HappyTrails

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Ilwaca, WA and Oysterville, WA

We drove out to the northern tip of the Peninsula (Long Beach, Ocean Park, Seaview, Oysterville) and discovered the diversity of this part of Washington State.  We also went in the southerly direction to Ilwaca and investigated the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center/Cape Disappointment and had lunch at the waterfront.

 

After driving the residential areas on the Peninsula we were surprised to find a historic preservation area in Oysterville.  The story of this community is very interesting and I am providing a link to the history and a map of the walking tour that can be taken.  There are some terrific photo ops here.

The five days we are spending here are not enough to see all the area has to offer but we'll do our best to see as much as possible.  It's Astoria and the Kite museum tomorrow.

Happy Trails!

Doggy TV

Clancy spied a herd of horses while we were parked at Grand Teton RV Park...he was fixated on them for quite a while, then....

 

His sister joined him and in this pic she was doing a low growl to let them know she thought they needed to move on....and they did.

There's always something to see in the RVing world.

Happy Trails!

 

Quake Lake - Montana

We drove over ID 87 to check out a lakeside RV park we've read about on Hebgen Lake. It's a nice park but expensive. On the drive we passed Earthquake Lake...created when a quake occurred near Yellowstone. It's interesting history.

 

Wild and crazy weather last night

The weather here in the Targhee National Forest area is very changeable.  Last night we had an extreme storm...or as my mobile weather channel ap defined it "Severe" thunderstorms.  Jack was down on the river and he called to say it was getting bad where he was and that he would head back to camp.  I was already experiencing high gusting winds but without the lightening.  Being on the river in lightening with a fly rod in hand isn't such a great idea so I was relieved to know Jack would be home soon.  I was also concerned about our dish on top of the motorhome.  They say it can withstand 60 mile per hour wind but I'm not that trusting.  We got all awnings and dishes stowed and waited it out for about two hours.  Today is sunny but more storms forecast for today and tomorrow.  That's just how it is in the mountains.

We had excellent weather during the day and took a drive along ID 47 (don't look for it on a Garmin GPS) to Upper Mesa Falls, Ashton and through some lovely Idaho forest and agricultural land.  There is an historic building "Big Springs Inn" at the site of the falls that was interesting.  They also had a telescope set up to view an Osprey nest occupied by 3 waaaaaaaay up in one of the lodgepole pines on the hillside above the falls.  It's a beautiful falls and worth the day....take a lunch as they have some picnic tables out on the property.

source:  US Forest Service see Upper Mesa Falls webpage 

But....we aren't leaving quite yet...so here's some local info

Our plan is to stay here on highway 20 (which I've now learned is the longest highway - more on this later in post) while Jack fishes in these fabled rivers; Madison, Gallatin, Henry's Fork of the Snake,etc.  I am reviewing a photography workshop I took a couple of years back.  I am also researching for our route of departure when we leave Island Park, ID.  I found several different possible ways to get to our Washington State destinations but haven't made a final decision.

Our current home park is located on Henry's Lake in Island Park.  This is right on U.S. highway 20 that has an Eastern Terminus of Boston, MA (who knew?) and a Western Terminus of Newport, OR (also news to me). I lived in the West from 1973 until retirement in 2005 - with a brief employment assignment of 5.5 years in New Jersey.  I grew up in a Pennsylvania town right on Route 30 (the road that pioneers took West) but I never knew the significance of U.S. highway 20.  Because of the vast miles it covers East to West there are some very interesting destinations along this route.  I found two books written about Highway 20 and even a song (by the guy who wrote one of the books.)  Here's are some bits and pieces of what I discovered about U.S. Highway 20 in Idaho.

 

From Wikipedia:  In the state of Idaho, U.S. 20 crosses into Idaho from Oregon northwest of Parma. It begins concurrent with U.S. 26 and joins U.S. 95 through Parma. U.S. 20/26 leaves U.S. 95 southeast of Parma and runs toCaldwell where U.S. 20/26 joins with Interstate 84 and U.S. 30 for a short time. These four highways parallel each other (on two roadways) to Boise where U.S. 20/26 runs through downtown before joining with Interstate 84 and U.S. 30 again to Mountain Home, where it departs at exit 95 to head east, past Rattlesnake Station, Anderson Ranch Dam road, and cresting at Cat Creek summit at 5527 feet (1685 m) above sea level. It continues into and across Camas County through Fairfield to Timmerman Junction, the intersection in Blaine County with State Highway 75, the route to Sun Valley, Galena Summit, and Stanley. U.S. 20 continues east through Picabo and Carey, joined with U.S. 26 and U.S. 93, to Craters of the Moon and Arco, where U.S. 93 splits off and turns north-northwest to climb the Big Lost River Valley. U.S. 20/26 continues on through the Idaho National Laboratory, where the highways split just west of Atomic City; U.S. 26 heads to Blackfoot and U.S. 20 to Idaho Falls, where it turns north-northeast to pass near Rexburg. U.S. 20 then climbs through the communities of St. Anthony, Ashton, and Island Park, and crosses the Continental Divide at Targhee Pass at 7072 feet (2156 m), entering Montana west of West Yellowstone.

