in Libby, Montana

Woodland RV
Site #13 - $35, p/w/s, TV, Internet, Temp 14C

Libby is located along the Kootenai River in Northwest Montana. The town has more than 40 Eagle sculptures of various sizes displayed at various locations around the town. So awesome! These iron and steel sculptures range from a 6 ft. wing span to several over 25 ft. wing tip span. The local art teacher started making these sculptures with his students. The town purchased them and began displaying them. It didn't hurt that the mayor at the time was the teacher's brother. Shortly thereafter, Libby became "The City of Eagles."

Yesterday we drove to the Kootenai Falls. I was only able to walk in a short distance, but Ron hiked down to the falls and then back across the swinging bridge over the river gorge. The Kootenai Indians had sweat lodges and encampments up and down this river valley where light clay was found for their pipes. Also, this beautiful river and falls were the setting for the 1994 movie "The River Wild" with Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon. Cool!

Today we drove to the Libby Dam which holds back the 90 miles of Lake Koocanusa. (Forty-two miles of this lake is located in Canada.) The Libby Dam is architecturally one of the strongest and most massive dams built today. It is 422 feet tall and 3,055 feet long and was built to withstand an earthquake of up to 6.5 on the Richter scale with no structural damage. There are forty-seven sections, each one designed to stand on its own. If one section were to fail, the other 46 would remain standing. 

We also drove the scenic 100 km up one side of the lake to Rexford, where we stopped at a busy little local cafe for lunch [surprise, Gail]. We then circled back down the other side of the lake. It was a big climb and we were very impressed when we passed a couple bikers both coming and going in the opposite direction to us. Wow.. they were obviously in very fine shape!!



Above is the Libby Fishing rod.

Tonight? A Black Russian at our propane fire pit. Until it started to rain. Tomorrow we move on to the Kalispell area.

Idaho...

Sam Owen National Forest Campground

Site #20 - n/s $18. 

We are in Idaho. We are *ahem* beyond Hope... hehe...., in a National Forest campground. Once again, no hook-ups. I am lucky, however. There is an adjacent campground that happens to have 'open' internet which I can pick up from a picnic table on the beach.

We were going to camp at that campground, but at $45. we decided this $18. spot next door was a better choice.  Also, we are in the trees, unlike that other campground.

Lake Pend Oreille is HUGE! The US Navy did (still do?) submarine training in this lake. We have camped at Farragut State Park at the south end before, but this is our first time at the north end. We had planned to stay at Sandpoint but the two campgrounds we saw were too close to the train tracks.

Ron always manages to gather up a "bike full" of firewood and we enjoyed a campfire last night. It rained during the night but the sun is shining now (12C). I am reluctant to complain about the cooler weather when hear about the weather back home.

Today we will check out the nearby towns and pick up a few groceries. Our next destination? Somewhere, Montana.

Kettle Falls, Washington

Grandview Hotel & RV Park

Site #23 - $35, p/w/s, TV, Internet, Temp 20C

Finally, an easy crossing in to the US. The border officer took a quick look in the fridge and we were free to go. To Kettle Falls, Washington which is 45 miles south of the border and Christina Lake, BC.

We had planned to spend one night. Until we were reminded that this is the Memorial Day weekend in the US and the roads and campgrounds will all be busy. So we paid for a couple more nights. Also, the campground owner has taken a liking to Ron and has offered us a free night. We will probably take advantage and stay until Monday.

Meyers Falls at Kettle Falls, WA

Kettle Falls is near Lake Roosevelt which was formed when the Grand Coulee Dam was built. The original town and the 'kettles' of the Kettle Falls are now under this lake. We have toured and driven along a large portion of the area and yesterday we took a short ferry ride across the south end of the lake. It is a very picturesque area! There are plenty of lumber mills and logging is the main industry.

one of the oldest continuously operating waterpower developments

And, we chuckled at the town sign.

The grouch is elected each June during the Town and Country Days. One dollar, one vote. Another sign that made us laugh was at the local pub. "We speak Canadian".
Eh???

