Getting Our Trail Legs

Day 3 - Chazeauz

Andre served up the standard breakfast of coffee and bread; and packing up early, we were walking by 8 o’clock.  It was a very steep climb out of the canyon which gave us spectacular views.  There was an old chapel that was carved into a cave along side of the trail.  We had another long day on account of the reservation issue, which is becoming a daily concern. The weather is still very cool which helped with the strenuous start of the day.  The trail led up to a plateau of rolling hills dotted with farms and small quiet hamlets.  We lunched at a bakery in the town of Sauges. The afternoon was long and tiring. The highlight was meeting a family with six boys, ages 1 - 11. The youngest was in a stroller.  They spend a week each summer doing a portion of the Camino having started when they had just 2 boys. We made it to our Gite shortly before 5pm.  Our room is a cozy pocket chalet.  Dinner was an excellent pork stew with rice.  We visited with two French women who spoke good English and learned a lot more about French culture and attitudes.

Our First Full Day of Walking

 

Day 2 - Monistrol D’Allier          

We had a simple but nice breakfast (toast and coffee) with Bruno and Lionel’s family.  We left the gite at 8:30 and headed out on our first fifteen mile day.  The weather was cool but sunny and we soaked in the landscape of rolling hills and old country hamlets. Since we were out of sync with the bulk of pilgrims, we basically had the trail to ourselves. We met Lionel and his children a couple of times, and Unella who was hurting with a sore heal. The trail was extremely varied today with deserted paved roads to steep mountain trails; wooded forests to river canyon towns.  We ate lunch after 10 miles in Saint-Private-d’Allier and had a strenuous 5 miles to our evening destination in the canyon village of Monistrol-d’Allier.  The highlights of the day were stopping at millennial old chapels that were still operational.  The lowlight was missing a trail marking and adding a mile to our already long walk. We stayed at a small gite right on the river.  Andre is the older gentleman who runs it.  There was only one other guest so we ended up with a nice private room. Dinner was some very good spaghetti. 

The Journey Begins

 

Day 1 -  Le Puey to Tallode

Let the journey begin!!  After a bit of a harrowing trip from Seattle to France, we are finally embarking on our long awaited walking adventure. We left the hostel Friday morning to catch the 7am Pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral.  A couple of hundred pilgrims gathered to celebrate mass and receive a blessing on their trip.  It was frustrating not understanding the words, but we thoroughly appreciated the awesome surroundings and mood.  After getting our credentials stamped, we descended the iconic stairs in the center of the cathedral and were ushered into our new world.  Stopping back at the hostel to pack up the last of our belongings brought an unfortunate start to our day.  Other pilgrims were warning about the need to book lodging ahead of time, so I frantically booked a cheap hotel in what I thought was a town on the Camino.  After booking it, I realized it was actually a town in the opposite direction. This sent me into a panic of trying to cancel the reservation, which was proving very frustrating due to my lack French language skills. Fortunately, a fellow bilingual pilgrim was able to help.  It was only fitting that a couple of Washingtonians start their Camino in a drizzle.  Our rain parkas got broken in as we climbed our way through city streets to the surrounding plateau. The scenery was amazing and we quickly entered the pastoral French countryside.  Because of our late start, our lack of sleep and our apprehension of our evening lodging, we decided to get room at a nearby village.  Though the owner of a farmhouse gite appeared to be unwilling to rent us beds, we were eventually given a private room.  After a nice jet lag nap, we enjoyed a good dinner in the company of Bruno and Lionel who kindly
introduced us to French culture and politics.

