NJ Day 10: Apr. 26, 2019 - Taliesin & Madison

We arise to a dry day. We have a delicious breakfast, we are the only guests at this B&B today. We have a nice chat with the owner, then load up the X3 and head East and a little North to our next destination: Taliesin.

We must first leave Iowa and head up the Wisconsin River.

Farm on the Wisconsin River

It is a lazy drive on a cool April day. The closer we get to the river, the better we see the same level of flooding we have seen in South Dakota, Minnesota, and in Wisconsin along the Mississippi River. At one point, we see several miles of train track completely submerged. After an hour and a half of driving, we reach Taliesin.

At this time of year, only the House Tour is available. We booked it last night on-line and are here about a half hour early. We kill time by visiting the Gift Shop in the Visitor Center. The tour begins, we board the bus and are driven up the hill to the building that surrounds the brow of that hill (Taliesin is a Welsh Word that means "Shining Brow".)

The building is very interesting, as is the story we learn of Mr. Wright's building it and his history here. He bought the property in 1911 and created this experimentation building. He established an architecture school and had apprentices live here and work on local projects to learn by example. It was a total immersion experience: the building was originally a combination farm, living and working space. The land is now under the control of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, established by his third wife.

In the spring of 2017, we visited Taliesin West outside Phoenix. What we see today is the original school, begun some 26 years earlier than Taliesin West. To me, Taliesin West seems more polished and complete. That is probably due to its being newer and less challenged by the more building-friendly Arizona winters.

Taliesin from Above

The tour is quite enjoyable.

Original Port Cochere

The interiors of the rooms hold many treasures.

Wright-designed Lighting

View South from the Living Room

Frank Lloyd Wright led a very interesting life. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the house and the many stories told by the Docent. Directly after the tour, we stopped at the restaurant at the Visitor Center for a late lunch. Amy had the Vegetable Hash and I had the Tomato Soup and Half a Cheese Sandwich. The location was quite special, having a great view of the Wisconsin River:

View during Lunch

We leave Taliesin and drive for an hour into Madison, Wisconsin. This is where Amy's Sister, Beth, went to University. On route, Amy texts Beth for some suggestions during our short stay. The first is Ice Cream looking out of the lake (Mendota) from the Student Union. We find our Hotel and check-in, then head for the Student Union.

In Line at the Daily Scoop

It doesn't get much better than Ice Cream in Wisconsin! Being in line for a couple of minutes heightened the anticipation. After purchase, we found a couple of seats in the Union looking out on the lake and enjoyed the sugar rush.

After the cones, we walked to another suggested place, the Statehouse Restaurant. This place is in the Edgewater Hotel. (Madison, not Seattle.) The restaurant is about a half mile away. We walk there just to make sure we know what we are doing. Also, it is a beautiful day and we should take advantage to get a nice walk in. On the walk, we notice the Delta-Delta-Delta sorority, Beth's home while at the University.

We confirm the restaurant and return to our hotel for a little rest. We then walk back to the restaurant at dinner-time. We got a great table at a window, looking out at Lake Mendota.

Amy at Dinner at the Statehouse

We have relaxing drinks while perusing the menu. Amy orders the Halibut and I have the Crispy-Skin Chicken. Both were delicious. We then got a sweet surprise: the waitress informed us that we could have a free dessert. Apparently, Open Table told the restaurant that it was Amy's Birthday! She chose the Chocolate-Chip Cookie Baked in a small Frying Pan, topped with a huge scoop of Ice Cream. A fine meal to cap off a great day. We return to our hotel, full and happy.

NJ Day 9: Apr. 25, 2019 - The Upper Mississippi Bluffs

The dawn brings sunshine. Later it will turn to overcast, then rain. Our last bit of time in Minneapolis however, is beautiful. Amy takes another run around Lake of the Isles. After she returns, we get into the serious business of packing the X3. It takes a good half hour to get organized and another half hour to pack the car. We are finally ready to depart.

Our destination today is the "Great River Road", or at least part of it. We will drive Wisconsin Highway 35 from Prescott, WI to Prairie du Chiene, WI. This road is on the east bank of the Mississippi, always within a short distance of Old Man River.

But first, the coffee. We patronize Caribou Coffee on Hennepin Ave. This shop is just south of The Lowry, where we ate breakfast yesterday. Fully fueled, we set out for Prescott. We want to avoid 35 W, so head west to take MN 100 south to I-494. As we pass it, we say goodbye to BMW Motorwerks. We exit I-494 to take US 10 south to Hastings, then fill up at a gas station in Prescott. We drive to Freedom Park to enjoy the views from the east bluffs at the start of the "Great River Road". This designation is important as we will use the green signs to guide us on our drive.

