino parking lot along our route. We headed east toward Wenathchee, planning to go to Leavenworth, a small German town, on the way, but by the time we got near that town, it was afternoon, traffic was bumper to bumper, and we decided to go to Springdale Orchard Store in Peshastin instead. Everyone browsed through the thousands of canned and packaged goodies. We got some Walla Walla onions (enthusiastically endorsed by Tom)and some Ranier cherries.

We checked in at the Wenatchee Confluence State Park campground, where Nanci had made reservations for us, and set up in three adjacent arc-shaped pull throughs. They're near the confluence of the Wenatchee River and the Columbia, but you have to walk over to a viewing deck to see the rivers.

I went to Costco with Tom, who was looking for sandals. He didn't find any, but I got some Costco whole grain bread and wine. We had French lentil soup (from Soup Cycle) with bread and salad for dinner. Afterwards we walked over to the viewing decks with Sweetie and unexpectedly found some huckleberry trees, so I picked some of those. We watched in interesting Nova episode called Ape Genius about experiments showing the surprising abilities of chimpanzees--and their limitations.
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Getting Ready to Roll

Everyone spent the day today doing laundry and packing up for our trip. Frank and Val went out exploring and offered to bring back supplies from Wal-mart. They went to the Mushroom Festival and to a quilt shop.

We saw lots of loads being carried from the Rowes' house to the Rowes' rig (good thing they have a big rig!). For dinner we had "refrigerator potluck"--a little of this and a little of that to clear out the fridges. Nanci's meatloaf was even better the second time around, and we finished off with local strawberries over vanilla ice cream.

We've really enjoyed Tom and Nanci's hospitality, but it's time to hit the road for Calgary. We're sure the house will feel a bit lonely when all three rigs pull out in the morning: Frank and Val in their Fleetwood motorhome, us in Venture, and Rowes in their Sea Breeze fifth wheel towed by an even more ginormous white truck than ours.

In the morning we'll have to get up early to go dump and get fuel, so we tried to get as much done as possible and get to bed at a reasonable hour.
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Judy's Garden

Tom and Nanci took Frank and Valerie and Ken and me over to Tom's sister's house to see the handiwork of the master gardener. We were definitely in for a treat. Mike and Judy graciously invited us into their home of 35 years and gave us a tour of their yard. We couldn't begin to take it all in--something new awaited at every step of the way. Judy has planted things that grow and bloom at different seasons, so there is always color. In addition, she has tucked in a variety of fruits and vegetables, so they have fresh produce all summer long.

On our way home we stopped at Spooner Farms where I picked some really flavorful local strawberries. Nothing like fresh from the field (or even fresh in the field 8-)

On my morning walk I headed north of the Chehalis Western Trail. When it intersected Ranier Rd., I decided to take Ranier to Fir Tree, which I remembered from the Olympia map should take me home. I was right about that, but unclear about the distance. After walking 3 miles, I called Ken to come pick me up. It turned out that I was still a mile from home. That experience prompted me to install the City Navigator maps for North America on my laptop and transfer Canada and the northern US to my GPS unit. Now I'll have at least an inkling of what the roads look like when I set out to walk, plus we'll be able to use the Canadian portion when we're driving in Canada, since Rosie has only US maps.

Ken called Verizon to get some information on adding Canadian service for our cellphones during our trip. We'll have to call just before we leave the country to activate it.
Tonight we watched a new episode of Masterpiece Mystery, an Agatha Christie story, Cat Among the Pigeons, starring David Suchet as Poirot. It's a rather far-fetched tale, but entertaining.
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Wolf Haven

Our little "campground" saw some action today, as Don and Cassie pulled out and Frank and Valerie moved in, so we have new neighbors. Tom and Nanci are staying busy greeting guests and getting ready for the trip. They had new carpet installed in their rig and now have to move the furniture and everything back in and pack food and clothing.

We visiting Wolf Haven International in Tenino today. It's only a short drive away. A naturalist led our small group of six on a one hour tour, during which we had the chance to see 14 of the 54 animals in the sanctuary. Actually some of them were hiding or sleeping, but we still got to view some beautiful animals. The tour included gray wolves, red wolves, and two coyotes. Most of the animals in the sanctuary have been previously domesticated and come to the sanctuary from situations in which they can no longer be cared for, including zoos and private individuals. The males have a vasectomy and the females undergo a partial hysterectomy so that they will not have pups in captivity.

The exception is a group of Mexican gray wolves which are part of a species recovery program, and these are kept away from humans so they can later be released to the wild.

