Home again, home again...

After touring Paducah (National Quilt Museum), Bardstown, KY (Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home"), and driving through the very scenic and colorful hills of western Maryland, we arrived home yesterday, safe and sound.

One of the Ohio River flood wall murals in Paducah (by Robert Dafford)

At the National Quilt Museum in Paducah



My neighbor, Dorothy, welcoming Elli home (and me too!)



My Baby....

I departed Boulder on Monday afternoon, and took the next couple of days to get across Kansas (where it seems there is always a tornado watch!) and into St. Louis, where I hoped to have some work done on VanGo at the place she was originally purchased.  They have a great reputation, and lived up to it COMPLETELY!  

Here's my baby, up on the lift (it didn't hurt, at all).

VanGo, way up high.

  



   

On to Boulder

Two glorious days were spent in Glenwood Springs.  Bruce arrived and we took a side trip up to Marble (where the Lincoln Memorial marble came from) and to Redstone, where there is a wonderful inn and the coke ovens of the early 1900's are still evident.  The Apsens have started to turn at the upper evelvations and their golden color looked gorgeous against the mountain backdrop.  Then after a yummy dinner at his favorite restaurant, we had a long soak in Glenwood Hot Springs.   Yesterday I drove on up to Boulder and we went to my favorite restaurant there (and almost anywhere!), The Med.  ;-))

The fire is still quite evident here, and over 160 homes have been lost.

The Boulder fire, still burning 

Gail and Elli at the Marble Mill - each marble slab has its weight and a serial number on it

Gail at one of the historic markers between Marble and Redstone

The Aspens, just starting to turn

The garden courtyard of the Hotel Colorado, where Teddy Roosevelt often stayed

The (former) coke ovens near Redstone

Bruce, Elli and Annie on a trail at the old Marble Mill Site

Grand Junction & Fly Fishing, Glenwood Springs and Aspen, Colorado

In memory of...

Colorado Rocky Mountain High!!!   (I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky....)  Listening (and singing along) to John Denver all the way from Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

But I digress, as I went to Grand Junction first and had a delightful time visiting another Roadtrekker.  Grand Junction is the first major town as you enter Colorado from Utah, and is the beginning of what is called the Western Slope (of the Rocky Mountains).  It has a fun downtown, and we were treated to an extensive music-filled Farmers Market (and some of the best nectarines I've ever had) after a yummy dinner at the Ale House.  The ultimate treat though may have been my first Fly Fishing/Casting lesson.  It was so much fun (Thank you, Quen!).  See below for pics; I can't get them to post in the order I would like.

This morning I continued east, over to Glenwood Springs... and on up the hill to Aspen, which feels a bit like the 'Carmel of the Rockies'.

VanGo, Elli and Gail go to Aspen

It's a sweet (and tony) town surrounded by beautiful mountains, and has some of the same mountain charm as Banff.  I would have stayed over, but the temperature is predicted to drop to 27 degrees! So it's back down the hill for the weekend, where the Glenwood Hot Springs will be a treat, and a friend from Boulder is expected to arrive soon.

My fly fishing instructor, Quen, tying on a fly

Trying my hand at casting!

Bryce... and the Canyonlands of Utah

After the three hour drive from Zion, we were greeted in Bryce Canyon by an aftenoon shower. And then it broke for just a couple of hours, so we ran off to see what we could see. All I can say is that the natural beauty on this trip has been staggering.  And hopefully the pics will speak for themselves, as I can't even begin to describe it.  The different colors of rock in the formations, the hoodoos, it was all spectacular.  And the drive across the Utah canyonlands today on scenic Route 12 may be the most spectacular drive I've ever been on. If it's not rated one of the top three in the country, I hope it soon will be!

I've pretty much decided to take VanGo back to Annapolis instead of storing her out west til winter.  (Then I'll be able to take her to the October "Sisters on the Fly" event in the Blue Ridge mountains, as well as any other fall trips that might be fun).   So I kept on driving east today, and hope to meet up with another Roadtrekker in Grand Junction, CO, tomorrow.    

