We left Marietta at 6:30 A.M. While in the car, we listened to the Clan of the Cave Bear on tape. We arrived at Annette Chapman's house in Lafayette, Louisiana at 4:30 (Central Daylight Time). Annette and her older son, Sterling, took us on a tour of Lafayette. We saw the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, the Cajun Dome, and a beautiful tree that is over 500 years old. After our tour, Annette took us to a hole in the wall called Paul's Pirogue (pe ro) for some great Cajun food.

When we got up at 5:30, Annette fixed oatmeal waffles for breakfast. After taking pictures of Annette, Sterling, and Eric, we packed up the car. Annette and Eric had field day at school today so they left while we were packing our car. We decided to drive to San Antonio, Texas. We continued to listen to the book on tape as we drove. We arrived at the Days Inn in San Antonio about 3:30. We considered going on the River Walk and the Alamo but decided we would rather relax at the motel. The Alamo has probably not changed since we saw it twenty-five years ago. Bob worked on the computer while Sue read a book. We checked e-mail and discussed the possibility of visiting Big Bend National Park tomorrow. Even though the temperature can reach over 100 degrees and they have five poisonous snakes in the park, we decided to go. We ate dinner at Pappasito's. The food was great but it was very noisy. At the motel, Bob worked on his crossword puzzle while Sue worked on the journal.

We left San Antonio, had breakfast on the road, and drove to Big Bend National Park. Big Bend refers to the U-turn the Rio Grande River makes in Southwest Texas. The scenery along I-10 reminded us of the old west. We kept looking for the cowboy riding his horse across the range. Since it looked so desolate as a desert does, Sue told Bob she didn't know who would want to live in that area. We arrived at the Visitor's Center at Panther Junction after we passed a border patrol station. When we arrived, we decided that it was too hot to camp. The ranger suggested that we stay at the lodge at the Basin. Bob called and made reservations for that night. We drove to the Chisos Basin and found a beautiful area. The Basin was a flat circular area surrounded by large rock outcrops and small mountains. We could see living in the Basin, but Sue would have to have a shopping center, art gallery, and theater right outside the Basin. The room in the lodge was basic room--no phone, no TV. In addition, our cell phone had no service because there were no cell phone towers in the area. We sat on a deck behind our room which overlooked the mountains. Later we had dinner at the lodge which had a beautiful view outside the window. After dinner, we walked about half a mile to view the sunset at the "Window", a gap between the mountains that framed the sunset. We saw a sign that cautioned about hiking after dark and beware of feeding mountain lions. Bob said he wasn't worried, He didn't have to outrun the mountain lion, he just had to outrun Sue.

We had breakfast at the Basin lodge. Then we drove to Santa Elena Canyon Overlook on the Rio Grande River. Annette Chapman told us that she swam across the Rio Grande years ago at that point and barely made it back. She would not have been able to swim across the river today because it was too shallow. The path from the parking area crossed a dry backwater river bed, and the path continued on the other side. After we crossed the riverbed, we found the path that went up several hundred feet to an overlook and then went back down closer to the river. A man on the path told us that the river had been so high on the previous Sunday that they couldn't cross the path across the backwater river bed. On the path going back to the parking area, we met a man with a University of Georgia cap. Susan asked him if he was from Georgia. He said he was and that he had ridden a motorcycle from Dalton, Georgia and had a really bad sun burn. We told him the story about Jenny who was making her Christmas list when she was about 12 years old. She wrote that she wanted a motorcycle and showed it to Susan who said, "Over my dead body!" Jenny took the list back and wrote something and showed it to Susan again. She had written "a casket for Mom." Jenny didn't get the motorcycle and Sue didn't get the casket! The man on the path liked the story. We also met two men from Switzerland that were touring Texas. One man looked like he was getting a good sun burn. As we were leaving Big Bend National Park, we passed the border crossing station and had to stop to declare our citizenship. When the two men asked if we were American citizens, Susan said that we should have said, "Si, si, senor!" Bob said if she did, she would be deported back to Danville, Ill. We then left Big Bend and drove to Carlsbad, New Mexico.

After we ate breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Carlsbad, we drove to the Visitor's Center at Carlsbad Caverns. We decided to take two self-guided tours of the caverns. Audio recordings were available for the tour. Along the path were signs with numbers. When the number was entered in the audio receiver, a recording about that part of the cavern was played. The first tour was the Natural Entrance tour. The tour took about one and half hours. We walked slowly to enjoy and see as much as possible. The trail descended seven hundred and fifty feet on paved, serpentine paths. As we walked into the cave, we saw hundreds of cave swallows that lived at the entrance of the cave. In the evening, millions of bats use the same entrance to leave the cave. The rangers call the cave swallows the day shift and the bats the night shift. The cave entrance was discovered when a man saw and followed a dust cloud in the distance. The dust cloud were bats, and they led him to the entrance of the cave. Historians believe that prehistoric people knew of the cave, but there is no evidence that they entered or explored the interior. The second tour was a self-guided one and half hour tour of the Big Room. The walk consisted of a level perimeter path around an immense space of high ceilings, recessed niches, stalactites, stalagmites, popcorn, and drapes. These caves have been described as "not the longest, deepest, biggest, but the most beautiful." While we haven't seen the other caves, we agree on the "most beautiful." Carlsbad Caverns has exceeded our expectations. While traveling we have been listening to the Earthchildren series on audio books. Yesterday we finished "The Clan of the Cave Bear" and just started "The Valley of Horses". These make the hours melt away and is the best way to travel. This will be third time for us to listen to the series, but now we have the "Shelters of Stone", the fifth in the series.

