Taber and Home

M.D. of Taber Campground
Site #42 - $20, p only, no internet, poor cell, free wood, Temp 14C

We ended up doing two nights at Taber. We were able to have our campfires and do some biking around the park.

We like this little campground. It is first come first serve, firewood is provided free and it is only $20/night for power. Kind of like the camping we remember from days of old! Plus? It is always nice to end our RV trip with some "REAL" camping as our previous nights in Helena & Great Falls consisted of the 'parking lot' style RV Park with no campfires allowed.

Now we are home. So ends our Spring camping. A month and a half on the road. It is time to pack away the RV and start planning for a busy July at the lake. Happy Summer everyone!

Re the change of plan

Turned out it wasn't so bad to stay that extra day. Great Falls has an awesome bike path along the Missouri River. We rode from the campground to the dam / power station. A great ride. It did start to sprinkle and we took cover under some trees. Thankfully it didn't amount to much and we made it home dry.

We then did the Historic Streetcar City Tour. We were the only two. Bud was a great guide and we always enjoy learning more about the cities we visit.

Today? Our border crossing was a breeze. Did I mention how much nicer our Canada Custom's people are than those US assholes? We brought a case of vodka which we declared, paid duty on and were sent on our way in less than 10 minutes. They didn't care about the tomato!

Lunch at Milk River and we are trying to decide whether to camp one more night on the road.

change of plan

Unfortunately 'the plan' fell through. While packing to leave this morning, Ron chatted with a neighbor and they had heard the pass wasn't open yet. So Ron headed to the Tourist Centre to check it out. And yes, it is closed. We are now disappointed and undecided. Also? The weather isn't looking real good around Taber area for the weekend. Hmmm, what to do.

So? Another night here to work on a new plan. We may just be heading home tomorrow.

Great Falls, MT

Dick's RV Park
Site #105 - $33.70, p/w/s, poor Internet

Greetings from Great Falls. Our drive here was another one of those hour drives that we are so famous for! I think some of the reason for these short jaunts are to delay our arrival home! We love this leisurely RVing lifestyle!

Back in Helena. On Day 2, we drove up to the Hauser Dam area. We might have considered camping there another time except for a fairly long stretch of gravel road. With all the rain they've had, it was extremely muddy. The drive concluded with a trip to the car wash. We sat out for drinks before supper. Our neighbors from Oliver, BC joined us plus another US couple on their way to Alaska stopped by. It is always fun to swap travel stories.

We have now come up with a plan for our final few travel days. Tomorrow we will head to St. Mary on the outskirts of the Glacier National Park. (This park borders our Canadian Waterton Lakes National Pk.) We will camp at St. Mary's and will then drive (sans 5th wheel) the 50 mile "Going to the Sun" road from the East to the West entrance and back, over the Logan's Pass. We hear the views are quite spectacular.

We will likely spend 2 nights at St Mary's which will have us crossing the border about Friday. We are then thinking that we might camp at the Taber municipal campground for the weekend and arrive home on Monday. So that is the plan right now. We have been known to change our minds! If the plan does change, and if we have internet, I will keep you posted. Plus? Assuming that we are back in Canada for the weekend, we will have the cell phone turned on.

Helena, MT

Lincoln Road RV Pk
Site #40 - $38.50, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 16C & drizzly

Another couple hundred kilometers down the highway and we are in Helena, MT. We saw a lot more evidence of the flooding here. There were a number of acreages where people had their vehicles parked at the end of their drive. The road between home and vehicle was under water. Also? Our second choice for camping that is further down the road? Flooded.

After setting up and having lunch we headed to town for the "Last Chance Train Tour". Such an awesome way to see areas of this historical city that you might otherwise miss.

From the Mansion District to an old pioneer cabin left from the gold mining days. We both really enjoyed the tour. Particularly the architecture and the mansions from the 1800's. Wow. Gorgeous! At one time, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other US city. I could have filled my memory card with pics of these beautiful homes. My fav:

There were the early homesteads from gold rush days -- "Last Chance Gulch" and the remnants of limestone kilns from days gone by.

I find it interesting that, Helena, capitol of Montana only has a population of 55,000. Basically the same size as Medicine Hat. Our tour guide informed us that more than 60% of the labour force are employed by the government.

