Day 29 – Dillon, MT

In every way, a normal travel day; Don up before the sun, me asking for breakfast about an hour later, and Geri up at the crack of eight, or a bit later.  Don shaving and getting ready for our walk earlier than usual, me anxious to get out the door and get going, and Geri fixing her cereal.  It always works out the same, we always get on the road sometime around eleven, maybe a few minutes before.  So it was this morning, and we headed south on I-90, which is supposed to go east.  The weather was very nice, mostly clear skies with a few high clouds, temperature in the high 60’s.  I looked at the beautiful scenery we were passing through for a while, then decided to take a nap.  I didn’t wake up until we had a fueling stop just outside of Butte.  When we got going, I sat next to Don for a while, he likes to pet me sometimes while he’s driving.  We were on I-15 now, really heading south, and the scenery was less mountainous, with lots of farmlands on each side of the highway.  It put me into napping mode.

We pulled into Dillon a little before three, and found our RV Park very easily, with a little help from Garmie.  This turned out to be a lovely Park, with lots of beautiful grass, a stream running through the middle of it, and nice wide sites.  There are lots of trees, but not so many as to cause Don problems in snagging the satellite.  We got set up for living, and then piled into the truck to reconnoiter the town.  Don said that he had read that Forbes Magazine had listed Dillon in its “10 prettiest small towns in America” article this year, and we could see why.  You can tell that it has a fairly long history by the buildings in the downtown area, but they are all well maintained and attractive.  The residential portion of downtown is full of Victorian beauties, mostly well preserved and very nice.  There is a University here, with a very attractive campus, including some magnificent buildings.  Gotta say, we are impressed with Dillon.

We wandered out to the outskirts of town, and found a little park next to the Beaverhead River.  We stopped and visited the park, and I found a lot of places with intriguing odors to investigate.  Don asked me if I wanted to go swimming in the river, which was coursing by us at a high rate of flow; I think he knew the answer before he asked.  He also said that it was a bit strange to him that we were standing next to a small river in western Montana, watching water that was going to wind up in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.  I think that he would have preferred sending it all down to California. 

A lovely park to relax in

Geri trying to get me to run

No, thanks, I don't feel like swimming!

We meandered back to the coach, where I received dinner, and they left me to my own devices to have their dinner in a local restaurant.  They came back from their meal carrying a large take-out carton containing the remnants of their food, which they told me included BBQ ribs and beef brisket, catfish and shrimp.  They were happy with their choice.  We watched a little TV, worked on the Blog, and headed for bed.  Tomorrow is touring day, and I will provide a full report.  G’night!

Day 28 – Missoula, MT

Don got up at his usual early hour.  I let him have a few minutes to get his act together, pour his orange juice, and get the coffee going.  I then presented myself to him in the living room, and requested that we get started on our morning routine.  I don’t know why, I just felt like doing it.  I usually wait and sleep for at least an hour before I make myself known, but for some reason I wanted to get an early start today.  He was gracious enough to accommodate me, and by 6:15 AM I had retrieved the paper, had my cookies, eaten breakfast, had more cookies, and went back to bed.  Not bad; might do it again. 

Back on our regular schedule, we had a fairly short but nice walk around the park, met a few nice people, got my bodily functions attended to, and back to the rig.  Don and I hung out until Geri was ready to go, and we all hit the road in the truck for an excursion.  Our target was Old Fort Missoula, and the historical museum there.  Geri and Don did a tour of the museum, then came back to fill me in on what they had observed.  Seems that the Fort was the institution that allowed people to feel safe to settle in the area, and they settled it pretty fast, forming the town of Missoula Mills.  For some reason they dropped the Mills thing, and became Missoula.  The soldiers from the Fort had some fights with the original locals, but finally settled with them by acknowledging that just about all the land up to Glacier National Park (which didn’t exist then) was reserved for them.  Seems to have worked out OK.  The troops had the only bicycle platoon in the Army, and they marched and drilled on their bicycles.  They even rode them all the way down to St. Louis to demonstrate the need for an expanded bike trail network, which they now have. 

