Here’s the family album page of the blog so you can skim through it, but please take a look at the picture of this lovely group I belong to.  For those who need a program, here’s the cast of characters – Tim - #1 son, Jay - #2  son,  Erika – daughter, Jen – Tim’s girlfriend, Chandra – Jay’s fiancee, Janey -  sister-in-law.  Decided against descriptions for anyone  lest I be accused of picking a favorite (that’s a comment that’s been making the rounds).

Had some time before picking up Janey at the airport so decided to take a look around Great Falls.  There’s a terrific Lewis & Clark museum that lets you walk a maze through their entire journey.  Add a Ken Burns film and everything you wanted to know about their trek is there.  When they arrived, they expected to find one waterfall and thought they’d spend an afternoon dragging their canoes around it.  Instead, there were five of them so ended up spending a month.

Janey & I left for Yellowstone the following day and got there in time to look around the sights at the north entrance.  What a show at Mammoth Hot Springs!  The bull elks are in a romantic mood so one large one was keeping careful watch over his girlfriends who were happily grazing on the Village Green - must have been 25 or more.  Lurking in the shadows (between the post office and the museum) was a possible contender and a wanna-be (spike).  The rangers were kept busy herding the spectators away from the possible confrontation.  Quite exciting!  Heard later on the trail that the bull attacked a red compact.  Not their favorite color, I guess.

There was a mix-up on the reservations I made on Orbitz and the price of our room was confirmed for $100 more than expected.  Janey called Orbitz, who connected us to the hotel and they agreed to give us the only room they had available for the original price – a 2 room suite with 2 king-size beds, a full kitchen and huge deck. She’s a very valuable traveling companion.

We saw beautiful hot water falls, pools, streams & mini-geysers – all in a variety of colors - bright blues, oranges, browns and kelly greens -depended on the type of thermo-vegetation growing in the warm to really hot water.  Some even looked like paint pots that bubbled like thick grey pudding. The grand finale was the Old Faithful performance.  I don’t care how many pictures you see, it’s thrilling to see it begin with fits and starts and then explode.

I was around 10 when I visited Yellowstone with my brother, sister and parents.  The joke was we walked out and back.  Every time we got in a tussle in the back seat, dad would stop the car, make us get out, give each a quick smack on the side of the head and make us walk.  The routine was repeated regularly.  Surprisingly, we all remember a lot of the sights

Because of the smoke, we could only see the outline of the Grand Tetons on our way to Jackson Hole, but the following day, we drove through them when we began our race across Idaho.  We made it to northern Oregon and drove the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side of the river.  Heard it was a great drive and wanted to have the option making some stops without having to rely on finding the right exit. Beautiful overlooks along a winding road.

Our first was Maryville, perched on a hill overlooking the river, the former home of railroad heir Howard Hill which has been turned into museum and gallery.  Beautiful paintings and museum pieces, a sculpture garden, Native American exhibits, and more.  Apparently he had a close relationship with Romanian royalty because most of the first floor consisted of Queen Marie memorabilia.  She was quite a talent - poet, furniture designer, architect, and had a very tiny waist (one of her gowns was on display).

We also stopped by the Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center.  It’s a beautiful building that highlights the development of the area from river travel to railroad (the golden spike was put in near there).  We also stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.  Life-sized models of the travelers on the trail (including the oxen).  A costumed presenter also gave us a peek into what the women wore as underwear.  There’s a good reason we go in groups to the restroom.  A leisurely trek down the hill to the trail belied the uphill climb back to the parking lot.  Janey was a good sport as I found several occasions to stave off a heart attack and  “admire the view”.

Met Chandra, Tim & Jen at the rented house in Portland.  Jay arrived that evening and Erika the following morning.  Great fun to have everyone together and super kudos to Chandra for arranging some great places for us to dine over the weekend.  She’s an editor for a food magazine so has the inside info on tasty spots – in fact the owner of one of them let Jay use his bike for the race.  She also arranged for us to stay for a couple of days at a wine-maker’s home in the Willamette Valley after the race.  (It’s pronounced Willamette – dammit -  my host in Boulder gave me that helpful hint).

