Coasting thru Maine: Camden State park, ME 9/30/2009

Woke up to gorgeous blue skies and decided it was a great opportunity to visit the top of Cadillac Mountain again. The visibility was splendid and it was mind boggling to see that far in so many directions. (See today’s pic). If you ever visit Acadia National Park this is a must see. We had so much fun bicycling the Carriage Roads yesterday we decided to try for an encore performance. The ride we enjoyed this morning was pretty, but not nearly as breathtaking as yesterday. Then we rode over seven stone bridges, today only one. Ironically, the ranger advised us that today’s ride was easier – uh, not so much. A LOT of uphill. We headed out of the park and immediately saw a wine tasting sign at Bar Harbor Winery, Sweet Pea Farm. Considering there aren’t any grapes from here we were curious to see what wines they offered. We opted not to do the grape wine tastings since they were all from imported European juice. Instead we tasted an apple wine (quite good – close to a Pinot Griggio), blueberry wine (so-so, dry but flavorless) and an apple-currant wine (good dessert wine). We drove about 1 ½ miles further and came upon Bar Harbor Brewery. Since Ned was a good sport about the wine tasting, it was only fair to give beer tasting equal time. Once again they featured blueberry ale (which in Ned’s opinion was pretty awful), ginger beer, and a dark porter. Ned was not too impressed and since we were both getting a bit of a buzz on by then (it was not yet lunch) we decided to push on…We finally got off the island and took a totally obscure backroad down a couple of Maine peninsulas. We found a VERY off the beaten track lobster shack, near Penobscot, and decided to partake. For the second day in a row, I went for a lobster roll, but added onion rings while Ned ventured onto a haddock sandwich. Delish! We continued down the coast stopping frequently to see harbors and villages. (Ned did manage to finally taste a whoopee pie. Now we just have to find a Moxie soda). The stately homes and upscale B&B’s on the coast are a lot more tony than the double-wides of inland Maine. We are currently camped at Camden State Park and enjoying the free wi-fi. Great chance to get caught up on email and have some downtime. Yes, I do have a fine glass of California wine poured (thank goodness) and Ned is sampling some Canadian beer that was smuggled across the border. Mmm – what kind of day is this when you start out AND end up imbibing in a nip or two? Ah, vacation.

The Maine Event: Acadia National Park, ME 9/29/2009

It rained cats and dogs last night, but the skies cleared up and it was a pleasant 65-70 degrees for most of the day. We took the back roads to Bangor enjoying the country scenery, but were a little dismayed at the poverty. Lots of double-wides and beat up houses. Once we reached Bangor, we weren’t too impressed. Seemed to be a hard scrabble town with lots of brick buildings, but nothing really to see. We continued on a backroad highway stopping at our first lobster shack outside of Bar Harbor. We each had a lobster roll followed by a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie. Nice. The real highlight of the trip for me so far is Acadia National Park. I’d been reading about the carriage roads, and I was really looking forward to doing some biking on them. We were not disappointed! During the 1880’s some of America’s wealthiest families began spending their summers on Mount Desert island. The families, (Rockefellers, Fords, Morgans and Pultizers) built palatial summer homes, changing the island’s character from rustic charm to high society. In pursuit of leisurely carriage rides, without having to see, smell or hear the island’s early automobiles, John D. Rockefeller Jr. began building a system of carriage roads in 1913. Separated from motor roads by gates, bridges, and other structures, these paths continue to provide visitors with recreational opportunities in a peaceful, scenic setting. It was amazing to cycle through the forest on these old roads, over beautifully crafted granite bridges and have amazing views of the sea and harbor. During our hour or so bike ride we saw only one other cyclist, two hikers and one couple in a horse carriage. The best bike ride ever!! We also spent some time driving up Cadillac Mountain and visiting Thunder Hole. At the peak of Cadillac Mountain, (the highest point on the eastern coast and the first place the sunrises on the U.S, at 1530 ft), we had a breathtaking panorama over Mount Dessert Island and the surrounding inlets and islands. A couple of huge cruise ships were sailing into the harbor along with a classic four mast windjammer. It was really stunning seeing them against the blue water. Rather than cooking at the campsite, we decided to play tourist and ventured into Bar Harbor for a couple bowls of clam chowder. It’s a cute, fun little town, but mostly catering to the tourist crowd. We are not looking forward to the thousands of people from the cruise ships descending on the island tomorrow, so we most likely will head on down the coast in search of off the beaten track fishing villages and more funky lobster shacks.