That's pretty dry stuff from wiki but there are bits of information that pertain to areas we have been along the highway or areas we will be on our westward travels.  Jack wants to fish Silver Creek in Blaine County and I hope to spend some time visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument.

And for those who found anything interesting about U.S. highway 20, here's a resource on the topic.  Click on link to read about the book or to buy it.

 

I think we're going to continue to enjoy what has become a terrific time in the National Parks heading West.  

It's time for me to get back to that photo workshop I was mentioning.  I have some assignments to do.

Happy Trails!

 

The pic

Jack took this one in Glacier NP

Who needs the Alps?

The views in Glacier National Park are unbelievable.  We could do without the road construction but the "Road to the Sun" is worth the drive.  It takes a whole day to make the circuit from Kalispell to the summit (Logan Visitor center) and back through St. Mary, MT to our park.  The severe winters here result in avalanche and heavy snows that destroy the vulnerable road so repairs are needed every year.  The Rocky Mountains are spectacular. Next we will see them from the Canadian side.

 Jack took this with his Nikon.

 

I took this one of the Flathead River with my Canon point and shoot.

Happy Trails

Update on our travels to the National Parks

My posting has been spotty due to poor (or no) internet. Last I posted we were in West Yellowstone at the most expensive park we've ever booked.  Besides having a slanted site that was unsuitable to sitting outside and the WiFi was horrible.  The place was full so it's unlikely they will adjust their rates anytime soon.  

We received a message from our dear friends Fran and Howard that they were within 10 miles of our park. They were staying at an Escapees discounted park on the Idaho side of the border, just 7 miles from us in W Yellowstone.  We drove over to visit a bit and to see what their camp area was like.  We will be returning to Yellowstone in August if the fishing is good.  The Idaho location is very close to Henry's Fork of the Snake River and Jack would love do some fishing.

After enjoying some lovely views and animal sightings in Yellowstone we headed north to Kalispell, MT.  The drive was beautiful and we have enjoyed the park here as it is level and a much better cost.  We only had three nights at the RV park so we did some very extensive touring over three long days in the car with our friend Larry.  Now the story of why it was just touring with Larry and not both Pam and Larry (our friends from California - and now Florida) is the bad news of our trip.  I'll just say that Pam developed a medical issue and had to be admitted to the hospital for several days.  Fortunately, the condition is resolving itself now but Pam missed seeing Glacier Park. This is her favorite so we are very disappointed that she wasn't with us.  I now have four new stamps in my NPS Passport.  It is the centennial for Glacier National Park so there's a new stamp to commemorate the milestone.  

Here's a photo I took of Jack standing atop one of the rock walls that drop down the sheer cliffs of Glacier.  I was not amused.  

  We are now parked at the Elks Lodge in Kalispell.  It is quite a savings and they even have a pool, though we won't use it during our short stay.  We'll head north again to Calgary where we will not have any internet service due to the limitations of our cellphone plans.  The level of service probably isn't very good anyway as Canada does not have even as little service as we've had here in Wyoming and Montana.  In fact, most of our last two weeks we have not been able to receive or make phone calls on our AT&T service.  I can get email though through WiFi on the phone, computer and now my iPad.  

We have a campground reservation in Cochrane, AB and Lake Louise.  

Happy Trails!

Just more of Yellowstone's unbounded beauty!

Stark Beauty

I took this one at the end of the boardwalk near spasm geyser which was erupting as we arrived 

 On Firehole River...flyfishing heaven (one of many)

Lovely Day in Yellowstone National Park

 

I took this photo of a Grizzly on highway 191 as we approached Yellowstone from Grand Teton National Park.  I only regret this sow would not look at me. Oh well.  Hope to see some more on our travels.

We are now in the area of West Yellowstone at the most expensive RV park we've ever stayed.  It's a nice enough park though we don't care about things like the play area and the indoor pool.  We just like the gorgeous views and the animal life, neither of which are here at the park.  We did find a lovely rustic park along a river where we will stay next time.  Much cheaper and the ambience is more conducive to enjoying one of our most beautiful National Parks.  Without a doubt the terrain, rivers, cauldera and the mountains contribute to unbounded beauty.

 

Paint pots at Yellowstone

The geysers and paint pots are amazing.  Photos don't do justice to what we actually see with the naked eye.  
 

We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs yesterday and enjoyed a terrific day.  The crowds were not too bad and I got my NPS Passport book stamped.  We drove along the Madison and Gibbons Rivers and Jack felt a very strong pull to do some fly fishing. He even went to a well known fly shop when we passed through West Yellowstone on our return to the RV park.

Jack has gone to see Old Faithful and hopefully take some good photos for our memory books.  I decided to stay at our site and hang with our dog family and get some things organized for our move on to Glacier.  I feel a certainty that we will either modify our plans and return here in a week or two or return in the next year.  A few days is just not enough time to see it all.

We have been having fun with our friends from California (and now Florida).  They are headed to a conference in Boise, ID so we will be on our own to decide our next location.

I took some photos yesterday that I will post shortly here on the blog.

Happy Trails!