Day 15 - 9/19 - Crossing the Sound to Seattle

Today was a touring day instead of a traveling day. On our list was a small bus tour of Seattle and a trip to the History of Flight Museum which is located near the main Boeing facility.

We were out early for a 30-minute drive to Bremerton, Washington. Once there, we board the car-passenger ferry an hour cruise to Seattle. The Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor personnel recommended we get in and out of Seattle this way in order to avoid the traffic and congestion of I-5. Of course, crossing Puget Sound and Elliott Bay this way is the most direct route.

While the ferry was nearly at capacity for vehicles, the large

passenger lounge and galley had gobs of room. Byron estimated

that it could accommodate 1100 people plus vehicles on two decks.

It was still overcast when we approached Seattle from the west.

For sure, it was obvious where the Space Needle was located

and that it was no longer the tallest building. Much has been

built since the Seattle World's Fair of 1962. 

After reaching Seattle, our first stop was the obligatory tourist destination of the Seattle Space Needle. Since I am not a fan of high places, a trip to the top was a quick “up you go, walk around the top, and down you go!” The elevator travels at a vertical speed of 10 mph so the trip up and down didn’t take long.

Wish you were here! This is our self-portrait from the top of the Needle.

When the Needle was built, there was little around the immediate

are so a monorail was built to transport visitors from the more

historic are of Seattle to the World’s Fair. There were no

stops along the way then and remains so today.

With souvenirs in hand, we headed to the meeting point for our tour of Seattle with a group of about 12 other folks. We feel that taking a guided tour is the best way to see new cities and gather information. Some of our stops are listed below.

• Pioneer Square, established in 1852 when Seattle was in it’s infancy.
• Waterfall Garden, which sits on the site of the of the hotel where two young men started a message and package delivery service in 1907; later it became United Parcel Service (UPS).
• The Fremont Troll, a sculpture built in hopes of keeping drug dealers from transacting business under the bridge, which worked. So many people were coming to photograph the troll at all hours of the day and night. The drug dealers moved on to other locations to avoid being photographed.
• The final stop was to view Seattle from Kerry Park.

Pioneer Square, the first commercial area of Seattle.

The marker at Waterfall Garden Park, which denotes the place

where the messenger service was begun.

The Seattle Troll under the bridge where drug dealers once met.

Our stop at Kerry Park provided the opportunity to get a glimpse

of Seattle from the residential area. In theory, this was the

view Frazier (the TV sitcom) had when looking out his apartment.

(Note that the sky was much clearer in the middle of the afternoon).

Upon completion of the tour, we drove to the History of Flight Museum which is located on the site where The Boeing Company. It should be noted that a great variety of planes are on display from equally broad number of manufacturers. Although Martha does not like to fly, she finds aviation museums to be quite interesting. Byron, on the other hand, has always enjoyed flight. Of particular interest to him was the B-52 Stratofortress displayed near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This memorial exists to honor the memory of those who served in the air war.

A Locheed Super Constellation. You know it is “Super” because

five windows forward of the wing. The regular size only

had three. Eisenhower flew in a Constellation when he was the President.

This unit is displayed at the entrance to History of Flight Museum.

To this untrained eye, this Fokker looks almost like the Ford Trimotor.

Both were developed in the mid-1920s.

There are military, commercial, and private planes on display

both inside and outside the museum. The yellow plane

hanging from the ceiling is a Stinson Detroiter that

was produced in the early 1930s. 

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been in use by the US Air Force

since 1952. As an airframe, it has been in active duty longer than

any other since and are still being used today. The Vietnam memorial

is located behind Byron. Flags of the service branches are to the right.

We were quite hungry by the time we completed our visit to the museum. We headed back to the downtown area in search of food and parking. We were not prepared for sticker shock for parking or fish and chips. After we ate we had time to stroll through The Market which we had seen earlier in the day on our bus tour.

Seattle is home to several coffee companies, not the least of which

is Starbuck’s. The is the first location where they began. Look

at the line of people. The original logo is used at this location

and printed on all the cups. The logo was updated several years ago.

Seattle is an interesting city. It is has more steep hills than San Francisco. The median age of inhabitants is somewhere around 32; due to the many employees of all the tech companies here. We were even shown the first building where Google started. As our driver said: “You can Google it.”