The HooDoos, Bryce Canyon NP

The HooDoos

Bryce Canyon, after the storm

Zion National Park

Elli and I drove from St. George, UT, into Zion National Park at sunrise this morning.  What a sight to see.   It was cloudy with rain forecast, but that didn't make the scenery any less spectacular.  And the hike into the Emerald Pools was worth the price of admission in itself (senior pass for moi!)

Looking up from the Emerald Pools

Entering Zion at sunrise

Philipsburg, Anaconda, Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City

We departed Missoula on Friday morning, heading for Philipsburg and Anaconda, two smallish Montana towns that have preserved the wonderful architecture of the buildings erected during their heydays as copper mining towns in the late 1800's.  We stayed over in Philiipsburg and were treated to some delightful live theatre at the historic Philipsburg Opera House, erected in the 1880's. They have a professional repertory group and were perforning the last weekend of this summer's three plays - The Girl in the Freudian Slip.   It was a delightful laugh-out-loud farce, written by a Connecticut playwrite in the 80's.  Off to Anaconda we went the next morning, and saw the beautiful historic library donated to the town by Phoebe Hearst, mother of William Randolpf.  The library contained more art work than I have seen in some museums!

Linda in the Anaconda Library

And then came the incredibly windy (and windy) drive through the rest of Montana and into Idaho Falls, Idaho.  We  stopped at Clark's Lookout near Dillon, MT, and stood where William Clark was able to scan a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains on the famed Lewis and Clark expedition west.

Elli and Gail at Clark's Lookout 

After arriving in Idaho Falls in the late afternoon, we took a look around town and decided to camp right along the roaring falls, feeling like a bit like passengers in the "Maid of the Mist" all night long.   The nighttime pic you see is of the Mormon Temple, which is a dominant feature of the town, and overlooks both the Snake River and the Falls.

The Mormon Temple in Idaho Falls (new moon in the upper right)

We set off for Salt Lake City early this morning, and Linda and I had our farewell dinner tonight at a super Mexican restaurant called the Red Iguana.  We'll part ways in the morning, Linda to tour for one more day here, and I to depart for Provo where I'll make a decision as to whether to travel eastward and bring VanGo home to Annapolis or head southward to Bryce and Zion, and then to store VanGo in Las Vegas in anticipation of another winter in the Southwest.

Last night in Missoula

VanGo seems to be healthy and happy again.  She's been outfitted with a new blower motor and resistor, and all seems to be running smoothly.  (Knock on wood!).   What a delightful last day in Missoula, gorgeous weather and still lots ot explore.   The pics are Elli on the River Trail along the Clark Fork River (Missoula has a wonderful system of walking trails on both sides of the river, and bike paths everywhere. In fact, the last time I saw this many bicycles was in Amsterdam!), and two young adults who are students at the "U", one pre-pharmacy and the other fine arts.  The young man actually came to Annapolis and considered St. John's.  Our loss!   (NB, they fixed me the best tacos I've ever had!).

Last night we were treated to a concert here at our flower and tree-filled RV park.  We got to hear some delightful western music, as well as some Native American music.  It's been a music filled trip!

Elli on the River Trail

Taco Sano employees/students at the "U"

John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan, live in Missoula

This must be the VanGo 2010 concert tour.  First Billy Idol in Everest, WA, and last night John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan right here in Missoula!  I did not have a ticket, but could hear it all from the entry gate, where I hung out and chatted with the security folks.

We're now awaiting parts for VanGo, and hope to be "on the road again" (guess that's another singer - wonder if he'll be on the VanGo 2010 concert tour!) within the next couple of days.  Rainy and cool now, hope to be able to see that BIG MONTANA SKY again soon.

Will try to post a couple of videos... the first of Mellencamp singing, and the second of Dylan (best to put it in full screen mode, though you won't see anything except the entry gate, and you'll need to crank up your sound to hear the nusic).  John Mellencamp sounded great.  Dylan sounded, well, Dylan-ish, but older.  Fun time!  I think you just may regain a bit of your youth in a college town!

