Aug. 31
Today is our last day in Ely (pronounced E-Lee). We drove around and took lots of pictures of old vehicles and murals. I’m posting some tonight. Yesterday we couldn’t get pictures of the beautiful view from Garnet Hill because California’s wildfire smoke hid the mountains. We drove back up today just to get some pictures to show you what we were seeing. On way off the mountain Bud decides to take a road we can see leads to a town. No it was not Ely. It was a little burg that had a state prison somewhere. At least that’s what the road sign said. We did find our way home and I think it was a few miles closer that way………We are still coming home on I-40. We know of more campgrounds that way and in this heat I want electricity and air conditioning. Tomorrow we head to Pioche and Caliente,NV. I guess they are old western towns and you’d think you were in an old western movie……..Not sure how long it will be before we have internet. Just keep checking. I write the notes each night and save them so that I can post them when I have internet.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday Aug. 30
Got up today and headed to Garnet Hill. Easy drive and close to town. We found quite a few really good ones. Spent day walking all over a steep mountain and bending over to look for tiny little shiny spots. We are sore and tired. Tried to take pictures but it was terribly hazy so the mountains didn't show. I've had sinus trouble and altitude was over 7,000 feet so I thought that is why I couldn't breathe. A local girl said the haze is smoke from california's fires and that is why it's hard to breathe........ This town is really interesting. tomorrow we're going looking around at all the old trains, trucks, murals etc. Hope to have some good pictures on here...........We're basically headed for home. It is so hot that I refuse to boondock. thought we had everything set so that we could go home across I-40 but now I'm having trouble getting a park over Labor Day.
Got up today and headed to Garnet Hill. Easy drive and close to town. We found quite a few really good ones. Spent day walking all over a steep mountain and bending over to look for tiny little shiny spots. We are sore and tired. Tried to take pictures but it was terribly hazy so the mountains didn't show. I've had sinus trouble and altitude was over 7,000 feet so I thought that is why I couldn't breathe. A local girl said the haze is smoke from california's fires and that is why it's hard to breathe........ This town is really interesting. tomorrow we're going looking around at all the old trains, trucks, murals etc. Hope to have some good pictures on here...........We're basically headed for home. It is so hot that I refuse to boondock. thought we had everything set so that we could go home across I-40 but now I'm having trouble getting a park over Labor Day.
Saturday 29
Drove down to Ely, NV today. It is an old mining and railroad town. Only thing new in town is McDonald's. Hope to get lots of pictures of old trains and trucks and stuff. Bud is tired so he booked us for 3 nights. Going to Garnet Hill tomorrow......... Doing laundry today. Washing is $2.50 for regular size load and $1.00 to dry. Bud figures at these prices my washer & dryer will pay for themselves in less then a year.
Drove down to Ely, NV today. It is an old mining and railroad town. Only thing new in town is McDonald's. Hope to get lots of pictures of old trains and trucks and stuff. Bud is tired so he booked us for 3 nights. Going to Garnet Hill tomorrow......... Doing laundry today. Washing is $2.50 for regular size load and $1.00 to dry. Bud figures at these prices my washer & dryer will pay for themselves in less then a year.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Aug 28 Friday
I’m suffering from the casinos and the smoke. My head & throat hurt and my nose is running. Last night was fun but not sure it was worth it……….Drove to Wells, NV where we had reservations at a Coast To Coast park with wi-fi. Got here and found they have NO internet. We are in a graveled parking lot in a Y so have traffic on 3 sides of park. We had reserved 2 nights and a possible 3rd as Coast To Coast has nice parks (usually) and we wanted to rest. Yes, I will be calling Coast To Coast to complain. So tomorrow we’re heading south. Whoopee! We get to travel again. Heading to Ely where they supposedly have garnets just laying around………from the motor home windows we could see a sign “Bella’s” and another building. Being nosey we had to find the road to “Bella’s” and see what it was. Yep it was 2 bordellos - Bella’s and Donna’s!!
I’m suffering from the casinos and the smoke. My head & throat hurt and my nose is running. Last night was fun but not sure it was worth it……….Drove to Wells, NV where we had reservations at a Coast To Coast park with wi-fi. Got here and found they have NO internet. We are in a graveled parking lot in a Y so have traffic on 3 sides of park. We had reserved 2 nights and a possible 3rd as Coast To Coast has nice parks (usually) and we wanted to rest. Yes, I will be calling Coast To Coast to complain. So tomorrow we’re heading south. Whoopee! We get to travel again. Heading to Ely where they supposedly have garnets just laying around………from the motor home windows we could see a sign “Bella’s” and another building. Being nosey we had to find the road to “Bella’s” and see what it was. Yep it was 2 bordellos - Bella’s and Donna’s!!
Aug 27 Thursday
Left campground early and headed towards Winnemucca, NV. We took Hwy. 95. The road was a nice wide country blacktop with NO traffic. We went forever without seeing another vehicle. Saw lots of beautiful scenery and went over a few passes. Winnemucca is a pretty farm town with the added fast foods etc from I-80 traffic. In Winnemucca we stayed all night in a Wal Mart parking lot. Bud needed medicines filled so we went in to pharmacy. It was 1 hour before closing and it only took them 30 minutes to fill his order. Sure not like Ash Flat’s Wal Mart.We went to a casino for dinner. They had roast pork with potatoes, gravy, dressing, steamed veggies, roll and salad bar $11.95 for 2 meals!! It was delicious and way too much to eat so we brought home some pork. After dinner we each took $5 into the casino part. We came home with our original $10 and $13 more! I was winning pretty good considering I play pennies. Decided we’d go try another casino and use the $13. I could do nothing right at this casino so I spent more then the $13 but Bud did excellent. We came out with the $13 we went in with.