Adieu Quebec: Peaks-Kenney State Park, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 9/28/2009

(This is Ned sitting in for Debi tonight.) We woke up again this morning with lots of rain pelting the roof of the van. After a slightly claustrophobic, but good shower in the “former school gymnasium” bathroom, we took off for historic Quebec, without even making our traditional morning coffee, determined to experience another French Quebec culinary experience. Rather quickly we spotted an omelet place that seemed like it would do just the trick. Sure enough, after our BOWLS of piping hot Café au Lait (Debi) and mocha (Ned), we were served with really delicious omelets. Debi was beaming the entire time that we were in the restaurant, as this was just the sort of experience she had hoped for. While dining, the entire uniformed crew of a new Canadian Naval ship, which is currently docked in Quebec marched passed the restaurant window, complete with marching drums. This is apparently a daily routine to encourage people to visit this newly commissioned ship and promote the Canadian Navy. We saw the entire crew again a little later in the town square, standing in formation, as the town mayor made some sort of speech honoring them. (Debi descretely whispered to me that, from the looks of the moderately rotund and fairly middleaged look of the fellows in formation, she didn’t feel that the U.S. needed to fear an invasion from our northerly neighbors any time soon.) For the following hour we walked around different parts of the neighborhood, photographing and marveling at all the great colors and old buildings, as the sun broke through the clouds. (See today’s pic) Soon we were headed south toward Maine, passing lots of spectacular farmland and rolling fall-colored hills. At the border crossing, our customs inspector did a thorough job of asking us how long we had been in Canada, where we lived, what was the nature of our visit, and whether or not we were bringing back any produce, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, or any cash in excess of $10,000. Debi , in turn, asked him where HE lived, to which he replied Dover. Well! For any of you who have listened over the last several months to Debi’s memorized itinerary of our trip, one of her favorite parts was to recite that, once we left Quebec, we were planning on staying at Peaks-Kenney State Park in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. (Mainly just because she likes the way it sounds!) Well our inspector was very pleased to hear about this, especially the fact that we were anxious to get there before it was scheduled to close, two days from now. Soon we were headed on an alternate scenic route (Route 15) toward Peaks-Kenney, as recommended by our inspector. We rolled into the park about 5:00 and were amazed to see that only two other campsites are occupied. The park is absolutely beautiful, particularly the way every campsite is nestled in amongst the trees. Tomorrow we head for Bangor, Maine, and then Arcadia National Park.

Tale of Two Cities: Quebec City, Canada 9/27/2009

We heard rain pattering on the roof all night so had a pretty good idea what was in store for us today. We decided to have a cozy morning “at home” especially since we didn’t have far to drive for our exploration of Montreal. By the time we arrived in the historic district the rain had abated and it was quite fun to walk around in the mist. (See today’s pic). Fortunately, the weather wasn’t cold at all, about 60, so just light sweaters and our rain coats were sufficient. We decided to have a French brunch at a charming little restaurant called “Chez Suzette.” Ned chose crepes poulet et epinards (crepe with chicken and spinach served with a béchamel sauce). I had a quiche lorraine with a café au lait. Yes, a perfect French meal in the city of Montreal. We drove around and enjoyed seeing the different neighborhoods as well as the university. We were amazed at how big Montreal is! We decided to venture onto Quebec, knowing it would be about a 2 hour or so drive. It rained like crazy during the drive so we weren’t able to enjoy the scenery as much. The crazy thing about being in the Quebec province is that we can’t read very many of the traffic signs. It’s been a little confusing, to say the least, when huge traffic signs on the freeway are flashing different messages and we have no idea what they say! Also, we don’t have any idea why the lights blink green and then stop. Thank goodness Ned has been doing the urban driving!! Once we arrived in Quebec the rain had stopped and we were able to drive around the city and take it all in. We decided to try and find our camping spot for the night (which is another story) – ah yes, the beautiful Camp Coop Esprit. Another glorified trailer park and the bathrooms are in what appears to be an abandoned school gymnasium – in the basement. (Yes, Ned is accompanying me to EVERY bathroom visit). We didn’t feel like hanging around here, and we are only 9 km. from the historic district of Quebec, so we decided to return there for dinner. What a great choice and how romantic! It was one of those magical evening where you can wander around a city at night, enjoy the lights and mist, and have fun window shopping. The restaurant we chose for dinner was the best meal we have eaten yet on this trip! I had Atlantic Salmon in a mango sauce with crème brulee for dessert, Ned had pork loin with a thyme and maple syrup glaze, and a chocolate hazlenut mousse cake for dessert. Visually it was a work of art, and it tasted even better. So, not a bad day to start out in Montreal for brunch and end up in Quebec for a French dinner! After dinner we were strolling around in some of the shops. While looking at the postcards I spotted one that featured the restaurant we just ate in! It was called “Auberge du Tresor”. Who knew we had picked such a famous restaurant? We had so much fun we are heading back into Quebec tomorrow morning for perhaps breakfast croissants! (Yes, I know we are eating our way thru Canada…)

Capitol Day in Ottawa: St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada 9/26/2009