After we ate breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Carlsbad, we drove to the Visitor's Center at Carlsbad Caverns. Sunday we bought tickets for the guided tour called King's Cavern. We started at the same point as one of the self-guided tours but went into an area that is only for guided tours. The ranger related the history of the caverns. Jim White, a 16-year-old cowboy, saw clouds one evening in the distance, followed them and found the entrance to the caverns. The clouds were bats returning through the natural entrance to their homes in the caverns. After he explored the caves, he told others about what he saw, but no one believed him. He finally had a photographer come in with 400 pounds of equipment to photograph the Kings Cavern. The photographer sold postcards with the pictures he took. When people saw the pictures, they came to visit the caverns. Jim charged $2.00 for the all day tour. The cost of the tour included lunch and dinner. In the early 1920's, the first National Geographic Magazine included photographs and the story of Carlsbad Caverns. In the late 1920's, President Coolidge first created the Carlsbad Caverns National Monument and later, Congress created the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The tour started in the King's Cavern, which had many stalactites and stalagmites. When the tour reached the Papoose Room, the ranger turned his flashlight on a rock formation and the shadow resembled an Indian woman with a papoose on her back. The last room we visited was the Queen's Chamber. Everyone sat down and listened as he told us another story about Jim White. One day Jim went into the cavern without telling anyone where he was going. As he explored an area of the cavern, his lantern ran out of fuel and went out. In the dark, he panicked and started to move too quickly. He bumped into something and hit his head. As he lay there, stunned, he realized that he might die there because no one knew where he was. In the dark, after he calmed down, he refilled his lantern, but spilled some fuel on himself. When he lit his last match, he relit the lantern, but the fuel on his body ignited. He extinguished the fuel while keeping his lantern lit. He was able to find his way out. Jim later said this was the closest he came to death in all the years he explored the caves. After he finished the story, the ranger turned the lights out in our area so that we could experience the absolute dark that Jim White experienced. After we finished the tour, we drove to Alamogordo, New Mexico. While traveling in the car, I called Denise Davis to see about my transfer to Hightower Elementary. She was doubtful that I could transfer but asked me to write a letter telling about what had happened so far. I also called Mr. Standifer, the principal of Hightower Elementary. We discussed the situation. He asked me to write a letter to Dr. Bouie to tell him that I did not know that the position was available until recently. When we got to Motel 6 in Alamogordo, Sue wrote an e-mail and sent it off to Denise Davis, Mr. Standifer, and Valerie Harrison.

After eating breakfast at the Pancake and Waffle House, we left Alamogordo, New Mexico. A few miles later, we stopped at White Sands National Monument. At the Visitor's Center, we saw a satellite photo of the area showing a large white space, the sand dunes. A display showed how the sand dunes were formed. Originally an inland sea covered the area. Later, after uplifting occurred, the seas drained and mountains were formed along the fault lines. The lower area was flanked on both sides by mountains. As rain fell, gypsum leached out of the higher areas and drained down into a lake. As a result of the dry air and evaporation, gypsum crystals were formed and collected at the edges of the lake. Eventually, the gypsum was spread by the wind and formed dunes. After viewing the Visitor's Center, we drove a loop through the monument. The white sand dunes reminded us of snow in Chicago. The rangers even plow the roads! We continued driving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we stopped for the day

We left Albuquerque, New Mexico and drove to Canyon de Chelly National Monument where we saw Pueblo ruins in the sides of the canyons. White House Ruin was built by ancient Puebloan people and occupied around one thousand years ago. It is named for the long wall that is covered with white plaster. The ruins at Mesa Verde National Park which we saw many years ago were larger and better preserved. After leaving Canyon de Chelly National Monument, we drove on and stopped at a Hopi silver arts and crafts shop. We were invited into a workshop where a man was working in a room off to the side. He was using a saw and a template to cut out a piece of metal. He was working with Native American music in the background. He was cutting the metal in an up and down pattern in rhythm to the drum beat of the music. A woman was in the shop. She showed us many of their works of art they had made in their shop. She had woven a flat circular mat about one foot in diameter that cost $1,200.00. We decided that we could live without that. However, we did purchase a heart pendant. Sue has a special feeling for the heart shape. We stopped for the night at Tuba City, Arizona. It is a small town to the east of Grand Canyon National Park. It was located in the Navaho Nation Reservation.

