G& J go to Canada, Part 2

Welcome back to the States! Montana, to be exact. We drove into Glacier National Park through the East Gate so as to drive the 51-mile-long "Road to the Sun" through the park, down to the West Gate entrance. By my reckoning, Glacier Park is all about that road! Amazing feat of engineering, circa 1930. "Scary" narrow road today with continuing repair and upgrading.
Believe me, I was really grateful for the several "one way only" traffic sections, which really slowed your miles-per-hour! Add rock to a retaining wall, yes! (see guys being lowered by crain and cage, over the side?) "Ground" is probably 5,000 ft. below.


I was SO happy that our direction put me against the cliff wall (lower left corner of my photo shows side mirror just missing the rock as we pulled aside for a dump truck! to pass by)

The "top" is through a tunnel at Logan Pass (so named for the park superintendent William R. Logan who pushed for just such a road to be built in the first place).

Not sure if I can trace our Logan family to his;will try however)

We lodged just outside the park in a 1907 building that had been originally in the park in the town of Glacier and used as a Masonic Lodge.

The Historic Tamarack Lodge and Cabins. http://www.historictamaracklodge.com/

What is so neat about this place is not only the place (great log furniture, a main room with wonderful memorbilia, books, REAL fireplace), but also the hospitality of the folks who run it AND live there! Tis a B&B too, if you prefer that kind of accommodation. Or in family-styled cabins. We stayed in a room upstairs in the main lodge. Check it out for sure if you head up to Glacier.
P.S. Rates are less expensive than those places inside the park.

Well, I've lots more to tell but most is about geology and rocks, so I'll spare y'all. Thanks for reading my wandering memories of our wandering.

Gr & J Go to Canada

Drove first to Canmore, Alberta, Canada where we stayed at one of WorldMark's timeshare resorts is, outside of Banff National Park (which costs something like $15/person to be in!) Resort located below the Three Sisters, actually a single rock formation of three "thrusts."

First on our list was to ride a "gondola' up some mountain so as to see the spectacular view promised in brochures. We chose to skip the more popular, therefore more crowded, Banff Mt. ride in favor of one near Lake Louise.

Not in one of those nice enclosed, safe-looking little thingies, but a ski lift chair. Oh, my. See Judy gripping the chicken bar up AND back down. View...yes, was worth it. And Judy made it to the top and could smile when she got off.....and afterwards at the bottom with Gary. All captured on....as we used to say "on film."

Lake Louise viewed from the top of a ski lift is, well, all-telling.

Once you get drive into the valley, park your car in the very congested parking lot, and walk to the lakeside promenade, which has tons of tourists all taking pictures....the only thing to do is sit down and have a beer and French onion soup at the outdoor Brasserie of the Chateaux facing the end of the lake.









Next stop: Banff, the town. The v. tourist town, with eateries (aka pubs)

and souvenir shoppes, one after the other.

Flowing through the town of Banff is the Bow River, again

with that distinctive turquoise blue water, which I captured at last on my camera!

Once you head south of Calgary towards the States, you're out of the Canadian Rockies and driving along the simply gorgeous " Cowboy Trail" by ranches with herds of handsome cattle and the occasional storefront. For example, Longview's world-famous "Jerky Store" where the fellas workin' were all wearing cowboy hats!

Say farewell to Canada, fellow Road Trippers, we're headed into Montana and Glacier National Park next. Hope you'll come along.

Mini-trip Up the Valley

Another day-only road trip. A new pal along this time. Becky--with the cool shades, posing with She Who Drives, Carla, of course.


Destination: none in particular. Just a direction: "up the valley," as in the Yakima Valley, north of the Tri-Cities. With sundry stops along the way in mind.


First stop: Prosser, WA to visit what I always term a "shoppe." A place to delight the feminine in a woman. Filled with fragrance, gentle colors, and definitely frivolous.






















Other Prosser stops: *Hopfengarden Home* which your blogger here would call an eclectic shoppe, whose items had a bit of an East Indian edge to them, ranging from cotton table cloths to wind chimes to beads. Get an image?

*Starbucks* for a cooling drink and, of course, their ever-handy restrooms.


On to Sunnyside for lunch! www.snipesmountain.com

Lunch stop: Snipes.

Not the actual mountain, but a really great Pub & Brewery.
Becky was our Sacajawea in finding this place. Thanks, Becky!
Wow. What a place! Log structure, tasty food, and cooling microbrew. (I learned that IPA means India Pale Ale, BTW. ) Good thing we ate "in" this trip because it was a really really really hot day.

On to Yakima where beckoned a scrapbooking store (for Carla and Judith--no surprise, eh?) and a Border's Books (for Becky). Oh, and a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream store! Oh, joy. Oh, rapture.

Last stop was yet one more Shoppe. *Melange* I know, folks, those familiar with the small farm towns up the Valley still find it a stretch to envision wee, upscale frou frou stores at the edges of hop fields. However, the Yakima Valley is becoming a wine region, we must remember! Carla bought some clever office supplies. Judith bought some red kitchen cloths (aka: dish rags). Becky bought a dish towel--not just your mother's old type towel, either. [wink]


However, at this point, the afternoon was on the wane, and we headed for the barn, happy with our souvenirs, happy with our food and beverages, and definitely happy with the glow of time spent in the company of women friends. Wish you all could have joined us.

mini-trip to Depoe Bay OREGON

Tuesday, July 7: drove down the Washington side of the Columbia River. First stop: Maryhill Winery where I had never been before. Wow, what a spread! Obviously, I felt as if someone should be at the entrance, greeting visitors with open arms.





