Severe Clear in Wolcott, CO

The crisp, cool night air gave way to another beautiful day in Colorado. The severe clear day beckoned us out to play. Leslie invited me to attend a ladies luncheon/ fashion show at her club, the Red Sky Ranch. I put on the only nice outfit that I brought on the trip, and met some lovely woman. For many, Vail was their third or forth home. Crazy wealth. Staggering, actually. Ironically, one of the models was previewing the same outfit that I was wearing. Who knew I could be so cutting edge fashion-forward!?! We had a good laugh at the table. I met the boys back at the house and embarked on a Timberline class 3 rafting tour down the Colorado River. I was the only one to admit that I was a little nervous. It was a blast! It started out with the rapids, five sections. Once that was out of the way, it was a relaxing pace through the spectacular Glenwood Canyon. In the few hours that we were gone, Jeff and Leslie threw together a barbecue. Back at the house, we had some drinks and burgers, and met some more friends. It was another fun day! The teens enjoyed sleeping under the stars so much that they did it again. One final note, Jeff loves Solo!

Adventures around Beaver Creek

The day couldn't have started out more civilized. Leslie was expecting us at the Red Sky Ranch Golf Club. Wow! What an incredible view from the terrace breakfast table. In typical fashion, Leslie had a list of activities and area attractions for us to consider. Wasting no time whatsoever, I made a white water rafting reservation for tomorrow, and we jumped in her car and headed over to 4Eagle Ranch. There, we booked the boys on a 1:00pm zip line tour. It was a two-hour activity where you dangle in a harness hundreds of feet above a river, and zip a thousand feet across the canyon on a wire.

Not fun to me. Not fun. Leslie and I went to the cute little town of Edwards for a little shopping and the best truffle French fries ever. We met up with the boys, had a quick tour of her fabulous mountain home (8,550 feet elevation) and headed out to the Beaver Creek rodeo. They guys really enjoyed the rodeo. We all met back at the house. The boys decided to sleep under the stars in their sleeping bags on an upper deck. The stars were amazing!

Eagle-Vail

Billy had a mission to accomplish at the Eagle, CO post office this morning, so we all participated in the mailing of a thank you gift to his hosts in Canada. It was as if the clerk behind the counter had never handled an international package before. After about 30 minutes, we were on our way! A lively debate ensued about false advertising, and government services. Among the shipping options advertised at the post office was a "flat rate box", which was marked "$10.75 for domestic or international" destinations. When Billy's shipping postage totaled $23.00, we asked the clerk if we could use the flat rate box. She said "No, that's only for domestic mailings." Go figure. Anyway, we toured the sweet little ski village of Vail, which was alive with summer activities and tourists. Solo waited patiently at our feet while we had a lovely lunch next to a babbling brook. He was later rewarded with a swim. As we watched in horror, he got caught in the rapids, went down a little waterfall, fought the current and found his way back to us on the  river bank.  Whew! Bill took the helm of the Odyssey on the narrow, curvy and steep road through White River National Forest. It was a  beautiful ride. We explored various sites for which to set up base camp for several nights, but quickly knew we were out of our league with the rugged challenges (no water available) and waayyy scary remote locations. Jeff and Leslie, long time friends from NYC, insisted that we stay at their home in Vail, so we decided to take them up on their generous offer, albeit a little too late to arrange for the night.  Unable to immediately reach Leslie, we went back the the Best Western in Eagle, and then later firmed up a plan to meet for breakfast. We heart Colorado, though the teens think it's "red neck" country.

PacWest Odyssey

Tue 13 - Entering Colorado
Eagle

The Utah border was a quick morning ride once back on I-84. The scenery is rolling hills, and sage brush, just before it turns mountainous. The air is hot and dry. This remarkable fair weather continues to bless our journey. After a couple of hours in the car, we found a decent restaurant in Salt Lake City. A quick tour down Temple Ave. and we were back on the road. The route was increasingly beautiful as we travelled into the Rocky Mountains, the stomping ground of my childhood vacation memories. High winds and looming thunderstorms brought us to the Best Western hotel in Eagle, CO. The ride was uneventful, but we were all riveted by the conclusion of Under the Dome, the audio book by Stephen King, which has provided thirty hours of in-car entertainment, and the subject of countless discussions over meals and campfires since the start of our PacWest Odyssey.

