Sounds of "Music" in a quaint Bavarian Village.

Obidiah makes new "friends" in Wenatchee

Tuesday, 28 August.  Our first full day in the Wenatchee Valley, the self-proclaimed “Apple Capital of the World” because of the many apple – and other fruit – orchards throughout the valley.  The city of Wenatchee (population about 32,000 metro is a little over 111,000)  is located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mts and sits at the core of an outdoors paradise.  The Valley is blessed with four distinct seasons and each offers a variety of different adventures.  This area boasts some of the most magnificent and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains (close to 8,000-ft) and both rivers.  The Wenatchee River flows out of the Cascade Mts and is well-known for its many rapids, some reaching Class 5, meaning guaranteed thrills. 

In addition to its apple reputation, the Valley is also home to some great wineries (more on those in later blogs, because we’ve still yet to begin our wine tasting adventures in this area). A couple facts about this area before moving on to a recounting of today’s activities.  Wenatchee is listed by AARP as one of the best small cities to retire in and the National Geographic’s Adventure magazine lists this area as one of the 50 most desirable places to which to live and play.  The city ranked 4^th among the “Safest and Secure” small cities in the USA to live and the Ladies Home Journal ranked it as the 5^th greenest city in America to live.  Not too shabby.

We spent much of today in a leisurely visit with Lynette’s folks, Glenn & Glenna, who have lived in Wenatchee for a number of years.  We sat outdoors on their patio in some wonderful weather, catching up on what’s been going on with Lynette’s family as well as news about the Wenatchee Valley in general.  However, the real treat of the day was yet to come. Thanks to the generosity of Lynette’s folks, we were treated to a summer stock offering of “The Sound of Music” in what I have to describe as an almost perfect setting for this classic musical, the outskirts of the quaint, and very charming Bavarian village of Leavenworth .  This small mountain village, set along the rocky gorges of the Wenatchee River, was chosen by the Travel Channel as the ultimate holiday town and the Most Christmassy Place in America.

This world-renown mountain village is well-known for its year-round festival schedule, and tonight’s production of “The Sound of Music” by the Leavenworth Summer Theater was simply wonderful, almost magical.  The production was presented on the side of the town’s old ski slope, now converted into an outdoor theater.  I mentioned the “perfect” sitting for this musical, and outside of somewhere in the Bavarian Alps, the setting for tonight’s “Music” was certainly magical.  The entire performance – from the actors/singers, orchestra, set production, lighting, sound – was simply enchanting.  And the weather, while chilly as the evening grew late (we were all glad we had brought coats and blankets), graciously added to the overall charm of “Music.”  The moon seemed to come and go thru a mist of clouds that gave a bluish glow to the whole sky.  Magical, enchanting just don’t seem to entirely describe the whole captivating experience of this delightful evening, sitting on the side of a mountain listening to the wonderful words and music of “My Favorite Things,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “Do, Re, Mi,” “Climb Every Mountain,” and of course, “Edelweiss.”  An almost fairy-tale like experience to end our first full day in this beautiful part of Washington State.  Thanks, ever so much, Glenn & Glenna!

And guess what: we get to do it again tonight!  We have tickets (again thanks to Lynette’s folks) to see another production by the Leavenworth Summer Theater, “Annie Get Your Gun.”  We can’t wait.  Tonight’s performance will be at a different location in the Leavenworth area, so watch for details on future blogs.  Lynette & I are treating her folks to dinner at one of Leavenworth’s many fine Bavarian restaurants.  Wonder if there’s a schnitzel in my future tonight?   Why, I do believe there is!

Yakima blogs now have more pix

Attention all LynDenHaus blog followers:  You asked for more pix and now you have them.  If you've already checked out the "Yakima" blogs and didn't find too many pix, you might want to check them out again.  We've added more pix to each blog entry.  You asked for 'em, you got 'em!

Monday, 27 August.  We are now in Wenatchee, about two hours north of Yakima in the Cascade Mts.  Our campground is the Wenatchee River County Park and is really quite nice.  We have a hard surface site, lots of shade, and the Wenatchee River is literally just a stone's throw away.  We left Yakima around noon today, traversed two mountain passes, and arrived here a little after two in the afternoon.  After setting up camp, Lynette's folks, Glenn & Glenna, and her sister, Lori, came out to visit -- and of course, to check out the Winnebago.  We'll be here until 14 September, so we have several days of visiting and sightseeing ahead of us.  We're looking to reacquainting ourselves with a little mountain town that looks like it came right out of the German or Swiss Alps - Leavenworth.  If ever in this area, please, please, do yourself a favor and sample the delights -- food and shopping -- in this authentic German mountain village.  We're also looking forward to driving over to Lake Chelan, a beautiful mountain lake about a hour's drive north of us.   There are several very picturesque wineries dotting the shoreline of this long, narrow, but very deep lake situated in Washington State's North Cascade Mts.  And we plan to check out as many as we can.  Stay tuned.....



Cascade Mts, beautiful scenery, "Whistlin' Jacks" and great food

Saturday, 25 August.  Still in Yakima, but we have only two more days in our old stomping grounds.  We're having some minor work done on the motorhome early on Monday, the 27th, and then we head into the Cascade Mts and the small town of Wenatchee to visit Lynette's family for a couple weeks.  Every year Wenatchee and the Yakima Valley both strive to earn the title of the "Apple Capital of the World."  While the Yakima Valley grows a ton of apples (and pears and peaches and cherries – and of course, the grapes to produce the wonderful wines found here), I think Wenatchee has been winning the “apple" label for the past few years.  Anyway, we took advantage of some absolutely beautiful weather in the Yakima Valley today and decided to drive up into the Cascade Mts via Chinook Pass (Hiway 410) with my sister, Carolyn, and her husband, Steve.  Our destination was a long-time family favorite eating place - at least one of my Dad's and one of my favorites - on Chinook Pass that’s nestled among tall pine trees along the banks of the Naches River: Whistlin' Jack's Lodge andRestaurant , a quaint mountain retreat in an idyllic paradise-like setting .  

