The Midwest and Great Lakes

 Having escaped S. Dakota we entered the 'real' midwest into Minnesota.  We had decided to make camp in the little town of Melrose which has the attraction of being about midway on the Lake Wobegon Bike trail which extends for about 65 miles and connects with the Central Lakes trail which runs for another 55 miles.  Before we could even make camp we got another blowout on a trailer tire...Really?!  Again, our luck was bad/good in that we had been driving through torrential downpours for much of the day and the tire decided to blow in the parking lot of the campground and in town a couple blocks from a tire store.

We enjoyed our time in MN with some nice bike rides and....well, the people are really nice.  Other than that, we just noted that there is really a lot of corn in this part of MN.  There is a lot of everything green out here and we have really been enjoying it after spending so much time in the arid west. The down side is, of course, that it is quite a bit more humid and rainy than at home and we are still trying to adjust to it.  The day we had come into town, a town just to the south had gotten 6-in. of rain in a couple hours.  Wow!  As noted, the people are all really nice...I took Kasha for a walk one evening and most people that passed us in cars gave us a wave hello.  Kelly and I decided that people reach terminal niceness somewhere on the rural border of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

After maxing out the fun meter in Melrose we headed for the north shore of Lake Superior.  Now that is some very scenic country up there.  The lake is beautiful, and the rocky shoreline is pretty spectacular.  Just the thought of that much clean, clear, fresh water is kind of mind-blowing.  We learned some interesting facts that drive home just how large these lakes are.  Taken together, the Great Lakes account for 95% of the surface area water in N. America and if spread evenly above the lower 48 states would create a lake 9.5 feet deep.  That's a lot of water, most of which comes from Canada.  No wonder some want to make it our 51st state...good luck with that.  We took a drive up to the lovely little harbor town of Grand Marias which is pretty much the last stop before the Canadian border and, as nice as it was, we couldn't help but try to picture it in mid-winter.  One of the locals told us that the previous winter the temperature had gotten down to 50 below zero.  We'll take a hard pass on that one.

The next stop on our Great Lakes tour was the Apostle Islands about an hour's drive east of Duluth, MN.  Another great spot.  We stayed in a state park campground near the town of Bayfield, WI, a harbor town on the south shore of Lk Superior.  There was a very nice, un-crowded swimming beach within walking distance of our camp which Kasha enjoyed very much.  Every day here had to include a rigorous hour-long stick fetching session at the lake.  The Apostle Islands themselves are situated within a fairly short boat ride of Bayfield so we splurged and took the grand tour boat ride which visited most of them.  The islands themselves are very remote and mostly uninhabited, but the real attraction is the sea caves carved into the rocky shoreline on some of them.  I won't try to describe them but take a look at the pictures below to get an idea.  The couple camped next to us [Dan and Sheri] had a power boat and took us out for a boat ride on their last night at camp.  This got us a wonderful, up-close view of the sea caves.  The told us a story [and had pictures to verify] of snorkeling at the sea caves and being warned of a very large buck that had fallen in and was trapped at the back of a deep chasm that cut into the rocky shoreline.  People were, somehow, able to herd it out into the open water where it could swim to a climbable section of shoreline and rescue itself.  They had pictures of the deer swimming in the lake with the snorkelers in the background.  Pretty wild.

From here we will be moving on the central Wisconsin where we can see more corn and green stuff. Until then...

Minnesota Corn

Really lotta corn

Apostle Islands Bay

Where the deer fell in

Gooseberry Falls, Lk Superior

Kasha Hamming it up

Lake Superior

Sea Caves

Tom's Burnt Down Tavern, Madeline Island, Bayview

The Black Hills

 As we inched our way eastward we continued to have tire-related adventures.  We were headed for the Black Hills of South Dakota where I had enjoyed a bike tour with my Pagosa bike touring buddies last year on the Mickelson Trail.  I liked the area very much and wanted Kelly to see it so we thought we would spend a few days exploring.  For those of you unfamiliar with the western states, there is a lot of 'nothing' between the small towns dotting the landscape and [horror!] not much cell phone coverage in between those towns.  You don't want to be caught in the high prairie without a spare tire or you could end up going 'old school' ie: hitch hiking to the next town for rescue.  So, we considered ourselves very lucky when we found we had another soft tire on the trailer and happened to be across the street from a gas station in one of the few towns we had passed through that day.  After our last trailer blowout in Nevada we had picked up some tire pressure sensors so we could know when a problem is developing.  These are great as when a trailer tire is losing pressure [we have a dual axle on the trailer] the first sign that there is a problem is when you see tire parts flying through the air in the sideview mirror.  Anyway, we were able to change the tire and pressure up the rest of them at the gas station.  We still had no spare but it wasn't far to Casper, WY where we intended to spend a day and do some much needed chores [laundry, oil change etc.}.

