Day 11: Asotin, Washington to Wallowa Lake, Joseph Oregon

Hells Canyon is our technical location, but it doesn’t feel like it as we awake to another round of morning rain. We head to the main house to pay the nice hosts for our stay the night before, and come to find out we aren’t where we thought we were and there is no way in hells canyon we’d make it over the 67 mile trek to the lake from this road. Nor did we have the gas to make it over the first grade, and in the next mile was the last of the residents in the area. Thank god we stopped, we would have been screwed. Turns out we aren’t on the 129 and we are not on the Snake River. We are actually on the Grande Ronde, a prime spot for steelhead fishing in September. Dale and V are the nicest people and they opened their door to us as we sit and learn about life on the Ronde for a few short hours. Pretty good living out here, with his Oklahoma accent, Dale filled us in on the politics of the area and how he and his wife sit on the front porch and watch as the big horn sheep come in around October, as well as wild turkeys and bobcats, deer and cougars. They love having the RV site and the company, as many as 27 have been there during the season and they get together and have wine and big dinners. Dales dad (Pa) and brother (Bubba) live up the road in the first property he purchased and they all seem really close. In fact Pa came down to visit while we were there, 91 years old and spry as they come, he comes in chasing the 9 year old nephew who is teaching V how to access her email, ha ha. Pa just actually got married in an Indian ceremony 2 months ago to a 70 something year old woman, though he is not Indian -his new wife must be. They are a kick, they give us sweet corn that the neighbors just harvested , he knows every person by name on the hole 27 mile stretch and is friends with them all. He also doesn’t charge us for the night which is really thoughtful and sends us back on the right track, what a nice guy. After a nice egg breakfast we hit the road again... in search of Wallowa Lake. We find hwy 129, the sign was hidden behind a tree of course, there was no way we would have spotted it the night before, but we all agree we are glad to have taken the detour to Dales RV park. The road is much like coming into Moscow, rolling wheat fields with a red barn and house every hundred acres or so and the sky is as big and sprawling with cumulous clouds as I have ever seen it. The sun is out and the drive is so relaxing ,its hard to stay awake. We reach a pretty epic grade that winds for about 40 miles and right in the middle at the bottom of the base is a restaurant that serves burgers fries and old fashioned shakes, Dale recommended we go, he goes there a couple times a year for fun with his wife. At Boggans Oasis there are a few cabins located behind the restaurant and the Ronde River runs beneath the only road in and out, we wonder where the 2 old waitresses live and if they journey out much. In the mean time we fish, Matthew catches a small mouth bass and good size rainbow trout right off the bat, I almost caught a snake. After a good old fashioned root beer float we hit the road to finish the grade and cross back into Oregon territory. We put the XM radio on Elvis and I sleep for the next hour. We pull into Enterprise a town about 12 miles out from the lake for a few supplies and internet than hit the amazing lake. It is beautiful and bigger than I remember. After scoring a perfect campsite tucked into our own private corner on the North fork of the Wallowa River we come to the conclusion that it’s another perfect end to an awesome day. We live it up and make bbq scallops for dinner with our fresh sweet corn and salad and ride our bikes around the campsite until dark~ we aren’t going anywhere!

Day 9: Bonners Ferry Idaho to Bonners Ferry Idaho

We aren’t going anywhere! We found a gem of a spot and have no intention of getting back on the road today! Mikey says he woke up at 2 am and went outside, the moon was glowing so brightly he thought it was sunrise. This spot is beautiful. The boys pack up their fishing gear and head out to hike into the wilderness to catch some trout breakfast and I decide to hang around the campsite and take some pictures and do some laundry and run the pups around. They made it back, no fish but wet after chasing a few lures, ha ha. Matthew and I played some miniature golf that the camp offered and I kicked his butt pretty bad, 14 to 9 or something. The little course is surrounded by trees and healthy grazing palomino horses and a huge grass lawn, the owner is as nice as can be and her son and daughter help her run the place. We can ride our bikes around the whole park past the swimming hole and over by the boat launch we cross the river to find mikey fishing by the rapids. Matthew and I decide to ride the rapids on our butts over the rocks into the pool below, ha ha I lost the polish off at least 3 of my toes and it was worth it! What a fun ride. We all headed back to camp and made sandwiches before we took the canoe out into the rivers for some more fishing. The twin rivers, which is where the Moyie River meets the Kootenei River, happens to collide right in front of our camp, its pretty easy to get the canoe in the water there and it’s the first time all 3 of us try it out. I’d say it was a successful venture, no one fell in, however we only caught 2 fish. Matthew caught a tiny little fish that had a sucker mouth and I caught the prize 6 lb fish, we think it was a female walleye but I’m not sure, she was a fighter, so I let her go, soy dogs for dinner again! Another perfect evening campfire and a good sleep was in order after a long day, the days do seem longer here, and we are grateful for that. Back on the road tomorrow so we’ve got to relish the nightJ

