8/5/10
Despite my not getting up until almost 10, we were packed and out of Fairmont Hot Springs RV park by 10:40. We only got as far as the water park down the street. Aspen and I went on the waterslide, the adults loitered in the pool, and we all sunbathed until I got sun burnt. I got a pretty sweet burn on my chest, but everyone else made it out of Fairmont unscathed.
That was about 1 o’clock. We made sandwiches in the trailer, then continued on to Deer Lodge. We’ve parked and unloaded in the Deer Lodge KOA kampground. Don’t tell Mom, but I saw a little water snake in the river when we were walking the dogs. There’s some good tourism in Deer Lodge. I’m looking forward to the Cowboys, Cons and Cars museum in the old prison, and Mom wants to go to the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Everyone back in Bertha, the dogs are in the trailer with the air conditioning, and we’re foot loose and fancy free!
As we were pulling in here, we stopped at the Les Schwab to fix Aspen’s quad tire, which got punctured while they were quadding yesterday. They couldn’t sell us one because they don’t carry that size, but the guy fixed it with a patch for free. We ended up buying a patch kit from them, but I love that about Les Schewab that they will just fix something for you. Les Schwab always gets my business because of that home-town style of heling a neighbor in need. Like real America.
At 4 o’clock or so, we pulled into the Grant-Kors Ranch, which is the only National Historic Site that is still working in its field. They have 50 something head of cattle, some of it langhorn, and 40 claves. I guess that’s a lot for one summer. Aspen bought a mind trick puzzle made of two nails, I got a patch for my blanket and Aspen bought a pin for his hat. They also sold the plans for this chair that folds into a step ladder that was invented at the ranch.
The big white house was where the family lived, and their cook was a 4’ 10” woman working for a really tall German family, so she built herself a chair ladder to reach the upper cabinets. The house was well preserved by the various generations who lived there. All the original carpet, furniture, wall paper, paintings, records and journals were all saved since 1860 or so, which is just amazing. On the other side of the train tracks, the working ranch is still operating.
At 5:30, when they closed, we went into town, looked at the prison - which was like a sandstone colored castle -- then drove around in circles until Dad finally got us into the A&W drive in for ice cream. We went back to the trailer after that. The lightning storm passed right over us, and it was noisy and the lightning flashed, but it didn‘t really rain. I made dinner, and we watched some of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on the laptop. Mom’s heading to bed early, so we’re all following suit.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Summer 2010: BUST!
This morning, we packed up, got out of here by 10:40, and were headed for Fairmont Hot Springs resort. We arrived by noonish, unhitched, ditched the dogs, and went to Anaconda. The name trips me out every time, because I’m always thinking of snakes.
We had to call my Uncle Dave, and tell him we aren’t going to make it to Colorado, and it turns out, he was going to be, and in fact already has been, out of town himself the entire time. We are rather miffed that he couldn’t be bothered to tell us this earlier. We don’t feel so guilty that we are missing him now.
‘The Daily Grind’ was where we stopped for lunch, my pick. It was excellent. Some cheerleaders were all eating together with their boyfriends at one table, several generations from great-grandma to baby girl were at another table, and some old people who get together every day for lunch were all there. The boys got burgers, I got a gyro salad (who would have thought, good Greek food in Anaconda?) and Mom got a sandwich the size of her head. It was quick and hot, and after we ate, we talked to our waitress then headed out to Phillipsburg.
It almost became a ghost town in the ‘30s until someone realized: Tourism. The gems they used to mine are now for sale, and there are several antique stores there. The first, and most important thing we did there, was go to The Sweet Palace, a candy store. It was little Honeyduke’s in Hogsmeade, except all wood paneling and western flavor. There was so much candy, it was overwhelming. The taffy machine was pulling huckleberry taffy in the front window, and they gave us pieces to try. There were jars of candy sticks, boxes of candy bars, bowls and jugs of jelly beans or taffy or hard candies or chocolate covered things, and a basket of sour fruit laces and a lollipop tree, all labeled. There were plastic bags everywhere for you to fill with whatever you wanted. In the center was a bar with windows of all the kinds of chocolates, and the check out counter was lined with fudge. There was an entire wall of licorice.
The sweetest little girl (pardon the pun) started talking to me at the rock candy table. She was telling me about prices and the weights and advising me only to get what I could eat. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her before we left. She looked exactly like me at 8. She talked like me. I think I met myself today.
