Kettle Falls, Washington

Leaving Ritzfield, WA in a minor rain storm I headed north to visit my brother, Bob Hale.  A fairly nondescript ride to Spokane but the next 2 hours were so scenic.  I climbed into the mountains, heading toward Canada.  Bob lives in a very small town, Kettle Falls, north of Colville and about 20 miles from the Canadian border.  I remember my grandfather telling us about his childhood in this area and how they would go to Spokane once a year.  It would take one month and everyone went, including the animals.  The mountains and trees were stunningly beautiful and this little town is nestled in a lush valley.  Not many people in the town now, mostly retired folk as the Boise Company has closed and there is very little work.  There are many farms in the area with cows and horses and the hills are full of deer, coyotes, raccoons, and bobcats. We headed to the local restaurant/tavern and had a great dinner, fresh caught salmon.  Yummy.

 Bob and Carol have recently purchased a motor home and Bob is busy fixing and repairing as they plan to do some traveling, heading south for some warmth.  They have promised they would come to Monterey.

Off again this morning after a breakfast of bacon and eggs prepared by Carol.  Today I drove east on Highway 90 and stopped in Missoula, and decided I was too tired to go much further. The drive thru the mountains of Idaho and Montana provided great scenery, especially along Lake Coeur d'alene.  Tomorrow I am going to have an experience that I have wanted to do for many years.  I am going to see Old Faithful at Yellowstone Park.  Should take me about 4 hours to drive there tomorrow and I will drive around in the Park.  A great experience for this ole traveler!!  Hope I have some pictures tomorrow!!

Happy trails to me.

My big brother, Bob

My "older" brother Bob and you know who.  Below is Bob and is wife, Carol with their dog, Penny.  Penny likes to bite!!!.

Off Again

Leaving Jim and Carole's I headed north toward my big brother, Bob's home in Kettle Falls, WA.  Not too much scenery but beautiful crossing the Columbia River and then driving along the river before turning north again.  Lots of wheat fields along the way and totally different terrain.  Stayed last night in Ritzille, WA about an hour from Spokane.  Have free internet so took time to update my blog and check email.  This morning I see that the rain has begun but the weather is expected to warm up tomorrow.  Should be in Kettle Falls early afternoon and see a whole new part of the country.  Never been to Kettle Falls so looking forward to exploring the area.  Checking maps this morning and I think I may head toward Yellowstone Park on Wednesday or Thursday.  Have never been there so decided this was the time to take a couple of days and see Old Faithful!!

Will be back in contact when I have internet again.  No internet at my brother's.  Of course, you can always call my cell phone and I check email on the iphone if I can't use the computer!!

Happy Trails to me.

My little brother, Jim, and looks like Kasha had to be in the picture too.

Jim and Carole's dogs, Kash and Kasha.  Talk about opposites!!!  Bodie, does the big dog look like the rug in your bedroom?

Jim and Carole's grandchildren and my grandnephews; Tyler, three years old and Jayden, 5 weeks.

Smith Rock

The following three pictures were taken at Smith Rock on Crooked River.  This is a favorite spot for rock climbers.  We were able to watch some rock climbers and wondered why on earth they do such a dangerous thing.  You cannot see them but on the second picture there were climbers on the rocks and we watched some go up and come back down.  Guess my Grandson Jake would love this spot.

We also looked for eagles that live in nests in the rocks but today we were unlucky.

Bringing You Up To Date

I am sure that you probably think I drove off a cliff some where along the way because I have not posted lately. But, alas, I am just fine.  Left my friend, Carol's, on Thursday and met my brother Jim and his wife Carole and I followed them to their home in Crooked River, Oregon.  A beautiful drive over the Cascades and in one spot Mt. Hood was spectacular but no place to pull over to take a picture.  Crooked River is near Redmond and Bend and the Eastern Oregon scenery is so different from the Western part of the state.  The area is not the lush green of the other side of the mountains but beautiful with Ponderosa Pine and beautiful jagged rocks in so many beautiful colors.  I had only been in that area once in my life and that was when I was 17, so things obviously are much different.  Jim and Carole have purchased a home to which they plan to retire.  It sits on top of the canyon thru which the Crooked River flows.  Amazing to look out their living room windows and see the jagged walls of the canyon.  It is a lovely spot and they are fortunate because their daughter, her husband and two children live about 7 miles further down the road.

