Day 14 Miles 228 The day began very overcast but seemed clearer looking west, my direction. The temperature was 36 degrees but I decided to add water to the tank. I took a photo of myself doing it with my ear muffs under my Roadtrek hat. I also was wearing a turtleneck shirt, wool sweater, lined windbreaker, and long underwear under my jeans. Fortunately the wind was calm. I proceeded to the sanitation dump station and all went well with the pumpout until the end when somehow the donut hose attachment that secures the hose in the pipe, fell down into the pipe never to be seen again. I know from experience it is expense to replace but as the day evolved I’ve learned they are difficult to acquire. I decided I should report it to the KOA office. It could cause a sewer backup. The maintenance man assured me that since he couldn’t see it there wasn’t a problem. It is quite a thick piece of rubber but at least I had notified them. He suggested I stop by a local RV dealer for a replacement and while I was there I could pick up some of their cheap propane. After some circling around, I found the dealer. They’d never heard of such a part nor was there one in their catalogue. The man sent to file the propane tank didn’t have a clue about the way the Roadtrek tank worked and since I’d never had it done before, neither did I. I think he was delighted when I said maybe I’d better find a Roadtrek dealer. The poor man had on a stocking cap and a lightweight jacket and looked more than eager to escape from the cold.
Onto I 90 westbound there were signs that there had been snow at the higher elevations. Some of the tree branches were snow laden. I took a photo at a rest area. My route foller the fast flowing Clark Fork river which was in Missoula (miss identified at Crooked River in Day 13) and the Lewis-Clark fault which according to the information is where the Rocky Mountains rose into being.
I had several tasks planned for the Coeur D’Alane ID area and people I met Monday had advised about a Bank of America location where I wanted to get some cash. There are no branches in Alaska. The teller used to live in the Stuart area! I then placed a call to a nearby RV dealer re the problem with my refrigerator pilot light. He pleaded backed up in the service area and suggested RnR in Liberty Lake “just across the line”. “ You mean the Washington State line?” I asked. Hard to believe I had to go to another state. It was actually rather close and I found the dealership without much trouble. They though said there was no problem with the refrigerator and thought I wasn’t turning on the gas far enough. (Not true) but they filled the tank and only charged me for the propane. Interestingly, unknowingly I drove away from there with the propane powering the refrig, something safety experts do NOT recommend. I was impressed by the dealership and delighted that they also sold Roadtreks. However they did not have a “donut” for the sanitation hose either. Meantime I’d called a dealer in Vancouver as well to see about an appointment for Monday only to learn Monday is a holiday in Canada. That may play into my plans.
So tonight I am in Farragut State Park in the Idaho panhandle. Can you name the states that have “panhandles”? I came up with Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho and Florida. There are only 3 of us in the campground and word is the temp could go to 32. Now it’s raining and more is predicted for tomorrow. I realize I don’t have a good map for British Columbia. Originally I thought I wouldn’t have to navigate past this area. That reminds me that some who are reading this might have wondered about Day 13’s “now we are 2”. So I will recap of how this trip has evolved. It started when I was recruiting people to go to Newfoundland in 2008. I met a couple at a Florida Rally in March of that year who said they were not able to make that trip but were planning on Alaska in 2010. I said that was my plan and to keep me informed. By fall they wrote up the trip for the Roadtrek Newsletter. The group was limited to 12 vehicles and commitment was needed by the end of the year. I signed on and sent the money requested which would cover the first and last nights camping and dinners.
As it turned out only 3 of us signed up and all three were women traveling alone, the other two coming from California, but who were not acquainted. Plans went back and forth. The couple would be driving from Florida so we would meet up along the way or at least rendezvous and proceed from Hope ID on May 15. Then on Easter Sunday the wife called and said her husband had sustained a very serious head injury and would be unable to travel for a year. I made an immediate decision that I would still go and asked her to convey that to the other 2 and I talked to them both by the end of the afternoon.
We three then began working on reservations and plans, picking up from the schedule the leaders had prepared but missing some of their details. Then as was written on Day 13, plans changed. again We knew about the surgery but kept hoping it would be benign. One could ask oneself “was this trip not meant to be?” Some considered it but with the economic situation, diminishing funds as investments plummeted, but I told myself, this is my year for this and I may not have another opportunity. Last year it was the gas prices and the idea of going on my own that made me hesitate about Newfoundland. Thank goodness I didn’t let that stop me. It was a wonderful trip. None of us knows what is around the corner. Setting goals for myself is part of me. This trip takes me to the four states I’ve never visited plus an area where Les served in the Army. I’ve reach Idaho after about 3500 miles. What awaits me, who knows? I certainly want to give it a try!
