Back Home Again in Indiana

Wayne Fredrickson of Big Sky RV in Bozeman, MT
gave us a great price for our trailer.   It was sad to leave
it behind.

We're home.   From the date of this post you'll  notice we've been home for almost six months!   Life back in Indiana swept us up with kids activities, taking care of the house, business, and relishing in staying put for the foreseeable future.   It's been on my mind to get back for a final post, to figuratively put a bow on this wonderful trip and to put some final thoughts together on this grand adventure.

 First, we are all grateful for the opportunity.  Clearly not everyone can leave work and responsibility behind for three months.    

We saw a lot of the United States - 23 states - on our 14,750 mile drive.    It's a big country but our leisurely pace made it seem smaller.   Maybe because we were never intimidated by the drive as the daily distances were short, or perhaps because we saw the country in one slowly changing continuum.    Regardless, the US seems smaller to me now.   

Amber waves of grain storage units in South Dakota.

My favorite place?    That's a tough one.   For scenery I'd go with Big Bend and the Rio Grande River, all the more so because we had the place seemingly to ourselves.   People - we ran into kind people everywhere and debunked the myth that Midwesterners have a monopoly on friendliness.   Food - hard to beat the great Mexican food in the Southwest with the best being the Red Iguana in Salt Lake City.   Best hike - to the top of Texas high point Guadalupe Peak.     We had great bike rides all over but its hard to beat the rides down mountains in Death Valley, Mt Rainier, and the Cascades.   We avoided Cities in general but Victoria BC was the best by far.     

U Haul speed limit.  Yeah, right!

There are a lot of entrepreneurs out there.  Not that every small shop owner would see themselves that way.    It amazes me the clever ways people figure out to make a buck.    The list is infinite: The guy selling elk jerky on the side of the road,  river guide companies, restaurants in school buses, and new age healers in Sedona.    And all apparently successful along with the self satisfaction from making their own way and being their own boss.    In a time of economic uncertainty it made me feel better about our future knowing that people with energy and ideas can make a go of it.

We certainly got to know each other better.    In tight quarters our best and worst qualities revealed themselves and we came to know and respect one another more.   This will no doubt become one of the brightest memories that we all have of our time together as a family.   

Most importantly we gained a new appreciation for our home and life in Bloomington, Indiana.    Southern Indiana is verdant and uncrowded.   Bloomington is a vibrant small city full of eclectic charm that we appreciate more from having been away.     Life if good here and I can't imagine living anywhere else.   But its always good to get away.  

Sister Daisy enjoys Dashel's attention.

We bought two puppies the day after we
got home.    Brother Scout after a big meal.

School Bus Mexican in West Yellowstone

Burrito Bus

When you find an old school bus turned into a Mexican restaurant by two fellows whose first language is Spanish you know you are in for a treat.  But questions remain - how do they get utilities?  Water?  Sewer?  Would Bloomington planning and Monroe County health department allow them to set up in our beloved town?

Kevin and the boys wait for our lunch.   

While Old Faithful Geyser is a bit of a yawner, Yellowstone National Park deserves its grand reputation.    The cold damp weather made steam from the thermal features rise high in the sky.  Newly born bison calves grazed close to mom.   The falls of Yellowstone River roared with spring melt.   And our visit missed the maddening crowds of mid summer.    

 Tasty Bison.  Especially when young and tender.

Creepy Couple that followed us on our trip.

I'd seen this in pictures but my mind had
scaled it down.    Huge.  Spectacular.

Friend Glenn Monahan and boys check
out T Rex sculpture at Bozeman's
Museum of the Rockies.

63 billboards on I90 led us to Wall Drug.
Really - 63 - we counted.

Look!  Bison Poop!
Frozen Yellowstone lake in background.

Falls of Yellowstone River from
precipice overlook.  Scary.  Beautiful.

Wesley examines Glenn's land sailing yacht.  

Fast Water on the North Fork of the Flathead

Kevin ready to head down river in the I-K
(inflatable kayak)

So sorry for the long delay.  Having way too much fun on the final stretch to post!

The Flathead River was crankin!    Rain and snowmelt had the river full to the bank, running almost 20,000 cubic feet per second.    It made for a fast trip and big waves.     We were joined by Kevin O'Donnell and had a ball for three days rafting on the edge of Glacier National Park.     Beautiful river, beautiful country.      See a glimpse of it here.

Found a patch of Morels at our first camp.
Delightful with the grilled steaks.

Glacier National Park from the river

Guide Dean works hard to make landfall for lunch.

Dashel explores the upstream end of the
island where we stopped for lunch. 

At a few places snow reached all
the way to river level.

Pryo Wesley with his mentor Dad.

Looks cold?  It was!  Notice the "gumby" mitts.

Sign at our RV park needs some work!

Safe and sound in West Glacier MT

We left the children in the care of a pack of
wolves and dined this evening at West Glacier's
Belton Chalet.    This inn and restaurant
lies next to the Amtrak station and serves up
genuinely gourmet fare.   

