Crater Lake, Oregon – July 13-19, 2015

 Monday, July 13, our departure day from Lake Sawyer RV Park in Black Diamond, Washington. We pulled out of the park around 11:30 a.m., heading to Tualatin, Oregon for a 1-night stay in a Cabela’s parking lot. Little did we know it was right next to I-5 so when we arrived we were sure we wouldn’t get much sleep that night. Our 175 mile drive was uneventful, and we didn’t hit much traffic until we got to Portland around 3:00 p.m., the beginning of their rush hour, or so it seemed. And, because I-5 is the main north-south corridor there was a constant onslaught of semi-trucks.

We arrived at our “Cabela’s RV Park” around 3 p.m., and noticed there was a Wendy’s about a block away, so off we went carrying our computers to take advantage of their free WiFi. We also had an early dinner there at 5:00 p.m., leaving the evening wide open. After dropping off our computers at the camper we took a walk around the relatively new shopping center; LA Fitness, Cabela’s, and Michael’s were the anchor stores, with Pieology (an artisan pizza restaurant), Firehouse Subs, New Seasons Market (like a gourmet Whole Foods), Wendy’s and a few boutiques thrown in. As we walked toward Cabela’s we noticed this interesting new Polaris Slingshot in the parking lot, and we just had to take a few snaps.

The evening was quite pleasant, and since we didn’t have any other means of entertainment, we set up our patio chairs outside and read for about an hour and a half before going in to watch a movie on my computer. In spite of the unending traffic on I-5 we managed to sleep well, all things considered.

By 6:00 a.m. we were up and at ‘em, ready to start the day. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants open in the shopping center, but across the busy road was a Jack-in-the-Box where Dick was able to get our breakfast: a burrito and a sausage and egg biscuit, and COFFEE!! We were on the way by 7:45 a.m. continuing our journey south through Oregon to the Crater Lake area.

We arrived at the Joseph H. Stewart State Park, about 36 miles south of Crater Lake along Hwy 62. Our stay there was 5 nights; we had a beautiful paved site, lots of shade, and no close neighbors. Quiet. There are over 200 sites in 4 separate areas, each with its own camp host. There are also areas for group camping, and another huge area for day use. Although they offer only 30 amp service it was enough for us, as long as we didn’t run the air conditioner and microwave at the same time! There are areas for volleyball, horseshoes, hiking trails and biking trails. The park is adjacent to Lost Creek Reservoir so fishing was also popular. The campground was full the entire time we were there! Temps were in the high-80s to mid-90s the entire week.

The day use area is quite large, with a marina, store and restaurant. Local authorities said that if there wasn’t significant snowfall/rainfall during the next year, the boat ramp will need to be closed. There’s not enough water to allow boats to be launched.

Our first full day of sightseeing was Wednesday, as we headed up the road to Crater Lake. There are no words to describe the beauty of this area. Crater Lake was created by the eruption and subsequent collapse of Mt. Mazama over 7,000 years ago. The eruption formed an 8,000-foot high caldera around the deepest, bluest lake you’ll ever see. Absolutely beautiful! We took the Rim Drive around the lake, which afforded innumerable photo ops of the lake.

Top left is the visitor center at the south entrance to Crater Lake. Top right is the gift shop
and restaurant at the beginning of the Rim Drive, and at the entrance to the Crater Lake Inn.

Top photo is of Wizard Island, just 1 of the 20 volcanoes located in Crater Lake. The middle photo is of Llao Rock,
a great example of lava rock soars 1,800 feet above Crater Lake (yes, you can hike to the top). Panoramic photo
is of beautiful Crater Lake.

Wizard Island sits in the western part of Crater Lake, and is accessible by tour boat only. We elected to not take advantage of this, as the hike is steep and strenuous: in 1.1 miles it drops 700 feet in elevation; equivalent to climbing 65 flights of stairs.