Day 10: Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Asotin, Washington

Chinese Fire Drill! An unexpected down pour of rain rousted Matthew and I out of bed to pick up all of our belongings outside of the RV. We forget that we are in the northwest and summer showers are common, and we don’t have an awning on Delphina to protect the rug and tables and everything else we set outside our “home”. The rain does make this camp smell even better than it smelled before and we have pretty much gotten it down with the dogs and wet paws, I clean the RV daily, and preparation before hand is essential… but we forgot about the outside. Its funny how you can smell the rain coming from a mile away out here, there isn’t anything distracting the air like smog or car pollution. So after the mad dash to protect our belongings, we decide to go back to sleep for an hour before we have to get ready to head back on the road. The drive is nice and easy and the rain cleared up until were about 45 minutes back down the 95, than it is consistent for the next hour. The rest stops that we stop at to let the dogs out are more like state parks, beautiful and tree lined with rolling grassy knolls to roll down, ha ha. The dogs think we have reached our destination! Driving into Moscow is a drive through big wheat fields and perfect blue skies with the fluffiest white clouds you have ever seen, about every hundred acres there is a red barn and handful of gorgeous horses, very surreal, like a movie. We pull into a construction mess as it looks as thought he city is renovating the roads onto main street. We go to the first thrift store we run into and Matthew finally got a flannel that he’d been wanting, and I found another plaid shirt which has been our theme. We all decide to park it and head into downtown, we are park right across the street from Hotel Moscow where the farmers market happens but we are to o late for that, too bad. We stop into a place called Mikey’s that has a tie dye shop in the very back where the halls are thick with patchouli incense aroma. The women that make the tie dye are behind a little manufactured wall that separates the store, and their conversation is as entertaining as the shops’ merchandise. After picking up some much needed clothes, ha ha we get make our way back onto the perfect sunlit downtown sidewalk and check out the shops and movie theatre. As we approach 6th street we head into the Ally Cat, a nice big downtown pub to check out the locals. A different variety than we found in the tie dye shop, some red necks and liberals and artsy types. After our beer we walk up 6th to Jefferson Street, and make a right passed the old church up to my old homestead. I recognize everything like it was yesterday but the houses are smaller than I remember. it’s a fortunate day because 627 South Jefferson Street is empty and the door is open. I head right into the living room and fond memories are aplenty! The fireplace, dining room, kitchen, study and mom and dads room downstairs are almost exactly the same, but run down. The rooms are smaller than I remember and the house has a slight lean. The upstairs where my room is, is exactly the same1 The boys room has changed and Jason’s little nook with the perched bed is now a bathroom and the door has been sealed from the boys room. JoAnne’s room with the sink is still intact, there are some old stickers stuck to the mirror from previous renters, but otherwise its as I remember. There is an old phone book downstairs and I looked up the Schmidts, Bob and Terry still live down the street, same phone number and everything. Weird! After taking some pictures we check out the basement and backyard, looks like there was a fire in the basement, bummer, I think this house will either be torn down or completely renovated, its in sad shape. So many good memories there in every part of the house. We take a stroll back down Jefferson and check out the library and Russell Elementary School. The walk seems shorter than I remember and the hill not quite as severe, ha ha. We head beck into downtown to get a drink at Hotel Moscow and talk to the bartender who tells me the Nobby Inn is no longer. It went under about 8 years ago and is now the garden club or something. East City park is still around and they have a lot of events and concerts in the park. Its getting closer to 6pm and we need to start out if we are gonna make Walawa Lake before dark, so we hit Roseaurs on the way out of town, I love that grocery store, half of the store is organic and vegetarian, I am in heaven. We all really like it here. Its around 7pm now and we are back on the road heading to the lake through Lewiston and Clarkston. Somewhere along the way we don’t catch the 129 down into Washington, instead we stay on the 12 West to Snake River Road at sunset and as we drive along the river in the canyon I have never seen such glory. The sky is amazing and the shadows on the hills are unreal, the pictures don’t even capture the magic of it. The road begins to narrow and all of a sudden we are driving on a dirt road and the lightning begins to light up the purple sky, that rain smell I was talking about has been looming for about a half hour and I think its about to pour. Matthew pulls over to switch out his contacts to glasses and the night is coming fast so I take over driving. Rocks are now falling into the road from the cliff side and conditions are very sketchy. After a good 30 to 40 minutes we see an RV park sign and seize the moment, we are also getting low on gas and need to reevaluate our plan. The sign says “no key RV Park” so we pick a spot and decide to call it a night. Sleep was heavy until the rain picked up again and than it was on and off the rest of the evening. We’ll pick up the rest of the drive in the light of the morning and hopefully make our destination, but for now we are safe in our home.

