July 4....Lake Winnibigoshish

A note first to anyone of faint heart or squeamish constitution.

Those of the above might want to pass over this chapter: the horror, the horror!

We left Devils Lake behind and within a two hour drive, we had crossed into Minnesota. The first thing we noticed was that all of the rest area's were closed. K began to refer to Minnesota as, "The land of 10,000 lakes and not a single bathroom. We stopped for a break and found the locals none to happy with their state. The Governor and legislature had basically shut down the state for business. State parks - closed, fishing licenses, automobile licenses, building permits, street cleaners, poop patrol - all closed. We really had to watch our step due to the last closure. Folk's were ticked this being the 4th of July weekend and everyone heading out to N. Dakota for fun in the Sun.

So there we are, traveling down the highway's of America and thinking we need to get out of the land of the Minni minds. Initially, we decided to show our disdain by not spending a penny in the land of chaos and head to Wisconsin, the land of plenty....bathrooms and porcelain fixtures. Around 2:00, K was having second thoughts about leaving the Minni soda's as she was Jonsesing to get out to swim. We turned off Rt. 2 and found a Army Corp campground on the shores of Lake Winnibigoshish. Wow! A campground that was actually open and had space.(We later found out why the lack of business.) We set up camp and went for a walk down to the water.

We were somewhat amused by the lake's name and on a information/history board learned that Winnibigoshish is an ancient native American term which translates to, "Bad Water". This should have set off screaming sirens and alarm bells but we were in our "dum de dum" frame of mind.

We had our dinner and K went for a swim. Around 8:30, the sky grew ominous, the wind picked up and thunder pealed from the West. As we began to bring stuff in we began to see and feel an over-abundance of mosquito's present. These were not your normal mosquito. They flew in formations, their teeth glowing in the fading light. I observed 4 of their bretheran perched on our citronella candle munching away. I truly believe I heard one of them giggle as he flew past our can of Off in search of warm blooded mammals. We stripped down to shower off the gunk of sweat, Off, dead body parts and our own blood but that only seemed to anger our nemesis and they redoubled their attack. By now, it was pouring buckets of rain and the night had turned to day with the constant flash of lightening. K went out to lower our awning from the 60mph gusts. I cringed and cried like a little girl as I heard her distress as the formations zeroed in to a easy target. I begged her to seek shelter but K continued with her herculean efforts to save our awning from destruction - epic!

We sought the refuge of our camper only to realize that 70 - 100 troops had followed us in. Things got strange as the battle wore on. K managed the big guns (dish towel) as I went for the two handed squash. Blood and body parts decorated our camper. Just as we felt the tide was turning, General Bloodsucker sent in more reserves. The air was filled with the swish of dish towels and slaps of hands and we were able to prevail. The silence was eery, and the camper resembled Gettysburg. We had won, but at a cost: my lip and ankle's were swollen with the venom of a thousand dead martyrs. K had done better but had suffered as well. The frightening aspect was that there were hundreds of the enemy staring at us from the other side of the screens - patrolling and looking for a way in - in to suck on our sweet red nectar - the horror, the horror.....

We managed to settle down for the night even while we kept one eye open for additional attacks. But the question was.....how do you go out to pee with the enemy waiting to attack bare body parts. Neither of us was willing to go out undefended, but K's need for a beer to steady her nerves was her own undoing. I will forever remember her cries of agony. Me, I chose an empty chili can - being a guy does have it's advantages.

The next morning, we put on long pants and long sleeved shirts, reinforced ourselves with Off and broke camp in record time. We both took additional wounds in our effort to get out of there. We found a restaurant in the nearest town...Deer Creek. There was nobody around on the street because everybody in town was in the cafe. I gained a new respect for Minnesotans. Not only are they able to survive without rest areas or police officers, they obviously have a way of avoiding being eaten alive by mosquitoes.....the top of the food chain.

July 3--From Glasgow to Devil's Lake ND

We left Glasgow after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast. Our travel days had taken on a certain routine. First we put all the luggage away, got drinks from the camper, decided who would drive (Jeff almost always started out) and the passenger's duties would be to decide on the morning music and act as navigator. It is such fun to start out the day, not really knowing where you are going or where you are going to stop. Such freedom is rare when most of the time the days are scripted and planned from beginning to end. It is a real gift to have this time to wander.

Today's route would take us through the Minot, ND which was in the news recently because of severe flooding. We did some research and found that Highway 2 was detoured south from Minot. We expected that it would be just a few miles, but that was NOT the case. First we went south, then east and then decidedly south/east and further and further away from Highway 2. Every time we tried to turn north, the road would be blocked by high water. We thought only Minot was affected by the flood. But it seemed like all of northern North Dakota was underwater.