It was COLD when we woke up this morning – about 37 deg. There was no rain in sight, but it was definitely the fall season. After the usual morning routine, we packed up pretty quickly and headed out at about 8:30. It was a beautiful drive out of the park, in and out of the fog and watching the steam rising off the various lakes with the fall foliage in the background. We drove about 2 ½ hours to Canada’s capitol of Ottawa not really knowing what to expect. Unintentionally we came across a bike path along the Ottawa river and because it was such a beautiful day, decided to take it into the centre of Ottawa, Parliament Hill. (The above pic is taken along the bike path). Considering the forecast, we were amazed at the great weather, a downright balmy mid-60’s with blue skies. Roundtrip the bike ride was about 20 miles. (I’ve posted on facebook the ride – check it out). We knew nothing about Ottawa and assumed it was a typical run of the mill city. Boy, were we wrong! It has a very international, cosmopolitan feel. We particularly enjoyed the different languages being spoken: French, English & German, and all the different nationalities including Iranian, Chinese, Haitian, and of course a couple of Americans milling around. The Parliament Hill area is incredible with its castle like setting above the Ottawa River. The copper mansard roofs and gothic stone architecture felt very much like we were in a European city. We came across a marketplace that was surreal. We parked our bikes and spent a couple of hours walking through the stands and shops. A sampling of what we saw: stands that were showcasing berries, flowers, maple syrup, cranberries, vegetables, etc. and all displayed beautifully. We loved the individual cheese, fish, bakery, chocolate and meat shops. We stopped at an outside café and enjoyed a schwarma wrap followed by gelato. Yum! After we biked back to the winniemobile, we decided to venture into the province of Quebec and follow back roads to St. Jerome, our destination for the night. The minute we crossed over the river we knew we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Nothing is in English! As Ned was driving and I was navigating (a dangerous combination), I kept trying to look up words in our French-English dictionary to acclimate ourselves to the non-Anglo environment. After about the third try I was getting very frustrated in not finding ANY of the words. Ned “suggested” that perhaps I was looking at the scrabble dictionary. I checked the front cover and oops, it was our Spanish-English dictionary. Mon Dieu! No wonder I couldn’t find any of the words. After locating the correct dictionary, the searches were much more fruitful. We really enjoyed traveling next to the Ottawa River thru various Canadian-French towns that were quite charming. (I particularly enjoyed Montebello and Fassett!). When we finally arrived in St. Jerome, about an hour outside Montreal, we were a little concerned as our camping destination appeared to be next to a large shopping center, including a Walmart. Fortunately, it was down a country road a little bit and in a very charming “French” trailer park. It’s a warm evening, it still hasn’t rained, and we are drinking wine and beer near a lake, outside the “Salle Communautaire” (Community Room) listening to a dj. He’s playing classic American rock, with a spinning mirrored disco-ball, as French-Canadian teenagers mill around outside. What a day!

Highway to Heaven: Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada 9/25/2009

We woke up this morning and dang it was cold! (Mid 40’s, but felt much colder). After firing up the furnace, we decided to stay in bed and keep cozy for a bit more. Let me tell you it was one fast bike ride to the shower and back! After warming up with some hot coffee and breakfast, we decided to take an early morning bike ride to the falls. The day started out slightly overcast, so I wasn’t able to get the “morning light” pictures I was hoping for. The falls were still quite impressive anyway. We had a long drive ahead of us to Algonquin Provincial Park, at least 5 hours, but I knew with the stops we usually make it would take us much longer. The drive was one of the prettiest, if not the most beautiful drive yet of the trip. We had miles and miles (or should I say kilometers and kilometers) of rolling hills exploding in fall colors. We drove next to endless rivers and streams, all showcasing autumns finest. (See today’s pic taken from the car). We were entertained by listening to the local CBC (Canadian Broadcast Channel) and occasionally turned on a French station, not that we could understand any of it, but it was fun to hear. We were also amused by the many “Chip Wagons” that dotted the highway. Apparently, other food is served from them, not just french fries. They always seem to be well populated too. Algonquin Park is very similar to our National Parks. One major road goes through the park. The park is quite expansive, 4800 square miles of forest, lakes and rivers. It is populated with moose, bear and wolves. In fact, the park rangers lead something called a “wolf howl”. They scout around looking for a wolf pack, by howling. If they find one, campers organize at the amphitheater and are lead down the highway whichever direction the pack is moving. Funny these Canadians. A couple of women, dressed in boots and down coats, just walked by our campsite and noted that we were a long way from home. They wanted to know if we were enjoying the park and that to them it was still summer! Even though the day cleared up and we were blessed with blue skies, it is definitely getting colder. The temp hit a high of about 65 today, but hanging out at the campsite at 7ish, it’s about 55 degrees. The forecast is for rain and possibly SNOW on Sunday or Monday. Surely these women jest! When we arrived at the park, we took a bike ride on one of the old rail trails. I had to turn back, not because I was tired, but just so darn cold! (We looked at the temp for Nevada City today and it said 94 deg!! – hard to believe.) Tomorrow is another long driving day, thru Ottawa and then on to Montreal. Should be tres magnifique.

