No Beavers - how sad!

June 30 – Well, another month has come to an end.  We had another pretty full day.  Richard and Vickie were making pancakes and sausage for everyone this morning.  We met at the other pavilion that has an actual set for cooking.  They had coffee, juice, tea, hot cider and more.  I enjoyed my 2 pancakes and 2 sausage links!  I took some of the blackberry syrup I made from the wild berries Bill and I picked last year.  Several people tried it but no one actually said anything.  That was a bid disappointing.

We didn’t really get going very early but our friends Mike and Barb came over at 10.  We were all going to explore a while.  We went to a Farmer’s Market where Bill got some Butter Tarts and farm fresh radishes.  The prices were a bit steep, but everything here is more expensive.

We went out to the Beaver Boardwalk, which is a mice path out on the edge of town with several beaver dams.  Unfortunately, we did not get to see a beaver but there were some Canadian geese!  We heard later that not long after we left another couple from our group sent and they got to see a beaver! 

Mike treated for lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken for us driving them around.  I can’t tell you the last time I ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  This one has the regular menu but it’s Canada, so they also have a side of Poutine.  Bill and I got one and Mike and Barb wouldn’t try it.  They don’t know what they’re missing!

Mike googled the post office so we stopped to get postcard stamps and I mailed the cards I had ready to go.  We dropped them off to pick up their car and had to have 4 new tires put on and rotors.  They were happy to have their car back and hope that fixed the towing issues they were having with it. 

They went to Walmart and we did also but this time I didn’t look at their tiny grocery section.  I had several non-food items I was looking for so I got them and Bill drove me just a bit past Walmart to a Safeway store.  It was much better for actual grocery shopping.  I got a better price on rhubarb and almost everything on my list.  They didn’t have much of a wine selection so I passed.  I have enough alcohol to last quite a few days but I like some variety! 

There was a group meeting at 5 as we head out in the morning.  Tomorrow we arrive at the “0” mile marker sign.  I think everyone is going to try and wear something red, white and blue.  Bill and I got our t-shirts out and ready for tomorrow.  We also got good news that they extended a driving day for 40 miles so we could stay in one spot for 3 nights.  Moving every day does get old!

I baked some 4 ingredient cookies today and gave some to Barb and Mike.  Then I cooked the last 3 venison cube steaks for dinner and we finished off the veggies we had last night.  I made a tray of bacon so we didn’t have to dirty the kitchen or cook in the morning.  So we have bananas again and bacon and we will be set til lunch.

It doesn’t get dark here until after 10:30 or 11.  Good thing we have night shades!

Super Day!!!

June 29 – An exciting day!  We had to be ready to go at 8 this morning.  Everyone was to carpool to go up to Jasper Provincial Park this morning.  It took us about an hour to get there to the tram station.  Not everyone in the group wanted to go and Bill was one of them.  We shamed him into going as he’s not big on dangling from a wire in a glass cage!  He gave in and Mike and Barb (our new best friends) road with us up the mountain.  Richard and Vickie checked in and got our tickets.  We had to go on 2 different trams.  We were on the first one for our group.  The attendants seem to all be from England or Australia.  They are all young people who have completed their educations but are not ready to settle into a hum-drum job so they can get into Canada for less money for their Visa.

Once we go to the top it was awesome!  Now we were able to see directly across to the peaks of the of the mountains that we could only see from the bottom.  What a different and great view.  I could have stood out on the rocks for a long time.  It was very cold and lots of snow still on the mountain.  Almost everyone made a snowball and threw it, so it was like a playground!  Being part mountain goat, I climbed where no one else would go.  Someday I’ll be too old and cripple to climb but as long as I can still do it I will love every minute. 

Standing on the edge of the highest rocks is a feeling I cannot explain.  For those few minutes you are not the little ant scurrying around at the bottom, you are on top of the world and looking down at those little ants for a while.  I can see why those young people love their jobs as there is no view like it!

I think almost everyone ended up getting a hot beverage once we came back into the building.  Bill and I wanted a specific t-shirt about the “experience” but they didn’t have our sizes but he enjoyed a hot chocolate and I had a mocha coffee.  It sure helped warm us back up in a hurry for the ride back down.  I think now Bill won’t be as hesitant.  He’s not a risk taker (other than marrying me) and I am and he worries about that.  I’ve very careful and deliberate but now that I have a continual ankle issue I am even more careful.

So once back on the ground we caravanned to Jasper where Richard and Vicki had made a reservation for a pizza lunch.   I requested a white pizza since I don’t do well with the red sauce.  They had no clue but basically make me a tiny pizza with cheese and pepperoni and it was delicious!  Then everyone kind of went their own way to all of the gift shops and the farmer’s market.  We did the same.  We looked a lot but didn’t buy anything but magnets and decals.  Well, that’s what Bill bought!  I didn’t buy anything. 