Looking South on the Mississippi

We continue south, enjoying frequent vistas of both the bluffs to the left and the River to the right.

The Castleburg Bluffs

All day long, we will be headed south. We skirt Lake Pepin, which is actually just a geologically clogged part of the Mississippi. The River flows more calmly here. This is a very pretty drive. We stop frequently this morning to catch the scenic views.

A Train Along Lake Pepin

We drive for about two hours until we arrive in Fountain City. We stop for lunch at The Golden Frog. Yes, they have Frogs Legs on the menu. Amy has the Broasted Chicken Sandwich and I have the Prime Rib Sandwich. Both are delicious. We notice the titles on the respective bathrooms: The Women's is labeled Princess. The Men's is Frogs.

As we return to the car, it begins to rain. The rain will fall harder as we drive and will continue until after we arrive at our destination. I'm glad we got a little sun this morning!

During the drive, we see more evidence of the flooding we have heard about in the last month. Late and heavy snowfall, with torrents of rain immediately after, have combined to supply lots of water all up and down the River. We see playfields completely underwater. We see houses in low areas that have water lines half way up their first floors.

The Rain Continues

There is one small problem trying to follow this road: There is no easy way to tell our navigation system that we want to be on a particular road. We give it a destination and the Nav System wants to get us there as quickly as possible. It keeps trying to get us to cross the River to take MN 61, the most efficient road.

We have to navigate the old-fashioned way - we look for highway signs. Continuing, we drive through La Crosse, WI. We pass a giant sculpture of two Native Americans vying for control of the ball, each with their own basket (they are actually playing Lacrosse).

A short while later, we approach Prairie du Chiene. Here we leave Wisconsin, cross to Marquette, IA and drive a short way south to McGregor. Evidence of flooding is everywhere. Pumps are pumping, sandbags are at the ready. We enter McGregor along the River, then drive uphill to our home for the night, The Stauer House B&B.

Stauer House B&B

We check into this lovely place, find our room (we are the only patrons tonight) and rest a bit. The rain lets up so that we can walk to dinner. We walk down Main Street a half a mile to Latinos Mexicano. The Margaritas and the Salsa are great, the food is good. Amy has the Mixed Fajita and I have the Shredded Beef Enchiladas. After dinner, we continue our walk another quarter mile to the Mississippi and gaze at the waterfront damage. The railroad tracks along the River are almost under water.

We cross Main Street and head back up the hill. The evening is quite pleasant as we enjoy the small-town vibe. We return to The Stauer House and retire for the night.

NJ Day 8: Apr. 24, 2019 - Minneapolis Day 3

Today is another lazy day. Nothing to report on until the evening. We head to St. Paul and the shiny new Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United FC.

MNUFC SE Entrance

To explain, we got another day in Minneapolis due to a broken casing on the transmission cover of our X3. Happy Accident! That means we are here for a Wed. night game. The Loons are hosting LA Galaxy. This is great! Another chance to see Ozzie Alonso in midfield (he transferred to MNUFC from the Sounders during the off-season).

Pre-game Ceremony

That's Ozzie just to the right of the officials in Yellow.

And this is a chance to see Allianz Field. This is a stunning new park. Architecturally very modern and sleek. It's a fun place to visit. The seats are very comfortable. And it's fun for a neutral because the fans only stand for set pieces, most of the time we get to sit (and Amy, therefore, gets to see the game).

West End of the Pitch

Since LA Galaxy are rivals for the top spots in the west, it is easy to root for the Loons. Both teams, however, seem to be playing well below their capabilities this night. Zlatan is having real trouble with his teammates and is spending a lot of time explaining what they are doing wrong.

In one sense, the game is very open and flowing, but in reality, one team gets the ball and makes some moves down the field only to give the ball away. The Loons hold their own with only about 40% of possession. The game gets really tense as the Loons press to break the 0 - 0 deadlock late in the 2nd half. Alonso is putting in all the effort he can, leading the attack. It just doesn't happen this night. The game ends a scoreless draw.

We depart the stadium to meet Fran & Barb.

Nice Lighting!

We finally meet up with them two blocks from the stadium. We are heading for a late snack at Monte Carlo. Along the way, they show us some sites of Minneapolis, including the Guthrie and the new I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge across the Mississippi. It replaced the bridge that famously collapsed on August 1, 2007, killing 13 people.

At the Monte Carlo, we are one of two groups having food. There are 10 or 15 people at the bar having a wonderful time. We get drinks and the appetizer sampler, which includes Wings, Chopped Liver, Shrimp, Fried Calamari, Vegetables and Spicy Green Beans. The Beans and the Wings were very spicy, but it was all delicious.

Barb & Fran always show us a great time. We are sad to think that we will be leaving tomorrow. It's been a wonderful couple of days living the good life of travel.