Left campground early and headed towards Winnemucca, NV. We took Hwy. 95. The road was a nice wide country blacktop with NO traffic. We went forever without seeing another vehicle. Saw lots of beautiful scenery and went over a few passes. Winnemucca is a pretty farm town with the added fast foods etc from I-80 traffic. In Winnemucca we stayed all night in a Wal Mart parking lot. Bud needed medicines filled so we went in to pharmacy. It was 1 hour before closing and it only took them 30 minutes to fill his order. Sure not like Ash Flat’s Wal Mart.We went to a casino for dinner. They had roast pork with potatoes, gravy, dressing, steamed veggies, roll and salad bar $11.95 for 2 meals!! It was delicious and way too much to eat so we brought home some pork. After dinner we each took $5 into the casino part. We came home with our original $10 and $13 more! I was winning pretty good considering I play pennies. Decided we’d go try another casino and use the $13. I could do nothing right at this casino so I spent more then the $13 but Bud did excellent. We came out with the $13 we went in with.
Wed. Aug. 26
Spent the entire day gathering obsidian. Left at 8 a.m. and got home about 7 p.m. and we’re dragging. Got LOTS of rocks! We have black, lace, rainbow, seeded and black & red obsidian. No pumpkin and that’s my favorite. Walked forever but enjoyed ourselves. The hills were covered in shiny stuff. Where I come from if you see a hillside of shiny glass it’s probably where someone had a beer party and either broke or shot the bottles. We took a different “road” out of the gathering site and I thought we’d never see another human. All of a sudden a van came up and it was a young gal with 2 children. They’d been on road 5 ½ hours hunting for the Glass Butte. And they only lived 1 ½ hrs away. We turned around and went to a spot where we could help the kids find some good stuff. We also gave her our map so that they can bring their dad and come back for a really good day of hunting. Now we’re sitting around moaning and groaning because we both hurt all over……What a great day!!!
Spent the entire day gathering obsidian. Left at 8 a.m. and got home about 7 p.m. and we’re dragging. Got LOTS of rocks! We have black, lace, rainbow, seeded and black & red obsidian. No pumpkin and that’s my favorite. Walked forever but enjoyed ourselves. The hills were covered in shiny stuff. Where I come from if you see a hillside of shiny glass it’s probably where someone had a beer party and either broke or shot the bottles. We took a different “road” out of the gathering site and I thought we’d never see another human. All of a sudden a van came up and it was a young gal with 2 children. They’d been on road 5 ½ hours hunting for the Glass Butte. And they only lived 1 ½ hrs away. We turned around and went to a spot where we could help the kids find some good stuff. We also gave her our map so that they can bring their dad and come back for a really good day of hunting. Now we’re sitting around moaning and groaning because we both hurt all over……What a great day!!!
Tuesday Aug. 25
Left the NF campground and drove about 2 miles and discovered a small touristy town. They even had a McDonalds. Continued on to Bend and a Coast to Coast campground where we’ll stay 2-3 nights. We’re about 1 hour from the Butte and all the obsidian we can haul! Took truck in to town for gas and discovered that it is illegal to pump your own gas! That’s my kind of state as I don’t pump gas. Tried to get a picture of the guys at Shell. They wear white pants, white shirts, black tie and white caps……Hey Diane & Gary. It’s Tuesday night . Guess where we ate. Taco Tuesday at Del Taco!!
Left the NF campground and drove about 2 miles and discovered a small touristy town. They even had a McDonalds. Continued on to Bend and a Coast to Coast campground where we’ll stay 2-3 nights. We’re about 1 hour from the Butte and all the obsidian we can haul! Took truck in to town for gas and discovered that it is illegal to pump your own gas! That’s my kind of state as I don’t pump gas. Tried to get a picture of the guys at Shell. They wear white pants, white shirts, black tie and white caps……Hey Diane & Gary. It’s Tuesday night . Guess where we ate. Taco Tuesday at Del Taco!!
Monday Aug. 24
Spent today driving in the mountains. We’re heading towards Glass Butte, OR which is ½ way between Bend and Burns. We’re spending the night in a National Forest campground. There are 3 of us in the campground. Saw some beautiful scenery put couldn’t get any good pictures. Between Lafayette and Salem it is all fields of nursery stock - trees, bushes and flowers. When we passed through Linn County it said they were the grass seed capital of the world. I’d never thought about where grass seed came from…… I called Coast to Coast (camping club) this morning and rejoined them. We think we’d have saved a lot on this trip if we’d been members. Camping is only $10 a night if a member.
Spent today driving in the mountains. We’re heading towards Glass Butte, OR which is ½ way between Bend and Burns. We’re spending the night in a National Forest campground. There are 3 of us in the campground. Saw some beautiful scenery put couldn’t get any good pictures. Between Lafayette and Salem it is all fields of nursery stock - trees, bushes and flowers. When we passed through Linn County it said they were the grass seed capital of the world. I’d never thought about where grass seed came from…… I called Coast to Coast (camping club) this morning and rejoined them. We think we’d have saved a lot on this trip if we’d been members. Camping is only $10 a night if a member.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
We made it!! We went to the Pacific Ocean today! Walked on 3 different beaches and went to several overlooks. The 1st beach was a typical sandy beach. I was fascinated by the rocks covered with barnacles and shells. We found lots of small, pretty rocks. The 2nd beach was covered with large trees that had washed up. We were taking pictures when I yelled at Bud that the trees on the island were moving. The island was covered in seals! We got some pretty good pictures of them. There were lots of people fishing for crabs. A very nice man and his daughter explained what they were doing and showed us their crabs. Have all that in pictures, too. The 3rd beach was Agate Beach and was all sand dunes. This fat, out of shape gal got wore out climbing those dunes.We found only a few small agates. It was windy and COLD all day!...... We drove quite a way on the famous Hwy. 101 and it was not at all like we expected. The road was a 2 lane country road with lots of traffic.........After dealing with all the traffic and not finding any vacancies we decided we will head inland with the RV tomorrow........My family and friends always tease me about taking pictures of all the crises that arise. Well Bud is just as bad. A wave came in really fast and I got soaked. I was scared I would drown and I yelled for him. He later told me he wondered if he had time to get a picture of me before he helped me!! ...........On our way back to RV tonight we stopped at a casino. We had $30 total when we went in and $29.19 when we came out. I had really good luck on the penny machines which was great 'cause Bud couldn't win anything.............Hope we can find a place to stay for several days and hope it has wi-fi. I want to get my pictures on here for all of you and want to just sit a day or two.
