September 1-8 — The Alaska cruise shoved away from the Vancouver dock at 6pm, two hours later than scheduled because the Canadian port authorities were drastically understaffed on September 1, Labor Day. There were two ships boarding at the same time through the same access point. The Disney ship and our Norwegian Sun, collectively, they had more than two thousand people moving through zig-zag lines for two-hours. Boy, was that fun? Not! Day 2 we were at sea and found our way around the ship. Great entertainment, good food, grazed all day. Day 3 we stopped at Ketchikan at 7am for the day. Most people leaving the ship board buses to head off for their guided tour sightseeing adventure. Sandy and I went in the opposite direction, by foot, without a guide. We asked the first local person we could find where was the best hiking trail. We head to Dear Mountain for a five hour hike. Then, we walked the town of Ketchikan, including the legendary red light Creek Street district. We saw thousands of Salmon spawning in the creeks before we walk to Annibel’s for a late lunch. Day 4, We were in Juneau. Did you know that Juneau is the only State capitol that cannot be accessed by automobile? The only way to get to Juneau is by sea or by air. Once again, Sandy and I watched as the ship passengers loaded buses to depart for the day. It was raining when we marched down the road for a one mile walk to get from ship to downtown Juneau. As soon as we got to town we trekked straight up a huge hill to find the Perseverance Trail head. Near the entrance we met a couple from Minnesota, Dave and Peg, who were as lost as we were. We became fast friends. We hiked with them all morning. Then they joined us for lunch at the Red Dog Saloon. Finally, we took a bust for 13 miles up to see the Mendenhall Glacier. This was a highlight of our Alaska trip. We took photo’s of the Glacier and a spectacular 30 foot wide waterfall that you could walk right up to the edge. Day 5 we exited the ship to spend a great day on Skagway. Same drill as before, the tourist went one way and we went the other. And, like the other days we would talk to the local people in town to find the best hiking trail. This day, however, the best trail was 800 feet straight up. It took us two hours to climb 1/2 mile. Once we located Dewey Lake we decided we couldn’t hike through the mud and slippery rock so we started down the same trail that we had just ascended. Again, it took 2 hours going down. Time for lunch at Sweet Tooth. This was first disappointing meal based upon a recommendation from someone who lived in the area. Her favorite Haddock sandwich was not worth the stop. We finished the afternoon with another exhilarating hike. I do mean exhilarating. The wind must have been 40 mile an hour around Smuggler’s point, and on the bridge to get to the hiking trail. Sandy could not cross the bridge without holding on tight to the rails. Day 6 and Day 7 we were at sea for spectacular views of Glacier Bay and Hubbard Bay. Finally, we port in Whittier for a one hour bus ride to Anchorage. Alaska is really a special place. We will be back.

September 9-12 Our thanks to Kerry and Kris for giving up their bedroom so that we could spend another day on their farm in Mount Vernon. Then, our thanks to Mark and Kelly for allowing us accommodations at their home in Anacortes and three nights on Guemes Island. We enjoyed spending time with Brian, Emily, Amaya, Mark, Kelly, Rumi, Teo, Kristen, Kerry, Sienna and Sebastian. And, did we have some great homemade dinners? Our compliments to all chefs.

September 13- We left Guemes Island by ferry boat then headed to a field for Rumi’s first ever soccer game. The coach told her to play center midfield. She put two fingers in her mouth and stood in place without moving for the first ten minutes. One time the ball actually rolled near her so she tried to kick it but whiffed. In the second quarter the coach moved Rumi to forward. They told her to chase the ball wherever it went. Rumi follows directions well.  Rumi was gaining confidence and catching on quickly by the third quarter. She nearly scored a goal. In the 4th period the coach put Rumi in goal. The two fingers went back in her mouth. The confidence went down a little bit when the other team scored two goals. But, I predict Rumi will be a player.  In the afternoon we headed for Cannon Beach, Oregon, Route 101. To our surprise, Cannon Beach was sold out so we drove on to the next upscale town on the ocean, i.e., Manzanita. Suprise again, SOLD OUT. We keep going south on RT. 101 for three more little towns. No room in any of those places either. This has never happened to us despite our many travels. We end up finding a place at 8pm. It was a GREAT place called the Proposal Rock Inn in Neskowin, Oregon. We really enjoyed the meal at Hawks Creek Cafe, right next to the hotel. This was a super find.

