Hikes, Hills and Farmer’s Markets

Wednesday Sept. 21, 2011

Well we loved Coeur d Alene, ID so much we stayed another night.  The campsite is right on the lake with lounge chairs along the shoreline to relax in the warm afternoon sun.  The weather here has been spectacular.  Cool at night and sunny and warm in high 70’s during the day. 

We walked into town, about a one and half mile hike.  I need it after eating that huckleberry cobbler!  They have the longest floating boardwalk in America.  That took us around to Tubbs Hill where there are lovely hiking paths that wander around a nature preserve that has gorgeous views of the lake.  The water line reminded me of Reijka, Yugoslavia (now Croatia) where the cliffs run straight down into the beautiful, colorful, clear water. 

Back in town we happened upon a Farmer’s Market (our 3rd so far).  My weakness!  Love em!  Well it didn’t start until 4PM so we had an hour to kill which we did at the Iron Horse Pub and sat outside talking to a couple moving to Colorado (Ft. Collins!!!!) and having what else,but a Fat Tire Beer brewed in Ft. Collins.

The Farmer’s Market was small, as it is the end of the season, but fun.  Having a full frig and freezer in the RV makes it very temping to buy.  Tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, pears and potato, cheese bread and rosemary, pesto rolls ( for our meatball sandwiches tomorrow!)  Oh and how about Dark Choc. Strawberry Topping!  So good. 

Back at camp we relaxed and read by the lake shore.

For those in Jan’s family------Called Kathy Heffron on the phone and talked to her.  She is living only about an hour away from where we are now.  Almost went to her town but bypassed it.  Should have known and we would have gone that way.  It was fun talking with her.  It’s been a long time.

Sad But Happy

 

Sunday September 18, 2011

Well, I hope we didn’t wear out our welcome.  We had such a great time with Diane and Bruce.  Learned a lot, talked a lot, ate a lot and laughed a lot.  We had such a great stay and they are such gracious hosts.  Even let us do our laundry!   Thanks.

But as they say “All good things must come to an end.”  But we know we will be in touch much more than a Christmas card now.  Thanks Lord for bringing us together. 

Well, we’re on the road again headed for Sandpoint, Idaho, eventually ending in Coeur de Alene, Idaho.  In Missoula, we just had to stop at a Fudrucker’s Burger joint for lunch.  (We split one!)  If you’ve never been to one, you must go there.  Our first one was in Nashville about 25 years ago and we still remember it. 

The road ran along the Flathead River which went into the Clarke Fork River.  Absolutely Beautiful.  Too bad it was overcast but it was still beautiful.  Stopped in Thompson Falls for the night.  Thought we were going to see some magnificent waterfalls, but found out they had been dammed up quite awhile back.  Stayed at a marginal campground but had a decent restaurant.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Changed our route and went straight to Coeur d’Alene (wrong word since nothing is straight out here).  First rainy day we could remember!  Got to town about 11AM thanks to change to Pacific Time.  Dropped camper off at RV dealer to check a few things out and spent the day checking things out.  It is truly place we could live. On a huge lake, university town, wonderful shops, year-round good weather similar to the VY.  Had a wonderful lunch at the Coeur d’Alene Resort with was so good.  The coup de grace was an unbelievably big and delicious warm, huckleberry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and huckleberry sorbet.  Janice’s eyes were tearing with delight and almost finished the whole thing with a tiny bit of help from Jeff.  Actually met a realtor, Renice who showed us her 11^th floor condo overlooking the lake and mountains.  Just perfect for us if we were ever to move here.  

Picked up the camper and went to our campground in the Farragut State forest on Lake Pend Oreille.  It was by far the nicest campground we stayed in so far.  Quite clean, private, great sites.  Had perfect campfire that Jeff learned to build by a Park Ranger in Yellowstone,  cooked hotdogs and marveled at the night sky and stars.  There is a navy base on the Lake opened 1942 and continue to test submarines as this is the deepest lake in the US---1,100 feet.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

In the morning we got up at 7 for walk down to the lake.  Turned out to be a big laugh, we started with no map or bear protection (bear spray or hand gun) and walked for half hour and ended right back at our campsite!  Decided to take another try, but this time got all our bear protection gear and finally made it to the shoreline.  Ran into a ranger who made a point to tell us there was no worry about bears here as they were friendly and no danger.  So much for our Easterner Paranoia.  Spent the day again in Coeur d’Alene and found a great camp ground right on the lake.  Will explore some more Wednesday.  The weather has been perfect in the high 70's.

