July 31, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

Once again we crossed Portland to the Hollywood district in search of geocaches.  It was cool and cloudy this morning and it stayed that way most of the day.  Great caching weather.

We saw some very interesting things on our adventures today.  You would call the Hollywood area a hippie area or just different. One of the more unusual things we saw was a sign post covered from the ground up to the sign with a crocheted "sweater" complete with a crocheted flower attached about a foot from the ground.

About half a block away was a telephone pole with a big hand crocheted doily attached to the pole.  Scraps of fabric were tacked here and there.

Portland Pods are becoming a tourist attraction.  A pod is made up of several food carts, and is usually in a parking lot.  Some are made up of just a few carts while other ones might take up a city block with many carts.  We found a cache at one of the pods.  It had five food carts plus tables and an awning covering some of them.  The area was quite busy.

We ate lunch at Wendy's before finding one more cache, bringing our total for the day to 13.  Considering the fact that we had several DNFs today, it wasn't too bad a day for finds.

It took us a long time to travel back toward Sherwood. We stopped at A&W for root beer floats before going on home.

July 30, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

Dwight and Sheila came this morning to fetch us for some geocaching.  We went to the Hollywood district of Portland.  It is an area of quaint old houses, pretty yards, and narrow streets.

We found 12 caches with no DNFs.  That was a good morning for us.  We went to Subway for lunch.  Bill has had some allergy problems ever since we got back into Oregon.  

Today, he had a coughing spell that went on and on.  As we drove back across Portland, Dwight and Sheila located an emergency clinic not far from where our motorhome is parked, just in case I needed to haul the old guy in.

After an afternoon of rest he felt much better, so I didn’t feel the need to cart him off to a doctor.  I was glad to have D & S to help me.  Friends are so good to have around.

Bill ate supper and felt much better.  The coughing was much better, too.

July 29, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

We left for Seaside at 7:15.  By the time we drove in heavy traffic to Hwy. 26 and reached the outskirts of "Portland," it was nearly 8:00.  Forty five minutes of city driving just to get to the Sunset Highway.  It didn't take much longer than that to drive to Seaside.

Our purpose for going to Seaside was to get a stained glass window from my friend, Alvis' house.  It had been stored in her basement/studio since we moved into the motorhome.  It needed some repair work done and neither Alvis nor I ever got around to it.  I am hoping when we go to Santa Fe, my sister-in-law, Peggy, will be able to help me with it.

It was 56° and overcast when we arrived in Seaside.

Before going to Alvis' we went to see my friend, Fran.  We taught together years ago and have remained friends.  We visited with her and Les until time to go to Alvis'.

Alvis and I had lots to talk about.  We've known each other for a long time.  Another friend, Irene, came for lunch.  Alvis had pizza and salad for lunch.  Bill came back from touring around town and ate with us.

We picked up not only the window, but some glass and other things that we will take to Lori.  Alvis is glad Lori's beginning to do some stained glass projects and wanted to help her with a few supplies.  That's the kind of person she is.

As we left Seaside I called a friend, Kathy, that I had worked with at school for several years.  She and her husband, Gary, were driving back to Seaside as we were going back to Portland.  We met at the Rest Area on Hwy. 26 and visited for about 15 minutes.  While we were stopped we took time to find a cache hidden in the woods there.

As we continued on into Portland, we stopped at Dairy Queen.

Our children will remember the many times we stopped for treats as we headed back to the coast.

We spent part of the evening getting all of the glass stored away for our trip to California in a week or so.

July 28, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

This morning it was back to Wilsonville for more caches.  It was cooler today.  That made for more comfortable caching.

Dwight and Sheila came at 9:00.  Ten caches and lunch at Taco Bell made it just about the right time for Baskin Robbins for ice cream before going back home.  I think you can see a pattern emerging here, eh?

I don’t know it Dwight and Sheila are a bad influence, or if Bill and I are the culprits.  Probably a little of both.  But we really are having a good time and that’s the most important thing.

Tomorrow, Bill and I are driving to Seaside while the other two climb a mountain!  Wow!