The 45-minute drive to WJ's from Yakima is worth it just for the beautiful scenery as we followed the Naches River deeper into the Cascade Mts. Naches, by the way, means "plenty of water", very accurately describing the river as it flows from the Cascades to the fertile Yakima Valley, giving life to this rich agricultural region.  Years ago, the Yakama Indians camped along the edge of the Naches fishing and resting – for the Indians, it was a place to renew their spiritual needs.  The rush of the river creates a wonderful backdrop for anyone wishing to stop, rest, refresh - and perhaps partake of some wonderful WJ eats and drinks.  Built in 1931, the WJ Lodge has transcended the decades by offering sincere and efficient service, excellent culinary delights (especially robust and yummy breakfasts), as well as clean, comfortable and cozy lodging.  Oh, a tidbit of trivia: The name "Whistlin' Jack" actually refers to the large hoary marmot inhabiting the rocky areas of the Cascade Mts near Chinook Pass. These creatures are very family oriented and rely solely on roots and berries for their diet. The marmot was named Whistlin' Jack because of its high-pitched whistle heard at dawn and sunset. The whistle signified a warning to other marmots in the areas of impending danger from eagles, their natural enemies. As the years passed, the marmot's whistle migrated down to logging camps, and was often heard on the lips of a lumberjack. Legend or fact, the lodge was named Whistlin' Jack, and today still remains the recipient of that ancient lore. 

Another tidbit of trivia for anyone sightseeing in this area: Mt. Rainier National Park is just 27 miles west of WJ Lodge - a definite must-see.  The Chinook Pass area receives a lot of snow during the winter months, but the road crews try to keep the pass open as long as the can, usually until sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving.  By springtime, the crews again try to open the pass by Memorial Day.  Sometimes they do, and sometimes it's June/July.

The following pix include Carolyn and hubby, Steve, posing with the "bear"; Lynette & I on the picturesque grounds of WJ's; and then us with the infamous "bear" again.

 

 

Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed our leisurely drive along the Naches River on our way up to WJ's, where we had a delicious late lunch.  Afterwards we toured the grounds surrounding the lodge and the banks along the Naches River, enjoying the scenery and taking a bunch of photos, including the carved wooden bear, who seems to have "aged" a wee bit over the years.  Our family has been taking our photos with this bear for many, many years.   What a hoot!   I hope the ones you see here do this wonderful nature scene surrounding the WJ Lodge and Restaurant all the justice it deserves.

Carolyn and "Garden Girl" - her own creation - in her wonderful garden!

We ended the day's outing back at Steve & Carolyn's place where Sis graciously allowed me to pick some more of those delicious blueberries from her garden.  And what a garden it is!  I think Carolyn can grow just about anything, but these blueberries of hers are terrific over cereal.  Thanks, Sis!

More visits with my Mom, seeing old friends, plus a luau!

Still in Yakima....visiting with my Mom once or twice a day.  Spent one day with her during the residents weekly arts-n-crafts day; helped Mom with the little craft thingy along with a couple of the other residents.  Think the staff appreciated the extra pair of hands and help.  All the ladies seemed to have a good time and the staff put their "art pieces" up on the bulletin board for everyone to see.  Mom is living at Arbor House (AH), a memory care facility, with usually about 10 other Alzheimer's patients.  Mom is one of the more "active" residents and the staff love her to death.  This day's arts-n-crafts was planned to help the residents get excited for an annual luau that was planned for mid-day Friday, 24 August, at a co-located retirement community, Englewood Heights (EH).  Mom lived at EH for several years after my Dad passed away before moving to AH when the Alzheimer's began to progress.  My sister, Carolyn, had reserved a couple seats for us to be with Mom at the luau, and Lynette and I were there with her to enjoy the luau-themed lunch, plus some entertainment provided by a local group/club of Hawaiian dancers.  A couple adults and several very cute little girls - all in costume - entertained the residents with hula style dances.  As you might expect, they were a hit.  EH has about 200 residents, so the dining hall was pretty full with lots of noise and chatter.  But Mom and the other AH ladies seemed to enjoy themselves, and we certainly enjoyed the time with Mom and seeing some of the EH residents we hadn't seen for a while.  All the excitement must have been a bit much for Mom,though, since she was ready for an afternoon nap by the time we got her back to Arbor House.

While the days here in Yakima are beginning to run together this week, we've still managed to visit with more family and old friends.  On Thursday, 23 August, we had a chance to have a nice long lunch with my Aunt Nancy and a friend, Merle, to catch up on what's been going on in our lives.  Both of them were dying to see our new motorhome, so we brought them out to the Suntides RV Park and gave them the nickel tour - and to just sit and visit some more.  We also fortunate enough to re-connect with some old friends, Ken & Sherry, this week and made arrangements to meet for dinner on Friday. When we arrived at their place, they surprised us by offering to spend the afternoon/evening in their lovely home.  Ken grilled some steaks and Sherry fixed a wonderful dinner.  We laughed, told stories, and just really enjoyed one another's company.  Ken & Sherry have owned and operated AJ Marine of Yakima since 1974; I can still remember my Dad taking his boat into them for service and repairs...or an upgrade.  Great people, dear friends.  Thanks, you guys, for a great evening.  And keep following our travels and adventures on the blog.  Who knows, maybe we can meet up somewhere, sometime down the road.  We would really love that!