Heavily laden with candy, we wandered around town (majorly overpriced antiques) then went to Granite Ghost Town. The dirt road was very windy and long, with a narrow shoulder and nowhere to turn around. On this tiny road, our truck (formerly dubbed "Super Behemoth") earned the ever-so-appropriate new name "Big Bertha." There were no houses in sight, yet we passed a kid selling soda and water for a dollar. I guess the desire to open a lemonade stand is so strong in kids, you’ll do it even if you live out in the middle of nowhere.
The ghost town was the ghostiest ghost town I’d ever seen. They don’t maintain the roads anymore, and the whole place is falling apart. The 3 story meeting place used to be brick and steel, and now is crumbled in. Some of the stack stone buildings have partial standing walls, and some of the wooden mining structures were still up, even if they were collapsing in on themselves.
It was also funny to run into some people from Wenatchee in a ghost town in Montana.
On the way back down, we bought a soda from the kid selling, and he said at least 20 cars go up there every day. He was probably Aspen’s age, and pretty adorable with his hand written sign.
We went home to Fairmont after that, and now Mom is working while the boys do some quadding. We’ll likely to swimming in the hot springs, and go down the water slide tomorrow, and maybe get to Seeley Lake before the week-enders. It’s good to be in Montana!
Summer 2010: BUST!
So we headed north. And we all feel good. It was like something lifted off us when we crossed the state line. Things are good here. We’re excited.
8/4/10
I’m not doing so well on keeping things up to date as I had hoped I would, but bear in mind, once my mother had children, she lost interest in this task also.
Once we arrived in Montana, our spirits picked up, and we all felt like our trip had finally started. On the 2nd, two nights ago, we set down in Southside RV,
where a tow-headed teenage boy in a World War II era jeep showed us where to pull through. There was a little creek running through the park, and we let the dogs walk in it.
When the trailer is unhitched, it’s like the world is our oyster. We toured downtown Dillon, Montana, the home of the University of Montana Western (Go bulldogs!), and it was very cute, in general. The major amenities were a little way off the freeway, and except for the Safeway, all the stores were different from home.
For dinner, we ate at the Lion’s Den Supper Club, which was quite good. The waitress was pretty funny -- Dad wanted to make sure he got enough Splenda for his iced tea, so she brought out a whole soup bowl full of it for him and wanted to know if that was enough. Mom and I had fun with the typos on the menu: Such favorites as “graver” (gravy) and “sautéed nad tossed” (sautéed and tossed) and “100%beef.”
After dinner, we jay-walked across the street to the Rocky Mountain Supply Store, which was a gas station and an everything store. They sold pizza inside, and jeans and candy. The lady behind the counter was nice too.
The next day, we went on An Adventure in Montana. We went to Bannack State Park,
which was an old mining ghost town that they are refurbishing. It was still being used, like the houses and stuff, up until the 50’s, so when we went inside the houses, there was linoleum on the floors, and fabric on the walls instead of wall paper, all right over the raw wood of the original building. The Masonic temple/schoolhouse was in excellent condition, whether from the Mason’s quality construction, or the refurbishing, I don’t know.
The Gibson house was once used as a quarantine hospital for the seriously ill, and a lot of babies died there. It was all rotted out, the floors shook, and there were holes in the walls where the sunlight could get in, but I went up the narrow, tall steps to the upstairs anyway. It was scary, especially with the creepy baby-crying sound my dad kept making. Totally worth it, though.
There was a bunny on the bridge on our way in too, and it wasn’t afraid of the
truck, so we were all yelling, “MOVE, Bunny, MOVE!” Finally it ran away after Dad backed the truck up and I was halfway out of the backseat trying to get it to flee. It was a cute bunny.
We had some cheese, crackers, Cokes and plums before we continued down the lonely road to Crystal Park.
We got to go 70 all the way. Crystal Park is a state park that is in the mountains. You basically pull off the main road, walk up the path 300 feet or so, and all along the hillside are holes people had dug. It reminded Mom of the movie “Holes.” All we had to do was borrow their shovel and their sifter, scoop up some dirt and look for shiny stuff in it. They are just little quartz crystals, so they aren’t worth much, but they are pretty cool.
We did a lot of shopping that day too, and went to Uncle Bob’s Outdoor store -- I forget what we went in for, but the guy let me handle some of the guns even though the sign behind him said ‘18 and over’ and I said I was waiting ‘til I turned 18 to buy. But, whatever. Dad got some more shirts, which he needed, and I got some lotion, which I didn’t. Then we went to Quality Supply, which was another everything store. We got a tarp, a Moon Pie, a Mag-light and some other stuff. We bought the batteries for Brodie’s shock collar, so maybe she’ll stop annoying us so much.