It started getting a bit drizzly and the 4 of us drove into Hinton so see where the Walmart was and our friends were checking out places to have a tire repaired on their car.  Barb and I went to Walmart but I didn’t have my list and the grocery section is tiny so I only got a few things I knew I needed and I will go back tomorrow with my list and then to Safeway for whatever they don’t have there.  There are a few non-food items on the list as well.

Once the rain started it really didn’t let up much.  I had taken venison cube steaks out for dinner and they had thawed so I put half of them in a marinade while we did other things.  They were very tender and I had planned to pick up a vegetable at Walmart but we managed with leftover green beans and a can of corn. 

There was supposed to be a gathering at the outdoor pavilion but no one ever really told us what was going on.  Bill went over about 7 (in the rain) and I told him I was not going out in the cold rain. 

Wildlife Day!!

June 28 – It’s been a LONG day!  Bill wanted to be first at the gas station as it’s a small one and we needed to fill the RV and the truck.  It wasn’t too far from the campground so we headed out about 7:30. We drove separately as I pulled into the back where the diesel is and he went to the front and filled his truck.  Everything went smoothly!  We pulled out and parked to wait for others in our group to come fill or head down the highway.  Once we saw a couple on the road, we headed out to our meet point at Columbia Icefields in Alberta Province.

It was a 2 hour drive but the good news was as we turned off the highway onto the Icefield Road we saw 2 black bear cubs along the road.  We were in the RV and towing the truck so we couldn’t really stop so no photo. 

There’s HUGE parking area at the visitor center where we could park with the rest of our group.  Vickie and Richard had made a reservation for us at 12:30. It worked out fine that we all got to have lunch in our RVs before heading up to the VC to board our bus.  The sad part was we were all thinking we were actually going to the icefield.  We all boarded the bus and it took us to the Skywalk that sticks out over the river.  They have a couple of tiny ones and then one huge one similar to the one on the rim of the Grand Canyon.  It wasn’t the least bit scary but Bill would only step out 1-2 steps.  The other cool part was there were mountain goats under it that you could see through the glass floor and the goats were also moving along the rock walls across the river from us.  We got to see a mother and child goat walk pretty much straight up the side of a mountain with no hesitation.  That was pretty cool!

I think everyone was disappointed that we didn’t get to the icefield but no one said a word to our tour guides.  They are nice people and they don’t make the schedule so it wasn’t their fault.  Oh well, Bill and I had been there 20 years ago but it would have been fun to go again!

We followed a couple from there to our campground in Jasper, AB.  Along the way we saw another black bear, 4 elk, molting sheep twice, and a female deer.  So it was a good day for wildlife!

We were lined up at the KOA when we arrived.  Everyone made it but we are scattered all over the park.  We are all happy that we are here for 3 nights. It was drizzling when we arrived so poor Bill had to do the outside hookups in the drizzle while I set up the inside.  I put a chicken breast on to stew to shred later for chicken tacos.  We had a group meeting at 6 to go over the next 2 days itinerary.  The bad news is we have to be ready to leave by 8 in the morning.  Ugh!

I made the tacos and some quesadillas and it was a good dinner.  I like to have a variety of meals but I don’t always have what I need to make them.  I thought I had a can of refried beans but didn’t so that’s when I went with quesadillas also.

I did a load of laundry and we already almost have another load in the washer. 

It was a great day, especially seeing all the animals!

Awesome day at Lake Louise

June 27 - What a day!  We had instructions to be ready to roll at 8 this morning.  I got my little backpack ready and we had a quick breakfast of cranberry nut bread.  We got Molly’s water and food refilled and I made sure I had a couple of emergency food bars in my bag and a bottle of water.  Because the parking is a problem as some of the places we were going they asked up to double up and cut back on the number of cars.  Bill offered to drive and take the couple behind us, Mike and Barb.  Super fun and nice people.  We did have a great day with them.

We started in Banff National Park in Alberta Province.  The mountains surrounded us and still have a lot of snow on them.  The mountains are so beautiful.  We did an uphill hike to the lower waterfalls there.  It was a brisk morning to start with but by the time we got up to the top it was cold!  There’s a cave opening with a smaller opening on the back side and you can stoop and walk thru and see the top of the falls.  The spray was cold in addition to the air and my hands were frozen by the time we got our turn to pass thru. It was awesome.  So much power and misting!  Maybe in late June it would be warmer!

Bill and I were the first ones back to the bottom where we sat and rested while we waited for the rest of the group.  Once we all were back we headed back to our perspective vehicles and lined up again to follow our Trip Guides – Vickie and Richard.

Back on the road we headed to Lake Louise.  It’s a famous resort with a beautiful lake and a forceful river pushing thru.  We had a meet time for lunch so in the meantime we headed to the lake.  The glacier above the lake had receded a lot since we were here 20 years ago.  It was a beautiful sunny day and there were canoes and kayaks on the lake.  We took a lot of pictures and just walked around for a while.  Then we headed back to the gift shops and perused until it was time to meet for lunch. 