Yakima: Great memories, family, and wine tasting

Yakima, Washington.  We arrived in Yakima safe-n-sound around mid-afternoon on Friday, 17 August.  After finding our campground at Suntides RV Park, we got everyting set-up fairly quickly and then called my younger sister, Carolyn, who promptly came over (she’s only five minutes away), and we sat outside and visited for a couple hours.  Really nice to see her again.  We tried to visit my Mom who has been living in an Alzheimer’s facility for the past several years in Yakima, but she was already asleep when we arrived.  She looked so peaceful lying in her bed that we decided to just let her sleep. I knew we would have numerous opportunities to visit with her during our stay in Yakima.

The Suntides RV Park  is a very nice park, well-maintained, and shares its location with the Suntides Golf Course, which I played many times while growing up in this area.  Appears they’ve covered up most of the little creek that ran thru much of the golf course – which I would certainly have appreciated when I played here (I always carried LOTS of water balls…sigh).   But back to the RV park. All the roadways are paved, making it very nice on the motorhome and towed car.  Each pad/site is also paved, which makes leveling the motorhome so easy.  Each site also has a green grassy area and at least one tree big enough to provide additional shade.  Like I said, it’s a very nice, neat little park located just a mile or two north of Yakima on state Hiway 12.  This Hiway leads to one of two passes over the Cascade Mts – White Pass and Chinook Pass – both with excellent views of Mt Rainier as you travel over the pass.  Chinook is the more scenic, but is closed for a good part of the year because of snow.  The road crews work to open the pass by June, but it closes again when the snows come in late Oct/early Nov.  White Pass is usually open year-round except when a heavy snowfall occurs.  White Pass is also home to a ski resort and is where the twin Mahre brothers – Steve and Phil – learned their skiing skills.  Both are former World Cup alpine ski racers and Phil won the gold medal in slalom at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, with Steve taking the silver medal just a fraction of a second behind his twin brother.  Oh, did I mention: they both went to the same high school, Naches Valley High, that all the Metzer kids attended?

Saturday, 18 August.  After getting up way too late (ah, it feels so good to be RETIRED), we went see my Mom and had a very nice visit.  I know these visits are for me more than for my Mom, since she no longer remembers who I am.  But she enjoys the company and is almost always very chatty, although who knows what she’s talking about half the time.  She seems to relish the time to just sit and chat with somebody, anybody, since many of the residents at Mom’s “home” aren’t very talkative anymore.  Very sad.  After seeing my Mom for about an hour, we drove over to my Aunt Nancy’s place to help celebrate my Uncle Floyd’s 80^th B-Day (both relatives are considerably younger than my Mom).  It was great to see all the relatives we haven’t seen for several years and get re-acquainted.  And of course there was all the great food everyone brought.  The only bummer was the heat – it was SO hot.  We were sure glad to get back to some AC at the end of the day. 

Sunday, 19 August.  Carolyn and her husband, Steve, came over for a visit.  Steve hadn’t seen our RV yet, so we gave him the royal tour.  Afterwards we went into downtown Yakima to take in the sights, sounds and wonderful smells of the city's weekly Farmer’s Market.  Such a wonderful variety of fresh fruits and veggies from thru-out the Yakima Valley, or has the BBB has called it, the Fruitbowl of the Nation.  We ended up buying some pluots (a hybrid between a plum and an apricot) that were simply delicious!  Pluots are extremely sweet – very high sugar levels – and come in a wide range of varieties. The fruit is actually around 70% plum and 30% apricot, but more closely looks like a plum. They are very nutritious and low in fat, making them ideal for snacking or sweetening up other dishes. Pluots are sometimes referred to as "Dinosaur eggs" due to the strange dappled coloring on some types of the fruit.  Steve and I were very tempted to sample any number of the foods that were available among the fruit stands, but we knew we’d already made reservations for a late morning breakfast/brunch buffet.  These “all-you-can-eat” buffets will be my downfall one of these days, but offer such a wide variety of eats.  Believe we all took quite good care of our hunger pangs!

Monday, 20 August.  With Steve working days, Carolyn, Lynette and I took a walk down memory lane today and headed up into the hills and fruit orchards of the Naches Heights neighborhood – some of our old stomping grounds – for a wine tasting at one of Yakima Valley’s newer wineries, the Naches Heights Vineyards (NHV) - their website is located at http://www.nachesheights.com/. 

This winery has only been open for a few months, but is already winning accolades and awards.  We sampled a number of very tasty wines and ended up buying a very nice 2011 Riesling and a 2011 white table wine called Can-Can (for the French can-can dancers on the label) that’s a blend of four different grapes: Chardonnay (37%), Rousanne (27.5%), Viognier (27.5%) and a touch of Pinot Gris (8%).  A NHV first-release, Can-Can is described as “off-dry” but I believe it could be considered a bit sweeter.  The wine tastes and smells of “ripe pear, lush tropical fruit, cardamom spice and a hint of apricot and Mandarin orange.”  Can’t wait to get it chilled and try it with some cheese and crackers or with even some fresh fruit or smoked salmon with cream cheese.  Man, I’m making myself hungry again!