We went home after that so Mom could get some work done, and I made dinner. We had borrowed ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’ from the RV store, so we went into the laundry room to run our clothes, watch the movie, and let Mom finish working. It was funny, but not great or anything. It made the time go by faster.
8/4/10
I’m not doing so well on keeping things up to date as I had hoped I would, but bear in mind, once my mother had children, she lost interest in this task also.
Once we arrived in Montana, our spirits picked up, and we all felt like our trip had finally started. On the 2nd, two nights ago, we set down in Southside RV,
where a tow-headed teenage boy in a World War II era jeep showed us where to pull through. There was a little creek running through the park, and we let the dogs walk in it.
When the trailer is unhitched, it’s like the world is our oyster. We toured downtown Dillon, Montana, the home of the University of Montana Western (Go bulldogs!), and it was very cute, in general. The major amenities were a little way off the freeway, and except for the Safeway, all the stores were different from home.
For dinner, we ate at the Lion’s Den Supper Club, which was quite good. The waitress was pretty funny -- Dad wanted to make sure he got enough Splenda for his iced tea, so she brought out a whole soup bowl full of it for him and wanted to know if that was enough. Mom and I had fun with the typos on the menu: Such favorites as “graver” (gravy) and “sautéed nad tossed” (sautéed and tossed) and “100%beef.”
After dinner, we jay-walked across the street to the Rocky Mountain Supply Store, which was a gas station and an everything store. They sold pizza inside, and jeans and candy. The lady behind the counter was nice too.
The next day, we went on An Adventure in Montana. We went to Bannack State Park,
which was an old mining ghost town that they are refurbishing. It was still being used, like the houses and stuff, up until the 50’s, so when we went inside the houses, there was linoleum on the floors, and fabric on the walls instead of wall paper, all right over the raw wood of the original building. The Masonic temple/schoolhouse was in excellent condition, whether from the Mason’s quality construction, or the refurbishing, I don’t know.
The Gibson house was once used as a quarantine hospital for the seriously ill, and a lot of babies died there. It was all rotted out, the floors shook, and there were holes in the walls where the sunlight could get in, but I went up the narrow, tall steps to the upstairs anyway. It was scary, especially with the creepy baby-crying sound my dad kept making. Totally worth it, though.
There was a bunny on the bridge on our way in too, and it wasn’t afraid of the
truck, so we were all yelling, “MOVE, Bunny, MOVE!” Finally it ran away after Dad backed the truck up and I was halfway out of the backseat trying to get it to flee. It was a cute bunny.
We had some cheese, crackers, Cokes and plums before we continued down the lonely road to Crystal Park.
We got to go 70 all the way. Crystal Park is a state park that is in the mountains. You basically pull off the main road, walk up the path 300 feet or so, and all along the hillside are holes people had dug. It reminded Mom of the movie “Holes.” All we had to do was borrow their shovel and their sifter, scoop up some dirt and look for shiny stuff in it. They are just little quartz crystals, so they aren’t worth much, but they are pretty cool.
We did a lot of shopping that day too, and went to Uncle Bob’s Outdoor store -- I forget what we went in for, but the guy let me handle some of the guns even though the sign behind him said ‘18 and over’ and I said I was waiting ‘til I turned 18 to buy. But, whatever. Dad got some more shirts, which he needed, and I got some lotion, which I didn’t. Then we went to Quality Supply, which was another everything store. We got a tarp, a Moon Pie, a Mag-light and some other stuff. We bought the batteries for Brodie’s shock collar, so maybe she’ll stop annoying us so much.
We went home after that so Mom could get some work done, and I made dinner. We had borrowed ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’ from the RV store, so we went into the laundry room to run our clothes, watch the movie, and let Mom finish working. It was funny, but not great or anything. It made the time go by faster.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Summer 2010: Colorado or Bust
The boys spent Saturday quadding, and had a great time. They drove 50 miles, and took a lot of pictures. Mom laid on the couch, I used the internet, and we didn’t plan our trip any further.
Sunday, we went to Craters of the Moon.
It opened at 8, and we intended to be there at opening when it would be cool. We pulled in to the visitor’s center at 11. Dad bought a shirt -- because he forgot to pack any -- and we got some postcards and stamps for our national park passport. We climbed Cindercone, which was a big black hill of lava rocks.