Right now we are off to pick up another bottle of wine. It was pretty damn good for $4!

near Rock Creek, BC - Kettle River Prov Pk

Kettle River Prov Pk
Site #23 - n/s, Temp 11C & rain

MONDAY: Well, we are done the visiting and now we camp! It would be better if it wasn't raining though.

We enjoyed our weekend in Kelowna. Doug and Rina took Friday off and Kari, Gerry and the boys came from Vancouver. Jeff and Owen drove from Vernon for Friday dinner, but unfortunately Christal was sick. Possibly some of that stomach virus that Owen had on the weekend before. Or maybe it was still some of that Morning Sickness. That news has been shared with you all, right?? A December baby! It was great to have an opportunity to see Owen as his normal healthy and cheerful little self.

So there were beers on the deck. A flying patio umbrella (after one beer only... honest!) and we had a good visit with everyone. Gerry sent a short clip of that flying umbrella to Global Okanogan and it was shown on the local weather. It was pretty freaky. A little whirlwind picked it up and twirled it about 200 feet up for a good 5 minutes before it came down.

 On Saturday, Doug, Rina and family headed to Dave's Lillooet property while Kari and family stayed at the house for the weekend. We did a 30 km bike ride along the Mission Creek path. Awesome! The weather was perfect.

Today? Not so lucky with that weather. It is nice to be in the trees and the bush though. No power, no internet. Right now Ron is out exploring in the rain. Hopefully we will have a campfire this evening. We may be enjoying it from under the canopy however.

THURSDAY: That stop at Kettle River ended up being 3 nights. It was just so relaxing and peaceful. Kind of nice to be 'off the grid' for a few days. Did anyone miss us??

We spent quite a bit of time riding along the KVR bike path and we burned lots of wood in the campfire. We drank a little too much and listened to an audiobook in the evenings. Good times. The RV battery held up well for us even with the furnace cutting in a couple times during the night. Last night it got down to 2C, so it's still a bit cool.

Today we will cross the border and we plan to camp near Kettle Falls, Washington. No tomatoes, no peppers and NO firewood. I'm hoping for an easy crossing???

Vernon to Kelowna

Orchard Valley RV Park
Site #8 - $45, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 18C

Poor Owen was sick most of our visit, although he perked up yesterday for a bit when cousins, Taya and Aiden, came to visit. He never really warmed up to Ron and I though. He started to on the first day, but when he got sick, he only wanted mom and dad. After his visits to the clinic and then the hospital, I think he associated all the poking, prodding and bad feelings with us. He was almost afraid. The Dr. said he had a stomach viral infection that appeared to be going around.

Richard and Janice drove up from Abbotsford and spent two days with us. They stayed at the Super 8. We barbequed pork tenderloins one evening and then ordered in Chinese Food the second night.

We left Vernon at 9:30 AM and were set up in the Orchard Valley RV Park in Kelowna by 11 AM. It was kind of nice to hang out and do nothing. My stomach was upset most of the day, so I expect I had a touch of what Owen had. No diarrhia or vomiting though.

Vernon

Happy Mother's Day to the moms! We are enjoying beautiful weather in Vernon. We are 'camped' in Jeff and Christal's driveway. They live on the northern outskirts on a hill and they have a beautiful view off their back deck. Plus a nice big yard with fruit trees. SO much nicer than the trailer park that had been their home! We have spent most of our time outside. Ron has been busy doing his usual 'handyman' fix-it, clean-it, trim it thing.

The sad side? Owen has been sick from the second day of our arrival. We didn't get to see much of his smiling happy face before the diarrhia and the vomiting started. My heart breaks for him. He has been so good even on his worst days but he spends most of his time sleeping or laying on mom or dad. Jeff and Christal had him to the clinic yesterday and just now took him up to the hospital as he isn't getting any better. Dehydration is a worry. One feels so helpless and sad for him.



