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Michigan 2023
  • Katboz
  • Tom Boswell

Michigan 2023

Back to Michigan for the summer. Going back to Fayetteville to visit Aunt Chris. Then to Traverse for the summer at Holiday Park RV campground Read more
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  • Michigan 2023
    View to Old Faithful
    So many people waiting for the big event1She did not disappoint1One of many hot springsSpasmatic geyserRiverside geyser, beforeRiverside geyser, after

    Lower Loop #2: old Faithful

    September 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    We arrived at the upper geyser Basin at about 11:30 a.m. which was just enough time to find a seat around Old faithful. We had to sit for about 30 minutes before the geyser went off. There were so many people there watching and waiting for the event. Old Faithful did not disappoint.

    I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon walking this geyser Basin which is quite large. I probably got in about 3 to 4 mi, trying to catch some of the other geysers in action. Tom stayed at the visitor center and caught a film or two and got to see Old Faithful blow again.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    2Riverside in action...it goes and goes!

    Lower Loop #3: Riverside Geyser

    September 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    After walking about a mile and a half, maybe two I did finally get to Riverside geyser. I had expected the geyser to "to blow" at about 1:00 p.m. however I had to wait about another 30 minutes. This geyser was not as predictable (?) as the park suggested.

    Regardless of the delay, this geyser did not disappoint. This geyser is named Riverside for the very reason that when it does blow all the water pretty much pours into the adjacent stream. After having a chance to see it go, I had to leave before it stopped because this geyser will blow for about 20 minutes! I was due back at the visitor center to meet Tom and to move on to our next stop.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    There wasn't a spot of space that didn't have people!
    There architecture is crazy!The Grand Prismatic overlook, less people than the boardwalk!2Gibbons FallsThe ravens are always around!1He (she?) stuff there, unmoving for about 10 minutes!

    Lower Loop #4: the rest of the drive

    September 20, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Finished my hike and met Tom at the visitor Center. Quick walk over to the Old Faithful Lodge to have a peek. We have been here once before, but it is always fun to take a look at the interior. Lots of wood and stone and people!

    We decided on just one more basin stop- the Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the jewels of Yellowstone. This visit I decided to do the overlook instead of the boardwalk right beside the spring. Short hike up the Fairy Falls trail and you get to an overlook of the spring that is fabulous!

    We then proceeded to take our final drive home with one stop at Gibbon Falls. Back in the car and drove through Hayden Valley one more time with several glimpses of bison. This particular herd decided to cross the road as we were going by and kept us parked for a bit of time until they moved on.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1Loop A at Fishing bridge
    Some one had to help us find our way out?2Brink of the FallsView up river212Wildlife!6Hello from the canyon!

    Leaving Yellowstone

    September 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    Since we were camped at Fishing Bridge we still had lots of park time in the morning on the way out. We were able to go through Hayden Valley one more time and had views of the bison. (besides the lone bison that helped us out of the campground! Honestly, these bison just show up in the most random, unexpected locations.)

    Then we got up to Canyon Village and did the brink of the falls overlook, and then a couple of stops for the canyon view. Beautiful day, great sunlight, thoroughly enjoyed our last visits.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1
    1Lunch in West Yellowstone, this is the old Madison HotelWe started out on a lovely paved road..1It disintegrated to washboard mud puddles"what the heck are they doing out here?"Only sign of human inhabitants...1Random mtl sculpture out hereMud on the windshield, cows on the road1"what's your rush?"

    West to Lima, Mt

    September 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    Today is the perfect example of why Google maps can put you in a bind. Instead of following the map directions on our (RV specific) Garmin unit we followed Google. What was supposed to be a 2-hour drive from West Yellowstone to Lima Montana ended up being three and a half hours including a 20 mi stretch of a muddy, washboard gravel road. We drove this at about 8 to 10 mph, hence the extended duration. Even the cows looked vaguely surprised at our presence, a 30 ft RV towing a Jeep with two bikes on the back. We flagged down a couple of passing vehicles all of them heading to some hunting spot to make sure the road did go somewhere?? One of them looked at us and let us know he wouldn't have brought his RV out here. Never had really good news, like '"oh just another mile". But finally after an extended period of rattling and bumping along we found pavement again. One of God's greatest blessings, paved roads!