July 27, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

We decided to take care of some of our “Oregon shopping”...sales tax free...this morning.  

Our adventure started at an Apple Store.  I wasn’t there to buy anything, but to get information.  From there I went to The Container Store for a 3”x5” box with no lid.  I didn’t find the kind I was looking for, but I was surprised by how their prices have gone up.  I guess it has been a long time since I have been in one of these specialty stores.

While I was shopping, “Rip Van Winkle” was in the car taking a nap.

Some of you may remember that last year I kept a “tick count” and I was the winner.  I know it was nothing to brag about, but I wanted to remind my friends of my experiences.  Well, at REI this morning I purchased a Tick Key.  It is to help remove ticks.  I saw one advertised on the Geocaching web site.  I will let you how it works.   I’m sure I will have more than one occasion to use it!  

We stocked up on paper plates, etc. at Costco.  And, since we were there at lunchtime, we “forced” ourselves to eat a Polish hot-dog.

We came back home to a cool coach and took time to watch qualifying for the NASCAR race at Indy tomorrow, before nap time.

Dwight and Sheila called to see if we wanted to go to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.  Of course we did.  It was a good choice of places to go.  The food was good and the four of us never run out of things to talk about.

Tonight, Tex and I watched a John Wayne movie, thanks to our friend Debbie, in Brandon, MS,  who shared part of her John Wayne collection with us.

July 26, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

Another day of Geocaching was planned for us.  We were going to the Wilsonville area.  Dwight had loaded some caches for that location into Bill’s GPS.  I was using my iPhone.

Several of the caches were hidden in parks.  Sometime the challenge is to find the best way to access the area.  Often greenbelt parks are surrounded by neighborhood houses and we must find a designated path between houses.

One cache was hidden at the edge of a filbert orchard.  I had never been “up close and personal” with a filbert tree.  I was able to see the blooms and the beginning of the nut.  I enjoyed the location of this cache hunting place.

We also went to the site of a very old church...over 100 years old.  It was beautifully restored, owned now by the Fred Meyer Corporation, and is now used as a pub.  

We ate lunch at Sonic before continuing on our quest for more caches.  By mid afternoon we had logged 12 finds.  So while Dwight and Sheila went into a Starbuck’s for a treat,  Bill and I went next door to a Baskin Robbins.

Of course, when we got back home it was nap time.  Bill woke me up after an hour to say that we could move from dry camping to a site with an electrical hookup.  That was a great move because we will be able to use the air conditioners on these hot afternoons.  Yippy Skippy!

July 25, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

More sunshine today.  It was hot in the sun, but cool in the shade.  And thank goodness for an air conditioned car.

Our geocaching schedule was much like yesterday’s.  Several caches found, lunch at Wendy’s followed by more caches.  Our goal was to find ten like we did yesterday.  Dwight said if we accomplished that we could have ice cream.  Does it sound like dangling a carrot in front of a horse to keep it going?  Well, it is the same principle.

The tenth cache was very elusive.  We spent about 20 minutes looking for it and finally gave up.  But we went to the Dairy Queen anyway.  Our intent was good so that counted for something, don’t you think?

After we took Dwight and Sheila back to their condo we headed for home and naps.  The heat zaps us.  We are glad we don’t live in Death Valley.  Now that’s where it gets really hot!

July 24, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

Today was suppose to be cooler.  Well, it didn’t hold true.  It was about the same as yesterday.  And we were out in it caching more today.  

We were on the trail, both figuratively and literally, at 9:30, with Dwight doing the driving and Sheila riding “shotgun.”  Several of our searches were on bike trails and walking paths.  They offered shade and that cooled us off.  Another plus was that the wild blackberries were beginning to ripen.  We did some quick feasting at several locations.  Yum, yum!

We ate lunch at Quiznos and then went on the geo hunt again.  It was hotter this afternoon and after finding a total of ten caches for the day, we were convenienced we had earned ice cream.  So off to Dairy Queen we went.  Dwight is very familiar with the Beaverton area and he knew exactly where DQ was located.

Bill and I napped when we got back home and didn’t exert much energy for the rest of the day.

