For such a time as this

I didn’t realize that Shep was more anxious to go than I was.  He was packed, ready and in the car a couple hours before I had my act together.  Decked out in his dapper backpack, he was a very popular little fuzz face.

We started in Salem, spending the night with my folks, then headed through Portland to the Columbia Gorge, taking the beautiful and historic Old Columbia Gorge Highway and stopping here and there along the way, including at Vista House at Crown Point and Multnomah Falls.  Then we headed east to the high plateau of Eastern Oregon.  We spent our second night in a “vintage” motor lodge in La Grande.  

Multnomah Light Falls

The next morning was crystal clear as we headed toward Ontario and Idaho, stopping at the Oregon Trail Museum.  I was able to hook up with my brother and his two friends outside Ontario.  They were escaping Boise after a serious Duck Whuppin’ by the Boise State Broncos.  As pitiful and dejected as they were, it was still a pleasant lunch and it was great to see Tim.  My brother is one of my favorite people.

We went on through Boise and southern Idaho, staying that night in Pocatello in a charming log cabin bed and breakfast called the Buckskin Outpost B&B.  Rebecca was our hostess, a lovely woman who built the cabin all by herself and decked it out in a fun western theme.  She also makes the best biscuits I’ve ever had!

From there we traveled through to Idaho Falls and stopped at the Farmers Market.  Picked up fresh peaches, some maple syrup, and found the best penuche fudge I’ve had in a very long time.  I live on the coast where there are fudge factories everywhere – do you think I can find a decent penuche?  We were also stalked around the market by a family that wanted to ask about Shep – I need to just make a sign to hang around his neck.  “Hi, my name is Shep.  I’m an 8 month old Aussie Shepherd/Standard Poodle mix.  And yes, I know I’m the cutest dog you’ve ever seen and I look like I should star in a Disney movie.”  That’s pretty much the conversation I have everywhere we go.

Yellowstone National Park was next.  Upon entering Idaho, I was in new territory.  I found the western side of Yellowstone to be geologically interesting but not especially lovely.  It was a holiday weekend, but traffic wasn’t too bad once I got past Yellowstone lodge.  The evidence of the big wildfire is everywhere, but the regenerating forest is lovely and the understory was full of flowers and fall color.  I especially enjoyed the eastern side of the park with the rivers, lakes, and mountains.  Shep enjoyed exploring the shore of Lake Yellowstone, but especially being caught in the middle of a herd of buffalo for a half hour!  Note to self: keep ear plugs handy because his bark is loud!  Cows are not nearly so interesting to him now that he’s seen buffalo up close.

The mountains and canyons of western Wyoming are breathtaking.  I found the geology to be fascinating and incredibly beautiful.  I would like to study geology, a subject I’ve always been interested but never pursued, and return to western Wyoming.  The Big Horn Canyon was especially beautiful and the Rockies – folded and crumpled mountains – are so much different than the volcanic Cascade range.

We stayed in Cody that night and proceeded across the plains of Wyoming the next day, stopping near Devils Tower (think Close Encounters) and visiting Mt Rushmore in the evening.  I’d met a couple taking the same trip in the opposite direction that advised me to go to Rushmore late in the day and stay for the night show, when the monument gets all lit up.  Emotionally, that was the hardest night up to that point.  This was a trip I’d always wanted to take with my beloved and being there alone was hard.  Plus, I sprained my ankle in the parking lot of the hotel later that evening.  Ah, nuts!

Montana the next day was, well, uneventful.  Stopping at a visitor information center at a rest area, I asked what I might see between the corner of SE Montana and Billings.  The answer?  Nothing.  And she was right!  The only ‘attraction’ was Little Big Horn, the site of General Custer’s Last Act of Blatant Arrogance and Stupidity.  Located right next to a kitschy little tourist trap that sold tepees.  I was tempted.

Little Big Horn - as it really is!!

The following day we drove from Billings through Great Falls – and there are no falls in Great Falls, just a big dammed reservoir – stopping at a lovely city park, then headed north across the border to O! Canada.  I’m accustomed to coastal and valley weather, with all the maritime influences.  I found the weather and cloud formations of the plains to be interesting – how the wind swept the prairie and the alien ufo-looking clouds hung above the distant mountains.  Yellow and purple wild flowers adorned the roadside for hundreds of miles, and the fall colors became more vibrant the further north we went.

The first windy night in Canada was spent in Lethbridge, with a fairly short drive through Calgary and on to Canmore-Banff the next day.  My parents had generously given me a week at their timeshare condo in Canmore, a nordic community that is home to the Canadian cross-country and biathlon teams that sits on the edge of Banff National Park.  Over the next week, Shep and I explored Lake Louise, the amazing Fairmont Chateau at Banff Hot Springs, and various lakes and trails and towns.  Shep got to spend his nights at his doggy spa, playing with new furry friends, which left me alone to do such decadent things as staying in bed all day or shopping or getting a much needed massage.

Banff, Alberta - Chateau at Banff Hot Springs

Garden at National Parks Headquarters in Banff, Alberta

After a hike at Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Nat'l Park

My last day in Canada, I took the gondola up to the top of Sulfur Mountain to the Cosmic Ray Observatory (yes, really).  With my sore but somewhat healed sprain, I limped up to the top of the mountain above the town of Banff and the Bow River Valley.  The view was spectacular.  And I met some nice people at the top of the world.

It was finally time to start the trip home and we headed across the Canadian Rockies through British Columbia and back to northern Idaho.  I leaned that the mighty Columbia River started at Columbia Lake in BC (I didn’t know that).  We stayed at another B&B outside Sandpoint, ID, called the Paradise Valley Inn.   We stayed in the little cabin and enjoyed the amazing view overlooking the valley.  Being the only guest that night, I enjoyed the solitude and the blueberry pancakes and sausage made by my hostess, Pam.

But I saved the best for last.  Eastern Washington is, well, Eastern Washington.  Not too much to say about that.  Getting back into Oregon was a welcome treat.  The last night of the road trip part of my vacation was spent at the Five Pine Lodge in Sisters.  Man, O Man, I’m going back to this place!  Beautiful crafstman styling and furnishings, lovely grounds on the edge of town, individual cabins set back into the woods (cabins – are you sensing a theme?).  The best part was the bathroom.  A huge open shower, and a soaking tub with a passageway that opened into the bedroomsitting room overlooking the fireplace and plasma TV.  And, get this, the water came out of the ceiling!  I had dinner in tub, wrapped myself in the luxurious bathrobe, then spent the rest of the evening warming my toes by the fire.  One night was not enough at this place.

Seriously, the water came out of the ceiling! How cool is that?

Cozying up after a long bath and a long trip

Wouldn’t you know, the most beautiful part of the 4,000 miles was west of Sisters.  Having just a few hours to drive that day, Shep and I spent several hours wandering around Sisters – one of my favorite towns – and the location of the second best penuche fudge!  We then took our time driving home, stopping at spots along the Metolius and Santiam rivers.  We arrived home before dark to a loving welcoming committee of friends.

The next day was Saturday and our Community Garden ‘Open Garden’ was taking place.  We had perfect weather and a great turnout.  That afternoon, I threw some things in my backpack and headed back to Salem.  Early the next morning, Aunt Mille Klecker, cousin Jennifer Baez and her daughter Jenny, joined me for the Portland Komen Race for the Cure.  Cousin Dianne Gregoire is a breast cancer survivor and several family members and friends gathered to help raise money and show our love and support for Dianne.  It was a fantastic and uplifting time – what an amazing vibe of tens of thousands of people getting together to support one another and a cause greater than themselves!