A Dream Realized

 

Tomorrow Esther and I will embark on an adventure which we have been dreaming about for five years.  We will be walking a thousand miles through France and Spain on the Camino de Santiago.  The walk is an ancient Catholic pilgrimage from starting points around Europe to the cathedral in Santiago where the bones of James the apostle are enshrined.  The adventure provides an appropriate translation experience as we both retired from our jobs this summer and launch into 'retirement.'  We chose the route that begins in Le Puy, France because we want to enjoy the pastoral landscape of southern France before joining the well travelled Spanish portion of the Camino.  Stay tuned for details.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 13

All trip long we anticipated being able to catch Niagara Falls on the way back to Toronto.  We felt fortunate to have a whole day to explore the region.  We started on the American side which doesn’t see the rainbow falls straight on, but is none the less impressive with the rapids, American falls and top of the falls lookouts.  Then it was back to Canada and the thousands of tourists viewing the full view and grandeur of this natural marvel.  We walked along the promenade snapping pictures and enjoying the cool of the falls on a hot day.  We had read about the town of Niagara-on-the-lake some 20 miles north on the shores of Lake Ontario.  It is big time wine country and the town is high end tourism with wine tasting and galleries and streets lined with amazing flowers and landscaping.  We ate an early dinner at a sidewalk restaurant and had lasagna which seemed a good change from all the seafood of the last week. We had just enough time to drive into Toronto before dark and find our motel.  We enjoyed the clean motel and a short walk through a residential area before spending our last night on vacation.  We got up early and got the rental car back by 8 and caught the train for the airport and the long trip on three airplanes home.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 12

Not wanting to leave Bar Harbor for the long trip west, we got up early and went into town for a morning walk along the waterfront enjoying the flowers, coastline and luxurious hotels.  Next, we drove through Acadia National Park, taking in a few sights.  The long haul from northern Maine to Rochester, New York was accompanied by reading chapters of Anne of Green Gables to each other.  The northeast United States likes its toll roads.  We chose Rochester for its proximity to the following day’s adventure and checked into a rather crummy, ‘Quality Inn’.  We stumbled across an excellent river walk by the University of Rochester.  It had been 20 years since we had seen fire flies and we enjoyed the warm evening walk after the 12 hours of driving.  We ate at an Applebee’s for a late dinner.

Eastern Canada Trip- Day 11

The breakfast was exceptional with the proprietor taking pride in his work.  The breakfast room overlooked the bay.  We faced a long day on the road, so we enjoyed a great start.  We drove out of Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick and into Maine, making it to Bar Harbor in time to drive up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia Park.  The views were great in the clear evening but it was cold and very windy.  We ended the day shopping and eating in Bar Harbor which is quite the East Coast destination with tour buses and cruise ships.  I finally convinced Esther to have some wood fire pizza.  We enjoyed a wonderful beet salad and pizza on the patio in the balmy darkness.  We ended the day with a waterfront walk in the dark.  Our hotel was a nicely remodeled roadside motel not far from Bar Harbor.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 10

After some debate, we had decided to make the long trek up to the top of Nova Scotia and see the famed Cape Breton Highlands.  We also wanted to check out the Acadian town of Cheticamp.  The drive up the west coast was scenic with cute coastal towns.  The National Park reminded us of California’s Big Sur coast.  The highlight of the park was the 4 and a half mile hike Skyline Ridge trail.  After hiking through what felt like an alpine forest of short trees and bright ferns, the trail opened onto a granite boulder ridge that looked over the sea and surrounding coastline.  We saw a moose grazing 10 yards from the trail, seeming not to notice the gawking people.  The long drive over the top of the cape brought us to a recommended 3 mile hike to a headlands on the Atlantic side of the island.  It was a very rewarding hike with lots of good views.  Our hotel for the night was a long drive back down to Port Hawkesbury and a bed and breakfast.  Our dinner that night was at a local pub, haddock and chips and spicy hamburger.  The room was a little cramped and the bed squeaky.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 9

The forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so we quickly drove down the coast to Lunenburg.  This part of the coast is marked by endless inlets and quaint villages.  The crown is the town of Lunenburg with its Victorian buildings on the waterfront and the famous Bluenose II sailing vessel.  The boat is the pride of the town if not the whole province.  We were able to walk her decks while she was at the dock between sailings.  I bought a souvenir shirt and Esther a bag.  After some wonderful haddock chowder we drove back to Halifax, hoping the rain would hold off for a waterfront walk.  We went to the Maritime Museum and viewed the Titanic exhibit as well as an IMAX movie about Bluenose and enjoying some great boats.  By the time we were done, it was pouring outside and we decided to head out of town and head north.  Our ‘motel’ for the night was a university dorm room.  Being an agricultural school, there was a pervasive smell to the campus and dorm.  Esther wasn’t too thrilled with the coed restroom and showers.  The surprise of the night was a great meal at a Thai restaurant that ended up being free because they messed up the order and I sat and watched Esther eat her whole meal before they finally brought mine.  We used the dorm laundry, but a mysterious fellow patron found it necessary to move our clothes.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 8