We stopped for breakfast at McDonald's in Tuba City and started on our journey to Grand Canyon National Park. On our way, we saw a scenic overview and decided to stop. When we stopped, we saw a large wooden kiosk like a flea market. About twenty or more Native Americans were there to sell their art. One young man was quite articulate in telling about the significance of the designs on the pottery. We bought some pottery but never looked at the scenic overview. We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park at the east entrance, Desert View. The tall tower at Desert View was designed by Mary Ellen Colter in the early 1920's. She was the design architect for Fred Harvey, the primary concessionaire for the Grand Canyon. We walked up the tower and saw our first view of the canyon. The word that comes to mind is magnificent. We drove to Bright Angel Lodge, where we had reservations. We arrived at 11:00 but could not get into our room until 4:00. We walked around the lodge and the rim. Finally, at 3:00 we asked if we could get into our room and they said we could. We ate dinner at the Arizona Room and went for a walk along the Rim Trail. We walked to Yavapai Observation Station where we waited for the sunset. A group of foreign tourists were there to photograph the sunset. They all photographed the sun setting while everyone else was photographing the canyon at sunset. We returned to the lodge on the shuttle.

This was our first full day at the Grand Canyon. We decided to take the shuttle to Hermit's Rest. When we were here twenty-six years ago, we drove our car to see the views. Now with increased traffic, the Grand Canyon National Park has closed some of the roads to private vehicles and has provided shuttles. The shuttle service is quite convenient. The shuttle buses run about every fifteen minutes between points on the road. We could get off the shuttle to look at the view and ride the next shuttle that came along. We stopped at most of the views and rode to Hermit's Rest, the outermost point. At Hermit's Rest, we saw a building built by Mary Ellen Colter, who designed many of the buildings in the Grand Canyon. What was unusual about the building at Hermit's Rest was the huge fireplace. The size and shape of the fireplace was defined by its back wall . It was the full width of the room, semi-circular, and rose into a dome like an apse in a ancient medieval church. There was a step up to a platform, which contained several chairs and a central sofa. The entire fireplace structure consisted of stone native to the Grand Canyon. The feeling was inviting and comforting and we were drawn inside and sat near the fire. Bob was looking forward to seeing Phantom Ranch, which Mary Ellen Colter designed using only natural materials. Phantom Ranch is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon near the Colorado River. After returning from the shuttle ride, we got on another shuttle bus to ride to Yaki Point. We had to ride the blue bus line to Canyon View Information Plaza where we changed to the green bus line to ride to Yaki Point. One of the stops on this route is the South Kaibab Trailhead where Bob would start his hike the next day. At Yaki Point, we could see the the South Kaibab Trail descend into the canyon. In the evening, Bob wanted to get his backpack ready for the hike. He made many trips between the car and our room to get ready. He wanted to get to bed early since he was getting up at 4:00 to catch a shuttle bus to the South Kaibab Trailhead.