After seemingly endless miles of fields and flooding, we finally found a road that was headed North and had no high water sign blocking the road. My careful research of the map and GPS on Jeff's phone indicated that by going north, and then east, we would come to the town of Devil's Lake which is located on the lake of the same name. There was a state park there that we hoped had room. Well, I plugged in the park address, and we followed the little blinking blue dot.....and followed.....and followed.....and followed......through a makeshift temporary road where a washed out bridge had been,

over horrible rough roads that went through parts of the lake, and around and down dirt roads until we came to a resort called Woodland. There were about a million people riding around in golf carts in every direction or in boats in the lake or fishing by the shore. NOT the campground we were looking for. And of course, being that it was the eve of the 4th of July, no room was available at the resort, either for camping or staying at the motel.

It was 9 pm, and we were exhausted and starving. We limped into the restaurant, expecting it to be closed or full or something. Instead we were given a marvelous lakeview table where the cool breeze and view of many sunburned and drunken North Dakotans greeted us. I don't know if the food was good or bad, but there was plenty of it and it was so nice to sit there and watch the sun set and not be moving. It is amazing how a really crappy day can turn into a really good time with a nice view and a beer.

After dinner, we did realize that we had no where to stay. So we called the local Super 8 motel and got a room. We were really glad to have a bed for the night, even though we had planned on camping, and the Devils Lake Super 8 was run down, stinky and hot. It was clean though.....And that was all that mattered at the time. We went to bed, relieved to be more than half done with North Dakota. And yes, they do talk just like the characters from "Fargo". "You Betcha!"

More pix from Yaak and Rainier

Jeff said I wasn't posting enough pictures so here are a few more. First, a few from our trip to Rainier Nat. Park and the walk we took to see the "Patriarch" trees.

On the way there was a cool swinging bridge.

And at the end some really big trees.

One of our duties is filling the water tank in the camper. Jeff really got the "hang" of it.

Here are some additional pictures of the Yaak River area: Yaak River Falls

Jeff said if I could put a picture of him in the shower, I should also put one of me...

Finally, some more scenery. One of wildflowers, and one of this huge lake we went across (forgot the name) on the way to Glacier.

We are currently at a B and B at Mackinac (pronounced MackinAW) Island in Lake Huron. But the tale of our adventures will continue.....and there ARE some pretty weird adventures. Next: Glasgow Montana to Devils Lake ND.

Saturday July 2--Glacier to Glasgow

On Saturday morning we were ready to leave the Fish Creek Campground and it's "joys". Again the sound of the beeping garbage truck forced it's way through my earplugs and woke me up. After a quick breakfast we were out of there.

One of the most famous roads in the world is the "going-to-the-sun" highway that bisects Glacier National park. It's the main reason I wanted to visit there. The plan was to spend the night, drive the hiqhway and explore the east (and less crowded) side of the park. Only, because of so much snow, the road was closed about 1/4 of the way there. We decided to go as far as we could and maybe get in a hike at Avalanche where they were making people turn around. The drive was lovely and there was nothing but sunshine as we started.

But when we got to the turn-around it reminded me of the traffic after a Duck game....everybody going everywhere without a plan. Too many people with too little sense. When we finally got turned around we decided to find Highway 2 again and head for the plains. It was too far of a detour to go to the East side of the park. Maybe someday we will get to visit that side of Glacier.

When we left West Glacier, headed East, the scenery was outstanding. Jeff took a nap and unfortunately missed the sight of a lot of huge looming mountains covered with snow. (Too many people wear me out) We followed the Flathead river (for which the mt. range and lake are named) for a long winding while. When I stopped for a photo opportunity, Jeff took over the driving.

Soon we came out of the rockies. I could see those magnificent mountains in my rearview mirror as we drove East. In front of us were miles and miles of green waving grass and crops and cattle. We stopped for lunch at a bar/casino in Havre and donated to the local Native Americans. We met a very attractive, friendly woman at the bar and during the conversation, she mentioned that she worked as an escort. A very long, pregnant pause until she added that she worked escorting oversized trucks down the highway - a good, relieved laugh was had by all.

The rest of the day was spent talking, laughing, listening to music, watching the miles go by, and looking for propane. Our first tank had run out at Glacier and we weren't successful in getting tank 2 to work. It was late on Saturday of a holiday weekend and we were losing hope, when we saw a propane sign on an old battered looking farm store. The owner himself came to help fill our empty tank. Everyone we met in Montana was helpful and friendly.

Jeff's smart phone came to the rescue as we were wondering where we were going to spend the night. We looked for motels and found the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow, called and made a reservation for the last room in the Inn. Glasgow is a bustling, destination point for all local ranch hands - Saturday is Satelite Saturday where Glasgow gets free HBO. We arrived at 9, dragged our tired, sore bodies into our room, got some food and after 3 nights camping, a much needed shower!

I had imagined what the Montana prairie would be like. I thought it would be really flat the whole way. But it was more like green rolling hills. There was actually a lot of variety. The best part was the people - friendly, courteous, helpful and kind. But, it's a long, long, long way to go from one side to the other. K & J

Glacier - Friday, July 1st

We left Yaak and headed over country which could only be more complete with a choir of Swiss Yodelers.

