Roaming Through Retirement




August--Enjoying the Journey We spent our time meandering the back roads of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota visiting family and friends along the way.  While in Bismarck, we found the local Barnes and Noble featured Larry's book "Knowing the Deepest Happiness" as a local author.

After Carmen and family returned home from their 16-day RV road trip, we took Jerry and Mary (Larry's cousin) on a two-day RV road trip to central Washington.	Our destination was Lake Chelan, America's third deepest, followed by Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe.  We took a leisurely cruise to the remote village of Stehekin, one of the most unique place in the country.
The view from the boat as we left the dock was filled with jet skiers, fishermen, million-dollar homes and some  beautiful vineyards and apple orchards.	The lake is 50 miles long and 1,486 feet deep.  About a third of the way to the headwaters, the shoreline was pure nature, leaving the water pristine and cool blue.
Stehekin was founded in 1890, has 90 residents and only assessable by water. It has a community garden, an awesome bakery and  this one-room school.	The Rainbow Falls is on the edge of Stehekin and one of the primary water source for Lake Chelan.  It has two tiers, one 312' and the second 80'. Spectacular!
The Stehekin River is the major source for the lake with waters flowing from the North Cascade National Park, which is in view.  We had hoped to tour the Park with Carmen, but it was closed due to wildfires.	The city of Chelan is a tourist destination for all four seasons.  The city is clean and showcases some amazing murals. In addition to the Lake, Chelan is home to dozens of vineyards and apple orchards.
As we finished up our RV trip with Jerry and Mary, they took us to Wenatchee, the Apple Capital of Washington, where they make Aplets and Cotlets, flavored candy made from apples and apricots.	We met up with one of Larry's high school buddies, Herb and Elaine Schaff. They moved to the west coast shortly after his stint with the Marines.  They are both retired, spending their winters in Yuma and Mesa.
We had been trying to get a hold of Herb but had lost their contact information.  However, we stopped at this random RV park in route to Oregon, and who was our neighbor, Herb and Elaine. Serendipity or what!!	Our next stop was with Larry's cousin, Darrell and Kathy, who just bought a home near Redmond, OR.  Like Herb, Darrell is a Vietnam vet, who made the west coast their home.  They also winter in Arizona.
Their new home is in the Crooked River Ranch, a 10,000-acre development with specular views of the river and awesome cliffs and rock formations that it formed.	On to Boise, where we spent four day catching up with friends and colleagues.  We biked from the KOA to the high school where Glorine taught until she retired.
The Boise State campus where Larry worked has been transformed. The building behind him was his office for ten years.	We spent a day walking the streets of downtown Boise, which is the fastest growing population in the country.  Yet is has not lost its charm.
Since 2002, Freak Alley has been one of the largest outdoor galleries in the Northwest.  It is loaded with colorful murals, graffiti and public art.	While living in Boise, we spent Larry's birthday in Jackpot, NV.  So to relive those special moments, we set up camp for the night and walk away winners.
The Snake River winds through southern Idaho providing farmers with much needed irrigation water and breathtaking views like this one.	In route to North Dakota, we drove the Teton Scenic Byway through Idaho and Wyoming.  This is one of dozens of overlooks we took advantage of.
Jackson WY is a gateway into the Teton National Park.  Their city park sports four elk antler archways since 1953 thanks to the Rotary and Boy scouts.	The Snake River is a popular white water rafting destination near Jackson.  We got a chuckle out of who was in the raft.
Cloud cover did not diminish the grandeur of the mighty Tetons, billed as the youngest range within the Rocky Mountains (albeit 10 million years old).	The highest peak is 13,770 feet about sea level and like most of the Rocky's, is loosing many of their glaciers.
This is our fourth trip through Yellowstone, but our first from the south entry.  In all, this will have been the seventh national park we visited this year	We found this non-descript trailhead parking area off the beaten path near the entry to Yellowstone.  No reservation required. Perfect for our small RV.
Here is the major dividing line that cuts through Yellowstone and North America and where many tributaries head to the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico	The Old Faithfull Lodge has been a cornerstone for Yellowstone since the early 1900s. Sadly, COVID shut down the visitors center and most of the restaurants.
Right on time (11:19 to be precise), Old Faithful wooed the crowds of onlookers who watched at a distance the wonder as this geyser erupted.	Yellowstone is the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48, with elk being the most common.   Predators like mountain lions, lynx and coyotes live on the prey of elk, bighorn ship, moose and other wildlife.
The massive Yellowstone Lake Lodge has overlooked Yellowstone Lake since 1891. The interior had a major facelift in the last couple of years.	Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet in North America.  It is 20 miles, long, 14 miles wide, covering 136 square miles.
The drive out of Yellowstone to Red Lodge continued to amaze us.  Maybe it was growing up on the plains of North Dakota that we find these mountains and rock formations so appealing.	We spent a couple days with Larry's nephew, James, who has an awesome two-story log cabin in Red Lodge, known as a year-round tourist destination. We also got to catch up and play lots of card with his mom Gloria.
James took us for a spin to the top of Bear tooth Pass.  The pass is a link from Red Lodge to the Northeast entry into Yellowstone's.	The road over Bear tooth Pass was built in the 1930s, is 68 miles long and one of America's most beautiful drives.
We caught up with friends Dennis and Betty during a week look stay in Bismarck.  We enjoy reminiscing about the many RV road trips we took over the years.	One of our highlights was a cruise on the Lewis and Clark River Boat on the Missouri River and planning the Barnhardt Family Reunion for July 4th, 2022.

August's web page includes August 1 through August 31.