OH MY! THE PIE.......

OH MY!  THE PIE……    

Before the bake......"break"!

(June 2018)

Deerpark, Washington (a small town outside Spokane) was our next destination before heading to Idaho.   The RV  park was a delightful stay with an abundant vegetable garden and plenty of rhubarb for the guests to pick. 

RV park in Deerpark, Wa. 

We happily took them up on their offer as we had guests visiting (friends from Perry's hometown) and I wanted to attempt to make a rhubarb pie.  I've never been a huge fan but I did find a rhubarb/strawberry pie recipe that looked intriguing. Nita, although her occupation is a Nurse,  is very domestic (jams, crochet….you name it, she can do it).  Yes, I have to admit this "city" girl was trying to impress the "country" friends and I was proud of my efforts!  The nicely latticed pie (delicately placed in my Pyrex pie plate) carefully was placed in the RV oven,  leaving it to cook for 40 minutes.  Bubbling with strawberry goodness and smelling its' success, I removed it from the oven on top of the stove. Suddenly, I heard the pie plate shatter.  There went my pie! With everyone's urging I did salvage the top of it (avoiding any glass) and the four of us finished what was left that night with vanilla ice cream. For the next few days time was spent with Tom, Nita and Perry's other childhood friends.  We said our goodbyes (knowing we'd be seeing them at the end of June) but we were off to Hope, Idaho!

Early in 2016 while still in California, a restaurant server was interested in our travels and suggested we visit her birthplace of Hope, Idaho.  The lake, trees and small town environment was intriguing so we put it on the list of places to visit.  Hope was now on the "Edna n' Papi" agenda of the Pacific Northwest!

Facebook, Friends and First Boyfriend?!

It was an easy two and a half hour drive from Washington into Idaho.  As we approached the small town of Sandpoint,  I told Perry the name "Sandpoint" sounded familiar.  Scrolling through Facebook during our travels, I saw a childhood friend recently lost his wife to cancer.  He posted date, time and location of the services with the location being Sandpoint, Idaho!  We arrived a couple days after the service but I decided to reach out to "Scott" sending my condolences mentioning we were nearby  in the town of Hope.  It turned out where we were staying was a short twenty minute drive to Sandpoint.  Scott immediately responded saying he would love to get together with us and that "Dave" his lifetime friend (my first boyfriend) was staying with him.  This was going to be an interesting, fun visit seeing friends I had not seen in over thirty years.

HOPE, IDAHO 

Once again we were in another remote location but only a few steps from the most beautiful lake I've seen, Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced Pend or'ay).   Lake Pend Oreille is our nation's 38th largest lake and is 148 square miles.  

Lake Pend Oreille-The most beautiful lake

Our RV spot was surrounded by tall pine trees with only a few neighbors nearby.  Deer wandered through often as we were on a Deer Sanctuary. 

One of our neighbors

The replica of Statue of Liberty on the lake

Perry and I like to "hang" with the locals to learn about fun things to do in the area and granted there is NOT a lot to do in Hope with a population stretching to reach 100.   Needing to explore, we drove to Sandpoint to check out the cute town located on the other side of the lake.  We stopped at a small replica of the Statue of Liberty but the strong winds that day kept us from staying out too long. 

Tall wavy flags invited us to  "Amber Bear Inn" for a country meal and glass of wine.  We followed more flags showing the way but we were getting further away from any civilization. The deserted bumpy road was once again part of the "adventure" and that it was, because grazing on berries just off the road, was a black bear that scurried as we passed by.  After traveling along a dusty five mile bumpy road we came across the five-star Inn (more flags assuring we were at the right place) greeted by dogs, cats and peacocks. Bears are seen daily and thankfully the only bear we saw was from the truck.  The owners were transplants wanting to escape the city and decided to open the "Inn" which hosts retreats and campers, offering country style cooking.  Deciding to stop for a nice meal, we didn't realize it was close to closing only to learn we were actually in Montana….a different time zone!  It's fun to explore and this was a great stop!

Out in the country-at the Inn

Roaming in his own territory-at the Inn

The Amber Bear Inn

Childhood Friends and…..

"You Can Tell When There's Love in a Home"!