Will post some pictures so you can see a little of what we did on my visit.  I did not get pictures of the Three Sisters Mountains as it was cloudy and there was smoke from a nearby fire.  The Three Sisters are beautiful landmarks in Eastern Oregon, majestic, snow covered peaks that you can see for miles and miles.  We went to the little western town, Sisters, and wandered up and down the streets going in and out of the cute little stores.  This is truly a western town and famous for its yearly rodeo.  There are gorgeous hanging baskets of flowers along the street which  makes the town look wonderful.

We also went into Bend and spent some time at the High Desert Museum and learned lots about what local Indians lived in the area and  how the area has changed over the years.  There were also lots of the native animals, coyote, bob cat, bald eagle, snakes, etc.

We had a lovely dinner with Corina and her husband, Hoss, and two boys, Tyler and Jayden.  Their home sits on five acres and they have a beautiful yard with green grass and a pond with lots of greenery growing in it.  Tyler is three and his dad just got him a 50CC Yamaha and is putting on training wheels!!!  That should be a riot.  He also rides a quad so you can see, Dad is interested in riding in the dirt.

Stella The Wonder Dog

This is Carol's pug, Stella and she is a riot.  Have had lots of fun with her!!

August 25, 2010

Carol and I decided to drive to Astoria and Seaside today to visit Pat and her husband.  We thought Pat could use some company and be treated to lunch.  It was a lovely drive from Portland along the Columbia River.  Part of this drive was some of the route I took on the Seattle to Portland bike trip last year and it brought back some "painful" memories.  After picking up Pat we had a nice lunch in Seaside and walked thru tons of shops, and, of course, bought salt water taffy.  Ben and Sophie will be jealous of the taffy!!
After a short visit with Bill, and feeling good that he has improved so much, we headed back to Portland and hot weather, 92 degrees today.  Packing up tonight, doing laundry, playing with the crazy dog and preparing to head to Eastern Oregon tomorrow.  Oregon, as always is a great place to visit, especially with so many friends and family.

Seaside, Oregon

Seaside, Oregon was the end of the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Northwest.  You can see that it was quite foggy on the Oregon Coast today.

Mt Rainier

Monday morning and Carol and I bid our friends, Connie and Gary, a fond farewell and head back to the good old USA.  Had a 65 minute wait at the border, mostly because of new construction at the border station but not too bad as the Peace Arch and gardens are lovely to look at as you slowly wind your way to the crossing.

Then zooming down I-5, we made a lunch stop in Federal Way, a place where Mike, David and I lived for many years.  Further south we made a quick run into Ft Lewis and the Exchange just in case there was something there we could not live without, but alas, came out almost empty handed!!  Did get this picture of Mt Rainier from the parking lot of the Exchange.  It was very beautiful today.  On a clear day this is such a beautiful site, but unfortunately clear days in the Northwest are few and far between.

So, we are back at Carol's home in Portland. We plan to drive to Astoria on Wednesday to visit our friend Pat.  She was not able to go to Canada with us because of a sick husband so we will visit with here.  I will be leaving Portland on Thursday to head to Eastern Oregon to visit with my brother Jim and his wife Carole.  Will also get to meet two great-nephews or is it grand-nephews, Tyler and Jayden.  Will be a fun time.

More Mason Bees

This is a block of wood that Gary drills 84 holes in and the Mason Bees make special nests and then reproduce. He has five of these blocks of wood hanging on the side of the house and the bees come there.  He says they do not bother the humans and don't sting.  If you need more info just go on line!!!  I found it really interesting.

Mason Bees

Standing near the Olympic Cauldron, Vancouver skyline

Vancouver, Olympic Cauldron

Pt. Roberts

Thursday was a typical Monterey day, foggy and drizzle in the morning and sunny in the afternoon.  Up and ready to go we drove to Tsawwassen, Canada.  This is where many people catch the ferry to Victoria or points beyond.  Just past Tsawwassen is a small point of land that is part of the United States.  It is surrounded on three sides by water and quite a lovely little town, Pt Roberts.  You have to go thru customs to get in and out of the area.  Quite a deal for anyone who works or does business there.  Lunch was at a neat little restaurant, sitting on the deck and enjoying the ferrys moving across the water.  On the return trip we stopped at a fruit/vegie stand where we bought fresh picked corn on the cob.  Was that ever good for dinner in the evening!  I did manage a walk around the neighborhood which was great after spending time in the car.

