Seaside, OR 10-17-09

This is an artists's rendering of what the salt operation was like. I hope they got some of those folks to help them haul the sea water from the ocean to the ovens.

Seaside, Or 10-17-09

Lewis and Clark sent 3 men from Fort Clatsop to Seaside for several months to boil ocean water to gain salt. The corps had run out of salt and needed it to preserve their food and to trade. this spot was identified by a Clatsop girl whose Grandfather had helped the three men. Now it is in the first block of houses from the Prom- a Promenade that runs between the houses and the ocean, but there are blocks of sea grass betweenthe houses and the ocean.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

This stylish little number is the hat that the Native Americans wore. Picture Hopalong Cassidy wearing one of these??? Yet- they kept the rain off, which they really needed!!!

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

Here are the women in their lives. To the left Lewis' mother, who taught him all of the medical info he used on the trip, on the right the young lady Clark was pining for during the trip.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

This lovely contraption is a cradleboard for the Flathead tribe. They put their babies in it and squashed their heads so that their foreheads went from their nose to thepoint on thetop of their heads!!

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

Lewis and Clark were hoping to meet a traqding vessel on the Pacific to give them more beads and other trading items for their trip back, all of their beads tobacco and other trading goods were almost gone. In addition to the white and blue "padre" beads shown, the Corps also traded Lewis and Clark beads, a black or dark blue bead, oval, about 3/4 of an inch long with white or red swirls on it, sometimes called a feather bead.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

The Native Americans caught the salmon, and dried it so it could be stored and traded.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

This is a Native American cradleboard, similar to the one Sacajawea would have used.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

My girl Sacajawea, shivering in the cold and rain, with her baby Pomp on her back. How did she either diaper or toilet train that baby at Fort Clatsop? I do not believe any of the Journals covered the really important stuff.

Fort Clatsop, OR 10-16-09

The path from Visitor Center to Fort. Right about here was the biggest loudest thunder and lightening I, ve heard in a long time. The down tree came down in 2007 from Lightening, so I missed that one.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

These trees are all less than 100 years old. In fact, in 1906, 100 years after the Corps, this land was a potato farm, with only one tree. But, it feels like an ancient forest.

Fort Clatsop 10-16-09

A diagram of the Fort

Fort Clatsop, 10-16-09

When Lewis and Clark arrived here, a Native American fishing village, they thought it was abandoned, so they dismantled their buildings to build this fort. Actually, the Indians came here every fishing season to harvest salmon, it was not really 'abandoned.' The same Indians had braved the violent river to deliver salmon to them when they were stuck in the "Dismal Nitch,' so it might be the first example of how we would treat the Native Americans in the future (written from Chinook Winds Tribal Casino- the ultimate revenge)

WA to OR 10-16-09

This is the bridge from Megler WA to Astoria, OR, about a 4 mile bridge, easier than Lewis and Clark's canoe ride, but doesn't it kinda look like you are going to drive into the drink????? That's what we thought!

Near Station Camp 10-16-09

It is still raining, and Station Camp is a mere roadside marker.

The road to Cape Disappointment State Park

So I guess you can see why an RV can't go up or down here.

Cape Disappointment 10-16-09

A model of the area. The museum is at the Cape- the north shore of the Columbia (You are here"). Long Beach, where they walked to see the whale, is on the top left. Station Camp, their north shore camp, Washington is on the bay, about midway. Fort Clatsop, is on the southern, Oregon side, at the end of the Lewis and Clark river, the bottom blue inlet. They arrived in November, so it was colder then than now(Oct 16) and it was raining (of course) They spent 6 days on a pile of driftwood, scrunched up against a cliff because the Columbia was too rough for them to continue, they called that place the "Dismal Nitch". Finally, they could continue down a little further to "Station Camp" from here they walked 8 miles to the ocean at Long Beach. It was at Station Camp that the first recorded vote in US history allowed a woman -Sacajawea- and a Black man-York, Lewis' slave to vote on whether to stay on the WA side of the Columbia or to go to the Oregon side. Oregon won- there was more elk for food on that side. So they went east on the Columbia til it was safe enough to cross over and went to Fort Clatsop, a Native American fishing village.

