4. Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

Day 15: Saturday, July 26

Again slept very well. Woke up once in the middle of the night but the temperature of 55F made me crawl back into the sleeping bag quickly. Didn't wake up again until 8:45 AM. Enjoyed a long shower in the excellent bathhouse, fixed breakfast, and was on the road by 11:15 AM.

After a brief stretch on I-5 took the scenic SR 138 to Elkton and then the very beautiful Umpqua Highway (SR 38) to Reedsport, US 101, and the Pacific coast. Went north to South Beach State Park, my destination for the day.

The state park is huge, about 250 sites, mostly close together. It's a destination park for vacationers who enjoy all that Yaquina Bay has to offer, including kayaking, fishing, crabbing, clamming, hiking, and sightseeing.

Its main attraction for me this weekend was, of course, the first West Coast rally of GTRV Westies. Mike Reed, who started the whole thing in the US came up from California. Ron and Heidi Wiesendahl, who started the GTRV business, came down from Canada. Westy owners from Oregon and Washington predominated, but we also had two Florida Westies -- Ann and her husband from Naples who had just picked up their Westy at the factory, and mine. Lots of good fun and van comparing and talking. Like at the East Coast rally last September I was struck by how friendly and compatible Westy owners seem to be -- what is it in all of us that makes us buy Westies, or perhaps what does the Westy do to its owners to make them all into people that one enjoys spending time with? A psychoanalyst might discover that we are all gypsies at heart, or former flower children, or hippie wannabies.

Was on the road for 4 hours and drove 225 miles. Temperatures ranged from the mid-seventies in the mountains to the mid-sixties along the coast to the mid-fifties after sunset.

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Day 16: Sunday, July 27

A good sleep, a refreshingly cool night. Lots of Westy talk after breakfast, then headed for Portland. Started out on US 101, then took US 20 east to connect with I-5. Stopped along the way to download messages via cellphone. The drive from the coast to Philomath and Corvallis is quite scenic.

Will spend the rest of the day and tomorrow just hanging out with Mark and Tara.

Day 18: Tuesday, July 29

Was on the road by 8 AM and headed for the Columbia River Gorge. Being in a van I was able to take the original Gorge road rather than the interstate. It is very winding and narrow most of the time, but the views are spectacular and worth the effort.

There isn't much scenic beauty on the way to Spokane, WA once one leaves the Gorge.

It was 99F in Spokane, so I decided to continue driving for a few more hours. Taking back roads that at times were quite attractive at higher elevations, ended up at Farragut State Park. A beautiful park near Athol, ID. It is extraordinarily well kept, good bathhouse, and $12 is the price of a site without hook-ups.

Was on the road for 9 hours and drove 440 miles.

Day 19: Wednesday, July 30

A very good sleep, but woke up at 5 AM -- it was a bit chilly (58F) in the van. Decided to beat the crowd to the showers. After a long hot soaking and cleaning went back to bed and slept soundly until about 8 AM.

Got under way by 10:30 AM and took US 95 north to Sandpoint, a tourist town by Pend Oreille Lake. The lake, formed by glaciers and encircled by lofty mountain peaks, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Pacific Northwest. Early French trappers named the area after an American Indian tribe they called Pend Oreilles because they wore pendant ornaments in their ear lobes. Noted for its scenic coves and 1,150-foot depth, the lake is stocked with Kamloop rainbow trout; a special fishing season runs from early May to late November (according to the local Chamber of Commerce.)

Connected with US 2 eastbound which mostly parallels the Kootenai River. Lots of beautiful scenery until a few miles west of Kalispell.

Kalispell has a "cute" touristy downtown area, but the rest is unmitigated ugliness -- not helped by the layer of smog from the Glacier forest fires. Headed south on US 93 to get out of town and then picked up the very scenic SR 82/SR83 for a most enjoyable drive through the Swan Valley to Seely Lake and Salmon Lake.

Then took local roads and byways to connect with US 12 and I-90. Vistas along the way explain why Montana is referred to as "Big Sky country".

Got a $19.25 site at Bernie and Sharon's Riverside RV Park near Garrison -- level, water, sewer, electricity. Modem friendly. Location off the interstate and near a busy railroad track did not make for a quiet night.

Drove 385 miles today and was on the road for 7 hours.