It only took five minutes, and the whole pile was just black lava. There were some interesting foreign tourists, like the German girl in the mini skirt. It was so windy, which is the only way the 80 degree heat wasn’t completely insufferable.
We also took a half mile hike and read the plaques about the lava flows and stuff. The aa and the pahoehoe are different kinds of lava deposits. Or something like that. There was a rock which some kid mailed back to the visitor’s center, after he took it from the monument, with a letter he wrote about how he felt bad for taking it, so on the Cindercone, I stole a rock. And I don’t feel bad about it either.
We also went in the caves, which were so cold and dark, and scary, but totally awesome. We went in Dewdrop cave, which wasn’t very big and smelled bad.
The openings of these caves are just basically holes in the ground right off the edge of the paved trail, so you step off into this never never land of loose rock and danger. Mom and I used both hands and both feet to get around, but the boys managed to stay upright for the most part.
Boy Scout cave was low, and wet, and very dark, and long and creepy.
There was a lot of standing water and some dripping water, which was creepy. This lady and her husband came out of Boy Scout cave just as we were going in, and they were really nice. She made us touch her hands to feel how cold it was. The husband was Australian, and the wife was Californian. She reminded me a lot of my teacher, Jill, which is a compliment.
Beauty cave was the easiest. The ceiling was high, not too dark or deep, and was pretty flat on the bottom. You could basically walk without a flashlight even though it was dark.
We went back to the trailer after that, and Aspen and Dad went quadding again, another fifty miles or so. Mom and I cleaned, and made dinner when the boys came home. I got into a very long conversation with the husband from the neighboring trailer about politics. He and his wife are snow birds from northern Arizona. It was nice to have someone to talk to about politics who wasn’t Poppers. Just for a new perspective.
The next morning, 8/2/10, we got up early, put all our stuff together, and were to Rose’s house by 11:30.
We couldn’t pull into her road, so we stopped in a Mormon church. Rose came with us into Idaho Falls, on our quest for a Laundromat (there wasn’t one) then we took her to lunch at Garcia’s. It was very good, but their enchiladas made me sick.
Rose and I were total dorks, hugging everywhere we went and giggling like idiots. It was good to see her. We couldn’t stay too long, and so by 2 or so, we left her at her house and went east.
In Ririe, Idaho, a little after 2:30, we got gas at a Sinclair, and we all finally confessed that no one was having a very good time, we didn’t want to go through Wyoming, Colorado wasn’t looking that exciting, and why can’t we just go to Montana?
Sunday, we went to Craters of the Moon.
It opened at 8, and we intended to be there at opening when it would be cool. We pulled in to the visitor’s center at 11. Dad bought a shirt -- because he forgot to pack any -- and we got some postcards and stamps for our national park passport. We climbed Cindercone, which was a big black hill of lava rocks.
It only took five minutes, and the whole pile was just black lava. There were some interesting foreign tourists, like the German girl in the mini skirt. It was so windy, which is the only way the 80 degree heat wasn’t completely insufferable.
We also took a half mile hike and read the plaques about the lava flows and stuff. The aa and the pahoehoe are different kinds of lava deposits. Or something like that. There was a rock which some kid mailed back to the visitor’s center, after he took it from the monument, with a letter he wrote about how he felt bad for taking it, so on the Cindercone, I stole a rock. And I don’t feel bad about it either.
We also went in the caves, which were so cold and dark, and scary, but totally awesome. We went in Dewdrop cave, which wasn’t very big and smelled bad.
The openings of these caves are just basically holes in the ground right off the edge of the paved trail, so you step off into this never never land of loose rock and danger. Mom and I used both hands and both feet to get around, but the boys managed to stay upright for the most part.
Boy Scout cave was low, and wet, and very dark, and long and creepy.
There was a lot of standing water and some dripping water, which was creepy. This lady and her husband came out of Boy Scout cave just as we were going in, and they were really nice. She made us touch her hands to feel how cold it was. The husband was Australian, and the wife was Californian. She reminded me a lot of my teacher, Jill, which is a compliment.
Beauty cave was the easiest. The ceiling was high, not too dark or deep, and was pretty flat on the bottom. You could basically walk without a flashlight even though it was dark.
We went back to the trailer after that, and Aspen and Dad went quadding again, another fifty miles or so. Mom and I cleaned, and made dinner when the boys came home. I got into a very long conversation with the husband from the neighboring trailer about politics. He and his wife are snow birds from northern Arizona. It was nice to have someone to talk to about politics who wasn’t Poppers. Just for a new perspective.