NJ Day 7: Apr. 23, 2019 - Minneapolis Day 2

We have a couple of days to take it easy in the company of cousins Fran & Barb. We are close by the Lake of the Isles, so Amy takes advantage with a morning run around the nearest of 3 large lakes. The weather has turned nice since the rain of yesterday. It is gorgeous.

I won't bore you with a detailed account of what we did all day. We ran some errands, and got our car checked out at the BMW Dealership in Bloomington, but generally, we just took the day off.

The two things we did that are worth mentioning: 1) lunch and a beautiful walk, and 2) dinner with Fran, Barb and another cousin, Rachel.

For lunch, we walk 3/4 of a mile from the Douglas House to The Kenwood, an upscale New American restaurant on the far side of the northern part of Lake of the Isles. The day is lovely. Just before we reach the restaurant, we come upon a school in session with a couple hundred kids outside running around at their lunch break. They are having a great time. We get seated in the restaurant and order lunch. Amy has the Beef Burger and I have the Huevos Rancheros. Both are tasty and satisfying.

We then continue our walk around the Lake. First stop, the Peavey Fountain, donated by one Mr. Peavey in the late 19th century as a drinking spot for horses. It is now merely decorative and is shut down for the winter and not yet re-opened.

Peavey Fountain

We cross the street and settle onto the pedestrian path next to Lake of the Isles. There are gorgeous houses on the other side of the perimeter road. The weather is perfect and we have very little competition for the use of the pathway.

Lake of the Isles

We continue around the lake, having our best workout since Deadwood and the Mount Moriah Cemetery.

We return to Barb & Fran's and take a rest. Later, we head out for an event at Dual Citizen Brewing Company. It involves work that Barb is doing as a Board Member of the Playwright's Center. You'll have to pay close attention to their web site over the next few weeks to learn what it is all about.

After the event, Barb heads out to pick up Rachel, one of our cousins who lives in Seattle, but is at school here at Augsburg University. Fran takes us straight to the restaurant, Birchwood. It's a quaint, laid back place. Rachel & Barb arrive and we order our food. Amy has the Pot Pie and I have the special sandwich, sausage and sauerkraut. After our meal, we all share three slices of pie, a coconut cream, a chocolate cream and apple. All delicious. The conversation was fun, as well.

We said our goodbyes to Rachel and headed back to the Douglas House. After another good day, we are ready for our night's rest.

NJ Day 6: Apr. 22, 2019 - On To Minneapolis

We rise to a grey day. It isn't raining now, but soon will be. We attend the motel's breakfast, then pack up the X3 and head east.

Today's first destination is Coffee! We head toward downtown Huron and locate "Don't Spill the Beans". The coffee is quite good and the attendant is very pleasant. This is a very nice, small town, but seems to suffer what every other nice, small town does: lots of boarded up buildings. A sprinkling of ambitious endeavors exist, like this coffee place, but there is a lot of evidence that it's really tough to make it last.

We head back to the car, which is across the street from "Beans" and see two interestingly decorated buildings:

Mural on a Building's Wall in Huron

Appropriate Gargoyles

In case you can't make it out, that's a Bull on the Left and a Bear on the right. This business is a Raymond James affiliate.

We get back in the car and head toward De Smet.

What calls us to this town is its role as the home where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up. Here is where she first taught school at age 16. This is the town that is the location for most of the "Little House on the Prairie" novels. The town is full of LIW sites. Sadly, it's too early in the season for most of these sites to be open. It seems we are the only tourists about; most people are still trying to recover from the winter.

Wilder Home

The building on the back left is a reproduction of the first school that Ms. Wilder taught in.

We have satisfied our curiosity about De Smet and turn our attention (and the X3) toward a town mentioned to us by our friend Ellen: Pipestone.

We head south and east from De Smet crossing into Minnesota. What really strikes me, and has been something that I have noted for the last day or so, how soggy the ground is. There is water everywhere. On every parcel of farmland, you can tell where the lowest point is because that is where a pond has appeared. These ponds do not appear on the Map of the Nav System. I recall that the last several weeks have been pretty wet and much of the midwest has flooded. Here is evidence that it was not fake news.

Water, water, everywhere

Later in the spring, there won't be any water next to the road and that big pond on the far side of the cows will disappear. We continue on to Pipestone and find a nice place for lunch, the Historic Calumet Inn. We both have Philly Cheese Steaks, but Amy forgoes the cheese.

During lunch, we strike up a conversation with an older gentleman, the only other patron left in the restaurant. He is a retired farmer and is considering selling his spread. He is in excellent spirits but we learn that not only has he recently become a widower, he has cancer and is undergoing treatment. He was really inspiring.

