June 29 - Talkeetna

We've heard it. We bought into it. We really wanted to believe it - "Talkeetna is the cutest place!" "You're just going to love Talkeetna!" "Talkeetna is the most laid back, wonderfully quirky place in Alaska."

Nope.

Talkeetna is an exceptionally small village consisting of "fly-in fishing/visit Mt. McKinley" tour operations, three or four pub/ice cream shop/cinnamon bun eateries, and a very few (five or six) "historic" (read: semi-dilapidated) houses turned into gift shops which sell the same items at substantially increased prices that you can find in downtown Anchorage. We are not amused.

I think we've both heard so much about this place that we had painted different pictures in our heads before getting here. We expected an authentic little village that was unique and charming. What is actually here is a parade of enormous motor homes, buses, cruise ship tours, and gift shop vendors who are disinterested in the tourists' presence at best.

Tomorrow, we have faith, will be better. We head out for two days in Homer in the morning. Hopefully the sky will clear up by then as we understand that the drive down, in large part through a wildlife preserve, is supposed to be lovely.

Saturday - June 28 - Anchorage

Despite the calendar, we are still stuck in an early spring weather pattern here in Anchorage. We didn't quite reach the forecast high of 60 and skies were cloudy most of the day. Despite the chill, however, we ventured out to the downtown area to participate in the 50th anniversary of Alaska's admittance to the Union. There were singers, dancers, jugglers, craftspeople, and a firefighters' competition in the middle of the downtown strip. Lots of things to see and do. I was impressed with how authentic most of the shops are here. There were actually very few of the "Mackinaw Island" types of shops, where everything is stamped with the Michigan mitten, but is made in China; most of the items offered for sale around here are actually made by locals.

Afterward, Jack and I got together with Ken, Julie, and others in yesterday's wedding party and went to a very cool little theater where you order your meal and its served to you as you watch a film. **Note to Joey: This is exactly what downtown Dearborn needs. The place was packed.

We pack up in the morning and head up north a little way to Talkeetna where we'll camp tomorrow night. Although we won't be taking the Mt. McKinley sightseeing flight, we do plan to see as much of the area as possible. We'll send photos!

Hope all's well. Drop us a line or two.

xoxo

L

The Wedding Day

For those of you who don't know Ken Varee, this post probably won't be much more than some pictures of a pretty wedding. For those of you who do, you realize that these are photos of hell freezing over. OK...that's an exaggeration. But not by much - even Ken's best man joked about Ken's somewhat...how shall I say this delicately?... selective tastes in women. All joking aside, Ken has found himself a beautiful wife in Julie and their wedding was reflective of their simple, natural, spiritual sides. Music was provided by the Samoan choir of the St. Anthony's Catholic Church that both Ken and Julie attend. Father Fred (from the parish) and the Archbishop of Anchorage conducted the ceremony, which included family members from both sides as well as close friends as attendants (see photos in slide show at the right.)

Ken and Julie had their reception at the Bayshore Club House here in Anchorage and enjoyed a day that turned out both sunnier and warmer than the forecasts. Also celebrating the pretty day was a fairly large moose who strolled across the reception hall grounds, apparently just checking out the neighborhood. It seems that this wasn't a particularly unusual occurrence as only we "outsiders" jumped up and made a big deal out of it. The "natives" hardly noticed the moose was even there! (Jack and I have finally figured it out - all of the wildlife that we've been missing in the woods are hangin' out at hoppin' parties in the cities! Hence the name, "wildlife"...)

We hope to get together with Ken and Julie tomorrow after they return from an overnight getaway to the Kenai Peninsula. Since they have several family members and friends from out of town, they've opted to put off a longer honeymoon for a later date. (Besides, I think they're afraid that we'd follow them.)

Tomorrow, Jack and I plan to explore downtown Anchorage a little more. It's Alaska's 50th anniversary of becoming a state and they're planning some pretty cool doin's down there.

More tomorrow!!

