Saturday July 17th

Goodbye Seattle

I know this is still Washington, but I ran out of room on that page.

Final morning by Jeanne

We got up, packed, and were on our way to Sea-Tac Airport by the awful hour of 7:30 a.m. Joni and Fred dropped us off at the airport, and off they went towards Spokane and the rest of their journey.

I enjoyed Vancouver and Seattle very much - they are both great cities. I particularly enjoyed spending time with my sis and Fred. Have a safe and great rest of your journey and see you in Philly on October 3. Bye!

Seattle to Spokane, Washington

This is Joni back on the job

We left our hotel at 7:45 AM to take Jeanne and Albert to the airport for their flight home. Good bye, safe flight home. See you in October.

Our stop for a quick breakfast turned into an hour long study of character. The restaurant was busy and disorganized as we observed from our seat at the counter. The cooks were piling the food up from the kitchen on a skinny little counter faster than the wait people could pick it up. There seemed to be no method to the madness and the waiters and waitresses had trouble figuring which plates belonged to whom. Eventually, it happened. The cooks put one too many plates on the counter and crash! down went a plate of toast onto the tile floor. Pieces of plate splintered in every direction and the helpless toast lay in the aisle. Not a word was spoken as the waitress and bus boy picked up the plate.

We were still waiting for our food, watching in astonishment as the cooks continued to pile plates on top of each other. This time the victim was a plate of scrambled eggs and home fries. It was a sorry sight watching the eggs drip off the counter. A more vocal waitress was standing there and a brief battle of words were exchanged. The cooks vs. the wait staff, obviously no love lost between those two groups.

The amazing thing to us was that with a few minor adjustments, the entire procedure could be improved. As we continued to wait for our food, we amused ourselves by discussing how we would have that operation in ship shape if we were in charge. Yea right!

After a 4-1/2 hour drive we arrived at the Shangra-La in Spokane. It was a cheap hotel with a slightly funny smell, but nice touches of customer service. Downtown Spokane (pronounced SPO-CAN) was nice and cozy for a town of 100,000 people. A covered skywalk connects the stores and Riverfront Park has a walking and biking path.

At the park we rented bikes and took a tour. There were miles and miles of bike paths. It was a very large park for the size of the town. Being Saturday, there were alot of people riding, walking and skating around. One of the centerpieces of the park was a giant red flexible flyer wagon which Fred had to climb in. I think it had something to do with childhood memories. We cut our ride a little short because of threatening skies and an impendign thirst.

After getting our exercise, did a Micro Brew mini tour. We are going to miss the abundance of Micro Breweries that are available in the Northwest. I really enjoy trying different brews. At the Onion, a restaurant with healthy choices on the menu, Fred ordered for me while I hit the restroom. He was laughing when I came back as I tasted my beer. It was called Moosedrool, a micro from Montana. Despite the name, it was quite good.

Back to Journal Index

Sunday July 18th

Spokane, Washington to Butte, Montana (via Idaho)

We hung around the hotel room this morning to watch the ending of the British Open. Can you believe Van De Velde giving away his lead on 18. Why in the world would he whip out his driver when he has a 3 shot lead. Wow. We wanted to watch the three-way play off, so we stopped at an Applebees on the way out of town and had breakfast. That gave us a late start for our 5 hour drive to Butte, Montana, but it was worth it. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast, watched a great golf playoff, and saw a unique baseball display on the wall. Spokane is the hometown of Kevin Stocker and one entire wall was dedicated to his career. Most of the display contained his Phillies memorabilia from the 1993 season. It brought back special memories for us because we were at the vet for his first game as a pro.

These last two days have been long ones spent in the BK. We finally arrived at the Rocker Inn, our home for tonight, It is a truck stop on the outskirts of Butte. It had everything we could want: a cheap rate, laundry, water cooler, bar, casino, free snacks, a sofa in our room, and clean carpet.