Marvelous Missoula... and MORE SMOKE in VanGo

We're in the neat little town of Missoula, MT, now, and will be for a few more days until we can try to get the ongoing problem with the heater/AC/defroster figured out. We've had smoke coming out of the  vents twice now. And the blower fan has burnt out twice. So something must be causing it.  I've found a mechanic who can look at it on Wednesday morning, so cross fingers we can get it fixed a little more permanently than two days ago.

Missoula is a fun university town.  We went to a downtown music fest last evening, and would you believe we walked by a lady who looked vaguely familiar, so I turned around, stopped her and asked if she lived in Annapolis.  Turns out she's a woman I met with a hiking group in Annapolis several years ago! She has the most strikingly beautiful hair or I don't think I ever would have recognized her in the crowd.   So she showed us around and gave us lots of insider tips for Missoula.

Montana is all about outdoor sports, particularly fly fishing, and I have wanted to try fly fishing since I saw "A River Runs Through It".   Would you believe the lady I ran into last night has a son who fly fishes, and he offered to give me a lesson sometime, so I just may get my wish one of these days!

Gail and Julie Devlin from Annapolis

SMOKIN' van, Waterton/Glacier and Whitefish, Montana

No internet for the past few days, so will try to catch up again.  And by the way, if you didn't already know this, you can click on a photo to enlarge it. 

Linda and I departed Calgary airport on Tuesday afternoon, and several hours later arrived in lovely Waterton Park, where we spent the night before heading south across the border to Glacier.

On our way down to the border SMOKE started pouring through the vents.  We turned everything off and pulled to the side of the road.  Canadian Parks rangers stopped and tried to help us, but couldn't identify anything. While we were able to drive the van, we had no heat, no air conditioner and no defroster.  So, being out in the middle of nowhere with no services, off we went to Glacier for a three day stay, hiking each day, dining at Lake McDonald Lodge (one of the wonderful Park lodges built by the Great Northern Railroad) each evening, and driving the Going to the Sun road eastward to Logan Pass early in the morning, when we virtually had this incredibly scenic (and narrow!) road to ourselves.  It couldn't have been more spectacular.   We saw big horn sheep (where they belonged rather than wandering down the road), mountain goats and even a marmot.  As well as the most beautiful array of wildflowers I've ever seen.

Then we came out of the park and into Whitefish, Montana on Friday. My first stop was an auto repair place recommended by someone at Lake McDonald Lodge. They confirmed my suspicion that the blower motor had gone out. We were able to get one shipped overnight from Billings and it is being repaired this morning. PHEW!!! (pls cross fingers that it works ok)

Spectacular scenery on the Going to the Sun road

On the way to Hidden Lake, Glacier Park  

The Marmot on the Hidden Lake hike

Waterton Lakes Peace Park

Gail and Linda make it to the top on the Hidden Lake hike

A big horn sheep, right were it belongs

Linda and Elli at Waterton Lake

Olympic Park, Medicare Birthday, and farewell to Carol and Garry

After hiking to the Hoodoos and then playing cards for an entire rainy Sunday afternoon, we drove from Banff to Calgary yesterday, discovering the darling little town of Canmore along the way.  Our first stop in Calgary was Olympic Park, used for the Luge, Bobsled, Ski Jump and other events in the 1988 Olympics.  We spent the afternoon touring the facility, which is still open for camps and various other sports activities.

Then off to celebrate my birthday, at what turned out to be a very hip and fun Japanese restaurant called Shikiji, near downtown Calgary.  Great fun and yummy meal. Thank you, Carol and Garry!   (and thank you, Medicare, for the birthday greeting in my e-mail ;->>

And then... after this lovely dinner, as I was trimming Carol's hair outside, somehow ELLI decided to jump out of the van and head off on her own adventure.  We didn't notice this until the hair-trimming was complete.  And slight panic ensued as we spread out in all directions trying to locate her.  Well, true to form, she came leaping and bounding back to the van a short time later.  We put her back into the van,   looked at each other, and heaved a great sigh of relief (Dorothy; I'm sure you especially can appreciate this story!)