Day 15 Miles 54 It rained all night and continued most of the day. I was in no hurry. I didn’t have far to go and my only stop enroute was to poke around the town of Sandpoint. Since check out at the park wasn’t until 1 p.m. I decided to stay through lunch and spent the morning reading Michner’s Alaska. The sun would make brief appearances but soon the rain would come again. On the road to Sandpoint I some very heavy downpours. Fortunately my time in Sandpoint while cold was dry. I think Coldwater Creek my have started here. It’s listed in the “things to do” from AAA but the clerks were to busy to inquire. The town has some upscale shops and a great book store whose rent is pricing them out of the central business area.
I am now at Island View Campground Hope Idho. This was where our “tour” was officially to begin and I think it could have been a problem as there is a lot of flooding in the area including in the campground. My site faces a beautiful view of the lake but the road is on my back side so I may sense traffic in my bedroom tonight. The good news is that my mail has been received by the Hope post office thanks to sister Margaret’s diligence. They’ll deliver it to the campground tomorrow. The laundry has one of two washers not working. There’s no internet service so I’m not sure when these last couple of days will get posted. Fortunately I can get my email on my IPhone but that will change when I go into Canada on Saturday. I’m a day ahead which hopefully will give me an extra day in Vancouver.
Day 16 After a leisurely start I hauled my laundry up the hill only to find washers already in use. There are people living in trailers for the season and one of them, Dave, was doing his laundry. He’s in Bakersfield in the winter and up here until October. They are expecting a number of seasonal and part timers arriving today for the weekend. The washing machine repairman, Stan, arrived and the owners Misha and Steve were in and out. It was the most socialization I’d had for a while. The building is an old hand laid stone structure. This is a beautiful area surrounded by snow capped peaks and overlooking Lake Pend Oreille which is Idaho’s largest and deepest lake, at 43 miles long and 1,158 ft deep. The south end is more of a sailing area and also where Farragut State Park is located. The mail came after lunch containing a couple of checks which I’ll deposit on my way in the morning. I’m going to Pendiction, BC to visit friends of Judy, my Alaska travel mate. They were kind enough to invite me to stay at their house. My new boots from Target came in handy on the squishy ground in the area. On a personal note the Family Motor Coach Magazine had a piece on my sister Karen in the recipe section talking about Solar Cooking!! Next mail comes in Fairbanks.
Onto I 90 westbound there were signs that there had been snow at the higher elevations. Some of the tree branches were snow laden. I took a photo at a rest area. My route foller the fast flowing Clark Fork river which was in Missoula (miss identified at Crooked River in Day 13) and the Lewis-Clark fault which according to the information is where the Rocky Mountains rose into being.
I had several tasks planned for the Coeur D’Alane ID area and people I met Monday had advised about a Bank of America location where I wanted to get some cash. There are no branches in Alaska. The teller used to live in the Stuart area! I then placed a call to a nearby RV dealer re the problem with my refrigerator pilot light. He pleaded backed up in the service area and suggested RnR in Liberty Lake “just across the line”. “ You mean the Washington State line?” I asked. Hard to believe I had to go to another state. It was actually rather close and I found the dealership without much trouble. They though said there was no problem with the refrigerator and thought I wasn’t turning on the gas far enough. (Not true) but they filled the tank and only charged me for the propane. Interestingly, unknowingly I drove away from there with the propane powering the refrig, something safety experts do NOT recommend. I was impressed by the dealership and delighted that they also sold Roadtreks. However they did not have a “donut” for the sanitation hose either. Meantime I’d called a dealer in Vancouver as well to see about an appointment for Monday only to learn Monday is a holiday in Canada. That may play into my plans.
So tonight I am in Farragut State Park in the Idaho panhandle. Can you name the states that have “panhandles”? I came up with Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho and Florida. There are only 3 of us in the campground and word is the temp could go to 32. Now it’s raining and more is predicted for tomorrow. I realize I don’t have a good map for British Columbia. Originally I thought I wouldn’t have to navigate past this area. That reminds me that some who are reading this might have wondered about Day 13’s “now we are 2”. So I will recap of how this trip has evolved. It started when I was recruiting people to go to Newfoundland in 2008. I met a couple at a Florida Rally in March of that year who said they were not able to make that trip but were planning on Alaska in 2010. I said that was my plan and to keep me informed. By fall they wrote up the trip for the Roadtrek Newsletter. The group was limited to 12 vehicles and commitment was needed by the end of the year. I signed on and sent the money requested which would cover the first and last nights camping and dinners.