September 14- All day gorgeous drive down the Oregon coast. We stopped for a short walk at Cape Perpetua, Suisse National Forest. We spent the night on Gold Beach.

September 15- We drive further south until we find the Redwoods in California. We stopped for a great short hike through the Lady Bird Johnson Grove of Redwoods. After a full day of sight seeing we end up spending the night in Eureka, California.

September 16- After a 36 mile drive south we find the world famous 31 mile stretch of Redwoods called Avenue of the Giants. At one place we saw 17 of the worlds top 100 tallest Redwood trees. This was really a sight for lifetime memories. At noon we finally head east. We are on our way home, but we intend to get there through many of the country’s least traveled roads.  No big hurry. One day at a time. We sometimes feel like Alice in Wonderland when she was lost. We have no idea what road we will travel from day to day. We make it up as we go. We end the day in Sacramento, CA.

September 17- What a fantastic day for the memories. We begin by getting the car an oil change. The temp in Sacramento was 62 degrees. Two hours later we have driven through the forest fire smoke to the Northern rim of Lake Tahoe and it’s 97 degrees. We continue to Fallon Nevada where we have lunch on the back of our car next to the only shade tree that we could find. By 3pm we stopped in Austin, NV and had the world’s best Blueberry malt. We spent the night in a real Western Hotel built in 1929 in Ely, Nevada. Sandy and I won $26 in the casino, it almost covered the cost of dinner.

September 18- A long day of driving through some of the most interesting terrain. We drive for miles of desert canyon in Nevada before arriving at Zion National Park in Utah. If you have never been there we urge you to go. It is one of the most spectacular vistas you will ever witness. The painted rock formations are amazing. We end the day at a little cabin about 15 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park. We look forward to morning coffee in Bryce Cannon.

September 19- This day tops yesterday. Bryce Canyon views were better than Zion, even better than the Grand Canyon, and that’s saying a lot. After the morning visit in Bryce where the day started at 48 degrees we drove for four hours to Green River UT, where we will spend the night. This is an interesting little place about 50 miles west of our destination, Arches National Park. The temperature here at 6pm is 95 degrees. We dropped in on Green River expecting to find many lodging options to find only one hotel with rooms available. It’s a Super 8. Why you might ask would this little town in rural Utah be sold out? Well its the Mellon Festival, of course. And, there is a big music festival all weekend in Arches and Mohab National Parks. By the way, after driving through Utah the past two days Sandy and I have decided this is the most beautiful State we have ever driven through.. Finally….Happy Birthday to Todd.

September 20-21 – We drive into Arches National Park at 9am expecting to be among the first early arrivals. To our surprise there are many tourists, most in our age bracket, who will be exploring this amazing sight today. It’s a Saturday. Arches is different from Zion and different from Bryce Cannon. Many rock formations are in the form of Arches, or see-through windows, others are massive rocks teetering on top of each other. At any moment one could expect to hear a rock crash to the ground. But, none do. This place has a Jurrasic Park feel to it. Where are the dinosaurs? We see nothing in that park. By noon we are on our way to Colorado. By 5pm we are pulling off the road to find a hotel. We end up in Silverthorn, just east of Copper Mountain. The drive through the Mountains was spectacular. The fall colors are bright yellow, burnt orange, and burning red among the green trees and mountain landscape. We have now determined Colorado and Utah are tied for first place as the most beautiful States for a drive. We know, Maine, Montana, Vermont and upper state New York are close behind. Washington, Oregon, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri aren’t bad either. You know what? All of the United States has something special to offer, except maybe Nevada. That drive was worse than driving through Kansas. Really!   We are now in Abilene, Kansas, less than 500 miles from home.

September 22- We had dinner last night at Ike’s Place. The walls were covered with photos of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower– interesting little town in the middle of Kansas. We drive the last 400 miles without incident arriving home by 2pm. We traveled 7310 by car and at least 3700 more miles by train, plane, cruise ship, and shuttle bus.What a trip!

REFLECTIONS- Sandy and I have traveled together for 54 straight days. We covered 10,000 miles and got a close up view of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Alberta, Canada, BC, Canada, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. This special trip is one for our memories. We renewed our love for each other and our friendship that now extends beyond 52 years.

