Sep 22, 2012 - Day 2 Clarkston

September 22, 2012 We are staying at one of the nicest, well appointed camps. What is amazing is that although it is very private, we are literally next door to Costco with Walmart across from it. Decided to spend another night. Such a shame we are in a valley which we were told is now the smokiest part of the entire Pacific NW because of all the fires. Last night’s dinner was pasta with garlic butter mussels that we got in Vancouver. Had the 2008 Hedges which was a red blend. I made thin pancakes this morning for a treat! The camp is...

Sep 22, 2012 - Postscript "Travels With Pepper"

I was not able to add a last chapter to our earlier journal "Travels With Pepper" so have added a postscript in our current journal in spirit. We had a wonderful trip with Pepper in the spring. He was the perfectly behaved dog in every respect. We thought he would bark being near animals in national parks or would be a nuisance in other ways. Not! However, mid way through the trip and really overt night, he did not want to be in the rig. For those of you who read our journal you know he was "not a happy camper". Once home we realized he was...

Sep 20, 2012 - Clarkston, WA

Tuesday morning found us heading to Clarkston, WA where Dale and I were hosting a McKenzie NW Chapter campout at Hell's Canyon RV Park. We have been staying at this RV Park since it opened and hoped our McKenzie friends would like this park as well. It is located at the Marina on the Snake River in Clarkston just off Hwy 12. We had 6 other rigs join us for this campout and sorry that three other rigs were unable to make the trip. The park has a wonderful club house and they let us use it for the duration of our stay. Loren & Kathleen Koller...

Aug 27, 2012 - Buffalo Eddy

Aug 27, 2012 Buffalo Eddy/Nez Perce National Park This morning we drove out to Buffalo Eddy which is in Nez Perce National Park. This was a scenic drive along the Snake River in Washington which is part of Hell’s Canyon. The rock bluffs on the Idaho side of the river are steep in varying shades of gray/tan with little or no greenery. On the Washington side of the river there are rocky areas with scattered openings of sandy beach. We parked the truck and hiked the Buffalo Eddy Trail which is short, but travels into a mysterious past. Along...

Aug 9, 2012 - More

8/4-6 Our stay in the Lewis ton, ID/Blackstone, WA was very relaxing, as the hot weather finally caught up to see we tried to do indoor activity. We visited a Wolf sanctuary, where there were about seven living there at this time, they take in ones that people capture and try to keep. We wandered around however never caught sight of one until we were leaving and finally saw two, they were in a 20 acre and a 2 acre enclosed area. I was nice to eat outside when the temps cooled and watch the Olympics on the outside TV. The next day we went to...

Aug 5, 2012 - On the road

After a few days in the Coeur d'Alene, ID area we travelled along 95 a beautiful drive. Wheat & barley fields along the windy road, a really nice drive to Clarkston, WA. The RV Park we are in is on the Snake River, very neat and clean, believe it or not directly behind Costco and a new Walmart. There is a 16 mile bike path along the river, which is great for exercise and Maddie walking. We had wanted to do a river trip but after checking out a few decided they were too long, didn't see enough and a little pricey. After a great Mexican food...

Jun 9, 2012 - On the Palouse

Yesterday was my first day on the Palouse. This is a farming area bordered by Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It is rolling hills and there is a lot of contour plowing which leaves great patterns. It was not a great day for photography as it was very cloudy and rained off and on. But I did get these photographs and a few others. Today I tried it again and it rained the whole day and it is pouring while I am writing this. No photos today.

Jun 7, 2012 - Clarkston, WA

Arrived in Clarkston, WA., after a cross country drive on mostly 2 lane roads. It was trying to rain the entire trip. Thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow. Not very conducive to good photography. Staying at a RV park right next to the river. Nice place and it's next to Costco and across the street from WalMart. It does not get any better.

Oct 4, 2011 - Traveling the Great Columbia

There were about 120 passengers on the boat from all over the country and some from Canada as well. The accommodations were very good, the food was excellent (of course) and the service was outstanding. We saw many sights while boating along the river and through the 8 locks we passed through. The weather started out as typical NW dismal, drizzly weather but soon turned sunny and warm. We had a fantastic trip. Some of the port/shore tour highlights were: Astoria, OR – the famous Astoria column; Ft Clapsop, the 1805-06 headquarters of the...

Sep 25, 2011 - Hells Canyon – Columbia River Cruise

This cruise is actually an “expedition.” The National Geographic Sea Bird is owned by Lindblad Expeditions in cooperation with its partner National Geographic. We have onboard experts in biology, geology, history, and photography guiding us. The ship accommodates 62 passengers in 31 small cabins, with a crew of 29; 59 passengers were on this voyage. Our cabin is on the Main Deck between the Lounge and the Dining Room. Our big window is not far above the water line, making for fascinating views as we pass through locks in the middle of the...

Aug 21, 2011 - Puttin' on the Ritz

We are staying "uptown" in an RV Resort. We have stayed in a number of private campgrounds on our adventure but I think this is our first resort. Of course increased dollars goes with it. We are right on the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers in Clarkston, Washington. Just across the water is where Lewis and Clark camped in the early 1800's with the Indians for the winter. They eventually went down the Columbia River to the Pacific ocean. Pretty neat. Anyway this is a very nice campground as you will note in the pictures....

Aug 7, 2011 - Hells Canyon National Recreation Area

Today we took the Snake Dancer jet boat up the Snake River for 120 mile round trip for 5 hrs thru Hells Canyon. We left right from the dock at our RV Park about 10:am. What fantastic Scenery. We saw Indian Petroglyphs and the Nez Perce Crossing (this when the CA and OR army was chasing them), some historal ranches cattle and sheep ranches dating back to the late 1800's and abandoned mines. Along the way we could see the exposed lava flows looking like stacks of pipes. We saw Big Horn Sheep on the rocks and a big ram watching his flock. We...