Some of the wolves were out where we could see them, although it was always through a fence.

We very much enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about wolf conservation and the negative consequences of attempts to keep wolves or wolf hybrids as pets.

Tom worked his magic, and the television has now been framed with trim. We love the way it came out. Thanks, Tom!

We joined Tom and Nanci and Frank and Val for a shrimp dinner and good conversation.
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More Friends

We got up bright and early to get ready to go shopping with Tom. He needed a new tire for his truck to prepare for the trip, and we needed some trim from Home Depot to finish out our TV installation. Tom had to order a tire, which will be in tomorrow. We found some trim that looked like it would match perfectly. Unfortunately we hadn't exactly measured what we needed, so Ken ended up going back out for another piece.

Tom demonstrated some of his marvelous tools (like a power saw with a laser light beam that inscribes the exact line the saw will cut). The mitered corners were glued and clamped, so we should be able to put the trim up tomorrow. We're sure it will be beautiful.

Don and Cassie Lovelace arrived during the afternoon and parked their motorhome next to Venture. They're spending the night and will join us again later on the trip to Calgary. Tom's sister Judy and her husband Mike came over for dinner, bringing lovely flower arrangements and delicious fresh strawberries grown at the farm down the road from their house. Nanci fixed an unusual cottage cheese meatloaf, and we had salad, green beans, corn on the cob, and bread and butter for dinner. Tom and the guys were in charge of clearing the table. The magnificent strawberries appeared over vanilla ice cream to top off a great meal.

Mike and Judy invited us over to tour their yard, which Tom and Nanci assure us is well worth seeing (remember that Judy is a Master Gardener). We'll miss the peonies, which have just finished blooming, but there will be lots more to see--if we can find the time to visit. They live near the Chehalis Western Trail and only 3-4 miles bike ride away (more by car).
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Chehalis Western Trail

This morning we joined a group of Tom and Nanci's neighbors for a ride along the Chehalis Western Trail, which runs very close to their house. We rode 11 miles to the small town of Ranier, where we stopped for coffee before returning. We left shortly after 9 a.m. and returned around noon.

We enjoyed meeting Sandy, Dan and his son Steve, Karen, and Cheryl and sharing this lovely trail. It runs along a former railway right of way, so it's fairly level (which is good, because we are a bit out of shape), but the topography is varied. Along the way we saw lots of trees and wildflowers, which formed lovely vistas, and we crossed the Deschutes River.

Lee, Steve, Dan and Sandy at the coffee stop.

Beside the Deschutes River.

We spent some more time adjusting our TV installation, with advice and assistance from Tom. The TV looks much better raised up a bit. Tomorrow we'll go to Home Depot and try to find some trim to finish off the edges of the cabinet.

Nanci had an appointment this morning to get an injection in her back, which we are hoping will help her feel better during our upcoming trip. Read more!

Another Day

We went to Costco, Walmart, and Dollar Max with Nanci today, so we've had our shopping fix for a while. I made Cincinnati Chili for everyone with broccoli salad (from Costco), and Nanci fixed some delicious cornbread. The Cincinnati Chili was not from my old Empress Chili recipe, which was lost with my old computer, so it didn't come out quite the same, but still good. It's made with unusual spices and flavorings (like Worcestershire sauce cinnamon, allspice, and cocoa) and served over spaghetti with sides of shredded cheese, chopped onions, and beans.

After dinner we watched Blazing Saddles (which Tom had Tivoed)and again had lots of laughs.

There are lots of Skyline and Empress and Gold recipes on the net, but none of them was quite the same as my old one.
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Anniversary

We celebrated our 12th anniversary today, with anniversary wishes pouring in from our friends and family. Nanci made a banner to wish us well and to remind us of adventures past and to come. Our friends took us out for coffee and apple fritters at Lattin Country Cider Mill and Farm, where we also got to feed several of the hungry farm animals, including peafowl, turkeys, goats, chickens, and more goats. The most unusual animals were some fluffy chickens with feathered legs, which we found out are called Silkie Bantams.

Then Tom took us on a brief tour of Olympia, which is where he grew up. We stopped at Olympia Farmers' Market and saw the Capitol.

Jeff and Rebecca called Ken to wish him a happy Fathers' Day. Both of them seem to be doing well, and it was good to hear from them. Cathy is competing at the black belt level in karate now and won first place in two events at a recent tournament.