L

June 26 - Anchorage

Jack and I are beginning to believe we have a guardian angel riding around with us. We left Tok around 8:00 this morning in bright sunshine and only ran into a 20 minute delay on the AlCan due to construction. Not bad, comparatively. Then, we made our way into Palmer and to Hartley Motors where we met Jeff Pendergrass, the most wonderful motorcycle service guy I've ever met. After the horrible guy I dealt with on the phone at Anchorage Motorsports yesterday, Jeff was a blessing! We got there around 2:30, he took us in immediately, rooted around to find brake pads for our 8 year old bike, made us comfortable in his employee break room, brought us bottled water because he thought we looked thirsty, fixed our bike in less than an hour, and then topped it all off by insisting on washing the road dirt off the 'Wing for us. Unbelievable! He was so kind and attentive and incredibly considerate. We made an appointment to stop by his shop on the way back for an oil change. I intend to write to Honda and sing his praises. How lucky could we get?? We could have spent the next week or so changing our plans, driving around in a rental car, and dealing with obnoxious, expensive "service" people. Whew!

We are now in Anchorage and plan to attend Ken and Julie's wedding tomorrow at 2:00. The weather is looking drizzly for the next three days or so, but should be pretty again by the time we head up to Telkeetna on Sunday. I will post photos tomorrow night after the wedding.

I hope all is well at home. Tony - if you get a chance, please email and let us know how things are at the house and kids, drop us a line and let us know that you're alive and well! :) We love you!!
L

June 25 - ALASKA!!

We made it!

Man! I don't even know where to begin! It was an incredibly tough day. The 9 1/2 hour drive from Whitehorse to Tok was actually 12 hours and took us along the wonderful (did you hear the sarcasm?) AlCan Highway - 400 miles of horrible road, construction delays, and dirt, dirt, and more dirt. How these people could have built this entire road in 4 months and left it in such awful condition for the next 50 years is beyond me. We met plenty of people along the road to commiserate with, but it was not a trip I want to take again - yet we HAVE to. Since this is the ONLY road in to and out of Alaska, we get to do this again in about a week.

It was certainly a day of "good news/bad news." Good News: We got to enjoy even more beautiful scenery and the day itself was just beautiful - sunny skies ALL day long with temperatures that even allowed us to shed the heated liners and chaps by late afternoon.

Bad News: Still no wildlife. The people just ahead of and just behind us on the road saw grizzlies and black bear, but we were in the wrong places at the wrong times - again.

Good News: All of a sudden, the bike has started getting more than 40 mpg!! We don't know why it's happened, but it has. This last 5.5 gallon tank of gas lasted more than 220 miles. Until today, we've been getting between 30 and 32 mpg and now - BOOM! We're thrilled!

Bad News: No sooner do I say that we haven't had any mechanical problems with the bike than, squeak, squeak, squeak...brakes. Yep. We need a brake job. Now. So...we talked to one smart ass in Anchorage who says he's the only guy in town who will work on a Gold Wing and that our odds are 50/50 that he'll even look at it by Saturday night. Then, if we need parts, we might have to wait 7 to 10 business days to get them shipped in. He doesn't think he'll be able to "work us in"; we'd just have to take our chances. After resisting the urge to throw the nice stranger's cell phone across the room (since Jack's doesn't get service here), I called another place that's about an hour this side of Anchorage and they are willing to look at the bike tomorrow. We'll still have to wait if they need to order parts, but at least the guy sounded like he understood our dilemma and was a decent person. We'll see what happens! The very worst that will happen is that we'll have to leave the bike for repair, rent a car, and travel through the rest of our Alaska stops on four wheels instead of two. We're hoping, however, that we'll simply take the bike in, they'll have the parts we need, repair the brakes, change our oil, and send us on our way. I'll let you know tomorrow how it worked out!

Another concern is that we've been told that the road ahead is also under construction. Since crossing into Alaska, it hasn't been nearly as bad as it was in the Yukon, but the delays could mean a problem getting to the repair shop on time. It's about 300 miles and with the brakes being weak, we've got another real "adventure" tomorrow. Jack is using downshifting and the front brake on the bike to get through all of this and he is doing a WONDERFUL job, but he's exhausted by the end of the day and we'd like this to be a little more fun and a little less work.

We fully expect to make it to Anchorage by late tomorrow (which will be a good thing since the wedding is Friday!) and I will post again then. Take care of each other and WRITE. Let us know what's going on there - we miss you!

L

June 24 - Whitehorse, YT

We left Watson Lake this morning and are now here in Whitehorse. It was a fairly easy drive today, although still quite cold and, despite the sunny forecast, rainy or cloudy most of the day. The road was good, though, so we aren't complaining! After the epic battle with the blacktop (or lack of it!) yesterday, it was nice to be able to coast along fairly smoothly today.

