Autumnal explosion

I love the sudden bursts of color as autumn finally comes into its own.

The Arboretum is singing

This is my first bike commute to JP. The Arboretum's creatures are
singing a lullaby.

The end of the road

This is the last morning of our amazing trip... You can see the toll
it has taken on Kyle, ha ha. The poor fella is still sleeping!

Bainbridge Island

Living the dream

Kyle fulfills a lifelong dream of eating a ham sandwich from a gas
station - pork BBQ.

Pioneer Square

This pole has history - the original was stolen from the nearby tribe.
It was burned down by an arsonist in the 1940s - that's when Seattle
asked the tribe for another. They said "sure! After you pay for the
first one, you knuckleheads!" Well, that last part was improvised by
me...

The tour guide is a dead ringer for Norm McDonald

In the blue stripes

Under Seattle

This is a great tour of the underground.

Sunset from the game

The Mariners

Safeco Field

Te Earle-Haynes contingent are in attendence!!! Randy got us great
seats to see the Mariners play the Royals. It is a perfect night to
see a ballgame.

Vancouver, anyone?

Now THIS is what I want!

Airstream makes THE COOLEST campers!

Kent, WA

Yesterday was the most driving we've done on this trip. We estimate
400+ miles - from Kalispell, MT to Seattle ad Kent.

Seattle is a pretty city - situated on lots of water. We ate at a nice
restaurant last night - in total contrast to the roadside cafes to
which we'd become accustomed. Of course, punch drunk from driving, we
laughed so hard we thought we scared our waiter... Oh well.

We camped (or "kamped") at another KOA last night. I awoke to a chilly
and foggy morning. I think humidity is shocking my body - it feels
like 30-40 degrees did in Wyoming. Yet it is only 55 here.

Sculpture at the KOA Kalispell/Whitefish

We opted to remain in Montana last night. We ate at a Taco John's -
dear god... Now we are driving to and through Idaho. Maybe we'll land
in Portland? Not sure yet.

Oh boy...

Kyle has a thing for tacky tourist t shirts. This "Butte America"
shirt might get altered when he goes back to Chicago.

Oh, Canada!

After leaving Many Glacier, we headed to the friendly land to the
north. Once again, they've trumped us - their hotel at Waterton is
stunning. Prince of Wales Hotel offered sweeping views of the range
and close encounters with white tailed deer.

Which reminds me that we've been very fortunate to be close to deer,
bison, black bears, wild mustangs, mountain goats, columbian ground
squirrels and more (perhaps a rattlesnake or two). Thank god the
grizzlies weren't that close!

Glaciers!

You can see one of the glaciers in a section of the park called Many
Glacier. They are predicted to be gone by 2030.

Kayaking

We opted to kayak on the lake - there may or may not have been wild
calls of "RAMMING SPEED" which spooked some birds...

Pelicans on St. Mary's Lake

Luxurious!

Wow! Due to a freezing forecast, we slept in a sleeping cabin last
night. It even had a little heater. And this is the view...

Sunset over St. Mary's

And the moon's a silver sliver...

St. Mary's KOA

Oddly, we've run smack into diversity. After a week of homogenous
Americana folk (other than tourists, of course) we are now knee deep
in the most diverse part of Montana - huh. Well, it's about damn time!

Other than that, we crossed the continental divide again and saw our
first glaciers - Jackson and Bearfoot. The road is remarkably clean
for the amount of fallen rock.

Tonight we are staying at the St. Mary's KOA. We opted for a cabin
(KOA spells it "kabin" which makes me nervous). Tonight will be around
35 degrees and we don't need another icy tent night.

We are now eating at a restaurant that has Italian food - though,
sadly, not ziti. I keep torturing Kyle with thoughts of ziti - he is
near the breaking point.

Skipping stones

After a championship of skipping stones on Lake McDonald, we took to
the Going to the Sun Road. Here we are at Logan's Pass at 6,646 ft. We
just saw wild mountain goats and screeching columbian squirrels.

Going to the sun road

This idea is so bad it's awesome

Flathead reservation

We drove intothe trailer park setting at the Missoula KOA and said
"eh, eh." So we drove 60 miles to Flathead Lake and a town called
Polson on the reservation. It is peaceful, clean and picturesque. They
normally only take RVs. But, are allowing us a tent spot for a cut rate.