Carol and Garry departed for Saskatoon this morning. We've had a great week together and I miss them already! The adventure continues though, as Linda (friend from Annapolis) flies into Calgary this afternoon, and we point VanGo towards Waterton Park, and subsequently back into the US at Glacier Park.

Carol and Gail at the top of the Luge run

Farewell and safe travels to Carol and Garry (PTH) 

The errant Elli

The 1988 Olympic competitors

Gail, Garry and Carol, on the Olympic Podium

Elk, Big Horn Sheep and SMOKE everywhere

No internet from Kamloops until now, so will try to catch up a bit.  VanGo has behaved herself over the many passes since I learned to turn the heat ON when climbing.  Uncomfortable as it is, it does seem to make a difference.  I came into Lake Louise on Monday night and had morning tea at he most beautiful lake setting I may have ever seen in my life.  It's truly as spectacular as the photos we've all seen.  Pics all out of order.  Not sure why.

Reflections on the Icefields Parkway

Elk in the campground

Reflection of Lake Louise

Elli goes to Lake Louise

Carol, Garry, Elli and Gail on a trail near Jasper

Morning sun over Lake Louise

And then Elli and I headed up the Icefields Parkway to meet Carol and Garry in Jasper.   Carol is an old friend from secondary school.  She and her husband, Garry, have been on a six-month adventure to Alaska in a custom travel van similar to mine.  We've been together for the past five nights and are having a wonderful time exploring Jasper, Lake Louise, and now Banff.  The scenery has been beautiful, save the smoke from the 300+ forest fires burning in British Columbia. 

We've seen elk in our campground and big horn sheep on the side of the road.  We've seen spectacular waterfalls and glaciers over a thousand feet deep.  We've seen the gorgeous lodges built by the Canadian Railway in all three towns, and are currently hanging out at the Banff Springs Hotel.












  

The turkeys and the pass

Elli and the wild turkeys 

After a restful sleep over in La Conner, we got up to see wild turkeys crossing the street right behind us.  Elli's never seen wild turkeys before, so she just kind of sat there wondering what to do.

We then headed north for the border and decided to cross on Route 9 at Abbottsford instead of going Interstate 5 toward Vancouver.  There were only two cars ahead of us, and while the questions were tedious and lengthy, it all went smoothly.  So we headed off to Harrison Hot Springs, with the thought of staying overnight.  Beautiful as it is, with Lake Harrison using the Cascades as a backdrop, it was overrun with tourists on this warm and sunny August day, so we decided to push on.

Lake Harrison with the Cascades as a backdrop

And then the challenge began.   Poor little VanGo did not have enough oomph to make it to the top of Coquihalla Pass without losing her steam, slowing to under 35, and almost overheating.  Was I nervous, or what!!   There are absolutely  no services between Hope and Merritt, and I was envisioning all kinds of things, not the least of which was having to be towed over the pass.  There are no photos to support this, though the van was traveling slowly enough that I almost could have gotten out and snapped a few.  There was no shade and the temp was close to 100, which was apparently part of the problem.  When I finally got to Kamploops, I had my fluids checked and asked them what to do if it happens again.  They said that given the heat of today, and the steepness of the grade, that I should have turned my heat on to help cycle fluids through the engine (or something like that).   I must say this makes me a little nervous for the trip through the Rockies.  Cross fingers that the temps cool down a bit!   

   

La Conner and Anacortes

Wow!  What a beautiful day.  We traveled north to La Conner today. It's a sweet little artsy town with a wonderful quilt and textile museum.  The museum is in an old mansion, and currently has a delightful Japanese exhibit going on.  The fabrics are beautiful and the detail work is exquisite.

After touring the town and museum, I headed over to Anacortes, and to my surprise, it took my breath away.  There is a city park at the end of town that could be designated a national treasure.  It is right on the water and overlooks the San Juan Islands.  The day was perfect, the water beautiful, and the surrounding mountains made it picture perfect.  Wish I would have had the time to take the ferry to Friday Harbor.

San Juan Islands from Anacortes, ferry in the distance

From the scenic loop trail at Anacortes

At the Quilt and Textile Museum in La Conner

Beach at Anacortes Washington park