Albany, Oregon May 31

We are now in Albany, Oregon which is about 60 miles south of Portland. I posted this picture because you can actually see the blue sky. It has rained on us a couple times today but we were able to sit outside and have a glass of wine this afternoon which was really nice. We went to see a couple wineries today. They are all small and privately owned here and most of them don't grow their own grapes but bring them in from somewhere else. We are here until Wednesday and are thinking about playing golf tomorrow if the weather is good.

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day.

May 29, Tillamook, OR

Today we went to the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center here in Tillamook. The above quilt was called "Window to the World" and it was just beautiful. This center is really something amazing. They have weaving classes, spinning classes, etc. The quilts that were on display when we were there were all small and miniature. There were a couple that were really tiny. It was a pretty cool place.

While at the Latimer Center we learned that there was a Quilt Trail through and around Tillamook. There were 14 of these quilt squares on barns all around the town. They are also in the process of doing this throughout downtown Tillamook. It was fun to drive all over looking for these squares. There was also a quilt fair going on so we stopped there and saw some more amazing quilts.

These flowers are Rhododendron (spelling ?) and are all over the Northwest. They are beautiful and come in all different colors. We also have been traveling in and out of Tsunami hazard areas. There are evacuation routes posted and instructions what to do in case of an earthquake and/or tsunami. The instructions for a tsnuami are pretty simple "head for higher ground as quickly as possible".

One more day here in Tillamook - will be a very quiet day as we are just going to take it easy and watch the Indy 500. Happy Memorial Day.

Tillamook, Oregon May 28

Yes, today we left Washington and entered Oregon. In Washington it was cold and rainy most of the time and so far in Oregon it has been cold, rainy and foggy! We drove down Hwy 101 today which is a beautiful drive but not much fun in the rain when you are pulling a trailer. We arrived at our campground about 1:30. It is nice but close to the Hwy so are hearing lots of traffic but it should slow down tonight. We went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory today which was fun but we didn't get to see as much as I had hoped. We got to see the production line where they packaged the cheese but that was all. The cheese samples were good, however. Also, much to our surprise, Tillamook cheese has really good ice cream which we had to sample - it was hard to choose from 38 flavors but wouldn't you know that Wayne and I picked the same one (Caramel Toffee Crunch) and it was really good.

We took a drive after the cheese factory to Cape Meares which is where the above pictures are from. This was really beautiful today, can't imagine what it would be like on a sunny day. There is a chance that the weather will clear some tomorrow so maybe we will take a drive out again. There is a quilt museum here that we are going to see tomorrow. We found the local Elks club and had a great dinner and are now back home ready to go to bed. That is the really nice thing about pulling this trailer all over the country - you always get to go home at night!

May 27, Day 22 Ocean City Beach

We had a very quiet day today. For the first time in a couple weeks we had a sunny day; the high just barely made it to 60 but the sun was really nice. These pictures are from our walk on the beach at Ocean City today. There are not very many seashells on the West coast it seems. We also saw this star fish just laying on the beach.

We picked up the truck and it is running really good. We were suppose to stay here one more day but have decided to head to Tillamook tomorrow instead of Saturday. Actually, we both thought we were leaving tomorrow anyway; we had lost track of what day it was.

May 26, Quinault Rain Forest, Day 21

Today our day started with a 9:00 appointment at the Ford dealership in Aberdeen. The truck has been working fine but was making some strange noises when we drove down from Seattle so Wayne thought we should have it looked at while we had the opportunity. It was a good thing because the turbo charger was in the process of going out. They said that we could probably make it through the trip but it was covered by the warranty and they could do it today and have it done by tomorrow at noon so we decided to go ahead. They are replacing the whole turbo and changing the oil so it should be like a new truck when we pick it up tomorrow. We rented a little car and decided to head up to the Quinault Rain Forest and the above picture is what we drove in. Once again, it has been raining all day but has stopped now. This rain forest is only about 50 miles from Forks so I kept seeing vampires coming out of the woods!

This is the largest spruce tree in the world and is in the rain forest. It is 1000 years old.

These falls are called the Merriman Falls. We drove down this deserted road for about 5 miles and there it was. We had been told by a local that it was there, good thing or we would have never gone down this road.

