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Rob and Noela
Rob and Noela

Rob and Noela

We love to see new things and places Small town America is our current favourite but it will not end there. Whether we travel by Harley or car we just want to take it all in. We look forward to you following our travels. En savoir plus🇦🇺Brisbane City
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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Epilogue, Forestlake QLD

    15 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    This trip was 12 months in the planning and from the outset we had an idea of what we wanted to see. This trip was originally going to be on bikes but with Harley dumping rentals and giving the job to Eagle Rider the prices went through the roof. We decided that we would hire a car and share the cost and spend the savings on other things.
    Accommodation: Our original plan was to wing it and find places on the fly, but it appeared that this ould not work so we advance booked a number of towns. Next trip this will need review, our timing coincided with summer break and as a result the prices were higher and vacancy availability low. That said we only had one day where we had to try several options.

    Parks Pass: The America the Beautiful pass was our saviour and the US$80 investment saved us a fortune literally. We estimate that each park would have cost US$ 15 to 20 per person to enter and we did 10 Parks and in the Tetons we entered it 3 times. It also allowed us entry into the Maritime exhibit in San Francisco so overall, we saved around $900. These are available in the US Forestry offices which are numerous.
    Car Rental: We hired from Thrifty, our ride was a current model Jeep Cherokee. It had all the bells and whistles including GPS. It was a good combination of space for its size and suited 4 people well. We still would have preferred bikes. Fuel averaged at less than $50 per day.
    Food: American food used to be inexpensive, not so anymore however it is plentiful and sharing a meal is a real option and Noela and I did that most nights and many lunches. Be ready for sweet and savory mixed together. There are plenty of options for salads and vege you just have to ask. If you like chips (hot variety) then ask for fries as chips are bags of crisps.
    Cash vs Cards: We took both a pre-loaded travel card as well as cash with a backup travel card. Cash was used sparingly, and the travel card worked well with no outlets knocking back our Qantas Travel card. Current exchange rate means that you are going to lose 30% on conversion and credit cards will attract an international transaction fee in addition to the FX hit.
    Tipping: Everyone wants a tip, some do not deserve it and you need to use your discretion on how much. Some add the tip to the bill. In a number of cases we removed it and did not tip. We figured if we are not going back bad luck. But generally, we tipped from 10 to 15%.
    National Parks: Absolutely stunning, the USA have stunning parks and they are well set out with information centres, and interpretive centres provided to give visitors a great understanding of what the will see. Make sure you take the time to visit these.
    Tours: We used the Red bus tours in Seattle, they were rubbish. The Big Bus company in San Francisco was just so much better. It pays to shop around and go with the biggest and best. There is a reason that they are the biggest. Eco Tours in Jackson were brilliant and whilst wildlife eluded us we learned heaps from them. It really pays to do your research into tours and activities and decide whether you do your own thing.
    Luggage: we travelled with around a week’s worth of clothes and found laundromats plentiful cheap and quick so washing was a once a week ritual.
    Overall the trip was a great success and for two couples to travel in one car and share so much time together we had very few moments of disagreement etc. We put this down to the planning and understanding what we all wanted to see, and if there were other things to do we were all happy to go separate ways and meet up at days end. The result was that we all enjoyed each other’s company and therefor enjoyed the trip. So for now there is only one more thing to do and that is decide when and where we are going to next time……… you will have to wait and see.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    End of the Road, Santa Monica CA

    13 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    San Francisco was just waking up when we departed for our drive to Santa Monica and LAX, it was early but the traffic was not yet heavy and allowed us to pick our way out of the city and find the Bay Bridge. Once on the bridge things really get moving and the speed of the local traffic is daunting when you are trying to find exits etc. Before we knew it we were going through Oakland the second San Francisco whilst staying focussed on remaining on the H 505 and ultimately the I5.
    Once on the I 5 the boredom sets in we had a 6 hour drive ahead through pretty uninteresting country. A stop for Fuel and then some breakfast punctuated the trip through fields of crops and orchards with the only change being the distant ranges. There was still a fair amount of traffic and as we approached the outskirts of LA this increased.
    We arrived in Santa Monica at about 12.30 so the plan was to explore the area, then have a late final lunch together, and then head to the airport. Carl and Paola set off to find Venice beach whilst Noela and I stayed around the Pier and watched buskers. Santa Monica was bustling with people everywhere a real contrast to the scene 4 years ago. The beach itself was packed with people with many enjoying the freezing cold Pacific Ocean.
    We met the guys at 3.15 and enjoyed a light taste of Mexican food at the restaurant on the end of the pier, last photos were taken, last T shirts purchased and we made our way back to the car to do our final pack, fuel the car and do a quick trip through Malibu. As we headed off the pier we notice the traffic coming back down the coast was crawling so we scrapped the Malibu idea, thank goodness we did. As soon as we turned, on to the freeway to LAX the traffic stopped and what should have been a 30 minute drive took 1.5 hours. We finally got to Thrifty to return the car at 6.50 their shuttle had us at the airport 10 minutes later.
    We departed late due to some peanut getting lost after he had checked in so they had to offload his luggage. He then showed up so they reloaded his luggage and we were off. With a late departure we arrived late into Sydney thus missing our original connection, Noela and I cleared customs and made our rebooked flight to Brisbane but Carl and Paola were further back in the line and did not get back to Brisbane until about 5.00PM, they were not happy.
    So now comes the photo editing and recalling of memories, and I will put together an epilogue of the good the bad and the ugly.
    Thanks for being part of the journey.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Tenderloin, CA