The Gun Show

Saturday Sept. 17, 2011

A beautiful Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market in Helena.  Diane, Bruce, Baron (D&B’s Doberman) Jeff and I enjoyed snacks, jewelry (I have to stop buying Jewelry) and chatting with D & B’s acquaintances. 

About an hour’s drive south of Helena took us to their cabin in Clancy, MT.  Bruce just purchased a 15 passenger van to convert to a semi-camper, which was sooo long.   Bruce took the middle seat out for Baron. Diane and I christened it and named the van “Stretch”. The girls in the back with Baron and we couldn’t even hear the guys way up front talking about breaking and downshifting. Their cabin is a log cabin with propane power, an adorable outhouse and coal oil lamps and stove.  Beautiful secluded 60 or so acres part of their family’s original ranch.  Bruce built it in the 70’s.  You can see Diane’s design touch. It is absolutely precious.  I’d love a little cabin like that. So relaxing.  Check out the bathtub, Bill!!!! (Brother Bill that is!)  We had a relaxing couple of hours at the cabin, enjoying the sunshine, eating carmel, nut apples and pumpkin chocolate cookies before heading off to the Gun Show in Whiting, MT.  Bruce being a Gunsmith and collector was our tour guide.  Jeff ended up buying, at Bruce’s advice, a 12 gauge shotgun that was used as a riot gun at the Montana State Prison (has the engraving) in the 50’s or 60’s.  He’s thinking of getting into skeet shooting at the MV Rod and Gun club.   Diane is a great markswoman and really seems right at home in Montana.  

Next a stop at Brian MacAdoo’s place in the outskirts of Whiting.  Now this is funny and will show you how small this world is.  His aunt Janet was one of my best friends growing up in Pa.  Janet’s  sister, Sue and Diane are good friends and we never knew the connection until now.  Can’t wait to talk to Janet (Helmig) who I haven’t been in touch with for about 30 some years. 

On the way home we stopped at The Windsor Bar in Boulder, MT.  A small cowtown bar with live music, where we danced to oldies, and had the best steaks, texas toast and baked potatoes, grilled right at the bar.  Delicious and cheap too.  Of course we had to short stop at another saloon, Mr. Ting the original owner, was one of the many Chinese brought to work in the mines now long closed. This used to be Bruce and Diane’s wateringhole and grub bar when they lived in Clancy.

It was another fun packed, great day with Diane and Bruce.  We love you and Mr.Von Baron!   

A Day in Helena, Montana

 

Friday Sept. 16, 2011

2 of many of Bruce's antique trucks

Scrapple for breakfast, all the way from The Farmer’s Market in Pa.  Who has scrapple in Montana other than those from Pa.  Oh it was good!

Jeff and I wondered in town on the Walking Mall.  I took him to see the Upper Missouri Gallery, where we talked again with the sculptor, Lyle  for about an hour.  A very interesting individual.

We spent the afternoon exploring the Capitol Building where there is the largest C. M. Russell painting of Lewis and Clarke trading with the Indians.  They took Sacagewea with them on most trades to keep it friendly.  A legendary artist , depicting The Wild West, through oil as well as sculpture, and sketches; over 4,000 works of art in his 62 years.  

We wondered through the Historical Museum which had a large Russell collection and was one of the best museums I’ve ever seen.  It can certainly take 2 days to really see everything.  Just fascinating.  Everything from prehistoric, Indian culture, animal  history, Lewis & Clarke, mining, Old West Décor and more.

Early RV!  Bed in back of the wagon just like ours!

Had to try the lean chair in tee pee! Quite comfortable.

 

The evening brought lots of laughs over a great dinner at Diane and Bruce’s lovely home.

Stalagmites, Stalagtites and One Cool Cavern

Wednesday 9/14/11

Cool morning and out of propane.  Fortunately there was propane right there at our campground.  Spent the morning in a Bozeman café having coffee, breakfast and catching up on inserting pictures into the blog.  Still haven’t figured it out totally.  Probably doing it the wrong way, the long way.  Maybe better for you all- less pictures.  And our photography doesn’t do justice to the sights we see.

Another beautiful day driving along the Gallatin and Jefferson Rivers.  Just southwest of Three Forks, Montana we went to the Lewis & Clark Caverns.  Tom Williams and Bert Pannell first peered into the caverns on a winter day in 1892. They’d been hunting and saw what looked like a column of smoke rising from a hillside. They labored up the mountain to investigate and learned that it wasn’t smoke at all: It was steam, the steady exhalation of living, breathing caves. The warm air was pushed from the mountain’s lungs only to become ice in the cold air, transformed into crystals so tiny they floated skyward and evaporated in the sun.