Cape Disappointment 10-16-09

WOW. This is a razor box supposedly carved by Sacajawea and given to Patrick Gass.

Cape Disappointment 10-16-09

The actual hatchet belonging to Patrick Gass, who was the Corps' main carpenter, was given by his descendants.

Cape Disappointment 10-16-09

A quote from the Journals. Actually, the noise they hear is really the waves of the columbia, they are still pretty far from the ocean, or ocian!

Cape Disappointment, WA 10-16-09

Here are models of the boats that Lewis and Clark used. On the bottom, a pirogue. Next, the biggest-the keelboat they used at the outset. To the right, a small bullboat-one skin stretched over a frame. Then the "experiment", an iron boat frame that they had made in Virginia, that they planned to stretch skins over when they reached water. They hauled the experiment over hill and dale, and it sank the first time they tried to use it. Above that is the dugout canoes that the Indians showed them how to build. On the top, the Chinook canoes, which braved the violent Columbia at the mouth of the ocean.

Cape Disappointment, State Park WA 10-16-09

There is a wonderful Lewis and Clark museum at Cape Disappointment State Park, WA. Unfortunately, one cannot drive an RV up the 1/2 mile road, straight uphill, one has to walk. Luckily, 2 crab fisherman, who had given up fishing because the weather was so HORRIBLE, picked soaking wet me up along the road, or I would not have made it. From the windows of the museum, that looked out over the Cape, I could not even see the railing around the 5 foot wide deck, much less the ocean.

My boys, Bill and Meriwether!

Long Beach, WA 10-16-09

Some artwork along the Discovery Trail, an 8 mile trail along the coast, between the town and the ocean. Note the huge expanse of grass surrounding the trail. There is a sign at the end of the road, just before the beach which says: do not go in the water, do not let your children go in the water. That sign, just visible in the POURING rain, is there all year long. The water is so cold that hypothermia would set in.

Long Beach, Wa 10-16-09

A replica of the whale that the Corps of Discovery came to visit on the coast in 1805. The Corps journals document the exact location they found the whale, and this is very close, but it actually is the skeleton of a whale beached on the shore in 2000, which the town decided to use to commemorate this Corps event.

Long Beach, WA 10-16-09

A bronze statue, reproducing the tree that Lewis and Clark carved their initials into on the Washington coast.
It is raining so hard, and the wind is blowing so hard that my camera has died- I think water blew in the lens, so some of the pix are missing!!

O, the Joy, the ocian in View

Ta Da ! The Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, WA. Long Beach is a barrier peninsula on the Pacific 8 miles from the Lewis and Clark camp on the Washington side of the Columbia. Lewis and Clark hiked up here to see the ocean. His quote-"o joy, the ocian in view" is used on the Washington quarter.

Leaving Cathlemat 10-15-09

Lewis and Clark reported in 1805 that the Cath-le-meh Indians used this spot to fish for sturgeon. The Indians hooked the big ones, then drove the line, on a stick, into the ground-storing the fish until they were ready to process it. The native Americans in the Columbia River gorge were the wealthiest- they had access to some trade goods from the traders on the Pacific, but caught and processed(dried) literally tons of fish (salmon and sturgeon) which they traded with other Native Americans all the way into the interior of America.

leaving Cathlemat, WA 10-15-09

More sloughs

Cathlemet Museum 10-15-09

An armadillo sewing basket, introduced at the 1902 World's Fair, but never really caughton, despite the inventor's creation of an armadillo farm to provide raw material.

Cathlemet Museum 10-15-09

An 1879 sewing machine-compare to my 2008 Janome with 50 stitiches!!!