We get back in the car and head to Pipestone National Monument. Pipestone was an ancient Native American site that was sacred ground. Anyone could come here to procure the soft stone that was used to make peace pipes. No violence of any kind was allowed. Unfortunately, the rain is pouring down. The north loop trail, the more interesting of the two, is closed and we don't really want to get sopped.

We have seen enough of De Smet. But we decide to keep Pipestone on our Active List. We will surely pass near here in the future and will try again to visit and explore. Thanks for the suggestion, Ellen. We wish the weather had cooperated.

We head back to the road and turn toward Minneapolis to visit Amy's cousins Fran and Barb. And now the rain starts to really come down. There's a bit of wind crossing from left to right across the road, as well. Every time we meet a large truck coming in the opposite direction, we are temporarily blinded by the wash from the truck that is being blown across the road.

During the two and a half hours to drive to the Big City, we finish listening to the "Bag Man" podcast. It is the story of Spiro T. Agnew and corruption in high office in Washington, D.C. We enthusiastically endorse it.

We meet up with Fran at their Douglas St. house and chat with her while Barb finishes up a meeting for one of her extracurricular interests. When she arrives, we visit a bit more, then they take us to Wakame, a Japanese Sushi/Sashimi restaurant nearby. We enjoy a hearty repast and engaging conversation.

We return to the Douglas House and go to bed happy. We have driven about 1,800 miles to get here, but won't have to do a lot of driving for the next couple of days.

NJ Day 5: Apr. 21, 2019 - The South Dakota Prairie

We awake to an overcast day. It is supposed to rain later and, a while after that, it should get blustery. It looks like we won't have a pleasant drive. We reluctantly get up, shower, pack and head for the car.

The target today is Huron, SD. We had trouble finding accommodations in De Smet, our site for tomorrow, and had to settle for a town 40 minutes away. I had hoped to enjoy highway driving, but given that we wanted coffee and that the day is not very favorable, weather-wise, we opt for the safer Interstate.

We head out and start looking for coffee spots.

Oops! Today is Easter and most places Amy finds on her iPhone have the addition: "Easter might affect these hours". The best possibilities for a morning cup appear to be in Rapid City, 45 minutes along on I-90.

Considering the shear number of places, at least one must be open. We make our plan: to find that one. We will get coffee and pastry. Since we are headed into rural South Dakota, we'll also pick up some sandwiches for lunch. Who knows what will be open in small towns today.

We drive the 20 odd miles to I-90. Then we bid farewell to the Black Hills as we head east for the City. Sure enough, the rain begins. It will continue, off and on, for the rest of the day.

Once we arrive in Rapid City, we start the search. We can't find the first shop on our list. The second one is closed. While looking for the 3rd shop, we see a Starbucks in the Lobby of the Hotel Alex Johnson. Hooray! We enjoy breakfast and procure lunch. We head back to the car and continue our drive.

As we continue east of the City, the terrain turns from Hill Country into Badland/Prairie.

Rolling Hills east of Rapid City

One of the next towns we come to will be Wall, home to the "Wall Drug". We fill the tank here and decide to stop in at the famous Drug Store.

Wall Drug

Oops, it is not to be! Wall Drug is not open on Easter! Back to the Interstate.

The drive becomes pretty uninteresting. We are going straight as an arrow for dozens of miles at a time as we listen to the last couple of episodes of the Podcast "Dirty John". There are a few semi-rigs and even fewer passenger cars. While we take a brief break at a Rest Stop, a truck with an interesting load, escorted by two pick-ups, pulls in.

Wind Vane

This is a Vane to a Wind Turbine. The thing is quite long. The team delivering this has stopped to tighten the ropes tying it down. They usually travel in threes, the others must not have had loose cords.

We get back on the road. As it approaches 2:00 (now on Central Time), we pull into a Rest Stop and eat the lunch we purchased in Rapid City. The Caprese Paninis are tasty. We get back on the road for another few miles, then leave I-90 for State Route 47. After 20 miles, we arrive at the Missouri River.

Looking Downstream, Missouri River

After crossing the River, we continue east for another 50 miles. At Wessington Springs, we come across a viewpoint. We can see for miles beyond the town.

Wessington Springs from the Highlands

A few more miles take us into Huron. On our way to our hotel, we notice two restaurants that are open. We check in and rest up a bit, then head out for dinner. We opt for the closer of the two restaurants, The Ground Round Grill and Bar. Amy has a chicken and pomegranate salad while I choose the Ribs. The fare is hearty and decent.

We head back to the Hotel to rest up for tomorrow's goals: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Hometown, De Smet, and the drive from there into Minneapolis.

