Our Wander Years

STW3 Hop 7: Castle Rock WA to Tillamook OR

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 7

130 miles via I-5, WA 432, WA 433, US 30 and US 101. Cumulative tow miles: 1095. Truck miles: 212. Cumulative truck miles: 1361.

This was a relatively short hop and I thought it would be relatively flat. Wrong. A lot of up-and-down, starting with a steep 500-foot climb as soon as we crossed the Columbia River. But it was a route that I had never traveled before (as opposed to the most likely alternate route – down to Portland then over the coastal range on OR 6 – which I have done many times before). Jett didn’t like it much. But I believe there is no way to get to Tillamook without going over some roads that she wouldn’t like very much.

We did get some spectacular views of the ocean as we headed south along the Pacific Coast Highway (US 101), including the great vista overlooking Nehalem. Even Jett liked that view.

This hop ended both the third segment of the Second Trip West and the full coast-to-coast STW trip as well. But I won’t do the wrapup until we leave Tillamook on the start of the Second Trip East (STE). I will give a preview of that trip as well. It is in a state of flux, mostly because we are unsure whether south Texas is in shape to receive us (it is still recovering from hurricane Harvey) and because we feel a need to get into warmer weather ASAP (that snow in Montana really spooked us).

Our two days in Castle Rock WA were spent at the Toutle River RV Resort, just off of I-5 and conveniently located for my day trip to Mt St Helens. It is a very nice park, but is sandwiched between I-5 and the major rail route between Portland and Seattle, so there was a lot of noise. It had no pool (not that we would have used it with temps in the 60s). It had a 9-hole disc golf course which was only the third park we have seen with one, but this was the worst of the three. Not well marked and not very interesting. It did have something that was unique: a large-scale croquet course played with large wooden mallets and soccer balls.

PCH overlooking Nehalem

I included a photo of Rusty just because he can be so damn cute.

Mega croquet

Getting the truck washed

Nehalem

Rusty looking damn cute

Categories: OR, Places, Routes, RV Parks, STW, WA | Leave a comment

Mt St Helens and Coldwater Lake

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Sparky

Mt St Helens

I first visited Mt St Helens about 2 weeks after the roads were reopened to the public following the disastrous 1980 blast that blew out the side of the mountain. I think that was probably 1981, about a year after the explosion. I recall a scene of utter devastation – millions of trees blown flat as far as the eye could see, all pointing in the same direction, away from the mountain. Ash covered everything. No living plants anywhere. It was like a forest turned into a desert.

So I was curious to see what the area looked like after some 35 years of recovery. Well, the change is remarkable. The mountainsides are densely covered with evergreens. Not a flattened tree in sight. The snow-capped mountain is still beautiful, if ominous.

I got my first look at Coldwater Lake, too. This lake did not exist in 1980 and probably was just forming in 1981. It is a large lake that was created when millions of cubic yards of earth from the mountain were blown into the valley, damming the river. It is a beautiful mountain lake and arguably now provides more spectacular vistas than the mountain itself.

Getting to the lake is no easy chore. It is about 60 miles from I-5, elevated about 3,000 feet. It took me about 90 minutes to get there, with all the picture-taking stops. But it was worth the trip.

My biggest disappointment was that the volcano itself is now off-limits to the public. You can get some nice photos, but you can’t get onto the mountain itself. My recollection from 1981 was that the public could drive up the mountain. Not to the cone, but close enough that you could get some very close-up pictures. No more.

Coldwater Lake

New growth forest

Coldwater Lake

Valley below Mt St Helens

The mountain from a distance

Categories: Adventures, Places, STW, WA | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 6: Ellensburg WA to Castle Rock WA

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 6

206 miles via I-90, WA 18 and I-5. Cumulative tow miles: 965. Truck miles: 214. Cumulative truck miles: 1149.

