Way too many miles but here we go!

First of all we are in Port Huron Michigan tonight and we will be here two nights and go into Canada on Saturday the 2nd of June.

But the history is like this.  After we left Yellowstone on the 20th we went straight east toward Cody Wyoming. Like I said Yellowstone and Glacier are national treasures and we used megabytes of camera space on all the scenery and animals. We could have spent another two weeks easily to explore either place ... wonderful.

As we left Yellowstone we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Cody reservoir for a break and the dam was just in the center of the picture ... the dam is only about 200 feet wide because of the depth of the canyon ... really unique.

And some mountain sheep that were trying to cross the road.

Then we came to rest in Cody Wyoming at the Ponderosa RV park. We just happened to see the place as we drove by and were tired so went back. Really nice facility and you can see the cabins behind the bus. Right behind the cabins is a 200 foot cliff down to the Shoshone River and the park has a steep drive to some tepees that you can rent down below right on the river.

The next morning we took off and headed for Ten Sleep Wyoming. OK I know you are saying, "Ten Sleep?" where the heck and why?

We have been following a young person named Shreve Stockton on her blog called the "Daily Coyote." She wrote a book about four years ago about a coyote she had inherited as a pup and has raised since in the town of Ten Sleep Wyoming. You have to look up the meaning of the town and do some clips from her site.

It is a wonderful story of animals and people and she has some really neat insights into life in some pretty rough conditions. Below is a tavern in the town of 360.

After Cody and Ten Sleep the canyons and rivers are nothing but spectacular as you head east on Hwy 16.

We were concerned as we looked at the map about the several passes and summits on the route but pressed on. Below we are at about two miles up and the highest the Flying Scotsman has been yet on its North American adventure.

The bus purred up the hill and down and is a dream to drive. Sometimes you forget that you are piloting 20 tons of hardware and maybe you need to lead the turns a bit more and slow down, so there is an occasional "yahoo!" that gets both Jo-Anne and Buster excited and they both close their eyes ...

We wanted eventually to connect with I-90 to the east and that was at Buffalo Wyoming at the Twin Creeks campground. It was a nice place but pretty standard. It had been a KOA then not and when we arrived had again been redesignated a KOA park. Nothing great but not bad ... but the ratings of the two books were much higher than it should have been.

Once we hit I-90 then it was off running at a faster and smoother pace. Fuel fill up at Buffalo was at $4.21 per gallon and we are still getting about 8.4 MPG.

After our orientation we went into the park proper to see if we could see the real thing. The last time we were here the only animal we saw was a bear far outside the park boundary ... but this time was different.

Here is a picture that is ageless ... this guy crossing a stream as they have for thousands of years ... cool.

And an elk that almost looks like a stuffed one from the museum ... trust me he was real and right next to the car.

Being spring and a good one for water and foliage the youngsters were plentiful.

After the intrepretive center we didn't think we would encounter some of the real bears. But here are a mother grizzly and two older cubs. They were about a mile from the camera so our telephoto did fairly well.

On the same trek we also saw a couple of wolves along the forest line but they were way too far to photograph and were gone in a flash.

It was about 50 degrees on the roadways and a lot of snow left on the higher elevations. Lake Yellowstone was spectacular and calm.

It was offset by the tremendous fire of 1988 which raced through the park. Some of the park areas have begun to regrow but others will take decades more.

This little yellow marmot was saying that he is as important as the bigger animals on the route; or more like just give me a handout please.

I have to top off the Yellowstone experiece with human excess to equal the animal ... this paint job is the best so far to match towed vehicle with the RV ... wow!

Right now we are in South Dakota at the RV park located on Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City South Dakota and tomorrow we head off toward Dubuque, but I'm still catching up ... hey we took over 1,000 pictures between the west coast and Yellowstone ... picking a couple each day is tough! Yeah I know but it is the toughest thing I do each day.

After the Glacier NP area we headed south toward Yellowstone NP. We took a State Road 83 which was really pretty and remote. It's about 440 miles between Glacier and Yellowstone so you can't do that in a day ... at least we can't.

So we stopped just after we hit the I-90 to the east in a little town called Anaconda ... no not the snake but the mine in Montana. Normal park on the road with gravel in a big field for $38 a night ... no picture because it wasn't needed.