Day 8: Kettle Falls, Washington to Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Leaving early from Kettle Falls we jumped back onto the 20 east that continued to take us across Washington State and into Idaho. We hit the road early so we were able to stop at some little hike spots and picturesque waterfalls on the way, the 20 east also runs parallel to the Pend Oreille River which makes for beautiful driving . We were all starving so we decided to stop at a diner, the only diner in a 40 mile country road radius, to eat some breakfast. Can you say yum?! The best homemade cinnamon roll I have ever eaten! The eggs were huge and the yolks were dark orange! We were all amazed at the portions as well, they aren’t messing around out here. After breakfast I took over driving to get us into Idaho territory. The border lies around Old town and the Pend Oreille turns into the Priest River as we hop on the 2 northeast up to Sandpoint. Sandpoint is a cute town, however there are a lot of people here! The population was around 6300 people but I’d guess their population has at least quadrupled. We head down to check out Lake Ponderay, but are advised not to take our canoe out, ha ha we might not make it out to tell the story. Besides, its now mostly a bass lake, the locals are paying to get the trout out as they are taking over the lake and killing the habitat. We cruise around the cute down town and get the scoop on the spots to fish, namely down to Coeur d’Alene and up to Bonners Ferry. So we hop on the 95 North and continue up to my place of birth, Bonners Ferry. it’s a quick jaunt, only about 30 miles before we are there, stopping at McArthur Lake on the way, another bass lake. I remember the town vaguely from my last trip up here some 15 years ago but its changed even more. The recession has shut down the mill but on the positive side about 7 years ago they restored the whole downtown area and put in lights and some upgrades. We stopped by the visitor center and picked up a map and talked to some locals about fishing and camping. After driving around town and checking out what I think is my birth home on West Comanche, I couldn’t remember exactly which of the houses at the end of the road was it, but I was not old enough to have memories here, we head back into downtown to get a beer at there little local sportsman pub. The people here are total characters and I love that suspenders and overalls are still in fashion here. Oddly enough the man sitting next to us, Ralph, is from Santa Barbara and moved up here in 1989 which made for interesting conversation and a lot of useful information about the area. He sends us into Moyie Springs for fishing and camping on the twin rivers, I am excited because this is where Jason was born and I have never been here. It is freakin’ beautiful. You drive over the 2nd tallest bridge in Idaho to get to the campsite which is down a long twisted road just before Evergreen Elementary school. The campsite is virtually empty, its Monday, and its only 20 bucks w/hook ups which means we get electricity! Awesome! Matthew and I decide to take the bikes off the back and run the dogs, all the other campers have little dogs too, they are all old and funny, the people not the dogs, and I think its happy hour because they are all a little goofy but chatty which is good. I am really starting to like this whole RV experience, its funny. Anyway the campsite is big and spread out by the river and very accessible by bike, the trees aren’t quite as tall as in Washington, but we all decide that Idaho has the winning combination of more trees to people ratio, warm sunny weather, good fishing and water access as well as a positive vibe, except for the scary anti-meth billboard as you come into town. We think we might stay here for a couple days, Mike has already caught 2 rainbow trout! After dinner and wine by the river we hit the hay and get ready for a day of outdoor activities tomorrow! Another successful leg!!!!!