This hop was only slightly more difficult in terms of navigation than the preceding two. Over half the trip was on I-90 and that segment involved some pretty significant climbs, including the Snoqualmie Pass, followed by a long downhill that brought us nearly down to sealevel (altitude: 49 feet). The weather, which started with a few sprinkles, improved and the hop ended in sunshine (yay!).

This hop reached the outskirts of Seattle and took us down the heavily-traveled I-5 corridor through Tacoma and Olympia. The traffic on that segment was very heavy and didn’t really let up all the way to Castle Rock.

Now let me tell you about our night at the Yakima River RV Park in Ellensburg WA (which put the 44th sticker on our map). On our way to Ellensburg Jett read some reviews of people who had stayed at the park previously. Most were critical, both of the park and the owners who some called rude. So it was with some trepidation that we arrived at the gate (after having called from a couple of miles away, as instructed). As we pulled up to the entrance a white pickup truck came toward us, then turned to block our way. A tall bronzed cowboy got out, came to my window and, with no greeting, asked who we were. I gave him our name and he walked away. He dialed a number on his cell phone, had a brief conversation on the phone, returned to his truck, got in, backed it up, then turned into the park. Jett and I had absolutely no idea what was expected of us. Were we admitted? Was there an office that we were to go to? And then the cowboy put his arm out the window and signaled us to follow. He led us to our site, had a brief conversation about rules (no dog poop on sites, don’t let the dog bother the goat, no sewer for overnighters) and drove off. Very strange. Jett: “I think we are in Deliverance.”

The Palace Cafe

His name was Randy and he actually turned out to be quite nice. Taciturn but communicative if engaged. He gave us a dinner recommendation (The Palace Cafe), which turned out to be an exceptionally good meal. We thanked him when we saw him the next morning. He actually smiled.

Other facilities include a very nice dog park (with a view) and a funky clubhouse full of farming antiques.

Clubhouse inside

Clubhouse outside

View from the dog park

#44 – Washington

Categories: Places, Routes, RV Parks, STW, WA | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 5: Post Falls ID to Ellensburg WA

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 5

202 miles via I-90 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 759. Truck miles: 224. Cumulative truck miles: 935.

Another very simple hop for the navigator. Pretty much follow I-90 west for 200 miles. The only hard part was finding our destination, which was a bit off the beaten track. But we made it, despite the rain.

Ah, the rain. There were periods when it wasn’t raining, but there were many more when it was. Cloudy, dreary, damp. Not great for sightseeing. Not great for photo-taking. Except for the spectacular crossing of the Columbia River. There were a few sprinkles, but the view was still breathtaking.

The I-90 crossing of the Columbia River

Fireplace

Lake Coeur d’Alene

Downtown park

Our site

Indoor pool

Our home for two nights in Post Falls ID was the Coeur d’Alene RV Resort, a very interesting medium-sized park (about 200 sites) just off of I-90 and just west of its namesake city, Coeur d’Alene. What made it interesting is that it clearly accepts long-term renters and is clearly open all year because dozens of the RVs were prepared for snow and coldd. Insulation, taped seams, plywood around the base. But there were also clearly no rules about the ages of the units or how the winterization was done. There were some truly ancient and very ugly RVs in the park. It was reminiscent of the Circle Cg Farm Campground in Bellingham MA, which we regard as one of the tackiest campgrounds we have ever seen. Yet Coeur d’Alene calls itself a “resort” and does so with some justification. It has an indoor pool – only the third we have ever seen – and a wonderful community center featuring a fantastic fireplace. The place is a bundle of contradictions.

Despite the lousy weather, I made the trip into Coeur d’Alene because I had heard that it is a beautiful city. Well, maybe it was the weather, but it just didn’t strike me as anything special. Yes, it was very clean and yes, it does have some very nice public spaces downtown. But overall it didn’t strike me as a place I would want to come back to. It was not, for example, as interesting as Burlington VT.

With our stay in Post Falls we were able to add Idaho to our map. Our 43rd state.