The next day we hit West Yellowstone. We picked this park out of the blue from the Good Sam book and weren't disappointed. This is the Grizzly RV park and it is state-of-the-art for RVing.



As you come into the place the entrance and office procedure were set up for larger RVs. And the sites were 35 foot wide gravel with paved roads between ... oh and don't forget the snow covered mountain view in the distance! This is a 10 for other parks to be compared to.

After we plugged in we headed over to the Grizzly and Wolf interpretive center to get an overview of the critters before we went to the park the next day. There we found a couple of super large grizzlies playing in one of the enclosures; huge animals with big paws in a really friendly playtime.

And a wolf in another enclosure. This is a nonprofit group that has saved these animals and has found a home for them in a place we can view them and yet have a reasonable bit of reality for their lost homes. A large number of educational exhibits and classes which should have been great with more time.

And your intrepid adventurer with a super-sized teddy bear fashioned into a couch.

The next day the 20th of May we ventured into Yellowstone Park proper and will post that when we land in our next destination.

As we entered the Glacier NP area we selected a park in Columbia Falls as it was the closest to the park and we weren't disappointed. This is a really great park with good management and well maintained.



We were only allowed to go about 16 miles into the park because of 60 foot snow drifts at the higher elevations but what we saw was pure awe.

The spring snow pack and flow are spectacular and even the smallest creek was raging with ice cold water seeking the ocean. Here's the old boy contemplating the calculation of cubic feet per minute and its impact on San Francisco Bay ... right.

And a last of the Glacier park region ... stunning and beautiful and worthy of many more days of exploration.

As we crossed Washington on the 15th, heading for Spokane, about lunch time we stopped at this little hamburger joint in the tiny town of Wilbur. This is Billy Burgers and has been in operation since 1955 and hasn't changed much since.

One of the reasons we stopped besides being lunch time was because of the huge field next door where we could park the Flying Scotsman and wander in to look at the menu and take it back to the bus to eat. Here's Jo in front of one of three cases full of salt and pepper shakers ... huge collection.

And I took a few pictures of the place from the 1950's ... same sign ... just added more seating out front of the original building. You can actually see the field beyond the building where we could park.

This was one of the best mushroom and Swiss burgers we have ever had ... lots of veggies and the sauce was super and bun fresh and warm ... fries not so great but didn't care.

And we came to rest that night at the Famcamp on Fairchild AFB near Spokane. Really good park with a big lot ... nice to have a gated community with armed guards at the gate eh.

Did a BX and commissary run and got outfitted for the next few days in the Glacier Park area.

On the 14th of May we went the scenic 165 miles to the east of Whidbey on Route 2 to the little town of Leavenworth, Washington. We've been here before and it is still a wonderful German experience.

We picked the KOA in town because of its location but were very disappointed as the lots were tiny and not really suited for our size rig. And the guy next door started a fire which he fed most of the night right under our slide out. Sometimes the guidebooks are quite wrong and this was one of them ... it was even very difficult to get out of the site in the morning.

The reason to be here was not the RV park though, it was the German atmosphere and food and that was not disappointing at all. We talked to some locals and they recommended the Mozart restaurant which was upstairs on the main street and we settled in.

Let's see ... the wheat beer, the Mozart on the piano, his bust on the mantle, and the very authentic furnishings really put you back into Deutchland for real. We started with an appetizer of fried brie, gouda, and mozzarella ... super ... dipped in lingonberry and tomato sauces.

Then the main course of veal schnitzel ... Jo-Anne with jager and me with a plain lemon batter ... and of course a side of potato pancakes. Nope, no room for desert! Wonderful service, atmosphere, and food.

Here's the outside of the place with its red sign on the main street of Leavenworth.

And Jo outside just another of the well decorated buildings in the town that remind us so of many German towns that we visited and lived in.

While on Whidbey Island visiting our friends the Gardners we were hosted at their house for a wonderful lunch overlooking Puget Sound and the Pacific ... the view from their living room is unmatched.



And this one from their kitchen is really spectacular. The grassy area outside the window is about 200 feet above the water and is a favorite feeding place for the bald eagles.