Nanci cooked us a delicious anniversary dinner, topped off with fresh raspberry pie and ice cream. Afterwards Tom regaled us with some Blue Collar Humor from the Comedy Network, featuring Jeff Foxworthy and the Cable Guy, among others. We laughed ourselves silly.

This afternoon we finally got the TIVO working with DirecTV. Tom came over to watch, and perhaps it was his positive energy that led to our discovering the main problem: the S-Video cable had fallen out of the back of the DirecTV (that's my story...but maybe somehow I forgot to connect it?). It always seems to take hours to get electronics set up, and we stopped without figuring out the cable and antenna hookups. Those can wait for another day.
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Olympia

Today we left Sandy Riverfront, our home outside Portland for a month, and headed north to Olympia to visit some old friends, Tom and Nanci Rowe. When we arrived, we just had to see everything before we took the time to park our rig. Tom had just finished a new fence in time for our arrival, so that the homeowners' committee wouldn't be offended by the sight of Venture parked in front of his rig in his backyard. His new workshop is a handyman's dream--Mr. Fix-It is at home in his castle.

We got a tour of the spacious yard, too, with all the plants adjusting to their new homes. Each tree, bush, and flower has a story. Some were gifts from Tom's sister, who is a Master Gardener. One of the highlights of the backyard is the birdfeeding area (which also has a squirrel feeder). A variety of birds visits the feeders and birdbath--so many they are eating our friends out of house and home (especially the starlings, which have invited all their relatives to join them in the feast).

One end of the back yard.

Venture in front of Tom's workshop.

Inside the house is open and airy, full of light and charm. The dining nook off the kitchen has a view of the backyard, so that Tom and Nanci confess to having breakfast and just sitting for a while to watch the birds and other wildlife that frequents their yard, which is bordered on the back by a wetlands and on one side by a storm pond.

It was wonderful to see our old friends after more than a year. It felt like it had been no time at all (even though it's been sixteen months since the going away party in Orange County where we last saw them).

Ken did a great job of backing the rig up the driveway and through Tom's new gate, and soon we were all set up in our great spot with water and 30 amp electric--all the comforts of home. We were invited to a spaghetti dinner and had a grand time catching up.
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Leaving Portland

Today is the day of Chris and Annie's flight to Texas for their family reunion. We got up early and got to Chris's about 9 a.m. for another wonderful homemade waffle breakfast with maple syrup and raspberry topping. Annie came home from school after lunch and we all headed for the airport to drop them off for their 3:30 flight. All went well except that the rain started on the way to the airport, and their suitcases in the truck bed got a bit wet.

We stopped on the way home to shop for some odds and ends, and spent the rest of our day hooking up the various components to the TV and getting everything to work properly. I always find it a bit frustrating to work with the tangle of cables and connections in our entertainment center, but there's a sense of satisfaction in getting it all working and buckled down for our trip tomorrow.

For supper we had fish tacos made with tilapia and red beans.
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Lucky Lab

Chris loves to play board games, and tonight he took us along to the Lucky Lab Brew Pub where gamers meet on Thursday evenings to play and drink beer. We played Lifeboats with three other players. One of them was Andrew, a library colleague of Chris's. I unexpectedly won! The game play is all decided by negotiation and voting, and it's best if everyone approaches it with a lighthearted touch. I think my main skill was keeping a low profile. Next we played a couple of rounds of Transamerica, with Ken winning the first and Andrew winning the second. It was 10 p.m., and we agreed that we'd like to play one more game that would take about an hour. Chris chose Carcasonne--which ended up taking two hours. Ken won again.

We drove Chris home. Since it was late and we were coming back in the morning we decided that Sweetie could spend the night, and we dropped Andrew and his sister Barbara off on the way home. (It came out the next day that Chris had let Sweetie sleep with him, which didn't exactly make his cat Phoebe very happy.)
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New TV

After talking and planning for over a year, we finally bought a flat panel digital LCD TV today. One of the issues we faced was that the cabinet built to hold the 27" flat screen Toshiba that came in Venture has an opening only 30.25 inches wide, less than any 32" LCD we could find. We finally settled on a Samsung that is 30.8 inches wide and decided to cut the opening a bit larger, not something we were eager to tackle. Ken promoted buying a new TV because it will mean a weight saving of over 60 pounds on the rear axle

We also stopped by The Gourmet Chef at the local factory outlets. We love to browse through kitchen stores, but seldom buy much, especially since we have very limited space in Venture for kitchen gadgets.