Bob arose early and rode the shuttle to the Kaibab Trailhead. He wanted to get an early start before it got too hot. The South Kaibab Trail is described in the Grand Canyon Guide in this manner: "Best views for a relatively short hike. Steep trail, no water, little shade." He was hiking down to Phantom Ranch which is at the bottom of the canyon. He was extremely excited, but a little anxious since he heard of the lack of water at the Phantom Ranch. There was a pipe break down the canyon and was told he would have to carry all his water and purify any water he used from the canyon. When it is 110 degrees, you need to drink a lot of water. (Sue wrote:) While Bob was hiking, I decided to relax on the rim of the canyon at Grand Canyon Village. I slept late, and drove to the laundromat near the campground to do our laundry. The laundromat was well maintained and very clean. After doing the laundry, I got a blueberry muffin at the deli at the Market Plaza. When I returned to the Grand Canyon Village, I walked along the rim and explored the Lookout Studio and Kolb Studio. At the Lookout Studio, I saw a pair of condors perched on a ledge overlooking the canyon. They must like the view as well. The condors have been reintroduced into this area in 1996. Ancient condor bones found in caves demonstrate that condors are native to this ecosystem. I relaxed the rest of the day thinking about Bob on his hike. (Bob wrote:) I woke a little after 4:00 AM, dressed, and walked to the Bright Angle Lodge shuttle bus stop. There was a 5:00 AM express bus to the South Kaibab trailhead. There were several other people that boarded at the same time. Among them was a group of two couples. I would later learn that they planned to hike down the South Kaibab Trail, rest at Phantom Ranch, (my destination) and then return back to the South Rim via the Bright Angle Trail. One individual in their group had taken this hike eleven times. The South Kaibab is a ridge trail from the South Rim and is at the high point of the surrounding area during it's descent. The Bright Angle Trail follows the Bright Angle Creek from the South Rim and is at the low point of the surrounding area during it's descent. I planned to descend the South Kaibab, spend one day at the Phantom Ranch campground, and return up the Bright Angle. The express bus arrived at the trailhead at 5:30, and I began my descent. This was to be the steepest part of the descent, and I started out immediately. The morning sky was light, but before sunup. The first part of the descent was mostly vertical switchbacks and the trail was steep and slippery, but protected from the wind. The trail changed to longer vertical trails that included horizontal sections that brought me further into the canyon. That part of the trail was exposed to winds that I would later learn were between forty-five and fifty miles per hour. The high winds, swirling sand and steep drop-offs on one or both sides of the trail created a really, really exciting sensation. I kept thinking all I had to do was walk in a straight line and remember the basic running technique -left, right, left, right, etc, and I would be fine. I had tried to keep my backpack light, but the day before, there was a water line break at Phantom Ranch and I was told I had to pack in my drinking water. That added more weight to my pack. I thought the extra weight might have helped me then. It didn't help later though. I reached a plateau that extended out further into the canyon and the winds seemed stronger. I sat and ate some of Jenny's trail mix and had some water. While eating I noticed the trail seemed to extend to the edge of the plateau and disappear. After resting, I continued down the trail and meet more high winds. Earlier the two couples passed me and I caught up with them at this section. The individual that had taken this hike before told me this was the windiest conditions he had experienced on the hike. As I continued down, the winds eased and I came to another plateau that was used as a resting area for the mule riders returning to the South Rim from Phantom Ranch. I noted a man with a shirt from an Atlanta road race and asked him if he was from Atlanta. He said he was and asked me where I was from. I told him Marietta, and he replied he was actually from Marietta also. I told him I lived in the Merchants' Walk area, and he replied he worked in the Publix Grocery store that was almost around the corner from me. Small world! From this Plateau, the walk gradually became easier, although the heat was building. The day before, the high temperature at Phantom Ranch was one-hundred twenty degrees. As I approached the Colorado River, I could see the inner gorge. Twenty-five years before, I had taken the mule ride to Plateau Point and could just make out the river below. I decided that someday I had to see what the rest of the trip was like. The inner gorge, carved out by the Colorado River, has the oldest exposed rock on earth. The youngest layers of the canyon predate the age of dinosaurs. When I reached the river, I crossed a suspension bridge to the other side where Phantom Ranch Campground is located. This is the original bridge built over the Colorado and is the only bridge the mules will cross. A newer bridge is located downriver on the Bright Angle trail, but has an open metal grating. The mules can see the river below and refuse to cross. The original bridge has a solid flooring that hides their view of the river. After crossing the river, I arrived at the Phantom Ranch campground and set up my tent. I walked to the Phantom Ranch lodge and arrived at 11:00 AM. I learned the water break had been found, but the high winds prevented flying helicopters to the area. The water had been shut off, but we had drinking water that was still in the pipe from the location of the break. When that water was used, there would be no more until the break was repaired. Creek water carried in buckets had to be used for toilets. The temperature reached one hundred ten degrees and I went to the Bright Angle creek and sat in the cool flowing water. It was refreshing! By then I noticed how tired I was and really wanted to sleep. I laid down in my tent, but it was too hot to sleep. Later, the ranger told me people usually suffer from "heat fatigue" on this trip. After a while, I got up and decided a cold beer would really taste great. The hike from the campground to the lodge was one quarter of a mile. When I got to the lodge, it was closed! They were preparing dinner and would not reopen until 8:00. I felt like crying I was so thirsty and tired. All I could do was walk back to the campground and soak in the stream. I was not able to reserve a dinner, so I had some trail mix. Latter. at 7:30 I went to the Ranger program. She advised us to soak in the stream before going to bed to lower our body temperature. Then she spoke about the geology of the Grand Canyon. At exactly 8:00 I left for the lodge and got my beer! Before bed I soaked in the stream and went bed. It did help. The stars were magnificent ! I could see the Milky Way.

(Sue wrote:) Today I slept late. I drove out of the park to the nearest McDonald's and ate breakfast. I decided to drive to Desert View and stop at all the points of interest along the road. At each point, there is always a magnificent view of the Grand Canyon. At Grandview Point, I learned about the first resort area in the Grand Canyon. A hotel was started there first. People had to ride a mule train to the hotel over a hot bumpy road. Later when lodges were built in the Grand Canyon Village, people preferred staying there because of access to the train station. Grandview Hotel is no longer there. At Tusaya Ruin and Museum, there is a display of Native American Indian culture. Outside I saw the ruins of the living quarters and kivas where 30 people lived for approximately twenty years in the latter part of the twelfth century. Inhabitants of Tusayan relied upon domesticated crops as a major food source and supplemented their diet by hunting wild game and gathering wild plants. When I returned to the lodge, I walked along the rim to the Hopi House to see the art display. I have learned to appreciate the Native American art. The sand paintings are beautiful but pricey. Some of the sand paintings on display cost about $3,000.00. Ouch! Also on display were basket weaving, pottery, rugs, and alabaster carving. I relaxed for the rest of the day and evening thinking of Bob hiking in the 110 degrees canyon. (Bob wrote:) I awoke at 4:00AM. The low temperature last nlght had been 80 degrees. I had breakfast and dinner reservations for today. I arrived at the lodge for the second breakfast at 6:30. After a huge breakfast. I decided to take a hike above the Colorado Rlver. The path was on the opposite (south) bank and went from one suspension bridge to the other. I started from the new bridge. Walking slowly and taking pictures, I returned to the lodge and asked for some ice cream. Considering that everything is delivered to and removed from the ranch by mule train, the girl was nice to me and just said they didn't have any. Too much heat I guess! Anyway, the lemonade was great. After a short rest, I walked a mile or so up the North Kaibab trail, which continues to the north rim. For lunch, I had some trail mix and lots of water. The rest ot the afternoon I relaxed in the stream and tried to nap. Although the temperature was one hundred ten today, I was not nearly as tired as yesterday. My dinner reservation was for 6:30 and I had an excellent stew, salad, and cornbread meal. The ranger program related the exploration of the Grand Canyon, mainly by John Wesley Powell. I took my stream cool down and went to bed.