The next morning, 8/2/10, we got up early, put all our stuff together, and were to Rose’s house by 11:30.
We couldn’t pull into her road, so we stopped in a Mormon church. Rose came with us into Idaho Falls, on our quest for a Laundromat (there wasn’t one) then we took her to lunch at Garcia’s. It was very good, but their enchiladas made me sick.
Rose and I were total dorks, hugging everywhere we went and giggling like idiots. It was good to see her. We couldn’t stay too long, and so by 2 or so, we left her at her house and went east.
In Ririe, Idaho, a little after 2:30, we got gas at a Sinclair, and we all finally confessed that no one was having a very good time, we didn’t want to go through Wyoming, Colorado wasn’t looking that exciting, and why can’t we just go to Montana?
Summer 2010: Colorado or Bust
The boys spent Saturday quadding, and had a great time. They drove 50 miles, and tok a lot of pictures. Mom laid on the couch, I used the internet, and we didn’t plan our trip any further.
Sunday, we went to Craters of the moon. It opened at 8, and we intended to be there at opening when it would be cool. We pulled in to the visitor’s center at 11. Dad bought a shirt -- because he forgot to pack any -- and we got some postcards and stamps for our national park passport. We climbed Cindercone, which was a big black hill of lava rocks. It only took five minutes, and the whole pile was just black lava. There were some interesting foreign tourists, like the German girl in the mini skirt. It was so windy, which is the only way the 80 degree heat wasn’t completely insufferable.
We also took a half mile hike and read the plaques about the lava flows and stuff. The aa and the pahoehoe are different kinds of lava deposits. Or something like that. There was a rock which some kid mailed back to the visitor’s center, after he took it from the monument, with a letter he wrote about how he felt bad for taking it, so on the Cindercone, I stole a rock. And I don’t feel bad about it either.
We also went in the caves, which were so cold and dark, and scary, but totally awesome. We went in Dewdrop cave, which wasn’t very big and smelled bad. The openings of these caves are just basically holes in the ground right off the edge of the paved trail, so you step off into this never never land of loose rock and danger. Mom and I used both hands and both feet to get around, but the boys managed to stay upright for the most part.
Boy Scout cave was low, and wet, and very dark, and long and creepy. There was a lot of standing water and some dripping water, which was creepy. This lady and her husband came out of Boy Scout cave just as we were going in, and they were really nice. She made us touch her hands to feel how cold it was. The husband was Australian, and the wife was Californian. She reminded me a lot of my teacher, Jill, which is a compliment.
Beauty cave was the easiest. The ceiling was high, not too dark or deep, and was pretty flat on the bottom. You could basically walk without a flashlight even though it was dark. We went back to the trailer after that, and Aspen and Dad went quadding again, another fifty miles or so. Mom and I cleaned, and made dinner when the boys came home. I got into a very long conversation with the husband from the neighboring trailer about politics. He and his wife are snow birds from northern Arizona. It was nice to have someone to talk to about politics who wasn’t Poppers. Just for a new perspective.
The next morning, 8/2/10, we got up early, put all our stuff together, and were to Rose’s house by 11:30. We couldn’t pull into her road, so we stopped in a Mormon church. Rose came with us into Idaho Falls, on our quest for a Laundromat (there wasn’t one) then we took her to lunch at Garcia’s. It was very good, but their enchiladas made me sick.
Rose and I were total dorks, hugging everywhere we went and giggling like idiots. It was good to see her. We couldn’t stay too long, and so by 2 or so, we left her at her house and went east.
In Ririe, Idaho, a little after 2:30, we got gas at a Sinclair, and we all finally confessed that no one was having a very good time, we didn’t want to go through Wyoming, Colorado wasn’t looking that exciting, and why can’t we just go to Montana?
Sunday, we went to Craters of the moon. It opened at 8, and we intended to be there at opening when it would be cool. We pulled in to the visitor’s center at 11. Dad bought a shirt -- because he forgot to pack any -- and we got some postcards and stamps for our national park passport. We climbed Cindercone, which was a big black hill of lava rocks. It only took five minutes, and the whole pile was just black lava. There were some interesting foreign tourists, like the German girl in the mini skirt. It was so windy, which is the only way the 80 degree heat wasn’t completely insufferable.
We also took a half mile hike and read the plaques about the lava flows and stuff. The aa and the pahoehoe are different kinds of lava deposits. Or something like that. There was a rock which some kid mailed back to the visitor’s center, after he took it from the monument, with a letter he wrote about how he felt bad for taking it, so on the Cindercone, I stole a rock. And I don’t feel bad about it either.