I think the motto of Casper, WY should be 'Casper...it's nicer than you expect'. And it was.  We were holed up in an RV park which happened to be right on the Platte River which is very nice in this part of the world and not the 'too thin to plow, too thick to drink' Platte River as it is known farther east.  There was a very nice walk/bike trail running right next to camp which we enjoyed between chores.  That said, there is not much else to tell about Casper so I won't.

Chores done, we packed up early and were ready for a relatively quick run to our next stop in Custer, SD.  Not so fast Buckaroo.  We got about 10 miles out of town and saw we had another soft tire, this time on the truck. Really!  Now it's Sunday and we need a tire repair!  In Casper!  While I changed the tire [again...I'm getting pretty good at this now] Kelly found a Firestone dealer who happened to be open so we dropped the trailer at a closed truck weigh station and headed back to Casper where we found the tire was bad and we needed a new one.  Luckily, they had one in our size so we walked around downtown Casper while they did their thing.  Our tire luck has been a good news/bad news joke in that, while it would have been nice not to have any tire issues, they have all happened near towns and were fairly easily taken care of.  Thank you travel gods.  I'll sacrifice a hot dog to you at the next camp.

Having arrived in Custer, SD, we set up camp and set out exploring the Black Hills.  Our camp spot was conveniently located right near downtown Custer and directly on the aforementioned Mickelson bike trail.  We were able to get a few bike rides in and enjoy 'All' that the town of Custer has to offer, which is basically a bunch of tee-shirt shops and the other touristy stuff that seem to be the same everywhere. Their running joke here is 'Don't pet the fluffy cows' [Bison]  Har!

Kelly and I took a bike ride up the Mickelson trail to the top of the next pass where you can find the monument to Crazy Horse where they have been sculpting his likeness into the rock [like Mt Rushmore] since 1948!  Our thoughts were 'needs some work'.  The original artist has since died and his son has taken over the project.  Kelly suggested the kid was probably on his cell phone all day instead of getting at it with the old hammer and chisel like he ought to be.  Kids today!

We also must confess to doing some touristy things as we went to see Mt Rushmore and went to Bear Country wildlife park.  I had been to Mt Rushmore on a solo trip I did in the late 70's when there was, basically, a parking lot at the base and you stood there and said 'Yup, there it is. I thought it would be bigger.'  Now there is a major development with multi-level parking, huge stone entries and the ever-present concessions stands where you can purchase 'don't pet the fluffy cows' tee shirts [that joke never gets old] and the rubber tomahawks I would have loved when I was a kid.  While I am not thrilled with the whole Mt Rushmore thing I do find myself wondering  'how did they do that?' They had to do the carving up close but couldn't see the whole picture from their perspective.  Did they have Gutzon Borglum sitting in a tree a hundred yards away going 'No, the nose is too big.  Take another whack with the hammer.'  I just don't know.

We also went to Bear Country.  This is a wildlife park where you drive your car through various fenced-off enclosures and can view elk, deer [big treat...we have them in the yard at home], wolves, cougars, reindeer [so they claim...didn't see any] and bear roaming around outside your car.  I know it sounds schlocky but we actually enjoyed it.  Our favorite part was at the end where you get to walk around penned areas and look at smaller, less lethal, critters hanging out in their 'natural' habitat.  The best was the young bears who can be viewed tirelessly wrestling, climbing and engaging in other bear activities.  I know it sounds goofy but we really enjoyed it.

The whole Black Hills area is filled with touristy cabins, more RV parks than I've ever seen and billboards advertising all of it but, somehow, it comes off as kinda charming in a nostalgic, Americana kind of way.  And, the whole area has some of the most beautiful terrain we've seen anywhere on our trip with lush, green meadows and interesting rock outcroppings everywhere.  If you get the chance, I highly recommend a visit.