Centuries of rain and snow filled the basin, forming a deep blue lake whose waters are of unmatched color and clarity. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, reaching to depths of 1,943 feet at its deepest point. The lake is 6.02 miles long, 4.54 miles wide, and holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water. The average surface temperature of the lake can range from 30° to 60°F, depending upon the time of year; it rarely freezes over. Over 2 dozen overlooks and trailheads provide views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The 33-mile drive around the lake, possible during summer months only, was breathtaking. We had a very difficult time selecting photos to share with you. We’ve never seen a blue the color of Crater Lake. Here are just a few.

Just more photos of Crater Lake. That's me standing below a "snow marker"--snow can reach in excess of 25 feet
at this point near Crater Lake Inn. To the left is what is known as the "Phantom Ship." It resembles a small
sailboat, but is really as tall as a 16-story building; estimated to be over 400,000 years old, it's the oldest
exposed rock within the caldera.

Because of the heavy winds during the winter, trees tend to grow away from the wind and are stunted.
And, here's another photo of the "Phantom Ship." The bottom 2 photos are of the "Pinnacles," spires in
excess of 100 feet tall are being eroded from the canyon wall. They are called "fossil fumaroles"--volcanic
gases rose up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into solid rock. Pretty cool!

We understand the winters can be quite interesting, when the average snowfall is 533” per year! Yowza!! Most of the park is closed during the winter, but some sections are open for cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

We did take a 2-mile hike to Plaikni Falls, through tall timbers that reached to the skies, among fallen timbers and rock slides that littered the forest floor. The reward at the end of the hike was this beautiful waterfall, surrounded by wildflowers.

Wildlife is prevalent in the park, and although we didn’t see the bear or elk we were told to watch for, we did see deer, the Clark’s nutcrackers (birds), squirrels, and lots of chipmunks.

We stopped along the Rim Drive for a picnic lunch at Lightning Spring, and were blessed to have this beautiful creature stroll through. See the video of the deer here.

Crater Lake National Park is the nation’s 5^th oldest national park, dedicated in 1902. The historic Crate Lake Inn, originally built in 1909 and restored and renovated in the 1990s, is integral to the beauty and allure of Crater Lake. The original building took 6 years to complete, sporting building techniques and materials common at lower elevations, like light wood framing rather than heavy timbers. It was built to withstand Portland winters, not winters dumping 50’ of snow! The lodge was ripped apart and replaced with a modern “twin”; a hotel that looked almost identical from the outside, but redesigned inside—with the exception of the Great Hall, dining room, and lobby which were rebuilt to appear as they had in the 1920s. The fireplace in the Great Hall was recreated exactly; its stones were numbered for later reassembly before it was dismantled. Only 10% of the materials of the original structure were reused. For the first time the lodge was given central heating, elevators, a proper foundation (stone-veneered, reinforced concrete walls), and private baths in every room. The grand reopening took place on May 20, 1995.

Thursday we headed south, planning to go into Medford to do some shopping and run errands. We got waylaid in Eagle Point, just north of Medford and were able to accomplish all we needed to there: internet, breakfast, groceries, haircuts, 6 new “shoes” for the big black truck in “no sales tax” Oregon (YEA!), and lunch. Oh, the dually got washed too; it’s so proud of those new “shoes”!

For some reason I couldn’t sleep Thursday night—only a bit over 4 hours—so Friday I was rather tired. After breakfast Dick took a motorcycle ride; I rested. Then after lunch we drove to Oregon’s version of a “Natural Bridge,” volcanic rock under which the Rogue River flows. The hike to the natural bridge was paved and about 1/2 mile long. Beautiful! Here are a couple of videos which may give you an idea of what we saw.