Vickie and Richard had preordered lunch at one of the restaurant at one of the restaurants at the huge hotel at Lake Louise.  We had a choice of chicken or braised beef.  It came with a salad, mashed potatoes, rolls, peas and a delicious dessert of a lemon bar with whipped cream.  You could have tea or any kind of soda.  Service was good and the food was delicious.  We think the meal was $40 each but that was included in our trip.

From Lake Louise we drove to another part of the park to see one of the tallest waterfalls ever.  It starts at almost the top of the mountain and is rushing water the way down the side into the river.  I think it might be Horsetail Falls, at least that is what it looked like!

On the way back to the campground we spotted 2 young elk along the side of the road and we checked out a fuel station to fill up in the morning.

I was glad I had a chicken pasta salad ready for dinner as I was pooped and didn’t feel like starting from scratch with no oven or microwave! 

Looking forward to another exciting day!!

Crappy campground and broken dishes!

June 26 – Time to move on to our next campground.  We staggered in leaving so we would not create havoc as our campground for the next 2 nights was a first come, first served place.  The theory was for us to arrive between 9-10 this morning so we could get spots as people left.   We were towards the end of the line but when we arrived what a cluster.  It’s a poorly laid out campground and very narrow spaces and in town.  We had about half of our rigs parked and then were told they were getting too many complaints from their guests that our RV’s were noisy and too big for the sites.  The owner then  said he owned another campground about 15 miles away that is also first come first served.  They both only had electric but the new one was only 20 amp, which is minimal for a motorhome.

So we started unhooking and bringing up the legs and bringing in the slides and I followed Bill to the exit.  They have really high speed bumps and as I went over them I heard crashing behind me in the kitchen area.  I stopped at the end of the driveway and my cabinet with my plates and bowls had opened and almost all of my plates fell out.  I ended up with 5 of my 6 dessert plates in a million pieces.  I scraped as much of the broken stuff into the sink and put the plates that fell but did not break in the sink and Bill had backed up wondering what was taking me so long.  I followed him to the new campground.  It was wide open and bigger spaces and only a few RV’s/tents on the sites.  So, we all picked a spot and got hooked up.  We mainly wanted to make sure the fridge had power and we could also open the ceiling vents so it was fine. 

When it came time to make dinner I had to rethink the process.  I was heating up meatloaf and was going to bake a potato in the microwave, but that was not going to happen.  I sliced the potatoes into planks and turned on the gas stove and oiled up a skillet and put them in to start cooking.  Once they were browned and getting tender I turned them over and moved them around to make enough room to put the slices of meatloaf in.  While that was cooking I made salads which fortunately don’t need any cooking!  It tuned out great and there was only one dirty pan!

We just chilled for the rest of the evening as the mosquitoes are bad outside.

The Hot Springs Were Awesome!

June 25 -  We were ready to roll this morning at 10:45 in a caravan to Radium Hot Springs.  We had not unhooked our truck so we bummed a ride with another couple.  Turns out the husband and another husband were going golfing so I think our driver was happy to have someone to drive back with.

We played “follow the leader” and pulled in a side pull off where there was a sign about the springs.  Well, Victoria and Richard are such nice people and have been Wagon Masters several times, but NOT on this trip.  So, we all got our stuff together and we headed down the trail to what we thought was the hot springs.  Well, once we got to the bottom and the water was cold as ice and running very rapidly, Richard made a call on his “special” phone and found we were at the wrong place.  Everyone got a laugh out of it, but Richard felt bad that we now had to hike back up the zig-zag trail.  So we loaded back up and drove about 2 miles further and parked and walked under the road to the other side where the real hot springs were.  They have 2 pools, one is hotter than the other, and we had all brought our own towels and the men went to their changing rooms as we went to ours.  They give you a token for the lockers and several ladies didn’t put all their stuff in and you can only open the locker once.  One of the ladies asked if she could put her leftover stuff in mine, of course!  We’re in this together.

The water was so relaxing and pretty busy.  There were quite a lot of Asian people and we learned one pool was hotter and that’s the one I stayed it.  The other pool had some lounge chairs and Bill eventually went to that side and found a chair to relax in.  I think everyone really enjoyed it but several wondered why we went there when the resort has hot springs as well.  It’s not as big and there are a lot of people in the campground and at the hotel, so maybe they thought we’d have more space at Radium.  At least we all got some exercise!

This evening Bill and I took a walk over to the hotel and checked it out and the regular pool and the springs pool were both pretty crowded.  That was our evening walk a bout.  We’re supposed to leave really early tomorrow as the next campground is first come first served.  The one they have used in the past went out of business due to 2 years of no travelers.  So, we have to make due here and they also don’t have water or sewer hook ups, just 30 amp power.  It’s just another adventure that we can look back on and get a good laugh or two, I’m sure!

On the road to Fairmont Hot Springs, BC

June 24 – We are officially on the road now!  Victoria and Richard, our group leaders, left very early so he could meet with the next campground and assign the sites based on our sizes.  The majority are Class A motorhomes but they do vary in length and type of tow vehicle.