#43 – Idaho

Categories: ID, Places, Routes, RV Parks, WA | Leave a comment

“A Wanted Man” by Lee Child

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Sparky

Delacorte Press, New York, 2012.

It has been quite a while since I posted my last book review, which is both a statement about how much traveling/driving I have been doing and how this particular book just didn’t demand that I finish it. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t one of the best in the Jack Reacher series.

This book begins with Jack hitchhiking in Nebraska, trying to get to Virginia to see a woman. The book ends with Jack hitchhiking in Kansas, trying to get to Virginia to see a woman. Obviously this book is not about his hitchhiking progress. Rather, it is about who gives him a ride and the adventure he has, first as a hitchhiker, and later as a suspect in the murder of a mysterious man who interests the local police, the state police, the FBI, the NSA and, apparently, the CIA.

The book is also about some long car trips. First eastward toward the Mississippi, then back to where Reacher was first picked up, then south, then north, then east to Kansas City. I got tired just reading about all the travel. Probably not a good book to read as I was driving my rig across the country.

Anyway, the plot eventually results in a big shootout involving Reacher and two FBI agents in a situation in which the odds were heavily against him. Just the way he likes it. The final body count approached 20. Not the bloodiest Reacher story ever, but up there.

The plot is pretty far-fetched but is well-constructed. I didn’t see a lot of flaws, just a lot of implausibility. But if implausible plots offend you, you probably won’t be reading the Reacher books anyway.

Not bad but not great. 6 out of 10.

Categories: Books | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 4: Missoula MT to Post Falls ID

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 4

171 miles via I-90 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 557. Truck miles: 214. Cumulative truck miles: 711.

This was an easy trip for navigation: a couple of turns to get onto I-90, a couple of turns to get off of I-90. Otherwise, just follow I-90. However, the trip was preceded by a trip back to the tire place to get the torque on the lugnuts checked, plus two rest area stops to make sure that none had come loose. Everything was fine, but to say we were spooked by the specter of wobbling tires would be an understatement.

There was also a number of significant climbs over passes – one up to 6000 feet – and it was all done in rain. Not heavy rain, but steady rain.

Not a fun hop.

Dog park

Our home in Missoula was the Missoula KOA Journey campground. The campground was very nice – nice pool/hottub, nice store, nice store, nice dog park. And big, wide sites with separate parking spaces. If we ever return to Missoula (unlikely) we will come back here.

It also had a wonderful sunset on the day we arrived. A pretty good one the next night, too.

But as our stop in Missoula was primarily a regroup and resupply stop, the main feature of the campground was location: it was within 2 miles of Costco, Walmart, Staples (a new laptop for Jett), a laundromat (clean underwear!) and tire places (2 new tires). Everything got done and Missoula benefitted from our spending.

First night sunset

Second night sunset

Categories: ID, MT, Places, Routes, RV Parks, STW | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 3: Ennis MT to Missoula MT

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 3

198 miles on US 287, MT 359, I-90 and US 93. Cumulative tow miles: 386. Truck miles: 208. Cumulative truck miles: 497.

This hop, except for the first 40 miles, was almost exclusively on I-90. We did make two stops: a rest area stop about 150 miles into the trip and an emergency stop a few miles later because I noticed that one of the rear truck tires – the spare put on the night before by AAA – was wobbling. I tightened the lug nuts and made it the final 20 miles to the campground where I tightened them again.

That was WAY too close to disaster. I never, ever want to see my tire wobble again.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the trip? Just fine, thanks. Beautiful, in fact, though still chilly, with snow-covered mountains everywhere. There were also a couple of long uphill climbs that surprised me as Missoula is at 3200 feet elevation, a 1700 foot drop from Ennis. In fact at one point we were at 6400 feet, a 1500 foot climb from our starting point. Up and down. But the truck handled it just fine.

Except for almost losing a tire.

