Stop 55: Keuka SP

Thursday, July 26. We had a full day of driving ahead of us, so we woke at 6, and were on the road by 6:15. Our first stop was a couple hours in, to refuel Ernie, and our first MacD breakfast in Parry Sound, home to the Bobby Orr Museum.

Alas, we didn't spend the day reviewing the greatest Bruin's memorabilia, but continued on highways through Toronto and Hamilton and finally Niagara Falls Canada, where we drove into a pure tourism city, paid $15 for a parking spot at an amusement park, and then walked down to see the falls. The Canadian side is definitely the best side to see the falls. The crowds were substantial, but we were on a mission, we waited to see the falls from several points, and satisfied with being fully awestruck, we returned to Ernie to continue our trek without venturing on to the ferris wheel or other attractions.

At US customs the wait was less than a minute, but he wanted to look at Ernie's innards, and wanted to know about our prescription and non-prescription drugs, as well as firearms. He finally let us back into the country, and then we were on New York interstates, where the road surfaces are well worn and failing. Based on road quality, New York is a backwater third world country compared to Ontario Canada. To be fair, I expect there is far more corruption and kickbacks in NY than in Ontario, which makes everything costlier.

Once on the secondary highways Google directed us to an Aldi, a local grocery that charges a quarter for the use of a cart! We didn't have a quarter, so we filled the REI and W-D bags we brought with us, then emptied them at checkout and refilled them after the scan. Good prices, but a lame selection (just one size and brand of chunky peanut butter? Really?). Never more, Aldi!

Finally we got to Keuka Lake SP and our reserved site. They spray paint the site numbers on the dirt, and the sites are grass that may or may not be level. Our site had lots of tread marks of previous tenants, but we were able to find a level spot diagonally across the site. But the bathroom has flush toilets, and showers! We are easily appeased.

We rode our bikes down to the lake, and then back up. Our site being at the top of the hill, we got a good climb in. Sharon was actually disappointed the climb wasn't steeper, she has become such a strong climber on this trip. If she'd known, we'd have ridden longer, bless the heart of my climbing honey!

Five nights in remote provincial parks in Ontario, we had great cell service with internet. Back in the states, we are back to minimal or no internet cell service. The US carriers really need to be held accountable for such subpar coverage, though clearly not by the current administration, because it might impact corporate profits.

Day 2, Friday, July 27.

We started the day with the important stuff. We drove to Penn Yan to find a tourism place so Sharon could use their wifi to update her bank access. Then fuel for Ernie and fuel for us. Yesterday's Aldi experience was unsatisfactory, so we avoided the one in Penn Yan for their Tops, which was exceptional by comparison.

We decided to try out the trail system at the park. It's short, just 3 miles total, through the woods (we didn't need to slather so much sunscreen on), but the bugs were bearable, the trail not too muddy, with a couple ravines alongside to appreciate. We were surprised at one point by the neat alignment of pines that means a tree farm in FL. Perhaps the area was replanted after a fire or something, but it definitely wasn't natural. Sharon was happy to find some ripe blackberries and ate a bunch.

After lunch Sharon went for a bike ride and planned to swim, but the wind picked up, a lifeguard came out to limit people to a small enclosed space. So she came back and did streches instead.

The campground wasn't half full Thursday, but the campers streamed in Friday as the afternoon progressed. What seemed like generously sized campsites were crammed with boats and cars and tents. Others brought campers that need two doors on the side, at each end of the quarter acre awning.

New York pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/LwFYLi2DjvGCygS29

Aside: Ontario

The first time I left the United States was in 1969 for a rock festival, fashioned after 1968's Woodstock. The festival was in Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park, and I fell in love with Canada. The festival was pretty much a bust, but I had the best time camping and listening to the music with my friend Ron and his girlfriend and everyone else who attended.

In 1976 I took a job teaching Math and Computer Science at the St. Johnsbury Academy. There I usually hung out with Trottier and Burley. We looked for music we enjoyed, which meant more rock-'n'-roll than country. More often than not it led us across the border into Quebec. The rumor at the time was that the fine for staying open past closing time was $30, less than the cost of the extra set by the band. The hard part was walking into Customs afterwards, and waking up the official to request entry back to the US. We spent a fair amount of time across the border.

Earlier than both, while I didn't actually get to Canada, happened in 4th grade, when my Grandmother lived with us for her last year and babysat me after I rode home from school. I started to tell a joke I heard at school, "What did the Newfie...", and Grandmother proceeded with a Diatribe. It seems that she and her husband my Grandfather (who died long before I was born) were born and raised in Newfoundland, and that is where We Are From. Not Ireland, Newfoundland. And so on. Now, I actually wish I paid more attention to the details, and asked questions. As it is, I've never told a Newfie joke since.

(Last year on our Canadian Maritimes trip, Sharon became so enamored that we're heading back next year! More Quebec, more Newfoundland.)

We just spent 5 days in Ontario, and it was wonderful. We entered at Grand Portage MN and got a campsite in Rainbow Falls PP. Then we walked up and got two nights at Pancake Bay PP, and then another two at Killarney PP. Each provincial park was awesome. Nice relatively private sites, clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers and laundry, and spectacular locations, they were all five star. And they each dealt with volume surprisingly effectively. They're huge but you don't really notice unless you bike around.

Killarney is supposed to be a paddling mecca, and I can understand that. We were likely snubbed for being daytrippers, but I'm not ready to do a multi-night kayak trip anymore. Regardless, paddling Georgian Bay is cool. The rock is cool, the plants etching a life in the cracks are cool, the birds living in these little havens are cool. And the water is clear and clean and blue and ever changing. And cool.

Ontario is pretty awesome, it has excellent provincial parks, and even the construction areas are efficient. The people are so nice and helpful, I'm embarrassed by where I'm from. But the bottom line is, I don't want to need snow tires anymore. Even though I'd love to see how Ernie would behave with a full set of Blizaks (the best snow tires I've ever driven).

Stop 54: Killarney Provincial Park

Tuesday, July 24. The good news was that the predicted overnight rain was minimal. The bad news was that we drove through the heaviest downpour of the trip, I could barely see the taillights of the vehicle I was following. Again, inside Ernie we stayed dry, and he was due for a good wash, but shortly after the worst cell, the Trans Canada Highway went to dirt long enough to let new dirt adhere to the bottom quarter of his flanks. Sigh.

After checking into Killarney, we continued on to the only town nearby for groceries and ice (solar isn't efficient in heavy rain). A restaurant claimed the best fish and chips, so we splurged. It wasn't the best but awfully good. They only served fish and chips, so they had the oil temperature perfect, the batter was light, and everything was hot out of the fryer. (A couple places in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia had incredibly flaky fish I remember as even better.)

On the way back to the campground we stop at Killarney Outfitters to reserve kayaks for tomorrow. We even got to confirm I could fit in their kayak. I think I'm going to love this high volume 16' Necky.

Finally pulling into our site for two days, after testing several placements, the driver's side is always lower, so out with the chocks, and voila!, a level sleeping field is attained. Of course, tomorrow morning we'll have to come off the chocks and stow them, and repeat the process when we return from kayaking. Fortunately it's a quick process, maybe 30 seconds. (Last year we left our chocks at the site while on a day trip in West Virginia, only to return to find them stolen along with our firewood.)