Cathlemet Museum 10-15-09

An oyster shell grinder, but what does one do with ground up oyster shells???

Cathlemat Museum 10-15-09

More Laundry accoutrements!
A 'dryer' on the wall, a triple dryer on the floor on the left and a wringer on the right.

Cathlemat Museum 10-15-09

Who knows what this is???



A 1911 vacuum cleaner~

Cathlemet Museum 10-15-09

This really is a Maytag!! It is a small toy size replica that Maytag gave to new owners of a regular big Maytag for their daughters to play with.

Cathlemet Museum 10-15-09

An early Maytag!1

Columbia River, 10-15-09

Here's a new word-slough! Sloughs are 'secondary channels of a river delta.' In Washington, they are everywhere- They are subject to tides, so sometimes they are shallow, wet areas, other times they are vast mud expanses. The Columbia River is huge, but there are small sloughs all over the place.

Southern Washington 10-15-09

On the road again, Washington

Washington, 10-15-09

You go Washington!! Check out the "mail" box for folks to place their ballots!!

Cathlamet, WA 10-15-09

Who knows what this is??

Mt. St. Helens 10-15-09

Here is a photo from the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center. We never did see the actual mountain. Most days we only saw clouds and rain.
The photo shows the 1980 eruption- the north side of the mountain blew off, rather than blowing up the top. The debris slid down the mountain, filling up Spirit Lake. Spirit lake was the site for the Boy Scout/Girl scout and other youth camps, so its demise impacted so many folks, besides the ones that lived there.Despite the huge amount of debris and the ash seen and felt around the world, the amount of debris and ash was very small compared to other volcanos

To Mt. St. Helens 10-14-09

We stayed at Toutle River RV Park, a gorgeous, if totally empty RV park, BUT, that fence, just beyond the low evergreen is a Railroad track, and every 1/2 hour, all night long, the longest, loudest train rolls on by. The first time we thought the locomotive was going right over us.

Centralia, WA 10-14-09

Where else but Centralia, right there isn 'central' America could you find a house this 'Central"

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

Remember Charlie Brown's christmas Tree from Snohomish?? Here is the same kind of tree, must be 50 years old +??/

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

our boy George! Check out his nose- I'm thinking lobbyists rub it for good luck????

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

Washington State Senate.

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

More of the main rotunda

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

A Tiffany chandelier in the main rotunda at the state capitol

Olympia, Wa 10-13-09

The main rotunda, the state capitol.

Olympia, WA 10-13-09

Washington State's capitol- added to my collection.

Tacoma, Wa 10-13-09

This is a Chilully glass sculpture on the pedestrian bridge over I 705. There is more on the bridge, but as you can guess there is no way I'm walking over that bridge, no matter how gorgeous the art is.

REdmond, WA 10-13-09

Only in Washington!!

Redmond, WA 10-13-09

And here they are today!!

Redmond, Wa 10-13-09

here are the original Microsoft guys. bill gates is the 12 year old on the left!!

Redmond, WA 10-13-09

Just one of the many, many buildings on the Microsoft campus. They have their own shuttle system, lots of Microsoft busses and cars darting around. Gates bought the Morelli farm, and I think he has just about filled it up. I don't think when he bought it he planned on using it all, I think the Morellis just wanted to sell it all.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Businesses used the old sidewalk areas as storage areas. Here is an old bathtub found down here.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

An original water pipe- a hollowed out log, discovered still in use fairly recently. Luckily, clean water was round, sewer water was square boxes.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

The guy with the hat-our Underground tour guide. The bride and groom- waiting for the wedding photographer!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

The underground vault of the Seattle bank where the Klondike gold rushers deposited their gold dust. there is supposed to be a ghost in here. I didn't see it!

Seattle 10-12-09

Here is an interensting tidbit for the builders out there. Seattle decided that they should reinforce the underground, so they required steel beams to be installed, see the beam? It is attached, not to the wall, but to the iron bars (about 1 inch thick) fro m1889.