Richard asked if we would be the Tail gunner today and we said we would.  Everyone got out fine and nothing was left behind but they were so slow in leaving that we didn’t on the road until about 11.  Everyone was stopping at Cranbrook, BC at the Walmart so get some groceries and we arrived last and picked up a few things and Bill was able to get the last container of DEF fluid as we’ve heard there is a shortage. 

It was a very different lay out in that Walmart.  It was more wide than deep and the groceries are in the middle of the store.  Not a very big store but for sure it was busy!

We followed the last RV out of the parking lot and followed them all the way to Fairmont Resort Hot Springs where we will be for 2 nights.  It’s a real resort and so beautiful.  There’s a regular pool and a hot springs pool.  The grass is all green and you have long spaces to pull thru and a nice little yard for each rig.  Since we got it pretty early we had an afternoon gathering at the pavilion.  Our hosts set out 2 kinds of wine, soft drinks, water and platters of cheese, crackers and fruits.  We had a bean bag toss tournament.  Bill and I won our first game and had to play several other since the winner advanced.  We ended up placing second as I didn’t throw well after the first game, but I did score enough points to help us last as long as we did.  The prizes were kinda hokey, but it was mostly for fun and we got a bag of bungy cords that you can always use!

Everyone headed home and we had a snack later but no real dinner after all that cheese and crackers.  It was a peaceful night.

Getting ready to really hit the road!

June 23 – It’s a sunny nice day in Yahk, BC.  Bill was working on some water stains on the RV and I siliconed a piece back on above the door this morning.  I vacuumed the RV and took some venison out to make a BIG meatloaf for dinner.  Will be enough I think for 3 meals!

Our leaders were hosting lunch of subs, chips, cookies, sodas and water at 12:30.  Everyone showed up with their chairs and we had a nice gathering.  We are required to wear our name tags as no one knows too many names yet. I don’t know any!  Yikes!  I sat by one of the single ladies and found that she winters a couple of months in Florida.  Last year she was in Clermont for a couple of weeks, so I told her if she goes back there to visit the Webster Flea Market on a Monday.  Who knows, we might meet up with her when she is in the area.  It was a nice event and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Slow Day!

June 22 – The rest of the group moseyed today!  Well, all but the Tail Gunner.  No one has heard from him so we will see what happens tomorrow.

Bill did some cleaning on the front of the RV and I did some laundry and we just hung out at the campground and chatted with some of our fellow travelers.   At 6pm we had a gathering of everyone in the open pavilion.  It was bring your own chair.  Our leaders when thru how things will go and explained that some things will be different than our original itinerary.  Some of the campgrounds have not reopened and some are short of help so there will be some nights that we stay in 2 different locations.  The Covid thing is a big issue and like in the states they can’t find people to work.  We introduced ourselves but who is going to remember 30 names.  We are to wear our name tags at all events I think, especially til we get to know who is who!  We had some good laughs and shared ideas and suggestions.  There will be quite a few meals provided which will be nice. We have 2 single ladies, one single guy and one teenager.  Everyone so far has been super nice and excited about the adventure ahead.

Beautiful Day in Canada

June 21 – The weather this morning was beautiful.  The sun was out and the sky was clear.  As we had breakfast our first train went by.  We are at the back of the park across a lane from the river and the train tracks are on the other side of the river.  

We decided to venture into the town of Creston, about 30 miles.  About half way there the traffic was backed up.  We ended up waiting about 45 minutes as a there was an accident on a bridge.  People in the cars behind us were getting out and walking up to see what was going on.  Eventually Bill decided to walk up.  Once the traffic started coming towards us and Bill was not back I moved to the driver seat and started moving with the traffic.  Bill came trotting up and got in the passenger side.  Eventually they stopped the oncoming traffic so our side could move and we crossed the bridge that was closed to one lane.  On our side of the bridge was a truck towing a horse trailer and it had no rear axil in the trailer and the truck was bashed in on the driver side.  Then as we crossed the bridge there was a wide black streak on the pavement from the other side over into our lane.  There was a big dump truck stopped just inside of the bridge and there was a barrier missing just outside of the bridge.  We don’t think anyone was hurt as the ambulance had passed us and was not using his sirens.

So we managed to get into town.  Our first quest was to convert some US currency into Canadian currency.  We stopped at a bank and I waited a while and then was told they don’t do exchange but suggested I try the credit union up a block and left a block.  I walked up and called Bill and told him where to drive up to.  They did do exchange but the teller said it had been a while since she’d done it and it took a while.  But, we do now have some Canadian currency to use for tips or small purchases.

We had a nice lunch on the upstairs outside dining area overlooking the main street.  The service was a little slow but the food was very good.

We stopped in a grocery and Bill got some bulk food items and we picked up a couple more veggies.  We planned to get some fruit as the entire valley there raises all kinds of fruits but the weather has not been good – too much rain and no sunny days – so none of the little stands were open.  We stopped at a larger building that was open but his stuff was mostly brought in.  I did get 2 huge beefsteak tomatoes.

