Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely last night after a long 12 hour drive from Klamath Falls, Oregon..As soon as we entered California, there was highway construction...we didn't miss the traffic or the crowds of CA...We didn't want to add another night to our trip so we pushed through and didn't have any scenic detours or fun stops...After a total of 4,430 miles and no speeding tickets we arrived home safely...until the next trip...I am signing off, thanks for following.
S&G

Bend B&B and Crater Lake

We drove through Eastern Washington into Oregon on Sunday...we took a short detour to a state park in Washington to see a unique waterfall...it was a fun stop and a nice break from the empty farm land...we crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and drove south through Oregon into Bend..it's a funky artsy and outdoorsy city situated on a river...they were all geared up for a big Fourth of July Celebration so the city was kind of crowded...we stayed at an amazing B&B (our treat for the trip) and we took advantage of the comfy spaces and patios to have a drink and read and relax...We walked the whole river park and downtown area and found a great pizza place (possibly my favorite ever) then just had a lowkey night..the roads were all closed in the morning for the dog parade and 4th celebration..so we avoided the downtown area and drove on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway past many snow-topped mountains and lakes..it was an awesome loop recommended by one of my friends...Our destination was Crater Lake National Park and we knew it was still under a lot of snow, but we figured we would drive through anyway to see the beautiful lake...our luck finally changed, the trail to the lake was open only on the 4th because the construction crews weren't working...so we toughed it up and hiked straight down to the lake, a hard hike due to the high elevation...it was the prettiest I have ever seen the lake (I have been twice before)...and well worth the hike...we drove the western loop around the lake (the eastern rim is still closed off) and the road was lined with 8-10 feet of snow on both sides (as you can see in the photo above)...the lake is the most beautiful one I have ever seen and the deepest in the U.S...well worth a trip if you haven't been....

Flat Daddy

On Saturday, July 2, after a slow start (due to our late night), we were back on the road...out through the west of Montana and into northern Idaho..we drove the whole northern "panhandle" of Idaho through Sandpoint and into C'oeur D'alene before heading west for Spokane..we stopped in Sandpoint for lunch and they were having a 4th of July festival with vendors and food, etc...it was a fun town to walk around and everyone was out and about since it was the first sunny day of the spring/summer...We arrived in Spokane at my friend's house (from Long Beach) who moved there when here husband was stationed there..He is now overseas with the Air Force and we took the opportunity to cook for her and her daughter and hang out with "Flat Daddy"...an awesome thing they do for the spouses when their loved ones are away..They have a beautiful daughter and Ginger was happy to babysit (of course) and we went out for some food and errands...It was a nice relaxing day and a good change of pace from all the hotels and restaurant meals...it's so fun having friends all over the country, except I wish I could see them more often...

Lake Five

Our last day in Glacier was saved when we met a family on the closed Avalanche Lake trail who come every year to Glacier. They showed us some pictures from last year and what we were missing during our visit.  They knew of a different hike that wasn't closed and invited us to join them since they felt bad that we were having a bad experience during our one and only visit to Glacier NP.  So we hopped in a car with some strangers in the middle of nowhere and they were from Long Island (I hope our moms aren't reading)...Okay, they were parents with a 12 year old son and they seemed harmless enough...I think THEY were the ones taking the risk...so, we hiked a great 6 mile route with them to Fish Lake and had a nice lunch and break...when we returned to the trailhead, they took us to get our car and then we met them at the Lodge bar for a few celebratory drinks... after a couple of drinks and more shared stories, they told us that they have a lakefront house and wanted us to join them for a bbq...who can say no to that??  So, we followed them out of the park and down a couple of dirt roads to Lake Five (aptly named because it is shaped like a "V").  They grilled it up and we met their other kid and friends who were staying with them and hung out for a few hours and drank and ate and had a wonderful time...Ginger discovered "soccer moms", no, not that kind...a mixed drink that soccer moms drink on the sidelines...capri-sun with vodka...so she imbibed and I was the DD once again...Their motto is "this doesn't suck" and I think it was an appropriate ending to our somewhat disappointing time in Glacier...We had such a fun day and it was so spontaneous and full of laughter...we have made new friends that we will hopefully see again. They live full-time in Phoenix and go to Glacier every summer for a month....

