Tuesday July 24

Drove all day, stopped 80 miles west of St Louis. Spent the night in Graham Caves SP. Finally got out of the heat wave, highs in this area are in the upper 80’s. Didn’t take any pictures today.

Monday July 23

Got up early again, took the scenic route through the Badlands NP. Went through a prairie dog community, had to slow down to avoid all the prairie dogs running over the road.

Got back on the Interstate, booked it east. Stopped at the Lewis and Clark SRA outside of Yankton. It was still 100 degrees outside.

The park was swarming with mayflies, they covered the sides of the RV, trees, picnic benches and restrooms. Good thing they don’t bite or sting. They just tickle when they land on you. Birds were gorging themselves eating them.

Rode the bikes on a bike path along the Missouri at sunset.

Sunday July 22

Set the alarm for 5:30, headed up the mountain. It had cooled to 73 in the morning and the RV had no problem climbing the rest of the way to the top of the pass, 9400 ft. It had been a 6000 ft climb in 10 miles.

The top of the mountain was a different world. We had just come out of what was basically desert in the valley. Now there were lush alpine meadows with snow still on the ground. Wildlife was abundant, we saw deer, moose, and elk. The 25 miles over the top passed too quickly, soon we were going back down into the hot, dry valley.

Made it to SD in the afternoon, drove by the Crazy Horse monument, then over to Mt Rushmore. Spent the night in a nice private campsite nearby.

Saturday July 21

Left the campground at 7, headed to the south loop drive. Stopped at the Norris Geyser Basin and hiked about 2 miles while it was still cool. Made Old Faithful for the 10:50 eruption. Stopped at Lake Yellowstone to see some hot springs at the edge of the lake.

Left Yellowstone after 2 PM, RV died again at the pass going out the East Entrance. Took a short nap while it cooled off, then headed out. Got to the west ascent to the pass through the Big Horn Mountains, it was 105 degrees. RV died again halfway up. It was about 6 PM. We pulled into a side road leading to a primitive campground but we couldn’t get there so we decided to spend the night on the side of the road.

Friday July 20

Got up at 5:30 to head out the last 150 miles to Yellowstone. Arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs campground at 9:30, had no trouble getting a site. Took a nap while it was still cool, then drove around the north loop after lunch. Hiked a trail down to the lower falls overlook of the Yellowstone River. Stopped at various falls along the road, then returned to the Mammoth Hot Springs and hiked up to the top of the trails. High was 94 degrees.

Thursday July 19

It was still cloudy and rainy in the morning, we headed out towards Yellowstone. Stopped by the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls MT. Viewed the falls of the Missouri and the giant springs nearby, it was 105 outside. RV died at the top of the pass at Showboat Ski area, vapor lock. We had to stop and cool off the RV three times before making it over the pass. No problems the rest of the day, we stopped at a private campground in White Sulfur Springs MT.

Wednesday July 18

It was much less hazy this morning, after the night rain. Rode the shuttle back up the mountain and hiked a trail. We saw Sunrift Gorge, then Baring, St Mary’s and Virginia Falls around the north end of St Mary’s lake. About 5 miles out and back over hilly terrain with 90 degree temps. We both were drained by nightfall. Thunderstorm rolled in after dark.

Tuesday July 17

It was only about 30 miles to Glacier NP. We set up camp, rode the bikes around a little, then took the shuttle bus to Logan Pass after lunch. We walked the Hidden Lake trail from there. The trail passed over snow banks and runoff streams. We saw mountain goats and bighorn sheep along the way. Rode the shuttle down to the east end of the park. It is a 50 mile ride each way across the park, we went through a thunderstorm near the east entrance and didn’t get back until 9:30. It was just light enough to see as we rode our bikes back to the campsite in a light drizzle.

Monday July 16

Left Spokane and headed toward Montana. Stopped along the way at the Kootenai River Falls. Spent the night at the Rocky Mountain “Hi” campground in Kalispell. It was 100 degrees again today. It is the hottest summer on record in Montana.

