Idaho and Yakima, Washington

We had a very scenic drive from Rollins, Montana to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho on Thursday, September 8th by going south on Hwy 93 and turning to the west on Hwy 28 at Elmo. We then went south on Hwy 200 towards Paradise with the Clark Fork River flowing on the side of us.  When we reached Hwy. 135 we were driving west again into the Lolo National Forest until reached I-90 at St. Regis. We were thinking about taking Hwy 93 south back to Missoula and picking up I-90 there but Shanna told us that the  St. Regis Paradise Scenic Byway through Lolo National Forest was a much prettier drive and we were so glad we took her advice.  It was indeed a beautiful drive.

We stopped at Blackwell Island RV Park for a one night stay in Coeur d' Alene.   Tears filled my eyes when out of habit the first thing I did when we stopped  was to go get Peaches to take her outside to be a good girl.  It was our first trip back on the road without her.  The RV Park is located on Blackwell Island where the Spokane River empties into Coeur d' Alene Lake.  We followed a very nice walking trail from the park and enjoyed the views of the river and lake.

Friday morning it was time to hit the road again and continue  to our next stop in Yakima.  What a total surprise to see dry desert like land as we entered into the eastern portion of the Evergreen State.  This area is drier than the western half of the state because it receives very little rainfall due to the rainshadow created by the Cascade Mountains.  The desert land was not our only surprise.  We actually saw a pay phone.

 We made reservations at Suntide RV Park in Yakima for two nights so that we could spend a day visiting Mt. Rainier National Park.  The RV park had large paved sites and offered full hookups for $37 a night and is located about 60 miles southeast of Mt. Rainier.  We had not done much research on the Yakima Valley before making reservations in the Columbia River Gorge area.  "Big Mistake, Big" as Julia Roberts said in  my favorite movie "Pretty Woman".  We could have easily stayed a few more days here to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the fruit orchards.  Yakima has the largest variety of produce grown in the Northwest.  We saw orchards for just about all the apples that are sold in the grocery stores back home.  After stopping to buy apples at a local fruit stand we learned that the orchards are irrigated by the snow melt from Mt. Rainier.

The weather was perfect for our trip to Mt. Rainier and for the most part we were not bothered with crowds until we reached the visitor center at the top of the mountain.  Trying to find a parking spot was crazy so when we were vacating our spot Terry thinks we should sell it to the highest bidder.   I am sure we would have had several bidders, it was that crazy in the parking lot. 

Mt. Rainier is a beautiful park to see and I did my best to capture the scenery through the viewfinder on my Nikon D60 camera.  I have been getting a few photography lessons from Joe so hopefully I will be able to take the same quality pictures as he does one day.  If you want to take a look at some good photography click here and you will be directed to his blog. 

Hello from Mt. Rainier

Joe and Crickett leading the way on St. Regis Paradise Scenic Byway.

Our last scenic byway we drove in Montana.  This is the Clark Fork River.

We had a wonderful time in Montana!

We made it to Idaho.  Only one problem we didn't get any taters while we were there.

The beach at Blackwell Island RV Park.

The office at the park was very busy when we arrived.

Always like to show our flag flying.  One thing about Rver's they proudly fly the American flag.

Joe and Crickett's home on wheels about 7 months out of the year parked next to our coach.

Entrance to the trail that lead us to the water.

On the trail

Terry and Joe leading the way.

Pretty cool things we saw on the trail.

Adorable

Spokane River

Eastern Washington

When was the last time you saw pay phone?  We were shocked to see this at a rest stop.

A fabulous place to visit



Joe & Crickett Cherry are really good traveling buddies.  They like to take a lot of pictures like I do.

Mt. Rainier is known as Fire & Ice. It is an active volcano overlaid by snow and glaciers.  That is a cloud on the top of the mountain.

Plants survive by finding soil in the cracks of the rocks.

A closer look at the snowfields on the mountain.

Fall was beginning to make an appearance.

The water was so blue.

Watching the clouds moving across the top.

I love to see the sun shining through the trees and feeling the warmth of the rays.

Reflection lake - the wind was a little to strong to get a good reflection.

What is that flying saucer cloud over Mt. Rainier?  Here is a link that will explain the lenticular cloud.

Another shot around Reflection Lake.

The clouds will look like a stack of pancakes sometimes. 