Before our long road trip to Halifax, we stopped at the village of Victoria by the sea.  We walked through the small village in the cool of the morning.  The Nova Scotia landscape was no relief from the spindly forests and deserted landscape of NB.  Our hotel in Halifax was uninviting with a tacky renovation and remnants of a dumpy trumpy.  We quickly exited the premises and headed for Peggy’s Cove since the next day looked like rain.  Peggy’s Cove was amazing.  We couldn’t get enough of the smooth granite rock, classic lobster fishing village and lighthouse.  The weather was unusually warm, and we ate at the reasonably priced restaurant and caught the sunset.  

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 7

After another good breakfast at the motel, we headed for Prince Edward Island (PEI).  Our initial impressions were very pleasant.  We reveled in the open crop fields and ocean inlets with quaint villages scattered through the countryside.  It was a welcomed change from the monotonous spindly forests of New Brunswick.  We followed the central coastal route to Cavendish and the House of Green Gables.  We had been anticipating the sight after reading the book to each other as we drove.  The site did not disappoint us and we toured the house and walked the ‘haunted forest’ and ‘lovers lane’.  Next we drove to Charlottetown and found our Victorian Prince Street Hotel which was a little cramped, but pleasant enough.  After a quick walk through the city center we got in the car and headed for the Eastern Shore.  Farms gave way to forests and we were struck by the remoteness of the area.  We did find a nice place to eat in the coastal village of Georgetown.   Esther loved her lobster melt on crusty bread and I enjoyed halibut and fries.  We ended the evening with a drive back to Charlottetown and an evening walk on the waterfront walkway.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 6

The Amsterdam Inn breakfasts were definitely the best complimentary meals of the trip.  We decided to stay two nights and take in a few nearby sights.  In the morning we drove out to Hopewell Rocks and the ‘ocean floor’ walk in the Bay of Fundy.  The weather was marginal, but the rain held off.  We joined the hundreds of other tourists wandering among the sea stacks and snapping photos.  Lunch was chips and an apple on the road as we crisscrossed Moncton and drove up to Shediac to witness the famed ‘warmest Atlantic water north of Virginia’.  We parked on a pier and then walked several miles kicking the warn Northumberland Strait water.  Our late sunset dinner was a real delight - lobster seafood platter - the half lobster was complimented by an assortment of other items.  We returned to Moncton to enjoy a second night in our motel.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 5

This was definitely a travel day, the cost of a road trip.  A couple of hours were spent driving through pastoral Quebec, with its dairy farms and wooded marshes.  When we got to New Brunswick, we were struck by its remote feel - endless rolling hills of forests filled with stub trees and very little sign of people.  The long drive was redeemed by reading Anne of Green Gables to each other.  We drove until 7 and checked into the Amsterdam Inn in Moncton and then ate at a Chinese Buffet and enjoyed an evening walk along the riverfront, complete with an outdoor symphony.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 4

We had a pleasant morning drive through the Quebec countryside to Quebec City.  We checked in early to the motel and drove to the old city. The old city is surrounded by a wall with four entrances.  We walked on the top of the wall up to the citadel and then the elevated boardwalk along the cliff that overlooks the river and ends up at the impressive Château.  We descended the long stairs down to the oldest part of the city strolling the narrow street and finally enjoying some poutines at a restaurant overlooking the street.  We walked around the city another lap, admiring the buildings and street decor, buying a silver necklace and then eating at a restaurant that served local Quebec dishes.  We had shepherds pie and had an unexpected conversation with a couple from Denmark at the next table.  The restroom was a one of a kind with plywood stalls and a claw foot tub for hand washing.  We retired from the day with a drive to the outskirts of the city and our waiting motel room.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 3

