After recruiting friends and neighbors to watch the homestead for the duration, we departed Tuesday morning, Dec 1, 09, for our snowbird adventure to Arizona. We have cameras, motion sensors, telephone triggers, alarms, etc. And a couple of sheriff’s deputies living in the ‘hood. Our 5th wheel rig, Uncle Joe, was in the driveway for three days before departure. We loaded it up and got it ready to travel. Four months; can you imagine that? I can’t; so we will see how this trips out. On Tuesday, we put in what for us was a long day. We expected sun breaks, [View Full Entry]

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Sunday September 27, 2009 “Let’s head for the barn? We got the Palouse Falls in our pocket. I’m ready for some rain; let’s go home.” So, we saddled up this morning and began a two day sprint to the home barn. We fueled up in Dayton, WA; as fine a little laid out town as you might want to see in eastern Washington. Basically, we are backtracking the route we took five years ago when we visited Jackson Hole and Yellowstone with our Hi-Ho Quicksilver in tow behind the Subi Forester. The biggest change we see are the electricity generating windmill [View Full Entry]

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Thursday, September 24, 2009 We knew we did not want to spend another sweltering day near Grangeville, so we departed on a hope and a hunch after checking forecast for Winchester, Idaho. We tarried long enough at our Grangeville RV park to enjoy trail cakes for breakfast. Last night I logged onto the ‘net weather feature and looked for cooler clime. After our sumptuous breakfast, we hitched up and headed north west. It took about an hour to land at Winchester Lake State Park on the shore of Lapwai Lake, south side of Winchester, Idaho. It is just what we hoped [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Well, this morning we departed from our original game plan and instead of traveling through a familiar route in Oregon, we drive north on Idaho Hwy 95 through some spectacular but challenging country with Uncle Joe in tow. I can’t remember the times we had to chug up mountains in “tow mode” at 30 mph with the flashers winking at traffic coming up on us from behind. Fortunately, there were passing lanes and pull outs to allow the faster vehicles to pass us. Since we stopped so often, there are some vacation pictures to share with you. [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday September 22, 2009 It was another pedal to the metal day, and we made good time to Boise, Idaho even with some highway shoulder and repavement work thrown in the mix. To be honest, I don’t care that much for the general desert area of this part of Idaho, but there are some arresting views from time to time. Something for which to pause, admire for the moment, and then move on. And that is what we did. This afternoon, we arrived and set up Uncle Joe at Hi Valley RV Park near Eagle, Idaho, northwest of Boise. I called [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday September 22, 2009 We left Grand Teton National Park yesterday and enjoyed a very scenic drive south of Jackson Wyoming along the Snake River to Alpine near the Idaho border. We drove along the undulating shoreline of the Palisades Reservoir upon entering Idaho, and made our way to Idaho Falls. Our activated GPS voice system projects our route on my notepad computer screen and provides turn by turn voice directions. Soon, we up on high desert. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop on the Snake River. I enjoyed a brief nap in Uncle Joe. It is a treat [View Full Entry]

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Sunday September 20, 2009 Another day of outstanding photo opportunities unfolded for us today. Sure, we shot some of the same views of yesterday, but the cloud blooms were magnificent today. I am looking forward to artsifying these images on my home desktop computer. Arizona friends Dave and Mare, who have traveled this way themselves, sent a comment not to miss Schwabacker Landing. So, I’ve uploaded two photos of the Landing in appreciation of their suggestion. Today, I pulled out the plugs and went HDR; High Dynamic Resolution. As you know, I shoot RAW images with my Can [View Full Entry]

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Friday September 18, 2009 Yesterday was a tough travel day from Custer to Casper, Wyoming. We went through more road construction zones that we could count. There were bumps, humps, gravel, dirt and such than could be counted. But none of it yesterday could compare to the mother of constructions zones we passed through today! Poor Uncle Joe! The Beast dragged him through the muck for miles and miles east of Jackson Hole. And it was all down hill. I felt like Neal Armstrong settling during the moon landing. I had one foot on the diesel peddle, another foot on the [View Full Entry]

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Saturday September 19, 2009 Shaddy emitted a low growl from somewhere under the covers when I arose before the crack of dawn. I dressed, took my camera gear to The Beast and throttled up in order to be in the field at first light. I imagine there were low growls from under many covers in the campground when the diesel engine fired up with its own cacophonous growl. There was already a crowd of vehicles and photographers when I arrived at Moran reflection view. Tripods topped with digital cameras were erected all over the side of the hill, attended by folk [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday, September 16, 2009 We’ve done everything on our list in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Today is an easy, relaxing day at our RV campsite. We stopped by a local museum where in the back of the multi storied building it is said to be the only place a lawful hanging took place in Custer; 1982. Does that mean they dispensed with legalities from then on? Or maybe a bullet was considered cheaper and quicker than stretching a good length of rope that could be put to more commercial purposes? On Wednesdays, the library in town doesn’t open until [View Full Entry]

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