Settled in, we went for a bike ride around the campground. We rode to one end, and then followed a trail to where we expect we'll put our rental yaks in tomorrow, and looked at some x-ski trails, but we didn't have helmets and things quickly got grown over and buggier than a easy ride. Heading in the other direction, we explored the rest of the campground. It has an impressive number of lovely, private sites. We thought our site would suck, but it really doesn't! People bike past, but the motored traffic is pretty minimal.

Have I mentioned this week that Sharon is a great cook? Tonight was Mexican, and a near sunset walk after. When sunset isn't until 9:30, it's kinda weird. We talked about how we can improve our rolling home in the screen room til almost 10. There's a fire ban in effect, so no campfires, so things are quiet as dusk looks, which is also nice. Ontario has great parks, with nice sized sites spaced well. They also have spacious group sites that are pretty awesome.

Day 2. Wednesday, July 25.

We left shortly after 8 to pick up two PFDs, pumps, tow ropes and sponges, then back towards the park for the put in point.  We found our boats by process of elimination.

Killarney Outfitters dropped off a lot of kayaks, but they were organized, I presumed by reservation. Three here, four here, two tandems here, one tandem alone, ... All the groups of two included a one tandem except one, and one of its boats was a High Volume boat similar to the boat I tried out yesterday to confirm it would fit. The guy showed up while we were getting ready with another batch of boats, and confirmed that these were our boats for the day.

The paddle out Chikanishing Creek was pleasant, and then there was Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. The deep blue waters are broken up by rocky outcroppings. We crossed some open water, turned left and paddled the coastline, checking out the topography and wildlife. We immediately saw a couple of sandhill cranes strutting around, and I regretted not bringing my big camera. But they walked into the brush pretty quickly, so maybe I wouldn't have gotten a better picture with it. In any case, it primed us both to enjoy the spectacle before us.

As we wandered in and out, the wind gradually increased. We'd only notice as we came out onto the lake to feel the full brunt of wind. I finally suggested to Sharon that we head back to explore the lee side of the island. As we headed back the wind was strong enough to create whitecaps on an increasing number of the waves. We were paddling maybe 20° off the headwind, with our boats cresting waves and then slapping the trough. When we finally got to the end of the island we turned for the protected waters on the other shore. We minimized our time crossways to the current, and they we were paddling furiously to keep ahead of the waves. Once again I remembered Lys Burden's advice from years ago, that to control your boat you have to be going at a different speed than the water.

Once in calm water, we realized that the wind was blowing pretty much up this channel between the island and the mainland, so we cut across to the mainland side, and got into a quieter cove. We found a landing spot, had lunch on the rocks, checked our maps, and then headed back into the maelstrom to the next cove, Chikanishing Creek. It was a surprisingly difficult paddle, as the wind was even stronger (Sharon checked the weather after that said 20+ mph winds). I was afraid of getting crossways to waves and paddled across the cove mouth until I was in the lee side of an island. Sharon did the same. The paddle up the river was far calmer.

After leaving the kayaks by the put in, we returned the other gear and returned to our campsite. Time for a hike! Sharon was set on the Lake Cloche Silhouette Trail, until I pointed out it is a 79 km trail, maybe 5 days of hiking. So we started it anyway, but turned around after a mile or so. I was hurting before the hike, and wasn't interested in any more activity, so Sharon went off for a swim while I didn't move.

After a delicious Asian dish Sharon cooked up, we chatted for a bit before our nightly tasks, the dishes for her and the chairs and screenroom and bikes for me. But the sun had set, and the mosquitoes arrived to feast on an overtall piece of prime flesh. I would work for 10-30 seconds, then swipe the electric tennis racket around my head and legs for an equal amount of time. Not surprisiny, it took more than twice as long to complete my tasks.

Since we have an 8+ hour drive tomorrow (factoring in Customo), we hope to be on the road by 6:30 am. We shall see.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Aside: Pain

Pain is all in the brain. A nerve cell (axion?) somewhere triggers an impulse that wends it's way to the brain, which then interprets the data and passes the information to the conscious.

Generally, the information is correct and you can act based on it. If you feel pain in your ankle, you adjust your stride to minimize the pain signal from there. You can believe your brain, you don't wrap your wrist if you have a toothache.

Alas, as I understand it, nerve impulses from the hips and legs and lower back all travel to the brain via the spinal cord, which runs inside the spine. The spine is a remarkably flexible set of bones called vertebrae. Sometimes problems can occur with one or more vertebrae. Doctors count them, the ones up from the legs L1, L2, ..., and the ones down from the cranium C1, C2, .... They also have mapped which nerves get into the spinal cord at which vertebra.

Let's say a vertebra is damaged in some way (the lack of the membrane keeping bone from rubbing on bone, for example). The nerves passing through that damage can be affected. Moving a vertebra or two may pinch a nerve that reports you've been kicked in the hip, or that hip doesn't work and other muscles need to deal with it. The effect is a trivial movement in the spine causes a nerve to trigger an impulse that is only supposed to be triggered at the far end of that nerve. So the spine moves, and the left hip suddenly feels a monster was pretty bite for a second or two. Or a hip suddenly loses all feeling, which causes you to fall to that side, which sucks if you happen to be on a SUP, and fall in the water.

Working out regularly, there is a lot of pain that actually feels good, muscles that have been exercised fully and reporting such. But these random pains don't feel like that. It's weird how we live for some pains, and do whatever it takes to not feel other pains. And a lot of pain can be ignored for a while, but as the day goes on it's harder to ignore.

All in all, most pain is best avoided.

Stop 53: Pancake Bay PP

Sunday, July 22. Wind. Lots of Wind. We backed Ernie amongst a little grove of white birch and fir trees, but we were still rocking when we awoke. The lake had a few whitecaps, and it was cool enough that long pants and sweatshirts were needed.

We left our Rossport CG for the larger and reserved Whitesands Lake CG a few clicks down the road to hike the Rainbow Falls Trail. Last night's camping paper got us b nb v   d,c
in for free. It's a big lake, and the f,d .alls
start directly from the lake,  the water tu bmbling down over a sequence of 10 - 30' falls separated by fairly steep chutes in between. The trail was a wooden walkway with a ton of steps separated by short straight sections.  There were a few openings on the walkway to walk right up to the river, before we crossed it on a nice bridge. Another hiker told us about an overlook a bit farther, so we climbed up lol mm to it. A nice view, but not overwhelming. We are so jaded.
.
On the road, we drove 220 miles down the road, listening to an early Ken Follett audiobook and enjoying lake views and forest views, and very little traffic, which was also nice for all the touring cyclists. We followed a semi for a while and it was heartening how he signaled and moved over for each one. I love Ontario!

Sharon found us a wonderful site for two nights, right across from Lake Superior. Plenty of room for Ernie and our screenroom, hiking trails, and across the road from the beach. And we're here for two nights! And we made reservations at Killarney SP for the following two nights. And then two more nights at Keuka Lake SP in New York, where we learned several years ago is surrounded by wineries. With the 4 nights with Josh & Jeanette in Watkins Glen, we are booked through the month!

Sharon needed Loonies for the laundry, Ernie needed diesel,  ARB needed solar, so after a quick run for the first two ending at the campground parking lot by the "facilities", Sharon started the laundry, we put on bathing suits and jumped into Lake Superior (it's cold, but not as cold as you'd expect for a deep lake in Canada), then showered and waited in Ernie while the laundry finished and (hopefully) the Sun replenished the house battery. It helped, but not enough.