Sunday July 15

Went on a hike late morning along the Little Spokane River. It looked just like a Florida spring run. There were some Indian drawings on the rocks. It was hot again, we were happy to return to the car from the walk and get into the A/C. Went swimming in the pool at the neighbor’s house next door. Had a nice dinner, Karen’s mother, Ellen, came by to visit.

Saturday July 14

Bill and Karen took us to her brother’s lake place on Spirit Lake, about 40 miles from their house. The Nelsons, Jim, Terry, and their son Chris have a cabin on a beautiful, very clear mountain lake. We spent the day on the dock by the lake. Jim took the kids for rides on a tube with his boat. We returned to Spokane near sunset.

Friday July 13

Had the RV serviced in Spokane, then went over to Karen and Bill Cantrell’s house on the south hill in town. Went with them and their three children, Nelson, Amy and James, on a bike ride to a local park. A thunderstorm caught us and we stopped at a house that had an open garage. Bill went to door and asked if we could wait there. The people were very pleasant and we had a nice talk with them while the storm went over.

Thursday July 12

Arrived in Coeur d’Alene at noon, stopped at a private campground next to the Spokane River. Stayed inside most of the afternoon, it was over 100 degrees. Went out at 7 for a bike ride along the river. Went to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Wednesday July 11

Left Lewiston and headed north. We drove thru miles of rolling farmland with fields of wheat, oats and other grasses. We camped at Heyburn SP, near Plummer ID. It was in the high 90’s again. There is a record heat wave occurring this week. The forecast is for the 100’s in Spokane the next few days. We went down to the lake for a picnic and swimming. Went for a walk along the lake at sunset.

Tuesday July 10

Drove up eastern Oregon to Lewiston ID. It was a scenic, hilly drive. Stopped at the Hell’s Gate SP. It was early afternoon and the temp was 100. Stayed in the RV till dusk and took a ride on the bicycles to town along the Snake River. There was a nice bike path along the rivers edge. There was a little city park along the way where kids were riding blocks of ice with rope handles frozen in down the slope of the river levee. We turned around at the junction of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. There was a Lewis and Clark display there with a wonderful bronze monument displayed that represented the Indian lore of the Earth Mother and the wildlife in the area. Returned to the park after sunset after a 10 mile ride.

Monday July 9

Decided to stay another day here, took the kayaks out in the morning to the lake. Cloudless sky, the wind was calm, and the water very clear, with a green tint. You could see 30-40 ft down. There were a lot of fish visible and a number of boats were out fishing near where the Wallowa River drains into the south end of the lake. At the other end, powerboats were pulling wakeboards and skiers. Snow capped peaks towered over the south end. This is one of the prettiest campgrounds we have been in.

Rode a shuttle bus 6 miles into the town of Joseph. We ate at a Mexican restaurant for lunch and wandered through the rest of the town for a couple of hours. The town is known for its 2 bronze foundries, there are bronze artwork and statues lining the main road through town. Spent a quite evening in the park, enjoying the rest of a gorgeous day.

Sunday July 8

The road along Hell’s Canyon was very narrow and winding, we could only go about 25 tops. The 40 mile drive to Joseph took about an hour and a ½. Arrived at the Wallowa Lake SP before noon. They had been full all weekend, we could see why. It is a beautiful campground at the south end of a 5 mile glacier formed lake, at the base of the Wallowa Mountains. We rode the bikes 1 ½ miles to the mountain trail head, then walked 1 ¼ miles up to the BC Creek Falls. The trail was pretty rugged, going over several rockslides with steep drops next to the 2-3 ft wide serpentine path. And that was supposed to be the easy trail. It was a relief to get back down to the road.

Saturday July 7

Stopped in La Grande OR, they had closed the main street in town for a town festival. Walked around the festival a little then went on.

Just outside of Baker OR, we visited the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. In the mid 1800’s, around a ½ million settlers passed through the area on the way to the Willamette valley.

Headed into the Hell’s Canyon NRA, stopped at the featured overlook. It was not as spectacular as we had thought, you could not see the Snake River from there. Stopped at a small campground nearby for the night.