Here is what we learned….there are more Bear Warning signs in Alaska than there are bears. In our eight days in Alaska we saw no bears, no wolves, no sheep, no eagles, no whales. We saw one cool looking bird in Skagway but that’s it. Still we will go back and explore by car or train not by cruise ship. No group tours for us. If you want to travel the country by car here are a few more things we have learned. If you want to see corn, lots of corn, go to Nebraska. If you want to join a Harley Davidson biker group go to South Dakota, anywhere near Sturgis. If you want to visit a State not worth returning to for any reason go to North Dakota. If you want to visit a State that should be visited by everyone at least once, go to Montana. If you want to enjoy a restful rustic romantic hideaway for outdoor hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing and kick back bond fires go to Guemes Island, Washington. If you want to see the best of the Northwest coast line drive down Oregon Hyway 101. California has more to offer than big cities. We really enjoyed the Redwoods and Lake Tahoe area. If you want to skip a State to drive through skip Nevada. If you have never been to Utah, put it on your bucket list. It is spectacular.

Finally a word about animals. We have learned via these travels that California must have the smartest wild life animals in North America. Apparently they can read road signs. Often we saw signs that read, Elk Crossing -20 miles. How do the Elk know that they are allowed to cross the road only on those 20 miles? There are no signs for coyotes and sure enough we saw one cross the road just ahead of us in California.

Everyday that we have traveled, 54 wonderful days, we have offered prayers for family and friends and prayers of thankgiving, very grateful that we have had this opportunity. As we return to Saint Louis we are searching for ways that we can “give back.”

Glacier National Park

July 31, Day One: We have traveled 13.7 miles and Sandy tells me to slow down, you’re going too fast. The first day of our planned 60-day trip. I’m thinking to myself…this could be a very looong trip. But, the day improves. Two hours later we stop at a winery in Rocheport, Missouri. Great place for a picnic lunch. We brought our own cheese, crackers, and an apple. On to St. Joe, MO. We had dinner at The First Ward Saloon, the oldest bar west of the Mississippi. According to legend this is the same bar that Jesse James once drank a few beers. Spent the night at Shakespeare C

Brian and Fisher homemade pasta

Sebastian, Sienna, Amaya, Rumi, Teo, Fisher

hateau. Beautiful old B&B. We could tell you more but that’s a long story. St. Joseph, Missouri home of the first Pony Express Ride, April 3, 1860. Rider delivered a copy of the St. Joe Gazette to readers in California, eight days later.

August 1: Lincoln,NE. We spent the night with my nephew Josh and his wife Nicki and the kids–Cathy, Aiden, and Elizabeth. We enjoyed a night out at Hay Market Square, pizza dinner at Mellow Pizza and a treat at the Creamery. After driving through Nebraska, Sandy and I learned why the Nebraska University sports teams are nicknamed the “Cornhuskers.”

August 2: First complication on the trip. We expected to stay in Sioux Falls, but after visiting Falls Park we found the city sold out. All of the bikers are on their way to the 74th Anniversary Bikers Rally in Sturgis, SD. They bought every hotel room. So, we went to Mass at the Cathedral, had a good meal, then, we drove on to Brooking, SD.

August 3: Bismark, ND. I finally made it to North Dakota. Check that off my bucket list. I have now been in 49 States, only one more to go. We found a great Windgate Hotel at a reasonable price by using Hotwire. They make a fantastic omelet as part of the free breakfast. We tried the salt water pool and hot tub. We highly recommend the place.

August 4: Today, we enjoyed a short drive to Medora, ND where we entered the Theodore Roosevelt National Park at the South entrance. We found a nice short hiking path in the park, but for most of the day we just had fun sightseeing from the car as we drove through the North Dakota Bad Lands. Accommodations at the Alpine was expensive but adequate. We were tempted to go to the Medora outdoor theater for a show and chuck wagon dinner but after hearing the price of $60 each, we said “no thanks” and went to bed early.

August 5: We traveled all day covering 360 miles and ended up a little slap happy in Havre, Montana. Nothing much to do in Havre except to have a good steak dinner and get a good night’s sleep.