Saturday we drooled over the offerings at the Portland Farmer’s Market and picked up some fixings to make a Sunday evening celebration dinner. Then it was off to the 600’ Multnomah Falls.

Chandra “volunteered” to take Jay to the triathlon check-in at 6 am on Sunday morning. He had a rough time with the swimming portion of the race – said he felt nauseous half way through and wasn’t sure he’d be able to finish.  Recovered tho and made up time in the bicycle and running portions and finished respectably, We were all at the finish with cameras flashing and a beer waiting. 

Off to Willamette on Sunday afternoon. We first met at a winery and my crack navigator, Erika, found a lovely back-road drive thru..  Back at the house, all pitched in to make a beautifully- presented and delicious salad and pasta dinner.  Should have taken pictures, it was so lovely.  Janey had an early Monday flight back to NY and Tim & Jen joined Jay, Chandra and Erika for some winery visits before their early evening flight back to San Diego.  Jay, Chandra, Erika & I were the lucky beneficiaries of the leftovers.  (I didn’t think I liked beets!)

When Jay, Chandra & Erika left for the Portland airport on Tuesday morning, Patience & I got on the road for our next adventure –a drive along the Oregon coast.

It’s been a while so  lots to say.  My feelings won’t be hurt if you decide “enough already” and bail out.  Decided this blog will also serve as my notes, so when my mind clouds, I’ll have a record of the adventure. 

 Left Utah and headed north.  Decided to take the quickie (interstate) route as I’m spending a few days in Glacier before picking up Janey for our wander thru Yellowstone.  Stayed overnight in Idaho Falls and headed on to Great Falls MT.

Ran into my first unpleasant motel neighbor in Idaho Falls – he left the TV on all night so I woke up at 3 am and decided to begin my trip a bit earlier.  Left a note on his door, requesting he be more considerate of future travelers.

Very smoky just outside of Idaho Falls until Dillon, MT.  Turned my lights on bright at one point and then had to turn them down as it was like driving thru thick fog.  

 Saw I was driving by Helena so since it was before noon, decided to take a tour of the capital.  It looks a lot like the one in Pierre and turns out the SD folks copied the MT plans.  Lovely statues of Jeannette Rankin and Mike Mansfield.  Jeannette was quite a determined woman.  First female elected to Congress (before women could vote), a suffragette and voted against both WW1 and 2.  There was a niche in the lower lobby for Senator Mansfield but he refused to stand alone; insisted his wife Maureen is at his side so the couple is in the upper lobby together.  Quite romantic, don’t you think?

There are beautiful paintings in the chambers so, unlike the SD capital, doors are locked.  One of the more interesting stories is the artist who painted scenes of Montana life had never been west of the Mississippi so was a little confused about what people actually looked like.  One was of an Indian in a Plains headdress and an Asian-style wrap placed in the midst of an AZ style desert.  But the most amusing was the representative cowboy.  The painter was Italian so he had his brother pose as the model, looked a lot like a cross between Yosemite Sam and a comical Sonny Bono with a large mustache.   

Overnight in Great Falls and then on to Glacier.  My biker friends suggested the Big Red Bus at Glacier so that was my first tour.  They said if I drove the Road to the Sun, I’d spend so much time watching the road, I’d miss the sights.  They’re the original 1930s buses, retrofitted and reinforced to run on propane. The canvas top can be retracted leaving us with a chrome grid to see through to the sky. Left at 10:00 and with lots of stops along the way, we were back by 5. Our driver and guide, Parker, dropped out of grad school to see the world so when Glacier closes, he’s off to New Zealand. Told a harrowing story about being caught in a rainstorm with rocks and boulders being hurled down the mountain.  The passengers had to leave the bus and crouch under a rocky ledge.  Bet he reserves that story for sunny days. Also talked about the need to set off avalanches in the winter so there would be fewer surprises in the spring.  One year someone had the bright idea of having 3 fighter jets go thru at 900 mph.  Worked great – 25 avalanches but scared the hell out of the animals. Back to targeted explosives.  Met couples from Michigan and Australia.  The Aussies had stopped off on their way back from the Olympic Games in London.  Makes it sound like “as long as we’re in the neighborhood, let’s drop in”. 