NJ Day 4: Apr. 20, 2019 - Across Wyoming into Deadwood

Today we rise to a mostly overcast sky, but with bits of blue trying to poke through. It is still early spring in Sheridan, WY, with cool evenings, but day temperatures heading north of 65. We have a short day today, so take it very easy. We'd like to leave by 10:00 am, but it's OK if we don't. After showering and organizing, we visit the breakfast bar. It is standard hotel fare, but the coffee is good. We return to our room to while away the morning, then load the car to face the 3 hour drive to Deadwood, South Dakota.

Today's drive will take us across the width of the Powder River Basin. We start in Sheridan, WY on the west to end up in The Black Hills of South Dakota. This region supplies 40% of the coal mined in the USA. We will see trainloads of coal as well as some actual coal mining activity on today's drive.

We start by saying farewell to the Bighorn Mountains:

This snow-capped vision will haunt us in the rear-view mirror for the next 50 miles. This is the last we will see of high mountains for quite a while.

Central to North Eastern Wyoming is very sparsely populated. We share the road with a few semi's, but see very few people outside their vehicles. The driving is easy.

The terrain changes to High Plains:

Near the end of the ride, we see the Black Hills rising. We cross into South Dakota and turn off the Interstate at US 85 for the last few miles into Deadwood. We quickly find our Hotel, the Deadwood Mountain Grand.

Deadwood began as a mining camp inhabited by the people heading into the Black Hills following the discovery of gold. Around 1870, as the gold began to be harder to extract (and mining companies became large enterprises), the camp transitioned to a city of several thousand. With the transition, Civic life settled down, with more traditional structures appearing. Tents gave way to brick buildings. The population peaked in 1879. With the vote to legalize gambling in 1989, the town got a new lease on life. Abandoned building were restored. The entire town is designated a National Historic Place.

Our Resort Hotel is actually two buildings. The original slime plant, along the creek, was not possible to restore to hotel habitability (Historic designation...), so the investors repurposed it to a casino and built a new building uphill from the plant for the hotel. The two buildings are connected by an elevator; the top of the elevator is an horizontal extension off the Lobby floor of the hotel building. Very clever.

After settling into our room, we have lunch in "The Six String", a sort of western Hard Rock Cafe knock-off. Amy has the Gyro sandwich while I have the French Dip. Both are good. We then decide to walk through the historic downtown.

The area is quite playful.

One sign outside a bar: "Free Beer! Free Topless Dancers! Free False Advertising!"

At one bar, I notice a soccer game on the TV. Excellent! FC Dallas is up on Atlanta United, 1 - 0 toward the end of the first half. We decide (I decide and Amy is OK with it) to have a drink and watch the match. We decide to continue our exploration of the town when halftime begins.

We stroll the rest of Main Street, then start looking for Mount Moriah Cemetery.  It's at the other end of town, nearer our hotel. We end up walking up a very steep hill (the Mount portion of the name is no false advertising). This walk was steeper than Queen Anne Avenue between Roy and Highland. We arrive and enter the cemetery. The famous spot here is the tomb of Wild Bill Hickock (shot in the back of the head while playing poker in a saloon on Main Street). Just next to him lies Calamity Jane.

That black blotch in the picture's upper left is a statue of Wild Bill. There is a plaque shown in the lower right identifying this as Jane's plot. Apparently, her dying request was to be buried next to Bill.

After paying homage to the famous duo, we explore the rest of the cemetery. Amy remarks that there is very little religious iconography here. Only one or two crosses appear. And even in the Jewish section there are only a couple of Stars of David. We marvel at the hard lives these people led. Mothers buried at age 47. Many children buried in their family plots who died at age 5 or less. We come to an edge overlooking Deadwood Gulch, an American Flag is waving and a sign states that the city has permission from the US Congress to fly the flag Day and Night in honor of residents who fought in World War I.

View from the Cemetery of Deadwood

Really glad we stopped in here, we return to our hotel. We rest up for dinner, and as 7:00 approaches, we head back onto the Main Street to eat at Legends Steakhouse in the Historic Franklin Hotel. I'm particularly happy that the Hotel is only 3 blocks away from ours as my legs are aching from all the hill climbing we have done today.

We share a steak which is cooked to perfection. Having shared an appetizer and gotten our own sides, we eat too much food. We head back to our hotel and collapse after a long, but interesting day.

NJ Day 3: April 19, 2019 - Driving Across Montana

Weather has followed us across the Bitterroot Mountains. We wake to gray skies and light, cold rainfall. Today's goal is to drive 475 miles across much of the breadth of Montana. By day's end, we should be in Sheridan, Wyoming, just over its border with Montana. This will put us in a good position to experience a couple more of the '1,000 Sites' as we proceed eastward.