We also went in the caves, which were so cold and dark, and scary, but totally awesome. We went in Dewdrop cave, which wasn’t very big and smelled bad. The openings of these caves are just basically holes in the ground right off the edge of the paved trail, so you step off into this never never land of loose rock and danger. Mom and I used both hands and both feet to get around, but the boys managed to stay upright for the most part.
Boy Scout cave was low, and wet, and very dark, and long and creepy. There was a lot of standing water and some dripping water, which was creepy. This lady and her husband came out of Boy Scout cave just as we were going in, and they were really nice. She made us touch her hands to feel how cold it was. The husband was Australian, and the wife was Californian. She reminded me a lot of my teacher, Jill, which is a compliment.
Beauty cave was the easiest. The ceiling was high, not too dark or deep, and was pretty flat on the bottom. You could basically walk without a flashlight even though it was dark. We went back to the trailer after that, and Aspen and Dad went quadding again, another fifty miles or so. Mom and I cleaned, and made dinner when the boys came home. I got into a very long conversation with the husband from the neighboring trailer about politics. He and his wife are snow birds from northern Arizona. It was nice to have someone to talk to about politics who wasn’t Poppers. Just for a new perspective.
The next morning, 8/2/10, we got up early, put all our stuff together, and were to Rose’s house by 11:30. We couldn’t pull into her road, so we stopped in a Mormon church. Rose came with us into Idaho Falls, on our quest for a Laundromat (there wasn’t one) then we took her to lunch at Garcia’s. It was very good, but their enchiladas made me sick.
Rose and I were total dorks, hugging everywhere we went and giggling like idiots. It was good to see her. We couldn’t stay too long, and so by 2 or so, we left her at her house and went east.
In Ririe, Idaho, a little after 2:30, we got gas at a Sinclair, and we all finally confessed that no one was having a very good time, we didn’t want to go through Wyoming, Colorado wasn’t looking that exciting, and why can’t we just go to Montana?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Summer 2010: Colorado or Bust
7/30/10
Headed out at a quarter to noon, en route to Craters. Almost stayed another day in Hot Lakes ‘cause a former Navy Seal in the RV park was going to go quadding in the foothills, but he bailed on us so we shipped out. It would have been very disappointing not to get closer to Rose. I’m not sure about her army obligation on Saturday, almost want to roll in too late. I won’t get to talk to her if she’s with her friends and recruiter.
The land is so flat and open here. No snow on the mountains, but they are blue in the hazy distance. Passed a homemade wooden cross on the highway. In white paint, it said, “MARCE”, and there were flowers.
2 pm
We stopped at a choke n puke called Love’s, but we couldn’t pull up the gas station, so we went around back, let the dogs out (Brodie promptly peed, and Copper peed on her. ON HER.), and were going to go eat, but it wasn’t the place we thought, so we pressed on to the Idaho border and stopped at Sage Diner.
The heat is excruciating, made worse by Mom commenting on it, and Aspen being a butt. We’re probably going through Boise during rush hour, but we’re 3 hours out of Craters, so we’re pushing on. On I-84, back in Oregon, we passed The Hungry Redneck Café, where we ate a few years ago on the way to Utah over Christmas break, but we didn’t stop. Road work in Boise.
I can’t recall precisely the reason for our world’s longest night. All I know is that, amid much familial hostility, we rushed through Craters to get to Arco on the other side, where we pulled into the first RV park off the road. It was about 10 o’clock local time, but it only felt like nine to us. We’re staying two nights here, to fix our various organizational problems and such. Also, we are all feeling the wear of driving four or five hundred miles a day, so it will be good to hold still for a while.
Today, the 31st, is Saturday, and we’re not making it to Rose’s until tomorrow at the earliest. Mom and I will clean the trailer (probably later, because the 5,000 foot altitude is making Mom sick) and we’ll plan the rest of the trip. We’re all suffering in this heat. It was 103 going through Boise. We’re seriously considering seeing Rose, then heading north to Seeley Lake, Montana, The boys are quadding finally, and mom is laying on the couch, attempting not to die. I’m online, YouTubing, typing and blogging! How exciting. It’s 2 o’clock and the heat today isn’t so bad.