Saturday Aug. 22
Looking at the maps I was concerned about driving I-84 from Hermiston, OR to Portland, OR.
The road runs right along a river. Well let me tell you, that is one of the prettiest roads we've ever been on! The river is more like a large lake and we only got too close a time or two. Like when I was on the phone with our oldest son, Shane, and we had water on both sides of us. That was enough to freak anyone out. Hope I can get online soon and post pictures because it was a fantastic drive. Until we got to Portland (sigh) and we hit all the traffic. Stoplights on every cornerand bumper to bumper traffic is not our idea of fun. Portland looked like a fascinating city but again it is not something we're interested in. Arrived at Layfayette and found the RV park where we had reservations. Manager comes out of office and says "we have no spaces left". After a short discussion he said he had one site but didn't think we'd fit. Bud got us into the space! The park is the pits but it is hard to find a vacancy so we took it. Tomorrow we are heading to the ocean and to look for a spot where we can just sit for a few days.
Looking at the maps I was concerned about driving I-84 from Hermiston, OR to Portland, OR.
The road runs right along a river. Well let me tell you, that is one of the prettiest roads we've ever been on! The river is more like a large lake and we only got too close a time or two. Like when I was on the phone with our oldest son, Shane, and we had water on both sides of us. That was enough to freak anyone out. Hope I can get online soon and post pictures because it was a fantastic drive. Until we got to Portland (sigh) and we hit all the traffic. Stoplights on every cornerand bumper to bumper traffic is not our idea of fun. Portland looked like a fascinating city but again it is not something we're interested in. Arrived at Layfayette and found the RV park where we had reservations. Manager comes out of office and says "we have no spaces left". After a short discussion he said he had one site but didn't think we'd fit. Bud got us into the space! The park is the pits but it is hard to find a vacancy so we took it. Tomorrow we are heading to the ocean and to look for a spot where we can just sit for a few days.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Change of plans!
Fri. Aug 21
We are not heading to Glass Butte tomorrrow. We've changed our plans. I know, that doesn't surprise any of you. We're about 250 from the ocean and we've never seen it so we're going!
Did you know the have gems on the beach? They even have a beach called Agate Beach and we can hunt agates there...........Not sure when we'll have computer and not sure where we're going. Just check back once in awhile and see if we've been on...........We have cable TV at this park and guess what! All we get is 58 ANALOG channels. So glad we bought a digital TV. The Federal government has sure screwed up the TVs. Can you imagine if they took over our health care!!
Fri. Aug 21
We are not heading to Glass Butte tomorrrow. We've changed our plans. I know, that doesn't surprise any of you. We're about 250 from the ocean and we've never seen it so we're going!
Did you know the have gems on the beach? They even have a beach called Agate Beach and we can hunt agates there...........Not sure when we'll have computer and not sure where we're going. Just check back once in awhile and see if we've been on...........We have cable TV at this park and guess what! All we get is 58 ANALOG channels. So glad we bought a digital TV. The Federal government has sure screwed up the TVs. Can you imagine if they took over our health care!!
Fri. Aug. 21
Spent the night in a little rundown, side of Interstate, RV park. It was record breaking HOT yesterday so we had to find a spot with electricity for the air conditioner..........Thursday & Friday we drove in the southeast corner of Washington from Spokane to Hermiston, Oregon. It is rolling hills, rocks and weeds. Most barren place I think we've ever been.........We're spending tonight in a brand new park in Hermiston. Going to play "catch up" on here, do laundry and stock up supplies. We are heading to Glass Butte, OR which is 1/2 way between Bend and Burns. Glass Butte is full of obsidian and we're going hunting........Want to watch weather to see if we start for home or go to Arizona afterthat. If we start home we need to pick a route. Hard to decide. Laughlin has the best pasta resturant and we love AZ so it may win out. Will let you know next week after the obsidian hunt.
Spent the night in a little rundown, side of Interstate, RV park. It was record breaking HOT yesterday so we had to find a spot with electricity for the air conditioner..........Thursday & Friday we drove in the southeast corner of Washington from Spokane to Hermiston, Oregon. It is rolling hills, rocks and weeds. Most barren place I think we've ever been.........We're spending tonight in a brand new park in Hermiston. Going to play "catch up" on here, do laundry and stock up supplies. We are heading to Glass Butte, OR which is 1/2 way between Bend and Burns. Glass Butte is full of obsidian and we're going hunting........Want to watch weather to see if we start for home or go to Arizona afterthat. If we start home we need to pick a route. Hard to decide. Laughlin has the best pasta resturant and we love AZ so it may win out. Will let you know next week after the obsidian hunt.
Thursday Aug. 20
Hit the road this morning. Had to go over 3 BIG passes getting into Washington. We entered at Spokane and then headed southwest. It is so hot! It was 95 outside so we knew we couldn’t stay at a Wal Mart. Found a gas station with a small RV park at Tokio, WA.
It’s just us and an elderly lady with a 5th wheel. We have 8 digital and 2 analog TV stations so hope we can see some weather reports That reminds me- we bought a digital TV in Idaho and then found out that the places we stayed only had analog signals!! We thought everywhere went digital but guess not. We’re now in Pacific Time zone so everything is out of whack today.Hopefully tomorrow I can find Wi-Fi somewhere.
Wed. Aug. 19
This is our last day in Montana. Tomorrow we head into Washington. We hung around the campground most of the day. We are in a forest preserve next to Lake Como. We took a long walk over the dam and around the park. We went into Hamilton to eat at Perkin’s resturant and run computer off their Wi-Fi but didn’t do anything else.
Hit the road this morning. Had to go over 3 BIG passes getting into Washington. We entered at Spokane and then headed southwest. It is so hot! It was 95 outside so we knew we couldn’t stay at a Wal Mart. Found a gas station with a small RV park at Tokio, WA.