July 23, 2013---Elks Lodge, Sherwood, Oregon

The weather in the Portland area was sunny.  Today was predicted to be warm, and it was!  The low 90s.  Ugh!

Our friends, Dwight and Sheila, came this morning.  We hadn’t seen them for several months.  We had a lot of catching up to do.  Dwight and Sheila were our fellow travelers in Mexico for a couple of months every winter for several years.  To say that we had lots of adventures would be a gross understatement. 

We sat in the motor home and visited until Dwight, and then Sheila, said they were hungry.  Bill and I are always ready for chow.  We went to Subway.  As we left, Bill said he needed a nap so we took him home and the three of us went for some adventures.

Our first stop was a Mexican grocery store.  It was quite large and well stocked.  My only purchases were from their bakery.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I like Mexican bakeries.  This one today was a really good one. 

We drove through farmland and saw some interesting things.  We passed an alpaca farm.  All of the ones we saw had been shorn.  That will make some spinners and weavers somewhere very happy.

There were several apple orchards in the area.  Sheila explained their new way of planting and tending to the trees.  They are pruned and trained much like grapes or raspberries.  The rows are wide enough for a truck to drive by, with some pickers picking from the ground level and some riding in a truck.  No tree climbing required.  Interesting, eh?

We found two caches in the Hillsboro area before retrieving Bill for dinner at Burger King in Sherwood.  We are still practicing for our next anniversary!

July 22, 2013---John Day Dam, Rufus to Sherwood, Oregon

As we drove west on I-84, we began to see more vegetation.  And where there was a patch of ground flat enough it was being farmed.  

The view of Mt. Hood was awesome.  I had forgotten how majestic it is.

After going through The Dallas, we encountered terrible headwinds.  Hood River, which is a wind surfing mecca, had no one out on the river.  It was blowing so hard it blew Bill’s outside mirror completely out of whack.

We stopped at old  Flying J for fuel for the MH and at Walmart for “fuel” for us.  From there we went across Portland to Sherwood and the Elks Lodge.  We have parked there several times before.  Today all of their RV spots were full, so we set up in the parking lot.  Tomorrow we will move to a regular dry camping spot and in a few days, when someone leaves, we will get a regular place with an electrical hookup.

The remainder of the day we just rested.  Both of us were more tired than usual.  It was cooler today than where we have been for the past few weeks.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 128

July 21, 2013---John Day Dam, Rufus, Oregon

It was very windy all day and not much activity on the river.  I did see one unusual and interesting thing.

On this side of the gorge there are a lot of very rocky cliffs.  I watched an eagle swoop down to the water, catch a fish in its talons, and fly off towards the cliffs.  The eagle’s nest must be over there somewhere.  

On the Rogue River on the central Oregon coast, about 20 years ago, we saw the same thing happen.  It was a thrill then and it was just as thrilling today.

Because of the wind today we stayed inside most of the time.  I did spend some of my time cleaning out the back of the Honda.  That is one of my best storage places.

July 20, 2013---John Day Dam, Rufus, Oregon

It was a gorgeous day on the Columbia River.  About five or six tugs with barges passed by...some going east and some going west.  We have no idea what the barges were hauling.

Bill cleaned the front and back end of the motorhome.  With all of the traveling we’ve been doing lately, it was a job that needed to be done.

I was busy working on a craft project, which allowed me plenty of time to look out at the river.  Now that’s my kind of “craft room,” a good place to work and a fantastic view.

Our Internet isn’t too great so we drove five miles further west on I-84.  The little town of Biggs has a McDonald’s with Internet.  About 3/4ths of the tables were occupied with people eating and working on their computers.  We had all of our Apple products with us.

July 19, 2013---Pendleton, Oregon to John Day Dam

8:45 was our departure time after another quick shopping trip inside to stock up on a few more things.  The Interstate west of Pendleton went through wheat fields.  Soon after driving past the little town of Boardman, we were traveling along the Columbia River.

The Columbia River Gorge is one of our favorite drives.  The east end of the gorge is rather barren, but the river itself is beautiful.  We stopped at the Corps of Engineer campground on the John Day River, but there were no vacancies.