After rising and packing, we load the X3 under the shelter of the Motel's loading zone. The next order of business is Coffee! We climb into the car and discover a Starbucks nearby (big shock!). It is a little way past the entrance to the Interstate a half a mile north of our motel.

We find the Cafe and make our purchase. We get back in the car, drinks in hand, and drive east on I-90 toward Butte. The rain has stopped and the clouds seem to be thinning. We expect this to be a very long day, matching the first few days of our drive to Texas on our way to Florida last spring. As we leave the city limits of Missoula, we see a speed limit sign: 80 MPH! Perhaps the day won't be as long as we thought!

We are in Big Sky Country. I'm not sure what that means, but the vistas of mountains and clouds dominate. There are ranches and smaller homes along the roadway, but they seem very small.

Looking South from I-90

We proceed east, listening to the end of the novel we started two days ago. Our first stop is Butte, where we are ready to find breakfast. An internet search finds the 'Hanging Five Restaurant', just off the road. It is a cozy, friendly little place and we enjoy a fine breakfast.

Our next task is supposed to be to refill the tank, but breakfast was so satisfying that I forgot that this was the plan and we just started to drive. Happily, there is a CENEX station in Cardwell. At 40 miles away, it is well within range of what we have left in the tank. We arrive, get a full tank and clean the windshield.

Back on the road, we decide that Billings will be a good place to find lunch. It's a couple of hours ahead, so we listen to a few of my subscribed Podcasts. We then start "Dirty John". We are unsure of whether we want to continue listening, but do...

Along this stretch of road, we can look south and see the northern side of Yellowstone Park.

View South toward Yellowstone

Eventually, we approach Billings. As Amy is driving, I use the Nav System to find possibilities for food. "The Salad Connection" sounds like a great possibility. We are looking forward to a healthy lunch as we get off the Interstate. We pull into the parking lot of a strip mall and are reminded of one of the great disappointments of the Internet Age. The data base is never cleaned out. There is no "The Salad Connection" here. We leave the parking lot, then pull over to the side of the road to reconsider. We find that there is another "Salad Connection" store a half a mile north of here. Just then, a large pickup with a nice couple of women inside pulls up next to us. They ask us if we are OK (must have seen our license plates). We tell them that we are fine, but looking for a restaurant. We mention the "Salad Connection" and they recall that enterprise went out of business a couple of years ago. We thank them for their concern and the pull away.

We find another possibility: "Tao - new asian". Sounds like it could be good! And, in fact, it is! Amy has the Chicken & Vegetables & I have the Szechuan Tofu Combo. The food is tasty, the ambiance relaxed and quiet.

Satisfied, we get back in the car and head a few miles east. Here, I-94 splits off to the north and we continue on south on I-90. We are now in Crow Country. Along this stretch of Interstate is the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Just south of here are the Bighorn Mountains. From these mountains, Custer looked out to see the gathering of Native Americans against which he then took his final ride.

Bighorn Mountains

The rest of the drive takes us into Sheridan. We find the Convention Center, check into our home for the evening and settle in. We are still a little confused about what time it is. Also, it happens to be "Good Friday", so we are a little concerned about whether restaurants will close early. We head out to find a nearby Qdoba and have a fine, if fast, light grilled meal. It's good to stretch our legs as we walk the half mile back to the hotel. We are pretty tired, but the long day of driving is over and it should be easier from here on.

NJ Day 2: April 18, 2019 - The Northwest Passage Scenic Byway

We awake to a new day in Lewiston, Idaho. Today's agenda has one item: to drive to Missoula, Montana, via US 12. This road will take us along the Clearwater River, then up and over the Bitterroot Mountains via Lolo Pass. This is pretty much the same route that Lewis & Clark took in the middle of their exploration of the Northwest in the early 1800's. They went west over this route and then followed the Columbia to its mouth. Then they reversed course and came up this route on their way back east.

We have a leisurely morning, rising to the sound of improving infrastructure in Lewiston (lots of earth-moving equipment below our 4th floor overlook). We buy sandwiches at Jimmy John's (Wayne) and Subway (Amy), then get a full tank of gas at Standard and coffee and pastry at Starbuck's.

Fortified, we head north out of Lewiston (after many detours due to the road construction going on in the downtown area). After a few minutes, we are out of the city limits and heading past the Clearwater Casino and into the lower Idaho Panhandle.

For dozens of miles, we follow the Clearwater River.

Clearwater River flowing West

We gently rise following the river as it flows west out of the mountains.

The scenery is so beautiful. It isn't as dramatic as the North Cascades Highway or the Road into Yosemite Valley. It is just so calming. The word Serenity comes to mind.