Thunder and lightning at about 3 am. Dad woke me up to watch. It was beautiful. I miss lightning. The thunder was so deep. I’m glad Dad woke me up for it.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Summer 2010: Colorado or Bust
7/29/10
10:23 am
Much to our chagrin, and very typically of our Gearbox, we have discovered yet another catastrophic problem. Last year, on our summer vacation, Mom smelled mold in the front bedroom. After much goading, Dad finally investigated and uncovered a monumental mold infestation covering the entire front panel of the trailer. We only just got that fixed, as well as the dry rotted corner in the back that came with the trailer. All our problems were solved, until this morning as we were packing up (Sierra learned -- very, very slowly -- how to load the ATVs) that the big back door that swings down to be the ramp, is broken. The pin on which it swings has been completely sheared off, and is only held on by the other pin, and the tracks in which it’s laid. We’re googling Good Sam Club to find a place in La Grande to get it check out or fixed.
I got to call Rose, and hopefully we’ll be to Idaho Falls by Saturday, in time to see her swearing into the Army. ‘Cause my crazy friend Rose is turning her life around and joining the military. She’s such a sweet girl, but she makes some bad decisions. Hopefully the army will be what she needs.
At 11:20, we pulled into Ron Lee’s RV repair in Island Circle (or, just outside La Grande, since I honestly have no idea where we are). The older guy, Ron, promised he could fix it and if he didn’t have the part, he’d make one. Mom, Aspen and I took the truck (I drove) back into town to get some Taco Bell (we should have gotten gas, but Sierra couldn’t be bothered) and by the time we returned, Dad and the two guys from the shop were trying to unhook the door. The second pin broke, and now, after some grunting and a lot of Dad shaming young guys with his strength, they unhooked the springs that aide the door, chocked it up with boards and are doing manly stuff.
By 12:40, they hooked up the trailer to a pushback, and hauled it around to the garage to get some pins put in it. The theme of this place is ‘God helps those who help themselves’, so Dad’s doing a lot of the work. I don’t think Dad’d trust those pot smokin’, beer drinkin’ bozos alone with out stuff anyway. I think they’ll get the job done, but I wouldn’t leave them alone either. They might hurt themselves.
AT 5:17, WE FINALLY PULLED OUT OT HE MECHANIC’S SHOP. They did an amazing job, and only for $400. We kept them an hour after closing, but they stuck with us all day and got it done. They did an awesome job.
The country here is beautiful. It’s 95, but the wind blows all the time, so it doesn’t feel too bad. We’re looking for somewhere to stay the night. No ATVing today, and I think we’ll probably push on to Craters tomorrow. I’m exhausted, and I didn’t even do anything. Once we finished with the trailer, we were advised to go to Eagle Hot Lakes RV park for the night. They had a pool, and as soon as we had basically gotten stuff unloaded, we booked it for the pool. It was round and only 3 feet deep, but it was so nice. It rained, but was sunny too, which was weird. The sky was black over the foot hills, and thunder kept rolling, which scared Mom, of course.
After that, when it cooled down, we took showers and went to dinner in town. The Union Stoplight, for pizza, burgers and fries. Good stuff. On our way back, however, a fawn had gotten hit by a car, so we all had to slow down to pass it. It wasn’t dead yet, and dad almost stopped to shoot it, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. No one felt like eating their ice cream after that.
Summer 2010: Colorado or Bust
7/28/10
After many years of being ignored, the Traveler’s Journal has finally resurfaced, and is in the hands of Sierra. Results may vary.
1:20 pm
In typical Seiver style, our planned ship out time was nine o’clock. We pulled out a little after noon. The trailer has alternately simplified and complicated traveling. Now that we have it, packing up means bringing actual bed sheets, food in a fridge and quads and bikes. The volume of creature comforts is huge, which may or may not be good. The more we can bring, the more we end up bringing. Takes a long time to get it all together. We try to maintain the semblance of camping, with Dutch ovens, hot dog roasting sticks, and crappy mattresses. So don’t get too comfortable.
Our plan is to drive southeast to La Grande, Oregon by tonight (We may stop before then because of our late start,) then from there we wanted to head further east to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. We’d like to meet up with my old friend, Rose, so hopefully if we don’t get in too late, I can give her a call and we can hook up in the coming days. From Craters, we’d like to keep going into Colorado to see Uncle Dave. Sierra wants to see Albuquerque, but we’ll see if we can get that far. Utah is the trip back. We’ll be out for 3 weeks, and home in time to vote and Aspen to turn out for high school football. We brought a ball to toss around. Maybe I’ll improve my catch/stop being such a wimpy girl. Nothing too exciting, since we’re still in Washington.