    Finally arrived in Lima at just about dark. Met Jeff and Dina Young at Johnny Peat's steakhouse. According to Dina it has been voted the best steakhouse in Montana last year. I had a Caesar salad with steak and it was delicious. Tender, flavorful, exactly what you would want. Great end to the day.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1Jeff and Dinas darling house! Lots of plants and flowers!
    1Jeff's greenhouse3Charlie had lots of play time with Amber and Gypsy, the Young's lab mix dogs!

    Visit with Jeff and Dina

    September 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 39 °F

    Enjoyed our steak dinners and then went back to the Young's house which is approximately four houses down from the restaurant. We slept in the RV out front and had a comfortable night.

    Woke up the next morning and enjoyed a slow breakfast with Jeff and Dina. Hot coffee, toast with honey berries (the new "superfood"), and some venison sausage patties, yum.

    We all loaded up in Gina's SUV and took off for a drive out Sheep Creek road. It pretty much ends up being a canyon drive that is intermittently broken up with small valleys containing ranches. Sheep Creek meanders through these valleys and through the canyon and the road pretty much follows it. Unfortunately I have no pictures! Just a beautiful drive in spite of the weather.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1RV park, that's us in the shade...not a very busy park
    They were converting this to 3 cottage size rooms2Fresh red potatoes, red onions, and tomatoes

    West again!

    September 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Well we didn't get very far down the road. We were going to check out a ghost town, bannock State Park, but decided the 20 mile out (and then back) might not be worth it. And some of the road was gravel... So we just stayed in an RV park on the outskirts of Dillon Montana.

    Enjoyed our dinner of fresh produce from Jeff's greenhouse!    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Typical view...
    1Flathead lakeMoose Creek Resort, RV park and B&B. Very cute51Olive, 80 lbs!Pepper, the baby of the group...

    Heading to Glacier NP

    September 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Finally on the road to Glacier National Park. It looks like the weather's going to be fine. We have never seen this park so we are looking forward to our first visit.

    The drive-thru Northern Montana was beautiful rolling hills lots of cattle ranches and meandering creeks. A substantial part of the drive was a long Flathead Lake, The road literally followed the shoreline in some places. Big huge lake.

    We checked into our RV park, moose Creek RV late in the afternoon. It's only 5 miles from the park entrance. Nice RV park with most of the sites separated by trees. They also had a great fenced-in dog park for Charlie. It's been interesting because most dog parks have not been fenced in so it's always difficult to give her a really good play time. This one was not only fenced in but she got to meet two very good size Bassetts, Olive and Pepper. They all enjoyed playing with each other tremendously.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Heading into the peaks
    A glimpse of the cars behind, it was a pretty steady streamThe "triple arches"2First wildlife encounter- he was so cute!Second encounter, not as cute, but very healthy looking!

    Going to the Sun...and back again

    September 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Got on the road at about 9:00 or so which is pretty good for us. It was a short drive to the entrance of the park. We drove out the going to the sun road with the intention that we would also return by the same road. Most recommendations include the drive both ways because you see entirely different vistas.

    We actually used the Guide Along app (like we did in Yellowstone) to point out the various significant features of the drive, and some of the history to the park.

    We pretty much drove the entire drive to the east side and then out to the little town of Babb and back into the park to see the Many Glaciers area. On the way out of the east side, we had a couple of wildlife encounters. The largest one of course was the black bear. The picture is not very good but he was right by the roadside and our car actually scared him up the hill. Exciting to see.

    Took a quick stop at the Saint Mary's visitor center.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Many Glacier Lodge... closed. Dang
    Big Horn uphill from trailHike around Swiftcurrent lake2Still a little early for color...only some yellowsThat big dark spot is a bear sunning on a rockWe almost missed seeing this guy in the bushes...1And then he revealed himself! Just off the road!

    Back into Many Glaciers

    September 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    As I mentioned in the last footprint you drive out of the east entrance of the park get to a little town of Babb and then drive back into the park in a slightly more northern section. This entrance into the park takes you to the Many Glaciers area. There is a lot of hiking out of this area, particularly to Grinnell Glacier. They also have a lodge located here on Swiftcurrent Lake, unfortunately it was late in the season and was closed. I would have liked to have seen the interior because it is one of the older lodges.