We were lucky with the weather on our tour. Back home it began to pour. Just what they don't want to see around here. Tomorrow? We will hang around for some more sightseeing.

Missoula, MT

Jim & Mary's RV

Site #D7 - $31, p/w/s, Internet, no fires incl propane :( Temp 14C, light rain

Today's drive? 270 kms. The upside about these short stretches is that you don't have all those extra stops for a pee break. Or for lunch. You just take care of it all when you arrive at your destination! :)

So we stopped on the outskirts of Missoula. And yes. It is raining. The check-in conversation:
    Ron: We'd like a campsite with sun please.
    Owner: Do you have a reservation?
    Ron: No.
    Owner: I'm sorry. All our sunny sites are taken.
We saw evidence of the flooding on our drive here. The River is very high.

We are booked for two nights. We were to Costco, Staples and Best Buy today. I'm thinking the laptop prices here are not much better than our prices back home. I will probably not be buying.

The wine? It is VERY cheap. Some cheer on a rainy night!

Had a chuckle at this person who is on the move to or from Missoula.

Post Falls, Idaho

Suntree RV
Site #93 - $35, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 14C

We didn't take advantage of that 50% discount. We decided to leave Sun Lakes Resort this morning. We felt we had 'seen all / done all' after another long bike ride yesterday.

In the evening, the wind came up. Ron moved the truck a couple times to provide a wind block. Finally he gave up. It was so gusty and kept changing directions. I guess it was a function of the coulee we were in. We managed to get supper barbequed and spent the evening indoors. Watching a movie. I dozed off and when I woke up, Ron's eyes were shut! So much for that movie! We'll finish it another time.

Today's drive? 200 kms. And tonight we are in Post Falls, Idaho. Just west of Coeur d'Alene. Brrrr... Where did that warm weather go? Only 14C.

Tomorrow's destination? Missoula. We keep hearing about flooding in that area. And more rain. Hmmm... We should have headed further south!

We do have some internet here. A slow connection. We will keep an eye on tonight's Canuck game (3-0?? What's with that!?)

Sun Lakes Resort near Coulee City, WA

A little more about our current location. Sun Lakes Resort in the Sun Lakes State Park. Such a pretty area. The surrounding cliffs or "Dry Falls" are the skeletal remnants of what was once the world's largest waterfall. (Yes we are in USA and they always have the World's Largest & Best!) 

The retreat of the falls at the end of the Ice Age gave birth to the large canyon that remains here today. We drove in to Coulee City for a few supplies. City is a big exaggeration! In Canada it would be a very small town or a village!

Back at the 5th wheel and after a 'cold one', we went for a bike tour of the area. We followed a paved road running parallel to the lake that has been closed to vehicle traffic. It made for an awesome ride. Beautiful scenery and no traffic to worry about. However, some thunder clouds developed and we decided we'd best head back. We barely made it home when it began to pour. It passed over and after supper we sat at the campfire. In our shorts. Love the warm temps here! (Not liking the mosquitoes which are abundant!)

So we have decided to stay another night. Probably even two nights. The special? A 25% discount tonight and 50% discount tomorrow night! Tough to resist a bargain! Because camping for $12.50 per night? Awesome!

Hwy 2 and Coulee City, WA

Sun Lakes Park Resort Inc.
Site #3 - $25, p/w/s, Internet office, Temps 20C+

Damn! I hate not having internet at our campsite! I have photos to upload. We need to check phone messages at home. And we don't even know who won the last Canuck game. It sucks to be out of touch! There is internet available at the campground office, so hopefully today I can 'catch up'.

Yesterday, on the river between Leavenworth and Wenatchee, we saw many of those river rafters that we had wondered about. It is a very popular sport in this area. And the "Alpine Village" of Leavenworth, one could spend a lot of time & money! So much to see and do. It has a similar feeling to Banff. I talked about it four years ago when we were here, so I won't bore you with details again. But, the shops are very cool. And this past weekend? There was an outdoor art show and a local wine sampling walkabout. Ahhhh.... for a good set of knees.