Wesley and I picked up our family friend Kevin O'Donnell late last night at the Spokane airport.   Kevin was the only taker of our oft repeated invitation for brave souls to join us on our journey.    His arrival coincided with a cold rain which followed us all day on our eight hour drive to Glacier National Park.     Cold, rainy, cloudy, yuk.    It was the first day of the trip on which I took zero pictures during the drive from one RV park to the next.

Tomorrow is the last river trip - three days on the North Fork of the Flathead.      Follow us with our tracker if you like.   Expect a post on Sunday or Monday.    Until then, remember to eat plenty of fiber and not to run while carrying sharp sticks.

Conveyor Sushi

Gibson extols virtues of conveyor delivered food.

Why bother with needless effort walking to the buffet line?   Our lunch spot yesterday, Mara Sushi, delivers food right to your table on a continuous conveyor.    Keep an sharp eye on the passing food, and take whatever you desire.    Its a great idea for sure, but just imagine how business would improve with expanded offerings such as pork rinds, biscuits and gravy, and deep fried twinkies.     Kathleen and I just might open one of these restaurants when we get home but with a Hoosier flare.    Or perhaps a chain of drive up coffee stands - Pony Espresso.

Even the locals came out to see the Spokane River flow over the falls at an astonishing 31,000 cubic feet per second.     Normal flow during spring melt is about 15,000 and later in the year can fall to 3,000.

New videos - very short:

Conveyor Sushi
Spokane River at 275,000 gallons per second

There's a rainbow down there somewhere.

Iron runner sculpture in Spokane.  Proves if
you stop moving, you'll rust.

Think you could make it in a kayak?

Probably not

Dashel does dishes Tuesday morning while
older brothers do more important work.

North Cascades

The great bicycle descent of Washington Pass

Only days ago we learned that the North Cascades Highway (Washington 20) would be open this week and allow us to drive our intended route.    Rumor was that over 75' of snow had to be removed in some spots and avalanche hazards analyzed and mitigated.     These mountains are severe - sheer, ice covered, terrifying.   Have they really been climbed?    Absolutely amazing territory.

We capped off the day not far from our destination of Winthrop, Washington with a bike ride down the east side of Washington pass on Washington twenty.   See it here.

Dashel riding the trailer bike gets
a face full of road grime off dad's tires.

Why get out of the car when you can take
pictures right from the sunroof?

Mountains behind Ross Lake

The rig.   11,280 miles this trip.

A D6 and a bad ass snow blower used to clear the highway.

Kenmore Air and less important news from Seattle

What's a seaplane base without a dog?

Driving to Seattle's city center from our RV park we happened upon an amazing site.  Adjacent to one of Seattle's numerous waterways was a parking lot full of airplanes.    More precisely, float planes - simply sitting on pavement.   An immediate left turn was made to investigate.   Kenmore Air operates not only the worlds largest seaplane base, but is also the premier service center for the famed Dehaviland Beaver seaplane.  They rebuild them, fix them, and fly them.   For an aviator its an amazing site.    They offer seaplane instruction, but to my frustration all the instructors were away for Memorial Day weekend.

Couple prepares amphibious Cessna for departure.
Where are they going?  Can I come?

Bullwinkle paint job on gorgeous Beaver

Forklift drives right into shallow water to pick
up airplanes.

Dashel summits at Vertical World -
America's first rock gym.

Owners would not trade for lightly used travel trailer.

Monkfish?   

Hula Hoops and Guitar skills earned him $2 from the boys.

Line outside of original Starbucks stretched 50 feet.  No thanks.

Might be the best photo of the trip and was taken
by Kathleen with her phone.

More from the Great Northwest

MV Coho ferry from Port Angeles.  This 1959 boat was
spic and span tidy and clean. 

We are not so sure that our three boys picked up on the charm of Victoria, but for adults what a great visit it was.   Restaurants, shops, museums, galleries, gardens and parks, all in a tight pedestrian friendly urban core surrounding Victoria Harbor.   The good looking residents are unfailingly friendly and love tourists.   

Fifteen miles north of Victoria sits The Butchart Gardens.    The Butchart family made their fortune in the cement business nearly 100 years ago and appears to have spent every dime of it turning their quarry and surrounding area into 56 acres of gardener's fantasy.      You can grown anything in Victora - Palms, orchids, sequoias, roses - it is a plant's paradise.  

For a great week rent a car in Seattle and travel clockwise:

• Olympic National Park with overnight in Sequim, WA  
• Ferry from Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC, two nights in Victoria
• Vist Butchart Gardens on short drive north from Victoria to catch the Vancouver Ferry
• Two nights in Vancouver
• Drive back to Seattle for a two night stay.

Sunken Garden at Butchart

Church and State Winery outside of Victoria.
 Beautiful winery, rough wines!

Huge amount of driftwood on Olympic Beach

Ten mile coastal hike at Olympic National Park
included 6 miles of boardwalk.

5450 feet in Olympic National Park.  Plan was to ride downhill
all the way to the coast  - 17 miles - but it was snowing and
raining above 2,500 feet.

Giant spruce in Olympic National Park