ARB has been hungry for electron juice for several days now. It's been raining or overcast the whole time, and we haven't had a 100% charge on the house battery the whole time. Last night we dropped to 40% charge (11.2v), which isn't good for the lifespan of the battery. I would like to upgrade from one gel battery to two or even three lithium batteries, but they're pricey. Seeing how we're limping along with just one gel is good data, but it also means we can't use the SUPs tomorrow, we need the battery for ARB.

We went for a nice bike ride after dinner. This is a big campground. Pancake Bay is several miles across, and the campground is a good portion. The water is calm, the sunset a deepening red from the forest fire, it's feels like a Caribbean evening.

As we got ready for bed, the mosquitoes started their attack. And Sharon transformed into the Flying Teeth Terrorist, wielding her electric swatter deftly, killing every mosquito who ventured into Ernie's sanctum. We thought we would leave the back doors open, the netting keeping us bug free. But they were finding ways in, in little gaps around the edges. I finally went out and closed the doors, but that just trapped all the mosquitoes sitting on the netting inside. Sharon spent two hours swatting and waving and searching for the last mo, and there was always one more. She persevered, even after I turned over for sleep. It was after 11pm that she was finally free of the high pitched whining that sent her into paroxysms.

Day 2. Monday, July 23.

A short drive within the park to a trailhead, where Ernie could collect some solar power, and we headed out to the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout Trail. Two miles later we had a fabulous view of Pancake Bay and the point where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank back in 1975. Two miles back, and our house battery was still undercharged, so we bought a bag of ice and parked Ernie in a parking lot close to our campsite with full sun. Of course, the Sun hid behind clouds, generating only a fraction of the power we hoped for.

My afternoon was calmer than Sharon's. She took off for a beach hike, and later a swim, while I chilled. We did do a half bike ride, half hike to the western tip of the bay, but the next bay wasn't worth continuing the hike so we found a different route back to the bikes.

Over a bit of wine with our chairs on the sand watching the lake, we listened to Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Realizing it all happened offshore in far worse weather than the calm flat seas we were enjoying the story was still so much more relevant than any of the 400,000 times I've heard that song.

The mosquitoes weren't as numerous our second night, perhaps because their numbers were depleted by Sharon's previous killing spree.  Tomorrow we have a 5+ hour drive, though the Parry Sound 33 forest fire may be a monkey wrench in our drive, hopefully not.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Stop 52: Rainbow Falls PP ON

Saturday, July 21. One week to see Josh & Jeanette. Two weeks to see Sarah & Greg. Three weeks to see Frank & Joy, and then home. I'm ready. Days on end of driving expansion joints is getting old. I need to just relax for a bit and recover. Maybe a vegetative afternoon or three by our pool catching up with friends...

Overcast with a threat of rain, we drove back to the highway and headed North along the Lake Superior coast, stopping a few times, including Grand Portage National Monument.

Grand Portage commemorates the native people and the early trappers and traders who made this a major site. The monument has an volunteers showing how people lived, and built their homes and boats. They also had a wooden fort that reminded me of F Troop, but nicer.

Crossing into Canada took a while, as only one lane was open for a while. Once through, Sharon found a provincial park a few hours in that seemed promising. Fortunately they had two sites available, one with electricity, one without but on the water. With three days of overcast and rainy, we haven't fully charged the house battery, and blowing up the SUPs was an extra hit the battery didn't want. But a view is a view.

Rain dampened the ground, but not our spirits. Cocktails on the beach before the weather degraded was delicious, and swirling winds under spitting skies made walking around the campground and beach/rocky shore after dinner a charging experience. If only our battery could get a charging experience like that.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Stop 51: Ninemile Lake CG

Friday, July 20. It's an overcast day, it was raining lightly overnight, and Ernie's wipers take a swipe when the drops reach a critical mass.

We stopped at the National Forest Headquarters in Duluth for ideas of where to spend the weekend, and then hit a nearby Super 1 grocery store. Like the WinCo grocery we hit in Idaho, the bagging area beyond the checkout clerk is split in two. While she was scanning our groceries, the previous customer is still packing her groceries as ours are heading to the other side. But at least Super 1 accepts credit cards.

The drive on I-35 through metropolitan Duluth was delightful, especially considering it's a Friday morning. Traffic is light as the highway weaves between Lake Superior and Old Industry on one side, and the aging city on the other.

I-35 ends, turning into Minnesota 61, as it follows the lake north to Grand Portage and the Canadian border. We quickly took a scenic byway with less people heading to their favorite camping spot for the weekend. We stopped at a state park with a full campground but with day use parking to see the waterfall overrun with kids and adults taking selfies. Sharon saw a sign for smoked fish and had to stop. We also got some cheese curds, which I may enjoy more. I'm not a big fan of picking bones out of the food in my mouth, and the smoked trout definitely had enough bones to be wary of.

We had our choice of sites at this Superior National Forest Campground, and coughed up $7.50 for our choice. We chose #1, since all the lakefront sites had paper on their poles.

But then we went for a walk. To the boat launch area, and then the path along the lake, when we ran into some fishermen and a rainbow trout. And they showed us all of the crawdads (12) that the trout had eaten before being caught. There is now no doubt in my mind that trout do a yeoman's job of keeping the crawdad population in check. What was really amazing was one of the crawdads was still alive, and started swimming away while we chatted. I think the crawdad's name is Jonas.

One of the guys (who'd been here a few days already) also told us that a site we wanted but had a "1" slip on its pole had been like that for days, do we moved to #18, with a lake access on site! Yippee! (After dinner we stopped by their site, and got good advice about our camping options for tomorrow.)

Time for SUP action, we pumped them up (well, Ernie's house battery provided the energy), and wandered off around our lake. It's not 9 miles long (the name of the campground is from the railroad stop that was once here, perhaps rnamed because the next water tower was 9 miles away), but it does have a trio of islands. The gaps between islands and mainland are shallow with big rocks just below the surface. I hit a few with my fin before Sharon hit one hard, and lost her balance. Fortunately she broke her fall with water and not rock. The rest of the paddle was less eventful, but a nice way to unwind.

The weather forces us to put away the screenroom and chairs earlier than we'd like, but Ernie is comfortable and dry, and homey.

We're only here one night. Sharon is confident we will find another site somewhere else tomorrow, maybe in Minnesota, maybe in Canada.

Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8

Stop 50: Jay Cooke SP MN

Thursday, July 19. It started raining around 1:30 in the morning and continued through the morning. It fell hard enough that I drove Sharon to the bathroom to cut the 50 yard walk to just 3. We chose not to take the SUPs on the lake. But the good news is that the inside of Ernie is dry!

We drove in heavy rain and gusty winds. For a while it was a strong headwind, other times a persistent crosswind, with the occasional slap of a gust. But we also had Armand Gamache investigating and solving another mystery.

As the book wrapped up and the Sun began to break through the clouds, Sharon saw a Jay Clooke State Park sign, so we turned off the highway to see what they had. And they had a site for one night, so we took it.

Then we went for a bike ride on a paved trail that we noticed had dirt paths off the side for mountain bikes and x-country skiers. Our plan was to ride to a point, and ride back, and try the dirt on the return. But the rain returned just enough to give us the impetus to take the fastest route. The rain backed off so we took off on a hike that starts with a swinging bridge over the St. Louis River. But pain intruded, so I returned to Ernie to relax.

