Archive for Uncategorized
July 8, 2006 at 10:17 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We’ve arrived at Bert & Janie’s house in Bigfork, near Flathead Lake. The drive up was fine, but fraught with construction zones. Arriving at Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi (just behind our own Lake Champlain in Vermont), we were greeted with spectacular views of mountains and blue water.
We got all the Airstreams parked in and around the driveway — 4 in all, counting Bert & Janie’s. Rich is parked down below the driveway in a secluded spot, we are in the circle drive, and Adam and Susan are in front of the garage. Bert tried to get a photo of all four from the roof of his house, but it was impossible with the trees and obstacles.
Bert took Susan, Adam and me out for a boat ride on the river. We spotted some young eagles, a couple of blue herons, and two osprey in their nest. Bert was our personal tour guide for the trip, which last for a couple of hours. I think Susan and Adam are beginning to see why courtesy parking is so cool.
I also spotted signs of an old practice: farmers using junked cars to shore up the river embankments. Kind of incongruous with the beautiful scenery here in Montana.
Dinner was shared at the picnic table in the middle of the driveway. We had a nice time but the mosquitoes have appeared, and eventually we fled to the house for watermelon. Bert shared with us his basement “natural history museum” (bear skulls, photos, artifacts, etc), and then it was 9 p.m., time to start the bedtime process with Emma.
Tomorrow Rich C is going to relocate to Big Arm State Park, nearby, for a couple of nights. He’ll meet up with his friends from the east coast and then rejoin us later. Our plan is to get up EARLY and head to Glacier National Park around 7 a.m. Bert has a big hike planned for us. He says we’re going to look for pikas, but there should be more than just those furry little rodents to check out. We’ll also drive the Going To The Sun Road. It should be marvelous, if Emma can hold up. If not, we have some backup plans. I expect great photos to come out of this hike.
Other items: Eleanor was up till midnight doing the laundry. Susan and Adam never did do theirs. The next morning, Adam and I were asking ourselves, “So why did we go to the commercial campground??” Instead of paying $38, we could have had the same water and electric hookups in a more scenic State Park for about $20.
Blog reader Peter suggested we use a 120v to 12v adapter so that we can inflate the tires on the driver’s side of the trailer. Then we can use any convenient extension core. Good idea. Today I borrowed Adam’s 120v compressor to inflate the tires. One had only 47.5 lbs in it (it should have had 60 lbs) so I’ll be keeping an eye on that one.
July 7, 2006 at 8:45 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Sadly, Carol has departed our group today. Her husband called and said “I miss you,” and so she decided to hightail it back home. We gave her a hug and watched her pull out. We’ll have to meet up with her again later this year.
The group made a good call on the route today. Instead of taking the easy route up Rt 95 and back to Interstate highways, we decided to plow through the heart of Idaho on Route 12.
Adam and Susan walk back to the Airstreams, Nez Perce NHS
From our base on the Snake River in Clarkston, ID, the road goes east along the Clearwater River, and stays in the river valley for more than a hundred miles. We stopped in at the Nez Perce National Historic Site first, and of course we picked up another passport stamp there. Susan had her brand-new National Parks Passport book too, and we were privileged to see her get her first stamp. Emma also did the Junior Ranger activity and got a patch.
The land gradually changes from brown and sparse “high desert” to forests of evergreen as it winds and climbs. The river changes to the Coldwater, and then the wild and scenic Lochsa.
Along the route there are a few pullouts, but not nearly as many as you’d like. The water was extremely tempting: clear, cool, gorgeous, and spotted with the occasional rafter or kayaker. Rich C called us from his position many miles ahead, and said, “It just keeps getting better. I feel like I just drove through a postcard.”
With the stops and the winding road, the drive from Clarkston to Missoula, MT, took about eight hours. Of course, not all of that was drive time, but it was still a long and challenging drive. Adam has crashed and I’m feeling pretty tired myself. We have found a KOA to stay at, mostly because everyone said they wanted to do laundry, but of course nobody has so far. We did all hit the Safeway for groceries, but I’m wondering when the laundry is going to get done.
Tomorrow I need to do some maintenance too. The tires need air, and I’ve found that my 12v compressor will not reach to the driver’s side. So I need to find a service station with air. We also need propane, and while I’m at it I should check a few other things on the rig. Our drive tomorrow will be short: two hours to Bigfork, where we are expected by Bert & Janie.
July 6, 2006 at 10:39 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
A good night’s sleep can make all the difference. We all put on the air conditioning and conked out for a solid nine hours. When we awoke, Rich C was already on his way and everyone else was slowly coming to life.