Day 14 - 9/18 - Wilbur to Gig Harbor (Seattle)

Yep. It was another travel day. We drove from east-central Washington (near Grand Coulee Dam in Wilbur) through Moses Lake to Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is on the western side of Puget Sound across from Seattle and Tacoma. The distance traveled was about 280 miles. We went toward Moses Lake because we needed to refuel with diesel and truck stops aren’t generously located in the middle of the state.

As stated, we were in search of a good for diesel fuel stop and our mapping app gave us a choice of three routes. Byron voted for the route with the least amount of turns. We started without having an idea of the views that would lie before us.

We drove across the earthen dam on the south end of Banks Lake, which is a reservoir for the Grand Coulee Dam. As we traveled southward to Moses Lake (the town) we drove along side other lakes that stretch lengthwise down to where we picked up I-90; Park Lake, Blue Lake, Lenore Lake, and Soap Lake. All the time on this part of the trip we were gently descending in elevation.

Before getting the south end of Banks Lake we drove through some “scab lands” as we had the day before. The word scab is used to describe the rocky nature. That land, touch somewhat ugly, is almost pretty.

The scab lands (not quite “bad”) of Washington is not used

for growing crops since it isn't tillable. It isn't exactly arid, either.

The largest (longest) lake we encountered was Lenore Lake. It is known for its very alkaline waters. Only Lahontan Cutthroat Trout can survive in the waters. The last lake before we reached I-90 was Moses Lake, named after an old Indian Chief who was head of the Sinkiuse Tribe.

Through the windshield — Lenoire Lake, and other lakes in this area,

run parallel to the highway (or the other way around) for miles.

The lakes were created as reservoirs to serve the Columbia Basin.

Moses Lake was home to an Army Air Base that was built to train World War II pilots to fly the P-38 Lightning and B-17 Flying Fortress. The two planes that were very important to the war effort. After the war, the base was closed. It now serves as a regional airport. Byron commented that it must be a place where several airlines store planes that aren’t still in active use. We could see the tails of many brands of what appeared to be Boeing 737’s and, perhaps, MD-80/DC-9 airplanes.

This was our view when we were about ten miles

north of Moses Lake, Washington. The narrow space

reminded us of a miniaturized Jackson Hole in that

the valley is well defined by the much higher hillsides.

Our traveling companion today was the wind for about a third of our trip. As soon as we left the Love’s station at Moses Lake we battled steady winds of up to 30 miles per hour. Since Martha was driving on this stretch, she noted that it was a lot of fun!

Driving up to Snoqualmie Pass. The percentage incline both up

and down is rather mild in comparison to other passes

through which we’ve come and have yet to complete.

Still, the beauty of the forest and mountains is evident.

While traveling on I-90 we ascended to and crossed Snoqualmie Pass at about 3700 feet before descending to an elevation of 36 feet on our arrival at Gig Harbor. We will be at Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor for three nights in order to explore Seattle on Tuesday and Mount Rainier National Park on Wednesday.

This is our RV site at Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor. Quite nice.

Lots of shade. Who needs a clear view for satellite reception?

We don’t. We stream what isn’t available on antenna TV.

Day 13 - 9/17 - Spokane to Grand Coulee

This was a combination day; traveling from the campground east of Spokane to the small town of Wilbur, Washington. Wilber is near Grand Coulee Dam. The town is so small that it doesn’t have a Walmart. However, it is getting a Dollar General.

Our overnight point was Goose Creek Campground. Our main reason for this stop was to visit Grand Coulee Dam. We arrived in at the Visitor Center in time for the 3:30 tour of the dam. After a rigorous security screening, our tour group was driven by van to one of the power houses where we descended below water level by elevator for a view of the turbine-driven generators. (Our guide had worked in Kentucky at Mammoth Cave; small world.)

Grand Coulee Dam is 500 feet wide at its base, stands 550 feet tall, and weighs 24 million tons. It’s weight alone holds it in place. There are now three power stations at the dam. The first two were installed when the dam was built in the 1930s. The third was created in the 1960s. Though containing the same number of generators, they are more powerful that the original ones. The newer power house generates 60% of the electrical energy produced at Grand Coulee. This power plan can house four football fields. We were told that Grand Coulee has yet to function at maximum capacity.

After a tour of the power house, we were taken by van out onto the top of the dam which stretches a mile across Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Until 9/11/2001, traffic could drive across the dam but it is no longer permitted except by authorized personnel and escorted tours.

Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydropower producer in the United States and irrigates more than 671,000 acres within the Columbia Basin. In total, the six penstocks deliver 259,000 gallons of water per second traveling through the generators to power approximately 4.2 million homes in the Pacific Northwest. There is a reason this dam is the Eighth Wonder of the world!