Sharon stopped to talk to the rangers looking for recommended camping possibilities, and came back with lots of ideas. So tomorrow may be an adventure.

The evening teased with a sprinkle, but a quiet and cooler evening ensued. The park has no water because of a main break, but fortunately we had a good amount of privacy at our site.
Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8

Stop 49: Big Stone Lake SP, MN

Wednesday, July 18. The plan was to have a reasonably short drive to a campground on the Missouri River. We got there, and Sharon figured it was 1) boring, and 2) too early in the day. So we started driving East.

Lake Mina was next on the list, another hour or two away. But there we discovered that South Dakota has serious issues with gouging tourists. A campsite is $17. But you also have to pay the Daily Use fee of $6. And if you are not a resident, another $8. And, just because, the applicable South Dakota sales taxes must be added in for the final price. We couldn't see any justification to spend that much for a parking spot for 12 hours, so we went back on the road.

This time, Sharon drove and I looked for destinations. We wanted to be out of South Dakota and in Minnesota. The closest State Park I found was Big Stone Lake SP, 7 miles from our entry into the state. And we got a lakefront site!

There are enough flying critters that we broke out the screen room with the chairs. Then we tried to figure out what to do next. Last night's plan is dead. Tomorrow is Thursday, we would like to find a site through Saturday. Sharon thinks our best bet is a National Forest, and I don't disagree. Minnesota State Parks reservations online show we only have a few options, so NF it is. If we're successful, we'll likely then go up into Canada over Lake Superior.

Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8

Stop 48: Badlands NP SD

Tuesday, July 17. We got on the line to get tickets for the cave tour at 7:30, knowing the doors open at 8am, and we're already #6 and 7. At 8:01 from the head of the snaking line for tickets inside the Visitor Center, the line extended through the Center, out the door, across the lawn to the sidewalk. They push 32 people every 20 minutes through a tour of the third longest known cave in the US. Based on the air it pushes, they estimate that the 450 miles mapped so far is only 10% of its extent.

The tour was excellent. Our guide was Puerto Rican, and did an excellent job of managing the tour, providing an ecological and historical and geologic perspective on our trek 200' underground. We emerged geologically stimulated, and proceeded to Jewel Cave posthaste.

Alas, Jewel Cave is like Wind Cave, you have to be in line at 8am to do a tour that day. Hmmm. So we went back to Custer State Part, paid our $20 entrance fee, and drove off to see Bison! But the herd was elsewhere. We drove the Wildlife Loop, but there weren't any. The Visitor Center said the 13,000 head were in the woods, away from any road. Well, that sucks!

When we paid our $20, the woman said our best hope without reservations was another hour or so West. Custer had nice hills but no bison, we got Burned! So we headed East to the Badlands.

Google directed us to a Dispersed Camping site on the western side of the park, over 30+ miles of washboard. But the temperature was over 90, horseflies were ravenous, and shade was non-existent. So Sharon suggested we continue on to the other campground, that has power!

So we continue on the washboard double track through the Badlands for way too long, and then finally hitting pavement again. My goal was a campsite; unfortunately Sharon's goal was photographing the Badlands and the Bighorn Sheep that seemed to be everywhere. Sharon got more pictures than she needs, and I drove around the melange of vehicles stopping randomly and stupidly.

(There aughta be a Tourist License, required of anyone who wants to drive 200? miles from their home, to ensure they know how to navigate cyclists on the road, passing lanes, and lanes that you should keep in, even if the road turns and dips and rises. The Dumbing Down of America is far too well along. One couple simply parked their SUV in the middle of the lane so they could walk 50 yards to take pictures of themselves, so we sat for several minutes before we could get around their vehicle. I'm glad I don't have a big front bumper, or I would have been tempted to push their car out of the way.)

We arrived at the"Real" campground in the Badlands around 5, and it's Full. Argh! So we hit the Visitor Center where Sharon can get Local info on Dispersed Camping. As we see where we can look, John (the Awesome Sweep of our Wind Caves tour group) appears out of the Ether, and says, "You can have our site."

We knew the weather was calling for really bad T-storms. But we're in Ernie, so I'm thinking a Hurricane Party at worst. But Tom has kids, and a tent, and it's impressive how he explains to the kids how cool it is to not deal with flash floods and the like. Smart decision on his part, and we are overjoyed to have a tent site!

We get level without chocks, and the weather sends us cooler temps in anticipation of monster storms, and they hold off as we eat dinner outside bedside Ernie.

South Dakota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Zym5bhyQ6k5XoZ39

Stop 47: Wind Caves NP

Monday, July 16. The day started with a bike ride, not quite 7 miles of lovely singletrack around the reservoir. Most of it was the two flowing green trails around the reservoir, and then there was Granite Ridge. It started as easy as the greens, and we even wondered at one point why it was labeled Blue. And then we found out. It got steep. And a lot twistier with tight switchbacks made more rideable on the uphill by the naturally unweighted front wheel. Funny though, my heavily weighted front wheel sucked on the counterparts coming back down from the ridge.

And then there was the Ridge. Getting there required climbing out of the saddle, adjusting my weight to maintain traction on both wheels, which is and was fun when you get it right, and you ascend. I couldn't do it all, but maybe tomorrow.

But the Ridge. It was Granite. The trail couldn't be better named without using a second adjective starting with the letter 'F'. It wasn't friendly. The trail designer made the most of the impressive (granite) formations, with the narrow trail winding around huge boulder-like chunks of rock that are actually also under dirt and rocks you're riding on. We walked a bunch. Cool features that with experience I could learn how to set my pedals and front wheel to wheedle through, and others I have no idea how I will ever clear cleanly. One chunk of granite I couldn't even walk my bike over, and ended up twisting my rear wheel and my handlebars, but nothing permanent. All in all, a great ride, especially when we encountered a trail maintenance crew! And Steve Miller Band playing! A perfect end of a challenging and glorious ride.

Then we drove. Twenty miles back to I-25, then after another 10, we got on US 85 heading North. We stopped in Torrington for the wine we didn't get at Applejack on Sunday. (I need to keep a separate page for the BBI, Black Box Index. It's what we drink, and the price is all over, from $14.50 in Montana to $26.98 in Colorado.)

Google Maps led us to Wind Caves NP (only the 7th park created), where we found a campsite and after checking out the Visitor Center (reservations for tomorrow's cave tours go on sale at 8am for the 8:45 tour and the rest of the day), we found a nice hike that offered good views of the hilly prairie terrain. Storm clouds grew, and the approaching peals of thunder along with decreasing temperature and increasing wind gave us impetus to get back to Ernie, and then enjoy the spectacle with a cocktail!

Alas, the rain mostly fell to the North, so no flash floods for us, just a tasty dinner after looking at maps and talking options for the next week and a half. From here, Custer and then Badlands, before up the Missouri River into North Dakota to US 2, and take it East. Between WikiCamp and AllStays and paper maps from Visitor Centers, we should be able to find our way.

We are also in a no wifi, no cell service area of the country. Our phones come alive as we travel near bigger towns, and Sharon does her best in these windows to check messages/email/fb, but we are off the grid in many ways.

