Random Thoughts from the Road

Not all who wander are lost ~ Tolkien

(Sometimes they're just following directions from a glitchy GPS!)

We have an aging Garmin GPS which we affectionately call "Daphne" because of her lovely English accent. But however charmingly she says, "Turn left, then turn left," sometimes, she takes us where we want to go by the worst possible way. That's how we found ourselves trolling a very shabby trailer park while we were looking for the KOA where we had reservations in Missoula, MT. We finally found the park by following our noses instead of listening to Daphne's directions. 

On the plus side, this wasn't the worst detour she's taken us on. There was that one time we ended up off-roading in our old Cadillac...

But after a restful night, we woke early, put Missoula and its smoky air in the rear view mirror, and headed up the pass to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The air quality improved almost immediately once we made it through.

We're no strangers to the fire season that regularly afflicts the West. We had to evacuate once when we lived in Park City, UT. I was home alone and didn't have the TV or radio on. Gradually, I became aware that it was far too quiet. I didn't even hear the low hum of the refrigerator. Our power was out. I looked out the window and saw gray ash falling like snow. A wild fire was cresting the ridge and threatening our mountain neighborhood. Since we had no power, I couldn't get our garage door open, so I looked around at all our possessions and realized they were all at once too precious and of no import at all. I leashed up the two little dogs and prepared to walk down the mountain empty handed. I was so relieved when my parents, who lived with us at that time, pulled in the drive way. They'd run the blockade at the foot of the neighborhood to come get me. 😀

As you can see, the Coeur d'Alene area is gorgeous, with mountains, trees and lakes. And as you can also see, taking pictures in a moving vehicle poses some unique problems. I can't help it that the best view was out my DH's window. 

So we stopped at a scenic area as we neared the Columbia River.

While we were there, an F-16 fighter plane buzzed us, practicing low altitude maneuvers. Unfortunately, I was too slow to snap a picture. It was gone almost before we heard the roar of the engine.

As we came through Spokane, we noticed a lot of police activity--lights and sirens--blazing away going the opposite direction we were. When we turned on the radio, we learned where they were headed--toward the school shooting at Freeman High School. We listened with our hearts in our throats as the horrific drama unfolded in a live broadcast. It's so senseless and sad. 

After we passed through Spokane (where we paid $2.99 per gallon for gas--the highest price yet on this trip) we descended into the broad plain of central Washington. As long as this area is irrigated, anything can grow there. If it's not, the land sprouts scrub brush and sage. At one point, signs were posted along the fence rows telling the type of crops planted. We saw fields of sweet corn, alfalfa, grass hay (which my farm boy DH assures me is very different from alfalfa), field corn (again, quite different from sweet corn), buckwheat, and canola seed (Actually, this vibrant, almost neon yellow crop is called rape seed and is used to make canola oil. The farmer must not have liked the real name, and who can blame him?). There were also fields labeled onions and potatoes, but they didn't seem to be in season. And one was labeled timothy, but that made my DH shake his head. He says his dad considered timothy a weed. 

When we moved from Park City to Seattle  years ago, we came through the southeastern part of Washington during the apple harvest. The sweet perfume of those orchards was a wonderful welcome to a new place. Unfortunately, we didn't pass any orchards this time.

We've traveled over 2000 miles since we started last Friday and we're not there yet. The truck is running well. I love pulling our camper, our little home, along behind us. And I'm spending my days with my favorite person in all the world. I'm a happy girl! 

More soon...