Then it was time to head back to the RV.  While we were gone 2 more of our caravan members had arrived.  The guy across from us has been enclosing the area under the nose of his 5^th wheel for storage.  Bill called for me to come over and I got to see his chainsaw attachment that he can take a section of a fresh cut or fallen tree and cut it into boards of whatever size he needs.  He gathered wood on the mountain across from the campground, which is owned by the campground owners, and made his 2 x 4’s, and 1 x 8 inch boards.  That was so cool and very impressive that there is a tool for that.  So he got all of the boards for free.

After dinner of fresh corn on the cob, rotisserie chicken and sliced tomatoes, we went for out evening campground walk.  The same little dog approached us as last night and he wanted his mate to come to but that one wanted to stay at his RV.

We watched some TV and had some huckleberry ice cream (only had room for pint size) for dessert.

Time to call it a day!

Crappy Border Crossing!

June 20 – Another full day!  We got on the road about 9 as to leaving the RV park.  Then we stopped to fuel up at a regular gas station that that 2 separate spaces for semis, so we did get to fill up there.  Then we drove a few blocks and parked behind the Wal-mart store and hooked up.  THEN, we officially got on the road close to 10!  The drive to the Canadian border was 119 miles.  Traffic was steady but not bad at all.  We had a pretty long wait at the border as they only had one lane open and there was a line of cars and semis, and us!  We had been advised to complete the ArriveCan app, which required your life story almost and scanning in your passports, CDC cards and driver’s license.  The point was that then they send you a scannable QR code.  We read that then they just scan it and you’re on your way.  NOT!  I went to all that trouble and the guy refused it.  Good thing I had put our bag with our passports and CDC cards on the dash in case.  Actually, they only used our passports like in the old days!  Geez!  Later we were told that they compare what you scanned in with the passports at hand.  Well, I was VERY upfront with what we had on board and they had us pull into one of the 4 spaces for checking your RV.  At least this time was less intrusive and faster than when we entered Canada in the East.  Two employees went out and took about 15 minutes and nothing appeared to have been moved.  They told us we were free to go.  Now we wonder when we go from Alaska back into Canada how that will go!  So far we have driven 4,398 miles to get here!  We expect to hit 12,000 by the time we get home.  The new RV will be really broken in by then!

Once we got thru the border it was only 11-12 miles to Yahk, BC to our campground, Hay U Ranch Resort.  The word Resort, really should not be part of the name.  It’s an OK campground with permanent people.  We found out they sell the lots so then most of the RV’s on them are permanent and then get run down.

Our group is not totally together but all in the same area.  So far 6 of the 14 are here.  We expect the rest to arrive tomorrow.  Then in the evening we have a group gathering to go over things.  Before we leave the Tail Gunner will do an inspection of each RV.  We’ve received our “Welcome” package with some nice goodies and literature to go over and the final itinerary.  Bill has read it all but I will do that some time tomorrow.  He had to put our number on the rear of the RV and our PPA decal on the truck and the RV.  Then we will be ready to hit the road!

Bill met a few of the other folks last night but I was making dinner and making banana nut bread.  After dinner we did our campground walk.  We met a cute little dog that seemed to want to go with us then his mom came out and called him back. 

And not the real Adventure begins!!

 

Shopping, shopping and shopping!

June 19 – It was a rainy morning and chilly night!  We took our time this morning before heading out as it was kinda nasty and we had a bunch of stops to make.  I was on a mission to find a certain salad dressing but had no luck.  We did pick up more groceries in hopes of paying less than once we get to Alaska. 

I was looking for a few items and hit several clothing stores and I did get a good deal on lined gloves for under $5.  My hands have been freezing here so thought I better be prepared for further north.  Once the bulk of the shopping was done we had lunch at Panera.  Yummy salad with chicken as ususal!

We topped off the fuel in the truck and decided where we will fill the RV in the morning and hook up etc.  The campground is pretty tight and then to get into and out of a regular gas station is a challenge so we have it covered we thing.

This afternoon I made a big batch of venison meatballs.  I put half in the freezer and half in the fridge for tomorrow night.  We picked up a rotisserie chicken for tonight.  Always good to have leftovers!

Just as we were getting ready for dinner Bill got a call from his friend Tillie who let him know that their friend Pete Abietello died yesterday.  Bill is very sad as you would imagine.  They worked together at West Orange for years and have kept in contact since they both retired.  He’s been in the hospital for a while and once he was better, he came home and had lost about 40 pounds so far and was following the DR’s orders.  His sister was with him at home and she left yesterday to go home and when he didn’t answer the phone today, she called his friend Tillie.  He called and got no answer so he called Pete’s neighbor and she went over and found him dead on the bathroom floor.  Everyone is assuming he had a heart attack.  It’s a very sad day for his family and friends.  Bill isn’t taking it very well, but they say time heals all wounds.

We took our walk after dinner and the park is way emptier than it was last night.  I guess because today is Sunday and weekenders went home.

Tomorrow we head to Canada to our caravan meet point.  Glad I got new gloves!