After Custer, we headed north to the town of Spearfish, SD.  This town is a gem! It's a smallish town [pop. 13,000] which is home to Black Hills State University.  We set up camp in the City Park which is very well maintained, very green, and has a lovely arm of Spearfish Creek running through it.  We were lucky enough to be here during the weekend of their annual Art Festival in the park and could walk to the festivities from our camp.  Spearfish has a very nice old-downtown area and some very good restaurants and a homemade ice cream store that I couldn't stay away from.  

Just down the road from Spearfish is the town of Sturgis, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where this little town of about 7000 people are visited by up to 1-million [that's what they expect this year] motorcycle riders for a week in August.  Kelly and I were luckily there before the event but, walking through downtown, it is hard to imagine the scene this must be.  All through the downtown area are huge, apparently hastily constructed, eating and drinking establishments which are, basically, roof structures sheltering open-air drinking spaces.  And talk about tee-shirt shops!  Competition must be fierce as they were practically giving them away.  We were looking for a sleeveless leather vest with a Harley Davidson emblem for our impending grandson but, alas, none were to be found. 

We were ready to leave S. Dakota and wondering 'Where should we head now?'  We had some plans to camp along the great Rails-to-trails bike paths that we had been on during our cross country bike trip in 2012 but not sure what else there was to entertain us while crossing the great plains.  A bit of research into Minnesota attractions turned up the following can't-miss attractions [I am not making this up].  We could stop by the Spam Museum, see the largest statue of the Jolly Green Giant, wonder in amazement at the World's Largest Ball of Twine or wander through the House of Balls.  Sign me up!  

No road trip across eastern S. Dakota is complete without stopping in at Wall Drug.  This attraction is a huge business in the town of Wall, SD in middle of the empty plains which exists for no apparent reason other than to be an un-apologetic tourist trap.  Wall Drug has been enticing thirsty travelers on the I-90 interstate with offers of 'FREE ICE WATER' since 1931.  The billboards advertising ' Full size dinosaur', ' An 11-ft Jackalope' and 'a 6-ft rabbit' start 40 or 50 miles from Wall in either direction.  We counted no less than 65 billboards as we made our approach from the west.

It should be noted that several states, apparently, make a boast of homing the largest ball of twine.  These states are all in the great plains.  Driving through the area, I'm guessing that there is not a whole lot else to do and endlessly wrapping twine in a ball is as entertaining as anything else.

Onward to the Great Plains!

George W. in profile. Interesting view

All the 'boys'

Sturgis Tee shirts...Classy!

Bear Country, SD

Wall Drug. A Must-see

Spearfish Creek

Coeur d'Alene and Montana

 After finishing the Bitteroot 300 bike tour, Kelly and I were able to enjoy a few days hanging out and exploring the Coeur d'Alene [CDA] area.  We really liked this town as it has a nice blend of outdoor activities and access to a very nice small city on beautiful Lake CDA. We were able to tie Kasha to a fencepost [just kidding...it was a traffic barrier] and get away for a great bike ride on the Centennial  bike trail which winds through the very nice CDA parks and along the lake.  The campground we stayed on was right on Lake CDA and pretty upscale for us. It even had a 'dog beach' although Kasha complained about a lack of available sticks to chase as the grounds were a bit too well kept.  Nothing is perfect.

Moving on from Idaho we continued east into our favorite scenery state of Montana. It's called Big-Sky country and for a reason.  We don't know why, but the sky does seem just huge out here.  We were camped in a small RV park and our site had a fantastic view of miles of green fields surrounded by the Montana mountains.  We were just outside Bozeman which has a charming downtown area with lots of restored, old brick buildings and interesting eateries and shops.  A bit bougie but not over the top.  While strolling down the main street we happened across the Bozeman branch of the Voormi store, a Pagosa outdoor clothing manufacturer.  We stopped in and chatted with one of the owners, the sister of Dustin English whom I worked with on Search and Rescue in Pagosa.  At our RV park we met a super couple who live outside Bozeman,  Scott and Allison were parked next to us and come down to the RV park to get away from the house and bring their daughter to the pool.  We exchanged contact info and would love to meet up with them again on future travels.