    12 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Well the sand is rapidly running out of the trip hour glass. Our 3rd breakfast at our favourite Café and back to the Wharf, Carl and Paola headed to downtown and we explored the maritime wharf. This is full of old ships and boats that were interesting.
    We queued for ages for the cable car and finally got our ride back down to union square where we had lunch and people watched for an hour or so. We reluctantly queued again for the return trip and began the sad process of packing.
    San Francisco has been a really great place and there is still plenty that we have not yet seen.
    Tomorrow will be an early start, to drive to Santa Monica and then LAX for our 10.30pm flight home.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    11

    Jimmy Hendrix, Haight Ashury, CA

    11 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After our second Breakfast at Chestnut Diner Noela and I walked from West to East up Lombard Street and down the Zig Zag on the western side, from there we went looking for an Italian Restaurant that we found 4 years ago. On that occasion we had decided to have a meal alone rather than have dinner with the 5 other couples that we were travelling with. Noela and I were sitting at a table for two when we saw the others coming up the road and they came to the very same Italian Restaurant. We ended up having a meal with them anyway.
    So, with Carl and Paola doing the night tour again we were intent on having that dinner for two. We located Piazza Pellegrini on Columbus Street and got talking to the owner and told him our story. He does not normally reserve tables but in our case he did. When we returned at about 7.30 there was our table with a big RESERVED on it. It was a great meal and awesome service.
    After finding our place we walked the Italian sector inside out and back to front and then waked to the downtown area. Here we picked up the Big Bus and headed to the Northern side of the GG bridge. The bus passes through the Haight Ashbury district that was the hippie epicentre in the 60s with Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin and others featuring heavilly in the tour commentaries. We did the walk across the bridge which was now shrouded in the fog that rolls in across the bay. It was freezing and blowing a gale by it really is a must do. With the Bridge walked it was into the city for some shopping, back to the room for a shower and then to our dinner engagement.
    As it turned out Carl and Paola did not get to do the night tour as the ticket for the night tour is a 1 off only.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Big Bus Tour, Fishermans Wharf, CA

    10 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The Lombard Inn was a good choice for its central location, 25 minutes walk to Fishermans Wharf and similar to the down town area, we did have a scare when on the first night the shower was ice cold with the same happening the next morning. They got the boiler fixed and it has been all good since then reducing the room rate for one day $50.00.
    Last time we were here we used the Big Bus Hop on and Hop off service, we did the same this time buying the deluxe package which gave us 48 hours and the night tour and the Sausalito tour as well. We reacquainted ourselves with the cities colourful past, and its different sectors. We took advantage of the Sausalito tour today the wealthiest part of SF, rents are up around $17,000 per month. Robin Williams lived just down the road at Tiberon, and everyone that we spoke to or heard from just gushed about the man he was and what he did for the homeless. San Francisco is the poorer for his loss.
    We returned to the North point of the Goldengate Bridge, Carl and Paola continued to the southside where they walked the bridge whilst Noela and I went back to Fisherman’s Wharf where we listened and watched the buskers, watched the seals on pier 39, and generally walked and took in the sights.
    We caught up with Carl and Paola at 5.45PM to do the Big Bus night tour over the Bay Bridge and other parts. We had an awesome guide Blake Klemett who absolutely had us entertained all trip. By the time we got off the bus it was freezing with the coastal wind coming in.
    We can thoroughly recommend the Big Bus tour service.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Goldengate, San Francisco CA

    9 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Well Red Bluff was one of those towns that Jason Aldean sings about, "Rearview Town", even the locals said to us why would you stay here. There had been a shooting just down the road from us with two police officers shot, they will be OK but the shooter died in when he crashed his car. All due to a random car check.

    We got away around 7.30 and headed down the US 5, 70 MPH and flat country so our eta to San Francisco was around midday. So what kept us occupied? several crop dusters, guessing what fruit was growing in the orchards you name it we played it.

    We decided to do a bay bridges tour on the way in so came in via San Pablo and this enabled us to take the North Western approach and visit the water side suburbs of Bellevue, Marin and Sausalito. We also visited San Quentin Prison which as we went to take pictures we were reminded by the guards that it is a live prison. Unfortunately the gift shop outside the gate was not open. Sausalito is a very hip place and we will go back to it on a Big red bus tour in the next day or two. We followed the coast road and came across Fort Baker at the North Eastern side of the Golden gate Bridge, wow what a stunning view, and it was here that a gun battery was set up to protect the inside of San Francisco bay in the early 1900s.

