28 November 2011

35th Anniversary in Victoria


 20 -27 November 2011


High Tea at the Fairmont Empress






C.J. set this trip up months ago. We stayed at the Worldmark condo on Laurel Point, right on the water, just outside the Inner Harbor. It was a great location, within walking distance to all of downtown and especially the Parliament, Royal BC Museum and the Fairmont Empress. Having a full kitchen meant that our big expense was only the ferry to Vancouver Island.









 

BC Parliament building and totem
20 Nov, Sun – The only Washington State Ferry to Sidney, BC, left at 0830 and we had to be there an hour early, and it is a two-hour drive from North Bend, so we had to get up a bit earlier than usual (understatement). It was cold but clear and the trip through the San Juan Islands was scenic. Since we wouldn’t be able to check into our rooms at noon, we thought we might sightsee in Sidney and we drove around the town trying to find the Visitor Center. No luck so we just headed on to Victoria and Worldmark. As expected, our room was not ready but we got a key to the parking garage and left the car there to walk down to the Parliament Building, the gift shop in RBCM (to warm up), and Thunderbird Park with its longhouse and totems. We also stopped to take some pictures of the Centennial Fountain and nearby glacial striations. When we returned to WM we used a hotel cart to move our stuff up to our fifth floor suite overlooking Fishermans Wharf. Lunch, a nap and supper plus some internet surfing occupied the rest of the day. The weather was forecast to be cold with a chance of rain every day for the next week.

21 Nov, Mon – Despite the forecast, it was partly sunny, but the threat of worse weather to come got us moving by mid-morning. After checking with the WM front desk (Adrian knew all about our planned destination for a hike at Goldstream Prov. Park: Mt. Finlayson), we drove through Victoria on the Trans-Canada Highway, Rte 1. Goldstream is only about 20 km from the city but is in dense, rain forest. We found a place to park (there were a surprising number of cars for a Monday) and walked along a stream
C.J. on the slabs of Finlayson

practically choked with salmon carcasses and the gulls feeding on them. There were a number of school field trips, mostly early elementary or pre-school. It was only 0.5 km to the Nature Center where we were hoping to find some freebie maps of the park but we had to settle for a photo of a map showing where there had been recent bear sightings. We returned to the car in a light rain – the forecast had caught up with us. By the time we got our packs on the drizzle had stopped and it looked once again like a chance of sunshine. The trail, only 1.5 km up but a gain of 461 m (about 1500 ft) started right off climbing and then, after a steep descent to a stream crossing, continued up even more steeply until we were out of the forest and scrambling up somewhat exposed rock slabs. We were glad to complete the section of the trail where steep, wet rock required the use of hand holds, and reach the gentler trail to the summit. (11:30-12:15 or so). It was windy and cold enough that we donned our raingear before stopping for lunch. Watching the approaching dark clouds, we didn’t linger over our sandwiches and hot cider. The view was a mix of wild forest for half the horizon and Canadian resort-y buildings of the Bear Mountain Golf Course, with Victoria and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the distance. As we were descending it started to drizzle and rain lightly again but we negotiated the slabs with only minor slips. We had met only one other hiker descending as we went up, but in the afternoon, we ran into another eight heading up in the rain. Back in Victoria we stopped at a (not very) Thrifty Market to get bread, dessert and fruit. I was ready for another nap when we got back to the condo. Leftover macaroni and cheese made a good dinner with the fresh loaf of Oktoberfest Rye bread.


22 Nov, Tue – The forecast again was for rain, but it didn’t look too bad with the sunbreaks outside our windows as we finished our traditional Thanksgiving/anniversary breakfast of müesli and stöllen. C.J. made reservations for a tour of the Parliament building for 1330 and for Tea at the Empress for 1515, then we went out for a walk. Fishermans Wharf was pretty quiet at this season with Barb’s Fish and Chips closed as well as the kayak rental shop, and even the boat that usually
Stained glass window in Parliament 
sells discounted fish and crab. One seafood place was open and two harbor seals were eyeing us hopefully from the nearby water. Heading south on Dallas Road, we passed the CDN Coast Guard base and came to Ogden Point, the cruise ship terminal. There were no ships in port but the breakwater was painted with a huge mural of NW Indian (aka, First People, First Nations) designs and legends. We returned to the condo in time to change into our “smart casual” clothes for tea. We were early for our Parliament tour but it was worth waiting for. The only place we could not enter was the Legislative Chambers which we saw later when we went up to the visitors gallery and watched the name-calling and finger-pointing that must pass for business as usual for the legislature, I guess. When we left it was just beginning to sprinkle so we went right over to the Empress and entered via the reception lobby (the opposite side of the building from the tea lobby). There wasn’t much of interest to see but we took a curving, marble stairway to the second floor and found a long hallway lined by mostly undecorated (artificial) fir trees. It turned out that we had found the back entrance to the tea room. Even though we were early the hostess seated us right away and soon our waitress brought us each a chocolate-dipped strawberry and a tea menu. We each chose a different tea which shortly came in two large pots along with a three-tiered stack of goodies: sandwiches on the bottom plate (cucumber, smoked salmon, pork pate, chicken curry and egg salad on croissant), scones with jam and clotted cream (tasted like unsweetened whipped cream) on the second level, and, on top, pastries (lemon tartlets, shortbread cookies, marzipan wrapped cake, cheesecake and chocolate mousse in chocolate cups). During tea there was live piano music, and just as we were finishing our tea and paying our bill (thankfully reduced by a senior discount!), there was
Tree decorating at the Empress
much coming and going in the hallway of people with boxes and bags, some wearing antlers and other seasonal costumes on the way to decorate their assigned tree. A group of young students from St. Michaels University School began playing carols. C.J. had picked a great time for our 35th anniversary tea! Out in the tea room lobby dozens of trees were being decorated by small groups, either business or community organizations. The lobby led past some art galleries and shops and the Bengal Lounge to the Empress Conference Center. After making our way back to the reception lobby, passing the Empress Room restaurant, we exited to the street in rain and wind. Typically for the NW it wasn’t pouring or all that cold so our one-km walk back to the condo wasn’t too unpleasant at all. Of course we had either worn or carried along our hooded parkas, hats and gloves. The only thing we hadn’t thought of was borrowing an umbrella from the WM front desk.

C.J. hiking along the Strait of Juan de Fuca
23 Nov, Wed – more müesli for breakfast then we headed out for another hike while the weather was reasonable. Adrian at the front desk applauded our choice of the Coast Trail in East Sooke Regional Park, and told us that the Aylard Farm trailhead gave access to the best coastal views. On the way out of the city we stopped at CAA to get a recent map of Victoria and the island. Then we took Gorge Street and ended up taking a wrong turn putting us in the naval depot area of Esquimalt. Eventually we got onto Rte 14 and got out to 17-Mile House where we turned left on Gilespie then right on Becher (?) to the parking lot at Aylard Farm TH. No other cars were there but a couple arrived as we geared up. A hundred yards down
the trail it started raining hard so we had to don serious rainwear. The rain did not last more than a few minutes and we totally blew off a local’s suggestion that we take the high-ground trail. Opting instead for the Coast Trail which was right on the edge of the forest, we followed the shoreline of the
Strait of Juan de Fuca. There were lots of ups and downs, puddles and slippery roots but it was very scenic (and tiring!).
On the Coast Trail near East Sooke
We endured at least one more shower but otherwise were able to hike without rain gear. We stopped at the petroglyphs, but found only one of the two, and again at an exposed rock where we had lunch…and lost our thermos when it rolled off the cliff into the ocean and disappeared. Beechy (-ey) Point (Head) was a rocky mound with a monument on top. Beyond Beechy Pt we came to a small campsite with a roofed shelter which was several inches deep in running water. Before climbing up over the next headland we turned inland on a wide trail/road which returned us to the Aylard Farm TH. We would probably not have ended our hike so early but we didn’t know whether the return trip might be as arduous as the Coast Trail. It wasn’t, and after a climb over a low ridge we were back to the car in about 45 min. Since it was still sort of early, we returned to Rte 14 and drove out to Sooke and beyond to Otter Point before turning back for Victoria. We ate an early dinner and watched “How to Train a Dragon”, our free video rental.

24 Nov, Thu – After a somewhat disappointing batch of Canadian pancakes (we threw the mix away later),
Royal BC Museum, First Peoples Gallery
we left at 1030 for a tour of the Royal BC Museum. The admission was pretty expensive but we stayed until they closed at 1700 so we probably got our money’s worth. After the 1.5 hour tour with a knowledgeable docent, we looked around on our own for a while. We had lunch at the museum café – the calzone and sausage roll were okay – then took a break by going over to the Empress to look at the completed Christmas trees. Returning to the RBCM, we went up to the third-floor human history gallery where we
Decorated tree at Empress
got almost lost in the First Nations section. In the BC history area the old buildings of Victoria  were decorated for a Victorian Age Christmas. Outside it was barely raining, not too gusty and also not particularly cold while walking back. After a dinner of C.J.’s pot roast (delicious even as “leftover leftovers”), we relaxed while strong gusty winds rattled the deck furniture and bowed-in the glass on the floor-to-ceiling windows.

25 Nov, Fri – Mmmm, back to müesli for breakfast! The sun was shining for a change so we decided to do a walking tour of downtown Victoria based on one in a Frommer guidebook. We stopped first at the VC in
C.J. and an RCMP bear downtown
the Inner Harbor area and picked up a couple more self-guided city walks and a printout of other activities. We walked up Douglas to Fort Victoria (site), through Trounce Alley to Broad stopping at the Original Christmas Shoppe (expensive), then at Mountain Equipment Co-op to check out wetsuit mukluk-style
booties (no longer available). Bastion Square and Market Square were on our route, and then we turned into what had been Chinatown before redevelopment. We traversed Fan Tan Alley and took photos of the Gates of Harmonious Interest and the Chinese Imperial School (needed during the time that Chinese-speaking children were not allowed to enroll in public schools). We took a rest stop in Centennial Square then walked down Blanshard to St. Michaels Cathedral where the bishop, mitre and all, was giving the homily. We also stopped in the atrium of the Victoria Public Library to see the large modern sculpture. Back at the Empress, we saw a sign for the Out of Hand Artisan Fair at the Crystal Gardens (but when we dropped in we found that the admission was $8). On the way back to the condo we stopped at the Pacific Grand Hotel to see “Bear Wear”, a collection of a couple dozen holiday-dressed/decorated teddy bears in the lobby. After lunch and a rest, we went down the block a ways to the Inn at Laurel Point
Gingerbread houses
 which was sponsoring a display of incredible gingerbread houses.
Decorated Empress
 Back at WM we celebrated with a lemon-orange-pineapple smoothie margarita and some nachos before driving over to Cook Street village on the east side of Beacon Hill Park for a performance by Cookeilidh – “A Celtic Christmas” – at Serious Coffee. The band had a very good flute player and a fiddle, guitar and bass guitar. We bought some soup and a Black Forest Steamer (steamed, flavored milk) and threw in a donation for the band. We didn’t stay until the end since the place was pretty crowded and the seating wasn’t the greatest, so we were home by 2145.