This is Lake Quinault which is right in the middle of the rain forest. It was a good day and we are so glad that we took the truck in to have it checked. One more day here in the rain than on to Tillamook, Oregon to see what we can see.

May 26, Westport, Day 20

This is a picture of the North Jetty here. The blue sky was a very temporary thing as it has been cloudy and rainy all day. The tide was just coming in and there were some really big waves. It amazes me how calming the ocean is when the waves coming in are so violent.

This is the South Jetty which is in Wesport and is directly across the bay from the North Jetty. The waves here crashed against this rock wall and sounded like a train coming through. We had lunch at a restaurant that looked out on the water and watched a seal have lunch while we were having lunch. The seal needs to work on his manners!

Just about 10 miles from the South Jetty are the cranberry bogs. This portion of the coast is called by some the Cranberry Coast. There are fields and fields of bogs and a big Ocean Spray facility close by. The cranberries are just growing now and are harvested in the fall. That would be something to see although I don't think we will be back this fall.

This is some driftwood that has been turned into a guitar with very little work. It was at a winery that we stopped at on our way back to the trailer and I just thought it was neat. Also, just a note for all you Twilight fans we are less than 100 miles from Forks. I can certainly understand why vampires would like this area - very little sun and lots of dreary rainy days. Forks is actually in the opposite direction that we will be going but we are heading that way a bit tomorrow - maybe we will get a little closer.

When they give the weather here they talk about rain with sun breaks! I could sure go for more of those sun breaks!!

We are now in Ocean Shores, WA which is beautiful, however, it is still cold and rainy. Our rv park in Seattle was like a parking lot and everyone was really close. Here we are in the wilderness and from where I am sitting looking out the window I can see no other rv's although there are a few others in this park. We do have high speed internet, telephone and cable (we got the only spot in the park with cable) and are loving our home for 5 days. It is nice to be a little isolated after being so close to people for the last few days.

The beach here is really nice. There are really large beaches and you can drive your vehicle on most of them. We got out and walked a little today. Wayne found a few sea shells and I found a cool piece of driftwood that Wayne is going to fix up for me. Of course, there was no one on the beach today because of the weather; hopefully, it will clear up soon. It is a little funny here as you go from tall cedar trees to the ocean.

This is just across the road from our RV park. We didn't expect to see a deer this close to the ocean but who knew. He didn't seem to be afraid of us as he just stood there and looked at us, guess he is used to people. We're not sure what we are going to do this week. There is an area called the "Cranberry Coast" not to far from us that we thought we would check out but I'm not sure when we will do that. Anyway, we are here safe and sound and will be here until Friday.

May 23, Day 18

Today was a quiet day for us. We did laundry this morning and then took a tour of the Boeing Everett Factory Tour where they build the 747, 767, 777 and 787. The tour was really interesting and we enjoyed it a lot, however, they do not let you take any kind of electronic items on the tour so we have no pictures. My cousin used to work at Boeing and by a weird chance our guide actually knew him and his wife. The pictures above are of Mukilteo which is one of the places here where you can take a ferry across to the islands.

We leave here tomorrow and head to Ocean Shores, WA which is a little further South and (we think) on the ocean. Hopefully, we will see some sun for a change although we do have a little sun this afternoon.

Vancouver, BC Day 16 and 17

We saw so many beautiful sights in Vancouver that it is hard to pick out a few pictures. The above is a picture of Lionsgate Bridge which is the bridge that takes you to Grouse Mountain (where NBC's headquarters were during the Olympics) among other places. There is a skytrain at Grouse Mountain but it was so cloudy that we decided not to ride it because we figured we would only see clouds. There was also an expansion bridge that spans a 250 ft gorge that you walk across but since niether one of us enjoy heights, we passed on that.