After NHV, we continued into Naches via the South Naches Road; I hadn’t been on this road for ages.  Believe the last time was when I dated a young lady from Highland High School (an arch rival of Naches) and was looking for a parking place (get it: parking place).  Brings back some fond memories!  Carolyn directed us to an arts-n-crafts store in Naches, the Kit-Kat Art Gallery; lots of wood pieces of art from small to quite large.  Everything in the gallery is made by employees or former employees of Laymen Lumber in Naches.  Some very talented artists are displaying their wares, so if you’re headed into the mountains thru Naches it’s worth a stop; right on Hiway 12 on the northern edge of town.  After looking but not buying anything, we headed into downtown Naches for a bite to eat.  We settled on Margaret’s Apple Cart Deli on the town’s main drag, Naches Avenue, of course.  Now, this was definitely some of my old stomping grounds.  Carolyn picked the Apple Cart because her in-laws like it and said it had great food.  Well, the food was terrific – I had a wonderful BLT and blackberry milkshake made with real ice cream – but the real surprise was the owner, Margaret, or Maggie, as I called her in high school.  Maggie and I graduated the same year – 1965 – from Naches High.  I had not seen her for many, many years.  What a wonderful surprise!  We both seemed to recognize each other at about the same time as I stood at the cash register ordering our food.  It was like, “Forget the food order, give me a hug!”  Between a hectic lunch crowd, taking orders, and delivering the food to customers, Maggie was able to come over to our table and visit, catch up on our lives, and take some pix.  Maggie brought me up-to-speed on some of our mutual acquaintances/friends.  Man, what a fortunate stop for lunch on our outing!  The Apple Cart Deli serves up great food at very reasonable prices, fast service, friendly atmosphere, and, if you’re lucky, a hug and kiss from Maggie!  Thanks, Maggie – I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you and catching up on all things Naches-related.   You’re a sweetheart!

Tuesday, 21 August. The "Three Musketeers" continued their wine tasting in the Yakima Valley, this time in the Zillah  grape growing region , about a 30 minute drive southwest of Yakima, just off I-82.  The Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) was the first AVA established in the state, gaining that recognition in 1983. Part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, Yakima Valley AVA  is home to more than 11,000 acres of vineyards, giving the area the largest concentration of wineries and vineyards in Washington State. The most widely planted varietals in the area are Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, and Syrah. Nearly 40% of Washington State’s yearly wine production is made from Yakima Valley grapes.  BTW, in addition to grapes, the Yakima Valley is also home to several fruit orchards growing apples, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. Around the small town of Zillah, there is the Zillah Fruit Loop driving tour through the area's orchards and vineyards. One other interesting fact, especially for you micro-brew aficionados: this area is also home to nearly 80% of the US hop production. The Zillah wineries are actually located in the Rattlesnake Hills sub-AVA of Washington’s wine country and home to over two dozen wineries.  My Mom was born and raised in Zillah, so I know the area fairly well and have visited many of these wineries before – and purchased many fine wines, dessert wines, and ports over the years.  I wanted to see if there were any new wineries (there was one) and also visit some of my favorites.  Zillah is a quaint small town (2,700 residents) surrounded by vineyards and orchards.  The many wineries, produce stands, and B&B’s are hidden among the many acres of farmland surrounding the town. The Rattlesnake Hills AVA, established in 2006, has 17 wineries and 29 vineyards that provide many Washington producers with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.  The first commercial vineyards in the region date back to 1968.  While we only visited four or five wineries today, we still ended up with almost a FULL case of wine.  A couple nice Rieslings, a Zort (see below), and a very nice ice wine from Hyatt Winery, at a VERY reasonable price of $39.  The one vineyard/winery where we all agreed that we had the most fun – thanks to its owner Paul (read his “story” at their website) – was at Paradisos del Sol .  The winery’s motto is that while wine should be very pure and natural, it also has to be distinctive wine. Wine with full, rich flavor. Wine that makes food and friends better. Wine that brings dismay when you find the bottom. Wine that makes music in the glass, sings on the tongue to tell where it grew. Wine you can afford to drink. Wine made by Paradisos del Sol.  Quite a statement, yes?  Read Paul 's “story” at their website - and yes, he does know his wine.  We bought several bottles from Paradisos, but I’ll only mention two.  A Zort, or Ruby Angelica wine, based on their Zinfandel grapes. The Zort is meant to be consumed with friends — and a raspberry-infused chocolate truffle — or a pear with Stilton cheese — as an aperitif with salted nuts — or in front of a fire on a howling winter night while releasing its captive sunshine.  It’s spicy and bramble fruit and spicy aromatics evoke summer in the berry patch with a lover.  A wine for bed, perhaps?  (yes, Paul is quite the writer). The other bottle we bought was a 2010 Angelica MRS. Being in the midst of a region famous for apples, pears, and peaches, there is a need for a wine for apple pie, poached pears, peach cobbler, and the great American classic, pumpkin pie. Angelicas were originally made at California missions as communion wine. Paradisos del Sol makes this wine for giving thanks with family and friends at a meal’s end – with pie or cheesecake or crème brûlée!  Angelica MRS is blended from Muscat, Riesling, and Semillon grapes, thus, the MRS.

We ended this wonderful day - full of sunshine and blue skies - by having a late lunch at a fairly new restaurant in downtown Zillah, the Old Warehouse Restaurant.  Turned out to be a great little cafe with great food.  The building itself was for years home to a fruit warehouse, then became an auction house, and is now home to the restaurant.  In fact, the decor is plainly old antiques and assorted auction items, so this place may still have an auction from time to time. 