First close encounter with wildlife!  Some bighorn sheep were grazing about 50’ from the bus.  It was fun to see how excited everyone got at seeing them.  We did a “prairie dog pop-up”, poking our heads through the gratings to take pictures. 

Waterton Falls, Canada

Went to the Canadian side of Glacier the following day.  Patience missed the turn so we got to go thru Canadian customs and then back again thru USA then back to Canadian at the park entrance.  Was glad the only things they were interested in were fruit and weapons.  It would have been quite a production to go thru the contents of the car.  Did own up to a steak knife, tho.  More cows in the middle of the road so had to drive carefully unless I wanted a passenger.

Waterton Lake is part of the Canadian side of the Peace Park with Glacier.  The agreement was made in the 30s that the countries would never go to war with each other. Perhaps we could think about doing that with the rest of the world

My search for bears in Waterton proved fruitless.  A couple I met from Calgary had a grizzly cross the road in front of them, saw a black bear eating berries at a wayside and ran into a mom and 2 cubs on the trail.  They even agreed to email the pictures to me so I could claim them as my own. My conscience got the best of me tho. The fellow at the gas station told me they were playing with the flags at the golf course so I went chasing out there.  No bears – he opined that I might be a bear repellant.  There should be lots around as they’re getting ready for the winter so they’re out and about gorging themselves on berries.  Finally, with the help of Laurie (a fellow traveler with a camper named Turtle from Ogden UT) saw a speck of a mom and a cub (thru binoculars) on a mountainside back in Glacier.

The beauty of Glacier was everything I’d hoped for.  Went thru every entrance so I could see it from every angle. The mountains were formed by 600 million year old mountains from the East thrust on top of 100 million year old mountains and according to the geologists, they’re still moving. Again, most of my exercise (except for hiking to Lost Horse Creek Falls in Waterton and Running Eagle Falls in Two Medicine) was getting out of the car at the scenic overlooks.

Stopped for breakfast at the Two Medicine Café and noticed an older fellow sitting alone at a table.  Asked if I could join him and it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever done.  He was a Blackfoot Cultural Storyteller and I spent almost 2 hours listening him talk about being raised by his medicine woman grandmother in the house behind their family ranch.  Told me about the Native American religion and the spiritual connection to the earth, the healing powers of the roots and herbs, learning from the animals and the weather patterns and described step by step, the vision quest undertaken by the younger members.  Also talked about the lack of credit given to the women of the tribe.  I suggested he write that book and dedicate it to his grandmother.  I could have spent the entire day with him. 

Decided to end this novel here and write more later on the trip to Yellowstone with Janey and meeting the family in Portland for Jay’s triathlon and the celebration of Jay and Chandra’s engagement.  Lots of lovely things happening.

The Black Canyon was well worth the visit...staring down 2,000' into a rocky gorge with a river winding through it.  There was a huge flat wall the height of two Empire State Buildings with slashes of white rock running through it - magma from a volcano had inserted itself into it.  Nice beginning for my ride to Mesa Verde.  Noticed a sign along the road warning people not to pick up hitchhikers.  All was explained when I drove by the Delta Correctional Facility and figured out who those nice people were, picking up roadside trash.

Went from green mountains to beautiful red canyons.  Colorado's got it all!  Also saw signs for open range and cattle guards (metal grates) on the roads.  Guess the cows can come and go as they please with the canyon walls for fences.  Sure would be a disappointment if the only large animals I saw were cows.  Heard that's where they winter.

Stopped by a town (rather a former town) named Uravan.  It was a bustling uranium mining town in the 50's- complete with homes, parks, stores and medical facilities.  Now there's nothing - no remnants at all.  Right now a company is doing its best to clean it up.