South Dakota Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Zym5bhyQ6k5XoZ39

Stop 46: Curt Gowdy SP

Sunday, July 15. We left Winter Park, heading over the pass and down towards Denver. We stopped first in Golden and a Safeway across the street from where I worked when I first moved to Colorado in '81. It was interesting to see the changes in the town. Foss Drug was always a fixture, and the Foss family owned almost as much of the town as the School of Mines and Coors. But their drugstore was gone, the building now some sports store.

We then headed for the Ship Rock Grille at the Red Rocks Amphitheater to meet up with Vickie and Bill & Marilyn. Sharon and Vickie met back in the 70s in WP, while we met Bill and Marilyn on an MS 150 ride in Daytona when they were still living in Jacksonville. We caught up on life over great food, and afterwards we got to show off Ernie.

Bidding dear friends goodbye, it was only fitting that the sky started crying as we left Red Rocks and got on the interstate, I-70 to I-76 to I-25. Sunday afternoon traffic in Denver was medium, but the downpour slowed most everything down as visibility and traction diminished. Heading North we shared the road with half the cars returning to Denver on I-25, and we never had a significant slowdown, Hallelujah!

I-80 Westbound was closed when we got to the exit in Wyoming, but I was happy to take the old Happy Jack Road to Curt Gowdy SP. The rain was transitioning lighter and lighter, and stopped as we turned into the park. We found a lovely site by one of the three reservoirs, and miracle of miracles, we found level without pulling out the chocks.

It's funny, when we found the site a guy was walking around the shoreline before walking back to his fifth wheel monster trailer. We parked while we discussed the site, and then we watched him leave the site he was in up the hill and take the site next to our choice. He backed it expertly right in front of Ernie. We figured he would also have a generator for something that big, so we drove away to find a quieter site. But as we watched from afar he seemed unhappy with his trailer on such unlevel and soft ground, and left the loop entirely for better options. So we drove back to take our site again, and stayed, hopeful our evening would be rumble free.

We got our rain-washed bikes out and rode a green trail around one end of the reservoir, and scoped out some other trails. The temperature was around 50 after the rain, with wind and humidity, so we headed back to the warmth of Ernie for a nice dinner of stuffed portibello mushrooms.

Bunnies and Canada Geese were our only neighbors, and that was fine. We took a walk as dusk settled, avoiding the goose poop, and checked out the vault toilet for our loop. What kind of people trash toilets? The last campground we were at had a poop smeared women's toilet, and here it's the men's. I can't imagine what prompts someone to do this.

Pictures from Red Rocks are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/mwTtaEQkyWM7zhGK9

Pictures from Curt Gowdy are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/uL32ZD4GY4Zgey6V8

Stop 45: Winter Park CO

Thursday, July 12. Winter Park is where Sharon has lived the longest, after St. Pete Beach and Atlantic/Neptune , but Ernie is coming on with a strong #4. It was a short drive to WP from our campground on Rabbit Ears Pass, made longer by driving down the pass and then back up to find a hiking trail, and it wasn't even for the one we wanted. And the hike was abbreviated when we came upon a dude in t-shirt and shorts who got lost yesterday and spent the night in the woods. He was thirsty and hungry and lost. So we gave him water and a fig bar and led him back to a trail. He didn't want to go back the way we were, so he continued on a trail that should have ended up back at the trailhead, but he wasn't there when we returned. And there were police officers looking for him at the parking lot, so we passed on what we could to them.

US-40 to Winter Park is a beautiful drive, following the Colorado River when it's still small.  Driving through Kremmling and Hot Springs and Granby and then Tabernash before coming into Fraser and lunch at Azteca, a favorite Mexican restaurant. Our lunch wasn't quite up to our expectations, but it was still good, and it will stay on our favorites list.

Well fed, it was off to St. Louis Campground for parking and unleashing our bikes for a romp. Creekside is a lot rockier in Summer on mountain bikes than in Winter on x-skis. But we persevered, and then took Flume and Chainsaw back, faster, smoother, and more downhill, all the while listening to thunder and ever darkening skies. We got back to Ernie and packed the bike gear quickly.

A dear friend is building a new house in Fraser, and we took the opportunity to stop by Greg's new construction to see what he's up to. His plans are inspiring, as well as his work ethic. We got a tour, then agreed to meet up at Deno's later.

Peter and Sandra have a beautiful townhome in Winter Park. Peter sent me the garage code, and we parked Ernie in front of the garage.

We caught up with Greg at Deno's, then relaxed in the luxury of the townhome before another sublime rest in Ernie.

Day 2, Friday July 13.

We drove to the top of Berthoud Pass, then hiked to the top, from 11,300' to 12,500' in a little over 2 miles.  Beautiful views, but it got us huffing and puffing.

Returning to the lower altitude of Winter Park (9950'), we rode to the grocery store with my panniers. One, it was good exercise, and two, Ernie would have been a problem to park.

We broke out our computers for the first time since Port Townsend, and I was able to update the Reality spreadsheet of where we've been and where we might go. Sharon tried to do some work related stuff, but had an issue.

Peter and Sandra and Quentin and Poppy arrived, and we enjoyed catching up on everyone's lives over dinner, and Peter and I got in a little bike ride with Poppy at sunset.

Day 3, Saturday, July 14.

After a flavorful breakfast we all took to the trails. Winter Park has a bajillion miles of mountain bike trails and forest roads, and we got quite the workout both climbing and descending. I'd like to say some of the vistas took my breath away, but the climbs immediately before were more likely the cause.

Jennifer came up for the evening, and all is good.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/hwHtwMLdU1XEEvnV9

Stop 40: Wild Goose CG, Idaho

Saturday, July 7. We left Norman in the capable hands of Brian & Katy and nanny Julie and took US 12 out of Missoula and followed the road as it weaved up a canyon and then down alongside an expanding river as it absorbed the many tributaries. We stopped at the last campground in the national forests we drove through. We're sure it was the last, since we drove out of the forest for 10+ miles before turning around.

With only 7 sites, the campground is small, close by the road, but close by the river also. The lure of the river's gentle flow won out easily to our ears. We set up our chairs on the beach, but eventually relocated under the pines to keep us out of the relentless sun.

Sharon thought about putting her SUP in the water, but felt the downside of getting caught in the current outweighed the pleasure of paddling in the more quiet sidepools. Once in the shade, we watched other (younger) campers paddling up a sidepool and then moving into the edge of the current back to the other end of the pool. It did look fun.

Idaho Pictures are at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xuUcHQ6QC223skGfA

Aside: Skin

Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies. Or on our bodies. We know that this organ comes in lots of colors, shades of red, yellow, brown, and black. AFAIK, it doesn't exhibit shades of blue or green.

It's sad that there are people who think that the shade of their skin organ is better than someone else's shade. To my mind, they are Stupid. But it got me wondering. What is the variance of our other organs? How many different colors are in kidneys, or livers? Since hearts are such blood pumps, I'm guessing they are all pretty red, but do they come in other colors too? Are brains all grey? It seems that if someone wants to be a racist, they might want to pay attention to the color of their other organs, not just their skin. Of course, a diseased liver might be a different color than a healthy one, giving racism a whole new avenue of hate.