Video 1

Video 2

The Natural Bridge was formed when lava flowed beneath the earth’s surface in lava tubes. These tubes developed when the outer edges of a lava flow cooled quickly, leaving the molten lava to continue to flow. When the flow ended it left long hollow tubes behind. Eventually these lava flows were replaced by flowing water. The Rogue River became a “hidden river” flowing below ground for 200 feet, creating a natural bridge of hardened basalt. At the peak flow approximately 335,000 gallons of water per minute at a speed of 6 feet per second. Fed by the melting snows from the slopes of Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) 27 miles upstream, the river’s temperature at the Natural Bridge ranges from 30° to 60°F. Although the river normally flows through the lava tubes, seasonal flooding may cause it to actually flow over the Natural Bridge.

The “cave” in the photos above is part of well-defined lava tube which collapsed some distance from the opening, causing the water to swirl and then return to the main channel. The Natural Bridge is upstream a little way.

Another lovely and hot day arrived on Saturday. Temperatures hit the high 90s; rain is desperately needed here. We rode our bikes around the park for a while, but that didn’t last long… We hadn’t ridden in quite a while so our legs were really out of shape.

Afterward, Dick rode the motorcycle through some of the nearby campgrounds and points of interest. He came upon Mill Creek Falls and the Rogue River flowing under Woodruff Bridge. 

Saturday afternoon we visited the Rogue River Gorge at Union Creek, Oregon. There are no words to adequately describe the beauty of this natural wonder. The gorge was most likely formed when lava tubes collapsed, creating a way for the Rogue River to make its way to the Pacific Ocean. The gorge forms a chasm 500 feet long, narrowing in spots to 25 feet from wall to wall as it drops 45 feet to the river below.

This photo is really intriguing. The Douglas Fir trees here grow in groups, providing each other with nutrients and water. Roots from these 2 trees grafted together underground, and when one of them was cut down, the stump continued to thrive and live.

On the way back to our site, we were surprised by this beautiful creature strolling through the RV park, seemingly unphased by traffic or humans.

We were so blessed by this week and the beauty God created for us to enjoy. If you’ve not had the opportunity to visit this part of Oregon, please find a way to do so. You will not be disappointed.

Sunday we packed up to drive to the Arcata, California area for about a week. We’ll cover that and more in next week’s blog.

Until then, stay safe and well. Sending hugs and love your way,

RJ and Gail

Lake Sawyer RV Park, Black Diamond, Washington – July 6-12, 2015

Monday was another travel day for us, from Newport to Black Diamond, Washington, just 326 miles away. We were on the road by 9:10 a.m., arriving at our destination, Lake Sawyer RV Resort, by 4:00 p.m. The drive was relatively uneventful, but the closer we got to the Seattle area the more we were reminded of the horrendous traffic. We traveled Highway 2 through northeast Washington, connecting with Interstate 90 in Spokane. The Interstate was an easy drive, up and down mountains, until coming down the west site of Snoqualmie Pass; the highway was pretty rough, so we took it rather slow. (I knew what we’d find inside the camper if we drove at the speed limit—a mess!) A traffic tie-up caused about a 20-minute delay getting off Highway 90 onto Highway 18, but then it was smooth sailing.

Lake Sawyer RV Resort

Lake Sawyer RV Resort is an older park, with sites very close together. They can accommodate up to 100 RVs, have cabins. and some tent sites. They only provide 30-amp service so we all had to watch our AC usage. Thankfully the weather cooled off in the evenings and over the weekend so the temps were easy to handle. We had electric and water at our site, but had to buy WiFi access through a separate company; no cable was available so our new super-duper KING Jack antenna came in very handy. As an aside, Lake Sawyer is one of the area’s largest natural lakes containing some of the best bass fishing in the state!

We got set up, and then headed out to Farrelli’s Pizza in nearby Maple Valley for dinner. YUM! (If you’ve read previous blogs you know that I usually don’t cook on the days we arrive at a new destination.)

Tuesday morning we relaxed a bit before heading into Seattle for an afternoon of sightseeing and a Mariner’s game that night. However…the traffic was so bad that by the time we got downtown time was growing short so we didn’t really get a lot of sightseeing in. We found a parking lot close to Safeco Field and walked around Safeco and nearby Century Link Field. The Mariners won that night against Detroit in extra innings (11), by a score of 7 to 6. Yay!! And, the Mariner (hot) dogs were just as we remembered.