Went to church in Durango and the speaker was a professor who teaches Native American writing at Ft. Lewis College.  Discussed the similarity in values between Indian and Christianity, just different rituals.  Unfortunately, Indian children were taken from their parents and forced to attend Christian boarding schools.  One chief commented " The white man gave us their religion but forgot to keep some of it for themselves"

Then it was on to Mesa Verde.  Another high-wire act!  Both in and out of the car.  Got to the top of the mesa and then took a tour of Balcony House and Cliff Palace - back to back.  Probably not my best idea. Visualized you gathered around, reading the will.

The people built their homes 100' below the top of the mesa into the side of the cliff.  They farmed the top of the mesa and lived below it so had to make the trip every day.  I walked down to each site and then climbed back up (one way up included a 30'+ ladder along the cliff wall). Amazing construction considering they had no metal tools - just chipped away at the sandstone bricks with stones.  It was also pretty clever, because they were shielded from the elements and their community kivas (15" deep round pits) were a constant 55 degrees, winter and summer.  The following day I saw Long House, another long descent and ascent.but it included a tram ride afterwards.  Saw where the fire in 2000 had taken out a huge area of pines and junipers.  Some of the trees were 1,300 years old and will take 100-200 years to restore.  On the upside, I met a lovely couple from Lafayette who invited me for a genuine Cajun dinner when I come thru Louisiana.

Went to a Native American pow wow dance one evening performed by a husband (Lakota) and wife (Navajo) team.  Both are middle school teachers on the reservation and have performed around the world.  The costumes were magnificent.  The buckskin dress she wore took 3 years to bead.  He did a hoop dance with 8 large hoops that would have had me eating dust with the first steps.

On to Utah!  This sign says it all - tempting but it was 7:30 am.  Stopped at the Peach Tree Juice Bar in Montecello for a Dr. Suess breakfast (green eggs & ham).  Yummy pesto and spinach scrambled eggs.  Sat with a couple around my age from Pueblo, CO who have been biking through CO & UT.  Gave me some great tips on what to see. While we were sitting there, a couple of other bikers came in - one with a camera on his helmet!!!

Stopped in Needles(recommended by my biker friends).  Lovely spiked formations in the bottom of a canyon.  Had the entire place to myself.  There was one bench at the top of an outlook so I sat there for a while - so peaceful and quiet.

Patience has been snubbing her nose at most gas stations - getting between 45-55 mpg and even 58 once.  Think that was when we did a lot of coasting downhill.  Also, she has a new accessory - a sun bonnet.  We're a little short of trees in the parks.  Keep hearing my mom saying "Park in the shade".  Well, there isn't any!

Went to Canyonlands first and sat in on two ranger talks.  One was on the geology of the area - at one point this was beachfront property, then came lakes, rivers and erosion.  The ribboned layers tell the story of its evolution (do I dare say that word?),  Hard to believe that I may be driving on an ancient ocean floor.  Another site was  Upheaval Dome.  Not sure if it was hit by a meteor or a volcanic eruption pushed the salt beds from the ocean floor to the surface.  He also talked about the Powell geological expedition which began in WY and went down the Colorado River thru the Grand Canyon.  Very impressive, considering Powell had lost an arm in the Civil War.

The second was a volunteer ranger who told us about the dangers of hiking in the canyons due to flash floods and he spoke from personal experience.  Even tho it looks dry and dusty, if it starts to rain, haul your a** to higher ground.  Don't be fooled by the sprinkles.  The gully race "is on" to get to the Colorado River.  In fact, the most common cause of death in the canyon is drowning.  With my experience, I'd have guessed heart attack.  Sadly, this year was NOT the one to go white water rafting as the river is pretty low.  Glad I checked that one off in Alaska.

Listened to a peppy ranger from Ladysmith WI give a talk on observing the skies and what the sights may have meant to early inhabitants.  It was held at a beautiful campsite in Arches Nation Park.