Carol, Lillian and Connie at Pt Roberts, WA

Pt. Roberts, Washington

Oh Canada, Oh Canada

First of all, Carol and I arrived in Vancouver after a rather uneventful trip.  We first had breakfast with Pat, who was on her way to visit hubby in the hospital, played a few games of Keno (I paid $5 and got back $2, that is my luck), bid farewell to our dear friend (she was supposed to be going with us) and headed north.  Arriving at Connie and Gary's we were treated to cold drinks and sitting in their backyard is quite a treat.  Everything is lush green and lovely flowers, all in bloom at the present moment, and lovely little birds in the birdbath.  The picture now is of three of the fearsome foursome and the other member is Connie, the tallest.  This is the only way this year that we could have pictures of us!!

Yesterday we made a driving trip to Harrison Hot Springs.  Quite a lovely drive with lots of farms with corn and blueberry fields.  The mountains were spectacular, finally appearing after the morning low clouds.  Harrison Lake is quite and large and very lovely nestled in the mountains.  It is famous for the hot springs and the majestic old hotel.  A very enjoyable drive to a beautiful destination.

In the evening we were treated to a huge salmon which Gary cooked on a cedar plank.  Wow, what a treat.

Portland

Have been in Portland staying with my high school friend, Carol and dealing with some really hot weather, mostly over 90 degrees every day.  Luckily Carol has air conditioning so we have been comfortable except when we are between the house and the car.   It is wonderful to be able to see Mt Hood every day even though it is somewhat hazy. Fun to attend the mini-class reunion on Saturday and see some old friends from high school.  Always fun to see how much older everyone else looks than we do!!!  This is a picture of three of the fearsome foursome that have been together since high school.  Connie lives in Vancouver, BC and was not able to come down this time.

Carol and I have been going back and forth to the hospital with Pat for three days as her husband has had surgery and has developed a number of additional problems. In and out of the hospital three times a day makes one know the importance of taking good care of ones bod!!! Pat will not be able to join Carol and I when we go to visit Connie in Canada but maybe next time.

So, tomorrow morning we are off, blazing a trail to Canada, actually we will be on I-5 for most of the trip!!  We understand the weather is changing and temperatures will be in the 60's so should be a little more pleasant.  Happy trails to us and will be in touch soon.

My "little" brother, John

This is John, my brother who lives in McMinnville, Oregon.  I arrived at John's home and was immediately greeted by part of his family and then before long, the whole family came upon the scene.  Chrissy, with new baby Avery and big sister, Payton were enjoying the deck at John's, trying to stay cool in the 90+ degree heat.  Another daughter, Johnna with her brood and for the life of me I cannot remember all of their names but they are all sweet and beautiful.  Angie, the oldest also showed up and her two, Issac and Brittany, so the house was running over with kids!! John cooked quite a feast, steak, baked potatoes, pasta salad, green beans and hot rolls.  For dessert he made fresh blueberry shortcake with ice cream.  What a fantastic meal and what fun to catch up on all the latest with this family.

John and I are fans of "So You Think You Can Dance" so we finished the evening watching the final night.  But all good things must come to an end so off the bed and up the next morning to head to a class reunion and get together with high school friends.  Boring to all of you but I am having fun.

First stop

This is a picture of the friends that were at my bon voyage party, along with the three Nichols grandsons.

First stop on this journey was my sister's home in Chico.  She and Richard had planned a nice bon voyage party for me, inviting six friends for a delicious dinner of shrimp, salad, green beans, tomatoes and peach-blueberry cobbler.  We  did enjoy some really good wine before going out to the fields to see the sheep and cows (we are all "city" folks).  Mary's grandsons, Kyle, Kaleb and Kory  were great hosts, taking everyone for rides on the tractor and the quad.  A very special evening.

Next morning I was up at 5 (yes that was AM) and on Highway 99 North by 5:55, anxious to get  moving northward.  Not much exciting along the way but it is always so beautiful to drive by Lake Shasta.  Stopped in Shasta City for a quick omelet and back on the hiway.  Love the drive thru the mountains and down into Ashland and on to McMinnville to my brother John's home. The boring parts of the drive were made easier as I listed to a Recorded Books, of of Dorothy Gilman's, Mrs Polifax series.

About To Go On The Road

Will leave this lovely view tomorrow morning.  First stop,  Chico, CA, then McMinnville, OR and then on to Portland, OR for a high school reunion this weekend.  After that will keep you posted as the trip progresses. Will always have my phone and computer with me so we can always be in contact.

My first post on my new blog

This is a picture of one of my Jade plants