This is a trolly car going through Stanley Park. Stanley Park is a huge park by Vanouver that looks like a rain forest. There are walking and biking trails through the entire park and lots of people were using them. We stayed at a place called Blue Horizon Hotel which was right in the middle of Robson street which is the main shopping/dining street in Vancouver. Our room was on the 10th floor right over the street and was great. We were a little richer in BC as the American dollar was worth about 5 cents more than the Canadian dollar while we were there. Vancouver is one of those places where you can walk everywhere. We walked through Gastown out to Chinatown (not in Chinatown because it looked like a scary place) and then back to our hotel. It took us about 2 hours but was well worth it. We saw a guy eating stuff out of the garbage can, a man pick up a cigarette butt off the street and smoke it and lots of panhandlers. On the other hand we also saw a lady just walking down the street who stopped to pick up some trash.

This is, of course, the torch from the Olympics which they are in the process of tearing down. At least we got to see it before it was gone.

When we got to the border to come back into the USA it took us 2 hours to get through the line. Apparently, this weekend is Victoria Day in Canada and is a long weekend so everyone goes out of the country. We loved Canada but were also really glad to get back into the good old USA!

Pike Market, Seattle, Day 15

Today we decided to go to Pike Market which is close to the waterfront in Seattle. The market was a pretty crazy place. If you have ever seen the people throwing big fish to each other this was where they do that. There are several seafood markets and a guy stands outside the shop and when you pick out the fish you want he throws it to people in the back to wrap it up. There were stores of every kind here. We brought home a pastry from a Russian bakery but haven't tried it yet.

We also took the Underground Tour of Seattle today. We learned a lot about the history of Seattle and were able to walk under some of the sidewalks, etc. These two pictures are of a skylight (from underneath the sidewalk and above the sidewalk). We did see some neat stuff today but most of the tour (hence the name) was underground in dusty, damp tunnels that used to be the sidewalks for Seattle.

It was sunny today but cold and the weather is suppose to stay about the same tomorrow. I'm not sure what we are doing tomorrow. Can't think that far ahead until we try out the Russian pastry!!

Washington, Day 14

Today we drove from Coeur d'Alene, ID to Seattle, WA and went through lots of different country. We saw lots of agriculture in the eastern part of Washington and then went through mountains the further west we went. The river is the Columbia River. They had posted signs on the fences in the agricultural areas telling us what was growing in the fields. There were potatoes, peas, corn, alfalfa, timothy and painted horses! We stopped at a produce stand and got some fresh asparagus that we plan to have for dinner. Apparently, they grow a lot of produce in the Yakima valley. Cherries should be ripe in about 2 weeks so hopefully we will be able to get some.

It is raining here and apparently there is a pretty good storm in the area. We are in a valley surrounded by other rv's and buildings so we should not have any problems with the wind, etc. Good night to stay in.

Day 13

Today it was cold and rainy so we decided we would drive to some of the surrounding areas to see what we could find. First, we found the Coeur d'Alene Old Mission. It is the oldest standing building in Idaho. It was built in the 1880's by the Coeur d"Alene Indian tribe and the Jesuits. We listened to a presentation by a ranger who filled us in on the building. The walls were made with river grass and mud! The Jesuit who was in charge of the building carved the altar and a couple statues also out of pine. It was pretty amazing.

This is one of the statues that he carved out of pine.

This is a restaurant called the Snakepit which is on the north Coeur d'Alene River. It was really neat on the inside and the bar was made in Europe and brought to the US in the late 1880's. Pierce Brosnan sat at this bar in the movie "Dante's Peak". It was full of all kinds of stuff and one of the appetizers was Rocky Mountain Oysters. We chose to stay away from that and just had sandwiches but we did get free Huckleberry Ice Cream which was great.

We are off to the Seattle area tomorrow.

Idaho, Day 11

We have arrived in Coeur d'Alene, ID. This is a picture of where we are parked for the next 3 nights. The water you can see in the picture is the Spokane River which empties into Coeur d'Alene Lake which is really close. We found a couple golf courses close by and think we will play one of them (The Highlands) tomorrow if the weather is good. It was in the mid 80's here today so it was really nice to be in shorts for a change.

These are pictures of our drive from Missoula, MT today. It was really pretty but there were a lot of up and down mountain grades and curves which made me a little nervous but Wayne didn't have a problem with it at all. We are here until Wednesday and then will head out to Seattle.

Montana, Day 10

Today we drove through Montana and this is just a bit of the beautiful scenery we drove through. When people talk about "God's Country" Montana has to be at least mentioned.