We've been trying for the last few days to test out our solar system. We ran into some questions and issues and have been in touch with Greg Holder at AM Solar to try to resolve them. One problem was that when the batteries were taken down to 60% and then we turned on the breakers for our 50 amp power connection, the inverter charging cycle was cut short by an OVERTEMP condition. The compartment was extremely hot, and we had to open both doors and leave them open. Greg suggested turning down the maximum charge rate.
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New Duplex and Annie's Project

Our first project this morning was working on installing our new TV. We made some progress, but there's lots more to do.

Chris and Edie made an offer on a duplex on SE 15th Ave., which was accepted today (so the Weidler duplex is out of the picture). We got a chance to go with Chris and Annie and their real estate agent, Theresa, to look at the new duplex this afternoon.

Tonight Annie set up and videorecorded her creative project for school. We all clapped and helped a bit as stagehands, but she and Violet were the stars of the show.

Chris and I went to the Ladd's Circle to sit for a while and listen to the musicians jamming. Annie played with some of the kids, and Sweetie made new friends, as usual. Ken stayed at the house and worked on researching our trip recommendations for the Calgary to Winnipeg leg of our group trip.

For supper we had Mexican--tacos, refried beans, and all the trimmings.
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Monday

We didn't leave the park all day today. I took a walk in the morning and found a nice little trail leading up the hill north of the Historic Columbia River Highway. A plaque at the top said it was "Robin's Way" and had once been a wagon trail. Now it leads to a subdivision in Troutdale.

Ken worked on photos on his computer. He has a new version of Photoshop Elements he's getting familiar with, which always takes a while.

I spent most of the day trying to organize and sort through some old family pictures that I had left with Chris for safekeeping while we travel (mainly to keep the weight out of Venture). Looking at old photos leads me to reminiscence, and to some head scratching (who is that baby???).

Most of the photos I sorted through were from the 70's and 80's, but there were some from the 60's and 90's too, like one of my dad with Chris on his lap, and both of them smiling.
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Japanese Gardens and the International Rose Test Garden

Today we went back to the Japanese Gardens, this time to take a quieter and more leisurely walk through. The first challenge was finding a parking place. I ended up dropping off Ken and Annie. Chris and I drove around and finally found a place .2 mile up a hill (everything on the west side of Portland is on steep hills).

We also enjoyed visiting the extensive and beautiful Rose Test Gardens. Roses of every color, fragrance, size, and shape flourish in the moderate Portland climate. We also stopped in nearby Washington Park where we saw a statue of Sacajawea, near a memorial to Lewis and Clark. Nearby was the Holocaust Memorial commemorating the dead relatives of Oregon and Washington Holocaust survivors.

Today is Molly's 14th birthday, and we called and talked with her. She was looking forward to celebrating by going to a movie with a friend. Aunt Iris called, so we were able to wish her a happy birthday too. She is still quite sore from her fall six weeks ago, but says she has made lots of progress and that physical therapy is helping.

For supper Chris fixed pasta, spinach and mushroom salad, and sourdough with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The he and Annie took us to Tart Dessert Bar, where we had rich, delicious custard and peanut butter cookies. While we enjoyed our treats, we played Circus Flohcati.
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Cirque du Cycling!

Portland is celebrating Pedalpalooza, two weeks of "Bikey Fun"! We signed up for the Cirque du Cycling Family Fun Ride, benefiting SEI (Self Enhancement, Inc.). Ken drove Annie and their two bikes to the starting point while Chris and I rode there. The three mile ride was lots of fun, including a stop for refreshments at the Peninsula Park and ending at the Family Fun Zone, where Annie showed off her talents at hula-hooping.

Then we went on to the gathering point for the Art Bike parade, which Annie decided to ride in. The route along Mississippi Ave. passed in front of the Laughing Planet Cafe, where we had lunch and beverages. Some very clever and original entries delighted the crowds. This being Portland, the Sunny Nekkid Bike Ride crashed the parade, to whoops of encouragement from many of the onlookers.

Two criterium style races followed the same course and provided lots of excitement.

The ride home from the parade area was much quicker for Chris and me, since it was downhill.
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Multnohmah Falls, Finally!

We picked Annie up from school at 3 p.m. and headed out to try again to visit Multnohmah Falls. Our first attempt, on Memorial Day, was cut short by major traffic jams, but this time we succeeded. The magnificent falls were well worth the effort. We walked the short distance up to a bridge over the top of the lower falls, where the views of falls, cliffs, and gorge were quite lovely.