It’s just us and an elderly lady with a 5th wheel. We have 8 digital and 2 analog TV stations so hope we can see some weather reports That reminds me- we bought a digital TV in Idaho and then found out that the places we stayed only had analog signals!! We thought everywhere went digital but guess not. We’re now in Pacific Time zone so everything is out of whack today.Hopefully tomorrow I can find Wi-Fi somewhere.
Wed. Aug. 19
This is our last day in Montana. Tomorrow we head into Washington. We hung around the campground most of the day. We are in a forest preserve next to Lake Como. We took a long walk over the dam and around the park. We went into Hamilton to eat at Perkin’s resturant and run computer off their Wi-Fi but didn’t do anything else.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tues. Aug. 18
Had another fantastic day hunting rocks! Steve and a fellow club member, Wayne rode with us today. Wayne is a geologist so he was really helpful identifying what we found. We made a 215 mile roundtrip up into the mountains. I can’t wait to get somewhere with flat ground! We found red and green epidote, garnets and selenite. On the way to the dig we stopped to pick up some 1.4 billion year old belt rocks. We also went to a beautiful waterfall. Steve helped Bud carry a 200lb rock down the mountain and it is loaded with green epidote. Had a great time but we’re wore out. Going to stay an extra day to rest.
Did I tell you that at campround we have no TV, no phone and no internet? I’ll go nuts sitting here all day.
Had another fantastic day hunting rocks! Steve and a fellow club member, Wayne rode with us today. Wayne is a geologist so he was really helpful identifying what we found. We made a 215 mile roundtrip up into the mountains. I can’t wait to get somewhere with flat ground! We found red and green epidote, garnets and selenite. On the way to the dig we stopped to pick up some 1.4 billion year old belt rocks. We also went to a beautiful waterfall. Steve helped Bud carry a 200lb rock down the mountain and it is loaded with green epidote. Had a great time but we’re wore out. Going to stay an extra day to rest.
Did I tell you that at campround we have no TV, no phone and no internet? I’ll go nuts sitting here all day.
Monday Aug. 17
We left the “river of no return” in Salmon, ID and are now in the “Bitterroot” area of Hamilton, Montana.
We’re in a beautiful National Forest campground on Lake Como. We were pleasantly surprised to find we’ll have water and electricity. To get here we had to climb a curvy mountain to get to 7,264 feet and then slide down the other side. Not my favorite kind of road. Tomorrow we are going to climb the same mountain but will do it the hard way. We’ll be going up a gravel mountain road!!! Guess there is picture worthy scenery including 2 waterfalls. The goal is to an area that has epidot (green stuff). We’ll come back on the highway over the pass. Still not 100% sure I’m going. We’ll see if the lure of great scenery wins out………We went into Hamilton this afternoon and saw Steve’s home and workshop. He then took us to their rock club’s president’s house to see her stache. Jo has more rocks then any shop we have ever seen!! Her parents collected and she and her late husband collected for over 50 years! If anyone wants to buy rocks she is wanting to sell them and will sell cheaply. She has every size and kind imaginable. It was better then going to a museum!!………Still not sure where we are headed when we leave here.
We left the “river of no return” in Salmon, ID and are now in the “Bitterroot” area of Hamilton, Montana.
We’re in a beautiful National Forest campground on Lake Como. We were pleasantly surprised to find we’ll have water and electricity. To get here we had to climb a curvy mountain to get to 7,264 feet and then slide down the other side. Not my favorite kind of road. Tomorrow we are going to climb the same mountain but will do it the hard way. We’ll be going up a gravel mountain road!!! Guess there is picture worthy scenery including 2 waterfalls. The goal is to an area that has epidot (green stuff). We’ll come back on the highway over the pass. Still not 100% sure I’m going. We’ll see if the lure of great scenery wins out………We went into Hamilton this afternoon and saw Steve’s home and workshop. He then took us to their rock club’s president’s house to see her stache. Jo has more rocks then any shop we have ever seen!! Her parents collected and she and her late husband collected for over 50 years! If anyone wants to buy rocks she is wanting to sell them and will sell cheaply. She has every size and kind imaginable. It was better then going to a museum!!………Still not sure where we are headed when we leave here.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday Aug. 15
Finally realized I had the link to the photos on a security lock. I have changed it. If you don't already have the link in your "favorites" here is the link to the photos http://picasaweb.google.com/pokeypuppy60 Just click on the pictures to see captions......... Today is our last day here so we did laundry, packed up rocks etc. so that we're ready to go tomorrow. We'll be heading to Hamilton, MT to Steve Vieth's. Not sure what we'll be doing.........It was a cold wet day today. It was 44 degrees at 7 a.m. and only reached upper 50s. You know it was cold when I took off my sandals and put on socks and tennis shoes!........ When we leave here Monday I don't know when I'll have email again. Will be back blogging as soon as possible.
Finally realized I had the link to the photos on a security lock. I have changed it. If you don't already have the link in your "favorites" here is the link to the photos http://picasaweb.google.com/pokeypuppy60 Just click on the pictures to see captions......... Today is our last day here so we did laundry, packed up rocks etc. so that we're ready to go tomorrow. We'll be heading to Hamilton, MT to Steve Vieth's. Not sure what we'll be doing.........It was a cold wet day today. It was 44 degrees at 7 a.m. and only reached upper 50s. You know it was cold when I took off my sandals and put on socks and tennis shoes!........ When we leave here Monday I don't know when I'll have email again. Will be back blogging as soon as possible.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
What a great day we had!! Steve, Bud and I spent the day walking out in the wilderness. We were approx. 20 miles from the nearest town. We wandered up and down the mountains gathering rocks in all colors. It was like hunting Easter Eggs!!!..........It was 42 degrees at 6 a.m. and never got over 67. Fresh snow on the mountain tops, fluffy white clouds and beautiful blue skies. Couldn't ask for anything better..........I've posted 18 pictures on the picture page.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday Aug 14
It's COLD today. Cloudy, spitting rain and 64 for a high. I did the laundry and just wasted the day. For dinner we cooked buffalo burgers from Arkansas buffalo and sweet corn from Iowa. Just as we finished eating 8 of our Mormon friends came to visit. We all headed to the grocery store for ice cream. The store piles the ice cream into large styrofoam cups and charges 75 cents!