Our brief foray into downtown Butte to take some pictures was a bust. We left the camera back in the room. A gorgeous sky was visible over what is known as "the richest hill in the world". The Berkley Pit was a large open pit copper mine in use until 1982. The setting sun caused the neatly shaved rock to turn brilliant colors.

Driving through a town like Butte made us wonder about the people who lived there. Most of the homes were modest, some in disrepair, very few lavish. The population of the town had fallen to 33,000 from a peak of 100,000 in the days when the "Copper Kings" ruled. Casinos and taverns were on every corner. We were not thirsty enough to venture into bars with names such as Grouchey's Cafe and Pissers Palace (which was aptly named because it was about as big as an outhouse).

This was our only night in Montana so it was imperative to find a place to have our Montana beer. After driving around, rejecting bar after bar, we finally settled on the Royale Lounge and Casino which looked safe. We each had a Bud Light with our excellent meal. We were pleased and surprised at how delicious the pasta tasted.

Back to Journal Index

Monday July 19th

Butte, Montana to Yellowstone National Park

Fred insisted on returning to downtown Butte for photos. I would have just as soon said forget it, but he knew his web sight loyals would cause a ruckus, demanding pictures of Butte. He had read about a place called the Miner's Monument so we had to drive all over town until we found it. A quick photo of the mountains, a brief stop back at the Ore Pit and we were finally on our way.

All the National Parks that we visited have offered a different experience and Yellowstone, the Nations first National Park established in 1872, was no exception. Yellowstone has over 370 miles of roads and we were in a quandary as to how we were going to see it all since our lodging was at the North end. After driving for 5 hours to get here, we longed to spend time in the great outdoors, not in the BK. As we walked through the crowded parking lot to the visitors center, we noticed cars from at least 10 different states. Yellowstone is indeed a popular destination for people from all over the country.

As we sat with our Yellowstone Information at a picnic table, we tried to eat lunch. With one hand we were holding onto brochures so they would not blow away and with the other hand we were shooshing flies. They were buzzing around landing on everything including us. We finally got up and left in frustration. I couldn't even finish my sandwich so you know how bad it must have been! This was not the best introduction to Yellowstone: fighting for a parking space, crowds of people, and flies that bite. We couldn't wait to see our lodging. Hopefully Rough Rider Cabin is just a cute name and not an accurate description of our accommodations.

The park is laid out in such a way that we needed to see the Mammoth Hot Springs area before going to check in. After a bit of confusion, we found the Minerva Plateau and walked the boardwalk with the hundreds of other tourists. It was worth the crowd. This thermal area of hot springs is an artistic wonder. Water flow and mineral deposits in combination with lichen and various bacteria have created streaks of color down the terraced slopes. Our favorite spot was at Palette Spring where the water flowing down the steep ridge looked as if an artist had dropped her box of paints. Colors of orange, brown and green appeared to drip impetuously down the hillside.

By now it was late afternoon and our home for the next two nights was still 18 miles away on curving mountain roads. Our "Rough Rider Cabin" turned out to exceed our expectations. We had visions of four walls and nothing else. Cabin #114 was in the perfect location on the end of the row directly beside the babbling brook. Inside, the cabin appeared to have been recently refurbished with fresh cream colored paint on the walls and a walnut stain on the hardwood floor. Brand new cotton curtains hung on black wrought iron decorative rods at the six little windows. The double sized oak bed suggested a good nights rest unlike the cots in the tent cabin at Yosemite. A small black wood stove with two firestarter logs completed the comfy feeling. We were ecstatic as this was far superior than what we had been expecting. Although there was no plumbing, the shower was only steps away.

Our hike before dinner was to the Lost Lake. The narrow trail switchbacked up the hill. We passed through meadows full of wildflowers. There were not a lot of flowers, but they were very colorful. Red, blue, green, apricot and white, they were gorgeous. However, the flies were awful. I got huge bites on my legs and arms. The hike was longer than we expected but we had to see the lake. We hiked far enough to get a glimpse of our target but it was getting too late in the day to go any further.