We went on to visit Horsetail Falls, just up the road, and then went on to the Bridge of the Gods, which a visitor at Multnohmah had recommended. We drove across the bridge to the Washington side and then back. A large mural depicting native people and early exploration decorates one wall under the bridge. A sign challenges the viewer to find all three eagles depicted. Annie was the first to spot the third eagle, not on the mural, but on the underside of the bridge nearby.

For supper we made a new recipe from the Splendid Table, Pasta with Instant Fresh Pesto and Balsamic Vinegar. The secret ingredient is Parmigiano-Reggiano, the real thing from Italy, and the result was almost decadent. Chris and Annie spent the night in Venture for the last time this visit. Annie has not been having any coughing or breathing problems around Sweetie, fortunately.
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Violin Recital

Tonight was the recital for students of Annie's violin teacher and her mother (who is her fellow teacher). Some of the students were so small they used 1/4 size violins. Annie performed during the second half of the program and played her piece (Andantino by Suzuki) very well.

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Ken Is a Golf Ace!

We had Tom and Donna over this evening and played a card game called Golf (like Play Nine, but uses regular card decks). Ken wiped our clocks! We had a great visit with our friends and as Tom said, solved almost all the world's problems.

We were also happy for the chance to talk to Gary and Mary Ann, the friends who taught us the golf game. We needed some refreshing on the rules, and it was very refreshing to hear familiar voices all the way from Kansas.

Sweetie is still not doing too well, but it's up and down. She's not eating enough and is evidently finding it difficult to walk and seems to be in some pain, but tonight she ate a bit and seemed to enjoy her walk.

We slept in this morning--it was 10 a.m. when we got up (gotta get to bed before midnight). Ken researched TVs again and would like to zero in on an LCD to replace our heavy Toshiba flat panel.
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Craigslist Success

We finally decided to give up our DirecTV dish and tripod, since the Vue Qube seems to be working so well (a few less pounds to carry around, and part of our ongoing effort to stay trim). Chris suggested that we put them up for sale on Craigslist--the first time we've ever used it. Today the dish and tripod went to their new home with a mail carrier who had just gone out on his first trip last weekend in his new RV and was disappointed with the poor TV reception. Good for him and good for us.

We picked Annie up from Poekoelan and joined Chris for another great soup and salad supper. This time we had broccoli and cheese soup. All the soups we've had have been from Soup Cycle--a small company that makes and delivers fresh homemade soup made with local, mainly organic, ingredients. The soups have all been delicious. They're delivered by bicycle, one day a week only. For dessert we had fresh local strawberries we picked up at a roadside stand today.

Annie has a new home based project for school, to do something creative, like a scientific experiment. She and I talked about ideas for experiments, and she liked the idea of testing how much catnip it takes to make Phoebe and Violet start loving and licking a small stuffed cat toy. Later we watched program two of Carl Sagan's Cosmos.

We checked out four campgrounds in the area and decided that Sandy Riverfront is still our favorite, although Fairview RV Park is also nice and would be our second choice of the ones we've seen.
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Willamette River Jetboats and More

Chris and Annie took us out to brunch at Jam on Hawthorne, a small place that serves really delicious fresh jams and a diverse breakfast menu that includes lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Everything was delicious (especially the lemon ricotta pancake with blueberry sauce I had on the side!), and they're civilized enough to put out mugs and coffee on the sidewalk so you can get a start on your morning coffee while waiting for a table.

We hear that there's always a wait to this place.

Annie and Chris had been here before; they brought things to read during the wait.

After brunch we pedaled downtown to the Dragon Moon Festival in Chinatown. It wasn't as large as we had expected, and some of the entertainment didn't come off on schedule, but we did enjoy a performance by the Portland Ballet of selected scenes from Swan Lake and the first act of Don Quixote. Annie found an anime character to add to her collection too.

Lee was captivated by the ballet dancing.

The dancers brought their colorful costumes.

We rode along the waterfront and viewed the floats from the Grand Floral Rose Parade, including a very impressive Beauty and the Beast float. The Beast bends down to offer Belle a flower, but since Belle and the other characters were played by live people, we didn't get to see them.

Ken had to stop for a close look at the float with palm trees and tropical flowers.

We were impressed by the degree of detail in the beast.

Then we watched the Dragon Boat races for a while. The colorful Hong Kong style boats are powered by teams of paddlers. Four boats at a time race in a series of heats over two days.