This was our view upon arrival at Grand Coulee Dam after descending

several hundred feet on the road down to the Visitor Center. The others

side of the Columbia River is about one mile from where

this photo was taken. There’s park area on below.

When built, Grand Coulee was a significant achievement. It remains

as such today. It is the largest dam in North America

by weight; three times that of Hoover Dam.

The power house gallery is more than a city block long and 

contains six pumps and six pump-generators.

The pumps lift water into Banks Lake and ultimately into the

Columbia River Basis to irrigate farm land. The power

of the pumps pushes irrigation water up 280 feet to

Franklin D. Roosevelt Reservoir.

The pump-generators operate in one of two modes. During the

irrigation season they pump water. During periods of electrical

need they become turbine-generation units.

The generators were made by General Electric.

The turbines are rated at 65,000 horsepower.

And here we are at the top of the dam. The dam is

about the same height as the Washington Monument,

just no stairs to climb. Did we say it was windy?

We returned for the laser light show that was projected on the spillway
of the dam. The show was 30 minutes in length complete with

voice and musical accompaniment.

Byron takes photos of interpretive signs. It’s the fastest way he knows of

taking notes that can job the mind later on. This is a bit hard to read

from Blogspot so the guide to the photo is provided. From left to right from

below the dam: Third Power Plant, Gantry Crane (used for lifting heavy

equipment or the screens that catch trash), 40 ft. Diameter Penstock 

trough which water flows to the turbines), Incline Elevator, 525 KV Lines,

Right Power House, Outlet Tubes, Spillway, Left Power House (the

one that is open for public viewing by tour groups).

One last photo placed here for a reason. The drive from Spokane

to Wilbur (Grand Coulee) goes across high and dry plains

where there are large fields of wheat that had been

harvested. We didn’t know wheat could be grown in

such dry conditions.

By the way, this photo was taken between mountain ranges in the Rockies; such a wide expanse of gently rolling hills with changes in elevation of a few hundred feet. Still, far from the nearest grocery. In addition to the high plains, there are some areas that are called scablands because they are made of rocky and mineral-enriched soil (not tillable) that is mixed with large shards of lava. Lava does break down easily into small rocks like large clumps of coal.

Day Twelve - 9/16 - Spokane, Washington

The tall structure in the center was originally covered with canvas

and served as the US Pavilion for Expo ’74. Since then it has

remained and served many functions for Spokane.

Today was not a travel day but a sightseeing day. We returned to the Spokane Riverfront Park to pick up where we had left off the previous day. We still had some things to see and do.

We parked in the same lot as yesterday and walked across the former vehicle bridge that is now for pedestrians only. In the middle of the park area are two islands. The islands stretch from the upper part of Spokane Falls to the lower part.

One island was formerly called Canada Island. It was renamed in 2017 and now has the Salish name that translates as Salmon People (sn̓x méne pronounced “sin-HOO-men-huh”). It is a relatively small island and sits almost at the head of the upper falls.

The other island is Havermale Island. It served as a refuge for the citizens of Spokane during the battle with the Nez Perce Indians in 1877 and offered refuge to the citizens once again during the Great Fire of 1889. By the beginning of the 20th century, Havermale was developed as an industrial area. It was on this island that the Great Northern Railroad built their depot for Spokane (eastern part of the island) and Washington Water Power Company built their power generating station (western section).

As Spokane continued to grow, the island, due to size, became less attractive to industries and many moved from the island. By the 1950s, the rail yards on Haverhale and the southern banks of the Spokane River were slowly being vacated. An impetus to renovate the island came in the early 1970’s as the city prepared to host the Expo. Only the Pavilion, the Gondolas, and the Clock Tower remain from Expo. The Looff Carrousel was relocated to the park in 1975 from Natatorium Park, a historic amusement park that closed in the 1960s.

It was a bright, sunny morning when we returned to Spokane’s

Riverfront Park. This photo begs the question: “When will

Byron learn just to smile and not worry about the camera?”

The Clock Tower from the Great Northern RR Depot

can easily be spotted anywhere in the park.

On our morning visit we circled around to The Childhood Express, a 12-foot-high and 27-foot-long Radio Flyer wagon with a slide for the handle. Martha got a few strange looks from kids on the slide as she climbed the ladder to go down the slide. 

“That was fun," Martha said with a grin.