Snow-covered mountains nearby

Our one-night stay was at the Ennis RV Village in Ennis MT (population about 900), in the middle of nowhere. As I explained before, the sole reason for being in Ennis was that it was lower – and warmer (low of 32 versus 25) – than West Yellowstone. It was not a good place to look for tire repair, though AAA eventually came through for us. And there was a food store less than a mile away, so we didn’t starve. The site was large and flat. More than adequate for an overnight stop.

Plains and mountains

Categories: Adventures, MT, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 2: West Yellowstone MT to Ennis MT

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Sparky

75 miles via US 20, ID 87 and US 287. Cumulative tow miles: 189. Truck miles: 155. Cumulative truck miles: 289.

More than any other hop, this one felt like an emergency. It snowed 2″ last night, with the temperature dropping to 30 degrees. The forecast for tonight in West Yellowstone is for a low around 25 degrees – cold enough to freeze the water line. We felt some urgency to get to a lower elevation. By going 73 miles to Ennis MT we dropped from 6800 feet to 4900 feet. Just enough to get below the snow. Just enough to stay above freezing.

Oh, by the way, we had to cancel our plans to visit Glacier National Park because it is burning up. The rains yesterday might have made their situation less critical, but the idea of visiting a smoldering park covered with snow just didn’t appeal to us. Even if it has glaciers.

So we have had to rethink this segment of the STW. We still plan to hit Coeur d’Alene, but will get there via Ennis MT (1 night) and Missoula (2 nights). The day in Missoula will be spent replacing Jett’s laptop, which failed two days ago, and getting two new tires for the truck because the tread is wearing thin.

Just to make life more interesting, I popped the valve stem on one of the tires that I was planning on replacing in two days while setting up in Ennis, so I am now awaiting a visit from AAA to change it.

Did I mention that I put a little dent into the BigHorn a few days ago? This whole segment is becoming reminiscent of the “ding-a-day” period when we first went on the road in the fall of 2012.

Anyway, our time in West Yellowstone was spent at the Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park, a very nice park on the edge of “downtown” West Yellowstone. The town is interesting, with dozens of hotels, motels and inns, interspersed with restaurants and tourist attractions. Had the weather been better we probably would have spent a few interesting hours strolling around. But with the cold and snow, we spent our free time hunkered down in front of our electric fireplace. Survival.

Snow at Yellowstone Grizzly

STW3 Hop 2

Categories: ID, Places, Routes, RV Parks, STW | 1 Comment

Yellowstone National Park – part 2

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Sparky

Buffalo

On Tuesday I made a day trip into Yellowstone National Park (“part 1”) and on Wednesday we traveled east-to-west through the park with an aborted attempt to see Old Faithful. So yesterday – Thursday – I made a second day trip into Yellowstone with the primary purpose being to view Old Faithful.

It turned out to be much more than that.

I entered the park around 10:15am via the west (West Yellowstone) entrance where traffic was heavy. I traveled with fairly heavy traffic for 20 miles until I encountered some stopped traffic. I could see ahead to where the traffic was halted and my first thought was that there had been an accident (I saw a tow truck with a flashing yellow light coming the other way). For a while the traffic moved, albeit very slowly. But as I approached the point of the bottleneck I saw the problem: a herd of about 300 buffalo, some of which were on the road. I edge forward a bit further until the traffic came to a dead halt as the herd began to cross the road. I sat for nearly 15 minutes, engine off, as buffalo swarmed nearby, some crossing just one car in front of me. Very cool. I didn’t mind that 15 minute delay at all.

Crossing the road

More buffalo

The crowd at Old Faithful

The eruption

When I finally got to Old Faithful I had to endure a cold rain. I was underdressed, in shorts and a relatively thin hoodie. My first problem was trying to determine when it was next scheduled to erupt. I considered, then discarded, the direct approach of asking a tourist as it seemed that almost no one in attendance was speaking English. I got to the geyser and noticed that several hundred people were already waiting, which I took to be a clue that it was expected to erupt soon. I went into the lodge to get some coffee and found a sign that gave me the information I needed: it was scheduled to erupt at 11:25am. It was 11:10am. I got the coffee and got back to the edge of the viewing area by 11:20am. Exactly at 11:25am the geyser erupted. I got some video, then some stills. Very impressive.