At one point, a female grouse looking quite disturbed stood in our path. Two girls coming the other way gave the grouse her space and they skirted around the path through the tall grass. I was going to continue forward thinking she would move. However, Grouchy Grouse had another idea. She looked me square in the eye and ruffled up the feathers in her neck until her hair was standing on end. She proceeded to strut and scold. In her squawk I clearly heard, "Don't you dare come this way".

OK, Mrs. Grouse, you win. Even though we are much bigger than you, we will go through the tall grass and give you the path. As we stood on the other side watching her, we were captivated by the sight of four chicks coming out of the grass and crossing the path. The happy family paraded down the hill as we stood and watched in silent admiration. Don't mess with a mother when it comes to her babies.

Here we are in Wyoming,our 23rd state, and fortunately the restaurant has beer. I had a bottled Micro from Montana and Fred tried a brew from Wyoming as we sat in the lodge in front of the fireplace waiting for our table. The Roosevelt Lodge Dining Room serves corn bread and three side dishes with every meal. For dessert, I had Som'ores. I have been craving som'ores for months, every time I smelled a campfire. Melted marshmallow and chocolate was served in a little frying pan accompanied by graham crackers. Not quite a campfire Som'ore, but close enough. Yummmm!!!!!!!

Back to Journal Index

Tuesday July 20th

Yellowstone Park, Wyoming

There is nothing like the sound of a babbling brook to ensure a good nights rest. Our cabin was wonderful and with the windows open we could hear birds chirping happily. We had determined that our best course of action for the day was to concentrate on a few highlights and not drive ourselves crazy by trying to see everything.

Yellowstone is a park full of diversity. Our day was full of natural attractions that reminded us of other National Parks. Yellowstone seems to have it all. Our first hike was along Tower Creek and ended at Tower Falls reminding us of Yosemite and the spectacular waterfalls. The sun was shining brightly as we climbed back from the bottom of the falls. The trail guide had warned of extreme changes in weather, but that seemed unlikely given the perfect conditions.

Driving along the road to our second planned hike, we passed forest and meadow. As we turned to take the access road to the trail head, the wind picked up, the sun went behind the clouds and the air temperature dropped. By the time we got to the parking lot, streaks of lightening had begun to flash in the darkening sky. This was to be the start of our 6-mile hike to Mt. Washburn that promised sweeping views of Yellowstone River and Yellowstone Grand Canyon along with a 1,400 foot elevation change. As we were sitting in the BK discussing the foolishness of venturing out with the threat of impending rain, the clouds suddenly let loose and thunder boomed. Bolts of lightening flashed in front of the mountains and I grabbed the camera to capture the storm. We sat in the safety of the BK and watched in amazement as the storm raged on one side of the lookout while on the side we had just come from the sun was still shining. Hail rained down on us with such force that we were sure the BK would have dents. Fred, thinking he was funny, rolled down my window and I yelled as the cold balls of hail stung my legs. Hey Fred how does that cold hail feel down the back of your shirt. OK, kids let's behave.

The hail eventually turned to rain, but we called off our hike in favor of continuing on to Canyon Country. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is 1,200 feet deep. The river rages through the canyon and flows into two thundering waterfalls named the Lower and the Upper. We hiked the Lower Falls trail which was another easy down, but marathon back up. When we got back to the top, Fred announced that he was done with those damn switchbacks. I had to agree.

For our next hike we chose the South Rim trail which one would think is along a rim and flat. Not quite, although it was manageable. This rim trail is not a popular hike so it was relatively empty. Fred and I had just finished discussing how peaceful it was to finally be away from all the people when suddenly we were inundated with a group of teenagers coming toward us on the path. Fifty kids were noisily walking the trail, pushing and shoving, laughing and shouting. One girl yelled at a boy for farting. Others were gossiping. We were amused by their energetic enthusiasm but felt exhausted by the time they passed.

The best part of Yellowstone is the wild life. Due to the enormous size of the park, wildlife abounds. We quickly learned that when more than 2 cars are pulled over with the doors flung wide open, wildlife has been spotted. We saw a black bear, buffalo, a herd of elk and coyote at a fairly close range. (Note: In the picture I am not stupid enough to be trying to feed the buffalo even though that is what it looks like.). We went through two rolls of film.