Steve Veith is driving down again tomorrow and taking us (just Bud & I) on an all day trip south of here near Challis. Not sure what we're finding there..........I'm going to post a pictue of some of our opal.
It's COLD today. Cloudy, spitting rain and 64 for a high. I did the laundry and just wasted the day. For dinner we cooked buffalo burgers from Arkansas buffalo and sweet corn from Iowa. Just as we finished eating 8 of our Mormon friends came to visit. We all headed to the grocery store for ice cream. The store piles the ice cream into large styrofoam cups and charges 75 cents!
Steve Veith is driving down again tomorrow and taking us (just Bud & I) on an all day trip south of here near Challis. Not sure what we're finding there..........I'm going to post a pictue of some of our opal.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday Aug 13
Today is the BIG DAY when we are to hunt opals with Steve. He told us to meet him at 6:30 am so we were up and at the meeting point by 6:20. Steve arrived at 8:35. some of our friends from Utah joined us - Clyde, Doyle & Sue, and Kathy. We drove 7 miles up a cowpath to the mines. We went from 3,000' elevation to 6,000. Had a good time and had unbelievable veiws! Steve then came to the RV and visited until 8:30 p.m. He brought Bud a couple knives he'd made and Bud gave him a bunch of wood and rocks.........be sure to check the pictures.
Today is the BIG DAY when we are to hunt opals with Steve. He told us to meet him at 6:30 am so we were up and at the meeting point by 6:20. Steve arrived at 8:35. some of our friends from Utah joined us - Clyde, Doyle & Sue, and Kathy. We drove 7 miles up a cowpath to the mines. We went from 3,000' elevation to 6,000. Had a good time and had unbelievable veiws! Steve then came to the RV and visited until 8:30 p.m. He brought Bud a couple knives he'd made and Bud gave him a bunch of wood and rocks.........be sure to check the pictures.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday Aug. 12
Friends from Salt lake City finally arrived. They called at 10:45 a.m. to say they were coming into town to lead us to their place for lunch. They finally got here at 1:30 and we had "lunch" at 4 p.m. Turns out they are staying 28 miles south of Salmon! The one couple, Sheldon & Amy have a house in a beautiful mountain valley. had a good visit with them. Disappointed that they aren't here in town.
Friends from Salt lake City finally arrived. They called at 10:45 a.m. to say they were coming into town to lead us to their place for lunch. They finally got here at 1:30 and we had "lunch" at 4 p.m. Turns out they are staying 28 miles south of Salmon! The one couple, Sheldon & Amy have a house in a beautiful mountain valley. had a good visit with them. Disappointed that they aren't here in town.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tuesday Aug. 11
Went for a drive south of town this morning. Tried to get to river to look for rocks but couldn't find an access. All we found in the mountains were ugly rocks. I know, inside they are probably something really good but they really were ugly. Ate lunch and we BOTH took a nap. Bud then went driving north of town but I stayed home and played Susie Homemaker. Vaccumed (Never do remember how to spell that word) and put a roast on to cook. After dinner we're going into town (2 blocks to main drag) for a gallon of milk and to get a picture of a sculpture they have on the river. The milk (whole, 2% and skim) is on sale for $1.67 a gallon! Tomorrow 6 of our friends from Salt lake City, Utah area will arrive. Can''t wait!........going to go try again to download those pictures.
Went for a drive south of town this morning. Tried to get to river to look for rocks but couldn't find an access. All we found in the mountains were ugly rocks. I know, inside they are probably something really good but they really were ugly. Ate lunch and we BOTH took a nap. Bud then went driving north of town but I stayed home and played Susie Homemaker. Vaccumed (Never do remember how to spell that word) and put a roast on to cook. After dinner we're going into town (2 blocks to main drag) for a gallon of milk and to get a picture of a sculpture they have on the river. The milk (whole, 2% and skim) is on sale for $1.67 a gallon! Tomorrow 6 of our friends from Salt lake City, Utah area will arrive. Can''t wait!........going to go try again to download those pictures.
Monday Aug. 10
Arrived in Salmon, ID early afternoon. From Rexburg to here we drove in a wide mountain valley. There was a lot os scrub brush, some farms and mountain streams. Campground sits on river although you have to walk through campground to actually see it. We went walking and discovered 4 huge pet rabbits wandering the park. we were told someone dumped them here several years ago. There is a black one next door that is a male. These are female. at dusk last night our neighbor loudly whispered "look out the window". There were 3 LARGE deer walking through the park. One had a huge set of antlers. We watched them on hill across the highway for quite awhile........ I have posted a picture of 2 rabbits and a poor picture of 1 of the deer.........haven't posted pictures as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. Little guy in computer won't post them!
Arrived in Salmon, ID early afternoon. From Rexburg to here we drove in a wide mountain valley. There was a lot os scrub brush, some farms and mountain streams. Campground sits on river although you have to walk through campground to actually see it. We went walking and discovered 4 huge pet rabbits wandering the park. we were told someone dumped them here several years ago. There is a black one next door that is a male. These are female. at dusk last night our neighbor loudly whispered "look out the window". There were 3 LARGE deer walking through the park. One had a huge set of antlers. We watched them on hill across the highway for quite awhile........ I have posted a picture of 2 rabbits and a poor picture of 1 of the deer.........haven't posted pictures as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. Little guy in computer won't post them!
Monday, August 10, 2009
I downloaded a bunch of photos to a new site. Click link below to veiw. If it doesn't work then copy it and paste to search bar.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pokeypuppy60/RockTripToIdaho?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyuuMr1_IqaqAE&feat=directlink
By the time we reached Salmon we had 500 pictures downloaded to the computer!!! And the rock hunt hasn't even started!!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/pokeypuppy60/RockTripToIdaho?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyuuMr1_IqaqAE&feat=directlink
By the time we reached Salmon we had 500 pictures downloaded to the computer!!! And the rock hunt hasn't even started!!!!