We hiked up a winding path for about ¾ mi. past rock formations filled with fossils and saw an actual sea shell dating back 300 millions years.   At the small 3 ft. high mouth of the cave the State Park Ranger gave us some history and information then led us through an hour and a half tour pointing out the many unique formations, calling them by cute names.  There were about 600 steps winding around narrow pathways through the dark cavern, bumping our heads. By the time we got to the bottom we had dropped 500 ft.  I must say the next morning I could feel it in my thighs.  I should do that more often! 

Check out how small the opening is!!

We arrived at Diane and Bruce Seiler’s outside of Helena  about 6:30 PM.  Wow, what a spectacular property.  About a mile or so up a dirt road, their beautiful house sits on top of a mountain overlooking Helena in one direction and the Continental Divide on the other.  Diane and I knew each other from our former design days (way back when we first started working- Deborah Meyer Assoc.) and of course her house is just perfectly gorgeous.  So Jeff and I will have a few nights in luxury!  What a fun night catching up over a great dinner.  Lots of remembrances and laughs and even figured out that we have some acquaintances we never knew about.  So much fun.  Bruce too lived near us in Philly, a former Secret Service agent, is a renowned gunsmith and former national long rifle champion.  He’s also is an antique car/truck restorer and dealer, manufactures new weaponry and has new 4,000+ sq. foot workshop that most guys would die to have.

Bruce is also on the campaign committee for the prominent, conservative Republican candidate for 2012 Montana Governorship, who Jeff met at his lovely home.  http://www.neil2012.com/

There are beautiful pelts hanging around their house, including a 600 lb. elk in their stairwell which both Bruce and Diane took down.  Diane said she would never do that again.  But you can do that kind of thing out in the wild hills of Montana.

Boy did we sleep well in our beautiful guest suite, with a brass bed and western antiques.     

Big Old Buffalo

Monday 9/12/11

32 Degrees!!!! The temperature sure drops at night.  But in the morning we turn our heat on and in no time we are toasty warm looking out the window seeing people cooking breakfast around a campfire with gloves and hats on.  No thank you. Did I mention that when we check into campsites they go through a big speal about Bears.  I guess they are around.  Another reason I’m not keen on tents.

Paint Pot Springs

We must apologize for not answering emails.  Out here in the boonies we don’t get reception.  And during the day where we might be able to get reception in certain areas we are too busy checking out God’s Wonders.  So be patient.

Okay... Our day took us to The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  The Upper and Lower Falls.  Wow. Spectacular.  We did some hikes around the canyon.  By the way-  I'm still trying to figure out our new camera and how it works so hopefully pictures "might" get better.  Check out the pictures of the fat little marmot.  Also saw a few deer, which are no big deal to us, since we lived on the edge of Valley Forge Park which was inundated with them. 

Grand Canyon Upper Falls

Yellowstone lower grand canyon falls

Mr. Marmot

Our highlight was while at sunset, sitting up on a ridge in our camp chairs, enjoying popcorn and overlooking 3 rivers, the Madison, the Gallaton, the Jefferson and they come together, a great big old Buffalo came out of nowhere.  

Sitting up high on a cliff

Fisherman could care less about the Buffalo

In the evening we went to the amphitheater about the 1959 Yellowstone 7.5 earthquake.  28 people killed.  It was a fasinating presentation with slides and done as a ranger's wife telling the story as she experienced it some 50 yrs ago. 

Grizzles, Markets, and Brews

Tuesday 9/13/11

Sadly we left Yellowstone.  Much more still to see but we must move on.  Leaving the park on the west entrance we came by Grizzly and Wolf  Discovery Center.  Facinating info.  Now you can ask us the difference between a Grizzly and a Black Bear.  Great displays, videos, and the best was the real live bears, wolves and coyotes.  I could have snuck a picture of the bears or wolves in this blog and said we met them on a hike but I'll be honest and tell you they were taken at this center.  Don't miss it if you are ever in West Yellowstone. 

The drive to Bozeman, Montana was so beautiful.  The road just weaved along the Gallatin River and in through canyons.  Must be great fishing as we saw lots of fishers in waders.  In Bozeman, it happened to be Tues. Farmer's Market Day from 5-8 PM.  What a great market.  Bigger than we expected.  And on Saturdays there is an even bigger one.  Local Produce, Music, lots of food, jewelry, crafts, rock climbing.  Why cook when there is all this wonderful local food!  People were there with their dogs, kids played on the swing sets and Jeff talked to a local fellow while I went back through all the the stalls and of course had some sweets.  Next stop was at The Montana Ale Works (great bldg.) for a local brew where we met an interesting couple who live in Bozeman and love it.

Another busy and fun day.