Back to Journal Index

Wednesday, July 21st

Yellowstone, Wyoming to Montpelier, Idaho

We said goodbye to our peaceful babbling brook and left our cabin at Yellowstone by 8 AM. We had innumerable vistas to explore and many miles to drive.

The Yellowstone Hot Springs was a sight to see. The vast area called Porcelain Basin was mostly white with many percolating springs. It reminded us of pots of water on high heat that have been forgotten and allowed to boil uncontrollably. Everywhere we looked, water bubbled throwing off steam. Fred thought it looked prehistoric. We expected to see a dinosaur come lumbering across the flat wasteland. For some reason the earth's crust is very thin here and cracks in the rock go all the way down to the center of the earth. It is no surprise that people did not believe the stories of the explorers that discovered Yellowstone. It was a very bizarre scene indeed.

As we drove along the Yellowstone road heading south, we felt like true tourists. Our time was limited, so we would stop, fight for a parking space, hop out, look at a sight, take a few pictures, hop back in, drive to the next sight and repeat the entire process. The highlight of our typical tourist morning was at Old Faithful. Along with 400 other people, we waited and waited and waited for the geyser to blow. As we stood and watched, Old Faithful teased the crowd with a few short spurts and some puffs of steam. Finally, she blew over 100 feet into the air. Spectacular!

The Grand Teton National Park is only about 10 miles south of Yellowstone so that was also on our agenda for the day. The Teton Mountains are gorgeous. Glaciers creep down the rugged unpredictable jagged peaks of the mountains. We stopped at several scenic points each with a view of a different mountain.

I had often heard skiing friends talk about Jackson Hole. It is a small town with an old fashioned main street and lots of fun looking bars. We could imagine how pretty it must look in the winter when the mountains are covered in fresh snow. Traffic was heavy through town and for the next 30 miles the road was torn up. Road construction slowed the flow of traffic to 20 miles per hour.

Driving through southern Wyoming is what I pictured cowboy country to be: wide open spaces, ranches, and grazing cattle. My favorite sights were the horses out in pasture with their long graceful manes and white striped noses. The baby colts were adorable as they stood close to their Moms. Tidy fences partitioned off the meadows as the ranches stretched for miles.

It was 8 P.M. when we arrived in Montpelier, Idaho, a town of 2,000. We were puzzled with the 6-lane wide roads in this tiny town. Montpelier was founded by Brigham Young and named for the capital of his home state, Vermont. Since we had been on the road all day, the last thing we felt like doing was going out for a beer, but we had not yet had our Idaho beer. Since we had been sitting on our butts in the BK for most of the last 12 hours, we decided to walk to the closest bar. Butch Cassidys Restaurant and Saloon had a bar tucked in behind the restaurant. It was the kind of bar where everyone turns to stare at the strangers when they walk in . The beer were cheap and oh great, lucky us, it was Kareokee night. Fortunately, the only guy who would sing had a decent voice. Before long we were back at the Fisher Inn sound asleep.

Back to Journal Index

Thursday July 22nd

Montpelier, Idaho to Salt Lake City, Utah

We got in a quick game of tennis before heading out for the day. Our first scenic attraction was Bear Lake on the border of Idaho and Utah. The crystal clear blue lake was the color of a well maintained suburban swimming pool. Geologic upheaval decades ago isolated Bear Lake from surrounding bodies of water. The lake contains four unique species of fish.

Neither of us had ever been to Salt Lake City, Utah. The streets were wide enough for the Big Kahuna to do a U-turn. We read that Bringham Young insisted on streets wide enough for a wagon with four oxen to be able to turn around. I guess that explains why the tiny town of Montpelier had such wide streets also.