So Long Portland

At 6:55am, with the trip odometer at 4281, we left Portland. In what appears to be typical cloud cover and a much cooler 56 degrees, it's kind of a relief from the blazing sun that's been with us each day of this amazing trip. It was a gorgeous ride south-eastbound. The sun eventually popped out and the Columbia River, and surrounding countryside came to life. Between the wind gusts and the blowing dust, it was also a scary ride at times. One little tidbit of information, Oregon is the only state outside of NJ where full service fueling is mandatory. We stopped in Boise, ID for lunch. We were hoping for the best Idaho French fries ever, but that was not the case. After logging about 600 miles for the day, we pulled off I-84 about 6pm (we lost an hour with MST). The men set up camp and I ran for groceries. We grilled chicken and corn, watched the teens play Frisbee, and just relaxed in the foothills of Idaho.

Pioneer Courthouse Square

It was well worth the 25 minute wait for brunch at Mother's. We are eating our way through the Northwest! On the way back to the hotel we scouted out Portland's World Cup viewing venue at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Bill ran to the car to get our chairs, and we sat comfortably in the middle of the action. The hot sun was so intense, it became unbearable for me at times. It felt as if the whole city of Portland was watching the final match on the giant TV screen. Jack slept soundly, through all the cheering and vuvuzelas, at the hotel just two blocks away. After Spain's victory over the Netherlands, Bill and I took Solo to the Columbia River Gorge, and the Multnomah Falls.

We couldn't find the off-leash dog section, but saw some pretty sights, nonetheless. The teenagers were feeling like Chinese food after their day of exploration. We reunited for another nice dinner, and took to our rooms for relaxation on our last night in Portland.

Saturday in Portland

Walking through Portland's Historical District is somewhat reminiscent of an east coast city. While the teens slept in, Bill and I had breakfast at the Morning Star Cafe and then strolled over to the outdoor market. Vineyard. On. Steroids. We've been on a mission to find Martha's Vineyard south for a potential retirement venue, but we accidentally found the Vineyard NW. The Saturday market revealed all the creative and entrepreneurial talent of the community. Musicians and dancers entertained the throngs of people. Lots of energy flowing in the streets! The teens joined us for the scene, and then we parted ways. Bill and I ducked into a bar to watch the last 15 minutes of the World Cup match between Germany and Uruguay. We all met back at the hotel and Billy set the next agenda. He led the way to Powell's book store. OMG. A fascinating collection of new and used books. Again we parted ways. The teens pursued Apples' music store, and we hung out at an outdoor cafe in the Pearl District, with Solo at our feet. We all met up again at Blue Hour restaurant for dinner, with Solo at our feet. An awesome day in the city!

Seattle to Portland

Out with the old, and in with the new. Air mattress that is. End of story. Yay! It's laundry day and I get some serious Mac time. We packed up camp with a mission to pick up Billy from the Canadian ferry and head out to Portland. A quick search on Yelp led us to FareStart Restaurant. We had a delightful meal,and felt good about supporting such an admirable cause:     
The FareStart MISSION

FareStart provides a community that transforms lives by empowering homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and families to achieve self-sufficiency through life skills, job training and employment in the food service industry. 

With more time to kill while waiting for Billy, we checked out the "troll under the bridge", and a massive bronze of V. Lenin, both in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Back on schedule, Billy's boat arrived at 2:15. He cleared customs and joined us once again. Traffic was miserable almost the entire three hours to Portland. We checked into the Westin Hotel and found a suitable restaurant for dinner. We all had very favorable impressions of Portland. Jack and Billy walked the Solo along the waterfront, and had some neighborhood tidbits to report upon their return.