Idaho and Oregon Snake

Neat Retreat RV Park, Fruitland, Idaho.  This AAA and AARP-recommended RV campground (and trailer park) is located just off I-84 on Idaho State Hiway 95.  We arrived mid-afternoon, making good time following the National California Historic Trail from just north of Ogden, Utah, with the Wasatch-Cache National Forest on our right for most of the morning.  We soon crossed into Idaho and made Twin Falls by late morning.  Still following I-84, we passed thru Boise (Go Broncos!) and Nampa, and crossed the meandering and majestic Snake River several times.  As the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the Snake begins in NW Wyoming south of Yellowstone and west of the Continental Divide at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet. Several small streams converge to form the river that then flows south for more than 100 miles before turning west into Idaho and flowing across the southern part of the state. The river then turns north and west through southern Washington to its confluence with the Columbia a few miles south of Pasco, WA.  At the confluence, the Snake’s elevation is about 350-ft above sea level, which means it drops more than 9,500-ft from its sources – quite a step decline. Early French fur traders called the Snake a “mad river,” apparently for good reason. The rapid descent and rocky canyons of the Snake made it a good river for hydropower development and the river is also heavily tapped for irrigation.  Near Burley, Idaho, virtually the entire flow of the river is pumped or diverted. Further downstream, the Snake is replenished by springs and tributaries, essentially amounting to a second river.  The Snake has been called the lifeline of southern Idaho and the multi-billion-dollar agricultural industry in this part of the state.  Before the construction of dams, the Snake produced huge volumes of salmon and steelhead, and the fish spawned in the main part of the river and in tributaries as far inland as Shoshone Falls – about 600 miles from the confluence with the Columbia. Salmon passage today ends at Hells Canyon Dam. In its upper reaches, the river remains a popular destination for sport fishing and water recreation. Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America, is a national recreation area. The Snake was named after Indians who lived along its shoreline in present-day SE Idaho. Early fur traders noted that the Indians marked their territory with sticks that showed an image of a snake. The Indians also greeted people by making a snake-like hand motion.

Anyway, we’re staying only a stone’s throw from the Snake on the Idaho side of the river.  Tomorrow finds us headed further into Oregon, crossing the very NE part of this state via I-84 as we continue our journey to Yakima, WA.  Much of the morning will find us following the Oregon National Historic Trail, passing thru Baker City, La Grande, and Pendleton (yes, THAT Pendleton wool), before catching I-82 and crossing the mighty Columbia River at Umatilla, Oregon.  The trek thru this part of Oregon will find us winding our way between Wallowa-Whitman National Forest/Wilderness Area and the famous Blue Mts.  BTW, a note for sightseeing and wine lover’s:  After crossing the Columbia, just 14 miles west on WA State Hiway 14 – near Paterson, WA – sets a beautiful French-style chalet that is home to Columbia Crest Winery. Many of you may have seen Columbia Crest or its sister winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, on many a restaurant’s wine list or even in your favorite wine store.  Washington State is home is many, many fine wines and wineries; these two are just a couple of the more well-known.

Columbia Crest Winery, Paterson, WA

Once we cross the Columbia, the rest of the trip is pretty much familiar territory for us.   Many of the cities and towns that we’ll travel thru in the Lower Yakima Valley are home to the very same high schools that I used to play against while playing football and baseball at Naches Valley High School.  Like I said, very familiar territory.  We are both anxious to arrive in Yakima, where we’ll be spending a few days visiting family and friends.

Oregon Trail, Pony Express, and soothing hot springs

Crystal Hot Springs campground, Honeyville, Utah.  The Travels of LynDen Haus today, August 15^th, took us across much of Wyoming from Rawlins (where we crossed the Continental Divide…twice, as it turns out; that’s a bit of geography for you) to Evanston via I-80, and then into the greater Salt Lake City area before turning north on I-84/I-15.  Between Laramie and Evanston, much of Wyoming is made up of the Great Divide Basin Desert.  And it certainly lived up to its name.  We had very little elevation to worry about and the Winnebago handled most of the grades quite handily at 60-65mph.  Only once or twice did the length of the grade slow us down to 45-50mph.  And we still averaged about 8.5mpg.  Anyway, we were glad to be out of this part of Wyoming and Evanston never looked so good.  We stopped at a rest stop/info center – actually on the edge of Bear River State Park – just east of Evanston and were greeted by a small herd of buffalo, with several calves.  It all made for a very nice picture and welcoming end to Wyoming’s desert areas.

We picked up I-84 about a half hour into Utah and headed north, skirting the Great Salt Lake, which we saw in the distance.  Always a wonderful sight.  We pulled into the Crystal Hot Springs campground around three, set up camp, changed into our swimming gear, and hit the several pools the campground features that are fed by natural hot springs.  Each pool is a slightly different temperature, so it was fun to move from pool to pool.  Sure felt good after today’s long drive.  This rural campground is certainly worth a look if anyone is traveling thru this area.  The nightly fees are quite reasonable ($22.50 for our Class A motorhome). Even the fee to use the hot spring was only $3.50 each; well worth it from my point of view.  The campground website is located at:   http://www.crystalhotsprings.net/

Tomorrow we head into Idaho and should cross the border by mid-morning.  I think we’ll hit Twin Falls, Idaho, probably by late morning.  Our destination for tomorrow night is on the Idaho-Oregon border at a campground on the Snake River.  That’ll be our last night on the road before arriving in Yakima, WA, and a few days visiting my Mom and my sister, Carolyn, and her family.  Won’t be long now!

Overnight in Rawlins, WY

Rawlins, WY, August 14, 2012.  A short history of Rawlins: In 1867, while in command of the US Army troops protecting the crew surveying the route of the first trans-continental railroad, General John Rawlins (Chief of Staff of the US Army) expressed a wish for a drink of good, cold water. Not wanting to disappoint their commanding general (never a good idea...and I speak from experience), a detachment of scouts explored the countryside as they rode west and approached the hills that stand guard over present-day Rawlins - and lo and behold, they discovered a spring.  General Rawlins declared it was the most refreshing drink he had ever tasted and exclaimed, "If anything is ever named after me, I hope it will be this spring of water." General Grenville Dodge, commander of the survey party, immediately named it Rawlins Springs and the community that grew up around it bore the same name. Later shortened to Rawlins, the town was incorporated in 1886 and was designated the seat of Carbon County.