Going with the flow: Chutes Provincial Park, Canada 9/24/2009

Another blue sky day, but a bit cooler when we woke up this morning, about 40 degrees. I noticed the difference riding my bike back from the shower – a bit brisk. Before we headed out we took an early morning tour of the lower falls. There are five falls, but much smaller and not nearly as majestic as the Upper Fall. We decided to take a back road to Sault Ste. Marie and what a good choice it was. We drove through the woods, hugging Lake Superior and seeing all these rustic cabins on the great lake. It was very quaint, but I wonder how these people survive in the winter. We stopped at Point Iroquois Light House and spent some time visiting the keeper’s home, museum and grounds. Ned braved it and took the 72 steps to the tower. I wasn’t worried about the climb, but there was no way I was going to walk up open grate steps – too scary! Ned was rewarded with some amazing views, which he captured on camera. The highlight of the day was definitely the Soo Locks. We arrived at the locks just in time to see an iron ore ship pass through. (See today’s pic) It was really, really amazing! The ship was 735 feet long, 75 feet wide and we watched as this mammoth ship was raised 21 feet to pass from Lake Huron to Lake Superior. The whole thing took about 20 minutes. Pretty amazing considering it is all done with water seeking its own level. Today’s picture is of the Quebecois passing through MacArthur Locke. (I’ll post on my facebook page a photo sequence of the ship passing through when I get a better connection). Enjoying another sunny and pleasantly warm day, about 70 deg, we decided to picnic in front of the Soo Locks visitors center. (Day three of smoked whitefish and I can say I am officially over it. Looking forward to entering Canada and finding some other food fetish to keep me amused. Ned has been sticking to peanut butter and apples, wise man.) We entered Canada and of course lied about not carrying any alcohol. Do they really expect a California girl to travel out of the country without California wine?! We really enjoyed the several hour drive on highway 17, traveling next to Lake Huron, and passing occasional lakes and scenic rivers. We stopped at a small Canadian grocery store to stock up on food for the next couple of days. Observations: aged cheddar is called “old cheddar” or “very old cheddar”, large meat case of sausages is about twice the amount of beef and chicken, nice selection of real yogurt, lettuce is shipped here from the Salinas Valley in California(!), and yes they do sell jiffy-pop. Our camping destination tonight is Chutes Provincial Park, near Massey. We didn’t know what to expect since this is our first time camping in Canada. The park is great. Lots of wooded campsites, nice bathrooms, hot showers and it has a laundry facility. We arrived around 6ish, started the laundry and took a spin around the park in search of the Chutes Falls, the park’s namesake. Our expectations were low, especially since there has been no signage advertising the place, We were amazed at the beauty of the raging waterfalls that empty into a swimming hole. Sorry, a little too nippy for me to take a dip, but gorgeous nonetheless - especially with all the fall colors around. We are going to ride back in the morning and try to take some pictures in the early light. Okay, I have popcorn to eat and wine to drink – au revoir.

Tahquamenon Phenomenon: Tahquamenon Falls State Park, MI 9/23/2009

Gorgeous, gorgeous day! We are SO appreciating the blue skies, dry weather and temp at around 70-75 deg. Trust me, we are not taking this for granted knowing that at any day the rains and cold weather can set in.. We left the campground at 10 this morning, but didn’t get very far before our first stop. But, how can anyone pass up “Yooperland.” (Yoopers are slang for Upper Peninsula inhabitants) which included a yard filled with kitschy sculptures, like the world’s largest shotgun and chainsaw, and a gift store that seems to be a cross between dogpatch hillbilly and Scandinavian folk lore. We frittered away about an hour walking around the yard and viewing every hand built contraption you can think of, like a bicycle lawnmower. We proceeded from there to Marquette, the largest city on this stretch of highway in UP. It’s a beautiful city, built right on the lake, with lots of stately brownstone buildings. We did get a chuckle out of region specific businesses, like a skate sharpening shop and a bingo supply store. The next hour or so we drove along the shores of Lake Superior, quite beautiful with all the fall colors next to the blue waters. I think the bread gods were smiling down on me. On one of the backroads we stumbled across a bakery that made sour dough french bread baked in a brick oven! It’s not Truckee, but it’s not bad either and should go fine with the wine this evening. (James, you would appreciate the fact that the woman was from Wawa.) We finally made it to Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls. WOW – really spectacular and well worth the extra day in Michigan to see it. (See today’s pic). The falls are the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more that 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls. This is also the land of Longfellow’s Hiawatha, “by the rushing Tahquamenaw” Hiawatha built his canoe. We had a fun couple of hours hiking to the falls and viewing them from the brink as well as from the lower gorge. After procuring a campsite at the falls for the evening, we decided that we had just enough time to make it to the Shipwreck Museum located on Whitefish Point. This point has been called the graveyard of Lake Superior. Since navigation began on Lake Superior there has been approximately 550 wrecks (6,000 throughout all the Great Lakes). The museum, movie, lighthouse and beach were just fascinating. There were several fresnel lens, replicas of the ships that are located at the bottom of Lake Superior, and interesting history lessons on many of the wrecks. I love this stuff! Currently, we are sampling the french bread with a glass of wine. Ned has the steaks on the grill and we are camped near the rushing of the lower falls. Life is good. Tomorrow we venture into Canada. I think we'll be two days in remote areas before hitting Montreal.