Heat Wave in Kent

For all the news about the east coast heat wave, we were into the 90's today in greater Seattle. An unusual weather pattern here, we are told. It was an excellent day to hang at the pool, and that's exactly what we did this afternoon. Very refreshing, indeed. We couldn't help but notice all the international travelers at this campground, and the enormous amount of mosquitos. Leave it to Bill to find an iPad app called Bug Spray, which repells the insects via a mosquito ring tone. We're not entirely sure of it's effectiveness because we had several other repellents in operation, too. Crazy. Grilled pizza was on the camp dinner menu. It was a little more challenging on the charcoal grill, and the second pizza turned out better than the first, but they were both delicious. Jack is enjoying the tent to himself. We set him up with our old air mattress last night. Yes, the one with the slow leak. It may not be a problem for him cause he weights about 100 pounds;) report to follow.

Movin' On from Seattle

It has been so fun getting to know the vibrant city of Seattle. We put our teen on the Victoria Clipper, and I reminisced about my grandfather leaving the "old country" for America at the same age as Billy. My grandfather never returned to Ireland, but made a very nice life for himself in Chicago. Billy wouldn't know where to find his passport:) With Jack as our only child, and a new rooftop carrier, we left Seattle for a campground halfway to Tacoma. We set up camp in no time, and went shopping for supplies. Back at camp we played cards, and made a nice dinner of pork chops on the barbie, and other goodies. We took to our tents early with books and gadgets in hand. Nice, low-key day.

Thule Damage from Hotel Valet

Sure glad it wasn't me! The Sheraton was totally professional about the accident, and replaced our car top carrier within hours.

Boeing, Tamarind Tree, Canlis

Seattle is alive with sunshine! So the city really is surrounded by mountains! After a riverfront run for Bill, and a long, city-dog-walk for K, we met at a sidewalk cafe for breakfast and planned the day. Off to the Boeing factory in Everett to view the production of 747, 777 and 787 jets. It was an awesome tour. While waiting in line at the Apple Store a couple days ago, we befriended a fellow who made one recommendation for our stay in Seattle: enjoy a meal at the Tamarind Tree restaurant in the International District. So after the Boeing tour we found the restaurant on our GPS (think of travel before the convenience of handheld GPS) and had an amazing Vietnamese lunch. Back at the hotel we learned that the parking garage crashed in our Thule rooftop carrier. Opps. While Bill dealt with that inconvenience, I made travel arrangements for Billy to go to Victoria, BC to visit his girlfriend's family. For our last evening in Seattle, Bill and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, a day early, by dining at Canlis. Knowing Seattle was on our summer travel agenda, the Herman's prearranged a celebratory dinner for us at one of Seattle's finest restaurants. It was a very generous and thoughtful gift, for which we were very grateful. The dinner was really terrific, and the view and service equally impressive. It was memorable day in so many ways.

Sunny in Seattle

The pooch wanted to go out early, so we sprung out of bed and bundled up for a stroll along the river. Of course Starbuck's was our first stop. When in Rome... I was wondering why Seattle is so well known for coffee. Bill thought it was because of the fairly consistent dreary weather and the need for the energy and motivation that caffeine provides in lieu of sunshine. Good guess. The agent at the Victoria Clipper gave us information on the documentation needed to transit into Vancouver. We may have some problems with our Canadian visit. To be continued. The Pike Place Market was just setting up so we took in the excitement, had some yummy Russian pastries and ducked into some of the shops before heading back to the Sheraton. Billy pressed us to get his promised iPhone. After all morning at the Apple Store, we had lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery. Then walked the city streets with the teens. We had a swim at the hotel and just relaxed in the comfort of our hotel rooms knowing soon we will be back in our tents.

Buying the iPhone 4 in Seattle

Billy is cashing in on his Christmas present today with an iPhone upgrade. He's been looking forward to the new phone for months. Lots of other people in Seattle have the same idea, as the line to buy iPhone 4 extends down the block. We left on our PacWest Odyssey the day before the new phone rolled to market, and promised Billy a Seattle store adventure.