A morning walk back downtown to see the Ottawa cathedral and enjoy some beaver tail and good coffee got our day off to a good start.  We had a pleasant drive through the Quebec countryside above the Ottawa River.  We noticed an immediate change as all signage was in French with no English.  We dropped back over to the Ontario side of the river for gas and then a great tourist info spot for our trip into Montreal.  It was a good thing as Montreal is totally French.  We thought it would be more of a gradual transition to Quebec, but no it is FRENCH.  We noticed right away the lack of Canadian flags, only Quebec flags.  We were warned that Quebec has an attitude on Canada Day.  We followed the very excellent directions to Old Montreal and enjoyed a hot but shaded six and a half mile walk around the cobblestone streets, bustling French tourists and historical buildings.  The cathedral was the highlight; however, we didn’t go in because of the very long line.  We ate dinners of salmon and steak before another stroll around Old Town and the waterfront and calling it a day.  We drove an hour out of town to Drummondville for a very pleasant motel with good air conditioning.

Eastern Canada Trip - Day 2

Our Pacific time zone brain clock had a tight grip on us and we slept long past our alarm.  A goose chase for a paper map and breakfast gave us a late morning start, fighting Toronto traffic in the heat.  The main highway to Ottawa was closed and the alternate route was a two lane highway with stop lights.  The result was an 8 hour trip that should have taken four.  Our touring day started late in Ottawa.  The Econolodge motel was close to downtown but left a lot to be desired (stinky and a little dirty) We went straight to Parliament hill which was abuzz with preparations for Canada Day with music stages and service tents.  It certainly took away from the aesthetics, but added a measure of anticipation.  We did enjoy the views of the river, canal and buildings in the glow of the evening light.  We managed a six and a half mile walk through government grounds and the touristy downtown core before we needed to close our day with fish and chips at an Scottish pub amid the bustling night life of a summer evening.

Eastern Canada Day 1

Our red eye special from Vancouver to Toronto proved to be just that.  Neither of us could discover a comfortable position and we were lucky if we caught a fitful hour of sleep.  Our day started early in Toronto with a pleasurable train ride into the city through a dreary foggy morning.  We elbowed our way with commuters through Union Station and found our rental car counter in the center of an of office complex.  The service was great and they let us leave the car in the parking garage for the day as we explored the city.  We ended up taking a nine mile walk along the waterfront and through the city.  As we walked the sky cleared.  We ate lunch at the historic St. Lawrence Market. (Korean/Japanese) By mid-afternoon we were exhausted and found our hotel.(Don Valley ‘Urban Resort’) We crashed for an hour and then took a walk in the neighborhood.  We ate some great curry at Jatujakthai restaurant nearby.  We were still exhausted by the time we went to bed.

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we had the opportunity to introduce some fine folks to the tradition.  Christina of course was excited to experience the food and customs of a Bulthuis Thanksgiving.  In addition, some friends of the Rubesh's from Sri Lanka, Pri and Miriam and newborn Aleda joined us for the day.  Bjorn, Jenny, Ada, Ruby and foster boys Ricky and brother Aiden came up from Corvallis, and Markus and Steph came over from Seattle.  They all stayed for the weekend and we watched Coco on Friday and went swimming in Bainbridge and shopping in Poulsbo, followed by a fill up at King's Wok in the evening.  It was fun to have the new kitchen and new dining room functional.  It worked well and we are happy with the new layout.

Ruby Anniversary

We celebrated our fortieth anniversary this past weekend.  We took Christina down to Corvallis for 'respite care' at Bjorn and Jenny's.  Esther and I were able to watch Ada's and Ruby's soccer games before driving to Newport for an overnight getaway.  We stayed at the Agate Beach Best Western which was OK but probably not our first choice, but late bookers cannot be choosers.  The view was great and the weather Saturday evening was nice.  We strolled around Nye Beach in the afternoon and  after a short nap back at the motel, went out for dinner in Depot Bay at Tidal Rave.  In the morning we took a walk on the beach before the rain came late morning.  A huge breakfast at a Nye beach cafe gave us fuel for the whole day.  We picked up Christina in Corvallis and headed home, stopping at IKEA for a mirror for Christina's room.

