August 31

Tuesday August 31 - Mitchell, SD

Had heavy winds and thunderstorm during the night. Loretta decided to get her hair done and do some shopping while we are here at Wal-Mart. I started the truck to build up the trailer batteries then got a wheelchair to get her into the store. After coffee, we parted ways and I came out to do some work on the computer and check fuel prices on the Internet. Looks like I should wait till Missouri to fuel. Then we shopped some before leaving.
The skies became slightly cloudier as the day progressed. It also looked as if they had gotten more rain the farther east we went. Also the land became flatter with lush pastures and verdant crops. Grazing beef herds now numbered in the hundreds instead of a few animals in the pastures west of here.
Breakfast was in Beresford, SD and we stopped at the visitor center upon entering Iowa. The center was located in an old riverboat that had been pulled up onto the land. It included a self-guided tour of the boat and a very interesting museum. By the time we arrived at Council Bluffs, we were thinking of stopping for the night. We stopped at Harrah’s Casino, but they do not permit overnight parking - their loss, as we would have gotten supper and probably played the slots a while. We found that heading south on I-29 from there was mostly farmland. But finally we found an exit with 3 truck stops. Truckers had recommended Sapp Bros. So we stopped there and were told where we could park away from the trucks. After a delicious supper it was home to catch up on computer, email and relax.

August 30

August 30 Mitchell, SD

Saw a small jackrabbit in the campground this morning, first outside our trailer then again later while taking a walk. He didn’t seem to be afraid, probably spoiled by the guests. Skies were partly overcast with temperatures in the 50’s. But as the day progressed, the clouds all disappeared and the temp got to about 90 with brisk winds again.
We started west of Rapid City in the Black Hills then east of town it became rolling farmland and pasture. That later became very rough land with lots of canyons and the Badlands visible in the distance. We decided not to stop at the famous Wall Drug in Wall as well as several other points of interest as Loretta didn’t feel up to walking. Breakfast was at Kadoka and we stopped at one rest area that featured the Lewis and Clark expedition with a lot of displays and art. Also a fantastic view from the stern of a simulated Keelboat of the same length that was used on the expedition.
Then on to Mitchell where we got supper at Marlin’s Truck Stop. We decided to park at Wal-Mart for the night, but Cabell’s Sporting Goods is just across the street and was strongly considered. I understand it is second only to Bass Pro Shops and perhaps will go there (and maybe the Corn Palace) before leaving tomorrow. Loretta was ready to lie down for while by then.

August 29

August 29 Rapid City, SD

This morning there was a red sky and the mountains to the west were a beautiful reddish color. I checked the battery charge line from the truck to the trailer and found a poor connection at the plug. I hopefully got that working then went into Wal-Mart to walk the store and purchase some needed items. By the time I returned, Loretta was up and ready to travel. So we departed Sheridan under scattered clouds that came and went all day. But no rain (except it did rain during the night) and winds were lighter today. We stopped in Gillette, WY for fuel, propane, water and dump tanks. We also got breakfast there in a very slow restaurant - only one waitress. The hills were getting less steep and long as we moved away from the mountains. Most of the land was rather poor pastureland, but there were some fantastic rock formations and in one area we encountered volcanic rock that had been blown several miles (what an event that must have been). There was a lot of grazing beef cattle and occasional farmlands. But it looks like more work to eke out a living in this area.
About 20miles before Gillette, we were passed by a car that was probably doing about 75 MPH (the speed limit). He pulled in ahead of us and a Trooper passed with lights flashing. The trooper stayed in the left lane but didn’t appear to be trying to pass the other car. They soon passed out of sight and out of mind. Then as we approached Gillette, there were 2 police vehicles along side of the road. They seemed to be rolling something up along side the highway. I mentioned to Loretta that it almost looked to me like that might be what they put across the road to blow out the tires on a car that won’t stop. Then we crested a small hill and spotted 7 police cars along the roadside in a bunch. As we passed we saw a car off the road and assume that it was the one that had passed us earlier. Don’t know any more, but “They got their man”.
We then stopped at the Wyoming rest area for a while after which we topped the fuel tanks. Wyoming has about the best price out here. Also a short stop at the South Dakota rest stop for a new map and some pictures. Loretta was becoming quite uncomfortable and as it was early we decided to get a campground space. First thought was Sturgis, SD but no cell phone signal there. I had some calls to make and wanted to get on the Internet a while. So we continued to Rapid City where we found a Passport America discount park. About a mile of dirt road to get in and sites are not too level. Also backs up on the Interstate. But it is nice otherwise and we only want a place to overnight. Loretta napped a while, and then we went into town for supper. Before returning to the campground we took a ride through downtown Rapid City and some of the surrounding area just sightseeing. When we got back, I visited with 2 neighbors from Baton Rouge, LA before coming home to catch up on computer records, email, etc.