August 6: Strategic planning day. Should we stay in Shelby or Cut Bank, Montana? After a brief discussion we decide to drive on to Cut Bank. We liked the name better. This was an excellent choice. Tonight we will go to the Farmers Market for Flathead Bing Cherries (excellent) then, we attend Shakespeare in the Park. Why? Because they are offering free BBQ hamburgers to anyone who will attend the one-act show. Tonight is my only opportunity to watch a Cardinal game because the Cards vs Red Sox game is the ESPN game of the week. I stayed up late only to see them loose 2-1 giving up the winning run in the ninth. Ugh!

August 7: We are headed to St. Mary’s Lodge, Glacier National Park. We are looking forward to it. Glacier National Park does not disappoint! We hiked St. Mary’s Falls. Invigorating .8 mile hike to a spectacular water fall. It doesn’t get any better than this. We spent more than 5 hours in the park before going back to the Lodge to check in. I recommend Johnson’s family style restaurant for dinner. The Lodge was quaint and our room was small and over priced for sure but what do you expect in the busy season, right?  The Lodge is completely sold-out tonight. No rooms closer than 30 miles away.

August 8: What a fantastic ride on the Going to Sun Road. The drive is only 50 miles but the views are so special all of the way. We entered the 50 mile stretch at 8:30 am and didn’t complete the trip until 3:00 pm. We stopped at least a dozen times including Logan Pass and the Continental Divide. Then, as we approached MacDonald Lake we found our hike for the day. This one crosses over a wooden bridge and then meanders along the rippling river bed. So, comforting. We end the day at the Grouse Mountain Lodge with a beer and a burger. This was a great day!

August 9: We are going to spend the entire day in Whitefish, Montana. After Sandy’s disappointing breakfast (lousy oatmeal made with water) we head off to the Lion Mountain Trail Head. This was an easy 1.5 mile hike up to a really neat turn around point, a top this small mountain. The view over Beaver Lake is worth the trip to the top. On the hike we met two girls. One was from DesPeres, MO.  She lived in Whitefish for eleven years. She told us her favorite place in Glacier was Pole Ridge, located in the North West corner. Tomorrow morning we’re headed to Pole Ridge. Tonight we plan for Mass at St. Joseph’s and then a short walk to the local brewery for dinner. There is a big “art in the park” event that we will check out. It should be fun.

August 10: What a crazy beautiful and memorable day. The ride to Pole Ridge beyond explanation. The road was unpaved, a very rough, rocky road for some 25 miles. At some points we traveled at 20 miles per hour. Good thing we have a Subaru! Pole Ridge, Montana. You would have to see it to believe it. There are two stores in Pole Bridge and a hostel. One of the stores is a bakery. The huckleberry bear claw is what everybody orders. It’s awesome! The other place is a saloon, and they serve food. We met an interesting guy named Hass who lives in Mexico 8-9 months per year and has been coming to Pole Ridge, Montana for the past 34 years.

After, Pole Ridge we decide too retrace our steps a bit. We head south and then go east over the Going to the Sun Road again. It was just as beautiful going east as going west. Well worth seeing it twice. In the evening we end up back at the St. Mary’s Lodge. This time Sandy gets the last room in the place. It’s in the basement. No windows. She loved it because it was cheap. Well, it was $100 bucks which is cheap for St. Mary’s.

August 11: After breakfast, we head to Many Glacier. This place has some of the most spectacular views. The camera buffs could take pictures all day long. We attempt a hike around the lake but we are told not to head up the path because there is a mother bear and two cubs just ahead. So, we head off in the opposite direction, but continue half way around the lake before returning on the same path.

Hard to leave Many Glacier. Sandy cries again as she thinks about all the beauty we have seen and how fortunate we are to be able to do this. We are on our way to Canada. We enter the USA at Chief Mountain (look it up!). This is a direct path to Waterton, Canada, where we have lunch at the famous, Prince of Wales Hotel. After a brief stay we are off to Calgary where we will spend the night.

Prayerful and grateful everyday of the trip!

August 12- We are excited to go to the Calgary Olympic Park to revisit the location for some of the 1988 Winter Olympic events. As you know, we attended the Winter Olympics as guests of ABC Television. This particular sight is where the now famous, Great Britain downhill ski jumper, Eddie, finished dead last on every jump. We were there, we saw it live. We also saw the luge at this sight. Today, they have converted this Olympic Park to a neat kids camp and park with mountain biking, skiing, skyline chair lift, downhill luge type racing cars and obstacle course. We got a few good pictures, road the chair lift to the top but didn’t stay too long.