At Rufus, we got off of I-84 and drove to the river and toward John Day Dam.  It is dry camping, but is one of our favorite places to park.  We like to watch the barges come and go in the locks.  The Indians have the fishing rights from the bank of the river.  They have built fishing platforms and use nets to make their catches.  It is interesting to watch.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 102---Critter sighting, a lot of geese and several pelicans.

July 18, 2013---Ontario, Oregon to Pendleton, Oregon

It was 7:30 when we pulled out of Walmart’s parking lot.  Before long we crossed into the Pacific Time Zone. It has been a long time since we have changed time zones.

The terrain was very dry for the first part of this morning’s trip.  Then we got into farmland and really appreciated the green.  About the last third of the way to Pendleton was through forests  That’s our favorite part of this section of I-84.

The last six miles in to Pendleton is a 6% downhill grade.  It was quite a ride!  We parked at Walmart and immediately went to the Pendleton Woolen Mill.  I wanted to get some selvage from the production of their blankets.  They sell it in big bags, in a variety of colors.

While I was shopping for the scraps from the looms, Bill hunted for a cache in the parking lot.  It didn’t take him very long and he came into the store before I could get my purchase made.  Rats!  I need to speed up my “game.”  He should be use to my ideas by now but several bags of scraps was just about too much for him.

Before going back to the motorhome, we found two more caches.  One was part of a series of caches in cemeteries in this county.  It was at the Old Agency Cemetery.  All of the graves there were of Native Americans.

It wasn’t as hot here in Pendleton as in the places we have been the last few days.  That was some relief, but it was still hotter than we would like it.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 168---Caches found, 3

July 17, 2013--Mountain Home, Idaho to Ontario, Oregon

There was a cache in the parking lot of this Walmart, so before getting on I-80, we went in search of it.  We weren’t able to find it.  We had planned to look for it last night with Lois and Glenn, but time just got away from us, and we didn’t see them before we left this morning.

We stopped in Boise for an errand and in Caldwell for fuel at Flying J.  And then it was on to Oregon (Honk, honk!  Yahoo!) just before arriving in Ontario.  As we pulled into the Walmart parking lot we noticed a Panda Express nearby.  Yippy, Skppy! 

After a quick trip into Walmart, Bill started the big generator so we could run both air conditioners.  The heat these last few days has been oppressive.  I told Michelle I would trade -22° in Loveland any day over this heat!

Bill went to Panda Express to get dinner for us.  He came back “sobbing.”  It isn’t open yet.  Drats!  So off to McDonald’s we went.  Since Mickey D’s has wifi we took our computers.  Neither of us could get on line.  Now it’s my turn to cry!  We are glad we don’t have to rely on places like that to transact all of this important stuff.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 100

July 16, 2013--Craters of the Moon National Monument to Mountain Home, Idaho

We got up early this morning to walk some of the trails through the lava beds.   There were a couple of earth caches close by, but  we never did find the correct road and any walking had to be done o designated  paths.  We finally gave up the hunt and hiked some of the trails we thought looked interesting and “doable.”

When we left the Monument area, we continued south on Hwy. 20, a fairly good secondary road.  At Carey, Idaho, we turned, still following Hwy. 20, but according to our own “road classification chart, ” we found ourselves on a “thirdendary road.”  All went well until a sign warned us of “frost heaves” for the next 19 miles  Recalculate...to a fourthendary road.  Although we didn’t encounter any frost heaves, the road definitely deserved to be labeled a fitfhendary.  The plus side was that we were driving through a scenic area.

This new road for us, soon took us to Mountain Home on I-80.  We had never driven this way before.

All along the roads, for several days, we have had signs cautioning about wildlife.  Well, today I noticed two antelope getting ready to cross the road  I warned Bill to slow down and then noticed two more of them on their way to cross, also.  Luckily,  Bill was able to slow down enough to avoid contact with the critters.