Friday July 6

Crossed over to the Washington State side of the river, stopped at a veteran’s memorial, a full sized replica of Stonehenge. You could see Mt Hood to the west, the air much more clear than the day before.

Left the Columbia River and headed SE towards Hell’s Canyon. Crossed a desert prairie before reaching the Blue Mountains. Spent the night at the Emigrants Springs SP. It was a nice park, but it was right next to I-84, the traffic noise was bad all night.

Thursday July 5

Headed east along the Columbia River. Stopped at Wahkeena Falls which was close to the road then hiked up a 1 ½ mile steep trail to Fairy Falls, 600 ft above the road. A short distance from there was Multnomah Falls, the second tallest falls in the US, a 620 ft drop.

At the town of Hood River, in the Columbia Gorge, we stopped to watch 100’s of windsurfers on the river. It is the most popular and famous windsurfing site in the country. There were so many, you wonder how they avoided running in to each other.

Stopped at the Deschutes River SP for the night. It was hot, even with the wind howling all night long. Ran the A/C at night for the first time this trip.

Wednesday July 4

Drove into Portland, went shopping at GI Joe’s sports store. Ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Went looking for a good spot to park along the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver WA. At 3 PM we found a spot on a nice overlook where parking was allowed, set up a picnic spot for the afternoon. In a hour all the parking spots were full. People kept coming till dark, parking on the side of the road were there was no space. Cops came by ticketing, cars were still blocking the road. The fireworks started at 10:10 and lasted a ½ hour. It was a great view, besides the main fireworks display, they were going off all up and down the river for as far as you could see. We finally were able to leave at 11:30, drove 15 miles along the river and spent the night at another Wal-Mart again.

Tuesday July 3

Went back out to the beach in the morning. Rode the bikes along the water’s edge at low tide. Turned back at the jetty and rode the bike path back, 8 mile ride. Sadly, it will be our last look at the Pacific this trip. Left the park, stopped in town for supplies, then headed east. Stopped in the town of Saint Helens (you can see the mountain from the town) for the night. Used an internet site at a McDonalds, the spent the night at Wal-Mart.

Monday July 2

Took a shuttle bus from the campground to the Ft Clatsop NP where there was a replica of the fort the Corp of Discovery built to spend the winter in. The rangers there were an excellent source for details of the expedition. We spent the whole day there and spent a quiet evening at Ft Stewart.

Sunday July 1

We were able to get a campsite at Ft Stewart SP. They have 475 campsites, but were full Saturday also. Drove out to the point were the Columbia River meets the Pacific, the most northwestern point in Oregon. Got the bikes out and rode to the historic fort site, took a tour of the extensive underground bunkers there. Later we rode out to the beach where there was an old shipwreck onshore. We ended up riding over 12 miles.

Saturday June 30

Arrived the next day at Nehalem Bay SP around noon. 265 campsites, all taken. Went for a long walk along the beach there, about 6 miles. The wind off the water made it a very tiring trip. Watched a couple of kiteboarders along the shore. Drove up the coast a little further to Seaside, the site that Lewis and Clark turned back to go home. Stayed in the Venice RV park, a private campground.

Friday June 29

Tillamook had a morning bridge game at 10:30. Since the rain wasn’t expected to end to later in the afternoon, it was a good time to play bridge. It was held in the local Elks Lodge. It was still raining as we left Tillamook and moved up the coast. We stopped a little further north at the mouth of Tillamook Bay and stayed at the Barview Jetty county park. They had full hookups for RV’s there. Walked along the jetty and the beach that evening, the rain had stopped as predicted.

Thursday June 28

Rained all day, didn’t even take any pictures today. Drove 6 miles into Tillamook for lunch at a nice Mexican restaurant. Did some shopping and returned to Big Spruce. At least the campground had cable TV and internet.

Wednesday June 27

Drove up the coast along the Three Cape Scenic bypass. Stopped in Netarts at the Big Spruce RV campground. Walked along the bay to where it joined the ocean and walked along the beach looking for agates on the shore. Started raining that evening.