Here's Richard and I at a pub in the little village of LaConner as we had a couple of local brews and walked the streets of this quaint town across the river to the east of Whidbey Island.

And Wanda and Jo-Anne walking among the driftwood on the beach near our RV park.

On another excursion to the little town of Coupeville on the eastern side of Whidbey Island we went to a place called the Mosquito Fleet Chili ... funny name but great food.

Richard had their signature chili, Wanda the clam chowder, Jo-Anne some mushroom spinach quiche , and I had one of the best turkey sandwiches ever ... all served with fresh olive bread. Every dish was excellent, fresh, and well prepared.

And finally sitting with some street art I mimic with some recently bought chocolate wine after the four of us did some wine tasting at a local shop.

We arrived at the Whidbey Naval Air Station RV park on the 4th of May and have been so busy that it is hard to catch up on our travel experience ... life is good!

I have a ton more pictures from the last 10 days or so here and will get to them but as we are off tomorrow morning these two will suffice. As you can see from the back end of the bus we are at the furthest west we will travel this year. In the distance is the Pacific and that means we must turn the Flying Scotsman around and head into the sunrise for the next 3000 miles or so.



The weather has been nearly perfect and the sunsets really cool. At night you can see the lights of Victoria BC in the distance.

Like I said I'll yak more about our stay on Whidbey Island while visiting our old friends the Gardners but here is a quick sketch of our next few weeks.

We have purchased a new sofa sleeper here locally but must pick it up at the factory in Dubuque, IA ... in a couple of weeks. To do that we have mapped out a tentative trip that will involve Glacier NP and Yellowstone as we motor to the east. The national parks we had planned to see so far have been closed by the winter snows so we hope we won't be disappointed on the next attempts.

We still plan on arriving in Barrie Ontario during the last week of May and have contracted for the Barrie KOA from then into the fall. Barrie is where Jo-Anne's dad, brother, and our niece live so it will be a good place to rest for a bit before exploring more.

We then motored up I-5 for another 200 miles or so and stopped at this great place on the Columbia River; I guess there is a river theme here somewhere. We wanted to get by Portland and settled on this place about 20 miles north into Washington.



This is the Columbia Riverfront RV Park in Woodland Washington and yes it is ... wow ... riverfront indeed. Actually located on Dike Road so you know that the levee is behind the park in case the river leaps up overnight.

The picture above is while I'm standing about 50 feet in front of the RV and as I turned around you get this view of the park itself with the Flying Scotsman to the left.

Huge grassy area ... read dog walk ... in front of us and nothing to obstruct our view of the Columbia and the river traffic. The boys are obviously impressed with the view.

And we hit the tulip season just as it peaked and took some pictures at the Holland America Bulb facility in Woodland. Lots of rain and fog that finally broke off.

Maybe 60 for the high and 44 for the low and quite rainy and lots of mud in the fields.

A couple more quick shots of the Blue Heron RV park on the Klamath.

Above is one of the pull-in sites where you could literally fish from your picnic table.

And as I walked forward from there toward the river the shade of the trees made a really nice frame for the rapidly flowing river. You can sense the many trout hovering just below the surface of this snow fed river. Beautiful place!

After leaving Sacramento on the 1st of May we headed up I-5 to the north for about 240 miles which is a good day for us ... especially when stopping for pee breaks for Buster and Bruce and a good rest stop for a leisurely lunch.

On the way we went by Mount Shasta which was still fully covered with snow and quite beautiful.

We looked in our Good Sam RV park "bible" and stuck our finger on a place called Hornbrook in northern California, near the border. It was on the Klamath river and sounded like a good stop for the night.

As we got off the interstate and wound down a six mile road with some 15 MPH posted corners we began to wonder ...

But the book didn't fib and we rolled out into a really neat valley on the Klamath with some great sites at the Blue Heron RV resort. Below, the river is at the tree line right behind the RV and you can fish on the bank and eat your catch of trout right there.

We could have parked with our nose facing the river but those weren't pull-throughs and we didn't want to unhook the car for just one night ... obviously the place had a few empty spots to choose from. As this was billed as a pull-through we were surprised that we had to pull out into the grass the next morning ... but hey it worked great.