    We continued to the Western side of the bridge and a succession of lookouts where the views got better and better. We missed this 4 years ago as many people do. more gun emplacements an old radar installation and the Nike missile site. We saw harbour seals hauled out on the rocks and an amazing coastline. There are so many vantage points, the views are really captivating and it also make you think of the fate or survival of the escapee Frank Morris and his cohorts from Alcatraz prison.

    Finally we made our way across the Golden gate and into the city to find the Lombard inn. Chinatown was our destination for dinner thus ending a very busy day.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    Mt ShastaLake HelenBubbling Mud

    Lassen NP, Redbluff, CA

    8 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today marked our 10th National Park, it was not on the original plan but with Bob and Vicki recommending it we thought we had better have a look. For some reason we missed the border crossing into California and only knew we had when we got to the fruit check gates. So much for paying attention. Shortly after that we caught our first clear sight of yet another snow capped peak looming in the distance wow what a sight.

    Soon enough we turned off at Mt Shasta and headed for Lassen NP. It was certainly a beautiful drive and the park is spectacular. Time did not permit any walks and especially when we arrived at Lassen peak which demands a 4-5 round trip to the top. It was already getting late so the walk was out of the question. Noela found more snow to play in whilst we admired the spectacle.

    We started down the mountain from 8,500 feet and 53 degrees stopping at some various viewing areas and geo thermal mud holes and steam vents. Over the next hour we descended and finally reached Bed Bluff where the late afternoon temperature was 97 degrees.

    Laundry day today so we got that out of the way and headed of to Denny's for a quick bite. Tomorrow we head to San Francisco which pretty much marks our last leg of the trip so we need to make the most of our time there.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    1

    Tlalapauque to Klamath Falls, Sisters OR

    7 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a sleep in we are up and at em with another fantastic meal this Time breakfast. Vicki and Bob served us a great beak fast that left us not needing to eat until late in the day. Bob and Vicki have done an amazing job since we saw them last, in 2014 they were camped in a caravan/trailer with a cook house for food preparation and cooking. Four years later the home that they have built with all of the ditch digging for services and the fire mitigation work is absolutely astounding. We all congratulate them and are in awe of their efforts. The time had come to get on the road and as I do I found it very emotional but leave we must and so it was that we hit the road.

    Our first stop was bend to visit Bend or Wildhorse HD for some tips they gave us last trip, whilst there we met another Aussie guy there who has called Bend home. We think he was pretty happy to have a chat in his lingo. From Bend we carried onto Crater Lake National Park, we missed this last time and all we have heard is of how fantastic it is Well the guys were right. After miles of travel we caught our first glimpse of this natural wonder. With a depth of 592 metres and visibility of 142 metres the water is the most brilliant blue. No photo truly captures what the eye does but it was unbelievable. We spent several hours there including lunch and a couple of items from the gift shop.

    It was getting late in the day but we kept finding new things to stop at, including Fort Klamath that was a military outpost that provided a resting place for pioneering settlers in the 1800s. It contained yet another great small museum and a great guide.

    Finally we made Klamath Falls (by the way there are no falls at Klamath Falls) and rooms at the Super 8 Motel. We stumbled upon the Klamath Basin Brewing Company where a great little blues quartet was playing in a beer garden. We enjoyed a great meal along with a cold beer or two.

    The big    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood, OR

    6 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    In 1994 I was taken to the Timberline Lodge by a Cascade colleague, I slept all the way there and back but memory told me that it was a special place. So it was put on the agenda for this trip. We set off down highway 26 stopping at the rangers station on the way to find the zig zag track. With the information we needed we found the turnoff required and headed into the wild. At the end of this road we found the trail/track and set off on foot to see yet another beautiful stream and waterfall. The forest was amazingly fresh and quiet. We can see why the locals love their hiking, there is just so much of it, but with stories of bear and cougars inn the area we were certainly very alert.

    Back in the car we started the climb to Mt Hood and the famous timberline lodge. America was very lucky to have a very visionary and ecologically savvy president in Roosevelt all those years ago as it was he that created Timberline and so many National Parks to preserve the land and wildlife.
    Timberline is fantastic built of local timer the workmanship has stood the test of time and is a fantastic structure. when it was built it provided much needed economic and employment stimulus.

    Mt hood it’s self is a very accessible ski resort with all year round snow and is the summer training ground of the USA ski team.

    After Mt Hood we headed for Sisters Oregon via Warm Springs and Madras where we stopped for a sandwich lunch. our destination Sisters is the home of great friends Bob and Vicki Hunt. We were welcomed as usual with open arms. Carl and Paola set off to find accomodation for themselves as we were staying at “Tlalapaque” the Hunt high desert home. The views from the house are outstanding, Mount Jefferson, Mt Washington, the Sisters and Three fingered Jack all stand like sentinels in the distance. With dinner planned for 6.30 Carl and Paola dragged themselves back getting the last room in Bend, they thought they might have to sleep in the car.