Sunday Aug.9
Stayed an extra day in Rexburg, IDaho so that Bud could rest. Shoulder where pacemaker/defib is has swollen. We rested by going to the laundromat and doing more pretting-up of the RV. Today we took all the ugly carpet stuff from around the living room slide-out. We put up marble looking peel & stick tiles in shades of brown. Looks good!!
Stayed an extra day in Rexburg, IDaho so that Bud could rest. Shoulder where pacemaker/defib is has swollen. We rested by going to the laundromat and doing more pretting-up of the RV. Today we took all the ugly carpet stuff from around the living room slide-out. We put up marble looking peel & stick tiles in shades of brown. Looks good!!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday Aug. 8
Grab your favorite drink and get comfortable. Have a lot to talk about today.
First we’ll talk about the weather. It is COLD. Don’t know what it was this morning but it never got over 55 degrees all day! I had to put on socks and shoes! Friday night we went to Wal Mart and each got 2 pairs of jeans on sale. We’re gonna need them.
We headed northeast this morning to Upper and Lower Mesa falls. They are just west of Yellowstone and in Idaho. The lower fall was very disappointing because we weren’t able to see much of it. The Upper falls were magnificent!!! We took lots of pictures. They had nice wide wooden walks with viewing areas jutting out so view was awesome. A couple in jeans and Guns ‘n Roses t-shirts were getting married at one of the overlooks. After the falls we wandered around on back roads looking for some wild life. We found it! Picked up a decent looking guy out in the middle of nowhere. He started talking about how he bought a computer and then the people send messages and they got trapped in his brain. He had to stay off the computer because he had started arguing with his brain. LOL
I had been looking all day for some of those cool barns that are buried but found none. About a mile from campsite I found one. We went down road to house and knocked on the door. We asked the little old man if we could take pictures. He was excited and insisted we go into the barns too. Again, we took lots of pictures. He was very informative. We learned that nobody in Arkansas digs their potatoes at the right time. You let them bloom and wait until a week after the 1st frost or Oct.1st you break the plants off and leave potatoes in ground a week or so to ripen. Everyone had us dig them in July!
We relaxed in the evening by tearing all the old TV stuff out of RV and installing a new digital TV and booster. We went from 3 channels to 8 and the picture is so much clearer. We considered a friends suggestion of mounting a huge cookie sheet on the roof for better reception but couldn’t find a big enough cookie sheet LOL
We considered running to Yellowstone today but all that riding and driving has caught up with us. We’re going to stay here another day and recuperate. Not fun to get old and/or have health problems.
Grab your favorite drink and get comfortable. Have a lot to talk about today.
First we’ll talk about the weather. It is COLD. Don’t know what it was this morning but it never got over 55 degrees all day! I had to put on socks and shoes! Friday night we went to Wal Mart and each got 2 pairs of jeans on sale. We’re gonna need them.
We headed northeast this morning to Upper and Lower Mesa falls. They are just west of Yellowstone and in Idaho. The lower fall was very disappointing because we weren’t able to see much of it. The Upper falls were magnificent!!! We took lots of pictures. They had nice wide wooden walks with viewing areas jutting out so view was awesome. A couple in jeans and Guns ‘n Roses t-shirts were getting married at one of the overlooks. After the falls we wandered around on back roads looking for some wild life. We found it! Picked up a decent looking guy out in the middle of nowhere. He started talking about how he bought a computer and then the people send messages and they got trapped in his brain. He had to stay off the computer because he had started arguing with his brain. LOL
I had been looking all day for some of those cool barns that are buried but found none. About a mile from campsite I found one. We went down road to house and knocked on the door. We asked the little old man if we could take pictures. He was excited and insisted we go into the barns too. Again, we took lots of pictures. He was very informative. We learned that nobody in Arkansas digs their potatoes at the right time. You let them bloom and wait until a week after the 1st frost or Oct.1st you break the plants off and leave potatoes in ground a week or so to ripen. Everyone had us dig them in July!
We relaxed in the evening by tearing all the old TV stuff out of RV and installing a new digital TV and booster. We went from 3 channels to 8 and the picture is so much clearer. We considered a friends suggestion of mounting a huge cookie sheet on the roof for better reception but couldn’t find a big enough cookie sheet LOL
We considered running to Yellowstone today but all that riding and driving has caught up with us. We’re going to stay here another day and recuperate. Not fun to get old and/or have health problems.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Saturday
Our access to interenet as been very iffy. I add blogs whenever I can. Pleas go to archives and read as I may add several at a time. This morning I managed to get 3 -4 days on here but NO pictures. Can't wait to dump a bunch of pictures on here so you can see the west.........have a great day!!!!
P.S. Last year it was 100 here and normal high is 82. We reached 62 yesterday!!!! Today is cloudy and COLD. Boise had their coldest day in history yesterday. Brrrrrrrr!
Our access to interenet as been very iffy. I add blogs whenever I can. Pleas go to archives and read as I may add several at a time. This morning I managed to get 3 -4 days on here but NO pictures. Can't wait to dump a bunch of pictures on here so you can see the west.........have a great day!!!!
P.S. Last year it was 100 here and normal high is 82. We reached 62 yesterday!!!! Today is cloudy and COLD. Boise had their coldest day in history yesterday. Brrrrrrrr!
Friday
Today’s the day we are to get our TV dish checked out as we haven’t had TV since we left home. Talked to repairman 3 times and we are to call when we get to town and he will come to us. Bud did his walk around to check motor home and truck out and discovered a flat on the truck. Long story short, it delayed us 2 hours while he had it fixed. We had a piece of metal about ¼” wide stuck in the tire.
On the road again. Surprised to find Idaho is flat going up I-15. The mountains are WAY off in the distance and we drive through potato and wheat fields. We were fascinated by a lot of the barns. They were like quanset huts covered in straw and dirt.