It is mind boggling how quickly the terrain changes when you make the steep climb out of the lush green Wenatchee Valley. All of a sudden it is flat dry farm land. Much like our prairies. Except here? You can drive miles and miles without seeing even a single tree. And the crops are right up to the highway. No ditches. 

The area where we are now camped by Coulee City is all sagebrush and interesting cutbanks and rock cliffs. Plus? It is hot here! Last night we were too warm in the 5th wheel. It was already 21C when we woke up! It was windy when we got up this morning, but the wind has died and the temp has gone up to 27C. Time for laundry.

Leavenworth, WA - 2

The best part about retirement, not pre-planning a trip and not having to make reservations is that you can always change your mind about where you go and how long you stay. And we do that frequently!

We inquired about moving to another spot at Wenatchee State Park, but all the sites had been booked for the weekend. Not surprised with a weekend forecast of 27 & 29C. No problem. There are also many Forestry Campgrounds in the area. The sites are non-serviced and 'first come first serve'.

Tumwater Forestry
Site #14 - $17, n/s, no Internet, Temp 16C (and rising!)

So, we drove the 17 km down the road to the Tumwater Forestry Campground. Where we had camped four years ago. It was nearly empty when we arrived, but by Friday evening, many of the sites were taken. Although I miss not having power, I love this campground. It is well treed and very private. The sound of the gurgling river running along side us is awesome.

Most of the campers here are tenting. Even though it is warm during the day, it is still getting down to 6C at night. Brrr. I do not envy them. We had our little catalytic heater running all night. Our inside temp of 14C was comfy.

There is a large "River Run Recreational Group" camped here. All have their own Rafts or Pontoon boats. We would have loved to have seen them in action but we weren't sure where they launched or rode to. The Wenatchee River Rapids are mighty powerful in some areas. I'm sure it would have been great fun to see.

Our weekend was pretty laid back. A couple trips around the campgrounds on our bikes, some reading and campfires. Three days with no internet.

Leavenworth, WA

Such a beautiful drive along Hwy 2. Like a rain forest. Lush and green. We had trouble finding a campground however. We ended up driving to Wenatchee State Park near Leavenworth, WA. Arrival time 5 pm. That is a long day for us. On top of that stressful border crossing. The Steven Pass to get here was pretty chilly with temps dipping to 4C. Lots of snow in the pass still.

Wenatchee State Park - North
Site #116 - $29, p/w (pull through), no Internet, Temp 11C

Unfortunately there was an emergency closure on more than half the campsites in this State Park. The trees have developed root rot and are falling. Such a shame. I wonder what that means for the future of this park.

This morning we road our bikes around the park and through a subdivision along the Wenatchee River. Very pretty area. The temp is only about 15C, but the sun is shining and it feels warmer. We are now off to buy some groceries. Tomatoes, peppers, oranges, lemons. All those banned products that we weren't allowed to bring with us. Plus we need to get some American cash. The warden knocked on our door this morning. He didn't like our Canadian funds. Even though it is worth more right now.

This truck was in the parking lot at the town grocery. We will stay here tonight, but this spot is booked for the weekend. Next stop Lincoln Rock State Park on the other side of Wenatchee.

Crossing the Border

Have I mentioned how ridiculous camping prices are getting? Cultus Lake was $43. plus $10. for internet (we didn't get it) PLUS Richard and Janice had to pay $10. to visit us. Stupid stupid.

However we enjoyed the evening and the opportunity for another visit with Richard and Janice. They came for supper and we drank some of that illegal vodka and burned all that contraband wood.

Today? Back to the border. And another wait. And another search. The wood / tomato felons. Crap I hate US Customs. I am sure we are 'on the list' and will have to go through this every time now. Also? That tomato got put in the garbage and today's search 'uncovered' it. She was not happy. But she let us go because she was too busy to deal with it further. Oh, and she found some kind of bean pod in Ron's underwear drawer. No idea what it was but Ron has a habit of collecting some weird little 'treasurers'. It had been there for sometime and very dried out. Never the less it was a seed. Seeds are also on the banned list. Bad us.

Anyway.. We are free and wandering in the US. Down Hwy 9 to Hwy 2. We are currently having lunch in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. In a church parking lot. Across from a hotel with free internet. We will look for a campsite somewhere around Snohomish. I will update when I can.