WV to MT, WA and BC May-Sept 2021

Sunset in Ohio

Starved Rock SP, Utica IL

We put our moving disaster behind us and spent Memorial Day Weekend at Watauga SP in WV. After the holiday, we got back on the road and got our RV levelers repaired in Elkhart IN. When we got into MN, we caught up with Diane, our friend from Habitat For Humanity. 

                              

 

Rare Yellow Lady Slipper

We arrived in Helena on 6/15 and found out that we had no water to our house. By the following day, repairs were completed, water restored and we moved back in. (For more details see attached “Pumping Fiascoes”.)

Willow Falls SP, WI

Elk on a trail near Helena MT

Once we got settled in, Pat wanted to spruce the place up by adding more plants in front of our house. These plants were supposed to be deer resistant. Because dogs are banned in the community, the deer have free reign. After Pat completed the planting, the buffet was open. Pat tried to close the smorgasbord, but deer are like cruisers, they like that midnight buffet. Pat tried various remedies, including fencing, but she was outnumbered about 20 to 1. She is now using Liquid Fence, a product with a god-awful stench. Now the deer are just waiting for us to leave so the treatments will stop and the stench wears out. We don’t expect many plants to survive until Spring. 

Follow me to Pat's Buffet

Gold Creek Pond, WA

In July we attended the Symphony under the Stars, which was held close to our house. It was the largest gathering in Helena since COVID started. Music from the 80’s was the theme. Then we drove to Renton WA to see our friends Tom and Cornelia. On the trip over we encountered plenty of smoke from forest fires, especially in Idaho.

With Cornelia at Seattle Waterfront

Father and Son Fountain, Olympic Sculpture Park

 In Washington, we took a variety of day trips exploring the area. In addition to taking several hikes, we walked the Seattle waterfront and had lunch on top of Crystal Mountain, with great views of Mt Rainier. Of course, there was plenty of great home cooking to keep us going. 

Don with Tom and Cornelia at Crystal Mt

View from Crystal Mountain

On the trip back to MT, we stopped at Savenac Historic Nursey to visit with our friend Robert. He manages the site and has continued to improve the facility. A week later we drove up to Great Falls for the Montana State Fair and got our fill of junk food. We met Art and Christine for dinner in Butte MT. They had just flown in from VA.

Historic Train Station, Wallace ID

Mt State Fair - Shouldn't the horse be bigger than the rider?

Someone had a lot of time to kill

 After a few weeks in Helena, we were in the RV and back on the road. We entered Canada, with some difficulty, and spent a week in Fernie BC. We meet with Sheryl, our friend, and realtor.  We picked up our belongings left over after the sale of our place on June 15th. We enjoyed hiking and eating at our favorite restaurants. On the trip home, we spend some time on the east side of Glacier NP. With real estate booming this year, we took the opportunity to sell our Florida timeshare.

Day hike in SE Glacier NP

Our last couple of weeks in Helena were spent with home remodeling and repair. A contractor ripped out the carpet in the Living Room and Pat’s BR and replace it with a laminate. Next week Pat will have the tub replaced in her bathroom. 

Running Eagle Falls, GNP

We got some good news. When we bought a house in a Mobile Home Park, we assumed it was a double-wide trailer. We found out recently that it is in fact a Modular Home, which is better built than a trailer. So please stop referring to us as Trailer Trash, the correct term would be Modular Home Solid Waste.

We will leave Helena on 9/27 and head south to Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon and Sedona. Details in the next blog.