We continue up the river as we listen to a Steve Berry novel on CD. A little discordant, as the novel's action takes place in Vienna, Orlando and Jamaica while we are enjoying the best of Northern Idaho. We continue along Highway 12. About an hour and a half out of Lewiston, we hit our first hitch. There has been some serious rainfall in this area in the last month or so. We queue up behind a half dozen vehicles waiting to pass through a one-lane section of road. Workers are clearing a mud slide that must have occurred very recently. After a 5 minute wait, we are allowed to proceed up the road. Eventually, we come to Lowell, ID. Here we turn north to follow a feeder river of the Clearwater, the Lochsa. We continue to head up-river, but now the water has more turbulence.

The Lochsa River East of Lowell

We are now climbing up the mountain at a faster rate. After another hour of climb, we stop to enjoy our sandwiches at a spot along the river.

The View at Lunch

Refreshed, we get back on the highway. This driving is so peaceful at this time of year. There are very few cars to share the road with. There are a few cabins built along this road, but most are not occupied at this time. There are so few people around that it seems like pristine forest for most of the drive.

Eventually, we leave the water and head more directly up the mountains toward Lolo Pass.

The Ranger Station near Lolo Pass

Snow is abundent, but the air is warm. The surroundings are breathtaking.

We finally crest and then head down US 12 toward Lolo and Missoula. After another half hour of driving, we find ourselves back in civilization. Though we have to wait for many stop signals, we easily find our motel for the night, the Courtyard Marriott Missoula, and settle in.

We enjoy the indoor pool (very humid) and then relax in our room before venturing out for the strenuous 100 yd. walk across the parking lot to The Montana Club, our restaurant for dinner. Amy has the Chicken Salad and I have the Pork Chop. Both are fine. We head back to our room and agree that this has been a most rewarding day.

We are using "1,000 Places in Canada and the USA" as our menu for this road trip. Today's scenic bypass gives us more confidence that Patricia Schulz, the book's author, knows how to pick 'em. We live in a beautiful country.

NJ Day 1: Apr. 17, 2019 - On the Road Again

We are out of Seattle! We have begun our new life. We can't decide whether "foot-loose" or "gallivanting" is the better term to capture how we feel. Either way, we awake to our first full day unencumbered by being bound to a residence. Yes, there's a little apprehension there along with the sense of relief.

Oddly, I am feeling relief after months of preparation while Amy is feeling a little more of a sense of loss. We'll need to talk through these feelings as we head east.

And east is where we head. Our first day's destination is Lewiston, ID. The first formal "site" we will experience will be tomorrow: the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway. It starts in Lewiston, follows US 12 through the mountains and ends in Missoula, MT. Our only job today is to get to the starting point.

To start, we enter the magnificent Columbia River Gorge, taking I-84 on the south bank. We have done this road a number of times. It has never seemed quite so green. We look forward to revisiting the many stops here on day trips once we settle into Portland. For now, we want to go as far as we can as quickly as we can.

After enjoying all the beautiful forest scenery, we pass The Dalles and enter a more arid environment.

I-84 East of The Dalles

We turn north at Hermiston and enter Washington State via US 730. Starting at Umatilla, we drive on the first stretch of road that we've never seen before. At Wallula Junction, the new road is done and we turn right and are back on roads we have taken before. We continue on to Walla Walla, where we are ready for lunch.

We started at 9:00 AM and it's now 12:30. This is a good distance for a couple of day visit. And with all of the wineries we pass, it is quickly moving up our priority list for such trips. The number of tasting rooms seems greater than the number of restaurants. We settle on the Walla Walla Bread Company in the middle of downtown. Amy has the roasted vegetable and goat cheese sandwich and I have the Tomato Soup & Half Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Delicious.

Returning to the car and the drive east, I decide to pullover after two blocks to see if we are near Whitman College, which we have never seen. Funny thing: as I pull over to consult the Nav System's map, I notice a building across the street is part of Whitman College. The college is just east of the downtown! And a lovely campus it is. As we drive through the campus we see a couple of groups of young people. Perhaps they are doing campus visits? A little further along the road, we have to stop to let two ducks waddle across the pavement.

Back on the road, we enjoy the Palouse. I remember driving this road, US 12, in the other direction coming home from the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. This is rural Washington at its very best. Every political sign we see features Trump and/or MAGA.

After two more hours of driving, we descend into the valley of the Snake River west of Lewiston. The river is beautiful. We approach more dense buildings. Something I never realized before: there are actually twin cities here: west of the Snake is Washington and the burg of Clarkston. east of the Snake is Idaho and Lewiston. Get it?

Lewiston is far larger, perhaps 4 times as big. Its downtown, wherein we will stay (Red Lion Inn) is undergoing a lot of construction. Detours take us off the path selected by the Nav System. But we can see the Red Lion and easily settle into our home for the day.

