La Pine, Or. July 11(ish)

High Desert - 

Amazing area, 5,000 feet and up, clear deep blue skies, the area is surrounded by lots of recent (geologically speaking) volcanic activity. Though it is a desert the trees (mostly coniferous) blanket the countryside.  

Near the Newberry Volcanic Monument there is a lava cave that extends over a mile underground that is easily accessible and after a change of shoes because of the bat white nose fungus worry's we took the plunge carrying flashlights and lots of warm clothes.  The cave was created only 80,000 years ago by an eruption and as the lave cools the center keeps flowing eventually emptying leaving the cave behind.

It's a long, cold and dark walk.  Get there early and take warm, fresh (ones that haven't been in a cave before) shoes.  

Crater Lake -

The absolute highlight of the area is Crater Lake, a breathtaking vista on a clear day (sometimes it is totally fogged in) that is hard to leave once you really pause to take it in.  It is also the result of volcanic activity (top of the mountain was blown off only 7,700 years ago - indigenous people are known to have been in the area and refer to the explosion in their folklore).

 It's a bit of a drive and construction is everywhere as are other visitors.  Go early, pack a lunch - take it all in.

There are many viewpoints and each has a better view than the last.

We had a perfect day, worth a return visit.

Maryhill, WA - July 8

Rufus Or

Just on the Columbia River.  The drive up the gorge was beautiful; waterfalls, cliffs on one side and the Columbia River on the other.  The river divides Oregon and Washington but it seems that, in the gorge, the south side, Oregon, is the prettier ride.  In sharp contrast the Oregon side is a bit stark and dry.

On Saturday we went to visit Stonehenge, the Maryhill Museum, and the Maryhill Winery (well, really the tasting venue).  

Stonehenge was built by Sam Hill (the road warrior, first to build modern roads in Washington state), it's a real size replica of what scientists think the Stonehenge in England looked like at it's best.

Th Maryhill Museum is a must see if you are inthe area.  It is an eclectic collection that even has a large collection of Rodin's works.  The building is Sam Hill's mansion that never was.  Quite the story of a man who changed the northwest.  Funny, the only picture I have is this -

We had a chance to stop for lunch at the Maryhill Winery, a great spot for music and wine, the food is a little bit of a self serve deli so we picked up some gouda, crackers, salami and a bottle of rose.  It was a great way to spend some time taking in the view of the gorge and the music.

A  good knife is always handy to have.

Back to Mineral Wa - on our way out of town I spotted this -

Sure glad I'm not Nancy or Jimbo........

Whales Revisited

Juneau 

One of the folks on the same whale watching tour as us took a couple of great shots of a humback breaching.  I gave him my card and he kindly sent the pics that his son took.  I cropped them a bit to enlarge the whale.

Thanks Richard T.  

Rainier, the Mountain and the beer - July 5 thru 7

Eastcreek RV Campground -

Roomy sites, secluded and a bit out of the way.  Quite the place, big tree, a gurgling big creek, only 10 RV sites and 10 Tent sites, 18+ acres of wilderness.  It's on the market right now $775K. 

 

We spent today, July 6, cruising around Mt. Rainier, it was cloudy and cool but around noon the skies cleared and we saw some magnificent views from Paradise (right at the base of the peak on the South side).

The wildflowers alongside the highway were abundant  and colorful.

Talc photobombed this shot.

We drove around the south path thru Packwood and Morton.  It was a great day.

Alaska - Hurrah for Celebrity

Cruising to Alaska

Bob and Eugenia joined us in our cruise, it was a great time, we had two other table mates, Candy and Chuck but I can't seem to find their pictures.
Cruising is much better than driving, though we did not get to see some of the great sights like Denali National Park I think the great dining and balcony with greats views was a good trade-off.

Ketchikan -

We went sea kayaking in Ketchikan,yes the water was cold (48 deg), and had a great, if somewhat tiring time.  Orcas, seals, sea cucumbers and starfish where the sights of the day.  The Orca's where a bit away but clearly visible.  We figured the trip was a success when we returned relatively dry.