Day 7: Birch Bay, Washington to Kettle Falls, Washington

Early to rise with muffins and orange juice, we are excited to get back on the road and across Washington State. What a miraculous drive! We came back down the interstate 5 and caught up with the 20 East which pretty much takes us across the whole state of Washington. We stopped throughout the woody drive and Matthew and Mikey fished the local rivers, too many to name, but all healthy and flowing strong. As we ventured on, we came into the Northern Cascades, the locals call them the alps of the northwest. What a crazy beautiful drive! There was still snow at the peaks of the saw toothed rock formations and wildlife and rock slides, waterfalls, lakes… quite an experience. It made up for the speeding ticket we got just before entering the cascades, ha ha, can you imagine Delphina getting a ticket for going too fast! That certainly hasn’t been the problem thus far, which is nice because it doesn’t feel like we are racing to get to a destination, more enjoying the scenery! We took turns driving, I say we, but Matthew and Mikey actually split the driving, I was in charge of feeding the guys sandwiches and mapping out our destinations. We stopped plenty but still drove for the better part of 8 hours and still hadn’t made it out of Washington. We decided to stay in Kettle Falls on the Columbia River , actually, at this junction it’s dammed and we are on the Roosevelt Lake side. We BBQ‘d fish and steak, we brought our hibachi so cooking outside is a breeze We parked our RV at an interesting RV park under an apple tree and relaxed for the rest of a warm evening in the Northwest:J

Day 6: Tumwater, Washington to Birch Bay, Washington

After an early start out of suburbia we had time to take it slow up to the airport at Bellingham to pick up Mikey. We were stoked to beable to head into Seattle again, Pikes Market Place is always a good time and we love how eclectic the town is. We found a church in a local neighborhood to park and get ready and "borrow" their electricity, I figure if we get caught we'll make a donation to the church, ha ha. Seattle was bustling as usual even early in the morning and people think were hilarious with the dogs and the canoe on this rickity ol RV, she is our gem! Unfortunately the car battery was on the verge of death so we spent our time in Marysville, south of seattle, at Walts mechanics with a new battery and charging system repair. Gotta take care of old Delphina first, the mechanic said it was a gem and is great condition! He wanted to buy it, like most people we meet, which is great news, I have faith we’ll make it through the rest of the trip:) After picking up Mikey at the airport we took a scenic drive around the lake in the Whatcom District and hiked around some beautiful falls, the dogs loved the park. We checked out the local dive pub, The Beav! It is the first bar we have visited since our excursion, and it suited the Washington vibe perfectlyJ After checking out the town we decided to head out to Birch Bay campsite, beautiful and full of tall evergreens, but as many people as there were trees. Not my idea of camping, kind of like KOA campground, I think this will be our only night here and we’ll head out to Idaho tomorrow and spend our extra days there instead! I am really excited, however the drive is a long one and I think we’ll push to Coeur D’Alene or less. The night was warm and prefect at our campsite besides the screaming kids but the dogs really liked all the action. Mikey was exhausted after working a 12 day stint at his UCSB research lab job so he went to bed early and Matthew and I walked the campsite and enjoyed the quieting hustle of everyone settling down for a few hours until we tired ourselves. We went as far North as we will in this trip and we are looking forward to changing states again, another successful leg if I don’t say so myself.

Day 5: Lincoln City, Oregon to Tumwater, Washington

Waking up to morning rain is as peaceful as it gets. Unfortunately our morning plan of dog walks, bike rides and canoeing are foiled, but that’s okay.. A good breakfast and early start allows us time to check out sites along the way into Washington State. As we traveled north, we made some fun stops in a few local towns at thrift stores and beaches. Our next stop through farm land was at the Tillamook cheese factory in Tillamook Oregon. Who new a cheese factory would be so popular, tons of kids and families there. We got yummy cheese samples and ice cream and fudge while watching ladies in hair nets on the assembly line. So this is where our cheese comes from, ha ha. Tillamook averages about 90 inches of rain a year and today is no exception! The farm land is amazing and pretty and the road eventually takes us through areas of awesome fruit, vegetable stands and markets with greenhouses. Its hard not to stop and graze at every one but this leg is a long one so we have to pass a few upJ Our cooler is stocked and the long drive to Washington is still ahead, so we keep on keepin’ on northbound. The bridge bordering Oregon and Washington is long and beautiful, I vaguely remember crossing it on a trip and feeling like we were driving on water, Matthew was a little sketchy but thought it was exciting. The Colombia River is massive, the biggest yet, if we had a dollar for every stream river or lake we crossed, this trip would pay for itself ha ha. Once we crossed, we actually took a wrong turn onto the 4 east backtracking us about 40 minutes, but fortunately the drive turned out to be a gem! We could see the tugboats pushing and pulling major flats of cargo down the Columbia River full of what looked to be building supplies or gravel or something! Awesome. We made it as far as Tumwater which is just south of Olympia, it was already 7:30pm and we were done and so was Delpfina (the RV). We enjoyed another night of free camping next to a park in suburbia and made sandwiches and watched Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood, tomorrow its north to Bellingham WA. Thank goodness we get to spend a few days thereJ Another successful leg, but too much driving on that one!