From the slide, we made our way to the garbage coat (designed for the World’s Fair (Expo ’74) as an environmental statement. The goat eats small pieces of garbage with the aid of a vacuum that sucks trash into the digestive system. 

Feeding the goat. All that is required is some waste paper.

A visit to the Visitor Center was next while waiting for the Looff Caroussel to open at 11 o'clock. Outside the Visitor Center is the Rotary Fountain, completed in 2004 and refurbished in 2016. It serves as an ideal splash pad for children during the summer months.

When the Caroussel opened, we bought tickets so we could both ride. This particular carousel (of which there were three spellings for the word when it was built in 1909) is rather fast compared to others we have ridden. The ride features 54 horses, one giraffe, one tiger, and two Chinese dragon chairs. They were all hand-carved by one individual over nearly two years.

The Caroussel, which had been at the Natatorium until the

1960s, was dismantled and stored for nearly thirty years.

It was moved to Riverfront Park, refurbished, and placed

in a building that resists UV light while protecting it

from exposure to the elements.

The animals of the carousel have been beautifully restored. However, some

of the decor elements were not though the ride’s mechanism was.

We returned to the motorhome for the rest of the afternoon so we could watch what remained of the Georgia football game. The Bulldogs beat the Gamecocks 24 to 14. The Dawgs pulled it out in the second half.

Day Ten - Clinton (Missoula) to Spokane Valley, WA

Since today was a shorter travel day and we could not check into the Spokane KOA Journey until 2 PM, we did not get on the road until about 10:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time.

An anomaly in our morning occurred when starting the Lincoln MKX to put it in Neutral Tow Mode. The check engine light came on. Of course, the alert could be caused by many things. Not being sure what the light was about, Martha did some reading. It became apparent that the first step was to check the fluid levels. Well, forget that. Engines are so tightly tucked under the hood that access to a dipstick is nearly impossible. This is not the 1960s when it was more simple. We had the oil changed and new rear brakes installed before leaving the Louisville area so decided to just have the transmission fluid changed upon arrival in Spokane.

Since we had crossed the Continental Divide on Thursday and we were still at 3500 feet elevation, we knew we would not be climbing in elevation very much today. We would, however, descend 2000 feet into Cour d’Alene, Idaho, and the Spokane Valley just across the panhandle. I can truly say, I was very grateful for good air brakes and a functioning engine brake on the motor home as we descended the mountain.

For those interested, diesel-fired rigs have air brakes. That means that air pressure is used to keep the service brakes from engaging. It is a safety feature, too. An over-the-road diesel engine also has what is called an engine brake; sometimes called an exhaust brake. The service brakes and the engine brake help in slowing down something the weight of a 22,000 lb. motorhome. We also have proportional braking control in our tow vehicle. As the brakes are engaged in the cab, the brakes are applied in the SUV. Still, braking a large unit isn’t like applying the brakes on an automobile which has less inertia. Speed becomes an enemy when going down a steep grade so having the engine brake slow the RPMs and the service brakes to slow the rotation of the tires all works to accomplish the desired task; that of reaching the bottom of the grade safely. 

After arriving at the KOA we took off for the local Valvoline location and had the transmission fluid changed. We now feel much better about the situation on towing our car "all four down."

After the Valvoline visit, we had time to walk around the Spokane Riverfront for a late afternoon visit. The weather was nice with the temperature just right and the sun shining brightly. After having an early dinner at a restaurant called Kasa Taphouse, we walked around the park area where Expo ’74 had been staged.

This photo was taken near the head of the upper falls. The structure

was erected for the Expo ’74. It housed the US Pavilion.

The clock tower, to the right, is all that remains from the 

original train station since the main depot was during the

renovation of the area in preparation for the world exposition.

As then, the clock is not electrified so it has to be wound by 

a human several times a month, after climbing the steps.

Spokane is a city built around the falls in the Spokane River.

The upper falls area is a lengthy series of rapids among the rocks.

An island separates the north and south sides of the falls. The wider

and more dramatic falls are on the northern side of the river.

This is a view of the lower falls looking upward. The drop

in the cascade is very great across the lower falls.

The park area at the lower part of the falls (still on the island)

features art and exhibits about the indigenous inhabitants

of Washington and the Northwest.

The interpretive sign at the base of the lower falls describes the importance of the falls

to the natives that lived in the area for thousands of years.