Missoula

U of M!

Butte is a beaut...

Not really. This is an old mining town whose numbers have been cut by
2/3rds over the last century. But it is loaded with victorian
architecture. In this night view it is tough to see, but there are
towering frames lit with red light - they were used to lower miners,
mules and equipment nearly a mile underground.

Of course, where there was mining, there was... Ahem, entertainment...
There is a prostitution museum housed in an old brothel. This has been
a theme amongst the old towns we've visited. For each glorious front
entrance to a historic hotel, there is a back staircase for cowboys
and miners...

Rocky Mountain Oysters

I couldn't do it...

Car graveyard

This was too cool to pass up...

Part ghost town

Virginia City has maintained the ghost town buildings from the
mid-1800s. It had been a gold rush town - with people flocking to it
from all over the world, looking to make a fortune with placer gold.
When the gold ran out, so did the people. There are graves of road
agents on Boot Hill.

Bug massacre

Driving by Henry's Lake in Idaho last night, we took out thousands of
bugs. Ick.

Man make fire!!!

In a very primal ceremony, we (Kyle) made fire. And we ate
marshmallows roasted on sticks. Then we got rid of all food items.

Where we are, on the western edge of Yellowstone, you must lock all
food up in your car - otherwise you end up with furry friends -
namely, grizzly bears. When the registering agent told me that, I told
her that my brother was the furriest friend I wanted anywhere near the
tent. She was amused.

Wyoming? Idaho.

Lots of wheat... LOTS of wheat in souteastern Idaho.

Belt it out!!!

I just couldn't resist te biggest belt buckle I'd ever seen...

Taking our time

While Kyle blogs at the ranch, I am enjoying the river. What a
pleasant sound.

Every morning is a surprise

We've gotten into the habit of using up our daylight taking photos and
checking out the sights. That means we have (3 nights in a row) been
driving to a closed campsite, finding an unused tent spot, set up the
tent by car headlights, and waking to see where we've camped!

This morning the spot delivered on the promise the sounds had made
last night. We are 30-40 ft from the edge of the Snake River. The
river has cut a path, over centuries, about 20-30 ft below the flat
ground. That little valley insulated us last night from any wind.
Though Jackson dipped down into the thirties, I'd guess our spot
remained above forty degrees. No frost or ice. We won this round!

The hunted

A couple of cougars tried to hunt down this handsome young fella. He
survived.

Saddle up, partner!

Due to several recommendations, Kyle and I are at the Cowboy Bar in
Jackson. The barstools are saddles and the decorations are pure
western kitsch - fabulous!!!

Jackson

Well, after a small bout with altitude sickness that landed me in the
Yellowstone clinic, we walked the hotsprings, mud volcanoes and
watched old faithful. (thank you, yes - I'm fine).

Now we are driving to Jackson. The Tetons are stunning. We'll be
camping at about 6000 ft - should cure the ickiness I was feeling near
8000.

Frosty tent

It got pretty cold last night. I got up this morning to warm up in the
car. Little bits of ice came off the tent as I unzipped it. The photo
is of our picnic table.

Sage brush

Getting out of the car, I smelled it. The sage is fragrant. It has
silvery leaves that seem to glint against the backdrop of the deep
green hues of the grass.

Buffalo

In Yellowstone Park. We got close... Really close...

Sometimes you just need to buy stuff

Snowball fight in August

Kyle and I may or may not have had a snowball fight...

The top of the world

We are on the Bear Tooth Highway. It is pretty cold.

When they say "bear tooth highway", they mean it

If you look at the base of the brightest tree trunk, you will see bear
cubs. Momma bear and cubs were feeding near the side of the river.

Cold nights

We went through a section of the painted desert yesterday. The night
sure felt desert-like. The temp dropped into the 50s-60s. I nodded off
the the smells of a nearby campfire and awoke several times to the
rapid pelting of raindrops. But it is a nice morning in Cody - cool,
but nice.

My first night tent camping... EVER!

At the KOA in Cody, Kyle showed me how tent camping is done. Thank god
one of us has common sense!