When we were luxuriating in the Maiette Hot Springs, there was a guy who's skin was so dark brown, he was beautiful. There was a woman, black as I have ever seen, and she was beautiful. It would have been too weird for me to tell either of them that I found their largest organ to be a beautiful hue, so I refrained. But how would you react if your doctor, after surgery, told you that your liver was a lovely hue? Would you feel superior to the rest of humanity? Certainly the surface color of an organ can provide diagnostic information, but it seems a stretch to think it defines the person.

Lying under a pile of heat insulating blankets above a heat sucking open cell foam mattress brings out all kinds of thoughts. Maybe because I was merely the middle man in the whole equation, the catalyst maybe.

Stop 44: Meadow CG, Routt NF

The day started retracing our tracks to drive the Sheep Cove Geological Loop in Ashley NF, allegedly where the bighorn sheep have their morning coffee. The bad news, we missed the coffee klatch. The good news, we saw several turkeys and deer, and some fabulous views. I've been pretty dismissive of the Uinta Mountains in the past, as over-promoted Utah hills. But dropping down one mountainside into a narrow canyon was pretty awesome and awesomely pretty. The past few days have given me more respect for both the Uinta and the Sawtooth ranges.

Then we drove East. We dropped down to Vernal, a town I remember as Infernal Vernal because it was so dry and hot. It was still early when we got there, but it was definitely dry, and the heat was clearly a'coming.

We stopped at Dinosaur National Monument, but it was already hot and arid enough that taking a shuttle bus to the big excavation building I remembered will be saved for another day, along with the 4 hour hike Sharon was looking at.

Next stop, Craig Colorado, where we were thinking of stopping at Freeman Reservoir Campground. It was on The Plan as a 2 night stay to play around the lake. With temps pushing 90, we were unsure it was worth the 20 mile drive off pavement. After touching base with Peter, we continued East for better opportunities.

With internet access, Sharon's forefinger leapt into action, finding a National Forest site at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass, East of Steamboat Springs. With several sites to choose from, we selected #2, with a nice view and out of audible range of anyone with a generator. We've noticed that a lot of RVers have them, and they can be loud and annoying (and sometimes stinky). For $5 I'm tempted to reserve the site across from us, lest someone with a generator comes by, but this trip is good for resisting temptation. At 9400', we are living high on the hogback.

We finished Book 8.5 of the Grim Reaper series we've been listening to. We thought it was the last one we hadn't heard, but it wasn't; maybe Book 9 will catch us up. So we started The Dirt on the Ninth Grave for the NY interlude (all of the other books take place in Albuquerque NM).

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/DaySfQQGRLJ4hthW6

Stop 43: Canyon Rim CG, Flaming Gorge UT

Tuesday, July 10. We left our boondock slowly, drove back to US-30, and took it to Green River Wyoming, where we then headed South into Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Ashley National Forest. In 1963 the Green River was dammed, creating this gorge behind the dam.

The drive around is wonderful. You're also crossing over the Uinta Mountains (the only E-W mountain range in the US), so the roads are twisty in many directions in fluid combinations, with awesome views en route. Sharon got a SUP paddle in, but it was cut short by the rolling rumble of thunder. An earlier hike at the Visitor Center was cut short when we ignored the wind change, random droplets, and drop in air temperature.

Before the paddle we learned that the nearest campground was full. So after the paddle we retraced our steps back to the Rim area. The first campground had a couple sites, but boondocking was looking better. By the third, uppermost campground, we found a wonderful site with no other campers in view. And the backyard of our site is the gorge.

We hiked back to the entrance to pay the $11 fee, and then to marvel at the incredible views from the campground. Then we took off on our bikes to enjoy their mountain bike trails. Unfortunately the trail we started on had enough jarring bumps over the rocks that my back forced me to ride out of the seat.

We left our shower waterbag on the dash all day, and it was pretty warm. We found a tree with a branch at the right height, and we both had delightfully efficient showers. Followed by cocktails, sunset appreciation, dinner prep and execution, and working on pictures, etc.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/iwbFCeNU64JwCZN86

Stop 42: Portneuf Lower Access, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Monday July 9. Our plans keep changing. This morning over an Aussi Bites and smoothie breakfast, we opened up the Idaho State Map, and decided to go the long way to Craters of the Moon National Monument. We headed Northwest a ways before taking an incredible road mirroring the Salmon River as it descended out a gorge. Rafters aplenty, the single lane stream of vehicles was easy going and calm, to let passengers an unending travelogue.

Craters of the Moon is impressive. It's a bunch of impressive examples of lava eruptions in the area. Because we'd been in other caves recently, we couldn't visit their caves, lest we inadvertently pass on a bat disease to their healthy population. So we skipped that part, but sampled the rest. We could have spent more time, but we needed to find a place to spend the night!

Sharon found a camp place on the internet. A search for campgrounds didn't yield anything she liked, but boondocking near me yielded our site. Alongside the Portneuf River, across from a UP rail line, this could work. The temperature was 90, but a wind soon came up and made it comfortable, even in Ernie once we opened him up. After dinner Sharon skinny dipped in the river above the waterfall. She slipped once on the slick mud, but managed to avoid getting caught in the quick current around her.

We didn't expect to even visit Idaho originally, but this is our second night here. And tomorrow we may skip Wyoming and end up in Colorado.

Idaho Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xuUcHQ6QC223skGfA

Stop 41: Wood Creek CG Idaho

Sunday, July 8. A day of driving along beautiful rivers, the Middle Fork of the Clearwater, then the Salmon. We left a state highway and a river for a climb through farmland with beautiful vistas. The river roads became packed with long lines of vehicles toting boats of all types, from big powerboats to kayaks and SUPs and rafts.

We finally left all that for the congestion known as Boise. We stopped at a WinCo, a big box grocery that doesn't take credit cards, and Sharon doesn't believe in debit cards. (Fortunately I have one for ATMs, and WinCo.)

A leg on I-84, with a speed limit of 80 (which killed our fuel mileage, though the driving up and down canyons had it ranging from 27 to 19 before settling around 24.x until the interstate), and then we were on US-20, flying across the arid prairie until we came upon a stop sign when Sharon yelled, "Turn right!" With Google Maps saying to continue straight and 3 cars behind me, I went straight and pulled over.

She thought we should visit Sun Valley, mentioned it once, but that wasn't enough for me to cancel our guidance to Craters of the Moon, but we made the U-turn safely and drove past Sun Valley to a National Forest Campground she found on Google (after returning a call from her Mom and calling Teri to call their Mom).

Less than 30 sites, the campground wasn't full, and we found a lovely site with a bike trail leading out of our site. And it was level. And the screenroom kept the bugs to a minimum. And Sharon's fresh salmon over bag salad was absolutely delicious. Life is Good.

Idaho Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xuUcHQ6QC223skGfA

Stop 39: Missoula MT

July 4. After an 8 mile return to pavement, it was only an hour drive to Missoula to Katie and Brian's home. We hadn't seen Katie since she came to Jennifer's graduation, but hadn't met Brian or their two year old Norman. Sharon also met Julie, Katie's Mom.

We parked Ernie in the back yard, and we went with Julie into Missoula for a big lunch at the Iron Horse before heading to Julie's, and then we continued on to Rattlesnake Recreation Area, where all but Brian went for a hike. At Norman's pace, not the fastest, but certainly entertaining. Then back to Julie's for a pleasant evening meal and music, courtesy of Brian and Jenny.

Day 2, July 5.