I was taken back in time in seeing childhood friends Scott and Dave.  Was it fate or chance that Perry and I happened to be within twenty minutes of Scott's home in Sandpoint, Idaho?  This dear friend sadly recently lost his wife to cancer.  Services had wrapped up and friends had gone back to their respectful homes except for Dave….my first boyfriend.  We reminisced and caught up on our lives from the past several decades while Scott gave us a tour of his lovely home on several acres of beautiful Idaho property.  Room to room he shared happy stories and pictures of the life he shared with his college sweetheart and their son.  They shared the love of theater and music with love of their relationship felt in every room.  The musical "Li'l Abner" has a sweet song titled "Love in a Home" the final line…"you can tell when there's love in a home".  No doubt it was felt here and the few hours spent with Scott and Dave will never be forgotten. 

Childhood friends reunited! Silly as always!

We were enjoying our week in Hope and the last couple of days were visiting Schweitzer mountain, a popular ski area outside Sandpoint.  We hiked parts of Kootenai Falls Park which lead to a  swinging suspension bridge over the Kootenai River.  It was windy that day so we opted out of crossing the bridge not only for our sake, but for Gracie's.  She doesn't like any bridges let alone one that swings!  The falls were stunning and we were glad to have made the extra day trip to Libby, Montana. Other interesting facts were the movie "The River Wild" was filmed here and the Kootenai Indians at one time populated the area considering it sacred ground. 

A view from popular Schweitzer Mountain

The swinging bridge over Kootenai Falls

Kootenai Falls

In all our travels, the week spent in Hope has to be one of the more beautiful and memorable weeks.  Trees, mountains, Lake Pend Oreille, hikes, friends…….the epitome of what this trip is about!

Next-

More friends and fun in the Pacific Northwest. One tire down, seven to go……..three hours stranded on the freeway!

BEAUTIFUL OUTDOORS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST and....Brandon!

I hate good-bye's especially when it's my family.  David and Kaylyn returned to southern California following Brandon's graduation and it would be months before we'd all be together again. 

I DO marvel at the beauty of our country and as we approached the snow capped Mount Shasta, I was looking forward to spending time in the Pacific Northwest.  Little did I know just how much time we would spend here. 

Beautiful Mount Shasta

Our first stop for a week was a VERY small town called Chiloquin and our RV spot was on the Chiloquin river.  We watched the excited men (and some women) fly fishing in one of Oregon's prime fly fishing spots while anticipating our newly graduated sons arrival from Northern California.  The weather was perfect in May and the twilight hours opened up its' heavenly skies to BATS!  I was NOT prepared to see these creatures swooping through our nice spot diving close to our heads.   The pre-Halloween show lasted minutes as the full moon rose and the sky slowly grew dark.  The campfires were glowing around us. 

Our spot on the Chiloquin River

Beautiful Oregon!

Brandon arrived and the next morning the three of us traveled further north for a week in La Pine State Park.  Our objective to being here was for Brandon to apply for finance jobs and to see if we enjoyed the growing area of Bend, hearing from several sources that it's a great place to live. 

Still in the College mode

BEND /LA PINE STATE PARK (Play before Work)!

Visiting this beautiful state should not be spent indoors (if the weather cooperates).  The first day we toured the countryside stopping first at Mount Bachelor.  Being June, the ski season was over with only a small amount of snow remaining.  That didn't stop some die-hard skiers from hiking to the top and skiing down and us delighting in a snowball fight.  It was the two skiers and the three of us on this side of Mount Bachelor and we watched the guys descend down the mountain.

Colorful "Devil's Lake"

Mount Bachelor-June 1st

Continuing our drive along the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway,  we took in the beauty of the Three Sisters (volcano peaks) later stopping at some silt blue lakes (Lava Lake and Devil's Lake), enjoying a picnic lunch at Lava Lake.   The color of the lakes and rivers were every shade of beautiful blue changed by silt and depth. 

"Lava Lake" It's easy to love this place!

Perry and Brandon spent another day with a guide who taught them to fly fish.  They both caught fish but released them due to their size .  Nonetheless, a great memory for Dad and his son!  

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Another nature-filled day enjoying the Wizard Fish Hatchery with hiking along the Metolius River.  It was a spring like June Day with perfect temperatures, flowers in full bloom and butterflies along the river.  I was in a good place, with all the right external conditions and having our youngest son with us on our adventures.   Returning to the State Park, we stopped at a burnt area of Idanha (a part of the Pacific Crest Trail) with amazing views of the volcanos.  Many trails were destroyed by a fire from years ago but in a few years this area will be beautiful once again from regrowth.  After a long day of driving and hiking, a cold beer was enjoyed at one of many breweries in Bend.