We visited the Signpost Forest this mornin. It was amazing what people posted there! Those of you from Dearborn should note 1/2 of our hometown sign in one of the pictures in the slide show. The other half was in a different part of the forest, but we managed to find that, too!

Since we had to leave early this morning and didn't get in until too late last evening, we're going to catch the Northern Lights presentation on our way back through Watson Lake on the 6th of July. They only present in the late afternoons or early evenings. It should be interesting, though, and I'm hoping we can fit it in.

Tomorrow, we head for Tok, AK. It's about a 9 1/2 hour drive from here down a road that has been described by motorhomers as "not so great." I'm a little nervous. Hold a positive thought for us!

Anyway...We will try to update the blog from the Tok Motel tomorrow. If that doesn't work out, I'm sure we'll be able to hook up in Anchorage on Thursday night.

Love to all!!

L

June 22 and 23 - To the Yukon!

Hey all! We drove up Canadian Route 37 today and lived to talk about it. Holy CRAP - what an experience! The road is a challenge for everyone we've talked to and for our bike, pulling the trailer, it was even more so. Jack managed to keep the rubber side down all day, but we are both exhausted and feel like we've won a heavy weight title. From smooth, beautiful blacktop, to huge potholes, jarring dips, and bumpy packed "gravelline", to loose gravel and mud that lasted for miles, we tackled it all. The only thing that would have made it worse driving would have been rain - and that's what our fellow travelers had to deal with yesterday. As it has been since we left, we missed the most awful weather by a single day, and this time, it made all the difference. Rain, on top of the gravel and mud, made for a slippery, dangerous mess yesterday. Today, at least we had dry conditions.

After spending the night on Sunday at a very neat little place (the Java Lodge in Prince Rupert), we took off up toward Watson Lake (where we are currently.) The day began rainy and cold, but cleared up after a while and the scenery was lovely. The road was fairly good and we drove until the fuel tank was registering empty and the indicator light was glowing pretty brightly. We'd filled our spare gas can with 5 gallons shortly after leaving Prince Rupert, so we weren't panicked, but we were happy to see a place to fill up, regardless. We had originally planned to stay in a provincial park near Iskut, which is about 1/2 way between Prince Rupert and Watson Lake, but drifted into a GREAT place called Bell 2, about 90 minutes south of our original goal. The resort is a "heliskiing" resort - they helicopter skiers to mountaintops and they ski down from there - and offers a nice coffee shop, restaurant, lodging, and rv/tenting sites. The place has a hot tub, sauna, massage services (during the winter season) and a gift shop, too. We set up camp and were disappointed to find out that their electrical service to the rv sites wasn't strong enough to support our little heater. Luckily we brought along our electric blanket and it kept us warm enough to deal with the 32 degree night.

We met the most wonderful people during our stay! Those of us spending the night last night included an international bunch of motorcyclists, all traveling separately, but all sharing the great experience of "the road." One couple had air-shipped their bike from the UK to Anchorage and were bound southward to LA. A single guy from Brazil was on day #59 from his home to Prudhoe, AK and back. Another guy, from Taiwan, had flown into Vegas with plans to visit the four corners of North America (LA, Key West, Newfoundland, and Prudhoe) and then there was us!! The UK guy, in 2005, had traveled with a group of 13 from Anchorage to Patagonia (southern tip of South America) on a motorcycle! By the time we got done talking to all of them, we felt like motorcycle wimps! :)

This has been the most outstanding feature of this trip so far - the people we've met! There is something about the culture of motorcycling in general, but driving the Gold Wing specifically, that seems to attract new friends. People are so open and friendly and generous with information and assistance. Everyone is anxious to share their stories and it's SO interesting. We've just loved it so far and can't wait to see what's still to come.

Well, just when we finished complaining about the lack of wildlife we'd seen, we had a close encounter with a moose! We had pulled off the side of the road, gotten out our chairs and little table and some sandwiches that we had in the cooler. We hadn't even finished the first 1/2 of our sandwiches when I looked up toward the side of the drop off at the edge of the rest stop and here comes this big ol' female moose! She was no more than 20 feet from us. Scared the crap out of me! I could only manage to say, "Jack! Moose! Big moose!" It only took him a second to turn around, but by that time, the moose had caught a glimpse of us and had taken off back over the ridge. We packed everything back into the trailer - quickly! - and looked back over our shoulders to see the moose in the road behind us. I've included a photo of her in the slide show at the right (Yes, I realize it's small and it's difficult to see her, but I was shaking and trying to finish getting ready to get the heck out of there!) MAN, those moose are BIG.