Well, we've made it to the edge of the Continental Divide and shall, in all due haste tomorrow, attempt to cross it and the Rocky Mts.  Hopefully we'll get an early start and have no problems along the way, pulling into a campground somewhere just north of Ogden, Utah, tomorrow night.  When we checked into our Rawlins campground for the night - RV World - we received a copy of today's edition of the Rawlins Daily Times .  While purusing this fine example of a small town newspaper (populaton of Rawlins is a wee bit over 9,000 residents), I ran across some interesting tidbits of news.  Now, while I'm fairly certain this 24-page, 50 cent collection of Rawlins news is of great importance to any number of people, I was mildly amused by the following account of activities as reported by the Rawlins Police Dept for this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  This stuff is way too funny/strange to make up, believe me.

Rawlins police responded to/conducted:

One 911-hangup            
Two ambulance calls             
18 animal cases         
One assault case
Two assisted motorists  
Four assisted other agencies  
Six building checks     
Three civil disputes
One civil standby         
Five domestic disturbances    
Four fights in progress 
18 follow-ups
Two harassment cases 
Three hit-and-runs                  
Two larceny cases       
Six misc complaints
Two cases of malicious mischief
One misc juvenile problem
Two moving vehicle complaints
One non-bank alarm
Two parking complaints
Three pedestrian stops
Two prowler reports
Two sexual assault cases
Four suspicious persons
One suspicious vehicle?????
One threat?????
17 traffic stops
Two cases of criminal trespassing
One warrant served
Three welfare checks?????

In addition...

The Wamsutter Fire Dept responded to a vehicle pulling a trailer that overturned on I-80 westbound at Milepost 158. The call was reported cancelled. Hmmm, wonder why and how did that trailer get upright again???   Strange, but true.....
 

Red Rocks, Evergreen, ranches, and a castle

Friday, August 10^th – Red Rocks and Evergreen.  Our sightseeing outing today saw us headed to one of the most spectacular open-air venues in the world, the Red Rocks amphitheater in Morrison, CO.  Some of the biggest acts in history have played at this historic venue including the Beatles, U2, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and many more – with many of the performers using this venue for live recordings.  Several of the artists even autographed a guitar and donated it to the Red Rocks museum – which we also walked thru.  And even with a limited seating capacity of almost 9,500 seats, I can’t see anyone having a bad seat.  I hope the couple of pix included with this blog update can verify that observation. We were lucky enough to be there when the sound system was being tested, and what a sound system it is. The bass was cranked up to some out-of-this-world volume that I’m sure downtown Denverites could easily hear.  We all agreed we’d like to attend a live concert at the Red Rocks amphitheater sometime in the future. 

After taking in more of those Garden-of-the-Gods type red rocks, we opted for a bite to eat at a little Mexican café in historic Morrison, at the entrance to Red Rocks.  After lunch, we headed to near-by Evergreen, about 15 minutes away.  All of us have been to this charming little town several times before and always enjoy its small town atmosphere and wonderful shopping. Evergreen has numerous artistic shops, many displaying the works of local artists.  And all three of us have contributed quite handsomely to the coffers of Evergreen’s retailers, purchasing quite a number of beautiful pieces of art over the years.  Only minutes off I-70, Evergreen comes highly recommended for an afternoon shopping spree or even a bite of lunch.  Almost guaranteed is a return trip to this quaint little mountain town.

Saturday, August 11^th – Cherokee Ranch & Castle.  With only a short sightseeing day available to us today, my sister, Sandi, and I decided to introduce Lynette to the Cherokee Ranch & Castle (CRC) near Castle Rock, which is about 30 minutes away via State Hiway 85.  CRC includes land that originally belonged to two separate homesteads dating from the late 1890s. The Scottish-style Castle itself was built between 1924 and 1926.  The property was purchased by Tweet Kimball (quite a lady, BTW) in 1954. Tweet also purchased adjacent land and renamed the new parcel the Cherokee Ranch, which today includes 3,100 acres of natural beauty and wildlife. In 1996, Tweet worked with Douglas County to protect Cherokee Ranch through a Conservation Easement; since CRC lands butt up against open spaces belonging to Highlands Ranch, the two combined areas will guarantee Greater Denver that these lands will never be developed.  What a wonderful legacy for Tweet. Today, CRC serves as a cultural and educational hub for this part of Colorado.   In addition to delightful tours of the Castle, other activities open to the public include a performing arts series, themed teas, elk watching, Scotch whiskey tasting, as well as special event evenings dedicated to specific authors with actors dressing up in period costume and reading from the works of Dickens, Poe, and Churchill, to name just a few.  CRC is also a spectacular venue for weddings and anniversaries.  The Castle is home to many fine examples of art and sculpture, as well as unique historical artifacts.  Definitely well-worth a visit and tour for anyone coming to this area.  Needless-to-say, there is spectacular scenery in all directions, including a wonderful view of Pikes Peak, almost 40 miles away. Their website is located at http://www.cherokeeranch.org/  and it has some pretty nice photos of the Castle from a distance, which I didn't get.  The above photo shows Lynette and Denny in front of the Castle entrance. The arched rock entry way above us is actually made from petrified rock.  Very impressive.
We ended this day over an evening of good food and camaraderie at my sister’s place in Highlands Ranch that included a long-time mutual friend, Cathie.  Better known in these parts as “Aunt” Cathie, she is loved dearly by my sister’s two little Yorkshire terriers, Benzee and Bella.

Below is a snapshot of "Aunt" Cathie with Bella, one of Sandi's very cute Yorkshire terrier.

Denny's sister, Sandi, with her "kids" Benzee (left), and Bella (right), along with

Obidiah Long-Beard, the Traveling Lord of LynDen Haus

IAfter visiting for awhile, we were ready for some dinner (we're always hungry). Sandi had bought some great steaks, so I grilled (or mis-grilled) steaks for everyone, which we washed down with a couple bottles of wine.  We thoroughly enjoyed catching up on each other’s lives, and reliving many fun and humorous memories, including some very hairy storytelling!