4:36 pm
Passed some interesting things. Cheese tour at the Dairygold factory, anyone? And they put up telephone poles with boxes on the tops to bring in eagles. It’s working. Went through a lot of farmland ‘til it dried out and turned into Yakima. It was 91 at the rest stop where we let the dogs run. Beyond Yakima, it’s been treed, but still hot. The wind blows constantly. Richland is 31 miles away, and another 60 to Pendleton, or where ever in Oregon where we can stop. The roads are crap, I’m not having a seizure. More to come after these semi trucks pass us.
We past into Oregon at 5:42 pm over the beautiful and broad Colombia River, the source of so much trouble and excitement for foreign and American explorers over more than 200 years of sailing and discovery.
6:00 pm
Took a detour through Hermiston, Oregon. Someone may or may not have missed the only gas station eight million miles, so Mom google mapped us a chevron and we pulled off in Hermiston. There was a very interesting looking factory -- we concluded it was an electrical plant -- and passed a man on a John Deere tractor, driving on the road. Then, after pulling into a gas station behind a guy who only spent five dollars on gas, and being stuck waiting to pull out on the only high-traffic, two-lane road in Hermiston, Oregon, as we rejoin the highway, we pass a huge truck stop with gas, food, and lodging. We also had to squeeze to the right as we passed an International Harvester going over the over pass. Good times.
We settled for the night, about 8:30, in Emigrant Springs, Oregon, in the state park. Nice place, even if it’s near the freeway. Public showers, toilets, firewood for sale and full hook ups. Washington doesn’t have stuff like that at our state parks. Just saying.
After many years of being ignored, the Traveler’s Journal has finally resurfaced, and is in the hands of Sierra. Results may vary.
1:20 pm
In typical Seiver style, our planned ship out time was nine o’clock. We pulled out a little after noon. The trailer has alternately simplified and complicated traveling. Now that we have it, packing up means bringing actual bed sheets, food in a fridge and quads and bikes. The volume of creature comforts is huge, which may or may not be good. The more we can bring, the more we end up bringing. Takes a long time to get it all together. We try to maintain the semblance of camping, with Dutch ovens, hot dog roasting sticks, and crappy mattresses. So don’t get too comfortable.
Our plan is to drive southeast to La Grande, Oregon by tonight (We may stop before then because of our late start,) then from there we wanted to head further east to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. We’d like to meet up with my old friend, Rose, so hopefully if we don’t get in too late, I can give her a call and we can hook up in the coming days. From Craters, we’d like to keep going into Colorado to see Uncle Dave. Sierra wants to see Albuquerque, but we’ll see if we can get that far. Utah is the trip back. We’ll be out for 3 weeks, and home in time to vote and Aspen to turn out for high school football. We brought a ball to toss around. Maybe I’ll improve my catch/stop being such a wimpy girl. Nothing too exciting, since we’re still in Washington.
4:36 pm
Passed some interesting things. Cheese tour at the Dairygold factory, anyone? And they put up telephone poles with boxes on the tops to bring in eagles. It’s working. Went through a lot of farmland ‘til it dried out and turned into Yakima. It was 91 at the rest stop where we let the dogs run. Beyond Yakima, it’s been treed, but still hot. The wind blows constantly. Richland is 31 miles away, and another 60 to Pendleton, or where ever in Oregon where we can stop. The roads are crap, I’m not having a seizure. More to come after these semi trucks pass us.
We past into Oregon at 5:42 pm over the beautiful and broad Colombia River, the source of so much trouble and excitement for foreign and American explorers over more than 200 years of sailing and discovery.
6:00 pm
Took a detour through Hermiston, Oregon. Someone may or may not have missed the only gas station eight million miles, so Mom google mapped us a chevron and we pulled off in Hermiston. There was a very interesting looking factory -- we concluded it was an electrical plant -- and passed a man on a John Deere tractor, driving on the road. Then, after pulling into a gas station behind a guy who only spent five dollars on gas, and being stuck waiting to pull out on the only high-traffic, two-lane road in Hermiston, Oregon, as we rejoin the highway, we pass a huge truck stop with gas, food, and lodging. We also had to squeeze to the right as we passed an International Harvester going over the over pass. Good times.
We settled for the night, about 8:30, in Emigrant Springs, Oregon, in the state park. Nice place, even if it’s near the freeway. Public showers, toilets, firewood for sale and full hook ups. Washington doesn’t have stuff like that at our state parks. Just saying.
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