Another observation - lots of European visitors.  In Mesa Verde, the Netherlands were #1.  But I think there's a new champion in town.  Went to the breakfast room to get some tea and the language I heard most was German.  A couple from Italy are taking on a chunk of the country at a time.  This year it's the southwest, next year it's Colorado and Montana.  One ambitious soul from Estonia is leap-frogging across the country.  Was in Chicago two days ago.

Spent a morning in Dead Horse Canyon.  Not going to tell you how it got its name; however, it's been the scene for lots of movies that want to look like they're taking place in the Grand Canyon...a couple John Ford westerns and the high flying Thelma & Louise.  It's half as long and half as deep as Grand.

I'm on the road to Salt Lake City to visit Raya and April...get to spend some time being grandma.  On the way, I passed two semi trucks rolled over, tires up.  Not even in the mountain area...a straight stretch of road.  Pay attention to the road, Granny! 

Passed thru another set of mountains. There's a lengthy area where the cliffs are ribboned with light to dark shades of green.  Learned that's probably copper from my ranger-led geology program.  Also puffs of red and gold scattered throughout the mountain-side.  Fall is coming.   Noticed a side turn off called Starvation Road.  Wish I'd have kept track of some of the more interesting ones, like No Name, CO.

Will talk to you later when I begin my trip up to Glacier next week.

Agate in NE

Lowered my handlebars and drove thru a chunk of Wyoming before hitting Nebraska.  Just when I didn't think I'd have anything nice to say about about the state, I found these beautiful outcroppings of stone.  I'm amazed at how quickly scenery changes and there are beautiful things to see no matter where you are.  Took a walk thru 4 million years 22 - 18,000,000 at the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument  Very stark but lovely formations.  They think the prehistoric animals (a 2 tusked rhinoceros plus others) ate all the vegetation around the  lake and then died in the lake when they came back for water.

Pat at 12,000'

I'm running out of adjectives to describe the beauty I found in the Colorado mountains so will compact it into this account.  Went from 6,000 to 11, 000 to 8,000 to 12,000 along beautiful and scary roads.  At times my tummy exchanged places with my heart and thought I should get out and crawl up on all fours - the Wild Mouse ride but at 12,000 feet.  The the road ranged from lovely drives thru canyons to narrow ones along a  sheer wall with no center line and no guard rail, looking down 2,000 ft. into a valley. Took the Peak to Peak, Top of the Rockies, Independence Creek, Clear Creek Canyon and many more.  Patience is so quiet - it's  a very serene feeling, especially when coasting down. The roads tack up the mountainside like a ribbon of 10, 15 & 20 mph turns.  Once I congratulated myself for making it thru a twisty-turny high run and damned if I didn't turn around an do it again.  Sure glad I got that height-fright taken care of earlier. Most of my exercise came from getting in and out of the car looking at scenic overlooks.  Got a bit winded on one of the treks but blamed it on the altitude.  Passed my first truck - he was going 20, I was going 36.  Kept thinking how you would drive this in winter and then got my answer - you don't.  Big ROAD CLOSED gates at lots of entrances.  Wish there was a video camera on Patience to record all of it.

Stayed in a UU network B & B in Lewisville (outside of Boulder) for 4 days.  My host, Vicki,  was a delightful woman and a global hiker.  Quite an inspiration!  Within a few minutes, she made me feel right at home.  Went to  church with her on Sunday morning for an outdoor service and everyone got an over-the-sink-eatin' peach. Didn't know Colorado was famous for peaches too. On Monday, a friend of MK's I'd met at Ebertfest, treated me to lunch and we took a tour of Celestial Seasonings.  A healthy eating, hippie-begun project in the late 60's that blossomed into a global operation.

Coming down from Rocky Mt. Nat. Park, I stopped at Granby and talked (over a 3-meal pulled pork sandwich) with a fellow who worked on exposing the Rocky Mt Flats plutonium fiasco.  He's insistent there's still contamination there.  He's also trying to convince the local politicians (with some success) to approve growing hemp.  Says it's fast growing, replaces nutrients depleted by our current crops, a great air cleaner and an excellent source for fabric.  One teeny-tiny drawback.  He also explores ghost towns that dot the Colorado area when the silver mining stopped.