August 28

August 27 Sheridan, WY
Woke to a somewhat chilly morning - 30 degrees according to a trucker parked nearby, but sun shining on the hills is very pretty. I let Loretta sleep in this morning so it was about 9 by the time we got on the road. We proceeded to Belgrade, MT - just west of Bozeman for our breakfast stop. There I called Fred Cady KE7X, an amateur radio operator that formerly lived in Mayville, not far from where we lived when in NY. He came to visit and we had a great time rehashing the old days and catching up on current activities. While there I also purchased an antenna and mount for the cell phone that hopefully will help when we are in weak signal areas.
We spent over 3 hours there and by the time we left, it had become overcast which followed us the rest of the day in varying amounts. Only rain though was a few light sprinkles in the early evening. East of Bozeman we had a steep climb over the mountain pass and almost 10 miles at 25MPH down the other side. But the scenery was fantastic with wooded hills, rugged mountains - many with snow-capped peaks, rolling plains and verdant farmland along the Yellowstone River, which we followed for many miles. We made our lunch stop west of Billings, and then proceed up onto what I would call “high plains”. There we encountered lots of pastureland, cattle and horses interspersed with dry land farming (the land along the river bottom was mostly irrigated). But it appeared there had been a fair amount of rain for this time of year as the crops and pastures looked very good. Not a great amount of wildlife again - a few deer and small animals including a couple of porcupine. Possibly some of the horses seen were wild ones and we did encounter a herd of antelope. Yesterday we had traveled through an area the looked ideal for Moose, but as usual none were to be seen.
I decided to continue to Sheridan, WY to make up for some of the time lost. By the time we arrived at about 8PM, it was becoming dark. But we did get to view the distant mountains in the last light, which was a great experience also. Due to the lateness of the hour, we located the Wal-Mart here where we got a snack then called it a day. For some reason, I still am not getting charge voltage from the truck to the trailer. Everything at the truck end checks out OK, so suspect a connection at the trailer end. So I used jumper cables to charge the trailer batteries before shutting down.

Now in Montana

August 27 Rocker, MT (near Butte)
There are clouds over the mountains this morning, which is quite pretty. My inverter hadn’t worked last night, so couldn’t do my computer records. I remembered that in Jasper, AB I had disconnected it from the battery. So I did part of my computer bookwork before going into the restaurant for breakfast. We stopped at Wal-Mart and got new batteries for the trailer - one of the old ones tested bad, they were only about a year old but too small. Then we headed across Idaho on Interstate 90. The farther we went, the heavier the overcast became and finally it started to rain. We were above a lot of the clouds at times, but they were not covering the roadway as they did yesterday. After we got east of the mountains, the rain finally quit and it slowly cleared the rest of the trip.
We made a lunch stop and a few stops to stretch the legs and rest, but other than a few signs at pullovers the only sightseeing we did was from the truck. Surprisingly we saw few log trucks until we got into Montana. Also other that wildfowl, the only game we saw was one herd of Bison. Roads were mostly good and we made good time but didn’t hurry too fast. Stopped early at one campground, but wasn’t impressed so continued on and then by time we did stop decided just to overnight at a Pilot Truck Center. Had supper there, but Loretta was in a lot of pain, so didn’t eat much. I also found an antenna adapter for our cell phone, which I had been searching for. Then home to catch up on computer before going to bed.

Heading East

August 26 Post Falls, ID
Decided to catch up on email and computer this morning so I can get things ready to travel. Then after coffee, we secured and got hooked up. Norm was assisting on getting the new well hooked up. I didn’t get out before they shut the pump off, so water tank doesn’t have much in it. We said our farewells and got on the road following a route Norm had suggested. The overcast we woke to turned to a drizzle before too long. Loretta was able to travel quite well but we did make several stops to relax her leg. I had planned on viewing Snoqualmie Falls, but missed the turn into the parking area for large vehicles. Then passed a bunch of very old railroad equipment but no good place to park. We then spotted a large log in an enclosure where I could park. I walked over and photographed the 450-year-old log on a sawmill carrier that was really not large enough to hold it properly. It would be quite a job making the first few cuts on something that size. Also took a few photos of trains, etc but decided not to walk back to the old ones in drizzle.
As we started up Snoqualmie Pass, it started to rain in earnest and we were in the clouds. I am sure the view would have been fantastic had we been able to see it, but was hardly able to see the road.
After passing the summit, it immediately started to clear up though. We stopped in Eaton for lunch and by then had blue skies. We were soon in an area of sagebrush and desert plants. But a lot of this has been irrigated and we saw an awful lot of acreage planted to wheat, corn, hay and other crops. If there is water, that land yields great crops. We stopped at Wild Horse Monument and overlook where we got a great view of part of Moses Lake and the surrounding countryside. It appeared that there had been descriptions of the area and the monument on the peak nearby. But they were gone and only graffiti in their place. Did get some pictures of the monument and countryside though. It started a light rain again there, which followed us the rest of the afternoon. We made another rest stop then one for supper before arriving in Spokane. Quite a bit of highway construction there, so glad to get through in the evening instead of rush hour. We stopped at the Flying J near Post Falls, ID for fuel after which I parked in the RV lot. After a snack in the restaurant, we came home and called it a day.