Labor Day

The past week has been spent training, office work and in Christina’s case, swimming and waiting for school to start.  Labor Day weekend gave us a chance to do some adventures together.  Saturday we went shopping at the outlet mall in Marysville and IKEA.  We ended the day enjoying Ethiopian food.   On Sunday we went to Mt. Rainier and took a hike on the Skyline trail.  The hot weather in the alpine setting felt surreal.  We all enjoyed the grandeur and beauty of ‘the sleeping giant.’

The Adventure Begins

Esther and I have the special opportunity to abandon our empty nest and be parents for a year.  Christina is the daughter of Esther's cousin Kjellaug who lives in Norway.  Christina will be living with us and attending high school here.  We are looking forward to having Christina in our lives and home this year.  Kjellaug and Christina arrived a week ago, and Kjellaug stayed for a week to help Christina get adjusted.  Unfortunately, Esther had to work during the days, but we packed the evening  and weekend with social engagements.  Fortunately, I did not have responsibilities for the week and was able to chauffeur the ladies to shopping and getting registered for school.  Christina jumped right into social life and tried out for a couple of sports, settling on swimming for the Fall.  We were the recipients of hosting the honored guests and were able to spend time with the Eides in Cle Elem, Anna in Tacoma, Markus and Steph in Seattle and the George Eide family in Lake Tapps.  The busy week ended with a good bye to Kjellaug.  We are excited for our 'parenting' adventure to begin.

Crescent Bar with the Eides

Mikal and Kay were on a mission this summer to get the Eide clan together for a camping trip.  Esther and I are no longer eager campers because of too many cold/wet experiences, so we were glad the decision was made to stay on the Columbia River.  Every one made it besides Kelsey and the Corvallis crowd.  Four dogs kept things interesting.  We had a great time with hot though sometimes windy weather. Mikal rented a ski boat which ended up being our entertainment for the weekend.   We packed just about everyone in including the dogs sometimes, and took long rides up and down the river; swimming, soaking, beaching on the sandbar and even a little wake boarding.  I had to swallow my sailors pride and admit that I enjoyed the motorboat.  The food was great and plentiful and Esther and I enjoyed the Sienna RV while everyone else was in tents.  The trip made a great ending to our summer as Esther started work and I started the summer institute on Monday.

New Old Floor

Ever since we discovered last year that our house's sub floor is tongue and groove 2x6, Esther has been itching to try a reclaimed wood floor in some of our house.  Last week we took the plunge and tore up the carpet, particle board and tar paper, sanded and oiled the distressed floor.  The project took about a week of full time work on both of our parts.  It was rewarding to do the project together and we are pleased with the results.

A hundred miles, a hundred miles

Esther and I set a goal for ourselves to walk one hundred miles together in one month. Though we had walked as many as 85 miles, we had yet to do one hundred.  We decided that July would need to be our month, since schedules and commitments would make it difficult in other months. We got a good start at the beginning of the month on our vacation to the national parks.  Yesterday was Esther's birthday and we took a hike to Glass Beach near Port Townsend and finished our month with a bang.  We ended the month with 114 miles, having walked every day of the month; the least being one mile and the most being seven and one half.  Our year to date total is 494 miles.

Granddaughter Week

We had the joy of having Ruby and Ada for the week.  Bjorn and Jenny left us with the girls Monday morning and we rendezvoused in Portland Friday afternoon.  Squeezing all we could out of Seabrook, we went to the beach and swam in the pool before heading home.  Our activities of the week included building a fairy garden, going to the beach, canoeing, going to Sequim to bike/walk and swim, as well as the obligatory candy store run. We enjoyed ourselves very much with the girls.  They were very well behaved and cooperative.   They are growing up fast.  It's hard to imagine that Ada could be in my third grade class this year and Ruby will be in first grade.