    I didn't do the hike to Grinnell which is 11 mi round trip, but I did have enough time to do a short 2 and 1/2 mi walk around Swiftcurrent Lake. Really enjoyed my time and had a lot of different views of the surrounding peaks. I didn't see much animal life except at the very beginning of my hike when I saw a small herd of Big Horn sheep uphill from the trail.

    Back to the car where Tom was waiting, (patiently) for me to complete a hike. How could I miss hiking it Glacier- it's what you do! It was a great drive out, (this part of the park) we had two different bear sightings. One was pretty far uphill from us and really was just a big brown blob on the rock, but the second one was right by the road and completely observable. Neither of us had ever been this close to a bear. It was really exciting. (We were in the car which helped!)    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Big Horn at Logan Pass1a LOT of rock!Lake McDonald Lodge1View down the lake, you can see how hazy it was...1Ice cream and novelties!

    Back out of the Park

    September 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Headed back into the park via St Mary's Visitor Center on the east side. I had hoped by this afternoon that some of the haze that we had been seeing all day might burn off but that wasn't really the case. So you won't see any pictures of glaciers because the view just wasn't that clear.

    So our first real stop was at Logan pass which we drove through on our way in the morning. We were treated to a site of a small group of Big Horn sheep just up the hill from the center.
    Unfortunately it was late in the day so we had about 5 minutes in the visitor center which allowed me to buy one more sticker for our trip. In fact I think the center is now closed for the year.

    Continued to follow the road out of the park and stopped periodically to enjoy all the cliffs around us. This road really is a beautiful road to drive although it can be very tight against the cliff faces in a few places.

    On the way out we did stop at Lake McDonald to take a peek at the lodge there and the lake. Similar to many glaciers this lodge was also closed. But a really pretty setting would have liked to have seen this open. We did get to see a couple of the red tour buses that still run today with tours through the park.

    And our last stop was Apgar Village at the other end of Lake McDonald (10 miles long) A fun stop, several shops and restaurants; so we indulged in some 🍦 ice cream!    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1

    Charlie time at Moose Creek

    September 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Got back to Moose Creek RV pretty late in the day. But we still needed to give Charlie her time. She is very good about simply sleeping the day away in the RV while we gone. So she got a little more play time with Olive and Pepper!Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1Views of Clark Fork (this is Lewis and Clark area)
    1Registration and clubhouseThe casino is in the distanceThe trees have a way to go, but nicely spaced sites

    Spokane next

    Sep 25–28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    We were sorry to leave Glacier National Park but my goodness it is late September and we really need to think about getting home at some point. Hopefully we'll be back one day with some sunshine and time to hike.

    Drove on to Spokane, about a 250 mi drive. Nice drive parts of it were a long the Clark fork River which was really a beautiful drive. Drove through the town of Paradise which looked like it had gone through a pretty severe fire. Lunched at St Regis and had some puppy time in the dog park. Bison burgers with huckleberry barbecue sauce for lunch, delicious. Huckleberry is a very big thing out here in Montana.

    Got into our home for the next three nights, the North Quest RV Resort. It is attached to a casino and is relatively new, about 3 years old. Big, asphalt paved sites, beautiful check-in office and clubhouse, really nice showers and restrooms... but the trees still have a ways to go.

    Day two here at our temporary home in Spokane was really dedicated to laundry, cleaning up the RV, grocery shopping and giving Charlie a little bit more time at the dog park.

    I had my first introduction to a future bagless shopping experience. After completing about a $200 grocery purchase, I was told at the checkout that they do not offer plastic bags for 5¢ each. In the state of Washington, all Walmarts, no longer offer plastic bags. You can purchase a more durable recyclable solution for 73 cents a bag or elect to try to carry all of your items out to the car without a bag. I relented and bought two bags but the rest of the items I packed into the cart, rolled it to the jeep, packed them all into the jeep, drove to the RV park and unloaded all those single items into the RV. I really appreciate the plastic bag issue at this moment. I will probably never forget to walk in a store without my own bags!    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1
    1

    Annie at Gonzaga

    September 27, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 55 °F

    So I will be honest, I am trying to rapidly catch up on posting my Finding Penguins travel diary. I need to catch up because I don't have time to read Linley and Kristi's traveling posts if I don't!

