All Good Things Must Come to a (temporary) End

Well, it is fall, there is no doubt.   The snow is moving down the hills, we are waking to frosty mornings and the vegetable garden has mostly been put to bed for the year.

And Waddles and I had to make one more trip before calling it quits for the summer.    We took a jaunt over to La Grande for the weekend to attend a Marimba Workshop.     The drive over was sunny and mostly clear until we got close to La Grande.   Then things turned to rain/snow/sleet.

There was fresh snow on the hills around the valley, and it was darn cold cooking coffee in the mornings.    My little Heater Buddy did a fine job of keeping the chill off in the evenings and mornings, and I had plenty of blankets so was toasty warm sleeping.

The workshop was amazing, as expected.   Two full days of learning, laughing and love.   It was about so much more than playing notes.   It was about the spirit of the music, the spirit of the musicians, the one-ness of the band.    I come away renewed.

Sunday evening Waddles and I headed back over the hill to Pendleton to spend the night with friends.   It was a beautiful sunset dropping down off Cabbage Hill.

Today we headed home.    It's our final outing together for the year.   Waddles and the car both got a good bath (it was a BEAUTIFUL day today), Waddles is now completely cleared out of camping gear,  and she is neatly tucked into the garage for the winter.

I'm sad.   I still LOVE Waddles, and whenever she is in my rear view mirror it makes me smile.  I have the winter to plan my adventures for next summer.   I can't wait!

Swifts and Marimbas

Waddles and I made a quick trip to La Grande last Thursday.   I used to play in a Marimba Band over there, Kupenga Marimba, and they graciously allow me to make guest appearances with them on occasion.   They were playing for Vaux's Swift Night at Max Square.  

Annually the Vaux's Swifts come and roost in the big chimney right in downtown La Grande.  It is fun to watch, but evidently the Swifts didn't get the memo, because they were not there on Friday evening for the big event.

But the crowd was wonderful, faces were painted and raffle tickets were sold.  Food was eaten and beer consumed.

You have heard me talk about Ladd Marsh before and I never miss an opportunity to visit the Marsh and look for birds when I am in La Grande.   Saturday mornings there is an organized bird outing that the public is invited to join, so I got up at 6am and was at the meeting spot for a 7am departure.   These outings are frequently into places on the Marsh that are not normally accessible by the public, so it is a treat.    

We walked out to the City Ponds, and even though it is not migration season, the birding was good.   We saw Bittern, Green Night Herons, Marsh wrens, a variety of ducks, Horned Grebes, and two Virginia Rails made appearances (for those of you who are not birders, these are very shy wading birds that hide in the reeds, you hear them more than see them normally).    We also saw Vaux's Swifts!  

Thanks to my friend Rachel, Waddles and I had a cozy spot to camp for a couple nights.  If it looks familiar, it is the same place I spent the first 2 nights of my mega trip last spring.

I'm sad to think that winter is coming too quickly and Waddles will have to be put into hibernation in the garage.   I'm hoping to get another trip or two in before that happens, but nothing solid is planned yet.

Bugs and screens and beauty Oh MY!

Waddles and I had a grand adventure this past week.   I loaded up all my gear (it is very different packing for a few days rather than 5 weeks!), including my new side tent and my kayak and headed north in to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  We were heading for the annual gathering of retired co-workers at Takhlakh Lake/Campground.    The drive up was pretty nice.  The road is paved north from Trout Lake until the last 5 miles or so.

We stopped in at the Mt Adams Ranger District office to get some maps and information and then headed out.

Arriving at about 1:45 I was greeted by lots of biting flies, so it was a contest to see how quickly I could set up the side tent, which can be a completely inclosed screen tent.   I did it pretty darn fast!

Others arrived and we all settled in.    This lake is situated right at the edge of the Mt Adams Wilderness, and right at the base of the mountain.

We spent a lot of time sitting inside the screen tent that evening, visiting and staying away from the bugs, and it was PERFECT.

This guy was parked between the screen and the outside of the tent in the morning... anyone know what it is?  The body is about 1-1/4 inches long.   

Next day we all launched our various water craft on the lake and had a look around.  It was very peaceful, and though there were quite a few people on and around the lake it was quite quiet also.   We saw lots of ducks, a Bald Eagle, Osprey and jumping fish.

Dinner that night was a pot luck.  I had also brought a big screen tent that can be put over a picnic table, so we ate under that, which worked well.

Next morning, pretty early, we set out to hike up the Divide (or Devide, depending on which map you look at) trail, which ties into the Pacific Crest Trail.   The views and wildflowers were spectacular.  

We encountered one guy who was hiking the PCT in sections... this was year 19 of doing this.  Next year they will hike the final leg, north to the Canadian border.... 20 years to hike the entire length of the PCT.  Now that is my kind of goal.

A dip in the lake was in order after the 7-8 mile hike in the heat.   And then an evening float on the lake to watch the sun set on the mountain.

After 3 nights we packed up and headed back south.  A few of us stopped in Trout Lake for Huckleberry Milkshakes, and wonderful sandwiches. The place was hopping with diners, many of whom looked like they might be hiking the PCT.

I still love Waddles, and think we should go out more often!   She got a good bath, is tucked back into the garage and is ready to roll.