We are styaing at an RV Park called JellyStone Campground and it is beautiful. The weather is a little cloudy but really nice compared to Yellowstone. We were going to spend tonight in Butte but we went through Butte about 11 this morning so decided we would keep going to Missoula. We are going to relax a bit at the trailer and then go explore Missoula and find someplace for dinner. On to Couer d'lene tomorrow.

Today we went to Old Faithful and Yellowstone Lake. We thought the geysers we saw on Thursday were something but today was really amazing. We hiked a 1/2 mile up about 250 feet to get a really good view of Old Faithful and it was worth the hike. On the way down we saw another geyser (Solitary) which went off just for us! The picture below is Old Faithful.
As we were walking along the boardwalk through the geysers we saw a group of people sitting in front of another geyser so thought we would check it out. We soon found out that they were waiting for the Grand Geyser to erupt. As the ranger put it it had the opportunity every 20 minutes to erupt and normally erupted every 8 to 9 hours. Well we decided we would wait along with everyone else and our wait of about an hour was worth it. The Geyser erupted for almost 11 minutes and went as high as 200 ft. This is the highest predictable geyser in the world - even higher than Old Faithful. It was simply amazing. Below is a picture of Grand Geyser.

After we left geyser country we took a drive over to Yellowstone Lake. The picture below is just the West Thumb of the lake - the lake is huge! It was a beautiful day and a spectacular way to end our tour of Yellowstone.

Tomorrow we are on our way again. We plan to spend tomorrow night in Butte, MT and then go on to Coeur d'lene, ID where we plan to spend a couple days as we have heard it is a pretty cool place.

Norris Geyser Basin and Canyon Falls, Day 8

It is hard to put into words what we saw today. We took lots of pictures but even the pictures don't do it justice. We went to the Norris Geyser Basin today and saw many geysers and boiling mud. It is incredible that you are walking through this basin and right under your feet there is extremely hot water and steam coming up through the ground. We saw some small geysers shooting up and some of the colors of the ponds are incredible.

After Norris we went to the Canyon area of the park. Again, I don't know how to describe the waterfalls and canyons that we saw. It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies and the white snow on the mountains really sparkled. We saw lots of bison today; they were all moving into the interior meadows where they were supposed to go. It is so funny to watch them just meander down the middle of the highway not really caring that they are causing a long traffic line. Guess they aren't in a hurry to get where they are going.

Tomorrow is our last day at Yellowstone. We are hoping to get to Old Faithful and Yellowstone Lake; the road to Yellowstone Lake is supposed to open tomorrow so hopefully we can get there.

Day 7

Today we had planned to go into Yellowstone and go to Norris Springs and Canyon Falls, however, we got about 7 miles inside the park and were met by park rangers. They were hazing the bison today which means they were trying to move them from the outer boundaries of the park to more central areas. They were using a helicopter to scare the bison in the direction they wanted them to go. We were told it would be a 2-3 hour wait before we could go by so we decided today would be a good day to clean house and do laundry!
You can just see the buffalo in this picture as they are going down the hill toward the road. There were hundreds of them moving around. We plan to see Norris and Canyon tomorrow and will hopefully get through the road before they start moving the bison around again. The weather was a little better today but there are snowflakes just starting to fall.

Mammoth Hot Springs, Day 6

We woke up this morning to some new snow on the ground. It was really pretty, all the pine trees just had a little snow on the branches, it could have been a picture postcard.

Today we went to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is a picture of the springs and is called the Palette Spring because of all the different colors. It looks like something that should be in a cave but is not. We saw several small geysers today mostly just steam coming out of the ground but they smell awful. We also saw lots of bison and a couple babies and lots of elk. Some of the elk were right next to the Visitor Center at Mammoth, didn't seem to even notice that there was anyone there!

On our way back to the RV park we took an offrode called Firehole Valley. There were some amazing waterfalls and even a swimming hole but the water was a little cold (about 45 degrees). We spent today with my sister and her husband and their friends and had a great day. Tomorrow we plan to go back into the park to see a couple more things. Today was a great day but we are tired, so it is early to bed tonight!