We are planning to visit the "signpost forest" here in Watson Lake tomorrow (I'll send photos) and then head over to Whitehorse, a comparatively easy 5 hours from here. I'm not sure if there is an Internet connection at that campground. If not, I'll post on Wednesay. Otherwise, "talk" to you all tomorrow night!

MUAH! - L

June 21 - Port Hardy to Prince Rupert

Well, we lost our Internet connection last night before I could post from Port Hardy, so now we're in Prince Rupert, BC. All's well. Don't worry, Tony. We didn't fall off of a cliff. :)

The ferry was...long. 15 hours from Port Hardy in fog that hovered about 100 feet from the ground in most places. It was VERY gray and the fog obscured most of what was probably a pretty view. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see most of it. The ship's announcer pointed out that there was a whale off one side of the ferry whose spout Jack caught a glimpse of and a tiny slice of the back of another, but the oceanic wildlife proved to be as sparse as that on land. Both Jack and I are convinced the rumors of abundant animal life are total fabrications. We've seen what we think were a few antelope on ranches in South Dakota, a fairly large moose rambling off the road and into the woods in Idaho and a coyote in Washington state. Other than that, it's been cows, horses, and a goat that was walking into a construction trailer in Chicago. Seriously.


Anyway...We are staying at a place called The Java Lodge tonight, a small bed and breakfast above a coffee shop here in Prince Rupert. We head north to Watson Lake in the morning, praying that the weather clears and warms up. It was brutally cold on the ferry today - to the point that no one ventured outside except to take quick snapshots of a rare landmark that was visible through the mist. I fully expected to see the rain turn to sleet, but the weather sort of leveled out as we got closer to port. It's supposed to be EIGHT degrees Celsius tonight (what is that in HUMAN degrees??) and drizzly in the morning. However, it is also supposed to clear up a little later in the day and get somewhat warmer as we head further inland. Let's hold a positive thought as tomorrow will also be the night that we camp - most likely without electricity. Warmer weather would be very welcome!

That having been said, we will be without an Internet connection until we arrive in Watson Lake late in the day on Monday (I THINK that lodge has wireless), so we will be incommunicado until then.

Say a prayer to the weather gods for us and know that we are thinking about all of you.

Much love,

L

June 19 - Vancouver, BC

We spent the day just sort of puttzin' around Vancouver today. It's a cool city with some pieces of interesting architecture and some VERY unique people. Unlike Seattle, the people here seem to possess a strong sense of individual style and have a sort of zest that their Washington counterparts lack. There are some very upscale areas in the city itself as well as the 'burbs, and some horribly run-down, skid row areas as well. As a matter of fact, we mentioned to a waitress that we had been down on a particular street and she was stunned. "You WALKED down there?" We told her that we had only driven through and she seemed relieved! :) Seriously. It's not the kind of place you'd want to be after dark. However, the main parts of the downtown area are well-kept and very active in the evening. We sat and people watched on the patio of a restaurant down the street from where we're staying and found out that Snoop Dogg was in concert at The Orpheum across the street. Fo' Shizzle! (heh...)

Tomorrow, we head out of here around 5:00 am to catch a 7:00 ferry to Swartz Bay, Vancouver Island. We'll drive to Port Hardy at the northern tip by evening and I will update you again from there.

Hope all's well. Much love - L.

June 18 - Seattle, WA

We spent the day in Seattle, doin' the tourist thing. Pike Place Market, which was wonderful, Saludi's Restaurant, which was more hype than substance, and the Space Needle, which, in addition to a fine view of the city, also offers beer and - so surprisingly - Starbucks coffee at the top. Here's a quick breakdown of our oh-so-humble observations of the city:

#1. Far too expensive for just about everything you can think of.

#2. Working way too hard to make the impression of being a sophisticated city while housing an inordinate number of desperate appearing people. I know the "grunge" thing got its genesis in Seattle, but I don't think the people living out of bags are trying to make a statement...

#3. Lots and lots of tiny, pretentious restaurants but no real places to just get a great meal.

#4. Wear great walking shoes and prepare for your trip here by working up to a 5K on steep inclines.