 26 Nov, Sat – For our last day we decided to take a day trip up to Duncan and Chemainus. We were surprised to see that gas prices had gone up 10cents in two days so when we bought gas on the return leg, it
A totem in Duncan
cost $1.169/l (I bought only enough to get back to the nearest Costco in Burlington.) It drizzled most of the day and Mt. Finlayson was in the clouds as we drove by on TransCanada Rte 1. The viewpoints on Malahat did not have much of a view although we could see as far as Salt Spring Island which wasn’t that far away. We drove down through Cowichan Bay but did not bother getting out of the car to explore the shops. Duncan is known as the City of Totems for its forty some-odd totem poles situated around the town. We followed a trail marked out by yellow-painted footprints and got to see most of them as well as a farmers market (where we bought a genuine (?) Nanaimo Bar cookie. Even with raingear we were pretty damp when we left Duncan for Chemainus which is known for its well-done murals. We also saw a big freighter taking on a load of lumber from the local mill. We had seen
A mural in Chemainus
signs for a Craft Fair in Chemainus so we dropped into the Legion building where there was a (flea) market. After a cursory glance around we left and got directions to the actual Craft Fair - in the fire hall about a km to the north. The quality of the goods was much higher and we spent some time talking with two women who were selling Nepali sweaters, hats and glove-mittens for a Nepalese charity. C.J. got a pair of earrings made of jasper, then we headed pretty much straight back to Worldmark (1530). The front desk info sheet said that the tree lighting would be at the sequoia from 4-5:30 and we figured that meant the tree out in front of Parliament. The Santa Light Parade was lining up there when we arrived at 1615 but we found out that the party was taking place at the other end of the parade route, Centennial Square. We walked there along Government Street where people were already staking out places for watching the parade. At Centennial, there was a live brass band playing carols and several tents where local restaurants were giving away samples. We got in a line more to kill time (it was only 1645) than for the food, but we got a tasty hunk of braised pork and some tea with eggnog from Aura, the restaurant in the Inn at Laurel Point. We also received a chocolate-dipped strawberry and pineapple as well as a square of chocolate cake from the Dutch Bakery. We found a place near the CHEK TV booth along Gov’t St. to watch the parade but it didn’t get there until around 1815 so it was quite a wait. There were lots of floats, a high school marching band, a dance school, a horse drawn trolley and a really good bagpipe band playing “Jingle Bells”, among the many parade entries. On the way home we took some night photos of the Parliament Building, the Empress and the Undersea Garden.
Parliament at Yuletide across the Inner Harbor
27 Nov, Sun – Our ferry departure time was 1205 and we had to be there 90 minutes early so there wasn’t time to do anything other than get packed up and leave by 1000. Of course, then we had to sit in a line while we inched up to the Canadian Customs and US Border Control, before getting onto the ferry. The weather improved as we entered the San Juan Islands and we had sunshine for the rest of the crossing. But once we drove to Burlington for gas at Costco, we ran under some dark clouds again. We got home around 1730. A heckuva 35th anniversary celebration!

17 November 2011

Fall Color Trip 2011


September 18 - November 3


C.J. and I bought the Aliner pop-up camper trailer just about two years ago. The two trips we wanted to do with it were 1) drive the Alaska Highway and 2) go back East for the autumn foliage that we remember from our years living in New York. We’re retired, gas prices aren’t going to get any cheaper, we’ve got a trailer and a tow vehicle; let’s go! The final deciding factor was that we had some Worldmark timeshare points to use up and there was a five-day stretch available during prime aspen color/elk rutting season in Estes Park CO.

18 Sep, Sun – After days of packing and preparation (not!) we pulled out of the driveway by 0900, bought gas in Spokane and stopped again for gas in Missoula, both at Costco – just about the last ones we would see for a long ways. When we reached Beavertail Hill State Park MT, we found that the camping fee had increased to $25 for just a place to park. Instead we took a USFS road about 1.8 mi and camped in a large pullout for the night.


19 Sep, Mon – After eggs and muffins we were out by 0800 following a pretty chilly night. Continuing on I-90, we stopped for gas before 3 Forks (364.9), then turned south at Belgrade on SR 191 heading for Yellowstone. At a lunch stop near Big Sky along the Gallatin River we saw a mountain goat run across the road right in front of us and up a craggy ridge. Just a few more miles down the road (much more scenic now) we entered YNP. We passed through W Yellowstone and drove along the Madison River then turned off on the Firehole River Drive. There was quite a bit of traffic for so late in September. Since we had no
Peaks near Togwotee Pass, WY
plans for staying in the park, we just drove on through stopping at the south entrance for a sign photo and to figure out where we should stay. We had been sort of heading for Sinks Canyon SP above Lander but now we began considering closer places to camp. Colter Bay was a possibility as was Signal Mtn, both in Grand Teton NP. Then we found two or three CGs west of Dubois just over Togwotee Pass. Any one of them would put us in good position to get to Estes Park in 8-9 hours the next day. There was some serious construction work on the road up the 9000 ft pass, but the scenery was excellent. Falls CG (USFS) was excellent as well with hook ups and a pull-thru site for just $10 (Golden Access). We were early enough to do a short loop hike to a waterfall and talk with Art and Miriam, there with another Aliner. It was pretty cold at 8000 ft after the sun went down but I used some warm water from the car for a shampoo. Sunset light on the peaks to the NE made for a good photo opportunity.


20 Sep, Tue – 22o outside after the sun came over the ridge. Naturally we had frost accumulation on the trailer ridge inside. Still we were warm enough in just our sleeping bags; although we ran the furnace for a while before we got up at 0800. I dumped the portapotti, refilled the water bottles and headed down the mountain along the Chief Washakie Trail toward Dubois and gas (375.9) with a stop at the Tie Hack Monument dedicated to the men who had cut ties for the railroad. We passed through a much-evolved (since my NOLS days) Lander and continued over Beaver Rim on US 287 through Muddy Gap (not muddy today). We had lunch just beyond that with a view of rock layers eroded in a scalloped pattern. In Rawlins we stopped only for gas (359.9) then went east on I-80 to the exit which would take us to Saratoga (hot mineral springs) and to the start of the Snowy Pass (of the Medicine Bow Mtns) scenic byway. There
G at Marie's Lake, Snowy Range, WY
was particularly good scenery on the east side of the 10,800 ft summit. We stopped for a short walk to Marie’s Lake, and again at Libby Flats Observation platform. It was sunny but cold and windy; the campgrounds looked inviting but chilly in the fall. The scenic byway route took us all the way back to Laramie before we could hit US 287 to head south for Fort Collins and Loveland (gas – 349.9). It was getting late as we ascended Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park and Worldmark Resort (1900 – long day). There was no problem checking in and parking the trailer near our condo. We carried our stuff inside (second floor again!) and settled in for our five-day stay. Using the plug-in I-Bridge device we were able to check weather and RMNP day hikes on the internet. The weather looked good. We were surprised to see gas at Safeway in resort-y Estes Park even cheaper than it had been down in Loveland (345.9).

21 Sep, Wed – We were up at 0700 for our first day in RMNP. First we transferred our wings and stuff from the Trooper, then made a stop at Beaver Meadows VC to check maps. At the Entrance Station we found that the parking lot at our destination, Glacier Gorge trailhead, was already full and it was only 0920 (and the ranger said that that was late for filling up!). After negotiating an “elk jam” at Moraine Park we drove up to Bear Lake, a couple of miles beyond Glacier Gorge TH (which was, in fact, full). There was plenty of parking in the large lot, but it would have been smarter to take the free shuttle which runs every 10-15 minutes.[We hadn’t really considered that possibility since there had been no shuttle buses when we had last been here in the spring.] There are a number of possible hikes from this trailhead, from a stroll around Bear Lake to a climb of one of the rocky peaks. We chose to retrace our snowshoe hike but add a detour to Haiyahah Lake. We walked up the mostly-paved trail to Nymph Lake then continued up to Dream Lake. It was well that we had already decided to take the spur trail to Haiyahah because a group of 104 (!) fifth graders plus parents and teachers were heading to Emerald Lake, our destination for later in the day. At the high point on the trail (before starting down to Haiyahah) there was a great view toward Mills Lake and Longs Peak [Fortunately, a local hiker had pointed out that this spot had the best view in the park.]. To the S/SE was the Bierstadt Moraine and below was Sprague Lake. A ways back along the trail we had been able to catch sight of Nymph and Bear Lakes. As we descended we reached a trail junction with an “unmaintained” trail that would reach the Glacier Gorge Trail to Loch Vale in 1.7 mi and the GG TH in 3.6 mi. We continued to Haiyahah and scrambled up the large boulders that rimmed the lake. Since it was too early for lunch, we headed back to Dream Lake and then up the 0.7 mi to Emerald located in the Tyndall Gorge between Flattop Mtn and Hallett Pk. There are a lot of spires on “Flattop” and I got a photo of the moon setting just above them. We stopped for lunch on some flat rocks above the lake and had to fend off the aggressive, panhandling ground squirrels and chipmunks. On the way down, just below Dream, we ran into a bull elk with a cow and calf right next to the trail. Back at the trailhead, we walked over to Bear Lake for the classic view across the lake to Hallett Pk. [We had seen a bat flying in the daylight just above Nymph Lake and we reported that sighting to the ranger just in case it was evidence of the white-nose disease that has been killing bats in the East.] On the way back we stopped at Moraine Park VC and bought a guide to the park roads and a postcard. A quick stop at Safeway (once I found the entrance) got us groceries for dinner which we were ready for at 1700. To tide us over, I made a smoothie from some yogurt, honey, orange and lemon before dinner. We had considered going out to Moraine for the elk talk ranger program but we were too beat; my knee is sore, too. Thundershower in the early evening.

22 Sep, Thu – Up at 0700 and out by 0845 for a car touring day to Trail Ridge Road. The Fall River VC was not open when we stopped there beneath McGregor Slabs (which I vaguely remembered climbing on during the 1965 (?) trip with Craig, Kate, John Stannard, and some other SUOC folks). We continued on to the Old Fall River Road, a one-way, narrow, dirt road which climbed past Chasm Falls where we stopped for photos, this time without snow and ice. A road grading crew caused a 15 minute delay while we talked with the flagger who told us that the best color was over on the west side of the park near Grand Lake. That was enough to cause us to change our plans and do a considerably longer tour. The road was more rutted after we passed the grader, but not a problem as we passed through fir and spruce forest and reached a meadow – the first flat piece of ground we had seen in a while – perfect for a short walk. As we neared timberline, we encountered a bull elk close to the road by a patch of krummholtz photo, left. He settled down and gave us our first elk bugle. [We saw lots of elk while in the park but seeing one close up and without a bunch of other tourists around was definitely more special.] Another couple of switchbacks put us on Trail Ridge Road and we stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center which was surprisingly busy for so late in the season. Leaving, we turned N and W and descended to the continental divide at Milner Pass, then to Irene Lake picnic area where we took a one-mile walk to a viewpoint and around the lake. It was also a good spot to stop for lunch at a sunny picnic table. Continuing down we stopped for the view (at Farview) out S over the Kawuneeche Valley and W to the Never Summer Range. Once we reached the valley floor, we stopped at Beaver Pond picnic area and spotted two moose cows in the headwaters of the Colorado River (Moose! Whoo Hoo!). Farther south down the road, we stopped at the Kawuneeche VC, then drove through the town of Grand Lake and dropped in to Grand Lake Lodge for the view over the lakes. On the way into town we pulled off for photos of some of the brightest fall-colored aspens we had yet seen. Retracing our route, we parked at Coyote TH and walked the mile out-and-back trail along the Colo. R. We returned to Beaver Ponds along with a lot of other folks and found that one of the moose had moved in closer. When an elk bugled while moving through the edge of the nearby forest many people left to follow him. We stopped at Farview again to see if we could see down to the moose in the beaver pond – nope. At a Tundra ommunities Nature Trail we walked about ½ mile up to 12,310 ft, a 260 ft gain. At the top, we climbed a rocky summit to the Roger Wolcott Toll Memorial (with a compass-like direction finder that indicated distance and direction to sites such as the Statue of Liberty) photo, left. Along the way we spotted a pika and, in the distance on the Trail Ridge Road, an elk jam (surprised to see elk still up so high this late in the season). Back at the car, we drove along past the elk harem groupings and stopped at Forest Canyon View, a short walk leading to a vista from Longs Peak to Mt. Ida and north. Descending steeply, we stopped at Rainbow Curve (?) which had views of Fall River and Horseshoe Park and lots of begging chipmunks, ground squirrels and Clarks Nutcrackers plus a Stellers Jay. We passed Many Parks Vista and continued on to Moraine Park VC getting there shortly after 1700 for the 1800 ranger talk on elk. We hung out for a while then took the nature trail which came out near the amphitheater. The talk was very good. Ranger Cynthia’s theme was “Priorities” – those of the cow elk, the bull elk, and the NPS-RMNP. At 1830 we drove down into Moraine Park and joined the crowd watching a large but distant harem being herded by a single bull elk. We drove farther in and found a couple of bulls much closer and heard some bugling. By then it was past our dinner time so we headed back to the condo with no more detours.