BEND

With Brandon's resumes in hand and dressed professionally,  the three of us headed towards Bend, Oregon. 

The Business Man

  I got my hair done while Brandon visited various financial offices dropping off resumes.  We enjoyed lunch at the Café Yumm and drove around the fast growing area.  Albeit  surrounded by volcanoes, there were still awe-inspiring views of beautiful trees, mountains and rivers.  Could I find myself settling down here?  There are a lot of factors to consider in my life, and Bend offers a few of the many on my list. 

While in Bend, we met with my best friend's son who was visiting in the area.

Our last day was spent exploring the surrounding area of La Pine State Park.   Newberry volcano, the "Big Obsidian Overflow" and the magnificent Paulina Falls, all in the Deschutes National Forest.  The obsidian lava overflow is over 1300 years old.  We climbed to the top of the volcano over the pumice and obsidian (black glass) that offered a breathtaking view. 

The days of exploring central Oregon with our wonderful son was coming to an end. As much as we hated to part ways, he was about to go into the "adult" world of apartment and job hunting.  I will miss his exuberant, energetic and youthful zest for wanting to explore the lakes, rivers and waterfalls (I wouldn't let him climb the protective barrier fence to take pictures of Paulina Falls)!  

Paulina Falls

Next we were heading to Washington States' North Cascade Mountain Range before meeting friends in Deerpark, Washington. 

NACHES, YAKIMA and MOUNT RANIER

A near five hour drive to our next destination went from tall pine trees in Oregon to dry but mountainous areas of Washington.  Heading west towards Naches, WA (a short distance from Yakima), we continued to climb in elevation along the Naches River losing all phone service.  I never like being at an RV park where there is no service, however the tall trees and rushing river made it forgivable.  The nearest service was up the road at a local bar and we could only communicate via wi-fi.  Calls were made to our kids letting them know we arrived followed by planning for the upcoming week.  

A remote spot along the NachesRiver

We heard the Chinook Pass (the closest and easiest route) to Mount Ranier was recently opened knowing the hour and a half drive would be worth it. 

Years ago (In our much younger years) , Perry had a strong desire to climb Mount Ranier.  As a family (along with my Mom and Dad) we made the trip to  Ranier staying at the Paradise Inn.  Perry would make it to the summit! He trained for this moment for several months and this monumental feat made us all proud knowing he successfully climbed the 14,400 ft. mountain with no injuries!

The drive along the Chinook Pass was almost ghost-like as we were the only ones on the road for miles.  The roads were good but as we continued to climb the snow along the side of the road was well over 10 feet high.   We continued along the Chinook Pass still not seeing other cars, but the scenery (once we were through the dense clouds) was stunning.  Waterfalls, (post spring) were full, abundant and flowing furiously.   Driving alone on the highway through dense fog, we nervously continued our drive in the Mount Ranier National Forest stopping at the base of Mount Ranier called Mirror Lake.  Snow and ice surrounded the lake but when the sun broke  through the clouds, the reflection of the mountains made you understand how it got its' name.  It was a cold cloudy day and the visibility of the entire mountain was non-existent.  We reminisced at the Timberline Lodge and if you looked closely enough, climbers were spotted on the mountain.  Stopping at viewpoints on our way back gave us a much better view of the spectacular mountain. 

June 7th, roads clear, 10ft of snow

Stunning Mount Ranier

Mirror Lake

Exploring the area the next day (not far from where we stayed) took us to Yakima for fresh fruit, wine/beer tasting and grocery shopping.  Yakima is a large agricultural area with one of the largest hop growing areas in the nation.   From where we were parked for the week, we could drive thirty minutes into thick trees, waterfalls and yes….bears,  and another thirty minutes east taking us to a much drier climate in Yakima.  The change in scenery within a short distance amazed me.

A short drive west took us to Little Naches (a densely forested area) to do some hiking.  Not long into our hike we noticed fresh bear droppings on the trail.  Needless to say, it was a very short hike!  NO THANKS!      

Hike in Little Naches (one BIG tree!) 