Idaho to Seattle

Sun 04 - Pleasant View, Seattle

We are all fully recovered from our mild housing crisis, which resulted in a driving marathon yesterday. In fact, it was precisely that concern that Bill wanted to avoid on the Fourth of July weekend by having advanced reservations somewhere. But noooo. Instead we groped for hours. On the border of Idaho/Washington, we left the Sleep Inn at 10:15am (pst) with the trip odometer at 3580! A lively debate ensued about my relationship with the trucker I was following for miles on the dark interstate last night. Billy said it was symbiotic. Bill and Jack disagreed, because it wasn't mutually beneficial. Another thing to Google. Our list grows in between connections. Reservations at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel for the next two nights were made this morning. We pulled into Seattle like the Beverly Hillbillies, and checked in to our luxurious rooms in the big city. It's PF Changs for dinner. A short walk in the rain! We talked to Steph for her 35th birthday today, and she expressed intrigue with our adventure, and the curiosity that we must really be looking forward to a glass of wine. She is not the only one to have a grossly inaccurate impression of camping;) We're hardly roughin' it.

Glacier National Park

Sat 03 - Glacier National Park, Post Falls

Bill said we hit the jackpot at the Staybridge Hotel because of the free laundry facilities. I said, "If they did the laundry for us, that would be hitting the jackpot." I offered to do Jack's laundry, too, but he insisted on doing his own. We had a leisurely breakfast, included with the room, and ventured out to Glacier Nat'l Park. It was rainy and cloudy most of the ride to Glacier. Once actually in the park, the sun was out, but the rain clouds added huge drama to the magnificent landscape. The bears were out, too. A mama and her two cubs elicited a bark out of timid Solo. Then a lone bear was seen crossing the road right in front of our car. It was such a thrill for all of us to finally see real live bears! The road through the peaks was very scary at times, especially when we were in one of those clouds. Bill did a great job, and we all got beautiful pictures. That was just the start of our day. As it turned out, we could not find a room from here to Spokane. Well, 20 miles east of Spokane. We pulled off I-90 at 2am (EST). Luckily, we gained an hour traveling into PST. Long day. We learned a good lesson about being fussy about hotels.

On the Road to Montana

Fri 02 - Missoula

The air mattress is a problem that must be dealt with soon. It definitely caused sleeplessness last night. The chilly temps did, too. It was in the 30s when we woke this morning. We started breaking down camp with our coffee, and I put a pot of steel cut oats on the stove. The teens woke to a nice breakfast and we packed up the car. It was a beautiful ride out of Yellowstone Nat'l Park, and became increasingly more beautiful as we travelled into Montana. It was about a six hour ride to Missoula, where we booked a two bedroom, two bathroom hotel suite after eight nights of camping. The Staybridge was perfect. Even Solo had his own bed. Bill scouted out a Jiffy Lube-type place and got the car's first oil change. A car wash, too. We had a nice pasta dinner at a little Italian joint, and went back to our TVs and wireless worlds. We all slept very well in the comfy beds.

Day Three Yellowstone

Thu 01 - Yellowstone Day Three

There is a slow leak in air mattress. Urghh! Another round of thunderstorms passed through the campground just after we settled in the tents for night. Despite the inconveniences, we woke up refreshed and ready for another beautiful morning. We cooked bacon and pancakes before going out for a boat ride. There is a marina at Bridge Bay, so It was easy to rent Whaler-type craft and zip around Yellowstone Lake. Awesome! Afterwards, it was a perfect day to be lazy and just enjoy camping. Playing with the dog, or just doing nothing is elevated to a new level. Lake Lodge Restaurant was on the agenda for our last night in Yellowstone. We all had a terrific dinner. In fact, Jack ate more than I have seen him eat in a while, and a fairly exotic selection: wild Alaskan salmon, corn and scallion risotto, and asparagus. Billy had elk, bison and antelope sliders. Bill had bison tenderloin and I had plain 'ol halibut. It was all excellent. Billy drove us back to camp. The guys made their evening fire and Bill and I retired to our books. Tomorrow starts a new adventure. We'll go through Montana, stay in a hotel and plan the next leg of the trip. We heart Wyoming!