#5. Well advertised "free bus zone" with few free buses available.

#6. Incredibly long traffic lights and people who aren't "brave" enough to walk against the "Don't Walk" signs - even when there is no oncoming traffic in sight. (One native described the pedestrians - even the citizens in general - as sheep. That assessment, actually, seems pretty accurate to us.)

#7. When on a motorcycle, all hill are uphills, all lights are too long, and when turning, there will be at least 3 people crawling across (OK, OK...slowing walking across) the street in front of you.

#8. When you ask for directions, expect the person directing you to refer to the compass direction of where things are: "Oh, it's north of here," or "Just go six blocks east." Well, if you don't know the city well and there doesn't happen to be any sun, "Left" and "Right" might prove more practical.

#9. The Renier cherries at Pike's Place were at least $1 per pound more expensive than they were at home at Kroger.

#10. Many people here have a very strong anti-Bush sentiment. So, they can't be all bad!! :)

Left Seattle around 5:00 and arrived in Vancouver at about 9:30 after stopping for dinner. Looks like an interesting place. We have plans to cruise around, camper-free, for a few hours tomorrow and to pick up a few of the things we will need pretty quickly (100% DEET, Bug-B-Gone, for around the grounds near our camper, an extra couple of pairs of long johns, ear buds for Jack's I-Pod...) and check out some the neat looking pubs. I will post more at the end of our day tomorrow (Remember, we're 3 hours behind you...)

Miss you!

L

Blog Comment Instructions

Some of you may still be having a hard time figuring out how to respond to these posts. Here's the skinny:

This is how you post a response to a blog entry: Set up your account by creating a user name and password. Just click on the "comments" link at the bottom of the entry. It might say "4 comments" or "0 comments" or whatever, but click there. You'll be taken to a comment post page. BEFORE YOU TYPE YOUR COMMENT, go to the bottom of that page and set up your user name and password if you don't already have one.(You only have to do this on your frist entry. After that, you'll use the one you've created everytime you enter a comment.) It's simple to do- enter your existing email address and make up a password - period. Then, (or if you already have a user name and password) type your comment, then enter the verification "word" in the blank beneath your entry. Once that's done, you enter your existing (or newly created) user name and password and you're finished. Note: If you already have an existing Goggle account (you may have a Google email address or something) you can use that here also. DON'T FORGET: IF YOU HAVEN'T SET UP YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD YET, DO THAT FIRST (BEFORE TYPING YOUR POST) OTHERWISE, YOU'LL LOSE WHAT YOU'VE TYPED IN YOUR COMMENT AND HAVE TO START ALL OVER. If you have any other questions, just let me know! L.

June 17 - From Worley ID to Seattle, WA

What a day of contrasts! Eastern Washington is FLAT and BROWN. Very dull territory to get through - but what a payoff!! The Cascade Mountains are beautiful. Green and thick with pines, waterfalls and roadside streams. There is also (at least this year) SNOW. It was really cold by the time we made it to nearly 4,000 feet. Jack thawed out by the time we were back near sea level. We took way too many pictures (thank God for digital!) and I'm including 16 of them in the slide show to the right. The clouds topping off the mountains were awesome. The pics just don't do them justice.

We were tired by the time we arrived here is Seattle, but ventured out about a block from our hotel to a nice little restaurant called, The Palace. The waitress suggested Pike's Place Market, a new sculpture exhibit, and a little deli owned by Mario Batali's father for things to do while we're here since we only have one day. For my fellow "foodies", you know Batali from "Malto Mario" on The Food Network. For those of you who couldn't care less, suffice it to say that this place is supposed to have the best sandwiches in Seattle. WE'LL be the judge of that! :)

Gas prices have risen steadily since we crossed the Washington border and are now hovering right around $4.45 a gallon. From what we understand, that will seem like a bargain once we cross into Canada tomorrow.

Speaking of which, we plan to get to Vancouver tomorrow early evening. I'll write more then. Please keep up the great responses. We look forward to opening the blog every day and seeing your messages to us.

June 16, the sequel...

Remember how I said that today was so lovely that Jack and I spent the whole day in the sun? Well...come tomorrow getting on and off that bike will be a REAL adventure. My skin feels two sizes too small! At least the chills have stopped and I'm trying to console my burned body with the idea that this will turn into a beautiful tan in three or four months! :) Jack fared somewhat better and will look bronzed and wonderful by morning, but I will remain Laura, the red-faced Michigander for a while, I'm afraid. I will do my best to stay out of Ken's wedding pictures!

