Polson, MT

It was a short and pretty drive up here to Polson, MT. We're at the Eagle's Nest RV Park at the south end of Flathead Lake. This is a very friendly park -- they had a byob "happy hour" just after we arrived, and are planning a huge BBQ party for the Fourth of July. We have to leave in the morning, since my brother and his wife (from Boston) are flying in to Kalispell around Noon.

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

The three rigs are camped/parked at Wolf Lodge RV Park just outside Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (our fifth wheel looks so TINY compared with Tom & Julie's 42-foot rig). Another perfect setting in trees with plenty of grass and places to walk the dogs (our #1 priority). We all drove down the road to the Wolf Lodge Restaurant and had delicious steaks.

Maryhill Museum, Goldendale, WA

Dawn and I drove up to the Maryhill Museum, which has been on her "Bucket List" for years. The building itself breath-taking: it's a huge mansion, perched right atop the Columbia River Gorge. It was intended to be Samuel Hill's home (he's the man who was the catalyst behind the Columbia Gorge Highway). Started around 1914, the construction is steel beams and poured concrete. Apparently, Hill's businesses failed and construction was stopped in 1917. A friend of his convinced him to turn it into a museum of art, which he did. It was officially opened to the public in 1940. Anyway, it has an amazing, eclectic collection of art and sculptures and American Indian artifacts. Definitely worth the trip. Hill also created a replica of Stonehenge on the site of the original Maryhill Town -- it's now a Veterans' Memorial.

Maryhill State Park, Goldendale, WA

Wow!!! We're camped in Maryhill State Park right along the Columbia River. What a beautiful spot. Our friends Tom & Julie & their Bichon Frise "Cody" were already here with their 42-foot Holiday Rambler Endeavor.

Got our rig set up and then took our two dogs, plus "Magy" and "Joyce" to the river where they immediately dove into the water. There is such joy in watching them in the water -- surprisingly, our GSD "Boomer" is an excellent swimmer and loves the water...his favorite game is for us to throw a tennis ball or stick and then he goes right after it AND brings it back.

We had cocktails outside but the wind was getting too strong, so we moved inside to continue the cocktail hour and then have dinner.

Bend, Oregon -- a great place!

The drive up from Redding was easy -- Mike & Maryann followed and we used hand-held walkie-talkies to communicate (mostly oo-ing and ah-ing at the scenery). I've never seen Shasta Lake so full -- stunningly beautiful. Mt. Shasta is still covered with snow.

We are at the Scandia RV Park, just outside Bend. Pretty place. Went into old town Bend for dinner at the Pine Tree Tavern, sat outside on the patio by the river. Good food, excellent service, superb view.

The slides on Mike's motorhome still won't work. I borrowed a tester from another camper (left mine at home...sigh...) and tried to find the problem but without a decent manual and electrical diagrams, it's a real challenge (the Tiffin manual is useless, it's written for all 2007 models, and everything is too general; plus the wiring diagrams are TINY and impossible to read...odd, for a company as supposedly good as Tiffin). Finally got a repairman to look at it (he had been helping a neighbor RVer) and he eventually found that a ground wire on the solenoid had pulled out of its connector. Re-connected it and all works fine.

One of the brackets holding my bike rack at the back of the rig had broken off somewhere along the way (it was only spot-welded at one corner...). I found an EXCELLENT welding shop in Bend [Advanced Northwest Welding, 541-382-1002] -- they offer mobile service, too, but we just drove there and they took us in right away. In just thirty minutes they had fabricated a new bracket, welded it in place, and re-welding the other bracket, and we were on our way.

Redding, CA -- HOT!

Arrived in Redding around 6 PM. We're in the Mountain Gate RV Park -- one of our favorite places. It's HOT here -- 105 degrees. Mike & Maryann, along with their two Goldens "Magy" and "Joyce" were already parked and set up with their 30-foot Tiffin Allegro. [Unfortunately, neither slide on their rig would work...we tried to figure out the problem but couldn't...I just "know" it's something simple...]

The trip was uneventful (the best kind...) We didn't get away from the house until almost noon, but there wasn't much traffic so it was easy driving. Went over the Pacheco Pass on Hwy 156, beautiful as always, then up I-5 to Redding.

Got the X-pens set up for the dogs, then took them for a walk around the park. By the time we got back and fed the dogs, I was really hungry. Fortunately, Maryann provided her "famous" lasagna which we thoroughly enjoyed with a bottle of Boeger Primitivo.

Preparing for our Glacier National Park Trip

Spent the last several weeks getting our RV (Keystone COUGAR 29-foot fifth wheel) ready for our long-anticipated trip to Glacier National Park. Dawn has made reservations in all the RV parks along the way -- she's a real Tour Director. [We're meeting up with two couples who also have RVs].

Had to replace the refrigerator vent on the roof -- it had gotten trashed by a low-hanging limb on our last trip. Ordered the base & cover, but then discovered that it's a real PAIN to remove the sealant around the base. Even nicked the rubber roof! Finally gave up and built a wooden frame inside the old base, glued it in place, and used that to attach the new cover. Works fine.

Got everything packed (including a case of wine). Fortunately, our rig has ample room, because all the dog stuff and bedding takes up a lot of space (we have a 115-pound German Shepherd, "Boomer, " and a 68-pound Golden Retriever, "Pardner").

We plan to pull out in the morning.