Idaho here we come!

June 18 – Bill was not happy with how his truck tire is while driving so this morning he left early to be at the tire place when they opened.  He was actually second in line.  This was the tire with a screw in it that he went somewhere before and they plugged it.  Well, that person but the tire on the rim backwards and that was causing it not to drive right. 

So, we didn’t get going by 9 which has become our “normal” time for leaving.  Once I had my breakfast and packed up the RV and had the inside all secured.  Bill wasn’t back yet so I went ahead and brought in the slides and then I pulled the pads out from under the leveling legs.  I was looking at the water hook up and decided to go ahead and start on the water hose, filter and “Y” splitter and Bill got back.  I helped him finish up so we could get on the road.  We managed to get going just after 10, so that wasn’t too bad.

We were headed to Coeur D’Alene, ID.  It was wet out but at least no rain for the packing up.  We stopped at the truck stop across the road to hook up as making some of the turns in the park and getting out of the park towing the truck was going to be dicey.

Then we were on I-90 west all the way to Coeur D’Alene.  We were in and out of rain and it was dicey crossing the Rocky Mountains.  It was a series of Up and Down.  The rain came and went numerous times as well.  The only stop we made was at Lincoln’s Bar and Gift Shop in Haugan, MT.  We’ve stopped there every time we were passing by.  The catch there is the bar.  It’s at the back of the huge building and there are placards of Silver Dollars mounted from the ceilings and the bar has at least 2,500 coins in it.  They have a café in the building and a huge gift shop area.  We were only looking for postcards and that’s all that we bought.  It’s a cool but pricy stop. 

I was really glad to make our destination after running in and out of the rain and going up and down the mountains.  It was colder than I expected when we arrived at our campground.  We’ve been here before, Tamarack RV Park, and it’s very level, nice trees and very well maintained.  We have a back in which was no big deal.

After lunch and settling in we went to Walmart to “stock” up on things for heading into BC on Monday.  I’m sure there will be grocery stores but I’m concerned at the prices in BC and once we reach Alaska.  It was pretty nippy out and I actually put jeans on.  I rarely wear them but I think I will be in them a lot for the next 50 days! 

We also stopped at Fred Meyer, which is one of my favorite grocery stores.  Then it was time to get home and put things away while Bill washed the front window. 

I steamed some shrimp for dinner and baked us a potato and a small butternut squash.  I was surprised that Bill actually commented how good the squash was as he normally won’t eat it.  It was the only one I got to harvest from my garden at home and it finish ripening in the coach. 

So it was a full day and I’m sure we will sleep well tonight!

Not much happening

 June 17 – I spent my day doing laundry, trying to catch up my journal and book some stays for our trip home.  Bill went to a movie, “Jurassic Park” latest one out.  I’m not much of a fan.

We took our last walk around Jim & Mary’s after dinner. 

Best DAy of My Summer!!

 June 16 – What an exhausting day!  We had an appointment at 9 for front end alignment on the coach.  I felt bad for Molly as she would need to be with us in the truck ALL day!  With extra parts we are carrying it didn’t leave much room for her.  We took her food and water bowls and she nestled in the floorboard behind Bill.  At least it was not a blistering hot day!

So, we dropped the RV off and we drove to the dentist office I has managed to get an appointment with.  We were way early but didn’t want to be late getting lost.  We spotted a shopping area so Bill dropped me at the entrance and was going to read while I tootled around.  I bought some clearance items at Bath and Body Works then headed back to the entrance I came it.  I immediately saw Kevin Costner allowing a lady to have her picture with him.  OMG!  I was so excited and waving at Bill.  He was with 2 guys and they walked over to a historical display and I waited for Kevin to read the placard.  His 2 associates saw me waiting and didn’t say a word but of course, they knew why I was waiting.  When he turned

I could not have been happier!

around I asked VERY politely if I could have a photo with him and he said “Sure”.  I gave the camera to one of his guys and in seconds it was over – BUT, the memory will be one of my best ever!  I love his movies but my all-time favorite is “Field of Dreams”. I made Bill drive though miles and miles of cornfields to go there years ago and now that experience has been completed!  I told him on our way west that I wanted to go back there – so – maybe!

I instantly sent my photo to my family and friends and they were all very excited for me.  Those who know what a big fan I am were very happy, maybe a little jealous!  My friend Karen even made reference to how much she knew I loved Field of Dreams and him.  So, if nothing else super happens on this trip, I’ve already had the best day I could imagine!

I was showing all the ladies in the dentist office and they were so excited as well.  My dentist was a lady and she was great.  My tooth issue appeared to be a tooth that I had a root canal done and they never had me go back to put a permanent filling in.  There was cotton in there and a filling on top so that if I had further pain it would be simple to get back into the root.  She said it was a fairly common method but I had not been told.  So, she did a great job and now I won’t have to worry about that tooth going south on me in Alaska!

Then it was time to go pick up the RV and take it to the oil change place.  Once we dropped it off we headed to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings with the intention of using a gift card.  Food was OK but she could get the card to work so I’ll have to make a call about that. 