C.J. on the trail to Jewel Lake
23 Sep, Fri – up at 7 even though we had gotten to bed late (C.J. was up late working on some CBCC legal business) By 0830 we were on our way to the Park And Ride (near Glacier Basin CG –closed for the season) to catch a shuttle to Glacier Gorge TH. We began hiking at 0930 following the Loch Vale trail through some changing aspens past Alberta Falls. A ways beyond the falls the trail descends to the jct to Mills Lake to the left, L. Haiyahah to the right; we went straight on toward the Loch (0.9 mi) The trail switchbacked several times and, just before reaching the lake, we almost stumbled on a cow and calf elk. Just beyond, the view up the lake was spectacular and we sat for a while in the cool breeze (very welcome in the warm, sunny weather) before heading back down again almost bumping into the elk which had moved into the woods. Back at the junction, we climbed to Mills Lake, a much smaller elevation gain and only 0.6 mi. Mills provided a wider view that included Storm Peak, Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain. We followed the trail on the left side of the lake almost all the way to the end where we climbed onto a large outcrop to have lunch with a view. After lunch we continued up the valley past the next lake, Jewel. From there we returned to Glacier gorge TH and shuttled back to our car. On the way to the condo we stopped at The Warming Hut to see if we could exchange C.J.’s leaking Platypus (no luck; contact the mfg). Back at Worldmark, we soaked in the spa, swam in the pool (heated to 85o) and talked to a couple from IL who were new WM owners. After supper we went to an evening ranger program at the Beaver Meadow VC auditorium, “Doc Wild’s Unhuggables”, aimed at kids but enjoyable for all. [Medical note – my knee did not hurt me today even though we hiked at least 8 mi and gained 1200 ft – may have been the 2 ibuprofens 3x per day.]


24 Sep, Sat – We slept in a bit since we planned a rest day with a very short local hike and then the Beer, Brats and Bands Autumn Gold Festival at Bond Park in downtown Estes Park. It was after 1000 when we drove into town and found it crowded with traffic and pedestrians. The festival didn’t look very impressive but we could check it out later. We drove out Devils Gulch Road and found that the old TH for Twin Owls was closed. The alternative, Lumpy Ridge TH, was not as far out on Devils Gulch and, although not totally filled with cars, was pretty busy. We decided to do a route which included Gem Lake and a return to the Twin Owls Loop. We were on the trail with light packs and shorts by 1100. I guess we should have
Gem Lake
paid more attention to the map because what we had thought of as a short stroll, was a gain of 1000 ft in 1.7 mi to Gem Lake through open forest and granite outcrops (and up some of the tallest steps I’ve ever seen). Later we found out that the trail had been constructed by the CCC. There were good, if distant, views of Longs Peak as well as Estes Park. Gem Lake was a tiny, rock-rimmed, shallow pond with a shore of granite pebbles. After lunch we scrambled up to the top of one of the walls above the lake – it has been a LONG time since we have done any climbing on granite! The trip down the trail took almost as long (longer, since we added another 1.4 mi for the Twin Owls Loop) as the climb up because of the many tall steps to negotiate – thank goodness we had not left our trekking poles back at the car for the “short stroll”. Passing beneath the Twin Owls, we saw a couple of climber access trails, one going to the Owl’s Bowels, another to Gollum’s Arch, but saw no climbers. Just before we reached the parking lot around 1405, we did meet a family of boulder-ers with a very young boy who was backpacking his own “crash pad” . We were tired and pretty dried out from all the hiking in the sun and much warmer temperatures. So we didn’t feel much like dealing with traffic and crowds. We did some grocery shopping at Safeway picking up milk, lettuce, bratwurst, and a fresh pineapple. Back at the condo, I made a big fruit smoothie with orange, pineapple, blueberries, yogurt and honey. Later I grilled the brats on one of the gas grills around the condo and we had another good salad. Tonight’s entertainment was a ranger presentation on the CCC at RMNP at the Beaver Meadows VC auditorium. We heard that FDR’s emergency legislation was hammered out within two weeks of his inauguration, passed by Congress in ten days in late Mar, and by May 10, workers were on the ground. [Quite different from todays’s governmental gridlock.] Leaving the VC we encountered a solid stream of traffic coming out of the park (It had been a “free entrance day” and earlier there had been a big elk jam at the intersection of Rtes 36 and 66 just outside the park. When we got back, we found that Craig had left a message about getting together so I called him and arranged to meet at his house in Boulder Sunday after we checked out by noon.



25 Sep, Sun – We were pretty well packed up by 1000 so we checked out of Worldmark, leaving our trailer parked in its slot for the time being. When we drove into Estes Park and parked by the Mohr’s winery, we found out that they don’t open until 1230 on Sundays so we missed making that connection with our square dance friends’ family. We walked the main drag of the supremely tourist-oriented town checking out cabin accessories, rocks and fossils, Nepalese clothing, t-shirts (of course) and the not-impressive Beer, Brats and Bands. C.J. bought a card with “Elk Rules to Live By” (e.g., "Don't get stuck in a rut" ) and a pair of bear-design socks. By then the town was filling up so we returned to WM and hooked up the trailer and started to head for Boulder. Just then Craig called and said he was going out on a bike ride with his twin boys and couldn’t meet us until 1500 or so. We decided to leave anyway and take the scenic route (Rtes 7 and 72). Right after getting out of EP we could see that even over the last day the aspens had become more colorful and in places were near their peak. Right near the Longs Peak Ranger Station there was a big grove of brilliant golden aspen on the mountainside. We thought we’d see what things looked like from the RS and TH and maybe take a short hike. When we got there, we found the parking lot overflowing with no place to turn around with a trailer. We had to unhook and manually turn it around; fortunately the lot was pretty level. Back on the road, the patches of gold got more numerous. We pulled into Wild Basin but there was no ranger at the entrance station to ask about parking and trailer turnarounds so, “once bitten, twice shy…” we returned to Rte 7 and didn’t stop again until we pulled into an USFS CG at Peaceful Valley for lunch (an okay CG but no great views). Farther south, beyond Ward, we came upon an “aspen jam” with lots of cars pulled off the road so the occupants could admire the swath of gleaming, gold, sunlit aspen in the valley below. We took some photos as well but they will probably not show the reality of the glow. Descending to Nederland, we turned and followed Rte 119 down the canyon passing many hikers and rock climbers (full parking areas). The GPS led us right to 165 S 33rd and we unhitched the trailer right in front of Craig and Liz’s house. Liz got back before Craig and invited us in. The boys (Eli and Isaac) arrived a few minutes later and Craig was right behind them. After refreshments, Craig took us up to NCAR Mesa for a short walk to view Boulder and the mountains (Devil’s Thumb, The Maiden, the Flatirons, …). Then he took us to the Boulder Chautauqua, now a Boulder city park where he and Liz were married. Back at the house we agreed that it probably would be (after all we had no idea) fun to eat at the Dushanbe Teahhouse, a gift from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan. Great food, not terribly expensive, and a very interesting building (which arrived in 200 crates and had to be reconstructed by Tajik craftsmen. The return gift from Boulder was a Cyber Café!) After dinner (lamb kebobs/shashlik w/Basmati rice and a Mediterranean salad we shared) we walked a few blocks to the pedestrian mall and then returned home.

26 Sep, Mon – We got up at 0745 thinking to stay out of everyone’s way until the twins got ready for school, but they had a late-start day and Craig had made waffles so we ate while everyone tried to carry on as usual. After the boys and Craig left we took showers and said goodbye to Liz who had an a.m. meeting. Then we checked email, hooked up the trailer and were gone by 1000. We stopped for gas at Costco in Superior (337.9!). We avoided the toll road by driving through Broomfield to I-76, then stopped at a couple of rest areas and got gas again at North Platte NE (355.9). The next Passport America (PA) campground
Sand Channels SRA, Neb
was a long ways off so we figured we’d stay at Walmart in Ft Kearney. But C.J. looked through the NE tourist guide I picked up at the Welcome Center and found a State Recreation Area (Sandy Channels SRA) at exit 263 west of Odessa. It was practically empty and there seemed to be no fee. We parked in a grassy turnout and took a walk around the park catching some great light and reflections in the sloughs before going in to cook dinner. [C.J. reminded me of a few other sights during the day: we saw some large white birds with dark trailing edges (maybe Sandhill Cranes?) circling over a lake near the CO/NE border. We also saw a flock of turkeys in a field next to I-80. And we tried to find a display of carved (and some bronzed) trees in Sterling but we never saw any despite a longish detour – should have asked for directions at the VC.]

27 Sep, Tue – Woke at 0730 and we were on the road by 0900. Basically we drove all day with a stop in
Amana Colony Meat Market
Omaha at Costco for gas (325.9), a half-case of Boulevard beer and lunch. We picked up an Iowa tourist book at the first rest area and stopped once more as traffic backed up due to a lane closure being removed at 1645. Along the way we decided to stay at a PA CG in Amana so got off I-80 at Little Amana and drove approx. 11 miles to Amana RV Park, a large, mostly treeless RV park with good, level, pull-thru sites and hot showers in a heated building. The $15.42 included a wooden nickel good for getting a pound of bratwurst at the village meat market.


