 |
| Cow Moose |
After we left Fernie, we headed toward Missoula, MT to pick
up prescriptions. On the way we did a
bike trip on the Route of the Hiawatha, one of the best rail/trails in the
country (all downhill with return by shuttle bus). We visited Savenac Nursery, where
we previously volunteered, and caught up with Robert, whom we worked with
there. Missoula was very smoky from all
the forest fires in WA and ID. We headed south-west into Idaho and followed the
Lewis and Clark Trail. We wanted to circle back north, but the roads were
closed as some towns had extreme fire activity. We headed back into Missoula,
and had numerous tires problems (including 3 more flats). We toured the Smoke
Jumpers Training Center, and killed some time at Holland Lake NF, while waiting
on wheel accessories (lost during last double blow-out). The parts didn’t
arrive so we left town and headed back to Fernie.
 |
| Demolition Derby |
 |
| View from Steptoe Butte |
At Fernie, thanks to many rainy days, we got out of the
smoke cloud we had endured for the last 3 weeks. We almost ran into a cow moose
and calf on one of the trails. We slogged through the mud to see Fernie’s
Demolition Derby. After two weeks in Fernie, we headed into Washington. We made
stops at Steptoe Butte SP and Palouse Falls SP before arriving at Tom and
Cornelia’s home.
 |
| Wildflowers |
 |
| Palouse Falls |
 |
| Lighthouse at Ft. Casey |
The four of us did some touring around Tacoma’s Point
Defiance Park, before we took a RV trip to the San Juan Islands. First we went
to Whidbey Island and Fort Casey SP. We toured the gun placements, the
lighthouse and watched the sea lions. At
Deception Pass SP we hiked the trails and walked across the bridge. Below the
bridge, dozens of fishing boats jockeyed for position as the salmon rushed by.
 |
| 10 inch Disappearing Gun |
 |
| Dahlia |
 |
| San Juan Inland Ferry |
We camped in Anacortes and took the ferry to a different San
Juan Island each day. Tom and Cornelia drove their car and we visited various
attractions and parks on San Juan and Lopez Islands. San Juan is infamous for
the Pig War. On Orcas Island, we did a hiked around Mountain Lake and got a
view of all the islands from the lookout on Mt Constitution. We really enjoyed
the brief time we spent in the islands and we plan to return and overnight on
the islands next time. From here, Tom and Cornelia returned home and we went to
the Olympic Peninsula. Here we had another flat tire (bad valve stem). We did
manage to get our exhaust pipe replaced after it was damaged by the first tire
failure in WY. We spent a day touring Ft Vancouver and then drove out to Ft
Clatsop near Astoria, OR. Would you believe we had another flat tire here, and
put two new tires on the front? (For those who lost track, we had 7 flats on
Michelin tires and bought 6 new tires in 4 months).
 |
| Cornelia, Tom, Pat and Don |
 |
| Sculpture Gardens, San Juan Island |
 |
| View of San Juan Islands |