    Bob and Vicki excelled with dinner, a home cooked barbecue, salad with all the trimmings. It was great conversation and company and the night ended all to early. Our travelling buddies headed to bend and we fell exhausted into bed.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Downtown, Portland OR

    5 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Portland is a beautiful city and we spent today cramming as much in as possible. The public transport here is brilliant, we jumped onto the Tri-met Maxrail at 8.00am for 5$ a head ride all day for 24 hours. With a quick stop and a coffee at Pioneer Square we boarded the max rail again and wnt up to Washington Park the home of Portland Zoo, the Japanese Garden, International Rose garden, Vietnam Vets memorial, a memorial to the Holocaust Victims and more.
    I was first taken to the Rose garden in 1994 and have always wanted to come back. From the terminus of the Maxrail there is a free shuttle every 15 minutes that runs through Washington Park. We got off the shuttle at the Rose garden, the rose fragrance is amazing and there are literally thousands of roses planted here. The oldest being a rose bush grown from a cutting from a plant 1000 years old.
    From here we went our separate ways with Carl and Paola going to the Vietnam Memorial and the Zoo and us walking the streets and taking in Portland downtown. Noela picked up some good bargains. We really enjoyed all of the different parts of the city including some of the weird ssites like the blue guy below. Reports from Carl and Paola are that the zoo is fantastic, and Carl got to appease his bear appetite again.
    We regrouped at the motel at 4.30 and visited the Columbia river adjacent to the airport where there is a whole community living in houseboats on the river. Portland is truly a wonderful place but for now we are packed and ready for our gypsy train to move on. Tomorrow we move on to visit Mt Hood and Sisters Oregon and some very special friends.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    4th of July, Portland OR

    4 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    The 4th of July is a special day here in the USA, a public holiday set aside to commemorate and celebrate its independence from the commonwealth.
    We decided to use the quieter roads to explore the Columbia River Gorge. We started out by visiting one of our Cascade contacts Joe and his wife Kelly. We were made to feel very welcome but we were also very jealous of there little piece of country outside Portland.
    From there we took the 84 out along the Columbia River to Bridal Veil, Multnomah Falls and the Cascade Locks. Again, the scenery and history is amazing with Multnomah being the 2nd highest continuous waterfall in the USA. It is still recovering after a bush fire that was started by illegal means in 2017.
    We had lunch at Cascade Locks and watched the old paddle wheeler head out on a tour. Just a little too late for us to join it. All along this stretch the local native Americans have fishing platforms where they net Salmon coming upstream. The Bonneville Dam stretches across the river just below the locks and has been designed with a central sluice that allows salmon upstream access.
    We crossed over the river here, a unique experience given that the bridge is open mesh on the roadway, so you can see straight through to the river below. On the northern side we visited Skamania and the Skamania Lodge where I had the privilege to stay during a sales meeting earlier in my time with Cascade. It has a massive lodge, golf course and a very high price tag.
    We stopped opposite the dam and we noticed that there were some men building a new fishing platform. Whilst the structures look crude they are very strong. I was able to talk to them about how it was constructed. These men were Yakima tribe who have fished these waters for many years and whilst the building materials have changed they maintain old traditions.
    During the day we passed many parks with the locals set up for their 4th July picnics, very very serious picnics with all manner of lounges barbeques and marquees.
    Our route back to the motel took us along the Northern side of the river final picking up the road into Portland from Seattle. The sound of fireworks can be heard right across the city. Its now 8.45 PM and still light so the fireworks will not get underway for another hour yet. Carl and Paola have ventured into the city we have decided to sit that one out.
    Portland city and some shop browsing tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Portland, Fairview, OR

    3 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Astoria was a great place and we enjoyed our meal at one of the boutique breweries that dot the state of Oregon the one we ate at was the Bouy.
    Departing Astoria at 7.30am we headed toward Portland with our destination being Cascade Corporation, corporate headquarters for my work. We were greeted by Tod Finney, Tom Logan who shared the duties of doing a plant tour. Noela now knows that I do not just come here to party. Steve Keller bought lunch in the Cascade Café where we were joined and made to feel especially welcome by Andy, Anderson Susan Wright and David Nakamura. A big thank you to you all for a great tour and lunch. Thankyou also to Joe Gallivan for the invitation to your home.
    A visit to Paradise Harley followed and these guys were unbelievably welcoming. The day was rounded out with the girls visiting some shops, when we returned they did not have one shopping bag. Laundry day today and then dinner.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Astoria, WA

    2 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    With a day up our sleeve we left Seattle and followed the I 5 to Tacoma and Olympia before picking up the 101 and heading for the coast, Aberdeen, Westport, Long beach to name a few seaside towns.
    We have been watching the recurring land marks of and exploratory expedition of Lewis and Clark and their original outward journey finished in this North West corner of Oregon at Astoria. One year to get here and a year to return and report on their findings through unbelievably hard conditions.
    Our quest to reach these parts was to tick of a bucket list item for Carl and that was to see and drive across the nearly 3 mile span of the Astoria bridge. As I said was passed through Westport a fishing village with its memorial to lost mariners. There was a biting cold North Westerly wind blowing and my brag of going for a swim in the North East Pacific started to be re thought.
    Long Beach Washington is the longest beach in the world and after fish and chips for lunch we drove down to the shore and I at least waded knee deep into the ocean, the water was toe numbingly cold so that was it for me and Paola at least got her feet wet as well.
    From here we continued to Astoria and carl satisfied his bucket list item. It really is an amazing site, crossing the mighty Columbia River. We also visited the Astoria Tower and climber the spiral stair case inside, 164 steps up the spiral staircase certainly got the legs burning but it was worth every step.
    The 101 is an amazing road up the west coast and we are pleased to have covered so much of it in two trips.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    1

    Seattle,WA

    1 juillet 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After a great nights sleep in Seattle (no not the movie) we decided that driving into downtown was our best option and parking there for the day. We concentrated on the pier area as there is always something happening there. The famous Pike Street markets were brilliant with the guys at the fish market throwing fish to each other. There was arts and crafts, fruit and veg and any matter of things. It is a must do in Seattle.