Glaciers

Captain Tasos tried to get us up the Tracy Arm Fjord but it was iced in, we took a side route to Dawes Glacier.  I saw some calving and lots of floating ice.  The glaciers are huge, there is not enough perspective to see that in the pictures.

This wall is about 110 feet high

Juneau 

Humpback whales abound here and we went on a boat trip to visit them, we even saw one do a full breach which was really exciting.  Sorry that the pictures are not worthwhile posting, it's reeeeeeally hard to get the camera shot when the boat is bouncing, people are shifting and you don't know when to press the shutter.  To top it all of while trying to set the exposure rate I deleted all the pictures on the chip.  (Most were recovered but a bit of panic there).

There is a whale in this picture.

Richard, another whale watcher on our cruise, and his son sent me a couple of awesome pics of the breach.  Very nice of him.  I think his son took the pic.  

But we did get to the Red Dog Saloon.  3 inches of sawdust on the floor and the beers were not cheap, but the music and ambiance (if you called stuffed assalopes ambiance) was nice.

Skagway

Helicopter to the Mead Glacier, the only way to go.  The pilots said that this week was the only week so far that allowed them to fly through the passes instead of just up the river to the glacier.  Awesome views.

Liz had a front seat, right next to the pilot, and took lots of great pics

We had a drink from here - cold, crisp and blue.

Liz is ready to explore the glacier in her blue puffy coat.

Victoria

Liz gets to check off another country

The seals looking for fish

A beautiful day for a walk in Victoria, British Columbia

A quick overnight to Seattle after a nice afternoon in Victoria

Yellowstone here we come - June 14 thru June 19

Getting to Cody -

Leaving Keystone we cruise by Mt. Rushmore and past the Jewel Caves taking US 16 to Wyoming toward I90 and Buffalo then through Powder River Pass (9700 ft or so)

This is one steeeeep route, it begins to dawn on me that the coach should probably not be pulling the 'toad' up this steep incline.  Yep, halfway up we hear buzzing and again see the overheating warning, with no place to really pull over we limp on to the next pullout and disconnect the 'toad' drop Liz into the car and tell her to follow.  

But we finally make it to the top and roar down the hill to Cody.  We are spending a quick night in this western town at Absaroka RV Park to recoup, do some laundry and check out the town.

Off to Bill Bill State Park Wyoming -

5 nights boondocking, no water, no sewer and no electric. The weather cooperates and the days are warm, the nights are cool so no air-conditioning is needed.  Our batteries and converter are doing great so we expect no issues.  This is about 30 miles outside of Yellowstone, farther than I anticipated, so each morning begins with the same slog to the park gate (another 50$ saved by the Senior Pass) and 30 miles to Fishing Bridge where the exploring really begins. The drive is not boring and each day brings something new.

Our camping site is awesome, right on the Shosone River with a great morning and evening view. The panoramic view is not the best on this blog but trust me our view was awesome all around us.

Yellowstone - 

Too much to tell and see, we explore canyons, waterfalls, thermal features, wooded trails and on and on.  Just a small sampling of the pictures is all I can upload (wi-fi is pretty hard to find and when you do it is molasses).

We spend 4 days walking and driving around taking in all that we can, early early mornings to beat the crowds at the popular sights, and the late afternoons (it doesn't get dark till 10PM this time of year) are the best.

Cody for an afternoon -

There is a lot of history in Cody, we take in some at the old town and enjoy the stories about the wild (Sundance and Butch of course) and the hardy women and men who struggled living and dying in the harsh lands.

Then, it so happens, there is a Pow-Wow going on with a dance competition for the local Native Americans.  The costumes where incredible as well as the dancing and the music.  A surprisingly fun few hours.

The town itself has some great watering holes, a smattering of excellent local art shops and the usual overabundance of t-shirts to be had.  I wish I had bought the black Stetson.

Off to Seattle........