(photos of Safeco, etc)

Clockwise: Safeco Field on Tuesday night; Edgar Martinez is standing with his back to the fans and
his hands in his pockets, in the center of the photo; a bit of pregame fun with fans; the final score;
and the baseball bat mobile at the home plate entrance. 

CenturyLink Field where the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders play. Impressive!

It was a very late night for us two old folks. We didn’t get back to the camper until after midnight. Yawn! But it was worth it to see our Mariners win.

Wednesday morning came early. Because our last property was in Tacoma, Washington, and this is where we worked and went to church, we have quite a few friends in the area. We made plans to catch up with many of them during the week, and hoped to catch the rest at church on Sunday.

Dick met our good friend and former pastor Don Turner for coffee that morning, while I stayed home, did a bit of cleaning, and made brownies. (I figured they could use a bit of bonding time…) That afternoon we drove to Ruston Way, along the Tacoma waterfront, before meeting friends for dinner. Beautiful. The day was calm, so the water of Commencement Bay reflected the surrounding hills. In the distance is Mount Rainier.

Clockwise: the view of Dash Point and NE Tacoma across Commencement Bay; a memorial from Korea to
commemorate the centennial anniversary of Washington State, to embody the sistership between Washington
and Korea; beauty growing among the abandoned; a plaque to remember the sawmills that once lined the shores
of Commencement Bay.  Tacoma sawmills supplied much of the lumber used to build San Francisco. After the 1906 earthquake that destroyed the city, Tacoma mills were called upon for materials to rebuild it. In 1907 a record year for lumber production, 202,559,828 board feet were shipped worldwide, with over half of that lumber going to San Francisco; Tacoma was chosen by Fraser Company, the largest tea dealer in the world, to receive regular shipments from Japan, China and India. The first shipment was received in June 1892 with a return shipment of lumber; a container ship coming into the Port of
Tacoma; and one of the many fishing piers lining the shores of Commencement Bay.

Top to bottom L to R: a memorial To commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the sister port relationship with Mitakyushu, Japan.; the Children's Bell, a gift to celebrate the spirit and  accomplishments of PAVE (an organization that works with
families, individuals with disabilities, professionals and community members in all walks of life with all types of disabilities; friend Jemal and his 2 girls, Rosa and Sophia; flowers at Ram Grill, parasailing aboveCommencement Bay; my friend Tamara and me.

The Ram Grill on Ruston Way is a popular eatery for locals and tourists, alike. We sat outside on the deck, overlooking Commencement Bay. Friends Jemal and his twin 9-year old daughters Sophia and Rosa met us for dinner, and Tamara, a former co-worker of mine, joined us too. What a wonderful evening, catching up on the last 3 years.

Our week of meeting friends continued. Early Thursday afternoon we met friends Rik and Linda for coffee at one of the zillion Starbucks in this part of the country. Ha!

Friends Rik and Linda

A couple of hours later we headed to friends and former neighbors, Bob and Nancy’s, for a dinner of Bob’s freshly caught Pacific white king salmon, corn on the cob and asparagus. For dessert we noshed on my brownies and vanilla ice cream. YUM!!! It was a wonderful afternoon spent getting caught up and meeting their 2 new puppies: Violet (a 3 year old Maltese) and Bambi (a 3-month old “Chiweenie” Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. Funny. After dinner Dick, Bob and George (another neighbor) went out on George’s boat for a spin around Commencement Bay. Nancy and I stayed home and chatted.

Top to bottom, L to R: Bob and Nancy (Bob's preparing dinner); me holding Bambi their little
Chauweenie; Violet the Maltese Pacific salmon hot off the grill; George's boat; Bob driving the boat.