As it turned out only 3 of us signed up and all three were women traveling alone, the other two coming from California, but who were not acquainted. Plans went back and forth. The couple would be driving from Florida so we would meet up along the way or at least rendezvous and proceed from Hope ID on May 15. Then on Easter Sunday the wife called and said her husband had sustained a very serious head injury and would be unable to travel for a year. I made an immediate decision that I would still go and asked her to convey that to the other 2 and I talked to them both by the end of the afternoon.
We three then began working on reservations and plans, picking up from the schedule the leaders had prepared but missing some of their details. Then as was written on Day 13, plans changed. again We knew about the surgery but kept hoping it would be benign. One could ask oneself “was this trip not meant to be?” Some considered it but with the economic situation, diminishing funds as investments plummeted, but I told myself, this is my year for this and I may not have another opportunity. Last year it was the gas prices and the idea of going on my own that made me hesitate about Newfoundland. Thank goodness I didn’t let that stop me. It was a wonderful trip. None of us knows what is around the corner. Setting goals for myself is part of me. This trip takes me to the four states I’ve never visited plus an area where Les served in the Army. I’ve reach Idaho after about 3500 miles. What awaits me, who knows? I certainly want to give it a try!
Day 15 Miles 54 It rained all night and continued most of the day. I was in no hurry. I didn’t have far to go and my only stop enroute was to poke around the town of Sandpoint. Since check out at the park wasn’t until 1 p.m. I decided to stay through lunch and spent the morning reading Michner’s Alaska. The sun would make brief appearances but soon the rain would come again. On the road to Sandpoint I some very heavy downpours. Fortunately my time in Sandpoint while cold was dry. I think Coldwater Creek my have started here. It’s listed in the “things to do” from AAA but the clerks were to busy to inquire. The town has some upscale shops and a great book store whose rent is pricing them out of the central business area.
I am now at Island View Campground Hope Idho. This was where our “tour” was officially to begin and I think it could have been a problem as there is a lot of flooding in the area including in the campground. My site faces a beautiful view of the lake but the road is on my back side so I may sense traffic in my bedroom tonight. The good news is that my mail has been received by the Hope post office thanks to sister Margaret’s diligence. They’ll deliver it to the campground tomorrow. The laundry has one of two washers not working. There’s no internet service so I’m not sure when these last couple of days will get posted. Fortunately I can get my email on my IPhone but that will change when I go into Canada on Saturday. I’m a day ahead which hopefully will give me an extra day in Vancouver.
Day 16 After a leisurely start I hauled my laundry up the hill only to find washers already in use. There are people living in trailers for the season and one of them, Dave, was doing his laundry. He’s in Bakersfield in the winter and up here until October. They are expecting a number of seasonal and part timers arriving today for the weekend. The washing machine repairman, Stan, arrived and the owners Misha and Steve were in and out. It was the most socialization I’d had for a while. The building is an old hand laid stone structure. This is a beautiful area surrounded by snow capped peaks and overlooking Lake Pend Oreille which is Idaho’s largest and deepest lake, at 43 miles long and 1,158 ft deep. The south end is more of a sailing area and also where Farragut State Park is located. The mail came after lunch containing a couple of checks which I’ll deposit on my way in the morning. I’m going to Pendiction, BC to visit friends of Judy, my Alaska travel mate. They were kind enough to invite me to stay at their house. My new boots from Target came in handy on the squishy ground in the area. On a personal note the Family Motor Coach Magazine had a piece on my sister Karen in the recipe section talking about Solar Cooking!! Next mail comes in Fairbanks.
1 comment:
We haven't received our latest copy of FMCA magazine, so it was a surprise to me to hear I got ink!
On the panhandle quiz:
Don't know if these count officially as panhandles, but how about the little ones in New Mexico, Alabama, West Virginia, Missouri (do they call that the "foot"?), and Maryland's skinny western end. (Maybe Julien can verify the last two.)
We're doing great. Mena and I take a long hike every morning while Brad works for Dolly Copp Campground, beautiful CG in the nat'l forest at the foot of New Hampshire's White Mtns.
Karen
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