As the rest of the Fort was spread out over a lovely grassy area, I was able to accompany them on the remainder of the tour.  We visited a display of an early lumber mill, which included a steam locomotive and log rail cars.  Don was very impressed with the locomotive, which he said was of an unusual design.  I think it reminded him of some of his unusual designs back when he was working.  We also found, in a collection of old road building equipment, a very early road grader built by the company that his Uncle Buck worked for in Stockton, CA.  He might have helped design it!  We explored a lot of old buildings at the Fort, including a Chapel, a schoolhouse, and a detention center where a large number of Italian citizens were incarcerated during WWII.  After the war, they were shipped back to Italy, but a number of them had such a good time in Missoula that they came back to live there.  There was a settler’s cabin, which had been moved to the Fort for display purposes, and it’s outhouse had accompanied it.  I was moved by the outhouse to perform a bodily function, which Geri tried to photograph with the outhouse in the background, but she hadn’t turned the camera on.  Another artsy shot lost.

Me and a big bird at the Museum

Don and I inspecting the locomotive

Nice piece of machinery!

Built by Holt Tractor, Stockton, CA!

Haven't been to Confession in a while

The Outhouse I didn't use

There was another Museum nearby, a military museum featuring Missoula people who had been in the military in various conflicts.  I couldn’t go in, but Geri and Don said that it had a large number of interesting displays, including an exhibit on the USS Missoula, an attack transport that participated in the Pacific Theater in WWII.  In fact, the first flag that was raised on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima was the flag from the Missoula!  You may be surprised at my level of knowledge and familiarity with details of that War, but don’t forget who I go walking with every morning; we talk about a lot of things. 

USS Missoula

Our next stop was the Elk Country Visitor Center, and we didn’t really know what to expect there.  One thing I was sure of was that there were going to be Elks in there, so all animals should be allowed in.  When I was told that any Elks in the building were sure to be dead Elks, and would I like to join them in that condition, I backed off.  After a half hour or so, they came back and told me that they had overloaded on Elk information, and would never look at an Elk the same way again.  Don even said that he intended to join the Elks as soon as we got home. 

After a quick stop at a Dog Accessories store, we headed for home.  I don’t know what they bought there, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon.  At the rig, Geri took me for a very nice walk, allowing me to receive the adulation of several people, while Don cooked up some salmon and tortellini for dinner.  Plates were good, Blog was worked on, TV was OK, and bed was waiting.  Travel tomorrow!

Day 27 –  Missoula, MT.

A very brief blog entry tonight, as today was a travel day.  We awoke immersed in the clouds this morning, and the clouds were wet!  A brief walk, and we made ready to get underway down I-90 toward Montana.  We hauled out about eleven, and headed up the road to Lookout Pass, the Idaho/Montana border.  Rain, trucks, steep grades and curvy roads made the trip more exciting that usual, and Don was on his best behavior, keeping it nice and slow.  We could only imagine the magnificence of the scenery that we were passing through, as we couldn’t see it. 

We pulled into our RV Park, located several miles west of Missoula, a little after one, and we were fifth in line for check-in; a popular place!  The Park is very nice, with lots of lovely landscaping and trees, and very large sites with beautiful grass.  We were warned at check in that we might have to move around a little in order to get satellite reception.  After forty-five minutes of trying to lock on to a satellite, Don asked Geri how the cable menu looked.  It looked OK, thank goodness. 

We loaded into the truck after we got set up, and took a ride into Missoula.  It’s an attractive little city, about the size of Ventura, with a downtown area that boasts some interesting historic buildings.  It also seems to have it’s share of characters, including a young man that we saw crossing the street in front of us with a little Chihuahua on his shoulder, wearing a Mexican sombrero.  Not him, the Chihuahua! 

For some reason, I think having to do with the coach, Geri and Don have a lawyer in Missoula, and were interested in finding his office.  They eventually did find it, and were pleased to see that it was anything but ornate, a small home converted to offices.  They took a picture of it, maybe Don will post it.  We stopped at a Safeway, where they did some shopping, and we returned to the rig, where Don did some lamb chops and TJ’s rice medley, which I love.  We should have a good day of exploration tomorrow, which I will duly report on.  Good dreams to all of you!

Hey, wait!  That's me, relaxing!

Attorney's Office

Day 26 – Wallace, ID

We got up this morning to find that there was a gentle rain falling on our terrain, which kind of restricted the duration of our morning walk.  It was fun, anyway, to explore some ground that was new to me, with new sights and smells, and I took advantage of the situation to roam freely and check out everything that seemed interesting.  That’s a big part of the fun of travelling for me, getting to experience new places on our walks, and finding things that I haven’t encountered before.  I think that’s why Geri and Don like to travel, also.