Photo Link

Updated Photos

Montana, big sky country

I have been offline for a few days. I spent the last 5 nights in Montana. I picked up Ginger in Helena on Tuesday and we stayed at my friend's vacation home outside of the city. We had a relaxing night and watched rainstorms from the deck. Wednesday morning we woke up to the sunrise and hit the road for Glacier NP. Glacier was amazing and disappointing at the same time. They have had record snowstorms and weather this year and the main scenic route through the park was still snowed in. We stayed in the northeast section of the park, called Many Glacier, for two nights and were hit with wild rain and windstorms. The trails were washed out and we spent a lot of time indoors reading and wishing the conditions were different. We had about 40 mph winds for 24 hours straight with gusts around 60 mph. The pictures and video show how windy it was.
We left for the west side of the park on Friday and found some sunshine, but they still had been hit with rain, and the first trail we hiked was closed. We had only done flat lakeside hikes and missed the wonderful backcountry and glaciers that make the park so amazing.
More tomorrow...

Halfway...

I have passed the 2,000 mile point so I am over halfway through my journey..I drove through the state of North Dakota and through half of Montana today. The highway was flooded in two places in North Dakota. It was my longest day, about 12 hours, but it was so pretty I just kept driving. Montana is so pretty, bright and colorful. I met up with a friend I hadn't seen since high school tonight and we had a beer. We couldn't drink the last time we saw each other. She lives in Bozeman, which is a funky college and ski town. I will explore more in the morning...now, I must sleep. 6 am coffee date...

50 out of 50

Finally, I have made it to North Dakota, my 50th and final state to visit! I spent the whole day driving through Wisconsin and Minnesota and finally crossed the Red River to enter North Dakota this afternoon. I am staying in Fargo and drove around a little bit and saw downtown..I was quickly caught in a rainstorm and retreated for the evening. I'm pretty worn out and it's nice to have quiet time in a hotel and catch up on my pictures, etc. This is my first night not staying with friends so it's a little lonely after all day in the car alone...
The best things about ND is how friendly everyone is and their great accents. The worst part is I still have 500 more miles to get out of this state. I will be going to Theodore Roosevelt NP tomorrow and anything else I find along the way.

Big Saturday...

I had a great friend filled day on Saturday. It started by feeding chickens at Megan's co-op in Cleveland, then we had coffee and chatted for an hour before I hit the road. I drove through Ohio and Indiana before getting to Illinois and stopping in Chicago during Pride weekend for lunch with my California friend, Chip. Then we both drove to Madison where he lives...I got a tour of the Wisconsin campus and downtown Madison. It's a funky city and it was great to walk around and stretch my legs. Chip works at a cool company with a big campus that is a great work environment. We had fun exploring and took some fun pics.
Click on pictures link in earlier blog for updated pics. 500 miles, lots of city traffic and construction made for a long driving day.

Cleveland rocks...

325 miles down...a few to go. I made it to Cleveland, OH from Frederick, MD. I have spent the day with an old friend seeing the local side of Cleveland.  Last night's drive was beautiful with rolling hills, trees and a cloud filled sunset. I hit some lightning storms in PA and forked over $15 in tolls. 
My nephew Max is now 5 months old and it was so great to spend some time with him and see all the changes since he was one month old. We had a fun day together running errands, going to a local farm and playing airplane...he was so sweet and well-behaved.
See ya in Chicago...

Final countdown...

I am heading out on a 4,000 mile journey in a few days. Ginger will be joining me for the prettier portion of the trip starting in Helena, Montana. I will be updating as often as possible and loading some fabulous photos, I hope. There has to be something worth taking a photo of in North Dakota. Any ideas?
Link to pictures and route map below.
Talk to you on the road. Emails and phone calls are most welcome.

Pictures From My Trip

Road trippin'

Cross Country Route: Driving to my 50th and final state!

View Cross Country Route in a larger map