Last night we elected to take the scenic route, so we are proceeding east on Rt 124 to Rt 12, all the way through the fabled amber waves of grain to Idaho. They really do have waves rippling through the grain in the breeze, and it looks terrific, as we discovered today. Route 12 turned out to be a spectacular drive, past stands of popular, grape vines, giving way to hills covered with golden wheat, scenic rivers, and tiny villages.
Susan and Adam followed us all the way. The road follows Lewis and Clark’s route along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, and so there’s history to be learned here for anyone who is interested. But the pull-outs are almost invisible. If you want to stop and read the signs, drive slowly.
Stopping at the Laht Neppur Brewing Company along Rt 12 in Washington state.
Across the Snake River from Clarkston, WA is Lewiston, ID. Take a right and head a few miles along the river and you’ll find Hells Gate State Park. This place was recommended to us many months ago when we were in Arizona the first time, and I’ve been waiting to come to this area ever since. It’s a classic state park, shady and grassy, right on the banks of the Snake River (w/e, $20.88).
Jet boat tours can take you up the Snake River to the deep canyons ($135 pp), but we have decided not to take another day to do that. Instead, we took some short bike rides, explored the “Lewis & Clark Discovery Center”, and had a nice group dinner on the picnic table. I also took another long nap — still catching up on sleep.
Tomorrow’s ride will be just as scenic, and we’ve planned to take the entire day to drive only about 300-350 miles. We’ll continue on Rt 12 through some mountains and along the “wild & scenic” river all the way to Missoula, MT, and perhaps farther. If we make good progress, we’ll reach Bert & Janie’s house tomorrow night, otherwise we’ll see them in the morning on Saturday.
July 5, 2006 at 9:13 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We are off again, heading east again. I’m glad to have the rally behind me, even though it was great fun, because after a few more days of that schedule I’d probably end up sick. The last three nights I got only about 5-6 hours of sleep.
Lack of sleep made towing today less fun than it should have been. I-84 runs through the Columbia River Gorge for over a hundred miles, and every inch of it is scenic and wonderful. Wind funnels down the valley and skims the top of the wide river, creating whitecaps and perfect conditions for windsurfers and kitesurfers. Marvelous bridges cross to Washington state periodically, and often there are high walls of rock with cascades tumblng down alongside the road. Barges and paddlewheel boats can be seen floating down the river. It’s not just another dull strip of Interstate highway.
Adam and Susan caravanned with us for most of the drive, but Rich C left early (as usual) and Carol was somewhere in between. By 4 pm we were all at the campground, which is a lush and green oasis on the banks of the Snake River in the midst of the high desert.
It was hot when we arrived. This Corps of Engineers campground has a small beach on the river and a roped-off swimming area in the cold water, so everyone except Rich C and Carol jumped in.
Photo by Carol
Eleanor and I did take a few minutes to unfold the new Birdy bikes and test them around the campground. We also had a quick meeting with Rich C and Susan to plan our route for tomorrow. We’re definitely winging it, since tomorrow’s route is completely different from the plan we had this morning.
I’m not the only one who is tired. We’re all taking it easy tonight, eating leftovers from the last few barbecues and restaurants, and staying inside to watch movies. Tonight will be an early night.
July 4, 2006 at 10:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
This is our last day at the International Rally …
It has been a fine summer day in all respects. Brett, Rich C and I worked the Flea Market in the morning. Brett and I had a successful time selling Airstream Life magazines and other things, while outside thunderstorms rumbled by.
Then in the afternoon, the weather turned fair, breezy, and warm — ideal for us to get organized for our next roadtrip. We cleared out a lot of excess junk in the car and trailer, organized a few things, and re-packed all the toys, including the new Birdy bikes. (They fit very well in the Armada’s storage area with tons of room to spare.)
Robert blows bubbles for Emma, from his bike
Many people have departed the rally grounds already. This left plenty of empty sites near us, so Robert towed his Airstream “Pearl” over, Adam drove the C-Stream over, and Carol B showed up in her new 2007 Airstream Classic Limited 27FB, too. Rich C was already here. So we were all parked together this evening.
Steak, chicken, sausages, grilled asparagus, salad, guacamole, and more tonight!
Eleanor and Susan have been planning a Fourth of July barbecue for everyone. The whole gang attended for a final night together, before we disperse. Brett will be heading back home via air, Robert will be heading south into Oregon to meet his family, and Carol, Rich C, Adam, Susan and us will be caravanning east.
The festivities are still going on as I type this at nearly 11 p.m. All around us, fireworks are popping. We’ve been singing along to the Trailer Park Troubadours on the iPod, blowing bubbles in the wind, and telling hysterical stories. It’s a night that defines summer. I hope you had a good Fourth too.