Underground Seattle, 10-12-09

The underground tour!!

Seattle underground 10-12-09

the skylights from underneath-note the ferns growing!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

the sidewalk skylights, on the left recent, on the right the original.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Get out a pencil and take notes on this one, because this kind of information can start (or end) a conversation anywhere.

Seattle, WA 1889

The Seattle fire started with a glue pot, and most of the business district along the water burned to the ground. So to rebuild they decided____to rebuild the town higher (8-32 ft higher.) This would fix the flooding problem, and the problem they were having every time the tide came in, flushing up the septic system.Soo, since they had a huge hill behind them, they rebuilt block by block, by building a wall around the road and raising the road up- at least a story. So for years, folks walked on what was left of sidewalks 8-10 feet below the road. There were ladders at the corners.When they rebuilt the building, they did it with 2 front doors, one on each floor. Then they built sdewalks over the original sidewalks withskylights in them to light the underground sidewalks!! When the job was done, they had moved more dirt from the hill behind town to the raised town than was moved to build the Panama canal.

Seattle, WA 1860

The first Seattle, before the 1889 fire, when it was called Duwamps. Hmmm.. the Duwamps Mariners.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

That Nordic guy is on the left in front of a billion shoes. He went on to buy the Best company and merge it with his store.
Mr. Nordstrom!!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Here's a guy we all know?? A nice Nordic guy??

Seattle, WA a long time ago!!

here we go, ladies in line for the Ladies room???

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

This weird looking trianglish garage sits in front of the Smith Corona building, which used to be the tallest building in Seattle. But, when developers tore down the historic building and replaced it with the garage, Seattleians reacted and created the historic district. This area is the original site for the city- the part burned in the 1889 city fire.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Pioneer District. This cast iron gazebo? used to be the trolley stop and the entrance to the underground restrooms, which were award winning in their time (Ladies were wearing bustles). Several years ago a truck hit the corner of this and knocked the whole thing down- It cost $millions to repair it.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Where else but Seattle could you and your bike ride the bus??

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Hold onto your hats- here is the original, the very first Starbucks, at the Pike Place Market.I had a decaf!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Making Cheese, Pike Place market.

Seattle.a 10-12-09

The market is def. the place to be !! It was packed! and not just one building, but 3-4 buildings -across the street/ under neath/ down the road!! it goes on for blocks!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

These signs were all over the market!! And these are the textbook small businesses!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Window shopping for lee!!

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Rachel, the official mascot of the Pike Place Market

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Pike Place market- the famous fish throw. He has just caught it!!

Seattle, Wa 10-12-09

Pike Place Market, flower stalls, in memory of Aunt Jean, America's biggest flower fan

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

A world class shopping experience- Pike Place Market

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

Jumping on the monorail at the Space Needle.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

The Space Needle from down under, more importantly, after finding a parking space in downtown Seattle for a 29 ' RV.

Seattle, WA 10-12-09

The Space Needle, Seattle Center.

Leaving Snohomish, WA 10-11-09

Here is the White House christmas Tree 2109!

Leaving Snohomish, WA 10-11-09

We did Albuquerque last year!! But here we go again with the balloons!

Snohomish, WA 10-11-09

A Charlie Brown christmas tree. Does anyone know what kind of tree this is???

Snohomish, WA 10-11-09

The Snohomish welcoming committee .

Snohomish, WA 10-09-09

Words to live by, from the Farmer's market, Snohomish.

Snohomish, Wa 10-10-09

Here is a tree logged in 1940. It's a biggy, which is why it is here, but the tree was 620 years old. How can anyone cut down a 620 year old tree????

Snohomish, WA 10-10-09

Snohomish, WA the antique capitol of the Northwest, you didn,t think we would miss that, did you??

Whidbey island, WA 10-09-09

And they're good!!

Whidbey Island 10-09-09

More Smokehouse!! Mr. Seabolt had already sold the enterprise to Eric the Ex chef.