Day Two in Yellowstone

Wed 30 - Yellowstone

There are few things more unpleasant than camping in the rain. Luckily the thunderstorms didn't start until we were all tucked away in our tents. The wind challenged the stability of both tents, and the lightening, under flimsy protection, was scary, especially for Solo, but we woke dry and fairly rested. We made our coffee just before the next round of showers, and sucked up the first bit of nasty weather in a week. After breakfast at camp we headed west with the ultimate objective of seeing Old Faithful, showering and getting an Internet connection. Our first stop was West Thumb Geyser Basin.

The percolating hot springs are intriguing.

Our mission was accomplished by noon, and we continued through the park to Midway Geyser Basin after a nice lunch at Old Faithful Inn.

On to the Artists' Paint Pots, and the conclusion that if you've seen one mud pot, you've seen 'em all. The dead trees everywhere are becoming rather unsightly, too. I left my heart in the Tetons. A couple more stops, and we headed back to camp just before 6pm. Mac and cheese is on the camp menu with fire-toasted French bread and sliced apples. Yes, giant marshmallows for dessert.

Yellowstone National Park

Tues June 29 - Yellowstone

With fully charged electronics, and clean clothes, I left the laundromat and helped pick up camp. The Tetons National Park far exceeded our expectations. We left the park and entered Yellowstone in under an hour. Our campsite, Bridge Bay is approximately 40 miles into the park. After setting up camp, we went to a grill for lunch and started touring Yellowstone. We saw Mud Volcano, Sulphur Caldron, and Artist Point to view the Upper and Lower Falls within Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

After a quick stop for supplies at Canyon Village, we headed back to camp. The sky was looking rather ominous just before the first sprinkling of the evening. We convened into the master suite, er tent, and played some cards until the coast was clear. We had Dinty Moore Beef Stew cooked on the open fire (yuk) and a great salad (yum). Giant, really giant marshmallows were for dessert. Another great day in the wilderness, although Billy is having Rachel withdrawals, or maybe simply tech separation anxiety.

The Grand Tetons

Mon 28 - Moose Wyoming

Big government has this National Park undertaking fully under control. This is a remarkably well managed property! The views are as crisp and clean as the mountain air we breathe. We have had six stellar days of perfect weather. It was a little chilly in the tent this morning, and Bill delivered his freshly brewed coffee to my sleeping bag. He's becoming a great camper! We all enjoyed a light breakfast at the site, and got into our hiking boots. Our three mile hike, in the most picturesque setting, was humbling.

We communed with nature in the most sacred setting. The biggest concern on anyone's mind is how to charge our electronics. Life is good:) Jack and I had our first-ever egg salad sandwich for lunch, a concoction I made in an effort to clean out the ice box. It was excellent. Into the village for showers, and off to the Mural Dining Room at Jackson Lake Lodge, a fancy restaurant in the park, for dinner. We passed on the dessert menu in anticipation of s'mores at our campsite. Walk the dog, a game of spades, marshmallows and bag, I mean bed.

Another New State: Wyoming

Sun 27 - Casper, Jackson

The guys confessed that they used lighter fluid to start the campfire. I said, "That's cheating." Bill then replied, "Unless you're rubbing two sticks together, everything is cheating." he has a point. We packed up camp and hit the road just before 8am. With Stephen King's Under the Dome back on the car radio, and miles of road without another car in sight, we crossed into Wyoming. Elevation 4300. After a couple hours, in the far off distance, we had our first glimpse of the majestic, snow capped mountains. It was a very scenic ride through the sagebrush basin adorned with beautiful wildflowers, high elevation canyons, pine forests and the alpine with lingering snow. We picked Colter Bay campground in Grand Teton National Park for the next two nights. It's about 6800 elevation. We made steaks on the grill, played cards and nestled into our sleeping bags just after 9pm. The temp during the night was in the low 40s.