Again, I ponyed up for a non-resident fishing license with the same results as I've experienced this whole trip.  The Bozeman area boasts some of the most famous fly-fishing waters in the USA...the Madison, the Jefferson, the Gallatin, the Yellowstone and I SO wanted to catch a huge trout and send the picture out to fishing friends but, alas, my motives were not pure and I was pretty much skunked again. Catching only a small 'courtesy fish' at the start of the Missouri River.

Bozeman is a bit north of the west entrance to Yellowstone Park and, although I had sworn never to go there again after experiencing the crowds back in the EARLY 80's [for those who are math challenged, that is a long time ago] but Kelly had never been there so we decided to take a drive down to the park on the actual fourth of July.  Madness!  Well, I guess the travel gods were favoring us that day cos' Yellowstone Park was kinda empty.  For whatever reason, we cruised right up to the gate, got in for free with my Old-Guy-Park-Pass and did the whole Yellowstone thing.  We were even lucky enough to view a grizzly bear sow and cub.  Not lucky enough to see a foolish tourist get mauled but such is life.  In Yellowstone, you don't look for animals, you look for traffic jams caused by people viewing them.  As much as I dislike national parks because of the cars [I know we were guilty too], the people and the rules, I have to admit Yellowstone is some of the most spectacular scenery I have seen anywhere in the world.  Next 4th of July you should go.

Next on the route was the area around Jackson Hole, WY.  I had last been to Jackson around 1980 when I was moving to CO from NJ. At that time, Jackson was a quaint mountain town with some cool bars and a very laid-back vibe.  I stayed in a cheap motel in town and had some drinks at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, one of the few eateries in town, and caught fish in the Snake River just out of town without seeing a soul. Kelly and I were camped at a lake in the mountains outside of town but I wanted her to see Jackson so we went in for lunch.  It took us 20-min just to find a parking spot! Jackson 2025 has the crowds and vibe of Disneyland but without the charm! [Sorry family members but I hate Disney with a passion]  We couldn't get out of there soon enough.  Jackson aside, the view of the Tetons is as spectacular as ever with the mountains rising up thousands of feet above the valley floor.  Our campground was on Slide Lake which was naturally created when the whole mountain slid into the valley below and created a natural dam.  You can still see where the slide occurred.  This is grizzly bear country and, while the chances of encountering one are pretty slim, I was a bit nervous when Kasha and I took an evening hike up the mountain above camp and the shadows started getting long on our trail through thick aspen groves and meadows.  'Luckily' the only things that had me for dinner were the mosquitos who enjoyed a Bradley Buffet at my expense.  From here we will be leaving the Rockies and moving our way east to other adventures.  We sure have enjoyed the west but are looking forward to adventures in the plains and points east.

Bozeman camp sunset

Montana waterfall

Yellowstone Hot spring

Date night Bozeman

Paradise valley MT

Tetons from valley

More Tetons

The Bitteroot 300

 After escaping the gloom of the northwest we headed east across Washington.  It was a beautiful drive in an area we had never seen before.  Our route took us across the state north of Mt St Helens and the scenery was the closest thing I've seen in the US to the places I've skied in British Columbia.  Big green valleys surrounded by steep, tree covered mountains and beautiful rivers.  The elevation is not as much as I would have thought around here with the valleys only around 1500 ft and the passes around 4500.  We didn't spend much time exploring because I was trying to get to Coeur d'Alene [CDA], ID to meet up with my Pagosa friend Jim Hayes to do a bikepacking tour in the area.  While I was on the bike tour Kelly would be keeping the RV fires burning in a very nice RV park on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

I met up with Jim in the quaint little town of Wallace, ID, about an hour from CDA.  The bike route we took started on the trail of the CDA bike path and headed east to meet up with the NorPac trail.  Once we got to where the NorPac connected route finding became a bit challenging.  There was no signage whatsoever and we had no cell coverage to use phone map programs. We ended up going old-school and asking at a convenience store for directions.  As we headed in the direction described and were standing there scratching our heads a gal came along on a mountain bike so we flagged her down for directions.  It turns out she was the race leader in the Great American Wheel Race, a cross-the-US bike race that is following as many rails-to-trails and gravel roads as is possible.  Her name is Rhonda Wright and, last I checked, she was still in the lead.  She outdistanced us old codgers pretty quickly and we were on our own again.  The road was steep and pretty rough, requiring some pushing of our loaded bikes uphill but we soon got to some flatter sections and the riding was a nice 3% uphill grade. [Sidenote. Jim is 77 and is a beast for doing this stuff.  He'll probably be doing this after I have given up.]