The highlight of the day was a two-hour scenic river tour on a Willamette River Jetboat, where you're guaranteed to get wet (and warned you might get soaked) as the boat does slaloms at speed and "spinneroos"--sudden 360 degree turns. It's not all just a fast boat ride--there's also an informative commentary. We saw a couple of bald eagles guarding their nest in a wildlife refuge, lots of fabulous homes, including some floating on the river, and the Willamette Falls. Annie said the ride was "awesome"!

We were glad to get dried off and warmed up a bit by our ride back to the house, where Chris made a delicious supper of pasta, salad, and bread--I added some fresh green beans. Then we watched part one of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series before calling it a day.

Sweetie is still not doing too well. About the only thing she wants to eat is canned dog food, and too much of that gives her diarrhea, unfortunately.
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Japanese Gardens

We visited Portland's Japanese Gardens today, with Chris and Annie, who are members of the gardens. Once we found a route around the Rose Parade downtown and wound our way through the west hills to the gardens, we were lucky to find a parking spot right by a nice picnic area. We ate our picnic lunch, interrupted only by a brazen squirrel, who thought she'd like part of our lunch.

We ate in a grove of Douglas Fir trees.

From the parking lot we had a view of downtown Portland over the Portland Rose Garden.

At the gardens we joined a tour group and learned a great deal from the volunteer tour leader who shared information about the history and design of the gardens. Portland has a sister city in Japan, Sapporo, and the garden celebrates this relationship. The five gardens are different styles, and each has its unique atmosphere.

We especially liked the garden's various waterfalls.

Lee listens to the tour guide explain waterfalls as symbols of new life.

Annie has been to the garden often and has a favorite tree, a Japanese Lace Leaf Maple, which we visited. It's popular with other people too. On Flickr there's a group just for pictures of this tree--146 photos at last count.

Annie's red Lace Leaf Maple stands at the edge of one of the garden's largest ponds.

Annie, in the blue coat, tries to find Mount Hood, which she knows is in those clouds somewhere.

Two special exhibits were at the gardens: Sogetsu School of Ikebana Exhibition flower arrangements and weaving from Japan and from local indigenous peoples (Art in the Garden: Parallel Worlds: Art of the Ainu of Hokkaido and Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest).

We're planning to return to the gardens. There's so much to see and experience, and we had to leave to take Annie to visit the roller derby with her mom.
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Poekoelan Demo, Pizza, and Chocolate!

This evening was the end-of-year celebration for Annie's after school Poekoelan class at One With Heart Tulen Center. We were very impressed by the discipline and enthusiasm of all the students and the instructors. Poekoelan is an Indonesian martial arts type of Kung Fu, which Annie loves.

Afterwards we walked over to Apizza Scholls, where we waited an hour for a table, but finally got some really unique and delicious pizza, yum! Well worth the wait for the authentic Italian pizza pies made with all fresh ingredients and cooked in very hot ovens.

Annie in Poekoelan action!

The pizzas were delicious--and big.

Then we stopped at JaCivas, for dessert--a rich chocolate experience!

Earlier in the day we finally got around to looking at our schedule for travel in November and called Lake Lewisville to make a reservation for our favorite spot. We'll be spending Thanksgiving in the Dallas area before heading down to the Rio Grande Valley and our friends at Bentsen Palm Village and square dancing.
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New Friends

Today we finally met Tom and Donna Clapham, after lots of phone calls and email messages. They are park hosts at Fairview RV Park, just down the road from us. We happened on their blog a while back and found out that we would both be in Portland and had a lot in common (They're Excel owners, fulltimers, and Elks and have been in many of the places we've visited). We'll be seeing more of them, since we'll be in Portland for another couple of weeks.

Behind them is their rig's rear kitchen, with a back door.

They have great taste in trailers and trucks.

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House Inspection

We went along with Chris and Edie this morning to attend the inspection of the duplex they have made an offer on. It was our first chance to see the house, which is on Weidler St. in the Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood. Unfortunately, the current tenants will have to vacate and are unhappy about that prospect, so they were extremely uncooperative (the seller's agent actually had to break into one side by going in through a small basement window, because the tenants had bolted the doors and refused to open them).

When we finally got in to both sides, what we saw was an home built in the early 1900s, with potential--as Chris says, it has "good bones." For example, all the living, dining, bedroom, and hallway floors are solid oak, though old carpet will have to be removed and the floors refinished. Lots of windows make it light and airy. Nice fireplaces and touches like crown molding make it clear that this home was high quality when it was built.

The inspectors found many issues that will need to be dealt with, so the next step will be to have some contractors provide repair estimates.


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