I stopped in Ross and TJ Maxx and ended up only buying a tea ball.  I guess when we moved to this RV I didn’t bring the tea ball.  We went to Walmart last so the groceries wouldn’t sit too long in the RV while continued to wait for the oil change to be complete.  So we put the cold items in the cooler and then headed to Bill’s hearing aid appointment.  He was very happy to find someone to repair it instead of having to mail it in, which would not work for us on the road. 

Once he was done we headed to pick up the RV and it was ready and waiting.  I went in to pay and got to ask a few questions and found they had 3 recalls and were able to do 2 of them.  I requested copies of the paperwork on the recalls so we would have everything in our Big Black Bag!

Time to head home and do a good leveling set up.  Molly was VERY happy to get back to the RV and back on the bed.  She’s so trained to our lifestyle that she doesn’t whine or anything when things don’t go like she’d like.

We had some leftovers for dinner and settled down to read for a relaxing evening!

Headed further west....

June 15 – We left Deer Lodge about 9:40 this morning with a brisk chill!  It was a direct drive on the interstate for about 2 hours.  We had a few miles of road work, which seems to be a normal thing for us now.  We arrived at Jim & Mary’s RV in Missoula about 11:15 as there was not much traffic out.  We got parked and partially set up as tomorrow we are taking the RV in for an oil change and front end alignment.  Only put out one side so we could get into the fridge and bed!

The sun is out and it’s 60 today, so we are glad.  Still hearing sad tales of Yellowstone and have had contacts asking if we were headed there.  No, not this summer.  Good thing we didn’t plan it but since we volunteered at a campground near there several years and they no longer own the campground we were not stopping in that area at all.  It’s a very sad thing but Mother Nature is still the boss!

We didn’t fully hook up today as we have 2 appointments for the RV tomorrow.  The space is a bit uphill so we did the best we could for now.  Tomorrow when we get back from servicing we will do a better job.

The park is full for sure.  Bill chatted up our neighbors.  One has a Starlink satellite and he sold Bill on it but we won’t be making the investment until we get home.  Supposedly we can use it for at home or on the road.  The costs are a little different and you have to notify them when you go on the road but it would certainly end the frustration of little to no internet service in campgrounds.  So many if they have it, it’s spotty and very frustrating when you try to research places.

We drove out to Lolo, about 30 minutes from our campground and made a stop at the Distillery.  Kam put in an order to me for Huckleberry Vodka from there so we made our purchase and since it was too early for dinner at the steakhouse we had a drink and visited with the 2 barmaids.  Very nice ladies and we learned a lot about huckleberry harvesting in the process.

Dinner at the steakhouse was just as delicious as our last visit a year ago.  My NY Strip was thick, flavorful and perfectly cooked – over easy!!  I picked sweet potato over regular baked potato and it was as sweet as it could be.  Service is great and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Missoula.

Chilly peaceful day!

June 14 - It was a pretty lazy day.  Not a lot to do or see here.  It was really cold this morning and we had discussed visiting Grant Kohr’s Ranch National Park, but since it was cold and we’d been there before we decided to pass.  We did eventually drive into “town” so Bill could get something at the ACE Hardware and we stopped at Safeway.  I picked up a few things but passed on a lot as it was VERY expensive there.  Hoping the prices are more reasonable when we get to Missoula tomorrow.  Bill wanted a can of chili with no beans so I treated him with that, which he had for dinner.

We also stopped at the train area where there were several old train cars on site and a display of the “Last Spike” of the railroad.  I took some photos there.

My project for the day was to drain one of my hydroponic tomato plants and make a new cardboard stabilizer for it and change it’s water.  My plants are doing pretty well since they out grew the hydroponic machine and I have 3 in bottles.  When we park I put them in the dash so they get some good light.  My basil is fantastic!  We periodically harvest some cherry tomatoes. 

We head out tomorrow for Missoula where we will be for 3 nights and have 2 appts made for the RV.  It needs a front-end alignment and oil change and of course we have to take it 2 places.  Molly will be with us if we have to drive around while it’s getting done.  I have a real shopping list since we head into Canada on the June 20.  Need to stock on paper goods and pick up prescriptions and things like that.  I know we will get to Walmarts in Anchorage and Fairbanks but it’s not like you can go any day of the week!  This will be a real adventure!

Our Wagon Master couple called today to introduce themselves to us.  There will 14 rigs in our caravan group.  This couple normally does 2 other caravan trips but since there will be 3 this year, they are doing their first Alaska one.  On our meet up night with the group we will receive specific itineraries regarding activities etc.  I’m excited to send a copy to Melissa so she can see what to expect during her stay with us.  She’s very excited even though it’s a LONG plane ride.  I guess I will use a travel patch and try a whale watching trip AGAIN!  Bill won’t be happy if I have a repeat experience!

Crazy dinner out!