28 Sep, Wed – From the RV park we drove into Amana where cashed in our wooden nickel and got a pound of maple brats for $1. Then we followed Rte 151 to Cedar Rapids, apparently home of Quaker Oats, and picked up a Minn-Wis AAA Tourbook along with a more detailed map of the Upper Peninsula, and filled up with gas.(339.9). We continued on 151, a four-lane divided hwy through Dubuque and into WI. At the first rest area there was no one on duty at the VC and this time there were no useful booklets similar to those we got in NE and IA. Oh well, we had the Tourbook. As we drove NE, then N into more
Trolls at Mt Horeb, WI
forested land, the fall colors began to show reds mixed with the yellows. There were still a lot of conifers but the hardwoods were definitely changing. We were lured off the highway by signs for the 150th anniversary of Mt. Horeb and the carved trolls. We walked along the main street taking pictures of the trolls and stopping at the Duluth Trading Post flagship store (which had taken over the location of the Mustard Museum). After a little wrong-turn mix-up near Madison WI, we turned onto I-39 to head north. Our original destination in the UP had changed when a neighboring couple from MI at the RV park had said we couldn’t miss Porcupine Mountain State Park filled with old-growth hardwoods sure to be colorful. C.J. did a lot of research on camping options on the way up I-39 – PA RV parks, USFS CGs, other RV parks - but we finally settled on driving until sundown and staying in a Walmart lot in Rhinelander. We took a break around 1630 at a Culvers (frozen custard) in Stevens Point. That was after we had stopped in Westfield to see if we could say “Hi” to Danny and Brian at Danny’s Campers, but the shop (much smaller than the huge one in Coloma) was closed. We filled up with gas at a Marathon station there (same 10% ethanol, low-mileage gas we’ve been using since North Platte NE). At Rhinelander we parked in a level spot adjacent to a cemetery and got some groceries and supplies at Walmart.


29 Sep, Thu – There were low clouds as we awoke at 0700 – the first sign that our good luck with weather was about to change. We were on the road by 0845 heading east to Laona and into the National Forest
Presque Isle R in Porcupine Mountain State Pk
where we stopped at a ranger station. From there we drove north through Nicolet NF. Turning west and northwest we left the NF heading for Ontonogan. We stopped at an Ace Hardware in Iron River to replace the hitch pin for the tongue wheel. Then we got gas (352.9), possibly “real” gas not ethanol, in Watersmeet. Both locations had broken wild rice 3 lb packages for $9.99 (unbroken - $16.99) but we didn’t buy any expecting to have many more opportunities, and maybe at a lower price. The weather had deteriorated to rain and wind by mid morning as predicted. It was only a few more miles to Porcupine Mtn Wilderness State Park where the rain and wind really picked up as we were on the shore of Lake Superior. There was no electricity in the visitor center but we talked to the rangerette about camping and found it was $25 right on the lake with hookups and $14 at primitive sites farther inland. Plus the $8 entrance fee! It was too stormy to hike so we searched AAA and the GPS for other options – about 40 mi from the VC was a municipal CG at Wakefield which was $12 (in 2009, $15 now) with hookups. That seemed like a good deal and it allowed us to drive through the park on the way there. At Wakefield we maneuvered the Aliner to face into the wind then set it up as quickly and efficiently as possible in the rain and wind. Not much rain got in but our outer clothing got pretty wet. We climbed in about 1630 or so (EDT, we’d crossed the time zone in MI) and ran the furnace to dry our stuff and keep us warm. We couldn’t run the fan because we were concerned that the wind gusts might damage the vent cover, so we had lots of condensation inside on the windows and exposed aluminum. We had brats (again) with zuke and pasta. What with the rain, wind, and dropping temperatures, we ran the furnace quite a bit until we went to bed. Around 1845 there was a colorful sunset across Sunday Lake, and most of the rain and wind quit. It didn’t get as cold as we had predicted (we had the down comforter out) but the stars were visible. And that was it for inclement weather until we got all the way to NH.

Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mtn State Park
30 Sep, Fri – No one else was camped at Wakefield so I had the bathroom to my self as I used heated water to wash my hair – a quart seems about right if I use a sports bottle cap to control the flow. We left the trailer ready for travel at the CG and drove back to Porcupine. First we went to the Presque Isle Scenic Area (SW corner), paid the $8 daily fee and started hiking from the backpackers TH down the E side of the Presque Isle River to Lake Superior where large waves were breaking on the sandy beach just like an ocean. In intermittent sun we hiked back up the west side of the river passing several falls stair-stepping down over the Nonesuch Shale. After a bit more than a mile we came out on South Border Road and crossed the hwy bridge to the Eastside Trail. This one had boardwalks and stairways but it was also good for views of Manido (cf, Manitou) and Nahawaha (?) Falls and the colorful foliage. From Presque Isle we drove to the Summit Peak Scenic Area and walked the ½ mile to the 40 ft observation tower. It was pretty windy at the 1958 ft elevation but we had dressed for it so we enjoyed the walk and bright foliage, especially when the sun hit it. Lake of the Clouds SA was our next destination, a favorite Michigan postcard subject. On the way we stopped at two CGs, the tiny (3 sites) Lost Creek Outpost and the main Union Bay CG. The views at Lake of the Clouds were as good as advertised, especially with the fall foliage. The escarpment (which gave its name to the Big and Little “Carp” Lakes and to the lake itself at one time) was basalt (trap rock) over sandstone over shale. Having seen all we wanted to at Porcupine, we drove back to Wakefield’s Sunday Lake Campground and picked up the trailer in a rainbreak (after cleaning off a bunch of goose poop from the roof). We looked at PA CGs on the GPS but decided to go to Marquette and stay at a Walmart (about 130 mi, arrived 1830). I got really low on gas after turning onto Rte 41 when none of the small towns on the route had a gas station. Finally in Michagami we were able to fill up (359.9) and found out that all those 50 lb sacks of apples or carrots or sugar beets were for sale as “deer food”. In Marquette the GPS sent us past the Walmart to a non-existent WM. We returned to the actual WM, parked and bought some groceries and had another good dinner. The temperature reading from local banks' signs were showing lower forties so we were expecting a chilly night. Without an electric hookup we weren’t sure how much we could operate the furnace before running down the battery. [This was before we found out that our battery was almost dead.]

Chapel Rock at Picture Rocks Nat'l Lakeshore
1 Oct, Sat – We didn’t wake until almost 0800 but we were on our way by 0845 to Munising. We stopped at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PRNL) info center and picked up maps and brochures for hiking (and looked at a book of Longfellows complete Song of Hiawatha, much longer than the excerpt we all had read as high school students in one anthology or another, which was set in the PRNL area, Gitchee Gumee being Lake Superior). We then went directly to the 8-site Little Beaver Campground which was three miles off the highway on a “steep, winding” gravel road. We chose a site next to the lake and used the FRS radios to help back in. After unhooking and setting up we drove back to the Miners Castle area to see that iconic PRNL sight. Backtracking a couple of miles on the same road, we parked at the over-full Miners Falls TH lot. The hike was a 1.2 mi RT nature trail and it wasn’t as busy as we expected. We had lunch on the way to the next site – the Chapel Rock/Mosquito area. Once again the parking lot was overflowing, obviously a popular place (especially on a Saturday). We started on the loop in a counterclockwise direction (6.2 mi+) at 1500 and got back at 1800 (still plenty of daylight). We passed Chapel Falls but did not really get a view of Chapel Lake until our return trip. We came out on the shore of Lake Superior right at an eroded “sea stack” whose only connection to the rest of the cliff was the thick roots of a white pine. We walked a short ways on the sandy beach then returned to the forest for the last leg of our loop. When we got back to Little Beaver camp, I checked the voltage on our trailer battery – 10.46 – so it had not charged at all on the 50 mile drive from Marquette (Uh-oh!) C.J. made a quinoa, black bean, tomato, and sausage dinner and I built a small fire – the only warmth we’d have that night since we couldn’t run the furnace until we got it charged up


Spray /Falls at PRNL, Lake Superior
2 Oct, Sun – It was pretty cold in the trailer – in the 30’s – and even colder outside with frost. We got up about 0800 but didn’t get on the trail until 1000. It was another beautiful day, and got warmer. We hiked down to Lake Superior and followed the North Country (National Scenic?) Trail west along the tops of the cliffs along the coast. [The beach where we came out of the forest looked walkable but a ways farther on headlands stuck out into the lake and would have necessitated a climb back up to the trail anyway.] It was another 2.5 mi to the Spray Falls viewpoint and we got there just at noon, time to stop for lunch before retracing our route. There were a few sharp ascents and descents along the way, some with very tall steps (shades of Gem Lake!). Back around Little Beaver Lake there were long boardwalks over wet areas. We met a number of backpackers and some day hikers but not as many as we expected based on the number of cars in the parking lot. Back around 1400, we packed up and got on the road deciding to find a PA CG so we could be sure of electricity to charge our battery and/or run the furnace if we had another cold night. We backtracked a bit to a paved road running south from near the Bear Trap Restaurant although the GPS kept wanting us to take dirt roads down to SR 28. While I was pumping gas (359.9), C.J. called the PA CG in Newberry but it didn’t take PA after 9/15 so we drove on to I-75 and south to Kinross where the municipal CG cost only $10 with PA. We got showers and enjoyed a sunny evening (Battery showed 13.36 when we arrived but that may just be surface charge; at least we know that the converter/charger is working) It didn’t get quite as cold so we could work on our computers without freezing or running the furnace. C.J. called Keith Riemersa about flying tomorrow or ? at Green Point but he lives 160 miles away and does not fly weekdays. He said he would call back with another pilot’s tel. number; he lives only a mile away.

3 Oct, Mon – Keith never called back so we went to bed not knowing where we should aim for on Monday. It wasn’t too cold so we didn’t even unpack the down comforter. We got up at 0800 and were on the road after a short stop at a grocery (still looking for wild rice…) around 1000. We took the business route through St. Ignace and picked up a loaf of walnut-cranberry bread while still looking for wild rice – last stop on the UP. After crossing the Mackinack Bridge ($5.25) we stopped at a VC. About 30 mi down I-75 we detoured on to SR 31 and followed it south along the edge of Lake Michigan/Traverse Bay. We stopped at a roadside picnic area for lunch, a fruit stand to buy apples, then continued south to Traverse
City. We found a AAA on our route and picked up maps for NE and SE USA. I failed to stop for relatively cheap gas before heading out to Sleeping Bear Dunes NL, but we stopped at another grocery store to
Sleeping Bear Dunes (launch)
restock our cheese and buy a meat pasty and yogurt. We checked in to DH Day CG in SBDNL, dropped off the trailer and then drove to park HQ in Empire to see about getting flying permits. The VC was already closed, but we found gas (341.9). We took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and walked out on the dune – no howling wind like the last time we were there photo, left. We also went to the Dune Climb area where C.J. did the climb while I checked out a nature trail at the base. Back at camp C.J. made dinner while I checked the battery which was already down to 12.2 (50%) added some water and plugged in the charger. After dinner we walked over to talk to Dick and Diana Barrel from MN who had a 1997 Aliner. They do most of their cooking and cleaning up outside and have a “Mr. Heater” propane catalytic heater which they really like (might be a good alternative to our propane furnace if that is what is running down the battery). While we were talking in the dark, a raccoon climbed right up on their table to see if any food was left in the washed dishes! Later they came over to see our little trailer and we sat around and talked for quite a while. Later I noticed that our door wasn’t closing easily and removed the strikeplate which had at least one stripped screw.