Traveling about the country, meeting new people, seeing new things, removed from the stress of life at home is a recipe for fun. Unfortunately, everyone has moments of being tired, fear, self doubt or pain. This can be problematic when trapped in a pickup truck cab or a small camper with another person It's how we deal with it that matters. Stating the matter, acknowledging feelings, talking and active listening gets us quickly to the other side. What a joy traveling with a professional counselor. Traveling with K. is a experience in low stress/good energy fun.

We got to the Park entrance and I knew this could be a problem. Long lines of assorted campers. When we finally got up to the "ranger" she handed us a map of Fish Creek campground, loops A - D. Of the 200 sites, 8 were highlighted in yellow meaning they were still open. It felt like the Oklahoma Land Rush as we jockeyed for position cutting off a Winnebago, forcing a Volvo Station wagon into the brush as we headed towards claiming one of those magic sites as our own. We skidded into D-160 just ahead of a Prius and raised our flag claiming ownership for J&K Adventures.

As we looked around, we began to understand that in winning, it may have meant losing. Flat gravel space with 2 small Charlie Brown Christmas tree's, 1 door down from the John and way too close to the drunk that refers lovingly to his family as bitch and assholes, with the occasional slap and cry of despair - ah delightful being back in nature. The mosquito's were working on overtime to make their quota. I gave a quart in the time it took to set up camp and was feeling lightheaded. I actually saw one of the buggers licking the can of "Off" and smiling back at me.

We went down to Lake McDonald to see if we could find a place to fish, but the water was too high and there were too many trees.

When we walked back to camp we found a visitor. After all the warnings we expected a bear, but a single doe was exploring our camp looking for a handout. She trotted away when we approached.

We did have a nice evening despite the unwelcome visitors cooking dinner over the fire and listening to K play some songs on her Mandolin. Even a difficult day has been a good day for us.

Sandpoint ID to Yaak MT

We woke up to the sound of children screaming, babies crying, and the garbage truck beeping as it backed up. Too much noise! Springer campground was nice, but noisy. It did have one big redeeming feature--a shower! At 25 cents for 5 minutes it was a warm wet bargain! We used the facilities and got back on the road. Destination Yaak Montana.

For those of you who are wondering....why Yaak?? We met a woman at Cape Arago in Feb. who is from Yaak and she described it's wonders. And after we heard the name, we just had to go there.

Anyway, we finally arrived at Highway 2, our road across the country, in Bonner's Ferry ID. Just across the border, we turned north following the Yaak river up a lovely valley into the mountains. We had lunch on a big rock overlooking Yaak River falls.

So we continued to follow the river, checking out campgrounds on the way and looking for access to the river so we could wet our flies. We found a nice forest service campground and after a brief trip to Yaak city (one store and two taverns) for a fishing license we made our camp. There were a few mosquitoes but a little "Off" took care of that. Our camp was totally isolated and there were only about 6 other campers.

We tried fishing, but the water was high and fast and the access not very good. However, I did try my new pole and started to get the hang of putting my fly where I wanted it to go. Jeff was a great teacher and very patient. Finally we went back to enjoy the campfire and wait for those famous Montana stars to come out. I played the mandolin, we put another couple of logs on the fire and it was a magic night.

In the morning, we had enjoyed breakfast accompanied by the sound of the rushing river. We decided to try the shower on the camper. It was an experience in dodging mosquitoes and washing through swim suits, but that hot water sure felt good.

We left reluctantly to go to Yaak and points East. Joe the campground host gave us directions to go over the mts. toward Glacier National Park, our next destination. But when we got to Yaak, we got sidetracked. Jeff really wanted to see the inside of the "Dirty Shame" tavern. We ended up having lunch, playing pool and listening to the stories of the former stockbroker owner from Pennsylvania.

We were so glad we visited the Yaak River area. It was so isolated and beautiful and there were no other people around. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. I would love to go there again.

Ellensburg to Lake Pend de Orielle (Pon der ay)

A nice drive. We decided to compromise our mission and take the interstate as E. Washington is well....E. Washington.& Unless you just love tans and browns and rust colors with some sage thrown in, it is best to pass through as quickly as possible.

We got to Sand Point and it started to rain, well actually it had a bit of the monsoon/end of the world feel to it. I was wavering on our promise to camp but K. stood firm. We got to Springer Campground and miraculously, the clouds parted, the Sun appeared and small animals came out of their shelters to give thanks. We set up camp, cooked our dinner (marinated beef strips) over the fire with a green salad - good stuff.

Once again, K. put her foot down and insisted on walking over to the Lake for the sunset. Tired and sore, I trudged over. GOOD CHOICE! The sun set behind the Mountains on the other side of the lake. It lit up the mountains and the clouds hovering above. Pink, red, purple magenta and a whole host of colors were on display. We sat at a shoreline bench and had our dessert on many levels.

Sat by the fire and had Sharon's S'mores, (thank you) Watched the fire's ballet and just enjoyed the sounds of the night and felt the stress's of the past dissipate from mind and muscle.