Garden of the Gods and wild Colorado cuisine

Thursday, August 9^th – Garden of the Gods and wild Colorado cuisine.  Still in the greater Denver area, we headed south on Colorado State Hiway 85 to Castle Rock to pick up I-25.  The plan was to tour the Garden of the Gods (GotG) in Manitou Springs (Colorado Springs area) and then have an early dinner at one of the finest restaurants in this part of the state, the Craftwood Inn (more on this unique dining experience later).   

I’ve been to the GotG Park before, but each time is a spectacular experience.  A wonderfully rich ecological resource, the Park has been called “the most striking contrast between plains and mountains in North America" with respect to biology, geology, climate, and scenery.  The Park has an abundance of beautiful red rock formations with a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains in the distance.  The rock formations – that seem to jut abruptly out of the ground at sharp angles – were formed millions of years ago when the continental shelves far beneath the earth crashed into one another. The GotG is one of those special places that is a “must see” for any vacation/visit in the Colorado Springs area.  I’m pretty sure the couple of photos I’ve included with this blog update won’t do justice to the Park’s unbelievable formations – it is simply far too gorgeous and breathtaking, with plenty of evidence of the  past ages, including the eroded remains of ancient mountain ranges. (see following photos)

After a short stop at the Park’s Trading Post, we headed into historic Manitou Springs that stands at the base of Pikes Peak to dine at the famous Craftwood Inn.  Dining at this unique restaurant for the third time was just as wonderful as the first two.  My sister, Sandi, has also been here several times, but this was Lynette’s first time.  The Inn’s atmosphere can best be described as “English Tudor estate dining with exquisite mountain views” and “fine casual country elegance with award winning wine.”  Ditto on both counts.  The menu consists of a wide variety of Colorado wild game including elk, red deer, venison, pheasant, quail, wild duck, caribou, antelope, wild boar, ostrich and buffalo.  Wow!  Let me say that again: Wow!  Quite a selection, eh?   

After some careful consideration, Sandi decided on the wild duck; Lynette on the ostrich; and I selected a trio of wild game medallions: elk, antelope, and red deer.  Quite delicious, let me tell you.  We also found a very nice Colorado Riesling from Plum Creek cellars to accompany our dinners.   This was the second instance of finding good tasting wines on our journey out west: first in South Dakota, and now in Colorado.  The service and atmosphere at the Craftwood Inn is superb – the whole dining experience is one not to be missed. 

Note: Photo above is Lynette and Denny in front of a guest house/cottage as part of the Craftwood Inn amenities.  The photo is Denny's sister, Sandi, and Lynette, same setting.

Tomorrow we head to Red Rock (yes, THOSE Red Rocks, the amphitheater) to show Lynette this spectacular concert setting.  After that we plan to drive another half hour to Evergreen, a small artist mountain community/town just off I-70.

Rocky Mt High and the Chapel in the Rock.

Denver area, early August 2012.  We departed our AB Campground on the southern edge of Cheyenne a little after 10am on 5 August, picked up I-25 and headed south to the Denver area for a few days visit and sightseeing with my sister, Sandi.  Sandi has lived in Highlands Ranch (HR) – an unincorporated community just south of Littleton, CO, and about 17 miles south of downtown Denver – for several years now.  We arrived at Chatfield State Park around 12:30, got everything set up, and headed over to see my sis and her two totally-too-cute Yorkshire terriers, Benzee and the alpha (fe)male, Bella.  Two very loveable, but very spoiled kids – but, oh, so cute.  Sandi fixed us a lovely supper and we visited and caught up on each other’s worlds far too late into the evening. I should say something about Chatfield before continuing this blog entry.  This state park sits on a man-made lake, just southwest of the Denver area.  Very clean and well-maintained, but has very little shade.  The park probably caters more to boating activities than just camping out, since there’s very little in the way of amenities other than restrooms and pay showers.  No playgrounds for kids or open areas.  Each site is very clean, has a picnic table and outdoor grill.

The next morning Sandi suggested a short sightseeing trip up into the Rocky Mt National Park (RMNP) area to look for a small chapel she had come across several years ago called the Chapel in the Rock (more on this later). We headed west on I-70 out of the Denver area for about 30 minutes and turned north on state Hiway 119/72.  This curving, twisting mountain road led us thru the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, along with several quaint mountain towns. Our plan was to find the Chapel in the Rock, aka Saint Malo's, and continue on to Estes Park, which sets at the entrance to RMNP.  Saint Malo’s suddenly came into view as we rounded a corner and what a sight it was.  And, yes, it is built right into the rocks, with a Rocky Mt background.  Officially known as Saint Catherine of Siena's Chapel, Saint Malo’s is located on the grounds of the Saint Malo Retreat Center of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver. In 1999, Boulder County designated the chapel as a historic site.  We toured the small chapel and took several photos from several different angles to gain an appreciation of the whole scene. 

We hit the mountain road again and continued our sightseeing trip thru some marvelous scenery, finally arriving in Estes Park.  After enjoying a brief rest and lunch, we headed back east on Hiway 34 that followed the Big Thompson river.  We thoroughly enjoyed the majestic mountain views until we finally exited this area via a small, very narrow and rugged canyon.  Stopped and took several pix of both the canyon walls and the river below.  We finally reached Loveland, CO, and picked up I-25 that brought us back into the Denver area and  Highlands Ranch. 