Friday was another busy day. I met friends Kathy and Jackie (former co-workers) for lunch at the Ram Grill. (Did I mention that it was a popular place?) It was so good to get caught up on everything happening with them. Good friends don’t need to spend time “warming up” to one another; it was like we had never been apart. We spent over 2 hours together, doing what we did best…talking and laughing. Great times. Thanks, gals, for being a part of my life.

L to R: Kathy, me and Jackie

While I was having lunch, Dick visited a repair shop to (hopefully) have his iPad fixed. It had developed a black window across the middle of the screen, making it pretty much unusable. The diagnosis is that he needs a new screen. Ugh. Dick decided that it was better for him to buy a new one than put that much money into a fix.

After picking me up from lunch we drove to downtown Tacoma to the Museum of Glass, an iconic fixture along Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway since the 1990s, and one of artist Dale Chihuly’s major interests. Chihuly had grown up in Tacoma, and I’m sure y’all have heard of him and his extraordinary art.

Museum of Glass: Jane and George Russell were huge supporters of the museum, helping to get it off the ground
in the early 1990s; photos of the hot shop where glass is blown and gallery; photo of glass sculptures along
the Chihuly's Venetian Wall; and an outdoor exhibit of glass depicting steam rising off a cup of tea.

Clockwise, all created here at the museum: "Silver Sides," Slider," "knitted glass," and "killer whale."

Two examples of  Chihuly glass: above left = a black cylinder (2006)
below = deep sienna macchia (2009); and a white handblown sculpture
by Lina Tagliapietra.

Children's glass blowing glasses are popular. These are a few of those in their exhibit that were created in the
hot shop, and we thought you'd enjoy seeing: Corndog, Lockness Pig, Sockness Monster, and Snake on a Pole.

Here’s a video of Chihuly's work entitled “Venetian Wall” on the “Chihuly Bridge of Glass” leading to the museum:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH_WYLeRUR4&feature=youtu.be

These two glass sculptures are called the Crystal Towers and grace the 500-foot long pedestrian overpass
Chihuly's Bridge of Glass that connects the Museum of Glass with Tacoma's downtown cultural corridor. The glass sculptures line the ceiling of Chihuly's Bridge of Glass. Beautiful!

The following is taken from the Museum of Glass website: museumofglass.org  (As a note, one of the first jobs I had at Russell Investments was to contact potential donors and contributors to get this museum off the ground.) It is worth the time to visit the museum, and enjoy the beautiful works of art exhibited and created there.

”FROM IDEA TO ICON

It began in August, 1992 in the course of a conversation between two friends, Phil Phibbs, who had recently retired as president of the University of Puget Sound and artist Dale Chihuly who had grown up in a neighborhood near the campus and had attended the university.  Dr. Phibbs suggested that Tacoma should have a glass museum.  He reasoned that artists from the Pacific Northwest had played a major role in the Studio Glass movement as it developed around the world.  In particular, Dale Chihuly had influenced the movement significantly, first through his personal artistry and then through the Pilchuck Glass School, which he had founded in the early 1970s …

A few weeks later, Phil Phibbs outlined his idea and the rationale for a glass museum to the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma, a group of business and governmental leaders.  He fully expected to be politely dismissed.  Instead, he was invited to stay for the next presentation.  It was a plan for the redevelopment of the Thea Foss Waterway, which at the time was an empty industrial wasteland along a narrow channel of water so polluted that it qualified as a federal Superfund clean-up site.  The Chairman of the Council, George Russell (founder and former owner of the company I worked for), concluded that the idea of a glass museum coincided quite beautifully with the need for a dynamic anchor tenant on the restored waterway.

It was serendipitous that the ideas to build a glass museum and redevelop the Thea Foss Waterway coincided to become a civic undertaking.  Now the Museum is part of a larger cultural district, but it was ten years of visionary leadership, energy and hard work that made the dreams of a revitalized waterway a reality.