Custer State Park

Sat 26 - Custer State Park

After a quiet morning at camp, we started out on the day's adventure with hiking boots on and a picnic lunch packed. Buffalo, wild donkey, mule, elk, and prairie dogs were supposedly plentiful on the wildlife loop through Custer State Park. We stopped along a sweet babbling brook for lunch, a Frisbee toss, and Solo had a swim. We were holding our breath as Billy navigated through the peaks and troughs of the Black Hills National Forest. The unsuspecting tourists traveled a winding road, and through a narrow tunnel, which opened up to a spectacular first sighting of the Mt. Rushmore Memorial. We walked around the memorial, took some pictures, bought some ice cream, watched the video and headed back to camp. Spaghetti with meat sauce never tasted so good. We threw garlic bread wrapped in foil off to the side of the fire, tossed a salad and ate like we were at the Ritz! A group of college kids from the Midwest set up camp behind us, and provided hours of entertainment. They were wasted!

Jewel Cave National Monument

Fri 25 - Custer

It was nice to leisurely wake up and enjoy coffee, pancakes and bacon around a morning fire while reading maps, and other information about the area. There's lots of tourist attractions in the area, with Mt. Rushmore being the biggest draw. The unanimous vote was to avoid getting in the car today. The first campground of the trip was very comfortable, so we were all happy just hanging around.

The fact that WiFi was available at the camp site influenced the decision slightly. After lunch we made a move. Solo and I drove the guys to Jewel Cave Nat'l Monument, about ten miles away. They toured the caves while I went shopping. Back to camp, we showered and started dinner prep. We made chicken, ribs, baked potatoes and corn on the camp fire. Everything was great. After a few toasted marshmallows, we took to our tents and called it a lazy day.

The Beautiful Midwest

Thur June 24 -Ottawa, IL to Rapid City to Custer

We all woke up refreshed, showered and hit the road at 5:45am cst. Billy took the helm of the minivan first. After a quick lesson in cruise control we started out on day two. What a gorgeous day. The major storms made way for clear skies and green crops. Crossing the iconic Mississippi River made us recall Horrace Greeley's advice, "Go west, young man." Jack had a similar lesson in cruising before embarking on 250 miles behind the wheel. McDonalds for lunch. We turned off Interstate 80 west just after we crossed the 1000 mile marker, and started our trek north. Scenery is starting to change from prairie to rolling hills. Pretty. 1302 miles behind us as we entered South Dakota. Yay! After another 500 miles we crossed over to mountain time, reached Rapid City, and stumbled upon a street fair. We had a quick bite to eat, listened to a 80's pop band, and enjoyed the people watching. The boys observed all the meth addicts, and commented on how young the parents seemed. We were all really tired of the car and had to go another 30 miles to our campsite. We set up camp at Beaver Lake in Custer, SD and pretty much went right to sleep. It was 10:30 est. Long day of driving, but now the fun begins!

Mile 0, 8000 to Go

Wed 23 - Ottawa, IL

We woke the teens up at 5:15am, and got the feeling that they had only been asleep for a short time. With the car packed to capacity, we pulled out of the driveway at 5:45am. Jack's mom, as always, bid us farewell with clever and thoughtful gifts. Among the goodies was a Dunkin' Donuts gift card. The teens woke up around 10am, and we put the card to it's first use. We had the World Cup match USA vs. Algeria on the radio, and we all downloaded vuvuzela apps for full effect in the car;) USA won the game! We drove through some serious storms last night, but safely arrived at the Hampton Inn in Ottawa, Il at 7:15 est. Bobby (our nephew) pulled into the hotel at the same time. Yay! We had a drink in the room, and off for a quick dinner to the elusive Hank's Restaurant. 840 miles down.