Big Thompson River canyon road

Big Thompson River rugged scenery

So, we’ve finally reached the edge of the Rocky Mts and the Continental Divide – which will prove a good test for the Winnebago pulling the Saturn thru the mountains.  I’m not sure how high in altitude we got during our Estes Park sightseeing trip, but we did pass by Twin Sisters Peaks that looked quite close to us and stood at 11,400 ft.  We saw several other mountain peaks that reached 14,000 and 12,700…at least according to the hiway signs.  As we passed thru several of those quaint mountain towns, the “Welcome” signs usually read somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 ft. in elevation.  Oh, BTW, while the temperatures in the Denver area were in the low 90's when we left on our day trip into the mountains, it was 68 degrees during parts of our drive.  What a nice respite from the sweltering heat - felt great!

Our plans right now have us departing here on 14 August and heading back up I-25 to Cheyenne and then west toward Laramie.  We plan to spend the night in Rawlins, WY and then cross the Continental Divide on the 15^th.   But right now we have more visiting with my sister, Sandi and her two "kids" -- and, of course, some more sightseeing to do.

Cheyenne, Wyoming, 4 August

Model RRs, trolley rides, and huge cowboy boots. We departed our Rapid City, SD campground mid-morning on 3 August, picked up SD State Hiway 79 and headed south to Hot Springs, driving thru the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.  Pretty sparse landscape, but one can only imagine what these grasslands looked like 200 years ago.  We crossed into Wyoming, driving thru Lusk and continuing on to I-25 and turned south toward Cheyenne.  We saw some signs along the interstate - and also read some literature - about some Oregon Trail wagon ruts near the town of Guernsey on the North Platte River.  We took the exit, drove the 12 miles due east, found Guernsey, but never found the wagon ruts.  Later found out the ruts might have been just a little beyond the town, but we turned around after crossing the river and headed back to I-25.  Pulled into Cheyenne around 4:30 and are staying a couple nights in the AB Camping campground.  Very nice, and comes with its own BBQ dinner (which we tried tonight...pulled BBQ and pork rs were quite tasty).

Decided to do a little sightseeing in Cheyenne this morning and headed for the old downtown area.  Cheyenne was settled in the mid-1800's, coming into its own when the US Calvary surveyed this area for the coming of the railroad.  Crow Creek became a temporary "fort" for the US Army, and this later became Ft Russell.  Cheyenne grew as the Union Pacific grew...and grow it did.  The old downtown area still shows much of the very large Union Pacific presence.

The old town square includes a museum dedicated to the Union Pacific in Cheyenne and the surrounding area, and includes a model railroad display.  Very impressive and very interesting, especially for me since I "dabbled" in model RR (N scale) while stationed in Germany back in the early '70's.  I've handed the trains and models on to our son, Kip, and his girls.  To hopefully instill some enthusiasm, here are some photos of a couple of their very detailed layouts (most were HO scale, with narrow gauge rails).  The photos almost look real!

We eat lunch at the Shadows Pub & Grill, which is located in one end of the old, but restored, Union Pacific station.  Here's a couple photos of the station.











After lunch we bought tickets for a trolley tour of old town Cheyenne, which include a stop at a museum at the Cheyenne Frontier Days (which we just missed).  Most of this museum consisted of old buggies and statecoaches, some original, some restored.



 Here's a shot of Lynette by the trolley and one of me with one of the numerous gigantic cowboy boots that one sees throughout Cheyenne's old town.










The trolley tour was narrated by a local woman who was terrific and full of any number of odd-ball story about Cheyenne's early beginnings.  Well worth the $10 price per ticket.

Tomorrow morning we head south to the Denver area, about two hours away, so a short drive.  We'll stay at Chatfield State Park, very near my sister, Sandi, for several days of visiting with family and maybe some sightseeing.  Cheers to all....more later.

Rapid City, SD, Thursday, 2 August

Devil's Tower and new state citizenship.  We headed out to see Devil’s Tower (DT) over in Wyoming this morning. We drove out via I-80 thru Sturgis (the land of motorcycles and motorcycle mamas), Spearfish, and Sundance (yes, the Sundance Kid’s area), before turning north for DT.  Again, beautiful scenery, but very little wildlife.  The first view of DT is so dramatic that it almost takes your breath away – it is that breathtaking.  The closer we got, the more dramatic effect DT has on all the surrounding landscape.  We drove into the park area, bought our Lifetime Senior National Park Pass (finally), and proceeded up the park road, circling DT in a clockwise direction, getting closer and closer with each bend in the road.  After numerous stops to take pictures (with my excellent J. Kuntz discounted camera, of course), we arrived at the Ranger Station.  And there, looming us, like some rock-like giant, was Devil’s Tower.  And I mean it LOOMED.  DT is one huge piece of rock that just juts right up out of the earth.  We started to hike up a quite steep main path, going as far as my bad knee would let me, taking pictures as we went, and from as many different angles as possible.  That said, I’m sure nothing that I managed to capture with my photographic skills will even come close to what DT actually looks likes and appears to one’s eyes.  It is one very, very majestic piece of nature.  Again, well worth the drive out into the Wyoming backlands.  Plus the roads are quite good, even off the Interstate.  

We drove back thru Hulett and Aladdin, WY, and into Belle Fourche, SD, which is the geographical center of the US after Alaska and Hawaii became states.  Believe we even got a photo of Obidiah standing in the middle of a very nice marker in Belle Fourche. 

Headed south and picked up I-80 in Spearfish and drove back into Rapid City.  We stopped at our new “home,” America’s Mailbox, to pick up mail one more time before heading for Cheyenne, and also picked up our new SD license plates.  Guess we are now officially SD residents: Drivers’ license, permanent address, and license plates.   Yippee!  Decided to celebrate and had a brewski and a bite to eat at Rapid City’s old firehouse, now the Firehouse Brewhouse restaurant.  Lynette had a dark beer and I had an English-style ale that used Yakima hops.  All in all, good food and cold beer.  What more could one ask?