As is my longtime tradition, I bought another apron. Couldn't resist, "I often cook with wine. Occasionally, I use it in the recipe."









I now have aprons from Buenas Aires Argentina and Zijantaneo Mexico to Winnemuca NV and Washtucna WA. And I wear them to cook in. How DO you other women cook without wearing aprons, I wonder.
Destination: WorldMark resort at Depoe Bay, Oregon. The best thing about this resort? Every unit faces water, ocean or cove. Gorgeous views. Probably our most favorite of the resorts so far.

We had a 3rd-floor unit, complete as always with lovely and ample accommodations. King bed in master suite, accessed through double doors and with" window in the interior wall" to allow view of ocean through the living room.

Up in Lincoln City, friends from Portland were staying in their motorhome. We "toured" their home, had brunch down at our place, and dined in Newport at Gary's and my FAVE place, http://www.localocean.net/ The Most delish pan-fried oysters and slaw with fennel.

Unlike our usual trips to the coast, we didn't buy any fresh seafood for back in our resort unit--not with the price of crab at $9.99/lb. and a pint of oysters at $14. NO WAY.

Barb Bonnema Brown, friend from 1973 (!) shown here, welcoming us into what she and Bob fondly call "The Beast."


Gary and I drove home on the third/next day, purposefully taking a different highway so as to avoid the ABsolute traffice jam through what used to be a little burg when we lived down there in the 80's! Can you say "grid lock traffic lights"? Ah, Portland and your suburbs, how you have grown! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~another good little road trip accomplished. we decided. Thanks for traveling a la Dame Judith :)

Road trip June 09 to Heppner OR

Destination: Heppner, OR, county seat of Morrow County

(photo: the county courthouse, of course)

Companion: Carla McLane, Planning Director of Morrow County

Reason for going: so that I could do some research on an ancestor who lived (and died there in 1897). Note: didn't find much, other than newspaper mention of how the coroner's inquest determined that he had died intoxicated as witnesses testified. Apparently after a binge on New Year's Eve., one can only surmise as "his body was found" the next morning.

Route: along Willow Creek, where the Oregon Trail crossed and pioneers settled little towns such as Ione, Cecil, and Heppner--established eventually as the county seat.

Having Carla along was fabulous; she knows every turn in the road and the everything you'd ever want to know about the area, past and present.

We'd take the lesser road traveled just to drive through, say a town populated by only 300 folks. We'd stop to check out a historical sign. Loved the one that gave the words of the "Homesteader's song:"

I'll sing of its praises, I'll tell of its fame, while starving to death, on my government claim.

Carla had packed us a yummy picnic lunch of bagels & cream cheese, sliced turkey, assorted cheeses, and.............(drum roll) decadent cream puffs. We ate under old shade trees by a creek in the city park before going into the historical museum on the property. The weather was warm but not too hot, unlike our home cities were that day.

view from above Heppner, up by the cemetary and the dam, which now protects the valley town from flash floods.

Returned by a different road, gazing in awe at the land that goes on and on forever.....without "civilization" even today.

May09 to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Road trip for G& J, up to Lake Coeur d'Alene to stay in WorldMark timeshare, the penthouse. Top. three windows plus two small to right.

Companions: granddaughter Jessie (8), her BGF Katie (8), and Mandy, Jessie's cousin from Idaho who is babysitting her all summer.

I call this picture "3 girls-to-go" in the pickup backseat.

The resort was out on the lake, a good half-hour from the town of Coeur d'Alene. Weather when we got there was grey and chilly, but the penthouse thrilled us all--especially the girls who thought it all rawther gorgeous.

Three bedrooms, each with its own TV. Two baths (adults had a bathroom "suite"), fully equipped laundry room, not just "closet appliances," huge kitchen with breakfast bar, full dining room level a step up from the living room, which had a lake-view balcony. Master suite had lovely little chaise (actually a chair plus ottoman) where I could sit and view the lake. First time for us resort members to be able to rent a penthouse unit. Gary reminded me, "Don't get used to it. " [wink]

The next day, Gary took the girls to Silverwood Theme Park where they had a blast! He gave each girl $20 to spend however they liked, reminding them there would be no additional monies, "So don't even ask." They didn't and they played games and won stuffed animal prizes and bought jewelry and cotton candy.....well, you get the picture. Me? Grandma? Oh, I don't do carnival rides and such, so I stayed at resort and read and read read--to my heart's content.

On the return trip, they did stop at the grocery store, so we had much more to eat that night and the next morning for breakfast before getting back into the pickup and heading back home.

Oh, the lake? Couldn't see all that much of it for other buildings along the shore in front of ours. Oh, well. Still.....a penthouse experience. Who cares?

Photos from Ranch trip--first attempt to post

Destination: Farmington, WA --




cemetary in distance up on hill


















View "down" from Steptoe Butte