Appreciating the Local Flavor: Van Riper State Park, MI 9/22/2009

Plan A was to get up early and bike the island. We woke up to a rainy morning so decided to hang out for awhile in the winniemoble. After a few games of Skip-bo (where Ned kicked my butt I might add), we decided to check out the quaint town of LaPointe. If you’re not bike riding what’s the next best thing? A couple of blueberry muffins and sharing a mocha, of course! While we were hanging out in the coffee shop WISC-TV Channel 3, Madison, WI was shooting video for a feature spot on Bayfield and Madeline Island. There were about a dozen people in the coffee shop – a family playing UNO, two old codgers, another couple and us. (Good thing we aren’t in the witness protection program hanging out in some Podunk town!) After departing the ferry, we were quite pokey driving along stopping to take pictures and visiting local establishments, including a smoked fish shop. My new favorite food is brown sugar smoked whitefish - to die for!! We continued into Michigan on Highway 28 appreciating the slightly overcast cool day (mid-70’s) and admiring all the colors. The fall colors here, in the Upper Peninsula, have a lot of red, but not so much yellow or oranges. Perhaps those will come later in the season. When we pulled into our campsite, on the shores of Lake Michigamme, we were quite amused by the scary signs, fake RIP cemetery tombstones and Halloween decorations hanging from the trees. Turns out this campground will be completely sold out for the weekend. The locals camp here, decorate their individual campers and the kids trick or treat from campsite to campsite. What a hoot! We asked the ranger why they did this a month before Halloween. He stated that it’s the last chance for the local folks to enjoy the park before it gets too cold. He noted that it’s usually 30 degrees on Halloween and too cold for some of the kids. After our bike ride around the lake and through parts of the park, we were quite hungry and decided to make our dinner out of all the local food we’ve been sampling. Tonight’s fare included the smoked whitefish, a local variety of apples called “Red Free” and pears from Bayfield Apple farm, local cheese from Marquette and french bread. Note we definitely stayed with a California wine. The local “cider” wines didn’t quite do it for us. (For the record, all bread outside of California sucks – pretty bland white tasteless clouds, like bad dinner rolls. I do miss our Truckee Baguettes.) Today’s pic is of our locally procured bounty. Bon Appetite!

A Superior Day: Madeline Island, WI 9/21/2009

We had so much fun hanging out with Craig and Julie, that we didn’t leave their place until 11:00. We took a lot of county back roads from their place to Duluth, and crossed the Mississippi River. It’s amusing to see it in its infant form (barely a creek), considering last summer we watched huge barges pushing cargo upstream in the South. I’m so enjoying the trees, greenery and hint of fall colors after the plains. When we reached Duluth we were rewarded with spectacular views of the city overlooking Lake Superior. We decided to take a lakefront walk and visit some of the attractions near the harbor. We viewed the Aerial Lift Bridge, famous for raising 385 ft. in under a minute; we toured the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center and enjoyed the display of old boat engines and “hands-on” exhibits; walked thru the marketplace and a couple of shops; and had a late lunch at an outside café. We are amazed at the great weather, clear blue skies and temperature holding at about 75 deg. Absolutely perfect! After spending awhile in Duluth, we crossed over St. Louis Bay into Wisconsin. (Pam thinking of you!) We decided to detour off of highway 2 and take a 100 mile detour to Wisconsin’s northern most village of Cornucopia. The tip of this area is also known for its Fruit and Flower Farms, much like Apple Hill in our area, but much less populated. We stopped at a couple of apple farms, and took a tour of a mom and pop operation making apple butter. While I was fascinated with the operation, Ned was a little frustrated with the labor-intensive process. By the time we left he had devised a more mechanized approach that included a pump and level regulator for the fill hopper, to more efficiently package the 300 jars for the day! (Today’s picture is outside one of the apple farms.) We then traveled into Bayfield, viewed some of the brownstone and Victorian homes, and caught the ferry to Madeline Island. It was stunningly beautiful and still quite warm. (We are not taking this for granted – knowing that any day the cold weather is a-coming!) In the winter, the school children cross from the island by windsleds to attend school in Bayfield until the “ice road” is passable by automobiles. We are staying at the Big Bay State Park on the other end of the island. It’s quite wooded, and there are lots of deer wandering throughout the campground. We are about 8 miles from the little town of LaPointe and hope to bike ride into town & back tomorrow before catching the ferry back to the “mainland.”

Paul Bunyan and his babes: Remer, MN 9/20/2009

We had a wonderful evening last night hanging around the campsite and talking with Craig. He has a wonderful gregarious personality and is quite entertaining. Even though we woke up around 7:00 we didn’t pull out of the campsite until at least 10:00 – too much gabbing. (I think with Craig I met my match!) We decided to meet up at Craig’s Minnesota summer home, a drive that took about 6 hours. Ned and I had a blast driving through all the small towns and stopping at all the hokey roadside stands, like the “World”s Biggest Ox Cart”. For me the biggest thrill was arriving in Bemidji and seeing the original Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe. We left the wide open great plains of North Dakota and entered into the mixed woods of Minnesota. As we drove by lake after lake we noticed some of the trees just beginning to change – hints of bright red and yellow. For the first time it really is beginning to look and feel like fall. How exciting! Craig and his wife Julie have a beautiful summer home on Lake Trelipe. Their back deck overlooks the lake where they have a couple of summer boats ready for fishing. We had a special evening getting to know them and being treated to Midwestern hospitality (this included supersize steaks, potato salad, baked beans, fruit salad and apple pie). We’re actually sleeping in a real bed tonight for the first time in over a week. Feels kinda strange to have all this space, especially since Ned and I won’t have to do synchronized turning. Tomorrow – land of cheese heads.