We drive on the Banff where we met the new manager of restaurants and bars, David. He showed us around and eventually we end drinking a German lager and Sandy had a glass of wine. After two hours, we drive on the Lake Louise. Banff and Lake Louise are two of the most beautiful places you could ever see. Unfortunately, both places are packed with tourists today. We are looking for more seclusion and would rather head for destinations that others may not be seeking. We drive on to spend the night in Golden, Canada.

August 13-. This will really be a day of rest and recreation. We drive less than 100 miles to Radium Hot Springs. We arrive too early to check in at the Crystal Springs Motel so we head to the Juniper Trail for a fantastic hike along a creek bed until eventually there is a beautiful waterfall. We had carried in our lunch so this was the perfect stop for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Early evening we stop at a wine and cheese cafe, then dinner, then the hot springs. We stayed about an hour. A hot springs bath with a view of the Mountains. This was a special place on the journey. We stumbled upon it by pure chance.

August 14- Believe it or not we have had one brief rain while driving the past fourteen days. The weather has been absolutely superb. Today will be different. It rained all day. This region of BC really needs it. The fires in the Western USA States are also effecting areas in Canada. We drove all day from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. We had intended to drive to Grand Forks to enter the United States. But, fortunately we stopped for lunch in Fruitvale, Canada. Some guy on the street sitting in front of a cafe suggested the Chinese Restaurant. At lunch the waiter tells us we can enter the USA near the Columbia River Dam. He provides directions but he can’t remember the names of the streets. By some miracle we actually find the crossing. At that time of day we were the only car entering the USA. At some USA crossing we are told the wait can be up to four hours. But, because we listened to these two random individuals we end up entering the USA at Boundary. We then drive south along the Columbia River until we cross over on to Hwy 20. We spent the night in Republic, WA. I’ll let Sandy tell you about the Prospector Inn where we spent the night, only $59.99. Clean sheets, clean bathroom, but nothing else. The breakfast was to gag for—have you ever had a frozen hard boiled egg?

August 15: After a very nice drive through winding roads up and down through mountains we eventually come to an area that has been affected by recent fires. We are amazed by some of the homes that were spared despite fire damage all around them. By noon we have arrived at Mark and Kelly’s cabin in Mazama, where we will spend the next ten days.

Kerry, Sienna and Sebastian arrive tomorrow and Brian, Emily, Fisher and Amaya will be here next weekend. We are looking forward to hanging out with the kids.

August 16: My morning breakfast is steak and eggs and coffee. As I stare out into the woods I see four deer, one squirrel and one small lizard. Perfect guests to share the space. Mark and Kelly have a beautiful three bedroom log cabin, 10 acres, surrounded by fir trees and pine trees. We settle in for a quiet day. At 1:15 pm Kerry hasn’t arrived and Sandy’s intuition tells her something is wrong. We finally reach Kerry by phone to find out she is having car troubles in route. She had to turn around to head for home. Change of plans for us. We pack up quickly and by 2:00 pm we are leaving Mazama, driving through the Cascades, headed to Mount Vernon Washington to be with Kerry and the kids. It’s a good thing that we made this quick decision. Kerry’s car broke down 20 miles from her house. We think it’s the transmission. We will spend a few days at Kerry’s house. Kris is fishing near Alaska. So, she can use the company and some help around Big Mama’s Farm.

August 17- Fun day at Big Mama’s Farm. I cut the grass on the riding mower. Sandy and Kerry picked blueberries and blackberries, cleaned the house, and did some food shopping. In the evening we drove into Anacortes for a home cooking hodge-podge meal with Brian, Emily, Fisher, Amaya, Kerry, Sienna and Sebastian.

August 18- 20- Good time hanging out with Kerry and the kids. Some of the highlights include trips to the vegetable stand, ice cream cones for the kids, homemade root-beer floats, watching kids movies every night before bed, the hike to Little Mountain and fun at Hillcrest Park. Sienna and I had our haircut at the Beauty Salon Training School. First time I have ever done that. I had a cut and wash for $5.00. The best thing I can say is the trainee was cute and the hair will grow out some day.