4 Oct, Tue – Measurements of around 10.5v made me worry that the battery was not holding a charge. I planned to get a test done sometime soon. [Also, the Trooper’s Check Engine Light came on and went off yesterday – hope it was just a fluke.] Not sure what we should do today, we headed first for the Bayview
C.J. hiking along Lake Michigan Shore below Green Point
trailhead on Thoreson Rd. Skipped that and went to Pyramid Point instead, a 1.2 mi RT walk to a (launch and) viewpoint looking N over Lake Michigan toward Manitou Island. We returned to camp to pick up the trailer to go to Green Point since Bill Fifer said he would be there at 1100 with a student. We got there (From Elberta go S to just over the crest of the hill, turn right on unpaved Ellsworth Lane. At fork where right branch goes down hill, take left fork in to “Stop.No Trespassing.Private” signed area and immediate next right into a road signed “Green Point Members Only”) around 1300 and Adam, the student, had not yet arrived. We had lunch and hung out with Bill. Conditions were light and crossed from the S. When Adam arrived we watched him launch and as expected it was not soarable. Nevertheless, it was launchable so we got ready to go and before Bill returned from picking up Adam, I launched. Hope springs eternal, but I sank like a rock as I tried to get as far down the beach toward Elberta as possible to shorten the hike. C.J. landed a bit farther north on the same grassy bench above the beach. We walked for what seemed like a mile not sure how we would recognize the end of Grace Road where Bill had offered to pick us up. Finally I spotted a street sign and climbed up a steep track to the road end then went back for C.J.’s wing. Bill arrived just as I got back to the street. Adam had not flown again. (Bill, who is turning 70 in Nov) was sort
Green Point sunset
of put out with Adam for spending so much time “ironing“ his wing, and finally told him to bag it up. It was sunny and warm and flying conditions had not improved so I washed my hair and we hung out until time for dinner around 6. [Earlier we had decided to stay at Green Point for the night. There were CG-type electrical outlets – but no water - and grassy parking spaces as well as a roofed picnic area. Since we had signed waivers and paid the $10 fee for each of us, camping was free. [Adam was also camping but in a tent.] We had some chips and guacamole (still good after being carried from home all this time) before spaghetti and salad. After cleaning up we went up on the HG ramp to watch the sun set into Lake Michigan. The rest of the night was relatively warm.



5 Oct, Wed – Up at 0800 and out by 0930. Nice drive across MI with lots of color on diagonal SR 115. We stopped in Cadillac to get an Ontario Tourbook at AAA (small shop; did not have a campbook), Then we went to an Autozone and had the battery tested – “Bad, bad, bad”, she said. Well, I should have guessed that was the problem. 25 of the 30-months warranty had gone by so we would have received only a 10% credit even if there had been a Costco anywhere nearby. We ended up buying a new battery at Walmart for $68 (plus tax=$74) (cheaper than the $95 one at Autozone). We also priced propane catalytic heaters just in case we found out that our propane furnace was destroying the battery. They cost about $85 for the Mr. Heater Buddy, and $58 for the Coleman Black Cat. We bought some groceries before we hit the road again. Gas near Frankenmuth was $319.9, just about a record low. We also stopped at a Culvers for an afternoon snack. Good thing we did because there was a laundry available at the St. Claire Thousand Trails/Encore Resort, a PA RV park and, after showers, we spent until 2130 getting two loads of dirty clothes washed and (mostly) dried before we stopped for dinner. During all that time we were slowly collecting our email and sending messages to Kate, Craig and Wayne. C.J. checked out the Mt. Brace flying site on line and found out that it was kind of expensive and a 35-min hike to the launch after the 30 min drive (wonder how those HGs get up there….) She sent an email to James Bradley to see if he had any ideas about where to fly. I paid MNBA on line via Bill Payer and checked that our Soc Sec checks had been deposited for Sep. We would have to check in at the office in the morning because the attendant who checked us in did not have access to the check-in computer. The RV park was large but the sites were shady; we had a back-in with elec. But the water had been turned off for the season.

6 Oct, Thu – Up at 0800 again then out of camp late after checking email and trying to get the office computer program to accept the PA discount. We stopped to top up gas (345.9) at the entrance to I-94 then drove to the border crossing (Blue Water Bridge, $6) in Port Huron. Driving across this stretch of Canada was nothing special but cut off a long drive through IN, OH, PA and NY mostly on toll roads. We stopped for lunch at a “service center” which had a gas station and an airport-like food court with BK, Horton’s, a stand specializing in poutine (CDN dish consisting of French fries and cheese curds covered with brown gravy), a Starbucks and a few more. We ate outside on a fossil-studded boulder. Before going all the way to the border crossing at Niagara Falls, we turned off on a route that took us to Niagara Falls-
Brock Mem.: a British Soldier uniform of 1812
On-The-Lake, a decidedly high-rent tourist destination on Lake Ontario. From there we followed the Niagara Parkway along the Niagara River stopping once to stretch our legs and get a picture of the river and the Rainbow Bridge. We also took a longer stop at a park in Queenston where a 165 ft monument built in 1853 to General Sir Isaac Brock commemorates his death at the Battle of Queenston (10-13-1812) when American forces were repelled forcing a withdrawal from the US invasion of Canada. We had an interesting conversation with a graduate of a local college, uniformed as a British soldier of the 1800s, about the War of 1812 and the impact of the abdication of Napoleon after his defeat at Moscow. Then we drove to Niagara Falls where I dropped C.J. off to take some photos. Driving around the block to pick her up was not as simple as I thought it would be but I eventually got back to where she was waiting. We continued along the Parkway to Fort Erie and crossed the Peace Bridge to the US border. Driving on I-90 through Buffalo was bumper-to-bumper slow-going. Once on I-90 going southwest we checked the GPS for a Walmart on our route toward Bath but found none (!), so we decided to head for a PA CG in Java Center. They did not answer the phone when C.J. called from a gas stop (363.9) in E Aurora. A new check of the GPS now showed a Walmart in Warsaw 24 miles E so we had a new destination. The route was a continuous series of ups and downs as we traversed land scraped by glaciation. A produce stand along the way provided us with corn, pepper and a Danish squash. WM had no fresh food store so we bought only oatmeal and a bag of trail mix. However, the Tops next door had rotisserie chicken and some good bread so we had another great meal.

7 Oct, Fri – We stopped in the Save-a-Lot store in Warsaw and got two boxes of Triscuit substitute (for $1.69 ea). Then we tried parking outside the public library to use their wi-fi but their system required a library card number. We headed on east to Letchworth State Park ($8) where we stopped at a number of overlooks and had lunch at one seated on a dry-laid, flat stone, rock wall. At Lower Falls we parked and checked out the CCC Memorial – same statue that we had seen at Deception Pass, WA. Then we walked the 3/4 mile trail and down the 127 steps to the CCC-constructed bridge in the bottom of the gorge with a view of Lower Falls. The bridge had withstood many floods over the years and was still in excellent shape. Next we stopped at Inspiration Point, then parked below the museum and the Glen Iris Inn, and walked to viewpoints for Upper Falls, Highbridge (a railroad trestle), and Middle Falls (rainbow). Leaving Letchworth by the Portageville entrance (S) we drove on to Bath where we got gas (365.9) in an area busy with traffic. We got to Kate’s house (built in 1900) about 1630 and, after visiting a while, she took us up to Mossy Banks Park where we walked down to the hidden HG launch. George Dickey met us there in the parking lot and we went to dinner at San Carlos Mexican Restaurant. Back at Kate’s we contacted Kate’s HG friend Scott “Weezer” Wise (?) and a couple others to see about the possibility of flying in the Southern Tier the next day. The forecast did not look good for local sites including Bristol Mtn (across from the ski area). But we could check again in the morning.


8 Oct, Sat – Up a bit before 0800 as usual. Kate made cheese and fresh herb omelet. Later she drove us to Williams RV where there was an outdoor expo going on. We avoided the $5 per car fee since we were there just to fill our propane tank. . It took 3.4 gallons (at 80% fill, it should hold 4 gal) for about $12.35.
In Bath with Kate R
Back at Kate’s I checked email and answered Lauren’s and Wayne’s. The weather looks good until Wed when a storm is predicted. C.J. and I decided to blow off the Rochester Area Flyers graduation party at Bristol, and C.J. checked with “Voiter” about Ellenville. He said it was very light (and later we heard it was over the back… but, then again, on Sunday it was awesome). So we chose to go to the Adirondacks for Sat and Sun and head on to VT to visit Lauren and Peter on Monday. We drove up the east side of Keuka Lake, had lunch at the head of Seneca Lake, and finally gave in and took the Thruway as far as Rome where we stopped at a Bank of America to replenish our cash. Heading on toward Old Forge, we got gas at Holland Patent at a Stewarts (365.9) and stopped at a closed info ctr so I could look for PA CGs on my laptop. We chose Kayuta Lake CG in Forestport. It meant stopping early (1645) but gave us time to enjoy the camp in the afternoon sunshine and to do some computer stuff. There was an end-of-the-season potluck at 1800 but we weren’t prepared to contribute a dish so we had chicken and pasta with salad with fresh fruits.


9 Oct, Sun – Travel was relatively slow but scenic as we entered the Adirondack Park. We drove a mere 150 miles and a good bit of that was slow going through villages like Old Forge filled with folks on the same mission as we were, leaf-peepers all. We stopped for gas in Tupper Lake (367.9) and bought some bread and pasta at an IGA. I’d been hearing “brake noises” at least since the day before and today they got very noticeable – maybe it was because it was warm and we were driving slowly through a lot of towns and villages with the windows open. Anyway, when we pulled into camp (Fish Creek Pond State Park CG near
Mt Baker across Moody Pond
Saranac Lake) early (1300), I pulled the wheels off one at a time: nothing obvious except that the pads were really worn thin. We had lunch, a second round of Kate’s sandwiches; then we left the trailer and drove in to the town of Saranac Lake to do a short hike. It was a bit of a challenge to find the trailhead because there was no “Moody Pond Rd” but we followed a road to Moody Pond (Thanks, GPS.) and found a bunch of cars parked at the TH (just as we had seen at other THs along the way from Forestport to camp). The trail was a steep 0.9 mi ascent to a rocky ledge on the top of Baker Mtn. C.J. timed us at 35 min up and 1.5 hr for the whole trip (We came back down via a different route). We had great views of the lakes and the distant High Peaks area. There were good if somewhat subdued fall colors. On the way back we drove through Saranac Lake to see if there were any auto repair places; we found two and the GPS listed several more. Back at camp, the solar shower had not had enough solar so we heated some water for an outdoor shampoo and indoor sponge baths. We were camped at a DEC park – cost was $22 plus (we didn’t know this) $5 for non-residents, plus a $2.75 registration fee =$29.75! We could have stayed in a local non-PA RV park for $30 (with showers and electricity probably). Oh well, our site was right on the lake and it was very scenic.

10 Oct, Mon – We were up at 0645 so I could call Monro at 0730 when they opened. They could take us at 0830 so we had a quick breakfast of instant (ugh) oatmeal. We were still ten minutes late but early enough that they were able to replace the brake pads and rear rotors by 1115 (for a mere $600). We spent the interim walking around Saranac Lake (on the street and on the riverfront trail), bought postcards, and visited the cottage where Robert Louis Stevenson spent a winter. Once we had recovered the trailer from the boat launch parking lot across from Monro we headed east into the high peaks passing through Keene (reputedly hit hard by the Irene storm). At lunch time we stopped at a day-use area between the Cascade Lakes. It was amazingly uncrowded considering that all the roadside pullouts for trailheads had been parked up fully.
G at Owlhead Overlook, Adirondacks
Then we turned north toward Elizabethtown and drove past the (full) parking lots for Baxter Mtn and Hurricane. The parking lot (off road) for Owls Head/Giant was small and required backing the trailer in order to get turned around. The trail climbed fairly steadily but not too steeply until the last 0.2 mi. Otherwise we followed a nice stream through birch-beech-maple forest. The view from the windy, rocky summit ledge was excellent – good color, Rocky Ridge and some of the back-side slides on Giant. It took 1.5 hours to climb the 2.6 mi trail and about the same going down. We started at 1310 and got back to the TH around 1630. Then we drove through Elizabethtown to Westport where we could get cell coverage to call Lauren and Peter. We got their address and drove to Crown Point where we caught the free ferry across the bottom of Lake Champlain into Vermont. [Awesome sunset and moonrise!] In Bristol Lauren and Peter welcomed us to their renovated 1900 house which was much larger than the picture made it appear. We sat around their totally remodeled kitchen with drinks and snacks and a typically wonderful Lauren dinner (following a post-hike shower) and tried to get caught up on the 30 (?) years since they left Seattle.