 June 13 – It wasn’t a bad night at all.  I slept really well, as I was bushed!  Today the high was 55.  This morning started out rainy with a cloud obstructive view of the snow capped mountains and was pretty windy but the sky cleared over the mountains and it’s a beautiful view out the front window now.

While Bill went to the hardware store for a bolt that fell out in the hitch I dusted the entire inside, well, all the wood and there is a lot of it!  I used amoral on the dash so it’s clean again as well.  I did my floors yesterday after we landed so that was off my list. 

After lunch I decided we needed cookies as we had eaten what I had in the freezer.  I did my chocolate 4 ingredient cookies with both white and chocolate chips and some pecans.  It only makes about 2 dozen and I put a few in the freezer for an “emergency”.  

Bill had checked on restaurants for dinner but there wasn’t a lot to chose from.  There is a steak place that had good ratings but when we drove there it was closed for kitchen renovation.  That left with a pizza place for 4B’s, which was 2 blocks from the RV park.  That’s where we ended up and were seat pretty quickly.  We had a very personable waitress who dropped off our menus and went for water.  When she came back I ordered the liver and onions, which she told us they were out of.  So I went back to looking and Bill said he wanted the meatloaf and I changed to pork chops.  Well she came back to tell Bill they were out of meatloaf.  We had a good laugh over it and the server was a hoot about how said it was that they were out of so many things!  They didn’t have slaw either, which I asked for as one of my sides!  So Bill ended up with chicken fried steak and I had my pork chops but it came with white gravy.  Weird or maybe they were out of brown gravy!  We passed on dessert!

So that wrapped up our day, as least we were full!

Change of Plans!

June 12 - Change of plans!  We were headed to Divide, MT and Bill suggested we go to a campground in Deer Lodge, MT instead.  He called ahead to Indian Creek Campground to see if they had a spot for us for 3 nights and she did, so then he cancelled our stay in Divide.  We knew we had been to Deer Lodge before but then we realized we stayed at this campground.  It’s right off the interstate and mostly pull thru spaces.  The up side was also that we could get full hook up here and not at the other place.

Since it was supposed to get down to 36 tonight we decided we better fill the propane tank as it was just below half.  Bill called ahead to make sure what places had propane so we didn’t get in a pickle.  He found a Flying J type place and we pulled around to the back corner where the tank was and there was a guy there with 2 big refillable tanks so we waited.  It was a bit before the guy came to fill the tanks and he was pretty slow.  Finally, he left and I pulled up into position to fill our tank.  The guy must have taken at least half an hour to finally figure out what end to put on the hose to fill with.  Bill had planned out our exit as while waiting he walked around the grounds.  It was jam packed as part of the building is a casino so the front lot was full.  Once he paid for the propane we pulled up and had to wait for a truck with a travel trailer to finish pumping regular gas and go in to pay and wait for his wife.  Because another customer pulled along the outside of the lot we were about 2 foot short of enough room to get thru.  The truck and RV finally exited – after the wife got back out of the truck and took her trash bag to the trash can and proceeded to empty her Walmart bag into the can.  Geez, who doesn’t have enough Walmart bags to just “trash” them??

Finally we pulled on around and across the lot to the main road and got back on our way west!  What an experience, but at least we have propane for tonight!

It's still pretty windy out and a bit of drizzle here and there but at least no major downpours today.  We parked facing the mountains but it was pretty overcast so cannot really see the mountains very well.

We had quite a few neighbors come in and park beside us.  Bill talked to the single lady of a teardrop tow behind.  She is a retired special ed teacher and she painted the teardrop bright yellow on the sides and painted flowers on it, very cute!  She is headed by herself, not even a dog with her to Glacier NP. 

I did laundry since we have sewer and got caught up.  After dinner it cleared up a bit and we took our daily park walk.  We walked over to the area we were in before and talked with a guy with a Starlink antenna.  HE told us about it and the expense of it, but he is still working so wanted to make sure he has good internet where ever they go.

The temp was predicted to get down to 36 over night but by the time we were settling in it had changed a bit.  We did get out our space heater for the bedroom.

Lunch and a Movie!

June 11 – It was supposed to be rainy today but although the skies got really gray it didn’t rain.  Very good for us!  We did some morning chores and decided to have a nice lunch out.  Of course the place we wanted to go to isn’t open on Saturday for lunch.  We had Mexican and it was very good and the décor in the restaurant was lovely.

We stopped at 3 thrift stores and bought a few more books and a couple of kitchen items.  Then it was time to go to the movie theatre.  Bill dropped me off and the theatre while he found a parking spot.  We had a short wait for them to open the ticket sales but “Top Gun” was well worth the wait.  We were with the “senior” crowd.  The movie was awesome!  We really enjoyed it and think we should get back on track with our Saturday night dinner and movie regiment!

For dinner we had some chicken pasta salad I made yesterday and turned on the TV for a while.  We head out in the morning for Divide, MT.  We have 2 nights there but might just do one and get into Missoula a day early if they can work it for us.  Hoping for no rain but think it’s in the works whether we like it or not!