We spent part of our evening with the owners of this resort and think we've sold them on the motorcycle rally idea. Those of you with bikes, how does a road trip to Idaho sound in a couple of years?
L

June 16 Sun Meadow Resort - Worley, Idaho

The bad news is that I have no pictures to post today. The good news is that it's because it was SO sunny and warm and beautiful that we spent the entire day hangin' out around the pool and I didn't mess with the camera. This is such a nice place. It's halfway between Spokane, WA and Coeur d'Alene, ID and is under new management. The people are knocking themselves out to make a good impression and they're doing a fine job! The outdoor pool is still far too cool to spend much time in (understandable since it snowed here just a week ago) but the sun is hot and the scenery is great. However, if we feel the need to swim, they have an indoor pool that is a cross (temperature-wise) between a swimming pool and a hot-tub. We'll be sorry to leave in the morning, but are looking forward to Seattle by tomorrow night.

Please keep up the great replies - I've gotten some via email, but post here if possible as everyone enjoys reading your responses.

L

June 15 - Worley, Idaho

Happy Father's Day to all of our dad-pals!! It was another day of extremes for Jack and I. Freezin' cold this morning (lower than 40 when we woke up) to 84 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at about 5:00 this afternoon.

Speaking of when we woke up...we were fairly lucky that we did! We used the propane heater last night and thought we'd vented the camper canvas well enough, but both of us had a very difficult time breathing during the night. We decided to use the propane heater only for short-term emergencies from now on and spent the better part of three hours this afternoon hunting around Coeur d'Alene for an electric heater to use for the rest of the trip! Finally found one and it's doing a great job at the moment fending off the brisk 42 degrees outside of our camper.

The mountains here are gorgeous - snow-capped and majestic, but not inviting enough to coax us up to those slippery roads. We're enjoying the view from below :)

Pie alert: Split a slice of french silk with Jack at a cafe called Millie's in Thompson Falls. It was obviously not french and more like fudge than silk. If I'm generous, a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The resort we're at is really nice; barely anything lacking! - Tony and O'Connors - you guys would love it. Great place for bikers ;) We met a guy and his wife who live on some kind of huge sandbar in Alaska - he's a principal and she's a teacher. They had some great stories and some helpful (as well as fairly frightening) information for us. I now know how to frighten off a black bear, how to avoid swallowing mouthfuls of mosquitoes, how to catch salmon using a wheel, and how to become employed as a teacher in Alaska making about double what I'm earning now! I'm not sure I'll ever actually need to use any of that information, but all of it was, at the very least, intriguing.

Thanks for the responses to the last post, guys! We've only been gone a week, but I'm already getting homesick. Little notes from y'alls make me feel all warm and cozy :) If you're not sure how to post, send me an email and I'll drop you a set of instructions.

xoxo

L

Missoula, Montana - Comin' into the Rockies

So...everybody SAYS it's not usual for the Rockies to be COVERED with snow. NOoooo...not until WE get here. Seriously, check out the photos in the slideshow. The snow is still quite deep near Glacier National Park - so deep that we decided to reroute ourselves in a more southerly direction to get to Idaho tomorrow. The views are spectacular and the roads on the east side of the range have been great. Today was a nearly ideal ride. Tomorrow, we may enter a little more chilly weather with more of a chance to run into the white stuff as that's the area hit with the foot of snow last Monday. However, we will push onward, bundled up and keeping cozy with plenty of leather and winter wear.

For those of you interested, I had my first pie of the trip today and a little dive of a diner on Rte. 200 near a place called Stevensville, or Stevensford, or something like that. Coconut cream. Mmm. Other than the typical "been-on-the-counter-uncovered-thickened-custard on top, it was delicious. Flaky crust, not too much coconut...I should have gotten another piece for the road :)

We found, strictly by accident, the most wonderful little campgroud. Jim and Mary's off I-90 outside of Missoula. Jim and Mary are terrific folks who run a neat, clean, well-landscaped, amazingly well appointed park complete with restrooms that Jack and I swear are cleaner than ours at home! There are awesome laundry facilities and a meeting room with t.v. and game table for more social activities, and the people have been awesome. Everyone stops by on their walks to chat about the camper and the trip and to share where they're going or where they've been. We're so lucky to have stumbled into this place. It's too bad we can only stay one night...