Week of 22 August

August 22 Lake Stevens, WA

Loretta was in a lot of pain but did manage to sleep. She had to get up several times during night, which she was able to do with the help of the walker that the Andersons had loaned her. Didn’t do much today, as Loretta is trying to take it easy. But she did manage to do a few housework chores. I visited with Norm and did a small repair job for Loretta. We were invited to have dinner with the Andersons which was very delicious and included enjoyable visiting. Loretta’s leg started to bother, so she came home for medication and ice it then rest a while. Later we went in the house for Joker and visit till late evening.

Back in the States

August 18 Lake Stevens, WA
The Mountains to the Sea Travelcade finished yesterday morning. I started the day by getting our rig ready for travel and saying farewells to those departing. Some had left before we even got out of bed. Loretta and I took a short ride through North Vancouver stopping at the Tomahawk Restaurant for breakfast and some photos. Then back to Capilano Campground to get hooked up. We were the last to leave following the Miller’s and Berry’s. We encountered fairly heavy traffic on our way to the US Border. At Customs, the Department of Agriculture decided to inspect our trailer and Berry’s Motor home. We were sent on our way with a clean bill of health, but less a few grapefruit that we had carried the whole trip - small loss. We phoned fellow Avioners Norman Anderson in Lake Stevens to verify that the invite to visit was still open. It was, so we proceeded there with the rest of our small group leaving along the way. After a lunch stop, we located the Anderson residence and got parked in their water/electric/satellite antenna site. After a visit, we got the trailer set up then later they drove us to a very nice Family Restaurant where we enjoyed supper. By time we returned, it was time to call it a day and I did want to get on the Internet a while.
For some reason, I had a fitful night getting up several times. Perhaps it was too quiet here after better than a week at Capilano Campground surrounded by 3 heavily traveled bridges and sirens sounding all hours of the night? I spent some more time on our backed up email and later we went into the house to visit and have a great breakfast. This was followed by a trip to Marysville for some shopping and a look around the city. Took the rest of the afternoon easy then back to the Tulalip Indian Casino at Marysville for supper and a short stint at the slots. We visited some with the Anderson’s before calling it a day.

Mountains to Sea Travelcade

Mountains to Sea Travelcade
July 25 Hill Spring, AB

We were in the 3rd group out of the campground this morning leaving at 0850. We again traveled through country that was so scenic that it takes ones breath away. Lots of crooked roads and some hills, but not as bad as our previous moves. We stopped to rest and get coffee at East Glacier, MT. Then we were supposed to take Route 49. But there was a low underpass that made me nervous and I had seen a sign saying the road was posted for a maximum length of 21’ and width of 8’. As our rig is over 50’ long and 8.5’ wide, our group opted to continue on US2 to Route 89, then head north. I guess the other groups took the suggested route and made it OK - they said the posted road was not Route 49? We made another rest stop in St. Mary, MT where several units added fuel, as this was the last chance in the United States. We decided not to as we had fueled yesterday. The countryside on the eastern side of the mountains flattened out considerably.
None of us had any problems with Canadian Customs so proceeded to Cardston, AB. The land here is mostly rolling cropland and pasture. The farms look well cared for and prosperous. At Cardston we ate lunch in our trailer while some went into the dining room at the Remington Carriage Museum. At 1330, we gathered in the Museum and divided into 2 groups. Our group was taken on carriage rides around the grounds, which are quite beautiful. Then we replaced the other group in the theater where we viewed a video on carriages. After that we were given a guided tour of the Museum where over 200 carriages are on display. More models and styles than one can imagine. Some very basic wagons and some were very exclusive transportation. After the tour some of us went to the shop where they rebuild units as needed. - Very interesting.
By 1600 we were all on the road again for a short trip to the Great Canadian Barn Dance and Resort. There we got parked and set up - I discovered that one of the stabilizing jacks on the rear of our trailer had gotten damaged at Cardston. Fortunately we had a spare, so I replaced that then got ready to go to the Barn for a Roast Beef supper followed by entertainment. The family that owns the Resort is very talented and played and sang a variety of country music. The group consists of 2 brothers and the son of one. The son’s wife and her father are also in the group as well as 2 children aged 6 and 14. All are very good and the 2 boys and their mother have fantastic singing voices. One of the brothers is one of the best guitar players I have heard in many years. So we had a great time there and several of our group were recruited into part of the show. After a bit of visiting and watching the sunset over the mountains we called it a day.

Mountains to Sea Travelcade

I started this in the last posting, but will finish the Travelcade as comments to this message. Feel free to reply with your comments as you see fit. Hope you enjoy the story of our travels.

Andy and Loretta