The Snake River from our Hotel Room

We relax for a bit before deciding to head out to dinner. There is some confusion about what time it is. There is a finger of Mountain Time Zone extending north and west almost to Lewiston, but we are still on Pacific Time here. But talk of dinner has made us hungry and head down the hill to The Mystic Cafe. It's an interesting place with an interesting menu. We share the Polenta Fries (Yum!). Amy has the Roast Chicken and I have an order of Chicken Quesadillas and the Stuffed Mashed Potato Balls. We are both sated and we have to decline dessert.

We head back to our Hotel to retire. We are both beginning to feel the stress of the recent past starting to melt away. Our thoughts are now on being a little more efficient with packing and knowing where, exactly, the possessions we have brought are in our bags. We are heading for our new normal.

Leaving Seattle!

After 36 years, this city will no longer be our home town. We follow Kevin, and now Sarah, south to Portland. We are really grateful for all the good times we've experienced in this city, neighborhood and house (2435 1st Ave. N).

Most of you are already aware of the sequence of events that have seen Sarah and Hunter moving to Portland. Our move is a logical consequence of theirs. No kids left in Seattle! We enjoy them so much we want to be near them! But there are other reasons at play. My knees are getting worse and we can't see spending 10 more years in a three story house with no shower on the first floor. We love our house, but it just isn't a place that is easy to get old in. Also, we are taking the opportunity to shake up our lives a little and do something really different that continues to be consistent with how we want to live in retirement.

Our plan is to move south, but on a temporary basis. We'll sell the house, but will try out different Portland neighborhoods before deciding which we want to settle into permanently. We suspect we know where we will end up, but are trying to keep open minds. We'll also travel a bit more, taking advantage of our son's large garage (and his graciousness) to leave medium-term items (bicycle, wine fridge, extra clothes) while not paying for a permanent abode for ourselves while traveling for extended periods of time. We expect to be temporary residents or vacationing for 12 to 24 months.

It's a big change for us: no more "home base" and standard routine. We hope we are up for the challenge. The first destination after leaving Seattle and depositing necessary items at the Buffalo Home is Warren, New Jersey. We'll road trip for about two weeks, then visit for some as yet undetermined amount of time, then pick a different route to drive back to Portland. Or maybe visit Florida and Amy's parents. Anyone who knows us will be a little surprised at the lack of advanced planning we've done. We have a route for the trip East, but not a fixed schedule. We don't have any hotel reservations, either. This is part of our attempt to be more care free.

Saying Goodbye to the House

The last 4 months, preparing to vacate our house and get to this new phase have been anything but care free. It's been a real challenge sorting through our possessions and determining which furniture we want to keep and disposing of the rest. We are also down-sizing; we plan to live in a 2 bedroom home, apt. or condo after so much time in 3 bedrooms. It's taken us four months to go through all our stuff to figure out what gives us joy and what has to be left behind.

But it has been fun going through old photos, all our books, the kids' elementary school work! It's been less fun going through the garage to clear it out. As an example, 36 years of home improvement and maintenance has yielded 20 half-empty gallon cans of paint. You can't just through those out, you have to make sure it's all dried out before chucking it in the garbage. The magic ingredient to do this: Kitty Litter!

The Moving company came on Monday (April 15) to pack up all our stuff. They returned on Tuesday to wrap furniture and load it into their truck to take to storage. We didn't appreciate the emotional toll this whole experience would take. After the movers took our stuff, we had to run a few errands (happiest: returning equipment to Comcast). Upon returning to the house to eat our lunch while sitting on our stairs (no chairs left), I gasped upon entering the house. So Empty! Amy said it reminded her of first seeing the house when it was an Open House back in '83.

I thanked the downstairs closet for helping us record our kids heights while they were growing up. I thanked the fireplace for giving us so many cozy, enjoyably warm winter evenings. After doing a little bit of cleaning, we finally filled up the X3 (totally loaded - couldn't see out the back window) and headed for the Rose City.

Unloading most of the car into Kevin's garage, we walked to P's and Q's, a nice neighborhood restaurant, said Goodbye to Loni and Kevin, then started our Road Trip by taking a short drive to Troutdale for our first night after Seattle.

Which brings us to this Blog's name. We can no longer call ourselves Seattle Winders. There are no such Winders left. Yes, there's Sean, but he actually lives in Issaquah.

We also can't very well call ourselves Portland Winders. Kevin has lived there a long time, and both Eliot and Sarah have prior claims. It just wouldn't be right.

The choice we have made: Post Seattle Winders. Kind of a double-meaning, if you consider this is a blog.

Thanks for letting me share some thoughts on this momentous change to our lives. I'll start describing the trip to NJ tomorrow.

Peace.