August 21- We picked up Fisher at 9:30am and drive back to Mazama. The drive is awesome. As we climb through the Cascades National Forest the road begins to wind, the traffic slows to 45mph, a river is off to the right for miles, the sun shows off the mountain peaks. It’s all pretty cool. When we arrive back at the cabin it is time for lunch. Then we hike along the Lost River Road Airport runway headed for the river. We hike for two miles and never find the river even though it was a stones throw away at some points. We finally find our way back to the cabin and Sandy makes a great meal. That evening we played board games…World Geography Trivia and some picture drawing game. We laughed ourselves silly….we are so bad at these games.

August 22- Brian, Emily and Amaya will join us today in Mazama. We  have Fisher with us. They show up at 3pm. Brian prepares an excellent Salmon/veggie taco dinner. We follow dinner with lots of laughs as we show how inept we are at World Geography games and Fisher’s made up version of Pictionary.

August 23- About 20 miles west of Mazama there is a great mountain trail named “Cut Throat.” It’s a 2 mile hike to Cut Throat Lake, then you turn around and head back on the same trail. The morning temperature was 52 degrees. The temp in St. Louis is 98 degrees. Somehow, just knowing this makes the hike more enjoyable. We enjoy Brian’s homemade asparagus pasta with halibut. That was really a fantastic meal! Fisher and I end the meal with another ice cream drumstick. I think we average three drumsticks per day. Hey, why not?

August 24- Brian and Emily go off for a morning run. Sandy, Fisher, Amaya and I take an easy walk through the woods from a place called “Basecamp.” This Northern part of the Cascades is home to many Olympic-type cross country skiers. In the summer these paths for skiers become great hiking trails. Most trails are too long and too difficult for us but there are plenty of great trails of 3-4 miles long that we can find. Amaya enjoyed her walk with grandpa as she was strapped in her Bjorn. This is the first time I have ever worn one of these contraptions.

August 25- A few miles west of Kelly and Mark’s log cabin the Lost River Road turns from a paved road to a gravel road. After 2-3 miles on the gravel road we come to our hiking destination for the day…it’s the West Fork Trail. After a 1.5 mile hike through a forest that had been burned out in 2009 we come to the pass where there was a recent avalanche. We can’t go any further so we retreat the same way we came in. As we go back the Methow River is off to our right, the combination of gray and black burnt trees and the new growth makes for a sensational walk through Mother Nature. Aside from an Eagle overhead and a small snake we see no other animals. Brian has seen a coyote and a bear on this same trail on his previous hikes. No such luck today.

August 26- We spend the morning cleaning up the cabin for departure and baby sitting for Amaya and Fisher while Brian and Emily take a 6 mile mountain run. The drive back to the Valley seems to be longer than the last time. The drive was beautiful through the mountains but we picked up more traffic as we approached Burlington. Kelly brought a halibut dinner to Kerry’s house and we all enjoyed the meal while sitting out on the back porch. Six of our grand kids are with us right now, Brian, Emily, Kelly and Kerry make up the rest of the dinner party.

August 27- After coffee we eat three poached eggs that came from Kerry’s hen house a day earlier. By 9:30am we start our farm chores. Today we pull up a tarp full of weeds that has to be 90 feet long. We collected black plastic pots from all over the farm and relocated them to a shed. And, of course, we cut grass again. We were working until 1pm. Sandy and I are very pleased that we can still do this kind work and live to talk about it another day. The afternoon shower sure felt good. We will cool it for the rest of the day.

August 28. Brian and I are taking Fisher down to Seattle today. His mother will drive up from Portland to pick him up.This arrangement works well for them. I think Fisher will be happy to see his mom. He’s been gone all summer.

August 29-31 We move into Kelly and Mark’s home in Anacortes until we depart for Vancouver on the 31st. Kelly, Rumi and Teo take us to Heart Lake for a nice 2 mile hike around the lake. Unexpectedly, Kristin returned from his two month salmon fishing expedition in Alaska. We are the beneficiaries of the catch. We’ve eaten two spectacular salmon dinners and one salmon and egg breakfast with Brian and Emily as the result. Tonight’s meal included corn on the cob and green beans from the garden to table. Outstanding! Then, we top it off with apple pie ala-mode. Sienna and Sebastian picked the apples off the tree today. Wow, was that good!

This, then, concludes our first 30 days of travel. Tomorrow, we depart for Vancouver and from September 1-8 we will be on an Alaskan cruise. We will resume writing Part Two on a different document sometime after the 8th. Blessing to all.