Boardman, OR to home Spt 26 2024

Unfortunately some locals at 5 am decided to be assholes and went roaring by us making sure they disturbed our slumber. But on the plus side, we got going early. The wind was calm and the ride along the Columbia was stunning.

The ride was smooth.and we stopped just before Portland at the Friend's of Sandy River delta park. Great trails and parking for a big rig. 

With a renewed rest we decided to tackle Portland and it went smoothly with just a couple of slowdowns. 

Next stop Camping World to do a dump, then to Cottage Grove to pick up a few things from friend Steve Sly. After that, Sutherlin to unload the Honda, drop the uhaul off and then home. 

I drove the Honda home and it shifted well and a little.smoke maybe from the fluids that leaked. 

We were home by 4pm. So it took 4 days with Kasey and I taking turns at driving.

Now laundry, sleep, and catching up.

Missoula, MT to Boardman, OR Sept 25 2024

Maybe you are seeing a pattern here. Places to stay seem to be near good places to get a beer. 

We left Missoula heading for Boardman, OR. The dogs took it in stride.We got a text from Julie Lowe that we had to stop at St. Regis gift shop and see the live fish. So we trusted her and stopped. That cost us over a hundred dollars. The huckleberry shakes were delicious. The place was amazing and fun. We probably spent too much time there and ended up not making our zoom meeting for the radio station by half an hour. 

The last hour to Boardman was driving through a crosswind of over 20 mph. It was not fun especially since I was driving. My arms were getting tired and so I pulled over to let Kasey take over. We took the dogs for a walk making sire they were on a leash so they didn't get blown away.

We were introduced to this place when we volunteered for the burrowing owl project several years ago. It is Burnt Field Brewery and has a parking lot across from it that we could stay in. The pesto pizza was great. It seems to be a popular place. And even has a picture of the "dude" on the wall.

Billings to Harlowton to Big Timber to Missoula Sept 24, 2024

From Billings MT we had to go north to Harlowton to pick up the trailer to go to Big Timber and get the Honda that we left behind. Then onto Mossoula where we knew that we could stay at a brewery there as well.

The route took us off the most direct route and we enjoyed the scenery. 

We drove through Big Timber MT looking at the quirky shops.

When we got to Big Timber, they indeed got a trailer in just this morning and so we would not have had to go to Harlowton after all. But now we can say that we visited the second windiest town in Montana. According to the mechanic at the local establishment in Harlowton.

Nick at Performance Motorsports had been taking cate of our Honda for the last few weeks and even checked it out to see if it drove okay. He said it seemed fine. He stored it for us and worked some on it but did not charge us anything. Thank you Nick.

But we got her loaded and on our way to our next parking dedication.

It was just street parking but quiet and had some great places for the dogs.

North Dakota to Bullings, MT Sept 23, 2024

That great little spot near a wildlife refuge was nice and quiet. We got a great night's sleep and got up in the morning to a nice place to walk the dogs. There was a patch of corn on the Refuge that looked as if it had started to mildew. I don't know if the corn is there to attract deer so the hunters can find them easier, but it did not look like eating corn. Several of the ears had a weird fungus on them.

Apparently it is called corn smut and is edible. It sure did not look appetizing.

Corn smut is a plant disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis that causes smut on maize and teosinte. The fungus forms galls on all above-ground parts of corn species. It is edible, and is known in Mexico as the delicacy huitlacoche; which is eaten, usually as a filling, in quesadillas and other tortilla-based foods, and in soups. (Source: Wikipedia)

On the way out to the freeway, we spotted a large bird. An eagle and it was not shy.

I am pretty sure it is a Golden eagle. Habitat wise it fits.

We are making our way across Montana and made it to Billings, MT. We aimed for the places we know because we can get more miles in if we know of a sure bet. So Canyon Creek Brewery where we have stayed in the past was our destinations.

Comet seems to be more and more comfortable up front with us.

The sunset closed another day of travel.

The Minnesota Family

As our time on Klondike Loop in Minnesota was coming to a close, we had an opportunity to summarize the events. There were lots of get togethers including park trips with Nick and kids. The birthday party of Cade, he turned one, and a final farewell breakfast with the Hovik clan of Pine City. 

It was a somber moment with the family goodbyes. 

The pets all survived and were entertained. Lynn's dogs were cautious but starting to warm up. Comet had some freedom and Tad kept an eye on her.

Kasey and I instigated a big cleanup of his sister's barn.

We had to take everything out and organize it. We put in some flooring to get items off the damp earth.

And we left it a little more accessible.

It was a task that took the entire time we were there. Trips to the thrift store, metal recycling, and landfill but we made progress. We decided to burn the cat tree which had the added benefit of shrink wrapping the tarped pool material we stacked a little too close the fire. Who knew Kasey would put so much gas on it. At least he didn't have the propane tank close.

