Headed West by Way of Maryland

[fishinbug]

I have some catching up to do. We spent a few days in Billings, MT to visit my nephew and his family. I spent some time fixing a leak on the roof and repairing the electric tongue jack. The roof repair was a seam that opened up between a molding and a caulk joint. We had to make a special trip to an RV dealer in Riverton MT to get the right kind of caulk. I was on the roof first thing this past Saturday morning and it's a good thing I was. By 9PM that night we were being blasted by bolts of lightning and torrents of fat rain drops. Inside there were no leaks.

We spent the night just east of Missoula MT. This morning we are going to drive into Idaho. How about that?! Then we'll spend three nights in Kennewick WA to visit some friends.

I know we are getting jaded. We are now seeing pronghorns on a regular basis, and it's no big deal. Now a moose is another story. Let the Moose Hunt begin.

[WannaDoDat]

Way to go on the timely repair!!! Whew!!!

I bet those dime a dozen pronghorn are still amazing!

But a MOOSE!! Can't wait for Bullwinkle!!!

Best wishes from The Forgotten Coast, Diane and Nicholas!!

Jean

[fishinbug]

Way to go on the timely repair!!! Whew!!!
I scored major 'Good Husband' points on that one.
I bet those dime a dozen pronghorn are still amazing!
They really are beautiful and to see them in groups of 10-15 is a thrill.
But a MOOSE!! Can't wait for Bullwinkle!!!
The drive from Billings into Idaho was another view of these United States. US 12 (Lewis and Clark Trail and the Nez Perce Trail) took us on a 100 mile ride through a canyon of conifers. There were a couple of stretches along the way that were marked MOOSE CROSSING, but we did not get to see any...yet. We saw a couple of bald eagles, whitetail and mule deer and a lot of mountains. The highway was deserted this morning and the early morning light was dazzling. We ran parallel to a couple of trains today. The rail system out West is alive and running in both directions.
Best wishes from The Forgotten Coast, Diane and Nicholas!!

Jean

Best wishes to you, Jean from the Pacific Time Zone. We crossed our last time zone this morning. The highway to our destination is getting shorter. The Pacific Ocean is over the horizon. I have seen the Pacific in Mexico and Costa Rica, but not from the shore of the USA. Tomorrow we will drive to Washington for a three night visit with friends. We'll be camped on the Snake River just above its confluence with the Columbia River.

How about a picture from Yellowstone to end this post.

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[WannaDoDat]

Spectacular!!! (She said).

You have traveled far!! There's a whole lotta countryside between north Florida and Washington state that I have never seen. Happy to be seeing it through your eyes. Catch me a fish out there, would ya?

Jean

[fishinbug]

Catch me a fish out there, would ya?

Jean

I have a friend in Brookings OR and I am hoping to get a ride on a boat into the Pacific to catch a fish for you, Jean. It's a cool morning in Idaho. Washington is a short ride away. I think we have over 6500 miles on the odometer so far. I think I took the longcut instead of the shortcut.

[WannaDoDat]

LOL. Ain't no shortcuts. Enjoy the deliciousness of the long slow ride.

Jean

[fishinbug]

We rode along the Columbia River on the WA side yesterday. This morning we will set out for the Pacific Coast of Oregon. Washington has lots of wheat this year. It is piled in huge mounds that form giant cones outside grain elevators. If you get a little grit in your bread or cereal I know where it comes from.

We are rolling again soon. Mt. Hood made a grand appearance yesterday as we rounded a curve. It escorted us to our RV park.

[WannaDoDat]

Never think about wheat. So cool! I bet the river and mountain views must be spectacular. And now the coastline!

Jean

[Fishbaitbilly]

You two are like a couple of cats, getting to see and experience more of this country than most people would in nine lifetimes! The photos and narrative have been spellbinding. I just want to know that when you sell the movie rights, who will play Nicholas and who will play Diane?

[fishinbug]

one of those days. It started well enough with an early departure from white Salmon WA. We were on the WA side of the Columbia and we could look across the river to Oregon and see the Interstate traffic. We had tunnels, trains and very little traffic on our ride. The day changed a little when we crossed from Vancouver WA into Portland OR. I missed a turn and we ended up on a ride through the middle of downtown Portland in all of its glory and ugliness. I finally found a southbound only ramp to I-5 when I really wanted to go north. The next exit got us going in the right direction and we found our exit for US 26 West. YAY! Then we found our cutoff road- Oregon 53 - DOUBLE YAY!

If anyone has seen an episode of Ax Men I'm certain that Highway 53 has been featured in an episode or three. 19 miles of narrow twisting road with 15 and 20 mph curves around every bend made for a slow ride. Logging trucks coming the other way gave a whole new meaning to pucker power. We found the little town of Nehalem and I stopped for directions to the park. It was easy to find the state park, but we arrived a bit too early for checkin. The ranger gave us a day pass and we checked out the park and our campsite. Looked good.

After about an hour and a half we were assigned our site. Then we commenced backing into site B-15. A pine tree on the passenger side decided it was time to attack the awning. CRUNCH! Then it was S-C-R-A-P-E!!!!! as I tried to get out from the pine's clutches. It was not pretty. I believe that is why I carry insurance. We can roll but we can't throw much shade on the front door. The rangers found us another site to stay. I tried a couple of times with extra help to get into the original site but there were too many obstacles for me to maneuver.

Billy, I'm going to say the lead actor will be:

laurel.jpg

Diane will play herself.

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South on the 101 today towards Florence OR.

[jsuber]

There are some great springs in that area you are allowed to spend some time in. They are just off the side of the road too.

[WannaDoDat]

Oh my goodness!!!! How did I miss this yesterday?!? I read this latest chapter to my parents and we all had a great chuckle but also an "oh nooooo" about the parking kerfuffle! Hope that gets fixed quickly. Shade is crucial this time of year.

Smoother sailing!!

Jean

[fishinbug]

There are some great springs in that area you are allowed to spend some time in. They are just off the side of the road too.

Thanks for that tip, jeff, but unless those are warm springs it's a little bit nippy to spend time in a spring. Yesterday the thermometer topped out at 57F with a 20-25 mph wind off of the ocean. It's chilly.

Today we will be in Brookings OR. That is our destination, and we are going to spend four nights there. Diane has a cousin and her husband living in Brookings and now two months after leaving Havana we are about halfway.

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[BackCast]

Really? Two months? Time flies when you're having fun!
IMO, you're in one of the prettiest parts of the country. I hope you continue to enjoy the voyage. Also hope you keep posting so we can all enjoy the ride.
By the way, while the cat's away the mouse will play. I just came back from a visit to your part of the country. In fact, I drove through Havanna on the way from CSB to my son's house on Lake Iamonia. Didn't get much fishing in (lots of rain and wind) but I did manage to catch my first ever Tripletail.

[fishinbug]

Hey, BackCast, thanks for encouraging me to keep posting. If you drove down US 27 you drove right by our house. Did you notice if the yard needed mowing? Tripletail is one of my favorite fish to catch and eat. Congratulations on the first one.

Two months on the road and we are here. We made it to Brookings and we are now parked for four nights. The coast is beautiful and again another spot in the United States of America that is unique and unusual in its beauty.

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