By the mid-1990s, the vision for the Museum had become more focused. The site for the Museum along the Thea Foss Waterway was secured from the City of Tacoma.  Although initially the Museum focused exclusively on Dale Chihuly, the artist himself insisted that the Museum should expand its mission to include works in glass by artists worldwide.  This proved to be a practical shift as Tacoma met its goal of recognizing its native son with the spectacular Chihuly Bridge of Glass, and the Museum was able to broaden its appeal by honoring international artists.  In the late 1990s, the mission was again refined to specify that the medium of glass would be presented within the context of contemporary art.

Jane and George Russell, co-chairs of the Museum’s founding Board of Trustees, invited individuals, corporations and foundations from around the world to join them in creating one of the most unique and beautiful institutions in the world.  As the century turned, the Museum passed major milestones.  In September 1997, Canadian architect Arthur Erickson unveiled the Museum’s design concept, which included an iconic, tilted cone…  Construction began in June 2000. The steel frame of the cone was completed in March 2001 and the Chihuly Bridge of Glass was underway by July of that year. Both the Museum of Glass and the adjoining Chihuly Bridge of Glass opened to thousands of visitors and worldwide accolades on July 6, 2002.

Although some of the original ideas about the Museum changed over time, many of the initial elements remained constant.  The concept of a large glass studio, where visitors could watch artists create art from molten glass, was an integral part of the original plan—and the Hot Shop Amphitheater, located inside the 90-foot tall steel cone, fulfills that description today.  The Museum was envisioned as a center that would nurture artists, celebrate the dramatic new Studio Glass movement and encourage creativity.  This vision is realized through the exhibitions in the galleries, the art installations on the outdoor plazas, the hands-on art studio, and the Museum’s diverse educational programs, as well as the Hot Shop.

Today, the Museum’s stainless steel cone serves as a beacon to a stunning contemporary art museum as well as a symbol for the restoration of a waterway and the revitalization of a city.”

After a stop to pick up a few groceries we joined Don and Anne Turner at their home for dinner. Another wonderful evening with friends and a delicious meal: steak, grilled vegies, cornbread muffins, peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. YUM-YUM! We so cherish their friendship, and are so thankful for them and the impact they’ve had on our lives. Thank you, Don and Anne. (Anne bought my little red Toyota MR2 Spyder for Don as a Christmas gift 3 years ago, and he still drives it—enjoying every mile he drives!)

Joe and Michelle

Saturday was another busy day, as we headed further west to spend the day with friends Joe and Michelle in Gig Harbor. We’ve known them since 1990, when Joe built our home on Lake Coeur d’Alene (see last week’s edition for photos of our Windy Bay house). There’s nothing like spending a day laughing, talking, sharing and just enjoying one another’s company, followed by a scrumptious dinner of grilled Coho salmon (again, thank you friend Bob!), grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and my brownies with ice cream for dessert. YUM-YUM! Again, we so cherish their friendship. Love those guys! (And they let us do our laundry while we were there.  Score!)

What blessing Sunday was, as we spent the morning worshiping with friends at LifeWay, our former church in Federal Way. We arrived about 15 minutes before the first service at 9 a.m., and were greeted by so many people we had come to know and love over the years. We stayed for the 10:45 a.m. service, too, to make sure we didn’t miss anyone. It was like old home week. The only difference was that I was not on stage playing keyboard with the worship team. The message was taken from the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 13, verses 7-19, on upholding those in ministerial and leadership positions in the church. Excellent message!

Afterwards we met friends Rich and Joyce at Panera Bread for lunch. While we were waiting to order, we were pleasantly surprised to see my special friend Sheila there, too. (We had served together in women’s ministry when we lived in Tacoma.) What a special time, sharing and breaking bread together. Such love between friends!

Friends Sheila, Joyce and Rich

That's it for this jam-packed week. Loved every moment of it--with the exception of driving in the horrendous traffic! Monday we head south to Tualatin, Oregon for a night of dry camping in Cabela's parking lot. Then, on to Crater Lake.

Hugs to you all!