    Given that the hop on hop off bus was so good in San Francisco 4 years ago was so good we all decided that the 40 bucks for a 24 hour pass for a similar bus here would be a good idea. We were sadly let down and the tour was probably the worst that we had seen. Completely un informative and a total waste of money. Trip advisor will get to hear of that one.
    A quick pizza at Subway, yes Subway, before we boarded the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The 30 to 40-minute trip was fantastic, and Bainbridge itself is full of boutique shops and restaurants. The shore line littered with drift wood and beautiful houses. We could have spent a day there and our 2 or 3 hours there passed quickly. Drama struck for me on the return trip. All good after a good night’s sleep but I did not remember much about the afternoon.
    We would love to return and explore the islands and maybe do a tour into Canada. Due to our early arrival in Seattle we made the decision to make the Monday a leisurely day and take the coast road 101 to Astoria, so that is the plan for tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Wenatchee to Seattle, Wenatchee, WA

    30 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Hi all sorry a couple of big days and no time to blog, trying to Catch up tonight.
    A reasonable early start to the day from Bonners Ferry, the plan for the day was to get to Wenatchee. We had a really restful night and a great breakfast at a diner just down the road. We expected the drive to not hold to much in terms of views or landmarks and that is just what we got.
    The countryside quickly changed from the pine laden hills of the Idaho panhandle as we moved South West towards Spokane. Ahh… Spokane where we planned to have a look around, we found on arrival that they were having an event called Hoop Fest and the city streets were diverted. We attempted to find a lookout but no good on that score as well. We paid Spokane off as a bad joke and it was chewing up time, so we continued, that said what we did see indicated that it is a lovely place.
    From Spokane, we continued west through miles and miles and miles and did I say miles of wheat fields with very little change. The scenery changed briefly when we hit a huge expanse of water and Coulee Dam, and just after a large gorge where two tectonic plates meet. We went through many small towns all seemingly a day’s ride from each other.
    One standout was Waterville where we stopped by chance and saw a museum. This museum was on of the best that we have seen with rock displays, pioneering displays, a 45 star 1900 US flag, farming implements and more. Finally, we reached the Wenatchee River and its abundant stone fruit crops. Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Apricots. We stopped and picked up a punnett of the best cherries I have ever eaten.
    The accommodation was scarce, and we learned that there was a state baseball championship being held. The rooms that were available were very pricey. We drove back to East Wenatchee and same applied. A decision was made to continue, but we also new that the fact that it is summer holiday we had moved into an alpine region again and the July 4 holiday might conspire against us. It did we checked hotels in Cashmere, Leavenworth, Coles Corner, Skyomish, Gold Bar and Sultan. Even Monroe had nothing. All of this meant that we had driven through what was our Saturday plan Stevens Pass. Stevens Pass was amazing again following a fast-moving river and climbing through this alpine region. The town of Leavenworth is named with all Bavarian and Swiss chalets and resorts.
    We stopped at Monroe to regroup all feeling shattered from a long day, we ate at a diner and checked the accommodation situation. Our decision was to push on into Seattle rather than to stop on the outskirts. And so, it was that we navigated in failing light into Washington states largest city, with being in Seattle a night early we formulated a new plan and turned in for the night.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Glacier National Park, MT