11 Oct, Tue – I woke up in time to see a red-tinged sunrise sky from the window of our room. Later I did some bill paying and checkbook balancing – looked okay. We had a breakfast of scones, egg scramble with veggies and goat cheese, real cocoa and OJ. Lauren took us for a walk through Bristol – yes, it’s that small – it’s easy to see why they decided to move here. We threw some of our sweaty clothes in with a load of laundry Lauren was doing and, when it was mostly dry, spread it out in the car. We left around 1215, got gas (340.9) in Middlebury and drove over the Middlebury Gap (~2100 ft). Along the road (and by the asphalt patches), we could see evidence of the destruction caused by Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene. It was even worse on the east side of the Green Mountains in the White River Valley where we saw houses partly buried in river silt – lots of erosion and deposition. We were ready for lunch but all the roadside/riverside pullouts were gone or under construction, so we did not stop until we had passed through Woodstock. After lunch we drove over a bridge over the Quechee Gorge, very deep (and swarming with tourists). Eventually we got
Morningside Flight Park
to I-89 and took it south to the bridge over the Connecticut River and on to Claremont, NH. We were surprised that there were no signs with directions to Morningside Flight Park, so we had to stop at a visitor center. Once C.J. had an address, I was able to look it up on Google Earth and also set it as a destination on the GPS. When we got there a HG was flying but the wind was calm to over-the-back. Two or three pilots were doing sledders from the 250’ and 450’ (top) launches, and later a Dragonfly towed up a couple of tandems.  We could have camped there for $10 per person but decided that we would get the same amenities for free at Walmart in Claremont [Local CGs were about as expensive]. The counter person at WM thought that the manager had said “no RV overnighting” so I had to speak with the manager.  What the manager had actually done was refuse overnight parking to a trucker, RVs were okay. We picked up a jar of PB and some porta-potti deodorant at WM.  Earlier we had stopped at a roadside fruit stand and left $3 for three pounds of apples. That evening we discussed where we should head next. I thought it was too soon to head for Cousin Rick in MA, E-ville, Greg, Pat and Kitty Hawk since camping sounded uncertain on the Outer Banks. During the day I called Scott Badger in North Conway and he said he’d show us around the old Whitehorse Ledge flying site or at least have dinner with us if we came up his way.


12 Oct, Wed – We decided to head up into the Whites before the rain hit (predicted for Thursday).  We didn’t get out of Claremont until close to 1000 and then traveled leisurely up Rte 11 winding through small mill towns and forest.  We bought gas at Newport (345.9) just to top up at the lowest price we’d seen in a while.  Of course, the next gas station had gas for 336.9) – oh, well! At another stop I called Rick and got him at work.  We’ll stay with him and Kathy on Thursday night. I-97 took us to Lincoln, the west end of the Kancamagus Highway (Rte 112); and the big USFS/Lincoln Tourist Center. There were good
Rocky Gorge, Swift River NH
history displays and we picked up a map of the Kancamagus. Heading east we stopped at several overlooks and, at Swift River Gorge, we took a one-mile walk around Falls Pond.  The infrastructure around the gorge looked like it had taken a big hit from Irene. We stopped for the night at Blackberry Crossing USFS CG, about five mi west of Conway.  Leaving the trailer around 1500, we drove across the street to the Albany Covered Bridge and CG/TH where we took off on the Boulder Loop Trail.  It was a pretty good climb to viewpoints from the granite ledges of the summit. The weather was still good and the fall colors were bright. We didn’t get down until 1730 and had had no cell coverage until we were halfway to Conway (We hadn’t thought to bring a phone on the hike). But we managed to get hold of Scott and meet him at the Moat Smokehouse just north of North Conway (which is now filled with outlet malls, sport shops, motels, restaurants and boutiques). Dinner was an excellent platter of barbecued ribs, chicken and pork and some local microbrews.  Scott had lots of stories about the early days of flying in the White Mountains, mostly from Whitehorse which has either a cliff launch or slab depending on the wind direction and a strenuous climb to get there, all reasons why he is the only pilot left in the area, perhaps.  We got back to the CG about 2030 and got set up quickly, not looking forward to the rain in the forecast.  Still, weather so far on the trip had been amazingly good.

13 Oct, Thu – The rain started around midnight, just as forecast, not very hard but loud on the plexiglass skylights. In the morning we were able to pack up in just a drizzle.  We took a little time checking out the CCC info sign before we left.  According to the map it appeared that we had camped on the site of the old CCC rec hall. Around 1000 we stopped at the Saco River ranger station and the ranger gave us some ideas about places to go and things to do around North Conway in the rain. We drove up to NC and walked
Whitehorse Ledges across Echo Lake in the rain

through the LL Bean outlet and Eastern Mountain sports. Then we found the Mt. Washington Observatory’s Weather Discovery Center and spent an hour playing with the interactive exhibits and watching the movie. The weather had not improved much but we still wanted to see Whitehorse, so we drove out to Echo Lake State Park for a surprisingly good view. Then we retraced our way down SR 16 to Conway stopping for bread and goodies at Leavitt Bakery, and new windshield wipers at NAPA. Just south of Conway we took SR 25 and meandered down along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee through Wakefield stopping for gas (341.9) in Alton NH. We tried to find a place for an oil change in Manchester but WM had no lube operation, Midas was too busy to talk to us, and Valvoline couldn’t take a trailer. Back on the road we entered Massachusetts and got on the freeway where traffic was somewhat slow. We got off I-90 at Rte 20 and drove west through Sturbridge and then down the back roads to Wales to my cousin Rick’s estate. Rick let us drive on his yard
Aliner in Rick and Kathy's garden

to a level spot since we would be staying in the trailer - their house does not have a guest room and the two big Labs take up most of the living room.  Rick and Kathy took us out to dinner at the Steaming Tender located in the old railroad station in Palmer. I had Bluebeard Tenders, three chunks of good steak encrusted with coarse salt, served with bleu cheese over Portobello mushrooms, with garlic mashed potatoes and carrots.  Excellent!  After dinner we drove back through Palmer noting the missing landmarks, e.g., my grandparents’ house. [Along the way to dinner, Rick pointed out a swath of devastation only a few miles from his house where a tornado had touched down.]

14 Oct, Fri – We got up at 0700 and prepared breakfast using the microwave in Rick’s kitchen. After eating he showed us around his property including his big tractor with its many attachments (among others, he has a generator that hooks up to the PTO), and his big, shiny motorcycle.  By 0945 we were off and heading to I-84 which we followed all the way through Connecticut into New York.  We followed Rte 32 from near Newburgh up to New Paltz and got gas (365.9) but did not find the old deli that once had our favorite raisin pumpernickel bread.  The Grand Union appeared to be gone, but Rock and Snow, the climbing shop was still in business. It had stopped raining so we headed up to the Gunks stopping along the way at the Jenkins-Lueken Orchard for some good cider.  The salesperson knew what we were talking about when we asked about raisin pumpernickel bread and told us how to find Cohen’s Bakery in Ellenville.  The color was better on the west side of the ridge and it was warmer – in the 70s in the sun.  The GPS also had Cohen’s so we had no problem finding it or parking on the street, running in and getting a half loaf (a whole loaf is HUGE) and some chocolate crumb cake.  On the way south from Ellenville we were trying to spot the launch with limited success, but we did spot Hang Glider Road and drove in to the LZ.  The wind was wrong and no one was flying but we walked over to Greg Black’s Mountain High Shop and talked with him for a while.  He showed us a video of HG students launching from his big ramp. [We didn’t even know that there was more than one launch at E-ville.]. Tony and Greg each own half of the LZ having split over some difference.  Greg has a big concave training hill built up from fill, a large shop and what looks to be the worlds largest hang gliding sign.  On the way out we could clearly see the Mountain High ramp as well as the slope where we had launched last time we were here. We crossed into Pennsylvania (a 4-state day) at Port Jervis after driving though a thunderstorm and continued on Rte 209 down through the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area.  At Stroudsburg around 1700, we found a WM with no lube so we unhitched and drove to a nearby Jiffy Lube for an oil change.  The air filter was dirty but I banged out the bugs, bees and dirt and re-installed it for now. We settled in at Walmart but it was pretty urban and noisy for a place out near the Pocono Mountains.  We ate some of the raisin pumpernickel bread with sausage and a salad and had the crumb cake and cider for dessert (even though we were parked just steps from a Friendly’s).

15 Oct, Sat – We crossed the Delaware River on I-84 then drove back roads along the New Jersey side of the river.  We crossed back in to PA and began to run into heavy, slow traffic.  We stopped for gas and lunch in the gas station parking lot in Newcastle PA (?) then we used the Interstates to get through/around Philadelphia.  In Delaware we circled around Wilmington and over a striking bridge with a single row of suspension cables running along the center of the bridge. Then we exited the Interstate which was about to become a toll road and drove south on a good 4-lane divided highway that seemed to be just as fast. The GPS got us to Greg’s  just outside of Georgetown where we took a break on his front porch with wine and cheese. Greg took us on a tour which hit the highlights of his band venue (16 Mi Brewery and Pub) and work (the huge PATS complex at the Georgetown Airport). Before going in to look at the planes that PATS refits for extended range and/or executive-jet cushiness, we explored the cars of an abandoned dinner train (St.Ann RR) looking for stuff that was soon to junked. Later we went out to eat at the Coral Bay Café for a good meal that was much slowed due to missing kitchen help.

16 Oct, Sun – After breakfast Greg got some tools and aircraft pop rivets from work and repaired the door on the Aliner – it had been loosening up as some screws were stripped.  C.J. washed the floor and we
Greg repairing the door hinge
generally got things cleaned up and the sleeping bags aired.  I put some water in the water tank.  Later, around noon, Greg took us to Cape Henlopen State Park where we visited the remains of Ft. Miles, a WWII coast artillery site.  We climbed up an observation tower (one of several used for triangulation of targets, must have been before radar) and walked through an area with old barracks (concrete, not wooden) and a sampling of the guns that would have been in the emplacements – everything from a 3.5” anti-aircraft gun to a huge 16” ship-killer. We continued on through the dunes out toward the beach where we had a picnic lunch.  We could see the Atlantic, and far off (15 mi) Cape May NJ. We also went down to Herring Point where the park users were a mix of surf fishermen and surfers. On the way home we stopped at the Lewes Ferry Terminal, a Food Lion, and a dairy farm with an ice cream shop.  Back at Greg’s we had crockpot pot-roast with mashed potatoes and asparagus and some Boulevard beer.  Later C.J. contacted her sister Pat and I did some research on the Soaring 100 Expo and the BOD.  We’ll have to see how much help Pat needs in the next few days before we know our schedule WRT our time at Kitty Hawk.