We parked at Walmart in Mountain Home.  The heat was oppressive...100° with humidity.  Ugh!  It seemed like a good night to go to Burger King.  While I was placing our order, Bill was chatting with a couple of other diners.  Iris and Glenn, from the Austin, Texas area, were geocacher with about five times as many finds as we have.  Today, even with the heat they had found 190 caches.  Wow!  They are like our friends, Dwight and Sheila...possessed...who have about four times as many caches as the two of us.  We stayed at BK for two hours, talking.  They, too, were parked at Wally World, so they came to visit and talk motorhome business.  It is so much fun to make new friends along the way.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 125---Caches found, 1---Critter sighting, four antelope.  

July 15, 2013--Idaho Falls to Craters of the Moon National Monument

We were on the road a little after 7:00 this morning.  Our choice of routes for today was Hwy. 20. heading west.  The terrain was barren...mostly sagebrush.  There were several energy research facilities off in the distance...both atomic and other kinds of energy. 

We stopped at a Rest Area a few miles east of Arco.  Our main objective was a breakfast stop.  There was a lot of information about the area.  I discovered there were three caches in the immediate area...one regular and two earth caches.  To log an earth cache we have to answer questions about the area.

When we got to Craters of the Moon National Monument, we went into the Visitors’ Center and discovered there was a campground at the Monument.  We decided to stay for the night, giving us time to explore today and tomorrow.  There are some interesting things to see around here.

Not far from the campground was a ghost town, Martin, abandoned in 1940.  All that was left was a water tank at the site of the old Post Office.  And a geocache, which we found and logged.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 87---Geocaches, 4

July 14, 2013--Blowout Forest Service Campground to Idaho Falls

We left the campground at 8:00 and drove along the Snake River.  It was certainly named appropriately.  Once we got to a lower elevation we were driving through green farmland.  Before arriving in Idaho Falls, we stopped at a Rest Area to eat breakfast.  

I discovered there was a cache listed in the parking lot.  It was a light pole cache, but had gone missing for several weeks.  Our friends, Dwight and Sheila, replace them when the occasion comes along, so we followed their lead. A small M&M container and log sheets, with the geo information written on the paper, was all it took.  Thanks, D & S, for teaching me so well.

When we arrived in Idaho Falls, we parked at Walmart in time to watch the first part of the NASCAR race.  After about an hour, Bill set the recorder to tape the rest of the race while we went caching.  We found two regular caches and one virtual, but aren’t sure about the answer for it.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 73---Geocaches, 2---Critter sighting, three deer.  

July 13, 2013--Blowout Forest Service Campground in Idaho

Happy Birthday, Natalia!  These past 19 years have flown by.  I was in the delivery room when she was born.  It was a case of love at first sight.  She’s been a very important part of my life from day one!

Not long after we got up this morning, the campground was hit by a big storm...lightening and thunder, hard rain, and wind.  We decided to just stay where we were for another day.  It was good to have a day with nothing to do.

Bill cooked breakfast...eggs, bacon, and hash browns.  Yum, yum!  It was cool all day so I made vegetable soup.  It really tasted good.  What the heck!  If I was going to break my record and cook, I might as well go for broke.  I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  I hope this kind of slave labor doesn’t become a habit.

We drove around the campground and down to the boat launch this afternoon.  A lot of people were enjoying their Saturday.  The campground isn’t very big, but the launch area was impressive.

Tomorrow, we plan to go into Idaho Falls in time to watch the NASCAR race from New Hampshire.  

July 12, 2013--Shoshone National Forest to Blowout Forest Service Campground , Idaho

We spent the night at The Falls Forest Service Campground in The Shoshone National Forest.  We walked to the falls this morning.  We have camped at this area twice before and it is still an amazing sight to us.  

We left at 10:45, turning toward Jackson and the Tetons.  Soon we crossed the Continental Divide, elevation 9658 ft.  I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, it was a beautiful drive today.  We continued to be amazed by the beauty of this land.

When we lived in Casper, Wyoming, we would come to this part of the state from time to time.  We called it “Jackson Hole.”  Today we learned the town is “Jackson” and the valley is Jackson Hole.  