Seabrook Stay

This past weekend the Bulthuis family (minus Calvin and Sassa😟) enjoyed four nights at Seabrook.  We stayed at 'Life of Riley' and liked several features.  The private patio area with a fire table was definitely a well used feature.  We spent each evening around the fire and didn't go to bed stinking like smoke.  The first night was Papa Murphy's pizza in honor of Markus' birthday, even though they had to arrive late.  The next night was superb Sri Lankan food provided by Markus and Steph.  The third night was chicken wings Vietnamese style provided by Bjorn and Jenny, and the last night mom made seafood fettuccine.  Mom also made some soups for lunches and plenty of snacks.  The first morning Ada had a traumatic accident with her bike and got some deep slivers.  Jenny and I ended up taking her to Urgent Care in Elma, 40 miles away.  They didn't do anything to her injury besides taking an X-ray.  Back in Seabrook our days were filled with walking town, going to the beach, playing on the zip line, playing pickle ball, swimming, riding bike, visiting the gnome trail, going to the bakery and sweet shop and painting ceramics.  All that peppered with lots and of eating and drinking.  The weather was the best on the first day and the last day, of course; but at least there was no rain except for some fog drizzle.  All in all, it was another successful Seabrook vacation.

Shelton tour and Ellen

On Tuesday we met Jack, Sue and Ellen in Shelton to do a sister hand off.  We ate Sisters for lunch and then took a 2 mile walk through Shelton with a tour map designating the historical buildings.  It was surprisingly interesting.  Ellen spent the next 24 hours with us before we brought her to the airport, but not without a bowl of ramen in South Center before she left.

Surprise!

Surprise parties are not on the Bulthuis radar.  For some reason it has never been a part of our mode of operation.  So when our daughter-in-laws schemed up a doozy for our 60th birthdays, we were totally clueless.  You could have knocked us over the head and we still would have missed it. The huge 'party next door' with the Nelsons as guests didn't even perk our suspicions. The party was an absolute shock.  Under the guise of seeing Emily and Katie's new house, we walked into a room full of family and friends singing Happy Birthday.  There were so many people involved in the scheem including my sisters who are not used to deceptive practices.  We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and regretted not being able to connect with everyone who came.  Marti had skillfully provided the food and the setting at the Olson's was perfect. The day ended with a family dinner at the Thai Hut in Gig Harbor.  Thanks to Steph and Jenny, surprises may become more commonplace in the Bulthuis family.

Road Trip - Day 8

Breakfast at the motel was great with a ‘chef’ making custom omelettes.  We had a long trip ahead of us but we could not leave without a 3 mile river walk.  We took I-15 north to Butte and I-90 home. We had never traveled that stretch of interstate and were surprised at the lack of mountain passes.  Our last meal of the trip was our only fast food, Carl's Jr.  Our smooth trip home was interrupted by a three hour delay waiting out a brush fire on the Vantage bridge.  We got home at 2:30 am. 3250 miles of driving, 33 miles of walking, 4 National Parks, 1 National Monument, 4 dumpy trumpies and 3 nice lodgings; we’ll call it a successful Bulthuis road trip!

Road Trip - Day 7

Motel waffles and Starbucks got us off and running to our last National Park.  Crossing Wyoming off the interstate let’s you see a few towns but the landscape is the same.  Wind River was very scenic as we approached the Grand Tetons.  As usual, we enjoyed the Jackson Lake Lodge Lobby with its panoramic view of the lake and mountains.  We hiked for 4 ½ miles along String Lake.  The temperature was great and the views spectacular.  We will save the Jenny Lake loop for another time, but we did enjoy the pull out views.  The town of Jackson was all we remembered and more.  It was packed with tourists but we found a nice Thai place to eat.  We made reservations for a nice motel in Idaho Falls and headed out for our own evening drive.  Idaho Falls was an unexpected delight.  The motel was right across from the falls and there was a wonderful river walk including a great Japanese garden.  We couldn’t retire for the night without another 1 ½ walk in the coolness of the night.