The forecast was for Hot, a high of 97. So we all got out for a hike before it got too warm. Julie prepared a wonderful lunch for us after the hike, and then the shopping began.

Sharon and I drove Ernie to REI, with hopes of spending a bunch on a new watch for me, new boots for Sharon, a chair to replace the one that broke, and a few miscellaneous items as we saw. Alas! Our luck didn't hold. No inventory for watches or boots or any better chairs than what we had, but at least we could replace the chair. And Sharon found a new pack to replace the old torn one.

Then we went across the street to Costco for some food supplies. We also broke down and bought a pair of bear spray cannisters, with holsters. We've been hiking in bear country so much it seems like a worthwhile investment. Also, Black Box was only $13.49, so we bought 3 (I was tempted to go for 4), and rotisserie chickens for dinner, along with cereal, juice, and whatever staple we were low on.

While we were shopping, Katy and Jenny went off in search of a mountain bike for Jenny to rent. Ultimately successful, we put the bike on our rack for a trip to the Hiawatha Trail tomorrow.

After some chicken and potatoes and good conversation, we all retired for a full day tomorrow.

Day 3, July 6.

The plan was to pick up Jen at 7 for the two hour drive to the Hiawatha Trail. We got started a few minutes before, and arrived before the ticket office opened. When it did, I got our tickets and then the woman asked if I knew where the trailhead was. I said no, and she told me to get back on the highway to exit 5, and follow the signs. I told her I thought we'd drive to the bottom since we're riding it round trip, and figured it made more sense to ride uphill for 15 miles in the cool morning, and then coast back in the heat of the day, did that make sense?. She said okay, and said the directions were the same.

Since the Hiawatha Trail is in Idaho, I got back on the interstate into Idaho (the ticket booth is at Exit 0, at the Welcome to Idaho sign), pass Exit 1, and then Exit 67, and I had a bad feeling. We exited at Exit 65, then drove back to Montana Exit 5, and started off on a dirt road with signs for the Hiawatha Trail.

After a couple of miles we reached the "top" trailhead. We continued on, thinking driving to the far trailhead will just be a few minutes. Dumb! Shortly after the western trailhead turnoff, the road devolved from two lane drivable hard pack to one lane washboard with random rocks and a plethora of potholes wide enough to absorb either of Ernie's dualies, and seeing around the endless blind corners of the twisty road just made it more fun.

It ended up being a 45 minute drive, and coincidentally, another 45 coming back. And while I was expecting a 4% grade, it's was significantly shallower, maybe only 2% or less. So we rode sedately up against everyone else coming down. When we started we had the trail to ourselves, with the number of downhillers slowly increasing as we rode.

After a nice bite at the top, we headed back, an Jenny and I made excellent time, with Sharon not far behind.

Returning to Missoula we got a ride downtown with Julie for a pizza party at Biga Pizza with Brian and Katy and Norm, and Ron and Malea! I haven't seen Ron and Malea since Jennifer's high school graduation,  and it was nice to catch up with them. A good time had by all, stopping for ice cream by the waterfront and watching standing wave surfers, and then watching Jenny hold Norm in a chariot while Brian is riding the adjoining horse on the carousel.

Heading home to Brian and Katy's, we all caught up around Brian's bug chasing campfire, sipping his homebrewed ale, and listening to he and Jenny play lovely music. Bliss.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/oSfRQ9FguzB7QyjW9

Stop 38: Seeley Lake MT

July 3. Taking a final leave of Glacier, we head South. Ideally we would be able to snag a site at Salmon Lake SP. We stopped at two campgrounds on the way; one was full and the other was closed! And Salmon Lake was full through the weekend.

But Sharon got advice on a forest road to boondock on, and a shower (the reason we chose the campground).

We drove up the Morrell Road dirt for several miles, then met another vehicle, and the driver suggested we follow her to where she's boondocking. We did, we chocked to get level, and life was good.

After a bike ride on the road cut short by rain, we ate and then invited Roberta to join us for a glass of wine. She is a musher and living out here with her huskies.

The plan was to do more riding in the morning, but the 33° temps stopped that pretty quickly.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/gM8WU2dLBNi9HUQm9

Stop 37: Apgar CG, Glacier NP

We awoke to a dreary rain, so after yummy scrambled eggs in corn tortillas we hit the road. Customs was empty, and after waiting for someone to come to the booth, we were quickly approved admittance to Dystopia. Whitefish has a Safeway where we restocked our larder, before entering Glacier NP in search of a campsite. We tried Fish Creek, but campers with reservations didn't leave any open sites for more than a day. Apgar, though, is first come, and we came before it filled.

We paid $50 for five nights, our longest stay this trip. Our Senior Pass saved us paying another $50. On my 62nd birthday, I drove to the nearest National Park and bought my Senior Pass for $20 as my birthday present to myself. It has paid for itself countless times. Sharon bought hers when she turned 62 also, but left it at home on our trip to Alaska two years ago and had to pay full price to camp at Yosemite. She then bought a new Senior Pass, though usually only one of ours is needed.

For exercise, we drove to the Visitors Center for hiking and biking advice, then walked to the Village by the lake and back. (None of the shops ignited our shopping genes.) So we hopped on our bikes and road all the designated trails in one fell swoop. Twelve miles, with only about a mile of repeat.

This is a huge park, 90% of which is only accessible with a back country pass. It has a lot of forest roads, at best gravel, at worst painful to Ernie. Our biking excursion showed us how the "unimproved" roads really are; we really need to fund the national parks more! Having lived on dirt roads for so many years, I know what one pass of a blade can do on a hill.

As we relax with a cocktail, a deer wanders in to join us, but perhaps he wanted gin, not vodka, so he kept wandering. His loss, the cranberry was superb. He eventually came back, evidently not finding any gin.

The rain, which has intermittently tracked our drive, our walk, and even our bike ride, backed off for Happy Hour and the rest of the evening. We could enjoy a portobello and asparagus dinner (interrupted for only a short time by our young stag), and a walk through the loops afterwards (where we ran into our young stag once again).

The forecast for tomorrow isn't so sanguine, but we remain forever optimistic. We can drive up the Going To The Sun road only as far as Avalanche Creek, so if the weather holds, that's our destination tomorrow with hiking trails to wear out Sharon, hopefully before my back screams too loudly.

Day 2, Friday June 29

First stop, Avalanche Creek for a hike. Heavy clouds and light rain. And as we cross the parking lot to the trailhead it becomes a steadier rain, but we're already in rain coats and rain pants, and we climb the 3 miles up to the lake, thankful for the tree cover for much of the path. The rain stopped for most of the return, but started again when we got back to Ernie.

It's Josh's birthday! We went to the Visitors Center for a bit of cell service, and tried to call, but could only leave a message. We hung around, Sharon reading and posting. Then we got our SUPs certified to be free of invasive plants,  signed up for a rafting trip tomorrow morning, then a quick bike ride cut short by rolling thunder and ominous clouds. And it's 5 o'clock!

Sharon is amazing. She hikes the way Jeanne Hargrave bikes. She's not fast, but she perseveres. And she doesn't fall down, another good feature! I stop enough to wait for her that I'm not getting my heart rate up for any healthy time, but it's better than stressing where she is (though I do hike back to find her more than I like).

Day 3 Saturday June 30

Today we went rafting! We were supposed to be there at 9:30, so we had plenty of time for a hot breakfast and a stop at the Visitor Center to check email.