After 2000 feet of rocky climbing we finally reached the top of Lookout Pass and enjoyed a long downhill run through the woods to the approach to the Hiawatha Trail.  This is probably the most popular tourist attraction in the area and there was still very little signage other than a small painted sign saying 'East Portal'.  The state of Idaho is clearly not going broke putting up signs.  We were dismayed to find that the approach to the start of the trail was 2 miles and a 500' climb.  Not what we were looking forward to at this point in the day.  The couple power bars we had for lunch had worn off long ago.

Well, I must say that the climb was worth it.  The Hiawatha trail starts off with a 1.6 mile, unlighted  tunnel.  Very chilly, very dark and kinda muddy.  Headlamps are mandatory.  The 17 miles of downhill that follows is nothing short of spectacular with 10 tunnels and 7 trestles, many of them several hundred feet above the terrain below.  The trail is well maintained and pretty smooth so the riding is easy.  We ended up being the last ones on the trail and when we got to the bottom everything was closed up and we had to climb under the barricade to get out.  We still had no cell coverage and had very little idea how far it was to any town so we just pointed the bikes downhill and hoped for the best.  We did have camp food and camping gear but were really hoping for some 'real' food as it had been a long day.  As the shadows got ever longer I spent some quality time fixing a flat tire...not what I was hoping for.  Good thing it was about the longest daylight day of the year.  Finally, the somewhat rough gravel road turned to pavement and we guessed we were nearing the town of Avery [population 14].  As we stopped and took a quick break I thought it would be a good idea to fall off my bike as I was stopping.  This turned out to be a good thing as a nice couple was coming by on a 4-wheeler and asked if I was ok.  I was fine as I have become quite practiced at falling off my bike over the years.  While chatting, Laurie said we could buy any supplies at the little town store where she worked.  When we arrived the owner, Jerry, was grilling some food for a few fishermen and was kind enough to put a couple more burgers on for us.  A burger and a beer = a great end to a great day. 53 miles and 2500 feet of climbing.

Day 2 found us riding the pavement most of the way down the St Joe river to the town of St Marie.  A very nice and pretty easy downhill run of 48 miles.  The St Joe River is very pretty and I would like to come back and fish it if I get the chance. We were able to find a motel room in St Maries and a pretty decent pasta dinner close by in town.

Day 3 started with a short shuttle to the east end of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene, a 72 mile paved bike path which would lead us back to the start in Wallace.  The shuttle is highly recommended as the only road is very narrow, windy and has a lot of truck traffic.  It was $20 well spent.  The trail, itself, is a superb bike trail with very smooth pavement, great scenery and [best of all] mostly downhill,  I finally saw a moose, Yea!  It was pretty far away and it coulda been a cow but some locals on the trail said they had been seeing it all week...it counts.   Although our start was a bit late we made it another 40-some miles to a camp spot near the town of Cataldo where we were able to get a shower and some pretty good food at the only restaurant around.  We stuck around for karaoke but, as Jim wimped out and wouldn't sing On the Road Again with me, we opted for a small campfire and off to the tents.

The weather prediction for the final day was pretty bleak but we escaped the rain and just had to deal with some cool and cloudy weather for what Jim's guidebook said was a downhill run back to Wallace.  This was not even close to true as we climbed another 500 feet to finish up the ride, All in all a great trip.  Thanks Jim.

After getting shuttled by Kelly back to CDA we spent a few days there.  We were camped in a nice RV park right on the lake and within walking distance [about 3 miles] to downtown CDA.  This is a very nice small city with some beautiful parks, lots of bike trails and a lovely downtown area.  We spent the next few days walking, riding and exploring the town and enjoyed it very much.  