Road Trip - Day 6

The apex of our ‘planned’ trip was the Badlands.  That required another hundred miles east.  As we approached the park at midday, temperatures were hovering over 100 degrees.  With some trepidation we chose a mile and a half hike through the strange spires.  We enjoyed the surreal landscape but could feel ourselves starting to overheat. On our return route we needed to wait behind a large group of young people trying to descend a ladder.  The line would be 45 minutes and we would have wilted.  We were bad examples and scrambled down a side path instead. When we got back to the car, it was 106 and we were feeling the start of heat exhaustion.  Our stay in the park was short and ‘sweet’ and we high tailed it to our next destination: Wind Cave National Park.  We were fortunate to get in a cave tour before closing and enjoyed the mile and a half walk through the 53 degree cave.  Wind Cave is an impressive 195 miles of caverns with unique box work formations.  A late evening drive brought us to Casper, Wy and the best dumpy trumpy of the trip for $49, which was better than the car option in the heat.

Road Trip - Day 5

After a real breakfast in the Grand Hotel dining room and a morning stroll through the deserted town, we got serious about road miles and headed for Rapid City.  Avoiding I-90, we took a more direct route through reservation land.  The Black Hills are a welcome landscape to the dry prairies.  After checking into a Ramada in with clean everything, we stopped at a Mexican grill downtown and headed for Mt.Rushmore for the first evening.  A feeling of patriotism felt appropriate for the Fourth of July, and as the crowds gathered for the evening ‘light show’ we hiked the loop under the country fathers a couple times.  The show was anticlimactic with no sound for a video and a disaster of a sing along.  The only redeeming portion was all the veterans coming out of the stands to help in the flag retirement for the day. 

Road Trip - Day 4

One of our goals for the trip was to connect with Dan and Judy Mulder.  Given our fluid schedule we did not make prior arrangements, but hoped for the best.  Luckily, they were available for a lunch meeting that lasted four hours.  We ate at the ‘Windbag ‘in downtown Helena and caught up with each other's lives.  It was great to connect again.  In hopes of a respite from dingy motels, we followed a lead from Dan about the historic Grand Hotel in Big Timber.  Big Timber has high sentimental value as Soren, Esther’s dad, immigrated from Norway in 1929 to sheep herd in the Crazy Mountains.  The hotel was great. $90 got us a classic room with a toilet and sink, along with a superb breakfast.  We ate in the hotel dining room and enjoyed Sonoma chicken and tolerated Rocky Mountain trout.  We were serenaded with fireworks on our 3.5 mile walk through the rustic town.

Road Trip - Day 3

We were anxious to get to Glacier Park, so after a morning Starbucks stop we enjoyed the lakeside drive up to Columbia Falls and the entrance to the park.  Esther got her National Parks Passport and her first stamp.  We stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge and scoped out the old timber lodge with bark covered logs.  Going to the Sun highway was breathtaking and we stopped on the summit to join the throngs of East Indian visitors on a snowpacked trail to Hidden Lake overlook. While we would have liked to spend more time in the park, the priority of further adventures pushed us on to Great Falls and a night at the worst Super 8 of the franchise. ($66, missing linen, stains on the sheet, air conditioning shut off from 10pm – 8am, not to mention a horrible smelling hallway).  We redeemed the evening with dinner at Applebee's and a sunset walk along the river trail.

Road Trip - Day 2

We decided to start our day with a cool morning 3 mile walk along Lake Coeur de Alene.  After a quick Costco trip we found ourselves on a stalled I-90. Luckily, our maps app routed us on a 30 mile detour on a mountain dirt road.  It was surreal being in heavy traffic on a washboard mountain road. We left I-90 at St. Regis and headed for Polson. We stopped in St. Ignatius mission church and appreciated the fresco paintings.  The motel situation looked pretty dire in the Flathead area with Motel 6 at $110 and no vacancies.  We found a lakeside dumpy trumpy in Polson for $95.  Poop on the toilet seat and curtains too small for the window highlighted this gem.  We thoroughly enjoyed our 4.5 mile evening walk and dinner at a lakeside Mexican restaurant.