    29 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Well Browning was a strange place, it had all the hall marks of a town that had been forgotten and yet it is a gateway to one of the most scenic and popular National Parks. Fireworks going off all night, police sirens, hoards of mangy dogs wandering the streets and dilapidated houses and buildings.
    The Blackfeet are trying to make a go of it but like many native American populations they seem cut off from the mainstream.
    We got going after an inhouse included breakfast, heading North on Hwy 89 and into the Glacier National Park, “Going to the Sun Road”. Only several miles out of Browning we had to stop for roadworks. The stop/go guy was taking off his jumper down to a T Shirt with the outside temp at 8 degrees Celsius. As we pulled up he saw our flag and came over and said howdy. Jeremy Jones Horn, stood and talked to us about his life and ours his heritage his family and everything in between for the 15 minutes before the pilot vehicle guided us through the road works. The roadworks were the most confused and messy construction site we have seen, but it’s obviously creating employment for a lot of people.
    The run into the park was brilliant, the roads demand to be ridden on a bike with sweeping well cambered corners and awesome scenery. Soon enough we arrived at the park gates, showed our magic park pass and entered our 7th National Park. Our first stop was the visitors centre, it was now down to about 6 degrees and windy. The visitors centre again was informative and we gained a great insight into what to look at.
    It did not take long to see what all the fuss was about, this was another park that was just amazing with spectacular views and geology. Extinct glaciers are all through the park with waterfalls around every corner. There was still plentiful snow at the top of Logan’s Pass, where we stopped for a walk in the snow and to buy a souvenir or two. I think we were all grateful for the light weight layers of Kathmandu and Mountain Design clothing that we have procured over the last trip and this trip.
    Now we were in the thick of Bear country and whilst we did not see any today we are on high alert as we walked through narrow paths bordered by thick under brush. I nearly climbed a tree when Carl having walked ahead jumped out from behind a tree. It was the closest thing we saw to a grizzly today, but the b.s…d scared ten years off my life.
    From the park we descended quickly and followed the Flathead River through to West Glacier where we stopped for lunch, warmed up and prepared for the end of day drive.
    During the afternoon we continued through spectacular country, past and over fast running rivers and massive lakes. Classic Montana style log cabins and old barns dotted the landscape. Montana has it all from vast open plains as described yesterday to mountain and glacier country. The people we have met are so friendly.
    We have finally made our way into Bonners Ferry in Idaho, 23 miles from the Canadian border, Carl and I have the domestic duties (laundry) under control. Its wet and cold outside and we are looking forward to a nice dinner tonight.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Blackfeet Nation, Browning MT

    28 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Dinner Last night was at the Bank Bar, an old bank complete with vault now operating as a bar and restaurant. Whilst it sounds flash Wilsall only has a population of 200 or so but it is a friendly place and we can thoroughly recommend the motel known as Fort Wilsall Motel run by Dick and May. As predicted our little log cabins were very quiet so it was a restful night.
    We pushed on this morning to Sulphur Springs and stopped at Dori’s for breakfast, she was a hoot and loves getting Australians through. She armed us with some local knowledge and off we went heading for Great falls on the Missouri River. We can see why they call Montana big Sky country, it is open with sweeping plains and rolling hills, blue skies and fields full of premium feed for the beef cattle raised here.
    The falls in Great Falls were spectacular and even though the river here was dammed in 1915 the old falls still remain below the dam wall. As the river was in flood the dam was spilling. Whilst there we met a group of kids on summer camp. They were very impressed to meet some Australians and they warned us of a Water Moccasin nearby.
    The country we passed through again today has a savage past, but it seems to have been dominated by the Black Feet Nation of American Indians. Tonight we are in Browning Montana the Blackfeet reservation centre and gateway to Glacier National Park.
    The weather is still holding but that may change tomorrow but glacier and thee road to the sun promises to be a great day.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Montana Hospitality, Willsall, MT

    27 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    After a great breakfast at granny's, we left Cody behind, driving north along the Chief Joseph Highway. This is an amazing road with awesome scenery and telling history. It was here that the Nez Perze were pursued by the US army with orders to take no prisoners. This was 12 months after Custer and hundreds of US cavalry soldiers were killed at Little Big Horn.

    The Indians were being closed in on but they threw in some clever diversionary tactics and escaped. We stopped at an overlook today called dead Indian pass. The battle that raged here in and around 1877 was bloody and vicious.

    We continued on and detoured to Silvergate a small town that we stayed in 4 years ago it is a beautiful place on the beginning of the Beartooth Highway. From here we followed the Beartooth out of Wyoming and into Montana, again with spectacular scenery, snow and green rolling hills and the ever present Beartooth Mountain nearby. We stopped at the scene of my wrong side of the road fopar of 4 years ago. I got it right this time. Some snowballs were thrown, our country name carved in the snow wall and plenty of laughs at Carl trying not to sink in thee snow with thongs on. The Beartooth is a great road to ride and driving a car just di not do it justice. That said it was worth it just the same.

    We reached the town of Redlodge at lunchtime had a bite to eat and planned the afternoon drive. To ease the drive tomorrow we pushed on via Roscoe, Columbus and Springdale before turning right and heading for Sulphur Springs. We decided that we would just happen upon a small lodging at one of the small towns, and that was what happened. After a couple of towns with nothing we drove into Willsall and feeling satisfied with todays effort we have stopped at Fort Willsall Motel Willsall is a a 2 horse town with a motel designed as a fort, complete with log cabins.

    Its going to be a very peaceful night.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Rodeo Time, Cody WY

    26 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Shoot out at the hotel Irma was a bit corny but they re-enacted a shoot out with Butch Cassidy and Wyatt Earp. There was a big crowd and it certainly entertained the kids.

    One of our things to do in Cody was the rodeo that is held every night in summer. We were picked up by the Cody rodeo bus and taken to the rodeo grounds on the western end of town. We had great sets directly over the shoots.