(Sue wrote:) Today I slept late. I drove out of the park to the nearest McDonald's and ate breakfast. I drove back to the park and stopped at the nearest scenic overlook. I ate my breakfast and read the newspaper while enjoying the scenery. I stopped at Market Plaza to buy ice and a few other necessary items. I returned to the lodge where I started to work on the computer. I had not worked on the journal for several days and needed to catch up. I was working away on the computer when I heard a knock at the door. I thought it was the maid and said, "Come in." Who should walk in the door a day early but Bob. I was really surprised. He hiked up to Indian Gardens from the Phantom Ranch. Originally, he was going to camp there, but he decided to continue all the way to the top of the South Rim. After he showered, we went to eat lunch at the lodge. Bob said that he had been looking forward to a cold, cold beer. While we ate, he told me about his adventures in the canyon. We had been planning to stay here at the Grand Canyon for a few more days. Bob said that he would be ready to leave tomorrow. I said that I thought I had seen everything that I wanted to see. Now we must decide where we are going next. (Bob wrote:) I awoke at 4:00 and broke camp. My breakfast was at 5:00 and I left for my return to the south rim at 5:30. The descent took five hours and the ascent could take twice as long. I left Phantom Ranch on the Bright Angle trail and crossed the Colorado River over the new bridge. From here to Indian Springs on the Tonto Plateau was a gradual incline through mostly metamorphic rock. The temperature was lower, from the mid eighties to low nineties. I arrived at Indian Gardens at 8:00 AM. After a flat section on the plateau, the most difficult part of my return would begin. The ascent up to the rim consists of steep, serpentine switchbacks, along with an increase in elevation. The elevation of the Colorado River is 2,500 feet and the south rim is 6,800 feet. My backpack seemed to get heavier with each switchback. At one rest stop, I took it off and set it on the ground. After a few minutes, a squirrel had unzipped a pocket of my pack and started eating trail mix in a Ziploc bag. I had to fight for my life (and food). On another rest stop, I challenged a seven year-old girl to a race the top. She looked at me, laughed at me, and took off. She won! I finally reached the rim happy, but exhausted at 1:00 PM. I showered, and Sue and I had lunch in the lodge. Sue heard all about my adventure. We are listening to The Earthchildren series (Clan of the Cave Bear) on tape and it seems perfect for our trip and my Grand Canyon Hike.

We discussed where we wanted to go and decided to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Twenty-six years ago we visited the South Rim with Jenny and Rob. This year we visited the South Rim. We have never seen the North Rim. Bob called for reservations at the North Rim. He could not get reservations for us to stay at the lodge but was able to get dinner reservations in the dining room for 8:30. The dining room was booked from 4:30 to 8:30 because people like to watch the sun set while dining at the Grand Canyon. After breakfast, we traveled to the East Exit which is Desert View. We stopped at Desert View to shop and get gas. Then we continued to Jacob Lake where we checked in at Jacob Lake Inn. We had lunch and then drove to the North Rim. We walked around the beautiful lodge and saw the dining room where we had reservations. The dining room had a magnificent canyon view. The lodge also had a huge sun room with floor to ceiling glass. Many people were sitting in the sun room. A group of young people were playing cards. A few people were reading. Many were enjoying the view. Outside the door was a large patio with many chairs for relaxing and enjoying the view. Many people were sitting on the patio. We decided to walk one-fourth of a mile to Bright Angel Point. It was worth the walk. At Bright Angel Point, we could see the South Kaibab trail and the Bright Angel trail on the South Rim. While walking back, Bob developed a thirst for a beer so we went to the saloon for a beer and a Coke. While sitting there, we decided that 8:30 was too late to eat dinner. We canceled our dinner reservations and drove back to Jacob Lake Inn and had baked trout for dinner.

As usual, Bob got up early and Sue slept in. Bob walked to the lodge to get a cup of coffee and a newspaper and walked back to our cabin. On the porch of the cabin were chairs. He sat on the porch, drank coffee, and read the newspaper. As he was sitting there, he noticed the front tire on the driver's side had an uneven tread. When Sue got up, Bob told her we needed a new tire. We decided to go to Las Vegas to get a new tire and front end alignment. (Jenny and Rob, does that bring back memories?) We drove to Las Vegas and checked in at the Tropicana. We then looked in the phone book for NTB which is where we had purchased our tires at home. Las Vegas does not have NTB so we looked for Sears. We found the closest mall with Sears. We started driving to the mall and got stuck in a traffic jam. When we found the Sears Automotive Center, we met a young man named Junior but said that when he was in trouble, he was Paul (a fictitious name). When we asked him who he was now, he said he would let us know later. He had a good sense of humor. While they replaced the tire, we ate lunch and shopped at the mall . When we returned to the hotel, we went to look for a place to eat dinner. We looked at the restaurants at the Tropicana and decided to walk to the MGM Grand across the street. We walked through the casino and finally found a restaurant to our liking. When we returned to the room, we checked e-mail and worked on the computer. Las Vegas is definitely not our type of life! We will take the great outdoors anytime!