Day 20: Thursday, July 31

Crossed time zones yesterday and as a result slept later than usual - woke at 7 AM. It was 65F in the van and I just didn't feel like getting up. Rolled over and slept for another hour.

The shower was a disappointment -- couldn't get it to provide moderate temperature water. Either scalding hot, or ice cold -- nothing in between.

Was on the road by 10 AM. The temperature of 79F was comfortable and remained below 85F all day.

Took US 12 eastbound to Helena via the somewhat scenic MacDonald Pass (6,300'). Except for a rather pretty state capitol, Helena did not strike me as a particularly attractive city. Lots and lots of construction, and plenty of ugly industrial facilities.

Spent the rest of the day mostly on Montana's high prairie, which isn't worth the effort. Let's face it, once east of the Rockies, Montana is boredom. As is, by the way, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Pretty much stayed on US 12, then I-90, and US 212 to get to Red Lodge and the Red Lodge KOA, where $19.26 got me a tent site without hook-ups but a very nice picnic table, fire ring, and grill. Red Lodge is a tourist town at the foot of the Beartooth Mountain range. It used to be a major coal mining center, but now they mine for tourist dollars at the local casino and with lots of artsy-crafty stores.

About an hour after I settled in, a bunch of fairly wild looking Harley-Davidson types pulled into the adjacent site. One of them asked about my Florida plates -- he used to be stationed at Pensacola Naval base, and also on Key West. He's one of those rescue guys who jump out of helicopters to pick up downed pilots. He and his buddies are stationed in Coronado, CA and are now on their way to Sturgis, SD for the annual Harley Davidson motor cycle rally. A very polite and considerate group of campers. I wonder whether fifty years hence thousands of GTRV Westies will have an annual rally somewhere?

Drove 300 miles today and was underway for 6 hours. Bought gasoline in Helena for $1.539/gal and averaged 15.6 mpg on the last tank. Grilled the last two filets mignon I had brought with me from Florida, ate some white nectarines that Safeway charges the outrageous price of $1.99/lbs for, and pigged out on diabetic-approved sugarfree cookies. Will be in bed by 9:30 PM.

Day 21: Friday, August 1

Was on the road by 9:00 AM. A sky that was almost without clouds, temperature of 65F, up from the night's low of 54F.

US 212, aka the Beartooth Highway, is one of the most scenic drives in the US. Initially following Rock Creek out of Red Lodge into the mountains, it soon separates from the river and climbs for about 5 miles in continuous switchbacks to a vista point at about 9,200' The views are spectacular, especially on a clear day like today.

Near the crest (10,947') trees give way to low shrubs and alpine meadows. There is a beautiful view of the Twin Lakes, some 1,000' below.

The road then winds down again to Cooke City and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

The park road connects with the Park Loop road after it took me through some scenic stretches along the Lamar river and small lakes. Buffalo are plentiful and one scared the living daylight out of me when he suddenly stepped out of the shadows right in front of the van. Because of oncoming traffic I couldn't move into the left lane -- just hit the brakes and fortunately he moved off the road just enough so I could get by him. We are talking millimeters, not inches of clearance.

The Lamar Valley road connects with the park loop road at Tower-Roosevelt. The next 19 miles to Canyon Village could be enjoyably scenic, however the road is in such abysmally bad condition that the driver's attention needs to be fully focused on avoiding potholes. Considering that Yellowstone is a world-wide tourist attraction, we ought to do better.

The drive from Canyon Village to Yellowstone Lake along the Yellowstone River is a bit more pleasant, as is the drive along the lake.

The mostly scenic John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Drive then took me from Yellowstone NP to Teton NP. Unfortunately it got a bit hazy, so my photos didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

When Antje and I were in this area (see my 1999-3 journal) we stayed at the Gros Ventre campground of the National Park Service. It's a huge campground near Jackson, but the sites are well spread out. Best of all, we were kept company by a very photogenic moose cow and her calf, and saw a huge bull moose on our way back to the main road. Hoping for a similar experience, I secured a site at Gros Ventre and called it a day. $6 (after discount) for a fairly level paved site, no hook-ups.

Was on the road for 7 1/2 hours and drove 235 miles. It is very warm outside the van, 95F, and without air conditioning I'm pleased that the Fantastic Fan is keeping the interior temp at 91F.

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