As we got closer to Jackson we saw a sign warning of wildlife on the road...buffalo, elk, bear, mountain sheep, deer, and antelope.  Well, guess what!  All we saw were two antelope!  We’ve seen lots more of the those critters all the way across Wyoming.

After two very difficult u-turns in Jackson, we finally got on the correct road.  Soon after crossing into Idaho (Honk, honk!  Yahoo!) 

we stopped at Blowout Forest Service Campground.  We were too tired to drive on into Idaho Springs.

Tomorrow is Natalia’s 19th birthday!

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 125---Critter sighting, two antelope 

July 11, 2013--Riverton to the Teton Wilderness Area

While it was cool this morning, we went caching.  It took a bit of searching to find the right road to get to the cache areas.  That can be a real bummer in a strange town.  Never the less, we were able to find two before “crying Uncle.”

We also made stops at the Post Office and a gas station.  While Bill was getting a can of gas for the Honda generator, the cowgirl (old boots, jeans, and a t-shirt) filling her pickup with fuel, saw our South Dakota license plates and came over to wash our windows.  She wanted us to know that people from Wyoming were friendly.

The cowgirl had fishing poles in the back of her pickup and two passengers in the front.  She said she was taking her mother and an aunt fishing and hopes to come back with at least one five pound trout like she did the last time she fished.  I ask her what time supper was!

We left Riverton, bound for the Grand Tetons and Jackson.  The road followed along the Wind River for part of the way.  

In all likelihood, we will be out of range of wifi tonight so I am going to post this edition of my journal early.  Its 2:00 p.m.!

July 10, 2013--Worland to Riverton, Wyoming

It was 8:30 when we left the gravel lot where we had parked among trucks on Railroad Ave. last night  All went well until 6:00 this morning when a train roared past with whistle blowing  We have stayed at that particular place before so we knew what to expect.

The drive to Thermopolis was through farmland most of the way.  We found two caches before going to soak in the mineral pools that the town is so famous for.  

As we left Thermopolis we saw a big deer grazing in a front yard of a house.  He was really enjoying the green grass and flowers.  We drove through a canyon on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  The rock formations were beautiful.  I had forgotten it was such pretty drive.  When we came out of the canyon the landscape was dry and barren.

We delayed eating lunch until arriving in Shoshone.  When we lived in Casper, Wyoming, we would stop at the drug store in Shoshone for milkshakes.  They were famous for their malts and shake.  The last time we passed through Shoshone the drugstore was closed...the building had been condemned.  Another place was opening to take over the tradition, with a date set a couple of weeks away.  Today, that place was closed, too.  It is hard to deal with traditions that vanish.  Sigh!

We stopped at a roadside park to eat lunch before going on to Riverton.  After parking at Walmart, it was nap time.  

We had lasagna for dinner, thanks to Michelle.  Bill asked if I wanted to go geoccaching.  Since it was still in the 90s I chose to stay home and sit in the air conditioned motorhome.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 87---Geocaches, 2---Critter sighting, one deer.

July 9, 2013--Gillette to Worland, Wyoming

After bidding farewell to new friends also parked at Walmart...Jan in a Country Coach and Chief and Judy...and fueling at Flying J, we got on the road at 9:20.

Not long after leaving Gillette, we saw a big herd of antelope.  There were a few cows in among the wild critters, but mostly antelope.

It was great being back on the go, singing along with Willie Nelson...”On the road again...”  We were on I-90 until we got to Buffalo.  Hwy. 16 took us over the Big Horn Mountains to Ten Sleep.  It was a beautiful drive, but a big climb from 4700 feet to over 9600 feet.

The side of the road was blanketed with wild flowers.  We stopped at a pullout area at Powder River Pass to eat lunch and rest.  And from there it was down hill all the way, literally, for 18 miles. And then we arrived in Ten Sleep, population 260.  There was a temperature change from 54° to 83°.

Ten Sleep was an American Indian rest stop, so called because it was 10 days travel, or “10 sleeps,” from Fort Laramie (southeast), Yellowstone National Park (west-northwest), and the Indian Agency on the Stillwater River in Montana (northwest).  (Info on this unusual name for a town was from Wikipedia.)