Arrived in Idaho Falls and called TV guy to come. He said he couldn’t figure out where we were. He’d never heard of a street by that name in Boise. Seems the website we got the name and phone number from had them mixed up. We headed to the address in Idaho Falls and repairman there helped us. Still have no TV. The owner of the shop we went to was raised in West Plains, MO and his family all lives around the area. Learned at the shop that there are NO FALLS around Idaho Falls. Don’t know where those pictures were taken that we sent around.
We’re staying 2 nights in Rexburg, ID and then go to Salmon for the opals. In morning we plan to take a day trip north of here to check out a waterfall Hopefully it will be the ones in the old email.
Today’s the day we are to get our TV dish checked out as we haven’t had TV since we left home. Talked to repairman 3 times and we are to call when we get to town and he will come to us. Bud did his walk around to check motor home and truck out and discovered a flat on the truck. Long story short, it delayed us 2 hours while he had it fixed. We had a piece of metal about ¼” wide stuck in the tire.
On the road again. Surprised to find Idaho is flat going up I-15. The mountains are WAY off in the distance and we drive through potato and wheat fields. We were fascinated by a lot of the barns. They were like quanset huts covered in straw and dirt.
Arrived in Idaho Falls and called TV guy to come. He said he couldn’t figure out where we were. He’d never heard of a street by that name in Boise. Seems the website we got the name and phone number from had them mixed up. We headed to the address in Idaho Falls and repairman there helped us. Still have no TV. The owner of the shop we went to was raised in West Plains, MO and his family all lives around the area. Learned at the shop that there are NO FALLS around Idaho Falls. Don’t know where those pictures were taken that we sent around.
We’re staying 2 nights in Rexburg, ID and then go to Salmon for the opals. In morning we plan to take a day trip north of here to check out a waterfall Hopefully it will be the ones in the old email.
Tues. Aug. 4
Spent another night at Wal mart in Laramie. There were 14 Rvs last night.
This morning we went into Wal mart and bought curtains, curtain rods and a comforter for our bedroom. We took down the ugly cornices around the windows, the day night shades and the headboard. We both love the new look.
About 8:30 we went downtown to a small bar called The Buckhorn Bar. The guys we heard Saturday night were playing. Laramie is a college town so the place was packed with children. LOL There were only 2 small tables and the owner placed one right in front of the dance floor for us. He said “the band says you’re friends of theirs so sit here”. About midnight ( that is 1 a.m. at home) I dozed off! Gino’s manager, gal in her early 40s caught me napping. I was so embarrassed!!
Wed. Aug 5
Left Laramie and drove to Rock Springs, WY where we stopped for diesel. We had a terrible scare. At the gas station I saw a copper pipe hanging under the RV. Bud looked under and saw it was attached to the propane tank! We drove 1 block to a Truck repair shop. The repairman crawled under with Bud but neither of them could figure out where the pipe went. We did figure out that we weren’t losing propane and the refrig was still running. We left there and drove to an RV shop but they wouldn’t even look at it since it involved propane. Bud said it had to be an overflow vent. I called a Camping World store and Bud & a repairman decided that it was the overflow. Bud crawled under and fastened it to the bottom of the RV. It is just by God’s grace that we were safe. The pipe had been dragging and probably sparking.
Trip over was really pretty with lots of different rock formations. Saw antelope everywhere you looked. And snow fences! I have never seen so many in so many places. Again I took lots of pictures. Just can’t get online long enough to download them.
We hadn’t planned to stay all night in town but after that ordeal we called it quits and parked at Wal Mart. There were 14 or 15 parked there for the night.
Thurs. Aug. 6
Day started out rotten. We walked over to IHOP for breakfast. Bud had 3 eggs, toast and coffee. I had 2 eggs, toast and water. Our bill was $13.89 !!
Took State Hwy.30 to Idaho. It was a really nice road with great views. Got to Sage, Idaho and thought we’d spend a night or two. They had so many interesting things to see in town and in the area. They have geyser that shoots water 100’ high! I think it is much nicer then Old Faithful ( I have pictures) Stopped at city hall to locate campgrounds. They sent us to 2 and we found 2 more. They were 1 or 2 spots in trashy trailer parks!! Nasty. No way were we parking there. So down the road we went hunting a place. Came to a tiny little town with hot lava springs. Found 2 parks there. One was run down grassy spots for $41 a night and our RV couldn’t get in the park. The other one wasn’t too much better and it was $49 a night. So down the road some more. Ended up paying $23.80. Bud says it’s ok to pay the $23 because we need electric heaters on tonight. It is 9 p.m. 58 degrees and winds are extremely high with gusts of 55 miles per hour according to the radio.
Spent another night at Wal mart in Laramie. There were 14 Rvs last night.
This morning we went into Wal mart and bought curtains, curtain rods and a comforter for our bedroom. We took down the ugly cornices around the windows, the day night shades and the headboard. We both love the new look.
About 8:30 we went downtown to a small bar called The Buckhorn Bar. The guys we heard Saturday night were playing. Laramie is a college town so the place was packed with children. LOL There were only 2 small tables and the owner placed one right in front of the dance floor for us. He said “the band says you’re friends of theirs so sit here”. About midnight ( that is 1 a.m. at home) I dozed off! Gino’s manager, gal in her early 40s caught me napping. I was so embarrassed!!
Wed. Aug 5
Left Laramie and drove to Rock Springs, WY where we stopped for diesel. We had a terrible scare. At the gas station I saw a copper pipe hanging under the RV. Bud looked under and saw it was attached to the propane tank! We drove 1 block to a Truck repair shop. The repairman crawled under with Bud but neither of them could figure out where the pipe went. We did figure out that we weren’t losing propane and the refrig was still running. We left there and drove to an RV shop but they wouldn’t even look at it since it involved propane. Bud said it had to be an overflow vent. I called a Camping World store and Bud & a repairman decided that it was the overflow. Bud crawled under and fastened it to the bottom of the RV. It is just by God’s grace that we were safe. The pipe had been dragging and probably sparking.