Christal's mom and dad were over this morning and the moms enjoyed bacon, eggs and pancakes courtesy of the dads. Owen slept all morning and we had hoped he'd wake up feeling better. No such luck. And now we wait. I will keep you posted.

MONDAY: Just a quick note. Owen was given an IV to re-hydrate last night and kept overnight at the hospital.His blood and urine tests were okay. They figure it's something viral that appears to be going around. Christal stayed with him and Jeff came home and spent the evening with us.

Jeff is at the hospital now and we are thinking Owen will be released after the Dr. sees him this morning. Just got word that Richard and Janice are in Vernon and we will being seeing them shortly.

Drayton Valley to Golden, BC. And beyond..

Drayton Valley City Campground
Site #6 - $32, p/w/s, Internet BrazeauTourism7805427529, Temp 15C

We spent two nights in Drayton Valley. Ron helped Charlie load his storage compartments on the 'new to them' motorhome. Charlie gets around pretty good between his crutches and his scooter but I think the restrictions are pretty frustrating for him. He has a 4 inch platform on his shoe to compensate for the shortened leg and the missing hip joint. Note peeping dog from next door!

Jim and Jan drove out for dinner last night, so lots of brother bonding over this past week! Charlie dropped by for a coffee this morning and we were on the road by 10 a.m.

We had thought we might camp near Nordegg at one of the Prov. Recreation sites, but when you are up near the snow capped mountain peaks and the temp drops to 12C it is rather discouraging. Also? WIND!!



So we just pulled over for lunch at Lake Abraham near Nordegg, AB then continued on. It still looked like winter at the Bow Summit Pass and temp dropped further to 9C. Lots of snow there! (hehe.. I just re-read this, I originally said snot not snow.)

Anyway, we are now on our way to Kinbasket RV Resort out of Golden. We notice everyone but us is wearing shorts and tank tops. It is nice to see all the green. The trees are much further along than in northern AB. We will enjoy some 22C weather.
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Williams on the Lake Campground
Site #23 - $32, p/w/s, Internet

5:45 PM: Not a happy camper.  Kinbasket was a bust. 5 km winding down a horrible road and the resort was closed. On to Canyon Hot Springs. Closed. Too many miles travelled today and we are tired and grumpy. Anyway.. setting up at Revelstoke now. It is cloudy and spitting rain.

Williamson Lake Campground, Revelstoke, BC

Meota, Sk and Leduc, AB

Meota Regional Pk

Site #27 - $22, p only, Temp 17C

We had a good visit with Larry and Phyllis at Meota. We stayed in the nearby campground. Their new cabin is looking awesome. They will be moving in mid May. This will eventually be their rental place, but they will live in it while their new lake front home is being built over the next year. When we left their place yesterday, the ice on the lake had finally broken up! That alone made it feel chilly! 


Lions Campground
Site #47 - $37, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 10C

Our current location? The Lion's Campground in Leduc. Airplanes taking off at 7 am is what we awoke to. The joys of 'city camping'. We are obviously on the flight path

Last night we had dinner with Jim and Jan in their new home. Nice....

So, Larry and Phyllis will be back in the city today and tomorrow night we'll be getting together at Jim's for salmon dinner. Charlie and Carolyn will come from Drayton.

We plan to be in Vernon about Thursday, but we haven't really worked out where we will stay between here and there. I guess we'll just dig out the map and pick a spot... Have a great weekend!

Leaving Toon Town

This morning we will say goodbye to Saskatoon.

I enjoyed the time with my girlfriends. It is always great to 'catch up'. Five women equals a lot of conversation, so we usually don't have the need to do much else. A chick flick, some shopping, a trip to the Frozen Yogurt Shop and the weekend flew by. On Sunday the husbands joined us for Brunch.


Ron spent time with his Zado cousins and enjoyed some Red Lobster. We had dinner with Darryl and Deanne last night.

Next stop? Meota -- on Jackfish Lake. Some time with Larry and Phyllis. Warmer weather would be appreciated!