RJ and Gail

Columbia Falls, MT to Newport, WA – July 1-6, 2015

Our stay in Columbia Falls came to an end on Wednesday, as we drove Highway 40 through Montana to Highway 2 in Idaho to Newport, Washington, just across the Idaho border across Pend Oreille River. It was rather a short travel day this time—221 miles. Our stay for 5 nights was at Old American Kampground, located next to the river in Newport. Family owned, the campground is located just 32 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington. It’s 1 of 6 campgrounds owned by the family in the Washington State area; they also own a resort in British Columbia.

Clockwise: Old America Kampground sign,office and clubhouse; view of
Pend Oreille River from near our site, and our site

Thursday morning Dick rode the motorcycle and I drove our truck the 46+ miles to Coeur d’Alene to join friends Ron and Marianne at “Jimmy’s Down the Street” for breakfast. Our “throw-back-Thursday” brought back many memories as we reminisced about moving from Connecticut in 1990, with Ron and Marianne, to the Lake Coeur d’Alene area—thus beginning our west coast living. (We built a home in that area and lived there for about 10 years before moving to Tacoma for work.) Breakfast included chicken fried steak and eggs, bacon and eggs, a cheese and mushroom omelet, and corned beef hash and eggs. (I had the hash, but none I’ve had anywhere remotely compares to what I have at “Caroline’s Turtle Bay Café” in Rockport, Texas!)

After breakfast Dick and Ron took off on their motorcycles for a 75 mile ride down the west side of Lake Coeur d’Alene, while I went to their home to spend time with Marianne. Dick’s ride took him to visit our old homesite. That brought back many memories, as well.

Clockwise: Panorama of Windy Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene where we lived; our house from the road;
Ron with the 2 motorcycles; our house from the lake, and our house as you approached it.

This week brought more consecutive days of temperatures above 95°; Friday’s temps even hit 104°! Uff-da!!! And, no rain in sight. Wild fires are burning thousands of acres in the northwest. Thankfully, none were close to us and we’ve been able to travel safely. We do, however, see the haze from the smoke, and smell it, too. Sad.

Friday morning Dick did a walk-around-town to pick up our mail and a few items from the grocery store. By the time he returned home at 11:30 the temps were already nearing 100°. Even with no humidity, hot is HOT!

Thomas J. Kelly, who was Newport's first mayor; and a few views
of Newport.

That evening we drove 30 miles from Newport to Sandpoint, ID to have dinner with friends Bonnie and Jerry, whom we met 3 years ago at our RV park in Rockport, Texas, and who summer in Hope, ID. But first Dick and I walked through town to Sandpoint’s City Beach Park. What a beautiful area! Hundreds of folks were frolicking in the refreshing water of Lake Pend Oreille, sitting on the sand beach, or picnicking on the grounds. Temps were still in the very high 90s, but with very little humidity shady areas were quite a bit cooler. At the end of the park a small pier juts out into the water, and what do we find, but a 30’ Statue of Lliberty! It was donated to the city in 2003 in memory of Louise Turner, a prominent local business owner, who had had it in her garden for years prior to her death. (So, if you can't afford a trip to New York City to see the real thing, you might consider a trip to Sandpoint!)

Bonnie and Jerry met us at the park, then took us to the art gallery where Bonnie and 30 other local and regional artisans show and sell their creations. The gallery opened in 1995 by a group of local artists to cooperatively display and sell their own work (the artist members own and operate the gallery). It’s located at 214 North First Avenue in Sandpoint, the perfect location as it’s right downtown. The gallery features paintings in oil, watercolor, acrylic and pastels; calligraphy; greeting cards; crystals; jewelry; sculptures in metal, clay, terracotta, paper and paper mache; photography; glass (kiln worked, blown and stained); pottery; wearable art; woodwork; and more. Quite impressive! Bonnie’s creations are beautiful wire-wrapped jewelry with and without precious stones, including stones from Mount St. Helens. I have a few pair of earrings created by Bonnie. Love ‘em!