Adam and Susan admire the sunset, with Emma crowding in
Tomorrow, we leave for a campground in southeast Washington state, on our way to Bigfork, MT.
July 3, 2006 at 5:07 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
We are in our final days at the rally but we are still going full-bore. It’s strange, because the rally winds down in some ways days before it officially ends. Parking stops or slows on the weekend right in the middle of the official rally dates, the vintage area’s tent disappeared yesterday, some of the signage that indicates the rows and sections has disappeared, the Airstream store closed, etc.
Despite the official opening last Wednesday, the true rally dates started the previous Monday. This is when most people are expected to arrive. Those unfortunate enough to have to work during the week, and who arrive Friday night or Saturday are inevitably disappointed. They expect to arrive to a rally in full swing but find that nobody is available to park them, and exhibits and services are closed. The message seems clear: if you can’t be here during the week, you’re not a valued customer.
I am perhaps a bit sensitive to this because I’ve had to spend much of the past few days counseling folks who tried to join the rally Friday afternoon or later, and found themselves treated as if they had shown up 30 minutes late for a performance of Blue Man Group. These people have been (I think justifiably) disgruntled and wondering why they made an effort rush from their jobs to the rally.
What can I tell them? “You should have been here on Monday,” said one of the parkers, when she encountered a couple trying to get settled in on Friday afternoon at 3 pm. Parking hours were set on the schedule for Friday through 4 pm, but the parkers decided to shut down at 1 pm, for their own reasons. That’s no consolation for working people trying to attend the rally.
And then, if they are successful getting parked, “late” arrivals find that although the rally schedule continues for four more days, registration has shut down. The Airstream store is gone. The vendors in the Airstream area are long gone. On-site service is gone. The Vintage happy hours are over. Major events such as the Concours d’Elegance are over. The schedule on Sunday is virtually barren.
Our response is again to ignore the formal program, and create our own fun. I encourage others to do the same, because waiting for the rally to entertain you is a formula for disappointment. The rally is what you make of it. But I do feel badly for the people who come just for the weekend and are basically left to their own devices.
Today the kids’ program held one more day of fun for Emma and her friends, so she was fully occupied. I spent the day in meetings with advertisers and other folks, planning out the next year of Airstream Life and other ventures.
One of the highlights was a visit with David Black and his wife Anya, who together run Birdy Bikes. As you know from reading this blog, I’ve had considerable trouble with our bicycles traveling on the roof. Although we finally got a good roof rack, our bicycles have still been problems. David and Anya solved that for us today.
We’re trading in our set of standard bikes for a pair of Birdy bikes. You can read all about them at the Birdy website, but the bottom line is that these very cool aluminum folding bikes fit into portable carry bags in the back of the Armada. For us, this means we eliminate a few problems:
— we can once again drive through car washes and into parking garages without trouble
— we no longer have to fight to get the bikes on and off the tall SUV roof
— the bikes won’t rust on the roof, exposed to the weather, as they have been
— we can eliminate some aerodynamic resistance and hopefully improve our fuel economy slightly
Plus, the Birdy bikes are pretty darned cool. They are officially licensed by Airstream and so ours proudly say “AIRSTREAM” on them. I rode mine around for ten minutes this morning and got stopped twice to demonstrate how neatly it folds up — in about 15 seconds! I think we’ll be happier with this solution going forward. David is going to ship our old bikes back home to Vermont for us.
This afternoon we were visited by Scott and Shelly, blog readers from Portland and the recent buyers of an Airstream International CCD 25. They came over to ask questions about our full-timing experiences, and we liked them so much we invited them out to dinner with Susan, Adam, and Brett. It was a terrifically fun dinner and I hope we see Scott and Shelly again during our travels.
Photo courtesy of Scott Fassett
July 2, 2006 at 9:54 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Yeah, I know it’s Sunday but we’ve got to work sometime. Brett and I spent much of the day meeting with potential advertisers for the magazine. As a result, there’s not much to tell, other than the fact that we probably have two new advertisers.
The schedule today had not much on it (choir assembly, teen queen practice, Skymed seminar, bean bag baseball lessons…) and so many people bailed out for more interesting things. Eleanor and Emma hit Wal-Mart … yee ha!
I noticed a lot of happy hours at 4 pm, also. We were invited to two of them, so we had to skip around a bit, and then I ended up at Adam and Susan’s with Brett and Rich C, while Eleanor, Emma, and Robert went to see the Teen Queen Pageant. Robert called it a “piece of Americana” and said he wouldn’t miss it. Eleanor always goes because “those girls work really hard,” and she likes to be supportive. I always stay home, because by the time the pageant comes around, I’m usually looking for a quiet night.
Sign of the week
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