    It was an entertaining night with several Aussies competing so they received a special cheer. If you ever go to Cody this is a must do event.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    1

    True Wild West, Cody WY

    26 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Cody is a wild west town steeped in history and named after Buffalo Bill Cody who developed the town and poured significant amounts of money into it. The hospitality here is second to none and the towns people are extremely proud of what they have.
    Noela and I started the day with breakfast at Granny’s a great traditional diner with really wholesome and good value meals. From there we singlehandedly tried to add to the Cody economy as we found some great western outfitters for shoes , boots and clothing. A mandatory visit to Cody Harley Davidson and a coffee at a genuine espresso coffee shop.
    Carl and Paola headed back into Yellowstone to Mammoth Springs and Roosevelt to chase down more of the elusive bears in the area and returned having seen 3 bear at various distances.
    We all joined a tour at 3.00pm that ran for an hour. The tour was on a trolley bus and gave a very informative talk on the history, the population and the economy, again highlighting the pride that the locals have in their town.
    Tonight, we will witness a mock gunfight at the Hotel Irma Bill Cody’s old Saloon and hotel before heading over to the stampede stadium to see the daily Rodeo. Cody claims to be the rodeo capital of America.
    Then its time to hit the road again and move into Montana and Washington state.

    More to come on the Rodeo.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Geysers and geesers, Yellowstone NP

    25 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Jackson is some 50 miles South of Yellowstone NP so we got an early start as there was plenty of things that we wanted to see on this visit. Our first encounter for the day was a group of Bison right next to the road, several cars were parked too close to them and the Bison soon spooked. We can see why people get gored by them given the amazing turn of speed and agility that a couple of them displayed, one even jumping a fence,
    We continued into the Teton NP and then to the South entrance of Yellowstone NP in good time. We again were thankful for the annual park pass that we purchased on day one this pass has saved us a couple of hundred dollars already.
    Our first stop was at West Thumb where we walked a board walk around a collection of small pools of geo thermal activity. This site bordered the lake and these vents were even in the lake bubbling their hot water into the freezing lake water. We were pretty amazed by this but there was bigger to come.
    We headed into Yellowstone village where most people just go to see “Old Faithful”, I had read about another location at the back of this geyser, so we took that boardwalk that went for about 1.5 miles. Absolutely stunning views and geology with water filled vents bubbling and boiling with different colours based on the bacteria or minerals present. There literally hundreds of these and they all had views to old faithful which as an added bonus erupted whilst we were there.
    Our trip continued taking in other sites like Black Sand basin, Fountain Paint Pot, Grand prismatic Springs, The Mud Volcano, The Sulphur Caldron, Firehole Canyon Drive along with other stops to view water falls, rapids and canyons. All of these sites offered something different and were on the southern loop road. We stopped for a late lunch at Canyon Village and then moved into the Hayden Valley our exit road to Cody Wyoming. Bison grazed in the fields, more photos were taken and we ooed and ahhed at the vistas. We came around a bend with a group of vehicles parked and all of a sudden, the car exploded with the shout of GRIZZLY and eagle eyes Noela spotted the elusive beast on a distant ridge. It was a long way off but still close enough to identify. After 15 minutes of bear gazing we continued and soon enough we exited the park.
    Our drive continued, and we recapped the day like kids on a school excursion just near the town of Witica it happened, another innocuous group of cars. There she was another Grizzly along with her two cubs blissfully feeding with the cubs playing. This time though she was 50 to 75 metres away, close enough to make sure that while taking photos you had a clear escape path. We must have been there for about 45 minutes until some peanut drove his car up to them and upset mum. Carl did not want to leave but we dragged him kicking a and screaming back to the car.
    Finally, we got to Cody at around 6.45 feeling pretty happy with the days events. But guess where Carl and Paola are going back to tomorrow morning………….Yawn, see you tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    1

    Beary good day, Teton Village

    24 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Our last day in Jackson and we decided to start early and retrace our steps from yesterday’s safari and see if we can find some interesting wildlife. It was very different without binoculars, but we did find Elk, Deer, and we found a moose and her calf, and she was only 20 metres away. I carefully got up close being aware that a moose with calf is very dangerous. Using a tree as cover I got to about 10 metres from her, when she looked straight at me and took a step in my direction I retreated with staggering speed. Our search continued in all the likely haunts but sadly no bear.
    On return from the wilderness we went back to the visitor’s centre, had lunch and checked out the shops again. We took a stage coach ride around town, which was a relaxing way to take in the sights. We are really getting into the cowboy way of life. Laundry was on the agenda so Noela took care of that whilst I stayed in town before the 2 – mile walk back to the motel, should have caught the shuttle.
    Late in the day at around 5.15 we drove around to Teton Village. Carl and Paola had checked this out earlier in the day and discovered that the Gondola to 9000 plus feet is free after 5 PM. The Traam to the top is $40 and goes to 10,000ft so we opted for the cheap seats on the gondola instead. As we were boarding another passenger told us of a bear at stanchion 19 or 20. Well hello bear, a black bear cub directly below us. Cameras went crazy and to make sure we did another circuit, yes, it was still there, Carl was a happy man and we were all pretty stoked as well.
    We celebrated with a light meal and a cold beverage at the Piste Bar at 9250 ft. We were not really dressed for the late afternoon shadows and the chill as the temperature plummeted to single digits. But dinner was great, the beer super cold and the company awesome.
    We again boarded the gondola for the ride down the mountain and our bear was still there, so we did yet another lap. The lift attendant must have wondered what these grown adults were up to riding around and around on the lift.
    Finally, back at the car we fuelled for tomorrow and bid 3 great days at Jackson goodbye. Tomorrow Yellowstone and probably more bear hunting.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    On Safari, Grand Tetons

    23 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    5.50 AM pick up in an 8 seat off road van, equipped with high powered binoculars and spotting scopes all from Jackson Eco Tours. From the outset it appeared that we had a great guide Chelsea, extremely welcoming and knowledgeable. We picked up another couple Paula and Tome from Jackson Lodge and we were on our way.