Whidbey Island,WA 10-09-09

Apparently, there are Seabolt's everywhere.

Whidbey Island 10-09-09

Ok, we have sold everything and decided to open up this BBQ restaurant in Oak Harbor, \Whidbey Island.

Mount Ranier, WA 10-09-09

See that smudge on the horizon- that is Ranier, and that is the most we saw of Ranier, Baker or St. Helens

Whidbey Island, 10-09-09

Quite a few of these windmills around, we guess because this is a big time tulip and daffodil bulb growing area.

For Tommy

Tom, here's some airplanes for you, marking the naval air station at Oak Harbor, Shidbey Island, WA

Deception Point, WA, Whidbey Island 10-09-09

The sun sets at Deception Point bridge. "Deception' comes from the fact that whidbey looks like a peninsula, rather than an island.

LaConner, WA 10-09-09

Downtown La Conner.

La Conner, WA 10-09-09

Lee warmed one of these stools, while I checked out the Quilt Museum, but I don't think they made up a 'name tag' for him yet.

LaConner, WA 10-09-09

This is my favorite quilt at the museum!

LaConner, WA 10-09-09

The Quilt Museum in LaConner-the house looks just like Lutherville, inside and out. And of course, the quilts are fabulous.

Mount Vernon-LaConner,WA

It's all timing! In April/May this field is full of tulips or daffodils- the bulbs are all dug up now, and for sale-in Valley View??

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

With the Cascades behind us, we arrive in Mount Vernon- afterall, it is Washington state.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Here's a guy who throws himself into his work!A sign of the times?

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

More down!!

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Over the top and now heading down.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

More of Diablo Dam

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Lee wants to know how they strung these electric wires??? This is diablo Dam-it supplies most of Seattles' power.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

More Cascades!

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Some snow, but also some glaciers.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Climbing!

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

I don't know about the marketing-I'd have not called a campground "Early Winters"

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Downtown Cascades! We apparently timed this trip correctly- We just missed the snow.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Winthrop, WA was apparently the inspiration for the "Virginian."

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

Downtown Winthrop, WA.

Through the Cascades 10-8-09

The Chewuch River in Winthrop, WA, about 1/2 through the Cascades.

Omak, WA 10-7-09

Our friends Lyn and Don Hruska. If you need quilting supplies, check out NeedlynTime, downtown Omak.Now that we have headed out, Don can get back to his work for the local historical society that he does with his 3 friends-Friends of the Okanogan Land (FOOLs)

Omak, WA 10-7-09

A genuine cowboy!! He was one of 2, the cows are to the left out of the pix. North of Omak.

Omak, WA 10-7-09

Beautiful Palmer Lake, north of Loomis and Omak.

Omak, WA 10-7-09

Lee and Bobbi didn't play any golf in Oroville- but we did check it out!

Omak, WA 10-7-09

An absolutely gorgeous golf course at Oroville, WA almost on the Canadian border.

Omak, Wa 10-7-09

The apple packing plant that Lyn and Don used when they had an apple orchard.

Omak, WA 10-7-09

More apples!! Almost to the Canadian border.

Omak, Wa 10-7-09

How'd you like to ride that school bus?/ or drive it??

Omak, WA 10-7-09

Lee looking down Mc Loughlin Canyon. Note the fire damage

Omak, WA 10-7-09

Don took us on an excursion to Oroville, stopping off at McLoughlin Canyon.

Omak, WA 10-06-09

Here is where the water comes from for the irrigation- right out of the Okanogan river.

Omak, WA 10-06-09

What is left of Don and Lyn's apple orchard- fabulous red and golden delicious.

Omak, WA 10-06-09

The pivot point fpr the irrigator-on concrete. It is all computerized!