After eating breakfast at a restaurant at the Tropicana Hotel, we checked out of the hotel and started to drive to Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. When we approached Sequoia National Park, we drove up and up a mountain up to 7,000 feet. We drove straight to the campground and arrived about 4:30. Yes, we are finally camping! We have a new tent, new sleeping bags, new cooking stove. It has been about 25 years since we have camped and that was in a pop-up camper. It has been longer since we have tent-camped. We put up our new tent for the first time with a bit of discussion about how it should be done. After putting up the tent, it was beginning to get dark. Susan drove to the Visitor's Center to go to the bathroom. While there, she purchased ice cream for supper. She was too tired and it was getting too dark to fix supper. After eating Haagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream, Susan was cold and suggested that we go inside the tent to get warm. While Bob worked on crossword puzzles, Susan snuggled up in her new sleeping bag. The sleeping bag is so warm and Susan discovered that she could even cover up her head. The only thing that Bob could see was a small part of her face! She looked like a mummy all wrapped up. After a short while, Bob got inside his sleeping bag and discovered that it was too tight around him so he decided to unzip the bag and use it like a blanket. During the night he stuck to the air mattress every time that he turned over. He did not sleep well because he was cold. The low temp in Sequoia that night was 42 degrees. Susan meanwhile slept very well and was very warm. Bob meanwhile, froze his backside off. He tried to zip up his sleeping bag, but in the dark, unzipped it completely and could not rezip it up again.

When Bob woke up early, he was freezing. He looked over at Susan, who was very warm inside of her sleeping bag. When Susan woke up, Bob immediately suggested going for a ride in the warm car. We rode towards Kings Canyon National Park. We stopped for breakfast at the lodge at Wuksachi. The lodge was designed and furnished very well. The dining room at the lodge had a view out the windows on three sides. Outside the windows were the giant sequoia trees. For breakfast, we had a choice of hot breakfast buffet or cold continental buffet. After eating breakfast, we drove to Kings Canyon National Park and saw the General Grant Tree. The General Grant Tree is the world's third-largest living thing and has the greatest base diameter of any sequoia at 40.3 feet. The tree is as tall as a 27-story building and wider at the base than a three-lane freeway. It has lived for nearly twenty centuries. We learned that giant sequoias can survive for many centuries since few forest insects and diseases cause them harm, and their bark is resistant to fire. However, research indicates soil fungi and insects attack it roots, thus weakening the tree's support. Toppling is the primary way sequoias meet their end, uprooting from a heavy snow load or strong wind. Sequoia roots are quite shallow, most growing no deeper than five feet beneath the surface. Another interesting fact that we learned is that the tannin causes the older trees to have the red bark. The young trees have a darker bark. After walking the General Grant Tree Trail, Bob thought we should get some gas. There are no gas stations in the park so we had to drive out of the park to get gas. When we left the park, we chose the road that had the closest town-big mistake! It had the closest town but no gas stations. We drove a long way to get gas, but we saw a lot of interesting country. We finally found a town large enough to have a gas station and a McDonald's. We stopped for lunch at McDonald's, got gas, and drove back to the park. We decided to do the laundry when we returned to the campground. While doing the laundry, Bob wrote his notes about his hike to Phantom Ranch. We decided to cook dinner tonight. We fixed sloppy joes and macaroni salad and potato salad. After dinner, we cleaned up and got ready for bed.

When Bob woke up early, he fixed a cup of coffee. By the time that I woke up, he had drunk two cups of hot coffee and was warm. By the way, Bob slept inside the sleeping bag last night. On the other hand, he was cold and had to go to the bathroom. You guessed it! We went to Wuksachi Lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, we drove to General Sherman's tree in Sequoia National Park. This tree is the oldest sequoia. The trail to General Sherman's tree was shorter. By the way, these trees were named after Civil War generals because they were named right after the Civil War. Sequoia trees were also named after many of the states.

When we awoke, we decided to go to Wuksachi Lodge for breakfast again. It was such a pleasant room and it was still cold in the morning. We returned to our campsite, where we took down the tent and packed the car. We then started driving to San Francisco. We headed west to Oakland and crossed the Oakland Bay Bridge. Susan navigated Bob perfectly to the Youth Hostel at Fishermen's Wharf. The Youth Hostel is located at Fort Mason and is on the waterfront overlooking the bay. We checked in at the Youth Hostel and walked along the bay to Fishermen's Wharf. We decided to eat at Alioto's on the waterfront where they seated us next to the window. It was one of the greatest meals that Bob has ever had. He had pan-fried flounder on mashed potatoes with sautéed onions and mushrooms brushed in truffled oil. Bob thought it was second only to the meal that we enjoyed in Paris. Susan had grilled salmon, spinach, and potatoes. Service by Terry was great. The view over the marina was picturesque and the coffee was superb. Any questions? We leisurely walked back to the Youth Hostel.