2017 Road Trip - Day 1

After Esther worked the morning, we caught a ferry to start our road trip.  Our first stop was MS International in Seattle to check out some slate for our new kitchen.  Then it was off on I-90 for our adventure.  We ate dinner in Moses Lake at a Bistro.  Service was bad, but the food was good.  We booked a room in Cheney at a dumpy trumpy and hoped for the best.  The best was not to be had.  But what can you expect for $55.  The door was beat up and there was a smashed bug on the wall.  We did enjoy a 3.5 mile evening walk through EWU campus.  We were shocked to find an ice arena, but enjoyed the cool down.

Marika and Corbin's Wedding

Last weekend we had the opportunity to join in the wedding festivities in Lynden.  Niece Marika married Corbin Hill.  The two have been friends for years and make a great couple.  The Narnia theme was exquisitely portrayed with a wardrobe entrance, winter setting and a snow machine.  Marti and Marika put an incredible amount of thought and planning into the special event.  Our family did a first in that we rented a house in Lynden for the weekend.  With all of the out of town company and activity at the Eide compound, it worked out best.  It was a very comfortable house near Berthusens Park.  Despite the Seahawks loss to the Panthers, it was a great weekend.

Holiday Post

This holiday season saw a lot of visitors in Southworth.  It began with an Eide Thanksgiving celebration that lasted three days.  The Cle Elem and Lynden contingents were happy to rendezvous in Southworth.  As many as sixteen people spent the night in the house.  It felt good to fill all of the rooms for once.  We cured our cabin fever one day and walked the Chambers Creek trail.  The Christmas season saw Bjorn, Jenny and the girls up for a week, and Markus and Steph on the weekends.  We went to a Seahawks game and a Nutcracker performance.  The extended Bulthuis family came for the night on the 22nd.  Christmas was spent with our immediate family in Southworth, followed by a night in Cle Elem with the Eides.  Then Ellen spent a couple of days with us before returning to Sacramento.  The last few days of break were spent recouping from all of the activity.

Anniversary Weekend

Yet another Central Washington anniversary weekend.  As usual we held off on deciding where to go, depending on the weather.  We were hoping for a Victoria trip but the Pacific low pressure system would have none of that.  So it was back to our tried and true Leavenworth, Chelan, Pateros, Wenatchee destination.  We left early Saturday morning and spent a few hours in Leavenworth before heading for Chelan to check out the fire damage.  We stumbled upon a trail that meandered through the burned riverside acreage.  We were amazed at how close the fire came to large residential areas.  We spent the night at our familiar Pateros Lakeshore Inn.  The morning sun on the lake and pouring in the room is one of our favorite parts about it.  We spent a couple of hours enjoying the warmth of the 80 degree wind, knowing we would shortly go back to the low sixties.  On our way home we stopped in Wenatchee to walk four miles on the loop trail.  We came home in time to watch most of the Seahawks/Packers game:(

A visit from the granddaughters

A summer is not complete without Ada and Ruby spending a few days with Papa and Farmor.  Since school starts late this year, I had a few weeks before responsibilities started.  Esther has been slaving away for most of August.  I drove down to Portland to rendezvous with Jenny Tuesday morning and brought them back on Friday morning.  Esther tried to make the most of the evenings with the girls.  Wednesday I spent most of the day in Southworth, at the beach and in the yard, enjoying one of the last beautiful days of summer.  On Thursday I took the girls to the Point Defiance Zoo.  The girls really enjoyed it and we spent the whole day there.  My favorite was the polar bear feeding inches from our heads (separated by glass of course).  Ada's favorite was the snow leopard cubs and Ruby's was the elephant.  The girls spent the nights in their 'new bedroom'.  I set up bunk beds in one of the basement rooms.  They were tickled to take ownership of the room and help do some decorating.  We enjoyed their company and were missing them as soon as they left.  Ada stated that it needs to be a summer tradition to spend time in Southworth.  I think it already is.