One thing I didn’t mention yesterday was the arrival of some people next door to us, whose party included what’s called a Goldendoodle.  For those unfamiliar with this term, this is a dog whose parents included a Goldie and a Poodle.  I’ve heard that their most endearing attribute is that they are incapable of shedding their hair.  Well, I have to say that the dog I met yesterday was also friendly, apparently very intelligent, and well-mannered.  Seems to me the combination works out pretty well; I was impressed.

When everyone got their act together, we got into the truck and went into downtown Wallace again.  Our first stop was the old Northern Pacific Railroad station, which had been converted to a museum.  Needless to say, I had to stay in the truck, but I’m used to that.  Geri and Don stayed in the museum for quite a while, and I assumed that it must be pretty interesting.  When they came back to the truck, they told me about how the Government, when Highway I-90 was being constructed, wanted to tear down most of the town of Wallace to put the road through it.  Under the leadership of one guy, the town fought back, and took the Government to court.  It took years, but they won, and the highway was routed on an elevated platform just south of the town.  In fact, the highway structure runs right over the top of City Hall!  Don had an interesting story about how the Northern Pacific corporate symbol was copied from the Korean flag, which had attracted the attention of a Company Vice-President during the St. Louis World’s Fair.  I think they enjoyed the museum.

Northern Pacific Railroad Museum

Next, it was their lunch time (I had mine before we left the rig) and they wound up at a restaurant called the Red Light Garage.  They liked the food, particularly the huckleberry milkshake, but they also really enjoyed the décor of the place, which they could only describe as “totally nuts”.  I think they’ve got a couple of pics of the place.

Geri and a giant Mingo

Customer waiting/bathing area

Don loving up a big chick

Their next visit was to a place called the Oasis Bordello Museum, which they explained to me was an entertainment venue for the men who worked in the local mines.  They took part in a tour of the place, and the tour guide provided them with many details of how the miners were entertained in the establishment, which closed suddenly back in 1988.  Don was particularly interested in the work process scheduling aspects of the operation, probably as a result of an earlier incarnation as a Industrial Engineer, and was fascinated by the quantity of completed work functions performed by each entertainment operator on a daily basis.  Geri liked the décor of the place.  The establishment had been closed down so rapidly that many of the entertainers personal belongings were left in place, and care had been taken so that the premises were just as they had left it.  Geri and Don were both quite impressed, for a variety of reasons.

Don caught in the act

Menu

At that point, they took pity on my incarceration in the truck and let me out to roam a little downtown park.  I was involved in determining the identity of some of the plant life, when I heard some incessant barking coming from a nearby truck.  I looked up and found that the noise was coming from a Border Collie, who was trapped in the back of a pickup parked nearby.  The Collie’s human showed up, appraised the situation, and released the Herding Machine from the truck.  She immediately ran up to check me out, determined that I was a dog and not a sheep, and trotted back to the truck, satisfied that she was not missing out on a job. 

Our next stop was the Museum of Mining in the downtown area, where Geri and Don got the entire story of the development of mining operations in the Wallace area, which produces not only great quantities of silver, but also lead, copper and other minerals.  They said that the museum contained lots of artifacts related to the history of the area, many of which were very interesting.  One was the stoplight that used to hang in the intersection of Highway 90 and one of the main streets of town.  As mentioned before, the fight over the routing of I-90 went on for a long time, and by the time it was over, the last stoplight on the highway was in Wallace.  They had a big ceremony when the bypass was completed and they took down the stoplight, put it in a casket, and had a funeral.

We then took a little ride up the highway to the town of Kellogg, just to see what it looked like.  It was another mining town, but lacking the historical appearance and content of Wallace, though it had some charming décor, see photo below.

Knight vs. Dragon

On the way back to the rig, we stopped at a monument dedicated to the miners who died in a mining catastrophe back in 1971.  We were shocked to learn that seventy-one men died in the accident; the memorial is very moving.  Though no dogs died, I was very sorry for the people and their families.

Monument to lost Miners

Back at the rig, Don cooked up some meatball soup for dinner, Geri did some laundry, and I supervised the operations.  I got some great plates out of the deal, and we all agreed that it was a fine day, though the weather could have been better.  We’re heading down I-90 again tomorrow; I’ll let you know where we wind up!  Buona Notte!