We woke early at the Youth Hostel and decided to leave San Francisco. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge about 6:00 a.m. The traffic going into the city was quite heavy but it wasn't so bad going north. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast. Bob needed to get his glasses repaired so we headed for Santa Rosa. When we arrived at Santa Rosa, we stopped to ask for directions to Lenscrafter. When we arrived at Lenscrafter, the shop was not open for business but the gate to the store was up. Bob walked into the store and charmed them into fixing his glasses before they opened for business. We decided to drive to Vallejo and found a motel. We wanted to check and send out e-mail. Susan was reading a book, After the Fire by Belva Plain while Bob checked e-mail. We drove to Napa and found a visitor's center, where we got a map and information on the Napa Valley. On the way back to the motel, we ate dinner at Baker's Square Restaurant. where we shared a slice of chocolate peanut butter pie.

After checking out of the motel, we ate breakfast at Marie Callender's and enjoyed delicious fresh fruit with breakfast. We drove north up the Napa Valley toward Bothe-Napa State Park. When we arrived, we drove through the campground to find the site we wanted. We chose a walk-in site and started putting up the tent. We had another discussion about setting up the tent. We set up the tent and drove back down the valley to go shopping at Target. There were several things that we needed for camping. On the return trip, we stopped at a wine shop and bought Francis Ford Coppola wine for dinner. Francis Ford Coppola has a winery in the valley. We had a gourmet meal at the campsite with our wine-hot dogs and pasta shells with white cheddar sauce. Oh, yes, we forgot to mention that the flies and mosquitoes were terrible. Susan sat eating dinner with her legs constantly moving to keep the flies and mosquitoes off. After dinner, Bob started a fire, but Susan could not take the flies and mosquitoes any more. She quickly went to the tent where she enjoyed the fire.

When we woke up, we ate cereal at the campsite. We then went to take a shower. The shower cost 25 cents for 4 minutes. For 50 cents, you got a decent shower. We then went looking for Bob's daily USA Today, but could not find one. Thinking that the day was getting off to a bad start without a newspaper, we drove to BV Winery. At home we buy a case of wine about once a month. One time we mentioned to the wine shop owners about our trip that we had planned. They offered to arrange some winery tours for us at Napa and Sonoma. One of the tours was to BV Winery, the oldest winery in the region. When we arrived at the winery. we checked in with the hostess who started to pour us a complimentary glass of wine. When Bob told her that we had had a tour pre-arranged, she found an older man who took us to the side and poured us a glass of sparkling wine. We then joined the rest of the tour group and started on the tour. Brigitta, our Swedish tour guide, started our tour by telling us the history of BV Winery, which was started by George de la Tourre. De La Tourre met a Russian studying chemistry in Paris and recruited him for his winery. In time he would become the father of winemaking in America. The Russian chemist lived to be 92. The guide said that he smoked a lot of cigars and drank a lot of wine. BV winery is the oldest because they survived the prohibition of sales of alcohol in the 1920's and 1930's. De la Tourre was a friend of a catholic official and provided the church with sacramental wine and was able to earn enough to stay in business. Most other wineries closed for lack of business. Brigitta told us about the microclimate in the Napa Valley. The valley has a large amount of sunshine because of its geographical location and a lack of rainfall. The lack of cloudy weather increases the amount of sunshine for growing grapes. The low rainfall is augmented by a drip irrigation system. We then went to the back of the winery where they receive the grapes for squeezing. She explained that all wine is "white". Red wine is colored by keeping the skins, pulp and seeds in contact with the juice during some of the fermentation process. This was the area where the grapes are squeezed and the juice is separated from the skin, pulp and seeds. Later, the skin, pulp and seeds would be added to the juice to form red wine. Sparkling wine (not champagne - only wine from that region in France can be called champagne) is created from white wine with additional ingredients during the fermentation process. This process produces carbon dioxide gas - bubbly! From there, we went to a room where huge stainless steel vats are located. This is the first step of the fermentation process. For red wine, the skins, pulp and seeds are mixed with the juice. They are constantly stirred and mixed with the juice. Then the wine is moved to oak barrels for more fermentation. The barrels cost $600.00 each and are treated by each winery to produce certain tastes. She told us this was where the creative process of wine making is most important. Barrels can be "toasted to produce different tastes and aromas. We ended the tour in the retail store. Some of their wine is not available for sale except in this store. From there, we went to a wine tasting room, where we sampled their sparkling wine, chardonnay, and four reds. We talked about the time we were in Tours, France and visited a winery located in a cave on the Loire River. They made white and sparkling wine there. We just spoke to Julie before we went on the tour. She told us she wanted some champagne after her delivery. We ordered a bottle of sparkling wine for her and some more for us. We could not ship the wine to Georgia, so we sent it to Sue's mom in Danville, Illinois. We are stopping there on our way home to visit her, so we will pick up whatever wine she hasn't imbibed. There probably won't be much left. After the tour, we went to another winery and bought some cheese and crackers at their deli for lunch. No wine, though. We had enough earlier. We decided to drive to Santa Rose and buy a screened canopy. The mosquitoes are having their own blood tasting on Sue. She gets really irritated when they don't bother Bob. he watched one land on his leg, take a sniff, move to another part of his leg, take another sniff, and move over to Sue. She went to the tent and Bob enjoyed the campfire alone. Now we have a screened canopy over the lunch table. Susan is much happier now. Sad mosquitoes! While in Santa Rosa, we stopped at a Costco and bought some water, lunch meat and cheese. We made lunch sandwiches that will last for three or four days.