Rafting was great! We both chose wet suits, and we ended up in the back of a rafting filled with a family. Jake sat between us steering and providing an excellent commentary on safety, and random facts about the area, the river, and rafting and fishing in general. The kids were fun, doing their best and trying to be adult. One of the girls, about ten years old probably, said she wanted to swim towards the end of the float when Jake offered. So he said he had to check her boots first. He came forward, grabbed her boots and lifted them up as she fell back into the water! She was suitably surprised, but rose to the occasion quite well, and showed off her floating skills beside the boat. The water was maybe 40, and she was happy to be pulled back in by Jake, cold but the coolest person on all three rafts.

Along the way, we passed under the original bridge from the train into the park, now just a foot bridge. Jake told us how to get to it, so we drove Ernie back to the campsite and lit off to ride to the old bridge. A fun excursion, and we found more bike trail for a future long ride.

The rain kept intruding on our fun, but we worked through it. These days have been wetter than any we've had traveling the past three years, we're looking forward to dryer days. But without internet we don't know what the forecast is for where we are, much less where we'll be. Especially since we're still guessing where we'll be.

Camping near Fourth of July means lot of people, lots of parties. A walk around our loop, it's heartening how many kids are out playing unsupervised, just having fun. Everything is wet from the intermittent rains, which started again as soon as we got back to Ernie. Obviously we live a charmed life.

Day 4 Sunday July 1

Up by 6:30, on the road by 7, to a trailhead parking lot which only fits a half dozen cars. We left room for cars behind us, and set off on a surprisingly fun hike. We climbed up to one of the countless beautiful little lakes left by departing glaciers who didn't pick up after themselves as they left. Encircled by Ponderosa Pines, with a spattering of White Birch, the tourquoise water is fed from rills coming down the mountains supporting the trees, and before the water powers down it's own Creek to the Upper MacDonald River, which in turn fills MacDonald Lake, and so on until the oceans. (Jasper NP was proud of all the headwaters they spawned, for not just the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but also the Arctic Ocean.)

After semi-circling the lake, we crossed the road and crossed the Upper MacDonald River, an impressive torrent of tourquoise and white water as it collects side creeks and descends into Lake MacDonald. The trail then followed the river, offering fabulous views of the rapids and the mountains above. Hopefully our Pixel pics will do it some justice. Another crossing of the river brought us back to Ernie, in all less than three miles. Only one car was in the lot, so I wasn't guilty about being 24' long. No harm, no foul.

A quick visit to the Visitor Center, and I was able to finish downloading the third Armand Gamache novel from the Jacksonville Public Library. I love paying taxes to support it! We ate breakfast, then put the bikes on Ernie for a potential bike ride, and headed up Camas Road.

We headed towards Kintla Lake. The idea was to drive past Fish Creek CG up the dirt road we rode earlier. Then we would decide if we wanted to continue beyond a trailhead parking lot to the lake, or just make do. I didn't think Ernie would like the gravel climb at all, and we were heading to a long bike ride on the road beyond the trailhead.

So, it turns out the road to Fish Creek CG (and the trailhead I thought we were going to), is actually a turn off of Camas Road. So we stayed on the main road, and then it turned to dirt. And stayed that way for most of the next 30 miles.

Ernie did pretty well on the dirt roads. He went from the smooth almost-paved fine gravel, to the fire roads with washboard bumps, to water-filled potholes with a completely uneven surface. And a lot of it is one lane, so when cars come in the opposite direction, you need to make room, sometimes entailing driving into the ditch. Ernie did everything he was asked to do like he was a car with heavy springs, but also with great traction. He went up steep wet dirt inclines with aplomb. Stutter-bump downhill braking, no problem.

The hike views were sublime and muted. The clouds reminded us several times they had lots of water they could dispense, and the mud underfoot suggested that clouds here are known to do exactly that. It was a 4.x mile hike to the end, we were satisfied hiking an hour or so out before turning around. The total hike was closer to 2 1/2 hours, and the distance closer to 5. Followed by a 50 mile drive back to the campsite with Ernie proving his worth as I pushed his capabilities, and he responded admirably. It reminded me of learning the limits of my brand new '76 VW Rabbit on the dirt roads of Vermont, albeit with much more care and tenderness for the vehicle. Rolling Ernie with Sharon sitting beside me was simply not acceptable!

Back at site A31, we relaxed, we ate, we planned, we read, we walked. As we toured our Loop, there was captivating music in the air, which we followed to its source at the Amphitheater, which had a septet performing! We sat down and enjoyed their final piece. It was the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble from Michigan, and their performance on the lake was a total surprise, and delight. Hopefully they have some music at the website, newmusicensemble.com.

And then we slept. It's nice to have a simple life. Not complicated, not luxurious, certainly not extravagant, just an affordable life with no drama, no stress, no competition, and few deadlines that aren't malleable. Life is Good.

Day 5 Monday July 2

We want to be on the 7am Shuttle over the Going To The Sun road. Get to the Visitor Center by 6:30. Get in line with everything we need for the day. We weren't the first, but luckily we were 5 & 6 of the first 11 that the first bus has room for! We rode across the park to the East entrance, where we came into the park two years ago.

The buses are a mix of vehicles. There's a section of the road they can only use Sprinter vans, for the rest they can use Sprinters or larger but still short buses. The seats are spread enough to provide actual legroom! The drivers keep an impressive calm navigating a narrow road with an incredible number of inexperienced drivers unclear on the concept of staying in their lane.

From St. Mary's Visitor Center, a Sprinter took us to Red Point, and started on a 5+ mile hike below mountain peaks, by a lake, a river, and several waterfalls. Great views were much appreciated, but the mass of humanity teeming on the trail were less. Glacier is overflowing with too many people!

Our return trip consisted of a bus to Logan's Peak, the center point of the road. (We had originally planned to do another hike from the peak, but the Snow and Cold were significant arguments against a second hike.) Then a Sprinter to Avalanche, where we had to wait in a line before finally getting on the third bus heading to the Apgar Visitor Center.

Back at Ernie at the Visitor Center, we finally got a call to Josh, and I was able to deposit the July rent check in my bank account. Then we could celebrate 5 o'clock and see if any of our pictures were worth keeping. We hung out on the Lakeshore beside the campground for a bit, but the weather suggested rain, leaving us just enough time to get back in Ernie and return to our campsite.

Sharon prepared our final dinner at Glacier, an excellent Mexican creation of tofu crumbles with onions, tomatoes and spices, on top of corn tortillas, with hot sauce and cheese. Life is Good.

Our final night in the National Park? Listening to the last of our current book, #7 in a series by Darynda Jones. Charlie Davidson is a humorous protagonist, but we're looking forward to returning to the next two Armand Gamache tales.

Glacier has joined the list of national parks that are too crowded. Going To The Sun road isn't bumper to bumper, but it is a steady stream of vehicles, braking for random photo ops, possible parking ops, or pedestrians on the road. It seems like the Denali approach might be worth considering. Campers with reservations along the road can drive, but everyone else has ride the bus. For Glacier the bear danger is low enough I would let cyclists on the road, too. The park could likely make a tiny sum renting electric bikes.

Pictures for the whole time at Glacier are (will be) at https://photos.app.goo.gl/mUrAyuE1PKzzZZ8A8