    We had a wonderful day today, in spite of the ongoing cloudy and rainy weather. We had a chance to meet with Annie (Jeanie's daughter) for lunch near the Gonzaga campus. We got to tour her house which was darling (six girls sharing), they each have a bedroom; only two bathrooms- but that's still doable!

    We had lunch across the street and had a chance to chat and catch up. Then Annie took us on a tour through the Gonzaga campus. We had a chance to see where she works, to see the community garden, and just get a general feel for this very nice campus. It looks especially nice right now, planted with lots of flowers, because it seems that parents weekend is next weekend. Annie suggested that most of this will be gone shortly as the snow will be here at some point in the near future. Tom and I love this campus, relatively small, but really well maintained.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1Nothing to look at but the dotted line on the highway
    Overlook of the Columbia near Vantage, Wa1Our site with the Columbia in viewBeautiful day parkIn the wind these trees are very noisy!

    Columbia River

    September 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Back on I-90. Facts: one of the longest interstates, Seattle to Boston, and apparently has the least traffic...we goggle alot on our drives.

    Southwest of Spokane, after a fairly large burn area, we got to one of the most boring parts of our drive...no billboards, no trees, no cattle, just fields of scrub, or occasionally grain. I almost fell asleep! However the road quality was excellent!

    Lunch at Moses Lake while filling up with gas. Prices have steadily increased as we headed west. Prices are just under $5 now. In Michigan we were looking at prices just under $4.

    We took a break at a large scenic overlook for the Columbia River mid-afternoon. I tend to think of the Columbia River as an east-west River, however in this location it has turned north and really runs north south. Great overlook, cloudy windy day.

    We camped at Wanapum Campground which is a Washington State Park right on the Columbia River. It was a beautiful spot and we enjoyed great views of the Columbia right down near the shore. Very, very windy and loud! 14 mph with gusts up to 20!    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    The audio is someone else...not sure what they were discussing...

    Snoqualmie Falls

    September 29, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Back on 90 West. This part of 90 is wooded and mountainous. We even had glimpses of Mount Rainier on the drive. Of course the top was in clouds. Beautiful drive.

    We drove most of the morning and our first stop was Snoqualmie Falls. This is a beautiful fall that is also used for hydroelectric purposes. One of the earlier builds, using the power of the water. This waterfall was so powerful that you literally walked through a cloud of mist to get a view of it. There's a beautiful lodge right on the brink of the Falls. We enjoyed walking the park like setting that gave you different views.Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Snoqualmie Falls and Salisch Lodge
    2They embedded text in the walks thru the park...1It's Fall! (Thinking of you Paula!)Tacoma Narrows Bridge1Checking out the campground...that's us down on the left.

    Drive to Gig Harbor

    Sep 29–Oct 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Back in the car and on to Gig Harbor where my good friend Terry wisner lives. Had our first real experience of traffic on I-5 as we went through the Tacoma area to access our final destination. We took hwy 16 to Gig Harbor and still had very thick traffic. It was Friday afternoon!Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    I circled Gig Harbor, the Red dot is Poulsbo.
    Beer crawlMarina

    Poulsbo and baked goods!

    September 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Our reason for staying in in Gig Harbor was to visit a friend of mine from Kaiser, Terry and her husband. We spoke by phone this morning and it turns out her husband went into the hospital last night with fairly concerning cold symptoms. After testing it turned out to be COVID. They also have a roommate who ended up testing positive for COVID. So my visit with Terry is pretty much limited to phone calls to see how her husband's doing.

    Today we had planned to go north to visit Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island. Poulsbo is a very cute, touristy town, with a Norwegian theme. It is also home to a very well-known, 50 year old bakery, Sluys. Well known enough that there was a line just to go in and purchase some bakery items. We bought several and they were excellent!

    While Tom enjoyed his bakery items I had a chance to walk the town in the shops. Lots of cute artist co-ops, galleries, home accessory shops, restaurants and clothing. The town was particularly busy because we were there on the biannual beer pub crawl which raises money for town project. So lots of people out walking (some were weaving a little, 9 oz. of beer at each brewery!) Many were in costumes or lederhosen or dirndle skirts, it was really fun to see. It was a beautiful day to be out, lots of sunshine! We also had a chance to stroll the harbor area, very cute.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1Plaza pic from 2nd floor of museum
    Stairway to upper floor2nd floor rooftop garden1"madman taking great pleasure in restrictions dictated by his own habits"Title of the ceramic peice "Mass Distraction"Detail of large tapestryMaritime Pier, public pier next to restaurant12Mt. Rainier!