17 Oct, Mon – We left Greg’s about 0930 after he fed us a good breakfast of eggs and toast.  We drove south on Rte 113 to Pocomoke City and down Rte 13, then crossed the long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel ($16 for car and single-axle trailer)  In Norfolk we took I-64 over/under the Hampton Road Bridge-Tunnel and on to Williamsburg.  The GPS unerringly directed us to Pat’s house. After helping her dispose of some Halloween candy while we visited, we had a delicious dinner of lamb grilled on the barbecue. Afterward we drove down to the local Farm Fresh supermarket to pick up a quart of Hagen Daz Java Chip ice cream. In the evening C.J. and Pat went through a pile of Aunt Pete’s photos, books and clippings, and winnowed it down to a manageable amount of memorabilia. Pat also gave C.J. her grandmother’s antique bread mixer which Aunt Pete had been storing.

18 Oct, Tues – We found out that Pres. Obama was going to be in Hampton on Wed. so travel would be difficult. It looked like we would stay through then, at least. Pat showed us where to move the car and trailer into an RV parking area to get it off the street, and pointed out a trail running from there to Colonial Williamsburg just a short walk away.  We accompanied Pat to the bank, post office and Lowes. Later we went to Costco and Pat had to go in to her office so we browsed through a nearby Target (where C.J. picked up an 8 GB flash drive for her downloads). Back at Pat’s we unhitched the trailer and moved the Trooper over to the driveway. Then C.J. and I worked on Pat’s backyard, cutting some big branches and cleaning up in general from the winds and rain of Irene. There was another great Chef Pat dinner of penne and shrimp with tomato-basil garnish.

19 Oct, Wed – Out of milk, so we went into Williamsburg to get a gallon before breakfast.  Later we did some laundry.  It had rained during the night and it continued drizzling in the early a.m. but stopped and was mostly just humid. After lunch C.J. and I walked over to Colonial Williamsburg via the trail that came out
Coach in Colonial Williamsburg
near the AmTrak station. We browsed through Merchant’s Square then entered the preserved and reconstructed Historic Area. Since we did not want to pay the $38 per person admission fee, we could not enter any of the houses, shops or taverns. However, we saw all the grounds and building including the Royal Governor’s Palace and Old Capital Building. Before they closed off the street entirely we wandered into an area where the costumed re-enactors were gathering to talk about the forthcoming breakup with England.  We were cornered by a colonel who was recruiting for his regiment to join Gen. Washington.  By then it was starting to rain more than a drizzle and I wanted to move on (not knowing that a little later there would be more street action including a fife-and-drum band).  On our way out through Merchants Square we stopped for frozen custard at Retros then returned to Pat’s.  I finished reading True Grit and we enjoyed another delicious meal, this time chicken rubbed with honey-mustard dressing and grilled. [The temperature probe is quite a handy gadget for determining doneness.]

20 Oct, Thu – After breakfast we drove Pat to Riverside Hospital Medical Center for an appointment about her leg pain.  The doctor did a sonogram, determined that she had practically no circulation in her left leg and told her to report to the hospital by 4 p.m. We drove her home, had lunch, and drove back to the hospital where she checked in to prepare for an operation Friday morning. While waiting for Pat to finish her exam at the medical center in the morning, C.J. and I had walked around the hospital and found a trail in the woods that went around a lake, or maybe it was part of a river.  We walked a bout a mile and a half. We left Pat at the hospital around 1600 and returned to her house where C.J. prepared leftovers for dinner (to help clean out the refrigerator). To help clean out the freezer, I ate the last of the Java Chip ice cream.

21 Oct, Fri – Pat had not been operated on (even as late as 1030) and said that she would be fine with her daughters to take care of her.  So we cleaned the house, did the bed linen laundry, and left around 1100.  We got gas just down the road at a Hess station(327.9) rather than try to find the Costco in Norfolk. We took I-664 over the Monitor-Merrimack Bridge-Tunnel [All of the bridge-tunnels had signs indicating that trucks and RVs were supposed to stop for inspection (propane tanks) but we never saw an operating inspection station so never stopped.] There was a toll on VA 168 ($4) then we were in North Carolina We stopped at the Currituck County welcome center before lunch then crossed the Wright Memorial Bridge to the Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk.  A stop at the KH visitor center did not help us find a place to camp so we drove to Jockey’s Ridge State Park (JRSP) and found the Soaring 100 crowd. We met lots of old friends and USHPA board members and sent some postcards with the special Soaring 100 cancellation. We were a bit late for most of the lectures about soaring that had been taking place in the JRSP auditorium; Dennis Pagen was finishing up with the last one as we arrived. I asked at the Kitty Hawk Kites shop about a place to park our trailer and they said it would be okay to park in their storage yard – Yay! We dropped the trailer there and got back to JSRP just in time for the dedication of a plaque honoring JSRP as a significant site for gliding.  After that, we went for a walk on the dunes to where the KHK instructors were training beginners in very light wind.  By then it was time for the reception at the KHK retail store where several huge tents were set up in the parking lot with tables and chairs. We got our tickets and enjoyed a good dinner of barbecued pulled pork with slaw and beans (and wine, beer and sweet tea, too).  We stuck around for a bunch of Old Timers Tall Tales then walked back to the storage yard and set up the trailer.  Sue Harris called and we arranged to visit her and Bruce on Sunday instead of Saturday so we could fly if conditions improved (and, if not, we could do a tour down toward Cape Hatteras and the National Seashore).


23 Oct, Sat – Surprisingly, the wind appeared to be E or NE when we woke up at 0715. We left some oatmeal heating in the double-boiler while we hurried over to JRSP where we got in just at 0800, the
Soaring 100 Poster at WBNM
opening time. The KHK shop had the necessary waivers but the ranger wouldn’t sign them (and make the required copies and issue us each a tag) until the office opened at 0900. So we went back to “camp” and had breakfast and returned at 0900.  Once we got our permits (no charge!) we hiked our paragliders out onto the dune. Winds were strong with gusts to perhaps 20 mph, switch-y, and not perpendicular to the dune face. We each hiked to the top of the 30-50 ft dune, watched the lone HG pilot do several flights before Bubba Goodman talked him into letting him try. There was also a guy there with a speed wing who was wrestling with it while trying to kite. We were not enthusiastic about getting our much larger wings out and filling them up with sand as we were probably going to get dragged around. We gave up on flying for the time being and walked back to the boardwalk/observation platform and back to the car. By then it was 1130 or so and we went to the Wright Brothers National Memorial where Mark Forbes, Mike Hailey and Rob Sporrer were kiting, hang gliders were set up and sailplanes (some really old ones) were being towed up on the asphalt runway and landing near the original site of the first-flights Wright Field. When Mark finished his demo stint, we took him out to “lunch” at Kill Devils, a burger and frozen custard place; we all had sundaes.  Back at the WBNM airstrip we watched a powered sailplane launch itself and Jim Lee roll his two-seater into position to take off next.  Then C.J. and I left for JRSP where she walked out on the dune to schmooze with the HG pilots who were launching and landing.  Mitch Shipley was working with Rob
Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks
Sporrer and Nick Greece on a shallow slope for their first HG lessons.  Jamie Sheldon was there and Robin from the USHPA office was also taking H-1 lessons.  To the disappointment of more than a few, Dick Boone did not show up with his latest and greatest take on hang glider design. After dumping the sand out of our shoes, we drove south as far as Salvo through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.  We stopped at the Bodie (say “bahddy”) Island lighthouse, the Pea Island NWR visitor center and walked across the highway, over a dune to the Atlantic shore. Continuing down the barrier islands, we encountered bridge, road, and building damage from Hurricane Irene: among other things, there were piles of household goods, wood and insulation piled alongside the road for disposal.  On the way back we stopped at a Food Lion in Nags Head but bought only a loaf of good bread – it looked like prices were still recovering from Irene shortages, too. We went back to JRSP one more time but conditions had not improved so we returned to the storage yard for snacks and dinner – an early night for a change.

23 Oct, Sun – We left about 0900 for WBNM where we toured the visitor center and the centennial pavilions which had some NASA exhibits, some Outer Banks history and the Soaring 100 area containing a
Life-size bronze sculpture of first flight at WBNM
replica of the Wright 1911 glider. Then we climbed to the top of the “Great Hill” where the memorial is; looking down you could see the airstrip that the Wrights used for their first four flights (The powered airplane was required to land at or above the elevation from which it launched.) From there we walked down the back side of the hill to a new (in 2003) life-size sculpture of the Wright Flyer and it’s crew at the moment of launch from the monorail. It was a very cool representation. Returning to the main area, we walked past two hang gliders that were set up near the replica Wright camp/sheds.  Then we drove to Kitty Hawk to pick up the trailer and headed west toward Durham (and eventually home!). Crossing the sound we drove over Roanoke Island, the location of the “lost colony” and birthplace of Virginia Dare). A bit farther on, the drawbridge was open for some sailboats on the wide Alligator River. Once on the mainland and out of the swamps, we started to see blooming cotton fields; other fields we saw may have been beans. There was no tree color to speak of on the coastal plain. We stopped for gas (347.9) and a lunch break in Plymouth (?). As we approached Durham on SR 98 the topography changed to rolling hills.  We reached Sue and Bruce around 1630 and had a nice visit and a dinner of flank steak with chocolate cake for dessert. [Somewhere in here I should mention that the Check Engine Light had come on sometime in the past several days. It stayed on even after trying the “Italian Tuneup”. Bruce did not have a OBDII scanner so we had to wait until we ran into someone who did later in the trip.  The scancode was P0155 – the oxygen sensor, just as I had guessed.]

24 Oct, Mon – After a real Southern breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits, and fresh fruit, we left about
Japanese Pond at Beaverdam Run
1015. We stopped for lunch at a rest area where we spotted a hang glider on a car just leaving, and got gas (339.9) in Statesville. Once in Asheville, we pulled into a turnout and called Stephen so he could direct us to the service gate into Beaverdam Run. I missed the driveway and had to back up to turn around, but then Stephen got us to the parking lot by the kiosk to leave our trailer. We visited with Stephen and Paula for a while before someone suggested that it was too nice a day to stay inside.  We walked the loop down to the Japanese Pond, through the Community Center and back up the alternate route. The trees were bright with color, especially around the pond and the resident flock of turkeys was out. Later we had fish for dinner and Bobbi joined us bringing roast veggies. Then we went down to her house for dessert and to see what new art she had acquired and the folk art painting she had done herself. [Just a note that we had last been to Beaverdam Run in late Oct of 2008 and the time before that was early Apr 2008.]

25 Oct, Tues – After a great breakfast of overnight-soaked French toast, we had to make an early start.  We followed the freeway out to Rte 191 and followed that to the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Colors were very good at the middle elevations but the trees were mostly bare as we went over the higher ridges (where we saw a bit of snow by the side of the road). We exited at Rte 23 near Wayneville and headed southwest over one ridge after another. We ate lunch along the way and got gas in Franklin which had some Halloween decorations around the public buildings (looked like they had been done by an “exterior decorator”). The alternate route we were taking (didn’t go through the Nantahala Gorge this time) came out at Murphy and then we drove by the (mostly dry) whitewater competition area and along the Ocooee River and Lake.  Near Cleveland TN Claire called and gave directions to Marion County Park where Eric was willing to take us each up in his new amphibious trike (a strutted, powered hang glider with pontoons). Driving through Chattanooga wasn’t too bad traffic-wise and we followed I-26 to the exit for Haletown.  We found Claire and Eric on the shore of Nickajack Lake (part of the Tennessee River) and I got to fly first.  I was glad that I had put on a fleece jacket and my flight suit because we hit a cold layer about 2500 ft above the lake and it wasn’t just the 45-50 mph wind we were creating.  Eric flew us up the valley walls to Raccoon Mtn and across the Tenn. R. Gorge and on to where there was a ridge with a lake
C.J. and Eric with his amphibious trike
on top used for electric power storage.  We landed back at Nickajack with barely a splash and taxied right back to the boat ramp and up onto dry land. C.J.’s experience was a bit more exciting because the rudder on the pontoons got caught up in a bunch of floating weeds and she and Eric had to use a paddle to scrape the weeds off and get out into clear water before they could take off. They got great a great view of the sunset though and landed before it got dark. We all helped Eric fold up his trike – it doesn’t have to be dismounted from the pontoons – and pulled it onto the trailer. It was a night ride back to Trenton and up the winding road to Lookout Mountain and Claire’s house. We maneuvered the car and trailer next to the house and set it up, so we wouldn’t have to force Claire and Eric out of their bedroom. Claire prepared a nice dinner of squash soup, fresh tomatoes with basil while Eric grilled some delicious venison steaks. I was ready for bed by 2300 for sure.