Living Room?

oh look, Waddles got a living room!   A pre-owned, but never used, set up that is new to me.  This tent is designed to fit around the door of the trailer, providing a 10' x 10' living room.  It can be a screened room, or a closed room.  It has a floor and a rug, a roof cover and awning.     It is big, and not easy for one person to set up ( but I did it😊).    Some campsites may not be big enough to set this up, but I'm hoping to use it on my next trip.    I'll be staying in one place for 3 nights, so worth the effort.  Stay tuned!

Almost August!!!!

Where does the time go???   I've been silent for a while because Waddles has been taking a much needed break in the garage since our big trip.   BUT.... the second week in August we are going on another short adventure up north of Mt Adams.

Waddles has graciously served as a spare bedroom and has been lavished much attention by a parade of visitors for the past month, so has not been completely neglected.  She's getting lots of love.

So be watching for more lovely camping adventure pictures soon.   In the mean time, I hope you are all having great summer adventures of your own.

Summary Data

Now that my amazing journey has come to an end I am reflecting on the entire trip.   Here are some statistics, and some lessons' learned.

• 37 - Number of days away from home
• 6,043 - Total Miles driven (including traveling around when Waddles was parked)
• $633.54 - Total spent on gas
• 13 - # of states visited
• 2 - # of Canadian Provinces visited
• 4 - number of nights in a motel
• 16 - number of nights mooch docking in someone's driveway or yard
• 7 - National Parks visited
• 1 - National Monuments visited
• 8 - # of showers taken
• 14 - # of nights with shore power
• 28˚ - 95˚ - Temperature range
• 11,312' - Highest elevation
• 15 - number of friends visited
• 51 - most years since I'd seen some of these friends!  We were all very young.
• 2 - number of times the car was washed during the trip
• 1 - number of times Waddles was washed during the trip

Things I took that I didn't use:

• Lots of kitchen implements
• Extra sleeping bag
• Coleman stove
• Folding kitchen table
• Screen tent - I didn't stay in one place long enough to justify setting it up
• Lots of clothes
• Lots of food
• Air conditioner
• TV
• DVD Player

Things I used a lot:

• Check list for hooking up Waddles
• Solar light
• Tea kettle
• Small frying pan
• Stove
• Refrigerator
• Heater Buddy
• Extra blankets - when it was cold
• Light weight fleece blanket - when it was hot
• Car navigator
• 'Allstays' phone app for finding camping spots
• Handy Wipes
• Plastic coffee can for garbage
• Solar panal
• Spot Tracker - so others could see where I was, and to hide inside Waddles when I left her alone for any length of time, so if she wandered off by herself I'd know where she was.

Problems I encountered:

• Bad trailer battery - replaced in Illinois
• Lack of car wiring to charge the trailer battery while driving - fix in Illinois
• Keeping things cold in the refrigerator.  Works well with shore power, but sucks the battery otherwise.

I've been trying to think about the best and worse parts of the trip and that is impossible.  There were no bad parts.   I loved being on the road, loved seeing all the spectacular beauty around this country, loved visiting old friends, loved living in Waddles.   I discovered that I was sad whenever I unhooked from Waddles and drove away without her!

Waddles and the car have been unloaded and washed, lots of laundry has been done, and dishes washed.    I truly can not wait for our next adventure together.

Reconnecting

Yes, I know, I'm posting multiple posts on the same day.   I am catching up after not having internet access for a long time!  Stay with me here!

I left Glacier National Park on Wednesday, June 21.    I had scheduled to visit old friends from Alaska, Karen and Jack, at their lake cabin between Kalispell and Libby Montana this day.    It was not far to drive, so I took some time to explore Whitefish, which I had last visited in the 1970's on a crazy adventure I took hitchhiking across Canada in December.  I'd traveled down to Whitefish to try to get a job at the ski area, but was unable to find a place to live.  I spent 3 nights at the Cadillac Hotel before heading back to Banff where I'd started from. Whitefish has grown and looks much more prosperous now than it did back then.   It has a charming downtown area where I parallel parked with Waddles! (full disclosure, this was the two spaces at the end of the block, so it was pretty easy to get in and out).

Then I wandered around Kalispell for a bit before driving out Hwy 2 toward Libby.  (I'd been driving on Hwy 2 since the east side of North Dakota!)

I arrived at the cabin on Crystal Lake early afternoon.    What a beautiful spot!   Another friend from Alaska, Gail, drove up from Bozeman for the occasion and we had a great time reminiscing and catching up.   It had been 30 years since I left Seward Alaska, the last time I saw Gail and at least 20 years since I'd seen Karen and Jack.    We took a boat ride around the lake and did some exploring in the car the next day.  This is a string of lakes that are beside Hwy 2.  They are glorious!

I don't think we've aged a bit in 30 years!

We were treated to an amazing sunset!

I spent two nights at Crystal Lake and left early on Friday for Spokane.   My trip was getting down to the wire.   I have to be home for a class Tuesday-Friday next week and have house guests arriving on Monday.

The drive from the cabin, up through Libby and Troy Montana, and Bonners Ferry and Priest River Idaho, is spectacular.   I took my time and enjoyed the scenery.     I arrived in Spokane to a ducky welcome!

With friends, I spent the day visiting quilt stores, running errands, eating a lovely dinner and visiting.

Again, I was up early and on the road by 6am for my very last day of traveling.   Tonight I'll be sleeping in my house, in my bed, and with my kitties.