The Mormons offer free tours of Temple Square. Their obvious ulterior motive is to expose visitors to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Each tour group only has 6 visitors and two guides. Our tour guide "sisters", as they are called, were from South Korea and Brazil. They volunteer to serve for 18 months and consider themselves missionaries. The "sisters" told us all about the Mormon Temple and the history of the religion.

The highlight of the tour was the Mormon Tabernacle where the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings. The Tabernacle was built in 1863 with perfect acoustics. No microphone is needed. The pews are original and hold 6,500 people. The organ is the 12th largest in the world. During an acoustic demonstration, the "sister" dropped three straight pins and a nail on the front dais and we could hear them loudly from the back of the Tabernacle. Amazing that this type of building could be engineered over 100 years ago.

We had dinner at the Salt Lake Brewing Company, a three story micro brewery in town. I had the dark and blonde which was very good. I am on a "try to choose healthy" eating kick so I ordered the veggie burger, but did not care for it. Oh well, that's one way to not overeat. Utah has strange alcohol laws. The server can not bring you another beer while you still have some in your glass. Also, only private clubs can serve mixed drinks. But, for $5.00 you can join the club.

We finally timed something right in a city. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was practicing at 8 P.M. and the public is invited to listen in. We sat transfixed as the director coached the choir through various selections of music. Fred was fascinated as his finely tuned ear could hear the nuances the director was trying to bring out. For example, one selection called for a pause. The director had the 300 member choir sing it two ways, one time pausing with a breathe and the next time pausing, but without taking a breathe. It was amazing to hear the difference. After dissecting each selection one line at a time, the director would then have the choir stand to sing the entire song while being recorded for future critiquing. This practice session was almost better than going to a normal concert and we will have a new respect for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when we see them on TV.

Great job on the hotel reservation. The Travellodge which was recently updated. Five blocks from Temple Square and only $49.00.

Back to Journal Index

Friday July 23rd

Salt Lake City, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado

We stopped briefly in Provo, Utah to take a quick look at Bringham Young University. The stadium is open to the mountains and would be a great place to watch a football game. Since it was summer, the campus was filled with teens and the athletic fields were dotted with baseball camps. Fred wanted to get out and play a game of catch with some of the guys. He misses playing softball.

We passed through a town called Green River with a sign claiming to be the Watermelon Capital of the World. Fred thought that was funny but we missed the photo opportunity and I vetoed turning around.

We took a 50-mile detour to visit Arches National Park but figured that since we were this close, we had to go. Seeing and feeling the beauty of this fabulous country of ours has been one of our favorite parts of the trip. Arches is a high desert with a climate that freezes in winter and scorches in summer. The landscape at Arches has been shaped by sand and wind into an extraordinary rock sculpture garden. The towering cliffs and spires visible for miles caused us to exclaim and point as we drove along the road in the park. The intriguing shapes and variety of colors compelled us to get out of the car and hike into the 100 degree day. We did several short hikes to amazing rock formations with names such as Delicate Arch, Balanced Rock, and Windows. With no available shade outside, the BK felt like a refuge each time we hopped back inside.

Balanced Rock is a curious sight. A big round boulder is precariously perched on a delicate spiraled column appearing to defy gravity. We were dismayed to learn that a smaller replica called Chip Off the Old Block had toppled during the winter of 1975. We thought we saw pieces of "little Chipper" laying on the ground. So sad!

We really wanted to do the Fiery Furnace where a ranger leads you through a three hour hike into a mazelike labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons. However, the times slots for this popular hike were full which is just as well due to the heat of the day and our time constraints. We settled for driving to the look-out point and marveling from afar.

Utah must have the most beautiful scenery of all the 48 states. H.L.A. Culmer, a traveler in 1909 describes Southern Utah as, "Scenes of magnificent disorder, ... beyond description. ...such bewildering spectacles of mighty shapes that Utah must always be the land sought by explorers of the strange and marvelous." I think that sums it up.

We spent the night in Grand Junction, Colorado. We were excited about the prospect of kicking back next week in Vail at a time share. Our friends Darla and Dianne were flying in from New Jersey and spending the week with us and we were very anxious to see them.