We swapped her washer dryer with the stackable one for easier access and sold the old ones for $110. Lynn was thrilled. I hope she is able to get access once she has her hip surgery.

We are now headed back home and have stopped just east of Bismark, ND at a nice wildlife reguge free site. Onward to Billings MT tomorrow.

Glorious Day

Another glorious day in Minnesota with Family. Janice and I took a early morning hike with the Boys. They love swimming in Lake Jessica and the trails in Lebanon Regional Park. My Daughter, Ash Eliza and partner Orion brought donuts and took a hike with us. It was so special being with them.

We stopped by my and visited with my dear cousins Pamela Nelson and Diane C Dorion. It was so much fun catching up we got subs from Subway. Pam got her favorite meat, sauce and bread and I got the "Beast" that had all legal meat (no cats, dogs or geese), cheese, vegetables and  sauce on a wheat bun. The comparison between Pam's sub and mine was quiet hilarious. I am sorry for my gluttony and will ask for forgiveness after I consume the other half of the "Beast" tomorrow.

We met my Son, Nick Hovik and his 3 Kids at the park in Pine City and had a blast playing with the Kids at the park. 

My heart is full!!

Joyful Day

We went to the Minnesota Zoo today with my Daughter, Ashley and my Son, Nick and their Families. It was wonderful being with them and we had so much fun with the Kids and GrandKids. 

We are camping at Lebanon Regional Park,  only about a mile from the entrance to the Zoo. Janice and I walked to Zoo,  Nick, Alyssa, Alice, Owen and Cade drove from Pine City, about 75 minutes north of the Zoo. Ashley, Orion, Odin, Ike, Edward, Rose and Bo live only 5 minutes from the Zoo. While it was a little muggy, we made the most of our time together. I have been to the Minnesota Zoo dozens of times with my Kids when they were growing up and it is so special to go there with Janice and the GrandKids.

Ashley dropped us off at our campground. We took the dogs for a short walk because of the heat and humidity and returned to the AC of the motorhome and I finished watching the Vikings beat the 49ers and then we took a long nap.

When it cooled off a little we took a hike on the marvelous trails in the park. The Boys to a swim in Jessica Lake and we had fun exploring. It was an 18,000 step day today, filled with joyful memories.

Week 1 in Minnesota

Our first week in Minnesota included visiting family near Minneapolis.

Visiting with the family in Pine City at the park and at their house for a barbecue.

The kids wore the dogs out.

We also kept cleaning out the barn and preparing better flooring.

We found some nice treasures and disturbed some of the wildlife.

An exciting find was this Purple Heart awarded to a distant relative of Kasey's on his mom's side. It is from WWII. Francis Jones. He died in the Philippines when he was 21. He had one daughter, Marie, who is Kasey's cousin.

I left a lot of hair at the local hair cut establishment too.

The weather has been great so we are thankful that it has not rained on all the stuff removed from the barn.

Much stuff was ruined and some broken. 

We continue to work away. Kasey and his nephew Chris worked tirelessly to clear the space.

Now the repacking begins.

Janice

A big Day

It was a big day. We got our hair cut. I went first but they finished Kasey first. Go figure. I left a bit more on the floor than he did. 

We also went shopping and got way more than we planned. But we are on vacation. Walmart isn't our favorite place to shop but there was little choice.

In the afternoon, I drove Kasey's sister to the VA in St Cloud to see her husband and bring a wheel chair to be fixed. It turns out that it didn't need to be fixed. But we brought Randy dinner and we stopped and got dog food on the way back. Kasey worked on Umpqua Watersheds stuff and cleaning the pole barn that I started. There was a whole lot more room inside when he dragged those big items out. It looked impressive.

The clouds started accumulating and after checking the forecast, we wondered if it would indeed rain. Ah, probably not much. We had a few zoom meetings and after that it was dark. As we were talking a few drops could be heard. We scurried out and put out the motorhome awning. Kasey went back inside and I worked on getting important things under cover. The dogs were running about and I didn't think much of it until I saw Comet. The door was not latched and the kids all made a jail break. We rounded them up after a few tense moments not knowing where Comet disappeared but she was close and let ne pick her up. Later, it poured rain.

cleanup day

We set about helping Lynn with getting a few things taken care of. A bed on the porch that needs to go to the dump and she is unable to do that type of stuff. She also wanted to get the motorized wheel chair running. It has 2 flat tires and after removing the lawn mower, snow blower, and go cart to get to it, we found that the battery will not charge. 

We had to jump the lawnmower so Kasey decided to take it for a spin and mow the lawn.

More walks and playtime with the kids. 

Lynn went to her doctor's appointment while we spread some mulch around the flowers.

Janice