Hops for beer in Yakima

Despite not having service of any kind and getting in touch with nature, it was time to move on from this beautiful spot towards Deerpark, Washington, a small town outside Spokane.  We were to be here for a week stay visiting friends before heading to Idaho.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES….The West Coast Loop!

I haven't written in awhile of our country-wide journey but I will do my best to quickly catch up!

OUR ADVENTURES CONTINUING MAY 2018!

My wish was to be back in Southern California for birthdays and holidays before heading to Chico for Brandon's college graduation in May.  Birthdays are important in our family celebrating mine in March, Kaylyn's in April and David's 30th birthday in May.   

Cabo San Jose

My sister and brother-in-law (Jean and Jeff),  invited us to join them in Cabo San Jose for four days.   Having never been to Cabo, we got to experience a more resort type vacation and spending time with my sister, made it perfect. I have to admit being able to spread out in a comfortable condo was a nice break from our little home on wheels. We enjoyed relaxing by the pool with a view of the Pacific ocean,  made new friends from New Zealand, and got to experience the local culture. 

Perry and Jeff  got in a game of golf while Jean and I indulged in massages……I could get used to this!  After a few afternoon cocktails, we convinced our husbands to get fish pedicures.   Jeannie and I were entertained watching our husbands get their toes nibbled on by hundreds of small fish. 

Hmmm. looks of enjoyment, confusion?

That evening we enjoyed dinner celebrating Jeff's birthday at a restaurant that was an incredible dining experience.  The cab driver knew the back roads to "Flora's Field Kitchen"  quite well and I have to admit I was a bit nervous riding in the cab.  We sped up a dirt, bumpy road for a half mile taking us to the resort type restaurant.  Walking past many boutique shops, Jeannie and I knew we had to stop and window shop after dinner.  The restaurant was lit up by hundreds of outdoor lights and our table for six awaited us.  The gourmet meals were farm to table that not only tasted fresh but were well presented.  It was a great overall dining experience for all of us including our new friends from New Zealand.      

Birthday Dinner at Flora's Kitchen

Enjoying our New Zealand Friends

DAISY!

In 2012 with my Mom passing away in San Diego, Kaylyn sadly returned to college in Oregon. Leaving family and missing her Nana, I encouraged her to find an animal to love.  She did just that in finding a Walker Coonhound named Daisy.  She adopted Daisy from a young family that could no longer care for her and Kaylyn provided her with love and attention that she deserved.  As Kaylyn moved forward with college and travel plans,  Daisy would remain with Perry and I.  Not one day did we look back and think this sweet natured dog would ever leave us.  She had personality galore and was quite the "snuggler".  She loved all of us and had an abundant amount of energy until being diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2018.  We hoped her swollen lymph nodes were an infection but sadly the Veterinarian gave her two months.  As she slowed down during this time, Perry and I continued to make her as comfortable and happy as possible with daily doses of medicine and as many hikes as she would handle.   The quick, daily downhill spiral of sweet Daisy was difficult and the final day of her life was thankfully spent back home with Kaylyn and David where they could say their good-byes. We had many good years together especially the year and a half of traveling around the U.S.   Everywhere we went, she sparked conversation and getting plenty of attention. Throughout our journey people instantly took to Daisy by her sweet disposition,  entertaining them with her "bay"  (a type of howl) and happy "thwapping" tail. 

 

Our travels are different now with just the three of us (Perry, myself and Gracie) but sweet Daisy will remain forever in our hearts.

Chico

Leaving our beach spot at NAS Point Mugu, we headed to Chico for Brandon's graduation.  Anxious and excited for our youngest to graduate, there was a certain amount of relief knowing all three kids were done with college.  Throwing a party for Brandon and his (also graduating) roomie Tim,  there was a non-stop busy pace with party preparations.  There is no proper description (e.g. adjectives) for your typical college boys house with Brandon and his roommates falling into this category.  I would have said it should have been condemned by the Health Department,  but that would have been unfair to Brandon since he refused to cook in the food/scum caked stove, refrigerator and microwave (yes, this meant many meals out $).  This is (as I've been told) part of the whole college experience! 

Needless to say, we were very proud of Brandon for graduating within four years with a degree in Finance. We were also excited to spend time with him outside Bend, Oregon for a whole week!  Graduation festivities were wrapped up at lunch as David and Kaylyn prepared to drive back to Southern California, Perry and  I continuing our adventures north to Oregon.