    These guide are in 2 way comms with each other so they can compare and share locations of the very elusive wildlife. Our first spotting was pronghorn (Antelope) and we were truly lucky to see the doe in full flight chasing a Kyote away from her fawn. This was a very rare event and something that Chelsea had not even seen. In the same place a lone Bison.

    We received a call to get to a second location where there were several moose. A Bull feeding on cress in the creek and several cows, one with calf grazing. We saw seven of these in total. Next were a pair of Elk beside the road very close up. We saw Prairie Dogs, ground Squirrels, Crane and dear, but the Grizzlys and Black bears eluded us much to Carls dismay.

    We hunted up hill and down dale and even sacrificed ourselves to Mosquitos, Chelsea went to extraordinary lengths to find them but just not happening today.

    Light breakfast was supplied and we had a great picnic lunch provided when we stopped on the shore of Jackson Lake. On our last stop I offered to photograph to guys touring on mountain bikes. As it turned out it was an aussie father and son who were competing in the Bamff to Mexico Great Divide bike ride. What an amazing feat.

    8 hours of value and information, we had some great laughs with the other couple exchanging various stories. Thanks to Eco Tours for a spectacular day.

    Back in Jackson we caught the free shuttle back into town for some shopping, browsing and a coffee before a light meal.    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur
    2

    We're goin to, Jackson WY

    22 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ 🌫 15 °C

    Leaving Soda Springs behind and following State Highway 89, we set out to Jackson Hole Wyoming, gateway to the Tetons and Yellowstone national Park.

    We passed through some small towns, Freedom, Wilson, Etna and Alpine. In Etna we stopped at the General Store for breakfast, we were not expecting much we were blown away by the hospitality the coffee and the food. What a Gem.

    After Alpine we turned right to head towards Hoback Junction following the Snake River where we watched several rafting groups shooting downstream. Rafting here is big business but we will not get a chance to do this on this trip.

    We arrived in Jackson around 10.30 and went directly to the visitors centre, this was really helpful and informative. The shops beckoned so a visit to several were made including the camera shop confirming that Noela's camera is a dead duck. Picked up a T shirt at Chesters HD and then went back down to the American Legion rooms. This is set up like our RSLs to assist returned defence force personnel. Had a really nice lunch there before heading over to Snow King mountain. Carl, Noela and I rode the chairlift to the top whilst Paola sat this one out. The Ski run below the chairlift is the steepest in North America and it was really , really steep, we had amazing views all the way to the Tetons and surrounding areas.

    A quick checkin to the Motel 6, and we then drove over to the Bar T 5 Covered Wagon Cookout and Show. Highly recommend this show, After a ride out in horse drawn covered wagons we reached the dinner camp after a mock attack by horse back bandits. It was a great couple of hours with great food, camp oven style beef beans chicken and salad.

    Tomorrow morning we are being picked up to join a full day wildlife safari, hoping to see bear, moose , elk etc.

    Keep your fingers crossed for us    En savoir plus

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  • Rob and NoelaNorthern Trek June - July 2018Voyageur

    Soda Fountain, Soda Springs ID

    21 juin 2018, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Whilst today has been mainly just a driving day we ha e seen some different country. Driving some minor roads through Utah. Utah of course is mainly Mormon as it was the Mormons settled these and farmed these lands in the late 1800s.

    There is some amazing history of those times in the Oregon trail that passes through this region. The Tabernacle (photo below) is a monument to those times.

    We passed through Ephriam, Coalville, Evanston, Paris, Laketown Garden City. We also stopped in Montpelier to visit the bank now a museum that was robbed by Butch Cassidy and accomplices, before arriving in Soda Springs.

    Laketown and Garden City sit on the shores of Bear Lake, a huge expanse of water. There is a species of fish that habitats here that is only otherwise found in Washington. The theory is that the lakes are connected via subterranean caves, this is unproven as the lake is so deep it has not yet been proven.

    Soda Springs is so named by the geyser was discovered here that provided a source of commercial grade drinkable carbonated Soda Water.
    It was a large source of revenue for the town.

    Now the geyser is controlled with releases on the hour, it is very impressive. We took a cup and drank straight from the geyser after the release. It was perfect.

    We chatted with a local girl who educated us about a number of local facts and has suggested that next time we are here to contact her mother who would be more than happy to play host and tour guide.

    A cold beer and a shared meal at the local Pub and the day is complete. Another stunning day weatherwise.

    Heading to Jackson tomorrow where snow has been falling.    En savoir plus

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