Omak, Wa 10-06-09

Don is turning on the irrigation system for his alfalfa field for the last time. The man comes tomorrow with his air compressor to blow all the water out for the winter, so it will not freeze. It is all computerized, and will walk itself around a half circle. It is calibrated so that the sprayers at the end disperse more water than the sprayers closer to the pivot.

Omak, WA 10-07-09

Don Hruska, Farmer, Orchardist, Retired Geologist, Former Luthervillian and his assistant, Lee Seabolt.

Omak, WA 10-06-09

Huckleberry milkshakes would fir in our diet of fruits and nuts, but we had to pass.

Omak, WA 10-06-09

Sign says it all!!

Omak, Wa 10-06-09

OMG-more apples!!!

On to Omak, WA 10-06-09

More apples. The white poles are wind turbines used to circulate air over the apples to prevent freezing

To Omak, WA 10-6-09

Omak, WA is along the Okanogan River, the heart of the Washington apple industry.

Below Coulee Dam 10-6-09

More coulees!

South of Grand Coulee Dam, WA 10-06-09

Voila! a coulee! Coulees are land forms, created by glaciers, that surround water drainage. We didn't get all of the way to Grand Coulee Dam, just west of Spokane, WA, but did get to see these coulees, below the dam. The Grand Coulee Dam is on the upper Columbia river.

Pullman, WA 10-06-09

The American Farm

On to Pullman, WA

More amber waves of grain. If you have been eating cereal or bread this week, it must have come from Idaho or Washington!!

Lewiston, ID 10-05-09

Idaho and east from the top of Lewiston Hill

Lewiston, ID 10-05-09

There is a huge hill west of Lewiston and from the top yopu look down on Lewiston and the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Wonder what Lewis and Clark would say??

Lewiston, ID 10-05-09

Lewiston, Idaho 2009-looks a little different thatn what Lewis and Clark saw when they stood on this spot and looked at the confluence of the Clearwater River and the Snake River

To Lewiston, ID 10-05-09

Railroad trestles from the first train through Idaho.

To Lewiston, ID 10-05-09

More amber waves of grain. Picture taken thru the front windshield, so the squiggles, etc are remnants of bugs that gave their life at 6omph.

Cottonwood, ID 10-05-09

Every beagle needs a hydrant, but do they need a coffeepot?

Cottonwood, ID 10-05-09

Do you remember this from 2006?? The world's biggest beagle- Also a B and B, in downtown Cottonwood

MCCall, ID to Lewiston 10-05-09

Amber waves of Grain-Idaho

McCall, Idaho 10-5-09

Leaving McCall.

McCall, Idaho 10-05-09

This is how a pedestrian crosses the streets in McCall. You grab a flag, and plant it in the same type of post across the street!!

Donnelly, ID 10-05-09

Viuew from Jayme's window, most of the snow has melted, but still on the mountains!!

Elaina, Donnelly, ID

Miss Elaina sporting her new jammies!

Donnelly, Idaho 10-04-09

Oh Yeah! that is SNOW outside Jayme's window, about 3 inches, and gosh knows how much on that mountain. see the clouds hanging over the mountain?

Elaina, Donnelly, Idaho

Elaina receiving a hug from her Mommy for excellent walking!!

Donnelly, Idaho 10-09

The largest Ponderosa Pine logged near Donnelly,Idaho. This part of Idaho was famous for logging .

Elaina Gamble, Donnelly, Idaho 10-02-09

So, this is why we drove to Donnelly, 2 hours north of Boise and 26 hours from Casa Grande, AZ!!

North to Donnelly, ID 10-02-09

The Long Valley, adjacent to Cascade Lake, 2 hours north of Boise, ID

North to Donnelly, Idaho 10-02-09

The beautiful Payette River that follows the 2 hours of switchbacks from Boise to Donnelly, Idaho, where our niece lives.

Three Island Crossing, ID 10-02-09

Three Island Crossing of the Snake River was the largest river crossing on the Emigrant Trail. Island one and two are on the right of the picture. Glenn's Ferry was just down the river, but developed later when freight wagons were crossing the river. Shosone guides often helped the Emigrants across the river, but it was very dangerous and deep, with a strong current.