Bike trail bridge

JIm Hayes on Hiawatha trestle

Hiawatha trail view

Hiawatha trestle view

Hiawatha tunnel

The Great Northwest

 After leaving our camp in Oregon we headed to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington where we set up camp in a small RV park in the town of Hoquiam, WA on the Hoquiam River. We never did really figure out how to pronounce that name since each person we asked said it differently. No fancy amenities at this one but a nice shower and laundry. It's amazing how little it takes to be thankful for when you are on the road.  We had a great site right on the river where we enjoyed sitting on the bank watching the river go by...or would have if the wind ever stopped blowing, the sun had come out, and the temperature had risen out of the 50's.  It's the middle of June for god sakes!  I'm sorry but we have become hopelessly addicted to sunshine after our years spent in Colorado and California.

That given, the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful places on the planet I have been to when the sun is out and the weather is nice.  The other 90% of the time it is not my cup of tea, weather wise, but we did enjoy exploring the area.  Hoquiam was a good jumping off spot to see some of the beautiful scenery the peninsula has to offer.  We day tripped up to Lake Quinault and did a really nice hike thru the Quinault rain forest which was amazing for the amount of life per square foot. The Olympic rainforests are the only temperate rainforests in N. America with the only others being in Japan.  [Note: don't quote me on this as I may have made it up]. I grew up in the dense forests of the east coast but this place makes the New Jersey woods look like the Mojave.  Every square inch is covered with some kind of life; huge trees, vines, bushes, moss, fungus.  It seems as if you laid down for a nap in there you would be devoured by plant life in hours.

Later in the day, we were able to spend a couple hours on one of the WA beaches.  We were lucky enough to hit it on a rare sunny afternoon with little wind.  Even with temperatures in the mid 50's it was quite nice.  Kasha loves chasing frisbee on the beach and running in the shallow surf. She had a great time and wore herself out to the point that she could hardly get back in the car.

We originally planned on spending a bit more time on the Olympic but I'm afraid the aforementioned weather really saps our will to live so we will be pulling up stakes a bit earlier than planned and heading for warmer climes.  Next stop will be in the Idaho panhandle where I plan to meet up with my friend, Jim Hayes, from Pagosa and joining him for a 180-mile bike tour while Kelly holds the fort in Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Quinault Rain Forest

Rain forest stream

Hoquiam River Camp

Kelly could have used this sign 25 years ago

To the big city

 The next leg of our trip saw us relocating to the Salem, OR area getting some quality time with Sarah, Steven and Ellie.  Ellie is just about the smartest, most athletic and darn near cutest 3 yr old on the planet.  We had a great visit with their lovely family and had lots of Ellie-time.  

Also, I was able to have a fortune in RV-power related equipment sent from Amazon to Sarah and Stevens house.  Shoulda been sent in a Brinks Truck, not UPS. Now I've got to try and get it installed and working.  Never give up!

While in the area, we were able to get over to Silver Falls State Park, an hour or so from Salem.  En route, we stopped at the cute little town of Silverton, OR.  You should go...it's cute.  The hike we did in the state park was very pretty, with some very large waterfalls and nicely kept trails.  This, like other state parks we have been in, are not very dog friendly, with all dogs [leashed or not] banned from quite a few areas.  I get it, but a pain for us.

This area, like many in Oregon, is very bike-friendly with lots of bike paths and some nice country riding past their very green pasture and little traffic.  There are a lot of bikies in OR and the drivers tend to be more bike-aware and generally nicer to bikers than in our hometown.  I have been enjoying the road biking very much on this trip and have been getting out a few times a week.

While here we were camped some of the time by the county fairgrounds.  A nice, if un-exciting spot in a  big parking lot but adjacent to some green pastures. Not a bad view if you look out the back.  We had to vacate the fairgrounds due to a flea market over the weekend so we decided to move to a 'REAL' park.  Space was a little tight [Happy Hour next to your neighbor's sewer hookup anyone?] but the amenities were something we are not used to...pool, dog park, dog washing station, free ice cream sundaes.  We were 'livin' in high cotton'.  But, alas, all things must pass so we rolled up the Yahtse board and headed north once again.