We arrived in Worland at 3:30 and were soon on the hunt for some caches.  It was hot...92°...so as soon as we found one we jumped back in the cool car.  The last one we found was one that Mike and Wendy found three days ago.  That doesn’t happen to us very often when we are in an unfamiliar area.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 163---Geocaches, 4---Critter sightings, lots of antelope and sheep.

July 8, 2013--Gillette, Wyoming

The only difference in yesterday and today was that I went into Walmart and shopped.  I took my time.  It was a leisurely pace.  I seldom take that kind of time.

We had several visitors from other motorhomes.  Bill enjoys talking to them.  And talking and talking and talking!  I took a nap during part of the gabfest.

Tonight, another storm blew through.  It’s getting to be a habit!  This time it was mostly lightening, thunder, and wind strong enough to rock the coach.  Very little rain was involved.  Of course, the night isn’t over yet.

Tomorrow, we hit the road!  We are both ready!

July 7, 2013--Gillette, Wyoming

The rain stopped about midnight.  The day dawned with bright blue skies...and a very strong wind blowing.  It was rocking the coach.

While Bill had gone to do the laundry this morning I stayed home and did some cleaning chores.  I also cooked breakfast and had it ready when he got home.

We spent most of the morning and into the afternoon visiting with other RVers parked here at Walmart.  There are two other Country Coaches here and Bill has had a lot of talking to do.  

A man from another rig came to help me with some things on my  MAC.  He retired from working with Windows.  I don’t know exactly what he did.  When they went fulltime in their MH he told his wife they were switching to MACs.  They have two of them now!  He was a big help to me.

Tonight, we had another storm roll through.  A lot like last night’s storm, but it didn’t last as long.  For several hours, we saw lightening to the east, but it was so far away we couldn’t hear any thunder.

July 6, 2013--Gillette, Wyoming

After getting off to a late start, I went into Walmart to get a manicure and to shop for groceries.  My fingernails were the only thing got crossed off the list.  That took much longer than I had expected, so afterwards I just went home.  I was too tired to shop.  Now, that’s tired!

Mike and Wendy won free ice cream coupons at the Escapade.  Before they left this morning they brought the coupons to us.  Knowing how much Judy likes ice cream, we took her with us.  Chief went, too.  The ice cream was good and so was the company.

The NASCAR race from Daytona was tonight.  There are always a lot of wrecks at this race and tonight was no different.  No serious injuries, but a lot of dented cars.

Soon after the race was over, it started to rain.  As the storm progressed, the rain got harder and the wind began to blow.  There was a lot of lightening, followed by thunder.  Some of it was very close to us.  We’re glad to be on pavement here at Walmart!

July 5, 2013--Gillette, Wyoming

The final event of the Escapade last night was the fireworks display.  It was too late to move the coach so we waited until this morning to leave.  We parked at Walmart.  Mike and Wendy are right in front of us and Judy and “Chief” are across the parking lot.

Mike came over and helped me with a geocache travel bug issue.  I ordered a travel bug for the back of the Honda.  When people see it they can register the number on the Geocaching web site and tell us where they saw our car.

Mike and Wendy were going to see the Lone Ranger movie so I went along, too.  Bill didn’t want to go because movies are so loud.  He will wait until he can get it on a DVD and watch it at home.

It was a good movie with a lot of action. And some funny parts.  I would like to see it again.  I’m sure there are parts where I missed the punch line.

Bill went to BK to get our dinner.  I was too tired to go and eat, especially if I had to sit and behave myself.  It was nice to sit at home and relax.

July 4, 2013--Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming

Happy 4th of July!

We got up to a really nice day.  Three of my jewelry teachers were at the craft center at 8:30.  There were seven or eight students who needed help finishing projects.  

Mark Brackin was there to help me finish my wire wrapping venture.  I had worked on it last night, finishing as much as I could.  We sat and worked on it for quite awhile.  It was kind of like having a private lesson.  I learned so much from him as we talked.  The finished product was beautiful.  It made me glad I had picked a shell to wrap instead of a stone.  I won’t be afraid of doing another piece, this time with a stone.  Hopefully, I will get one started by the weekend.