Clear Creek Canyon was one of my favorites so took it again on my way to Leadville.  Had to take the interstate for a bit and couldn't help but marvel at the engineering it took to build it.  Ramps, bridges, tunnels, river on one side, rock wall on the other - it's all there, carved thru the mountain.  Stopped along the way at Georgetown and took a Thomas the Train ride on the old (restored) mining tracks to Silver Plume and back.  Was in an open car on a 200' high trestle before looping down to the station.  A grandpa was having trouble cheering up his young granddaughter who was probably tired and hungry - and pouty.  Figured I'd have a crack at her.  When the conversation was having limited success, I found some mints in my purse and soon we were good buddies - she talked all the way up and back.  We looked for animals and fish in the stream but she was especially interested in the huge boulders with lichen and what the pine beetles had done to the trees.  We decided we needed more woodpeckers.

Stayed at another lovely B & B for a couple of days in Leadville. My hosts were very kind and also the parents of a Patriot football player so I watched some of the pre-season game with the Giants.  Not a good outcome for the Pats. Although I'm not usually an early breakfast person, it was lovely to sit around the table with other travelers.  One couple is biking the Colorado Trail from Denver to Silverton -only packed 20 lbs. of belongings. Another, was from Kansas and regular attendees of the Vail jazz festival. And, an older couple moved from the Yosemite area to New Mexico to be near the NRA headquarters. (Best behavior time for Pat)

It's the home of several boom and bust silver miners, including the Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Turns out she was quiet a force for social services and even ran for the Senate twice (before women were allowed to vote).  Stopped by the museum, toured a lovely home and the opera house.  It was quite the social center of CO and was even in the running for capital. Lots of famous performers came thru. Found out that when morale was waning, someone had the grand idea to build a Normandy-style ice castle on 5 acres of land.   It was completed in January but I think you can guess what happened in March.  Lots of these older towns are restoring their historic buildings and painting their homes in beautiful colors that accentuate the detailing.

Stopped in Glendale Springs on my way to Grand Junction.  Went to the visitor center and spoke with the woman who usually leads the tours of the Colorado Hotel.  Seems there's a Chicago connection; Al Capone was a regular visitor to the hotel and hot springs.  Although it was his intention to remain undercover, when you show up in 3 Lincoln convertibles, it didn't take a genius to figure out he was in town.  The hotel has been beautifully restored and one wall was lined with pictures of their famous guests - it was particular favorite of  Teddy Roosevelt and there's a lovely display commemorating the first "Teddy Bear".  Dropped by the local museum and spoke with the volunteer about area and she gave me some great advice on which roads to take on my southerly route to Cortez and Mesa Verde.  Was going to stop by Doc Holiday's resting place but took one look at the hike up the hill to the cemetery and made a U-turn.

Patience in Uncompahgre Nat.Forest

Colorado Monument

Well, the scenery (and temperature) has changed.  Went from 55 degrees in Leadville to mid-90's yesterday.  Went thru the Colorado National Monument park yesterday outside Grand Junction.  We've now moved from pine forested mountains to what I imagine is Grand Canyon style topography.  Still driving along elevated roads, just different views when you look down into the canyons.  Met some people at an abandoned stone home on the way to Montrose.  The couple were from Indiana and were taking the Amtrak tour around the country.  You can get off and on anywhere, and they'd rented a car to see this part of the state.  The fellow was touring the area by motorcycle.  I stopped at the ONLY restaurant within 50 miles and as I was eating my BLT, he came in and we had lunch together.  He's from AZ and travels the country in an RV.  Parks it and then explores on the motorcycle. He'd crawled into the house we were observing from the road and had taken some interesting interior pictures. He'd also been to Canada so we had lots to talk about.

Am leaving today for Cortez and Mesa Verde.  Plan to stay in that area for a few days.  Talked to a couple at the restaurant I stopped by last nite and they insisted I see nearby Black Canyon before I go, so that's where I'm headed.  See you later.