May 2, 2013 - over and out

We packed up in the crisp clean air (read - below freezing!) of Bryce Canyon and headed west again. This is definitely a place to revisit in the future – not too early because of the cold temperatures and not too late because of the crowds! But a return trip, for sure. This final leg of our travels in the states has taken us through some wonderful and unexpectedly scenic countryside. From Utah into Nevada we drove miles across wide valleys and over passes of about 6500 feet. You would pass the odd farmhouse with no neighbours anywhere in...

Aug 29, 2012 - Crossing the Cascade Mountains on Hwy 20 in Washington

We headed east in Washinton over the Cascade Mountains. Stayed two nights in the Northern Cascade National Park. Camped at the Colonial Creek Campground on Diablo Lake. Hiked in to Ross Lake Dam and on to Ross Lake Resort. You can only get there by foot or ferry!. We took the fast ferry back. I promised Archie a lunch after the hike in, but it turns out they don't serve food at the resort! Everyone packs in their own food! We had candy bars and soda for lunch. I owe her one! This park is a beautiful place! The pictures we took don't do it...

Apr 5, 2012 - Omak or bust

April 5, Thursday - Stayed at the Wild Horse Casino in Pendelton. Left this morning and drove to Bridgeport for lunch at Nells Cafe. this is a neat little town, they had some trees on main street that died or something, so a wood carver made animals out of them, and coated with varnish. Great food! Drove onto Omak, Washington for the night.(Just south of the Canadian Border) Its a municiple park and full of BC people. Friday - These Snowbirds have to Land, and then onto Salmon Arm for the Masters on Sunday.

Jul 4, 2011 - Omak, Washington

Had to replace the two front tires on the motorhome. 4 years ago, I paid extra to have Goodyear RV tires installed. These tires are junk and with just 15k miles, they are wearing so uneven, I had to replace them. Replaced with Toyo M120Z 255/70-22.5 truck tires at Les Schwab. No more Goodyear tires for me. We also discovered the air conditioning on the RV isn't working. Gary says trouble runs in threes. Hmmmm.... the leaky propane hose (1); the uneven wearing of the front tire (now replaced with two new ones) (2); and the a/c on the fritz...

Aug 15, 2010 - Kamloops to Omak, Washington

Miles Today: 226 Trip Miles: 9,156 The drive today from Kamloops, B.C. to Omak, Washington today took us through the Okanogan Valley. When we took this road in 1971, we remembered the beauty of the drive and all the fruit orchards. It still has those characteristics, but the population has exploded. From Vernon to Oliver it was about continuous houses, shopping areas and stoplights. And the traffic was heavy. The large lakes were busy with boaters, etc. At Oliver, there were hundreds of "rafters" floating on the "canal" between two lakes....

Jun 23, 2010 - Washington

We left Cascade this morning about 7:15 and drove 423 miles to the city of Omak, Washington. It is about 50 miles south of the Canadian border, which means we will probably cross over tomorrow into Canada. The ride was great and we once again got to see some wonderful scenery and the Grand Coolie Dam. That was one big dam. We are staying in a really nice city campground that has full hook ups and is only $20.00 for the night. We probably won't have any internet or cellphone access while in Cananda, so there won't be any updates for about...

May 17, 2010 - Maryhill, WA to Grand Coulee Dam, then Omak, WA (fairgrounds)

Left camp about 9AM and headed toward the highway along the river. Somehow we ended up driving through some really nice fruit orchards, but realized we'd missed the turn to the highway we wanted. Got turned around and on the right road - and were treated to some spectacular views of the Columbia River gorge and one of the up-river dams with locke. This is part of the "Coulee Corridor" which gets its water from the Grand Coulee dam, Banks Lake and assorted other rivers and lakes. The water irrigates a huge portion of Washington. What helped...

Aug 22, 2009 - Happy 28th Anniversary to us!!

. August 21, 1981, I married my best friend..28 years together and where has the time gone?? Still together after all these years and trying to keep an eye on the prize!! After breakfast this morning we headed out onto to Highway 3 through the Similkameen Valley to the infamous Nighthawk border crossing. This crossing is 31 kilometers from Osoyoos and consists of two buildings. The border crossing is located along the Burlington Northern Railway. It is usually known as "the Nighthawk crossing" on the Canadian side, though the official name...

Oct 8, 2008 - Trip to USA & Wine Tour

Today we decided to take a trip south into Washington as we are quite close to the US border. We headed south of Osoyoos entering WA State at Oroville. From there we proceeded south to a town called Omak where we stopped for lunch. The restaurant we choose was called Magoo’s and was decorated in a Disney fairy tale theme and heavily decorated for Halloween. The food was good enough. This drive was not as scenic as we had hoped. The area if very desert like and the roadside yards were quite junky compared to the Canadian side. The scenery of...

Aug 17, 2008 - From the frying pan into the fire

Cooled down this morning, only in the 70’s and some clouds. Made a big pancake breakfast for our hosts and then we toured a large new golf course development up in the hills and saw how the other half lived. Not like we ever will, tell ya that. After that we got in our truck and followed them about 25 miles south to a much larger town called Kelowna that is still on Lake Okanagan, which Vernon is on. They have a beautiful waterfront that has recently been redeveloped. Unfortunately it was quite a trick to get to it. There was a triathalon...

Jun 10, 2007 - Omak, Wa. & a Cruise up Lake Chelan

Arriving in Omak, Washington, we settled into the our campsite at the Stampede (Omak City Park). Omak is the home of the Stampede & the famous Suicide Race (located next to the Okanogan River). One Saturday & Sunday afternoon we were treated to a free show in the campground, three young country singers sang for about 4 hours. They were awesome! We wouldn't be surprised if we saw them hit the big time some day. Info on Suicide Race - Each year 20 horses qualify & run four consecutive nights sfter the Stampede Rodeo performances are finished....

Sep 7, 2006 - North Cascade Natl Park

One problem discovered after visiting the Canadian Rockies is that they are so much more beautiful than other mountain areas that when you visit a place like the North Cascades National Park the mountains dim in comparison. It also didn't help that the forest fires around the area are so severe that when you get up in the mountains you can hardly see. There are warnings out for breathing conditions, and when you get out of the truck you can tell it immediately in your sinus and lungs. The drive though was very nice in spite of the smoke....