    Bainbridge Island Art Museum

    September 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    From Poulsbo we drove on North and East over the bridge to Bainbridge Island. I had hoped to spend more time here but it was already early afternoon so we headed straight to the art museum. That way Tom could have his afternoon nap in the car and I could enjoy the museum .

    The museum is not large and one of the two floors was being set up for a new exhibit so I really only had the upper floor and then a special exhibit on the main floor but I really enjoyed this museum. It really is a collection of contemporary art (as opposed to modern art) and had a wide and varied selection that included paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, fiber art and mixed media pieces. The artists are primarily regional and the pieces in the exhibit are all juried and selected. I really enjoy just perusing all the different themes and items that were on display.

    Back to the car and woke up Tom and we drove back to Gig Harbor this time going by Terry's house to drop off some bakery items for her. We got to say hi to her from a distance and her new Australian Shepherd puppy Angus.

    We drove on to Tides Tavern, which is a restaurant located right on Gig Harbor in the marina area. Very popular, we had about a 20 minute wait for a table, but discovered from that vantage point we had a clear view of Mount Rainier! Probably one of the best views I've ever had of it, so now I guess we don't need to go by the park! Had a delicious dinner of halibut and really enjoyed our evening.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Very nice, but in spite of concrete, we never got the unit level. But I love trees!

    Heading home

    Oct 1–2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    So on hindsight am really glad we left Gig Harbor today, Sunday, and NOT Monday! I did not really give thought to the fact that on Monday we would be in the midst of the work week and commuter traffic....

    We have had a great summer, with lots of family, fun and adventures, BUT think I am missing home! We are a little like the horse that is headed back to the barn, head down, one foot in front of the other.

    But one more stop on the way, decided to go by Defiance Point Park, near Tacoma. Looked like a nice view back to Gig Harbor over the water. Well it turns out the drive with the views is closed to vehicle traffic. So we located their off leash dog park and gave Charlie play time- lots of pups!

    I thought I would jump on our bikes, but as we got my bike off of the rack the front tire just dropped off the forks. We discovered that both (?) the nuts that hold my front tire to the forks were missing?? What? We have no clue, how? So without having the front tire attached, we had to cram my bike into the back of the jeep. We really are clueless to what happened...

    Made some wraps for lunch and started actually-driving home!? We got on 5 and will be there for the next 500 plus miles until we find 99! Got to Salem and pulled over about 4:30 so Tom would have some football time.    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    1It's always surprising how close we are to this mountain from I-5
    1Lake ShastaRed Bluff KOA. One of the nicest parks we stayed in.

    Almost there

    October 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    As Linley noted on my previous post, it was a beautiful drive. We drove through southern Oregon and into Northern California. This part of I-5 is great, lots of scenery to enjoy. Traffic was fine, and weather seems to be slowly warming up and we get into California.

    We had beautiful views of Mt. Shasta and Lake Shasta. No stopping, just pics from the RV window. Pressed on and got to Red Bluff, knowing that left just one more day of driving....We are in full "let's get home" mode!    Read more

  • Michigan 2023
    Neighbors, they had done a nice conversion of a bus.
    The clubhouseSigns of fall!My single potted geranium seems to love this spot!

    HOME

    October 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Was sort of sorry we didn't have one more night here, beautiful park, fountains, huge clubhouse, and cable was working. Tom got a full evening of Monday night 🏈

    Again weather is definitely getting warmer!? Our final drive was uneventful and we felt like 99 was in pretty good shape. Some construction, but we didn't seem to have as much from the start of our trip?

    One last stop in Prather for groceries and quick dinner at Velascos! Home by 6:30. (And the cleaner had just finished!). House looked great, yard healthy (we had someone check the watering) but with lots of weeds, sun porch full of dust, and cobwebs in all the corners!

    We really 💕 our home ! Great trip!    Read more

    Trip end
    October 3, 2023
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