After leaving the Salem area [we miss you guys] we headed north to the little town Vernonica, OR, about an hour NW of Portland on the Nehalem River.  This is a very nice, small town and we have been camped in their town park which is set up for RV;s.  On our way here we had lunch with some friends we hadn't seen in years; Bill and Anita Bruce.  We know them from the old days in Etna, CA and it was great to be able to spend a few hours catching up.  They have a lovely home in Beaverton, OR with a yard that is straight outta Home and Garden. After setting up in our new location, Kelly headed back to Ukiah for granddaughter Danaya's 8th grade graduation.  Congratulations Danaya.  Well done and keep up the good work.  I will let Kelly tell you about that adventure on her Facebook page.

And, during Kelly's hiatus, I have been tending to camp here in Vernonica without adult-supervision.  I filled my time enjoying riding on the Banks-Vernonia state trail.  A very nicely paved bike and pedestrian trail that extends for over 20-miles along the old railroad grade between the two named towns.  I love these rails-to-trails routes for cycling as there is no vehicular traffic to worry about and the grade is never steep as these trails follow the old railroad lines.  I think the maximum grade is 3%. Not too bad.  This trail is one of the nicest I've been on with great scenery through the lush northwest forest and a bunch of old railroad trestle crossings.  The park where we camped is at the hub between the Banks-Vernonia trail and the Crown-Zellenbach trail which runs northeast to the Columbia River Basin.  I thought it would be similar to the other but, NO,  the CZ trail starts at the trail head with a 15% climb for the first half mile. [non-biker note...that's STEEP] I'm afraid I had to walk that one.  The trail then turns to a loose rock surface [again, sucky for riding].  After, climbing some more hills I came across some local folks out for an MTB ride.  They said the road ahead was washboarded and steep with more loose rock.  I turned around.

I know you're all dying to know about my battle with the RV power.  Hey, it's only been going on since Moab on April 2 and we are now well into June.  I think I've finally got it.  The lithium batteries are working and charging off the solar panels and we are now carrying a small generator for cloudy spells. I'm not getting cocky...you know how these things go.

Grandaughter Ellie 

Sarah and Ellie

Vernonia Park Campground

Banks-Vernonia bike trail

BV bike trail, Buxton trestle

Danaya the granddaughter graduate

Granddaughter Reigan

Kelly and her crew in Ukiah

Still Coasting

 The next stop on our journey has been a couple hours up the coast to the town of Yachats, the self-proclaimed Gem of the Oregon Coast.  That claim just might be true as the town has a delightful blend of quaintness, artsy businesses and beautiful scenery.  We decided to brave the off-grid camping of the Cape Perpetua Campground.  Cape Perpetua was named by the famed explorer Captain James Cook who made spotted the cape but never set foot on land in 1778.  The campground connects to a number of trails that offer some spectacular views of the shoreline.  I took Kasha down to the water one evening where she became infatuated with a seal pup who was swimming around the rocks we were on.  

As for our off-grid experience...not so good.  With the cloudy coastal weather, the batteries didn't get much of a charge and we spent a quiet evening playing Yahtze by lantern light.  Even with the dim light and opportunities to cheat I lost our best of 5 match.  Foiled again.  The next night was more of the same and we decided to re-locate to an RV camp in the nearby town of Waldport where we could have full hookups and could work on the power issue.   This power issue is getting the best of me and I decided to stop cheaping-out and order some new lithium batteries, a charger and generator which would be delivered to our daughter Sarah's house near Salem, OR where we would be in a few days.

Waldport has some really nice, wide, sandy beaches where Kasha had an absolute ball.  She loves chasing sticks and splashing through the shallow surf to cool off.  She never seems to get tired on the beach.  The Alsea River enters the ocean here and there were lots of seals near the shore which were of great interest to Kasha.

Kelly and I took a day to get the kayaks out at Ona Beach, a ways above Waldport. Heading upstream on Beaver Creek we paddled for a couple easy miles on the Beaver Creek Estuary.  Lot's of birds and very peaceful.  I also took a morning to do a 20-mile out-and-back bike ride up the Alsea River.  I've been enjoying the road biking that I seldom do in Pagosa due to the poor biking infrastructure there and I enjoyed the moderately hilly, low traffic ride very much.

Weve enjoyed our coast time, spending most of May here but we are ready for some warmth.  For those who haven't been here, it is never really cold but it's never really warm either.  We are both ready to warm up a bit and are looking forward to moving to the Salem area where we can visit with Sarah, her husband Steven and our granddaughter Ellie.