Center of My Universe: Graham’s Island SP, North Dakota 9/19/2009

Everyone here is so nice, like really, really SO nice. As we pulled into our campground last night, the folks hanging out in their chairs in front of their campsite all waved and said howdy. We took a bike ride last night and this morning and I felt compelled to keep waving “high” back to everyone. You can’t help but smile hearing everyone with their clipped North Dakota accents. We zigzagged between time zones (seriously check out North Dakota’s time zone line between Mountain and Central. It’s crazy!), and reached Minot at noonish. There’s a wonderful park in the middle of town that hosts the Scandinavian Heritage Center. We toured thru the miniature Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish houses and strolled through the park. It’s a bit cooler today, about 88 deg. and windy, so it felt a lot better to stroll around outside. After having lunch in Minot, we moseyed on down highway 2, our main corridor until we venture into Canada. The next town is Rugby and we couldn’t pass up a sign announcing “The Geographical Center of North America.” Today’s picture is Ned, the center of my universe, standing at the geographical center of North America. Flying overhead are flags of the US, Canada and Mexico. Classic road trip photo! Tonight’s camping destination is Graham’s Island on Devil’s Lake. It’s still pretty much prairie camping, but at least there are a few oak and elm tress scattered about. Ned’s cousin, Craig, is also doing a road trip. He’s high-tailing it from Eugene, OR to his summer place in Minnesota. He’s due to join up with us about 9ish tonight. Unlike us, Craig actually drives long distances in a day!! Tomorrow we plan on staying at his place in Remer, MN. For now, it’s happy hour so I’m pouring myself a glass of wine and signing off…

Home on the Range, Lake Sakakawea State Park, North Dakota 9/18/2009

We left Montana and headed into North Dakota early this morning. Our destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I had my heart set on doing a 2 hour trail ride in the park, but unfortunately the stables are closed for the season. The last time I was on a horse was when I was 14, so this was going to be quite the event. (The down side of traveling in Sept). Plan B turned out to be exploring the park via car instead. We hung out at the visitor’s center for awhile, watched a movie and perused the exhibits. (It was over 90 degrees again, so it felt like a good excuse to be inside an air-conditioned building). When we finally explored the park we were treated to seeing bison and hundreds of prairie dogs! (See today’s pic of these cute fellows). Unlike Yellowstone, which has lots of visitors, this park is practically empty. In Yellowstone there were always large crowds mulling around any animals. Here we had the bison all to ourselves. Yes, I now know more about Teddy Roosevelt than I ever thought possible. The rest of North Dakota was pretty much the same, miles and miles of rolling hills with amber waves of grain, except for the occasional sunflower field. It’s harvesting time so it was pretty typical to see the large rounds of hay scattered throughout the countryside along with combines harvesting wheat. On another note, in the south all we seemed to drive by were Baptist Churches, in North Dakota it’s Lutherans. We are camped in the heart of North Dakota next to Lake Sakakawea (alternate spelling). named after the Indian girl who was Lewis and Clark’s guide. Everything in North Dakota is broken down into three categories; Teddy Roosevelt, Lewis & Clark and Sakajawea. – anything else fuhgedaboutit. The campground is definitely prairie camping. Not something I am used to, but nonetheless I’m still enjoying the wide-open spaces and huge sky - the black flies I could definitely live without! We are going to continue exploring North Dakota tomorrow, but head even further north and venture into Scandinavian territory. Ya, you betcha! (For the record, yes everyone really does talk like that here!)