Day 25 – Wallace, ID

Short blog today, as we spent most of the day getting ready to travel, travelling, and getting set up for living.  As you’ll see, we didn’t make it very far.  Don and I started the day with another nice walk over in the Recreation Area across the road from the RV Park, and I got to lead the way, for the most part.  When we got back, Geri wanted to make another pass at the Post Office, so they left me home while they went scouting for stamps.  They were back in time to get the rig set up for travel and on the road by noon, and we were heading east on Interstate 90.

It took less than an hour to arrive at our destination, Wallace, Idaho.  Why are we here?  Well, it seems that this is a historic mining area, which the inhabitants call “The Silver Capital of the World”.  Don says that might be true, as they have hauled over Five Billion Dollars worth of silver out of these hills since the 1890’s.  The literature says that every building in downtown Wallace is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  We took a drive into town to look it over, and stroll the streets.  And I can say that the town does look like it belongs to another century.  I can also say that the people here are very friendly, and seem to have a good opinion regarding my species.  I got lots of petting and attention, and many compliments on my manners and good looks!  I like this place!  Here’s some pics that Don took in town.

Might be the pizza delivery vehicle

A typical historic building

Another nice piece of architecture

Read the inscription

Back at the coach, Don finally got to fix his hot dogs and baked beans, which Geri had bought in Coeur d’Alene, and I got some good bean leftovers.  I don’t know what the action will be tomorrow, but I’ll try to give you a full report.  Ciao, baby!

Day 24 – Coeur d’Alene, ID

Every once in a while, Don comes up with a really great idea for our morning walk; this morning was one of those occurrences.  He and Geri had noticed that there was a “Recreation Area” located across the highway from the road to our RV Park, and we went to investigate it this morning.  It turned out to be a really pretty area with lots of very nice grass, an extensive walkway structure over the lakeside waterfront, and a boat launching ramp with floating wharves.  I like it when there is a lot of variety in the area where we do our walk, and this place had it all.  I got to lead the way most of the time, with Don following along.  Maybe we can go back again tomorrow.

A waterfront walk!

As directed by Geri, we had a concentrated cleanup exercise after we returned, and Don got to clean the area rugs while Geri vacuumed.  I noted that most of Don’s work involved the removal of a pale hairy material from the rugs; I’ve got no idea where all of that stuff came from.  When the cleanup was complete, we broke for lunch, and then piled into the truck for our afternoon touring.  First stop was the local post office, where Geri attempted to buy stamps to replace those that she couldn’t find on the rig.  She waited in line for about fifteen minutes, then gave it up as a bad job.  It was Don’s turn to choose a destination then, and we headed west on Highway 90 toward the town of Post Falls.  There were several things there he wanted to see, first of which was a historic site called Treaty Rock.  This was supposed to be an inscription carved into a rock by one of the first settlers in the area, Fredrick Post, to solemnify a treaty between him and the local Indian Chief regarding his purchase of the local land.  When Geri and Don finally reached the location, all they could read on the rock was Mr. Post’s name in large letters.  Guess treaties were a lot simpler in those days. 

While we were in Post Falls, Don wanted to go to the dam that controls the flow of water out of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Geri was, of course, very excited by this idea, and seconded his motion enthusiastically.  We drove to a very nice park in Post Falls, and walked down toward the Spokane River on a tree-shaded path.  When the shade of the trees ended, so did Geri, who urged Don to carry on with his holy quest to find the source of the Spokane.  We found a nice table with a bench to sit at, and waited for his return.  He eventually returned with many tales of his quest, including the history of the dam, the generating power of the electrical plant, statistics on the level of the lake, and other fascinating data.  We were enthralled and grateful for the knowledge he imparted.

Here's da Dam!

In a lovely park

With happy inhabitants

As we calmed down from our excitement, we resolved to return to Coeur d’Alene and check out the shopping in the downtown area.  We found a good parking place on the main street, got out of the truck, and immediately encountered a couple who not only greatly admired Golden Retrievers in general, but had one to offer us.  The gentleman, aged 80, who lived here in town, had a wonderful Goldie, but could not take him to live with his new hottie, age 63, in Reno, due to a lack of living space in her home.  They were a very pleasant couple, and earnestly desired to find a new family for their seven year old Goldie.  My personal feeling was that any man who gave up a well-mannered Golden Retriever for a woman young enough to be his daughter was not someone to be admired, even though he was retired LAPD. 