Day Nine - Billings, MT to Missoula, MT (Clinton)

It was another travel day. Thankfully, we’re not traveling by wagon train. This day is marked by the scenic drive on I-90 along the southern part of Montana from the east to the west before hooking northward. This route includes more criss-crossing of the Yellowstone River (as it flows to the Missouri from out of Yellowstone National Park). Cities include Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, and Butte. Just before Butte, we crossed a continental divide and started following the Clark Fork River toward Missoula and our stopping point for the day.

Our travels through Montana have followed either the

Yellowstone or the Clark Fork Rivers. The Clark Fork

was originally called Clark's River. Later, it was determined

to be a fork of the Columbia River.

From Billings, we encountered some beautiful views of the Yellowstone River and the Absaroka Mountain Range. We also crossed the Continental Divide at 6393 feet between Bozeman and Butte, Montana. Our primary purpose for this trip is explore Washington, Oregon, and California. We just have to get there first. Along the way we get to enjoy some beautiful scenery and visit some National Parks.

We stopped at Bearmouth Chalet and RV Park in Clinton, Montana which is southeast of Missoula by 35 miles. This was another 300-mile travel day. It was early afternoon on Thursday.

To date, we have driven approximately 1934 miles. From here on, our travel days will be shorter and further apart as we spend more days stationary so we can explore the different areas. On Friday, we have a 220 mile day to our destination of Spokane, Washington.

Carrying out the theme of a ghost town, this motorcycle seems

to give evidence of such.

The full name of the RV campground is Bearmouth

Chalet RV Park. Too much for the sign. The campground

is along the Clark Fork River.

There's even a hotel at this campground making it

a vacation spot where winter hunting and 

summer fishing can be enjoyed.

Before arriving in Clinton (Missoula area), we had to descend from the Continental Divide in the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains.

At this point you may be asking why we’re doing this blog. Well, we have a couple of reasons. We both have Facebook accounts and post some things there. Not everyone follows us on Facebook. Besides, Facebook is terrible for going back and looking at previous posts. And that brings up another reason; our minds sometimes forget when or where and this blog catalogs things in such a way that our minds can be jogged into correct recall.

Day Eight - Dickinson, ND to Billings, MT

We departed Dickinson around 9 AM on Wednesday with a 323-mile trip ahead for us — destination, Billings KOA Holiday. We traveled west on I-94 and crossed into Montana about 70 miles west of Dickinson.

Up until now, we have been traveling along beside or somewhere in the vicinity of the Missouri River. Today, we said goodbye to the Missouri and said hello to the Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone River is considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri and is approximately 692 miles long. We have crossed paths with the Yellowstone River several times on our journeys through Montana and South Dakota.

The Yellowstone River is one of the prettiest rivers as it meanders gracefully through valleys and across plains as it skirts about the Absaroka Range. It has a wide riverbed in the sections we’ve encountered. Also, we have often driven parallel to railroad tracks. This is a new section of highway that we have not traveled before. By the way, we have had some of the best roads in the country across this north-central section of the United States. It hasn’t been at all like we anticipated. It has been better. For sure, the roads have been better than we’ve become accustomed to east of the Mississippi.

The Absaroks Range, by the way, is a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains. The range stretches about 150 across the Montana-Wyoming border. At the widest point the range is about 75 miles. It goes from the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park near Paradise Valley and into the western side of the Bighorn Basin. (Yes, that Bighorn where Custer and his troops met up with thousands of angry Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribal members who were tired of being pushed around. Apparently, one thing Custer didn’t learn at West Point was the wisdom of sizing up the foe before going into battle.) We drove past the battleground by did not stop since we had been there before. If you’ve never had the opportunity to do so and are nearby, we recommend doing so.

So far, we have had great traveling weather, with rain only as we departed South Sioux City, Nebraska. As we approached Billings today, we watched a storm move north of us. We encountered a small rain shower but mostly only encountered winds from the storm.

Interstate I-94 intersects with and ends at I-90 about six miles east of Billings. From here our journey will be on I-90 as we travel over a significant distance we have driven before.

We arrived at Billings KOA around 3 PM. Billings KOA Holiday has been a stopping point several times in the past and is one of our favorite KOA campgrounds. In fact, the Yellowstone River flows past it. In caves across the river from the campground are petroglyphs that are a feature of a state park. The Billings KOA is the first KOA in the nation and opened 61 years ago to serve travelers heading to the World’s Fair in Seattle.

Shamelessly, Byron wanted the next photos plucked from the KOA site to show the setting at the campground.

The playground at dusk with barnyard scene.

Miniature (putt-putt) golf.

Some of the cabins are along the Yellowstone River.