The Joys of GlenDIVE, Montana 9/17/2009

We enjoyed a beautiful morning at Cooney Reservoir and had a nice chat with the State Park Employee, Sharon. (There were only 3 campers at the campground last night. The joys of traveling in September.) Turns out she’s a Bay Area transplant albeit 40 years ago. At Yellowstone Park we discovered that our furnace was only blowing cold air. Not a problem for the next couple of days, but anticipating very cold weather ahead we thought it prudent to get it checked out. Sharon recommended a shop and we headed for Billings. There was a couple hour wait before they could check it out, but good ol’ handyman Ned was futzing with it and found the problem! Turns out the heater is perfecto, we just had too much “stuff” packed around the cold air intake. Dodged that bullet! Since we were in the neighborhood we decided to check out “historic downtown Billings” and ended up having a picnic lunch at the Visitor’s Center. We then ventured onto the Pictograph Cave State Park. It was hotter than hell (above 90 degrees) today, so taking a walk through the arid, baking hot loop trail to the caves took a bit out of me. Needless to say, I was expecting a good return on that investment of energy and expected to see some kick-ass pictographs. Unfortunately, the Crow Indians that painted the walls sometime within the last 11,000 years failed to use water-resistant pigments and the drawings were a bit faded – to say the least. I appreciated the historical significance nevertheless. (See the pic with the faint red drawings in the upper right side of cave). Further on down the road we decided to visit Pompey Pillar’s National Monument. This is the only remaining evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition passing through this area. Here William Clark carved his name and date (July 25, 1806) in the rock. Ned and I had read the book “From Sea to Shining Sea”, which documents the expedition. Therefore, it was really fun to see this piece of history. The new visitor’s center is quite exceptional – great architecture and landscaping, cool movie and nice exhibits. We kept moseying thru Eastern Montana and were lured by another roadway sign extolling the virtues of Rosebud historical courthouse in down Forsythe. We couldn’t resist. Turns out it’s famous for the drama that ensued when it was built in 1914. The project cost more than the bond, the local newspaper was outraged, and the foreman decided to hide out between the ceiling and roof with the key to the courthouse until they were paid for the job! Pretty much a hoot. The courthouse with the neoclassic design, including the copper dome, still remains a beauty today. Our final destination was Glendive, Montana and the last hour or so was proving to be a bit of a long drive. We decided to break up the monotony by listening to French tapes in preparation for Quebec. (Note to self: never-ever listen to French tapes with Ned while driving!! I almost ran the car off the road in hysterics over Ned’s gestures and silly French impersonations. I can hardly wait til we are in Quebec and Ned is using his new command of the French language). We finally arrived in Glendive at the Green Valley Family RV “Resort”. (No State Parks with facilities were available in this part of Montana). The resort is located in a cornfield between the freeway and the railroad tracks. Yes, there are hot showers, flush toilets, electrical hook-ups and laundry facilities. The laundry is in a fiberglass shed up on a hillside, the shower is a nozzle head only with a dribble of water, and there are tractors, backhoes and misc. machinery scattered about. (Sorry Craig, Pilot Rock products are not featured here!) At least we have a quaint (ahem) place to sleep, clean clothes and hope the Burlington Northern Railroad won’t keep us up! Tomorrow onto Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere, Montana 9/16/2009

After saying goodbye to the family early, we spent the morning and part of the early afternoon further exploring Yellowstone. We were fortunate to see large herds of Bison (several hundred at least), including a few that wondered across the road! When you enter Yellowstone the ranger hands out a leaflet warning you to stay AWAY from the bison. A bison weighs up to 2000 lbs. and can charge at speeds up to 30 mph. You would think with this information people would pay attention. Nevertheless, we witnessed several incidents of people being stupid. Case in point number 1: We saw a woman knock down her elderly father with the open door of her own car because she was obsessed with pulling ahead to get that perfect shot and forget that dear old dad wasn’t in the car yet! Case in point 2: A bison wondered very close to a couple as they stood outside their car, both clicking away frantically. When they lowered their cameras and suddenly realized the bison was 5 ft from them, they made a MAD dash into their vehicle. Amazingly, seconds later as the bison walked away, the woman jumped OUT of her car to get a shot of the bison’s butt! People being crazy! The best part of Yellowstone so far has been the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls. I don’t know why Old Faithful gets all the love when the real crown jewel of the park is the falls. We stopped at several vantage points and were amazed at the force and beauty of the thundering water. (Check out today’s picture). After leaving Yellowstone we headed for Cody, Wyoming in search of Buffalo Bill. We stopped at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center and after spending a few minutes perusing the gift store, we decided that was enough cowboy culture for us. We were however channeling Vic, knowing how much he would love this place! The highlight of Cody turned out to be Bubba’s Barbeque where we both enjoyed a healthy cowboy portion of beef brisket, including baked beans and coleslaw. (That sound you hear is my arteries clogging). Our destination for the night was Cooney Reservoir State Park, outside of Red Lodge, Montana. The navigator was busy texting her daughter while the pilot was happily driving due east (in the wrong direction). Of course when the navigator discovered the change in course she used it as a grand opportunity to take a “back road”. We did find a large barley growing and storage facility being used by Busch brewing company. Ned was very impressed. The drive was beautiful, but arid and uninhabited. Once back on course, we enjoyed the drive through Red Lodge and after miles down a dirt, washboard road are enjoying Montana’s finest – camping in a mowed field next to a reservoir. It does however meet my requirements of flush toilets and shower! The last three days in Wyoming have been cool days (65-75) and very cold nights (38 deg last night!). It’s was 90 for most of the day in Montana and the night has a forecast of a low of 61. Nice! Tomorrow, Billings and a tour of the Pictograph Caves…Oh yes, and the occasional cute cowboy!

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 915/09

(Just now posting two days of activity. Yellowstone is a wireless free zone.) Day Two in Yellowstone and having a blast. We did the usual touristy things like visit Old Faithful, have lunch at Old Faithful Lodge, and took a couple of hikes to see the different geothermal activity. The hike I enjoyed the most was to Fountain Paint Pot. It showcased the whole gamut of geysers, mud pots and fumaroles. Spastic Geyser was the award winner. It continuously spouts water and steam in a pretty impressive show. Earlier in the day we had waited at least 40 minutes for Old Faithful to perform. It was a weak showing at best. The air temperature was cool enough that when it finally spouted, all we really saw was a huge cloud of steam. This in turn condensed and rained on us. Not what I exactly had in mind! Lunch in the old lodge was great fun. (Today’s picture is mom and I at the entrance. Mom had talked for weeks about visiting this lodge. It was special to share it with her). We had a corner table near both sets of windows where we enjoyed a leisurely meal chatting and joking around. We were definitely in vacation mode. We had plans to spend the evening playing Skip-bo, but after our long day sightseeing, eating dinner outside at our campsite and a fair amount of story-telling, we decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we head in different directions – the family heading for Glacier National Park while Ned and I head for Big Sky Country.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 9/14/09