Trip over was really pretty with lots of different rock formations. Saw antelope everywhere you looked. And snow fences! I have never seen so many in so many places. Again I took lots of pictures. Just can’t get online long enough to download them.
We hadn’t planned to stay all night in town but after that ordeal we called it quits and parked at Wal Mart. There were 14 or 15 parked there for the night.
Thurs. Aug. 6
Day started out rotten. We walked over to IHOP for breakfast. Bud had 3 eggs, toast and coffee. I had 2 eggs, toast and water. Our bill was $13.89 !!
Took State Hwy.30 to Idaho. It was a really nice road with great views. Got to Sage, Idaho and thought we’d spend a night or two. They had so many interesting things to see in town and in the area. They have geyser that shoots water 100’ high! I think it is much nicer then Old Faithful ( I have pictures) Stopped at city hall to locate campgrounds. They sent us to 2 and we found 2 more. They were 1 or 2 spots in trashy trailer parks!! Nasty. No way were we parking there. So down the road we went hunting a place. Came to a tiny little town with hot lava springs. Found 2 parks there. One was run down grassy spots for $41 a night and our RV couldn’t get in the park. The other one wasn’t too much better and it was $49 a night. So down the road some more. Ended up paying $23.80. Bud says it’s ok to pay the $23 because we need electric heaters on tonight. It is 9 p.m. 58 degrees and winds are extremely high with gusts of 55 miles per hour according to the radio.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday
Got up this morning and counted 15 of us Rvers in Wal Mart parking lot. Town has only one campground and it is a crummy $32 a night KOA.
Our lights started dimming when the water pump ran so Bud stared looking for batteries. Wal mart no longer carries deep cell 6 volts. Went to several stores but they were out of them. We need 4 and the stores say they don’t even stock that many,
Around 2 p.m. we had a brief storm with lots of wind. Had some rain and sleet!!
Nothing else going on. Just killing time today.
Will post more pictures when we have electric hookups.
Got up this morning and counted 15 of us Rvers in Wal Mart parking lot. Town has only one campground and it is a crummy $32 a night KOA.
Our lights started dimming when the water pump ran so Bud stared looking for batteries. Wal mart no longer carries deep cell 6 volts. Went to several stores but they were out of them. We need 4 and the stores say they don’t even stock that many,
Around 2 p.m. we had a brief storm with lots of wind. Had some rain and sleet!!
Nothing else going on. Just killing time today.
Will post more pictures when we have electric hookups.
Sunday
Beautiful, beautiful day! Wide open spaces, blue skies and lots of antelope. So far the roads have been straighter and nicer then Illinois roads.
We stopped a t a very nice rest area just outside Laramie,WY. They had a huge bust of Abe Lincoln. The rest area had lots of information on the Lincoln Highway which is now part of I-80. It was the first intercontinental highway and was completed in 1938.
We are spending 2 ½ days here and it is love at first site. The town is nice and flat at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. It has 27,000 residents and the University of Wyoming. Look across the planes and you can see snow topped mountains. (sigh).
In the afternoon we drove 40 miles up into the mountains to Centennial (elevation 8,700’) to a bar to hear 3 Blues bands. We were early so went further up the mountain. The forests look so pitiful as beetles are killing all the pines. Some recreation areas are closed where they are cutting the dead trees. We stopped to take pictures along a mountain stream and Bud spotted a deer peeking around a bush.
On to the bar we went. The whole evening was just surreal. The bands played in the side yard and it was so friendly and so casual. We got to talk to everybody involved in the performance. Google these guys up and you can see who we were with - Blinddog Smokin with Carl Gustafson, Gino Matteo and Carl Weathersby. We sat all night at a table with Carl Gustafson’s childhood friend and Carl!! The whole night was like a fantasy - awesome!!!!
Beautiful, beautiful day! Wide open spaces, blue skies and lots of antelope. So far the roads have been straighter and nicer then Illinois roads.
We stopped a t a very nice rest area just outside Laramie,WY. They had a huge bust of Abe Lincoln. The rest area had lots of information on the Lincoln Highway which is now part of I-80. It was the first intercontinental highway and was completed in 1938.
We are spending 2 ½ days here and it is love at first site. The town is nice and flat at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. It has 27,000 residents and the University of Wyoming. Look across the planes and you can see snow topped mountains. (sigh).
In the afternoon we drove 40 miles up into the mountains to Centennial (elevation 8,700’) to a bar to hear 3 Blues bands. We were early so went further up the mountain. The forests look so pitiful as beetles are killing all the pines. Some recreation areas are closed where they are cutting the dead trees. We stopped to take pictures along a mountain stream and Bud spotted a deer peeking around a bush.
On to the bar we went. The whole evening was just surreal. The bands played in the side yard and it was so friendly and so casual. We got to talk to everybody involved in the performance. Google these guys up and you can see who we were with - Blinddog Smokin with Carl Gustafson, Gino Matteo and Carl Weathersby. We sat all night at a table with Carl Gustafson’s childhood friend and Carl!! The whole night was like a fantasy - awesome!!!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Aug. 1, 2009
Spent another day in Chappell, NE. It is a tiny town with couple bars, junk shops and a grocery. Wanted to do laundry but there isn't one so drove 16 miles to Julesburg, Colorado. Didn't do the laundry as I didn't like the place. Went into a variety store and an antique store while there. We also made another walking trip into town to check out the stores. Tomorrow we head for Laramie, WY. Haven't been able to locate a campground so may be at Wal Mart parking lot. If so, we probably won't be on here for several days. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be in the mountains at a Blues show so should have pictures to post when I'm back on.
Spent another day in Chappell, NE. It is a tiny town with couple bars, junk shops and a grocery. Wanted to do laundry but there isn't one so drove 16 miles to Julesburg, Colorado. Didn't do the laundry as I didn't like the place. Went into a variety store and an antique store while there. We also made another walking trip into town to check out the stores. Tomorrow we head for Laramie, WY. Haven't been able to locate a campground so may be at Wal Mart parking lot. If so, we probably won't be on here for several days. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be in the mountains at a Blues show so should have pictures to post when I'm back on.
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