Glenns Falls, ID 10-02-09

Here's our NNIe!! A little smaller, older, and wiser than our Voyage, but well loved!!

Glenns Ferry, ID 10-02-09

Pretty good rates!!

Glenn's Ferry, ID 10-02-09

The ferry-probably a reconstruction. This one had a large pile of metal cable, but I suspect the original one used heavy rope.

Glenn's Ferry, ID 10-02-09

Covered Wagon-circa 1840-1860.

Glenn's Ferry, ID 10-02-09

The emigrants to Oregon or California crossed the dangerous Snake River here by ferry, or 1/4 mile down the river at Three Mile Islands. That diagonal path -highest- is how the Emigrants traveled down to the river

Glenn's Ferry, Idaho 10-02-09

Carmela winery, Glenns Falls , Idaho

Hagerman to Donnelly, ID 10-02-09

Our favorite campground in Hagerman, ID. Unfortunately, the prime rib restaurant in the office was closed-it was a Thursday-altho he did have oatmeal cookies!! He did not however, mow his hay at 2 am, in the back field, as he did the last time we were here!

Ely NV to Hagerman, ID 10-01-09

The Snake River Gorge at Twin Falls, ID. Imagine walking up to this on the Oregon/California Trail!!

Ely, NV to Hagerman, ID 10-01-09

Excellent marketing in Twin Falls, Idaho

Ely, NV to Hagerman, ID 10-01-09

Creative haystacking!

Ely, NV to Hagerman ID 10-01-09

A western train- check out how long it is.

Ely, NV to Hagerman, ID 10-1-09

Wells, NV- downtown, Front Street. Wells, was the Humboldt (river) Wells- tha last stop with water on the California Trail. From here the emigrants walked across the 40 mile desert ending at the Sierra Nevada mountains. Wells was a "sea of cattle" right after the Transcontinental Railroad went in-Cowboys would drive their cattle to Nevada to hook up with rail cars. The el Rancho Casino and Hotel oprned in 1949 opened in 1949, sporting new neon lights and wired for electricity!!

Ely NV to Hagerman, ID 10-1-09

Yup, this is about it for a lot of Nevada!! But, note the snow on the mountains!

Ely, NV to Hagerman, ID 10-1-09

Curtains-recycled aprons at Bella's cafe, downtown Wells, NV.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Soda fountain in the drug store in Ely, NV. There were 6-8 teens sipping sodas whan I got here.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Ely is a city of Murals, boasting around 20. My favorite is the one of 6 kids- each of a different race, with the caption, our children have united us . Ely is a big mining town, and folks from everywhere came her to work the mines, making it a very diverse community.

Las Vegas to Ely NV9-30-09

Apparently the Lincoln Highway went down aultman (Main) Street.

Las Vegas to Ely 9-30-09

We dined where the stars had dined- the Hotel Nevada. Homemade rolls which we did have, but skipped the mile high chocolate cake which was reported tio be 1077 calories per slice. Should have taken a pix of that!!

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

The campground owner is an antique collector, and he has found one of the original homesteader's cabins. BUT- Las Vegas does have the highest rat eof foreclosures.

Las Vegas to Ely NV 9-30-09

The original RV. Scroll back in the blog about 3 years and you'll spot one of these from Montana. It is a sheepherder's wagon, popular with the Basque sheep rearing ranchers from this area.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

hmmm.Senator Reid is the Senate Majority Leader (D), so I guess this guy has health insurance. The Wall street Journal has a recent article on harry Reid being the next big target of the Rep. Party.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Approaching Ely- Check it out- that is snow on those mountains, and it snowed in ely this morning. Ther is a 60% chance of snow tonight.

Las Vegas to ely, NV 9-30-09

Lee was there!