Downtown Sandpoint with flowers at every light post;
and the Art Works Gallery

Here’s a link to their site for more information: 

http://www.sandpointartworks.com/About_Art_Works.html

Dinner was at Hydra, Sandpoint’s signature steakhouse. Sharing meals and conversation with Bonnie and Jerry is always a treat! Bonnie tried their grapefruit margarita infused with Habenero peppers. Whew! Spicy!! So, I traded my traditional margarita with her, but it was even too spicy for me. We traded it in for another traditional. Good grief—they need to put out a warning!

We started our meal with a trip to the salad bar, followed by crab cakes, seafood fettuccini, prime rib sandwich, and seafood sauté. Good stuff!  We then said our farewells until we meet again in Texas in the fall. Good friends!

On our drive back to our campground, we saw the only wildlife we’d seen in quite a while—a wild turkey sauntering along the highway, appearing as though it wanted to cross but traffic wasn’t cooperating. Funny.

Saturday: Happy 4^th of July. We had made plans with Ron and Marianne to spend the afternoon with them, have dinner, enjoy the fireworks over Lake Coeur d’Alene, and spend the night so we wouldn’t have to drive all the way back to Newport, just to turn around and drive back for church Sunday morning in nearby Post Falls.

Dinner was traditional hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad and watermelon preceded by caprese salad on skewers. Yum-yum! Oh, and I also made a lemonade champagne cocktail with lemonade, champagne and diet Sierra Mist, which went over very well… About 8:00 that evening we walked a few blocks down to the new McEuen Park in Coeur d’Alene (adjacent to the Coeur d’Alene Resort) to watch the fireworks. It’s traditional for the fireworks to be shot off from a barge in the lake; they were not a disappointment!

The Coeur d'Alene Resort, shops and marina; an aerial of the resort with
the adjacent and new McEuen Park complete with a water park for kids.

Here's a video of the fireworks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZIESBlFkLM&feature=youtu.be

We were amazed at the number of people in the park for the fireworks—at least a couple thousand—and as far as we could tell there were no incidents. If you haven’t been to Coeur d’Alene, it’s become quite a year ‘round destination. Water sports in the summer and skiing at nearby Silver Mountain in Kellogg and Schweitzer Mountain in Sandpoint in the winter. When we moved to that area in 1990 the population was about 25,000; now the population is sneaking up on 50,000—and that doesn’t include the influx of summer folks. Unbelievable! (We could definitely consider spending summer months in that area! Beautiful!)

Sunday morning we said our goodbyes to Ron and Marianne, and drove to nearby Post Falls, ID to attend Real Life Ministries church with friends Bob and Norma, their daughter Christine, and Tony and Dorothy. (We all met and attended church together when we lived there.) What an uplifting and wonderful church service focusing on relationships and loving one another. Afterward we all headed to “Hunter’s,” a local restaurant, for breakfast. YUM! We noshed on chicken fried steak, corned beef hash, bacon and eggs, breakfast skillets, and eggs Benedict. Good times, good friends, good food. Great combination! It was good to spend time catching up on our lives since we were last together.

Top 4 photos were taken at Real Life Ministries church in Post Falls, ID.
Bottom left: That's me with Norma, her husband Robert and daughter Christine.
Bottom right: Friends Tony and Dorothy, me, Norma, Robert and Christine taken at Hunters
Restaurant in Post Falls, ID.

We returned to Newport and our camper to do preliminary preparation for our departure Monday morning. A stiff breeze was blowing that helped moderate the temperatures, which were in the upper 80s for most of the day. All in all it was a wonderful few days spent with good friends, for whom we are so thankful.

On to Black Diamond, WA on Monday morning, just 326 miles away, but more on that next week.

Until then, stay healthy, safe and strong. 

We send hugs and our love.

RJ and Gail

2 Chronicles 7:14  - If my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from

their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sing

and will heal their land.