26 Oct, Wed – Claire and Eric whipped up an excellent breakfast of crepes with blackberry compote, Greek yogurt, honey, syrup and bananas. Then we went for a walk on a new trail system on Lookout Mountain that is designed to connect to the Cloudland Canyon State Park. The trails were designed for both mtn bikes and hikers (and some for horses) and made a spiderweb of paths. We hiked for maybe four miles, maybe more since we were out longer than two hours, around a loop – I’m glad Eric was leading because I had almost no idea where we were relative to our starting point. Back at the house, C.J. and I took showers and decided to get going so as to cut a couple of hours off our trip to Indy on Thu. We left around 1600 (1500 CDT in western Tenn.) and drove past Nashville to a Walmart in Franklin KY, about three hours.  We stopped for gas in Trenton (325.9) and picked up state maps for TN and KY (the only state maps we had failed to get at AAA) at welcome centers. We got some decent bread and a bag of cookies at WM before we settled in for a dinner of pasta, our last sausage (Did the Amana sausages really last so long?) and some fresh tomatoes from Claire.[Eric had a ScanGauge code reader and determined that the CEL error code was PO155 – an oxygen sensor problem.]

27 Oct, Thu – Rain overnight continued in the morning. There was a little dripping through the fan, probably blown in by the wind.  It did not stop raining before we left at 0923 but there some lulls so nothing got wet when we packed up.  We stopped for lunch at a welcome center 20 miles inside Indiana, and for gas in
Darby's remodeled living room

Lebanon Jct KY south of Louisville (335.9). There was no problem crossing the Ohio River on I-65 although the I-64 bridge is still out. We got to Wayne’s about 1600 after having to detour around some paving on his street. I backed the trailer down the long driveway and placed it in the same spot it had been in when we first saw it two years ago.  Betty was home and Wayne arrived not long afterward.  We all went to dinner at Darby’s much-renovated house.  It looks a LOT better than it did when she was first deciding to buy it. Back at Wayne and Betty’s I researched how to replace the oxygen sensor – it turns out there are four of them and one is really difficult to get at what with the catalytic converter, a torsion bar and the front drive shaft.

28 Oct, Fri – Up at 0830 for “Egg McMuffin prepared by Betty; Wayne had gone to work already. Later C.J. and I cleaned up the car a bit and moved the bags of laundry to the rooftop carrier. Then I crawled under the car to look at the oxygen sensors. I figured that the error code meant that all four would have to be replaced; three look easy and one looks very difficult. Betty took us to meet Wayne for lunch at Panera in Noblesville.  Back home we visited and did computer stuff – I got rid of a bunch of old emails and researched a route home – mostly I-80 to Utah; the only question was where should we stop each night. Wayne got home after 1700 and we went to their usual Friday night pizza place (Bella’s) with Darby and Jack, the real estate agent who helped each of them buy their present homes (and who had gotten Wayne his first job in college, which then hooked him up with the exotic animal farm where he lived). Wayne and I compared notes about what little genealogy we knew about our family. I need to send him what I have in the grandmother book.

29 Oct, Sat – Up at 0800 for showers, then we all had breakfast at Bob Evans.  Back home, C.J. and I finished packing up.  Betty packed lunches for us and chili for dinner.  We left about 1045, got gas at a nearby Costco (326.9) and left Indy about 1100.  We drove I-74 to I-80, stopped for gas (339.9) near Peoria IL, and ended up at a Walmart in Grinnell IA around 1830 CDT.  The weather had been mostly sunny but cool and the evening was windy and cold.

30 Oct, Sun – We woke around 0810 and left Grinnell ~0920.  Strong quartering headwinds all day and “unleaded plus” gas (and malfunctioning O2 sensor(s)) gave a lousy gas mileage of around 12.5 mpg. We
Moon above Southerland Lake
bought gas three times – once just east of Des Moines (317.9), again along the highway at Seward (349.9), and finally just outside of North Platte (343.9 – better than the 355.9 last time in NP).  It was a long day of driving and, even though we stopped only at a couple of rest areas and shared one Blizzard, we did not reach our declared goal of a PA CG at Big Spring, NE. Instead we pulled into Southerland Reservoir, a NE SRA (and golf course!) which surprised us with electricity, water, and no one around to collect the $7 fee.  It was almost dark and there was an excellent sunset across the lake and a waxing crescent moon hanging above.  Earlier we had seen a good number of hawks, one every quarter mile or so sitting on fence posts beside the highway.  We continued to eat Betty’s packed lunches and had a second dinner of her chili, this time with some good Como bread we had picked up at Walmart the previous night.

31 Oct, Mon – We woke up in the dark at 0700 and decided to get up and get moving – sunrises are later now and sunsets earlier, but the weather is still sunny and warm after the morning chill wears off. Since the
Chimney Rock, NE
last of our milk had soured, we had pancakes with ginger honey. We got on the road before anyone showed up to collect a camping fee and there was no “iron ranger” to leave the fee either: another night of free camping! It had been cold enough overnight that I had slept in my vest inside the sleeping bags half the night.  At Ogallala we had to decide whether to continue W on I-80 or take scenic Rte 26 diagonally northwest to end up at the E entrance to Yellowstone.  I called the road conditions hotline at YNP and got a recoding for 10/31 – all roads were open. No visitor centers were open in Ogallala so we decided to just “go for it”. Rte 26 was scenic when compared to I-80 (which we had traveled twice in recent years), especially when we passed close to Chimney Rock, an emigrant landmark.
A little farther on we spent an hour and a half at Scotts Bluff NM checking out the museum (which included a gallery of William Henry Jackson’s paintings) and walking along the route of the old Oregon Trail to Miller Pass. 
Oregon Trail landmark - Scotts Bluff, Neb.
We skipped the drive to the top of the Bluff in favor of a quick hair wash for me with water heated at breakfast.  We stopped for expensive gas (352.9) expecting it to be more expensive in Wyoming. Crossing the border, we continued on to I-25 where we turned north then west to Casper where we got more gas (320.9 – Surprise, gas wasn’t more expensive!) at a Loaf N Jug, and a Blizzard at DQ. Back on the road it was another 1.5 hrs to Shoshoni and down the spectacular Wind River Canyon to Eagle RV Park (PA) in Thermopolis arriving about 1800. The weather during the day
Shadow as we drive down Wind River Canyon, WY
had been good, in fact, it had been up to 73 deg in the sun and hot in the car until late afternoon when clouds started developing.  We commented that we hoped that the clouds building over the mountains to the west weren’t bad weather along our route.  At the RV park a fellow camper asked us if we had heat in our little trailer “because the snow was coming”.  A quick check of the NWS on my computer showed a forecast of 4-6 inches of snow at the east entrance Monday night and Tuesday, and even more to the north. We planned to call the Park in the morning but that evening the moon was bright and the air was relatively warm. If we couldn’t go to YNP, we’d have to backtrack to Shoshoni then head SW to Lander, Farson, and either Rock springs on I-80 or over some non-freeway to Bear Lake and Tremonton. There were no trick-or-treaters at the almost empty campground this Halloween night.

1 Nov, Tues – Winter! Although it did not seem particularly cold overnight, part way through breakfast we noticed that it was snowing, very lightly, but definitely snow. We could see the crystals on the picnic table. 
Snowy bushes near Lander, WY
After a shower in the nice, warm restroom, I checked NWS and the forecast looked better this morning for YNP than it did last night. But when I called the road condition hotline, I found that most roads and the east and south entrances were closed and snow tires were required elsewhere. We didn’t waste much time packing up and by 0930 we were on our way.  After filling up with gas in Thermopolis (355.9) we drove back up Wind River Canyon – there was no snow on the road but it was snowing pretty steadily and blowing across the road. At the top of the canyon the roadside grass and brush were covered with snow. We turned west in Shoshoni and drove to Riverton and then Lander with increasing non-road snow accumulation. In Lander there was a warning about “slick road” conditions on South Pass.  Not to worry! South Pass was shown on our AAA map as being only 7500 ft. Later, however, the GPS showed the crest of the ridge to be 1000 ft higher near the turnoff for South Pass City.  The road definitely had snow and ice on it but it had been plowed and sanded so it was easily passable although I felt it wise to keep my speed down.  The continental divide  itself at the historical South Pass was about 7500 ft and that’s where the Oregon Trail and other emigrant routes passed through on their way west.  In Farson we suddenly ran out of snow. But just as quickly we ran into more and there was snow all the way almost to the Salt Lake Valley. We got some more gas at Rock Springs WY then drove I-80 west, at one time passing over a surprisingly high (7500 ft) summit. I-84 took us down past Devils Slide to Ogden UT where we stopped at Costco for gas (335.9), food  samples and a shared hot dog snack. It was still a three-hour drive past the ominously named Snowville and over Sweetzer Pass (no snow) to a Walmart in Jerome ID. It was dark by 1830 and we ran into some construction work that had us in a single lane leading a line of traffic at 65 mph for ten miles in the dark through a deer migration area. No fun! We reached Jerome around 2025 and found a noisier than usual Walmart and a cold night (outdoors at least).

2 Nov, Wed – In the morning there was frost outside but we were toasty in sleeping bags and a down comforter.  We left around 0830 after filling up at the USA/Walmart station (357.9). It was a twelve-hour drive home but we had a tail wind so we got a little better mileage.  In Boise (Meridian, actually) we stopped at Sierra Trading Post and C.J. found high socks and mittens in her size made of Smartwool (on sale, too!). I bought a new casual belt and we picked up a telescoping serving spoon for the trailer (since we had never gotten around to stopping at a Goodwill to get a cheap one).We bought gas at Costco in Caldwell (347.9).  It stayed cold outside but the sun warmed up the inside and I had to shed my long underwear (first time I used them all trip). We stopped for gas two more times – once near Hermiston (365.9) and at Costco in Union Gap (371.9 – we were definitely back in NW prices!). Costco also provided us with groceries for our homecoming and a couple of drinks for the road. We didn’t see anyone flying at Kiona although there was a vehicle in the LZ parking lot. It got dark after we went through the Yakima Canyon and got on I-90 at E-burg.  We pulled into the driveway (after dropping the trailer outside) around 2030 with lots of laundry – but that’s for another day.

Forty-six days and more than ten thousand miles.  One replacement deep-cycle battery for the Aliner and a set of brakes for the Trooper.  Not bad.  Next job is to replace the oxygen sensor.