Mark’s wife, Renita, who teaches with him, was also there, but was working on finishing a project with Lois Boose, who taught the herringbone bracelet class.  

Also helping students was Diana Lister.  I had taken a necklace class from her.  Lois was in that group with me.  Once again I unknowingly chose the most difficult kind of glass chips to work with.  The color was great...the chips were another story altogether.  During the actual class, Lois was a really big help to me.  Today, she helped me complete the necklace.  The finished project was beautiful. 

Hopefully, I will be able to take classes with these artist at future Escapades.  They are all very special people.

In the main building there was a Chili Cook-Off.  Bill and I didn’t get there in time to sample any of the chili so we went home for lunch.  We spent most of the afternoon resting and relaxing.

At 5:30, we went to the Closing Ceremonies for the Escapade.  Afterwards we had a dinner celebrating the 35th birthday of the Escapee RV Club.  There was music and dancing after dinner, but Bill and I chose to go home.

By the time the fireworks started at 9:30, the rain was pouring down, a strong wind was blowing, and there was a huge amount of lightening.  We drove the Honda closer to the action and watched from the car.

July 3, 2013--Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming

 had another class this morning, my last one.  I made a necklace using three strands of beads.  They were twisted together.  The teacher did a good job of demonstrating the process.

Bill came to find me.  He was very tired so I sent him home to take a nap.  When I finished my class I called him.  We met in the lobby of the main building and went to the vendor area for one last look around.  This was the last day they were to be open.

We were to go to a gathering of geocachers at 4:00.  We didn’t go!  Both of us were drained of energy.  We’ve been so busy we are both exhausted.  We plan to stay home tonight, also.

July 2, 2013--Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming

Today was another busy day at the Escapade.  We both had places to be at 8:30.  I was taking another beading class.  In this class, we were making earrings using beads and porcupine quills.  It was a fairly simple project and one that I was able to finish in the class.

We had a pleasant surprise today.  One of Bill’s contacts on the Country Coach Forum, Gary Boone, came by to visit.  His wife,  Leeanne, was shopping so we didn’t get to meet her.  Their forum name is The BooneDockers.  Clever, eh?

Bill had another class this afternoon, so I did some errand type things like getting the mail.  Lori had sent some cookies for us and a clip for Wendy.  That’s kind of a hard thing to explain, but is for clipping a bag ot dog pooh to the leash so you have a hand free to wave to people.  At least I think that was how the story goes.

We rested when we got home.  I also worked on the herringbone bracelet from yesterday’s class.  I was able to finish it.  Yippy, Skippy!

We went to Wally and Judy’s motorhome for dinner.  He had made shrimp cocktails, a really good salad, and grilled Italian sausages.  We visited, ate, and visited some more before coming home at 8:30.  

Wally and Judy are an interesting couple.  He is half Sioux Indian and was raised on a reservation in South Dakota.  They were both driving trucks when they met and soon began driving as a team.  His trucker name was Half-breed.  I call him “chief.”  Not Chief Sitting Bull, but Chief Full of Bull.  He is like our friend, Dwight.  They can both tell some really tall tales.

July 1, 2013--Escapade in Gillette, Wyoming

The year is half over.  Gad zooks!

We were out the door again at 7:45.  My class this morning was "wire wrapping."  I had wondered about the process.  Now I know...it isn't meant for me.  To say it was difficult is an understatement.  It was so-o-o very hard.

We went home for a quick lunch, before going to afternoon classes.  I was signed up to make a bracelet using the herringbone pattern.  This was more to my liking, but I was really tired from the morning's ordeal.  After working for a couple of hours I went home for a nap.  I will finish the bracelet later.

After resting, we went to Burger King for supper.  Food lifted my spirits.  We got back to the Cam-Plex in time for the evening's entertainment.

Patty Davidson is a top notch ventriloquist.  She put on a great show.  Her brother-in-law performed during her costume changing breaks (I can't remember his name) with songs he had written.  She also used people from the audience as her "dummies."  The crowd really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is another early start.