Several waterfalls can be seen in the park.

Still has that small spaceship cloud over the top.  This was the back side of the mountain where the snow was much heavier.

We made it to Paradise.  All we needed was the cheeseburger and a cold draft beer.



Thanks to all the men and women who have defended our freedom
 and our right to fly Old Glory.

There is a lake underneath the ice.  Climbers cannot take the bitter cold for very long.

Those that climb to the summit can be warmed by the sitting near steam vents
if they can stand the rotten egg sulfuric smell.
 

This little bear had been on a four week journey with a group of young girls.

What a view!



Apple orchard in Yakima, Washington

Gala apples here



These apples are harvested by hand picking. 

All of the apples on the ground will go to waste.  The material on the ground is used to reflect the sunlight back up to the bottom of the apples.

Snow melt from Mt. Rainier piped into a reservoir that has been built to irrigate the orchards. 

Irrigating the orchards



Sprinkler heads are used to cool the orchards down in the heat of the summer to keep the apples from baking in the sun.



Our site at Suntides RV Park.  We had a very nice yard with this site.

Goodbye Montana

Our last day as work campers was on September 6th so we had one more day to do some sight seeing before packing up and moving toward the west coast.  The National Bison Range was only a few miles away so we made that our last day trip while in Montana.  We considered ourselves pretty lucky at the amount of wildlife we saw while driving the range.

Just as we entered the park dark clouds emerged over the mountain range.  As we continued to move deeper into the park the storm brewing caught up with us.  First rain, then hail fell all over Joe's truck.  Thankfully it did not damage his truck.  It was interesting to watch the animals as they moved for cover while the storm rolled by.

It was hard to believe that we had spent 7 weeks in Rollins, Montana.  How could we stop the wheels on our motorhome for such a long period of time?  Simply put - we fell in love with Montana!  One might ask what is it about Montana that we love.  I would answer everything.  The weather was a nice change for us, the simple way of life, the people were so friendly and made us feel so welcomed, huckleberry shakes and sweet cream pancakes with homemade caramel syrup were real treats. The most impressive thing about Montana was seeing nature as it was intended to be seen.

Saying good-bye to all of our friends at Rollins RV Park the morning of Thursday, September 8th was met with mixed emotions.  Sad to leave but happy to continue our journey to the west coast with Joe and Cricket.  The summer of 2016 in Rollins, Montana will be one we will never forget and hope to return next year.

There were 3 big bucks like this one hanging out together.  That is one huge deer.
 Having a deer hunter in the truck with us I think we could all feel his heart pounding. 

Antler collection at the visitor center

Flathead River can be seen as the road begins to climb the hills and mountains.

Keeping an eye on the storm over the Salish Mountain Range.

That is a bison laying down.  We saw many herds of bison but they kept their distance from the road which was not favorable for taking pictures.

Bighorn sheep was not intimidated by the vehicles on the road or our cameras.

It takes over 2 hours to drive the 24 mile loop through the park.

Bighorn sheep were seen in several different portions of the park.

Antelope

Elk

Herd of antelope and deer on the move

The storm dumped snow on the mountains.

Views of the mountain range from the visitors center were beautiful.



Wayne Newton's home on Flathead Lake in Rollins, MT.

Very unique gazebo in the yard at Wayne Newton's home.

These trees were everywhere.  I think they are mountain ash.

This shot is for all our camping buddies that can appreciate
 well maintained interior roads in a campground.
  What you see is what you get at Rollins RV Park.

The park is tiered and offers community fire pits for the guest to use.
The best part is the fire wood is furnished by the park.

Enjoy views like this from the swings throughout the park.

Packing up to hit the road again.

Meet Shanna Felts - she knows how to make a great huckleberry shake.

Cindy and Lori chatting. Here is Jeff aka PBDB (Pillsbury Dough Boy) photo booming
with his shadow.

PBDB and his bride Cindy in front of their home on wheels.



Farewell Dinner
Group picture after we enjoyed prime rib roast Pat provided.  There was never a shortage
of good food with this crew.  We did introduce them to Cajun cooking and French music.
 

Alpenglow over the Mission Mountains
Joe was fortunate enough to catch the rosy glow of the sun setting in the west while we were having dinner in Polson.
Just one more reason to love Montana.