Las Vegas to Ely, Nv 9-30-09

Anyone looking for a quiet peaceful spot, away from the crowds???

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

The Alamo Industrial Park- We are about 3 hours from Las Vegas, from anywhere, really. So if anyone feels inclined to build something industrial, I'm guessing rent here is cheap.

Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Approaching Alamo, NV. OOOPs- the brown wasteland has turned into the Great Basin!! Apparently the Steptoe River runs all along Route 93/318/93, making the left side of the road a beautiful (if narrow) green valley, lots of farms/ranches along the way. The right side is brown, barren, desert. A real visual lesson on the value of water. New word for everyone-riparian- what you call the ecosystem that surrounds a river surrounded by arid areas.

Las

Las Vegas, NV to Ely, NV 9-30-09

We are 10 minutes out of downtown Las Vegas, heading north for our day with the vast brown wasteland. It was 106-8 when we left Casa Grande on Tues., 106 all day Tues. , very windy in Las Vegas Tues. night, and down right cool this morning. Tonight we are in Ely, NV, elevation 5,000 or so, not really that high and it is- wait for it- 43, forecasted for 18 tonight!!! Yikes!, that is a 90 degree drop ! Our bodies are too old to deal with this, not to mention the fact we put shorts and short sleeve shirts on this am!! We left at 10 am and arrived here at 4pm, with a slow start due to the honeymooning German's next door who had a septic emergency. We felt compelled to lend our tools and expertise.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

We made it to Las Vegas !Here is the back of the Strip from Sahara Ave. We have parked our RV in a parking lot called the Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus. Since we end our trip in Vegas in Nov., we are interested in a buffet and sleep tonight. We stuck to our diet- skipped the potatoes but piled our plates high-with protein. Banana cream pie is a fruit, right???

Casa Grande to Las Vegas 9-29-09

Oh yeah- HOURS of this.

Casa Grande to Las Vegas 9-29-09

The sign says "Waterfront Lots" right here - now in the Mohave Desert. The Colorado River used to be one of America's biggest- now with the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and irrigation, what is left south of Yuma, AZ going into the Gulf of mexico is just a trickle.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Check this out OH Burger Eaters! A Feed Lot. There are thousands of these cows, all pooping, all eating hay, sweating it out at 106 degrees. Luckily, with the ac on the windows are closed, but that only works for a few minutes.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Write this down- gas is $2.39 in AZ, $3.69 in CA and $2.67 in NV. These things matter when it is $75-100 to fill an RV tank.

Casa Grande to las Vegas 9-29-09

Still in the Sonoran Desert- that is an Ocotillo to the right of the electric line. They only get tiny green leaves on them, next to the voluminous, nasty thorns, when it has rained. This tree/shrub is good dead or alive. Dead, folks cut it and use it as fencing- weaving the branches or sticking them in the ground. It will keep animals or people in or out!!

Casa Grande to Las Vegas, 9-29-09

Many Saguaro along the way as we drive through the Sonoran Desert, on our way to ---the Mohave Desert.

On the Road Again, Sept. 29, 2009

Yikes! it is exactly a year later and Bobbi and Lee are headed out in the RV-Again, this time from our home in Casa Grande, AZ on to Donnelly, Idaho to see our gorgeous great niece, Elaina (and we do mean great!) and her parents, Jayme and Colin Gamble (altho Elaina viewing is our main goal since she started walking about 3 weeks ago.) We are charged with full reporting and pix taking by Bobbi's sister Judy, known as Grandma.
From there we are forging onto Oregon and Washington -Because we haven't seen it yet!
It was 106 when we left lovely Casa Grande, and surprise 108 in Needles, NV at 5pm and hot and windy in Las Vegas upon arrival. The pix to the left pretty much describes the road- from 10 am to 6pm. We got our customary early start at 10, Lee having started at 7 at the tire store where we decked NNie out with 2 new very costly front tires, a testament to the power of AZ UV rays on rubber.