Local Sculpture Mooseterwork

We completed our downtown tour, took a short drive down Highway 95 on the west side of the lake, then returned to town to do a little shopping at Safeway.  While waiting for Geri to make her buys, Don and I made the acquaintance of a bearded biker type who stopped by the truck while we were conversing, evinced great admiration of my attitude and manly appearance, and proceeded to tell us endless stories about his neighbors and his dog, a Pommy who is afraid of cats and trembles uncontrollably whenever a feline approaches.  It was kind of entertaining.

We went home to the coach, Don cooked up some pasta, and we all ate very well.  A little TV and blogging, and to bed.   We’re on the road tomorrow, heading for a place called Wallace, the Silver Capitol of the World.  I’ll let you know what happens!

Day 23 – Coeur d’Alene, ID
I was shocked and surprised this morning when I heard Don open the door to the coach, which I always respond to by joining him at the door to retrieve the (phony) paper, and found that he was setting out without me, and there was no paper! He assured me that he hadn’t intended to rouse me at this early hour, and he was just heading over for a shower. Somewhat mollified, I returned to bed for a little more snoozing. True to his word, he was back soon, and we went through the paper retrieval process, with the proper reward. A little later, after breakfast, he and I left for our morning walk, which was an exploration of parts of the Park that he hadn’t visited. It was all pretty mundane until we got down to Dog Beach, where Geri had taken me last night. At that time, I hadn’t felt like going in the water, but this morning I was in the mood for some wading. I walked into the lake like I owned it, and got in as deep as my belly! It felt really good, and I stayed in for quite awhile, Don was encouraging me to go deeper and swim, but I was happy staying on my feet. When I got out of the water, I felt like a good run, so I launched into a wild Crazy Dog routine in the grass next to the beach. I wound up charging Don at high speed, but managed to stop before I ran into him, unlike the other day in Bothell. It wound up being a fun walk!

Given the warm and glorious weather we’ve been having here, Geri and Don decided to do some touring north of Coeur d’Alene, up to a town called Sandpoint, about fifty miles up the road. Don has always wanted to go there, principally due to what he had heard about it from one of his favorite media figures, actor and essayist Ben Stein, who has a vacation home there. It didn’t take long to get there, and we found it to be a very attractive lakefront town. We walked the main street of the downtown area, and found that everyone there is a dog lover! I got more attention and adulation there than I’ve gotten anywhere! Must say, I ate up on it. We stopped at the visitor center, and the lady there recommended some sightseeing routes to them. They chose a drive up to the ski lodge area at Schweitzer, where we got a great view of Lake Pen d’Orielle and Sandpoint. The ski resort area is pretty big, and must be very active in winter.

Downtown Sandpoint

Schweitzer Ski Resort and Lake Pen d'Orielle

 

Sandpoint from up high

Heading back toward Coeur d’Alene, we stopped at Farragut State Park, which is on the southern end of Lake Pen d’Orielle. Geri and Don were both interested in visiting the Park, because of its historical association with the Navy, which they apparently graduated from some years before my time. Back during WWII, this was the site of Farragut Naval Training Center, which turned out a total of over 280,000 swabbies during the War. They had never heard of the place before, and were astounded to get the details concerning the place. While it was in operation, it was the largest city in Idaho! Now, nothing remains of it except the Brig, which was where errant sailors were incarcerated for behavior unbecoming a sailor. The Brig is now a museum containing artifacts of the Training Center, but which was, unfortunately, now closed for the season. There was a fine memorial at the Brig location, which they photographed extensively.

An American Seaman Recruit

Images of many Recruits

Lake Pen d'Orielle from Farragut Park

When we got back to the rig, Don was fixing to cook some hot dogs and baked beans, until a problem arose; the baked beans could not be located. They had disappeared completely! Don told me he suspects Gary might have spirited them out during one of his visits. So, they opened some cans of soup and chili, and we all made do with less than stellar eats.


America’s Got Talent occupied the TV for most of the evening, while Don and I worked on the Blog (though we did watch a few of the acts). Don’t know for sure what’s happening tomorrow, but the weather promises to stay good, so more touring will probably be in order. That works for me! Will I give you a full report? You betcha!