We woke up this morning to the sound of soft rain falling on the winniemobile and had anticipated a cool and rainy day. Au contraire! By the time we were up and about the skies were blue, there were wispy clouds hanging around the top of the Tetons and the air smelled that rich piney smell after it rains. Truly divine! (Picture of the day – Mr. Ned looking mighty fine in front of the Grand Tetons). We had agreed to connect up with the family at noon, so decided to make good use of our time this morning. We did a little site-seeing through-out the park, visiting Jackson Lodge and enjoyed a mid morning hike at Jenny Lake. My favorite morning so far! After we connected with the gang at noonish, Ned and I decided to forge ahead into Yellowstone Park and try and get everyone campsites for two days. Along the way we spotted a Bison next to the roadway – very cool. We had a fun late afternoon & evening, drinking wine and sharing a meal. We took a little stroll down to Yellowstone Lake and got some great shots of the cloud reflections in the water and dusk. A light rain begin in the evening, just in time for bed.

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming 9/13/09

Today was action packed! We rolled out of the campground at about 10:15 (which was like herding kittens!!) and headed north up highway 89. It was absolutely stunning driving through canyons and rolling hills. The fall colors are just beginning to turn and it was one of those magical days where the temperature was between 65-70 degrees, the aspen were quaking and the clouds rolled overhead. We arrived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at around 2:00, time for a lunch/dinner stopover at a steak house. After lunch we strolled around town and enjoyed the Cowboy Jubilee that was happening in the town square. Lots of arts, crafts and cowboy music to keep us entertained. (Vic we were thinking of you!). Even though the clouds began to look a little foreboding we decided to take the tram ride up to Rendezvous Mountain, which was over 10,000 feet. Although it was a little chilly, views of the Grand Tetons and valley were spectacular! (Of course the 40 mile an hour wind also got our attention. Note to self: next time don’t wear the girly sundress to top of mountain). We split up after the tram ride, Ned and I took the winniemobile through an 8 mile “shortcut” to the town of Moose. The rest of the family played it safe and took the highway. Both of us saw moose along the way! (Yes, we have photo documentation). After doing a quick drive thru Colter Bay Campground, the fam decided they didn’t want to “rough it” and headed for Moran RV Park. We opted for a night at the Grand Teton National Park. We hope to get in a bike ride tomorrow and meet up with everyone by mid-day. (No Scott, I am not purposely ditching the family). After looking at the 60 or so pictures of today, I decided to post the family picture taken this morning at Bear Lake State Park in front of the folk’s RV. How’s this for a classic family “what I did on my summer vacation” photo?!

Bear Lake State Park, Utah 9/12/09

Having arrived in the dark, it was nice to explore Willard Bay State Park this morning. We took a leisurely 5 mile bike ride around the park and discovered that the lake was fresh water. We assumed it was part of the Great Salt Lake, but it was a reservoir that drained into the Salt Lake. The campground was surprisingly lush, with some campsites located right on the water. We finally packed up and headed towards northern Utah at about 11ish. We took highway 89, also known as the Logan Canyon Scenic Drive. (Thanks Polly and Nancy for the book. It’s the first of many recommended scenic drives we will be taking). Even though we were only about 2 hours to the next destination, we took multiple stops along the way to investigate. The above picture is taken at the Bear Lake overlook. Bear Lake straddles both Utah and Idaho. We are camped at the southern tip on the Utah side at Rendezvous Campground. So named for the famous rendezvous of fur trappers and Indians held in the summers of 1827 & 1828. The gatherings were attended by a thousand or more Indians and mountain men, including Jedediah Smith. We spent the afternoon bike riding, playing games and making use of the new hammock. We connected with the fam at about 7ish. It was great seeing my big brother and Dru and especially fun catching up and retelling old stories. Tomorrow Wyoming

Willard Bay State Park, Utah 9/11/09

What a L-O-N-G day! We pulled out of Nevada City at about 7:15 this morning with Elko, Nevada as our destination. Our big plan was to eat at a Basque Restaurant and then call it quits for the day. Well, we managed to miss lunch by nine minutes and were 3 hours short of dinner. We took a quick tour around town and since I wasn’t interested in gambling and Ned wasn’t interested in “hoochie mama” parlors, we decided to blow this popcorn stand. I’m not kidding about the girlie joints. Case in point, check out today’s picture! (Diddling- really??). We decided to push on to Utah, baby! Our back-up plan was to stay at Antelope State Park, an island with lots of wildlife (birds, bison, shrimp & flies) located on the Great Salt Lake. When we arrived, a little after 8 pm the campground was full. Hmmm – onto Plan C. We located another State Park about 45 miles north; the lovely Willard Bay State Park, very close to the freeway, but it includes free hot showers and internet access! wahoo! Looking forward to tomorrow when we hook-up with my folks, brother Gary and his wife Dru. Let the good times roll.