But tomorrow, it's off to Worley, Idaho - over the Rockies and into what promises to be another sunny and HOPEFULLY warm day.

By the way...This blog was intended to be interactive! We hope you'll have some comment to leave or piece of encouragement to offer as we go along. We miss you guys and want to know what's up with you, too!! Drop us a line!

More tomorrow -

L.

June 13 Big Sky Country

Left Mt. Rushmore area this morning and headed for Billings, MT. During the night, we managed to live through gale force winds - and, we're thrilled to say - the camper held up perfectly.

This morning brought sunshine. It was cool, but certainly not as cold as yesterday and the day before. Sky stayed clear nearly all day - such a nice break! The rough wind has taken its toll on Laura's shoulder - a trip to the bone doc to address this bursitis will be in order when we get home. (Dear God, how old do I sound??)

Jack and I have not simply been driving along biding our time. No, no! We have solved America's (if not the world's) energy problem. If the government (or some forward-thinking mega millionaire) would erect about 10,000 windmills and cover 10% of Montana's vacant land with solar farms, we would be set forever. Seriously. It's not like all of that ground is being used for anything else! A few cows, a random antelope...

We've actually landed in (believe it or not) Roundup, Montana, about an hour north of Billings. We're headed for Glacier tomorrow unless we find out that most of Monday's snow is still on the ground. In that case, we may head straight for Idaho.

L

Across the prairie to Rapid City

After hiding out from another raging rain storm in a motel, we set out to see the prairie. You know what?.... it is cold and windy on the prairie. We managed to stay dry until after making camp and heading out to Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The wind and rain caught up with us before we made it back to camp. Sleet on a bike is not too fun! Though blowing a bit, the camper is holding up and we are keeping warm....sort of. We have heat just don't feel warm yet. Too much wind and rain so far. Perhaps the weather in the tundra - oh, I mean Anchorage, will be better. Tomorrow promises to bring the best weather so far. We'll see.

J

June 11 to Western SD

Left Brookings (far eastern side of the state) and made it about 45 minutes short of Mt. Rushmore. Rather than try to outrun yet another storm, we checked into a motel for the night and figured we'd head for the presidential heads in the a.m. We plan to check out the Crazy Horse monument and possibly Sturgis before driving to Billings, MT. on Friday. The weather is finally supposed to clear up for a few days beginning tomorrow and, with any luck at all, should be above freezing by the time we get to the Glacier area on Saturday!

June 10 to Brookings, SD

We visited the Spam Museum today - Yes, you read that right: the Spam Museum. Very cool place, actually. Did you know that more people per capita eat Spam in Hawaii than anywhere else? Hawaii, of all places. Anyway, ya learn something new everyday!

Also, since Jack and his family used to watch Little House on the Prairie years ago, and we had the opportunity to check out a few of Laura Ingalls Wilder's haunts in Walnut Grove, MN, we did. Check out that photo...Hello, cowboy! :)

We traveled along Hwy. 14 westward into South Dakota, but not before noticing how many wind farms Minnesota has. Man! They stretch as far as you can see down the horizon line along that highway. It's heartening to realize that good things are happening in the way of alternative energy here in the U.S.

Onward to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow. We expect all of you to do a little anti-snow dance on your front lawns tonight as we just caught the weather news of 7-10" of new snow outside of Seattle. That's where we'll be in three days! Mom - did I thank you recently for those heated liners?! :)

More tomorrow - xox

June 8-9

Hey! We're on our way! We've made it through the Chicago area, into Wisconsin, and over to Rochester, MN where we are currently. It's been quite an adventure already! Check out the slideshow to the right Wireless is a little more difficult to find than I anticipated, so entries to this blog may not occur EVERY night, but I'll do my best to try to update often.

Slideshow 6-7-08

Check out the slideshow that I've posted on the right. The pics are of our camper trailer and, for those of you who have wondered how we're hauling enough stuff for 7 weeks, shows how we've managed to pack it all in :) As you can see, we're not exactly roughing it! We've got a king-sized bed, a heater, a fan, and I'm even taking my feather pillow! Ah, the lap of luxury!

Whoooo Are You....Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh.....

Guess it sounds better when there's music behind it.... Anyway, please let us know who you are the first time you post. All we see is your screen name! :)