Next I tried to get into the parking lot at Grand Prismatic Spring and failed – too many cars for a very small lot. I tried again later and again got shut out. So if there was a failure on the day, that was it. I was disappointed, but that disappointment was tempered by the other things that I did and the other shots that I got that were spectacular and mostly unplanned.

I decided to take a run along Firehole Lake Drive, mostly because I liked the name. Well, it was well worth the investment of time as I saw the White Dome Geyser (but not erupting), Surprise Pool and Hot Lake – all very interesting. All very beautiful.

Hot Lake

Surprise Pool

After the Firehole Lake Drive I went across the road to the Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail. This was a boardwalk with a wide variety of geothermal features – a roaring vent, some smaller geysers and bubbling mud. Beautiful vistas and closeups everywhere I turned.

Steaming rapids

Oxidized stream

Deadwood

Howling hole

Blue pool

Vents

Small geyser

Desolation 1

Desolation 2

Desolation 3

Desolation 4

A buck in the grass

At this point I thought I was done taking photos and headed home. But more photo opportunities appeared, including one of an elk buck and his harem.

A beautiful bend

Sparkling waters

White Dome on dark day

Categories: Adventures, Places, STW, WY | Leave a comment

STW3 Hop 1: Wapiti WY to West Yellowstone MT

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Sparky

STW3 Hop 1

134 miles via US 20 and US 191.

This was a short and simple (navigation-wise) hop that would have been even shorter and simpler had we not made a detour to see Old Faithful. Which, as it turned out, we didn’t see. Let me explain.

We originally planned to see Old Faithful on a day trip from West Yellowstone (it is only about 30 miles from there). But the weather forecast got in the way. While it was sunny and fairly warm (70ish) on Wednesday, when we made the hop, the forecast for Thursday was cloudy, high near 60 with thunderstorms. The forecast for Friday was even worse, with possible snow. So we decided to haul the rig to Old Faithful. Google Earth showed a large parking lot and I thought there were RV spaces.

Wrong. The only spaces large enough for our rig were “reserved for bus.” That wouldn’t have stopped me, but they were almost all occupied. I did try to fit into the one free space and regretted doing so because I made contact with the bumper of the bus and put our first dent in the RV. Very minor, but very annoying. My fault entirely as I was reluctant to skip Old Faithful after traveling some 30 miles out of my way to see it. We gave up and went on our way.

I am still amazed that the National Park Service had no designated RV sites at Old Faithful. There were a lot of RVs there, but they were all in the regular lot, all occupying multiple car spaces.

I am going to return today to see if I can get an Old Faithful photo. But the whole experience kind of ruined the hop for me.

The route from Wapiti – a repeat of the trip I made on Tuesday in the truck – is spectacularly beautiful. But it is also a tough haul for the rig, with one pass at 8530 feet and another (the continental divide) at about 8300 feet. The truck had no problem lugging the RV up the mountains, but the winding roads and high elevations made it a white-knuckle trip for Jett. She admired the scenery but has no interest in doing it again.

I actually felt lucky to see the sun. About 2 hours before we left Wapiti a front blew through with wind gusts over 40 mph. And some intense but brief downpours. I was prepared to endure a dreary, windy trip. I am grateful that the weather turned out to be better than expected.

Our home for two nights in Wapiti was the Yellowstone Valley Inn, an interesting motel/restaurant/bar/RV park facility. The RV park is nothing special in terms of facilities, but the views are spectacular and the restaurant was very good. We would stay here again if we ever return this way.

WY is a new state on our map – our 42nd.