When we got up, we took our 50 cents hot shower and decided to eat breakfast at a bakery in Calistoga. We then drove to Sonoma. Sonoma has a beautiful plaza in the center of town. Many families were watching their children play on the two playgrounds in the park. There were also two ponds in which many ducks were swimming and begging for food. At one side of the park, there were three men and a woman, who appeared to be homeless, drinking beer. In the center of the park was a courthouse. As we walked around the square, we came to an old Mexican barracks that had been preserved. The sign in the barracks told us that a Mexican soldier in the 1800's had to supply himself with a uniform, a saber, a musket, 6 horses, 2 mules among other things. Why did anyone want to be a Mexican soldier? We also saw an old mission, but did not go inside it. This mission is the northernmost mission on the mission trail. We ate lunch in the park. Then we drove to our second prearranged tour at Kenwood Winery. We arrived early but Hutch, our tour guide, said that he would be glad to take us early. Hutch showed us how wine was made. We walked through the winery and returned to the tasting room. We enjoyed Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet. We bought some more wine, but we will enjoy this wine on the trip. When we drove back to the campground in the Napa Valley, Susan snoozed in the car. We fixed an omelet and drank some of our wine for dinner under our screened shelter with no flies and no mosquitoes. Later we started a campfire and enjoyed it until bedtime. Because of the fire danger in the west, Bob has been surprised that the campgrounds allow campfires. They permit them in designated areas only.

When we got up today, we considered leaving the Napa Valley but decided not to leave. Bob thought we might have a difficult time finding another campsite on the weekend. This campground here is full for the weekend. After breakfast and a hot shower, we decided to do our laundry. I know. It's not a fun thing to do! But if we didn't, you might be smelling us back home. When we finished the laundry in a fairly dirty laundromat, we stopped to eat our sandwiches at a park. We then walked through the Visitor's Center at the Bothe-Napa State Park where we are camping. We learned about a woman who lived in the 1800's in San Francisco. She was lifted out of a burning building by a firefighter's rope when she was three. After her rescue, she grew up to be a fire chaser. She smoked cigars, drank whiskey, played cards, and was a daredevil. Her family had a family retreat in the Napa Valley. They sent her there when she got in trouble. When she went to Europe, she met Napoleon III, who thought she was an interesting character. She married a man named Coit, but it was a tempestuous marriage. They separated several times. When she died, money that she left to a foundation was used to build the Coit Tower in San Francisco. It is in the shape of a fire nozzle. Her family donated the land they owned in Napa Valley, and it is now Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, the park where we are camping. There is a winery on the main road in the Napa Valley that we have been admiring each time we pass by it. There is an old mansion on the hillside with beautiful gardens around the mansion. Trees line both sides of the highway in front of the house and arch over the highway. The whole scene is very picturesque. We decided to visit the winery, Beringer Winery, today. The mansion is now the gift shop and wine-tasting area. One of the guides told me that the mansion will soon be restored to its original condition. They are now building a new place for the gift shop and wine-tasting. The mansion has stained glass above the doors in every room. The design on the stained glass identifies the type of room it was when the Beringers lived there. The stained glass in the dining room area had food and drink. The women's parlor had flowers and butterflies. We decided to go on a tour and wine tasting. The tour guide gave us some background history on the winery. Two brothers left Germany and came to America. One brother settled in the east and became involved with beer making. The other brother settled in the Napa Valley and worked for Charles Krug winery. When he found out that a house and 250 acres of land was available for about fourteen thousand dollars, he wanted to buy it. He did not have the money but his brother, the beer-maker, had become a millionaire. He asked his brother for the money. They became partners in the winery. Beringer Winery is one of the oldest wineries in the valley. It started in 1823. During Prohibition, Beringer Winery, along with BV Winery, stayed in business by making sacramental wine for the Catholic churches. Beringer Winery was sold to Nestles and is now owned by Fosters Beer in Australia. Susan thought that the grounds are so beautiful that it would be a perfect place for a wedding. She asked the guide if they ever had weddings there. He told us, "only if you are the daughter of the president of the company." He told us that he was planning to get married this fall and had asked to have his wedding on the grounds. He was told no. We bought some more wine-one bottle of white Merlot. Bob says that it taste like soda pop. We have never seen this type of Merlot before.

When we awoke, we ate cereal for breakfast and then started packing up the tent. After we got the car all packed, we took a hot 50 cents shower. We left the campground at 9:30 and started up the California coast. First we drove to Santa Rosa on the Calistoga Road. Then we drove on Route # 116 to the coast along the Russian River. The drive was very picturesque and seemed to attract a lot of tourists. The Russian River winds along the road to the coast where it goes into the ocean at Jenner. When we stopped to enjoy the view, Bob noticed a lot of seals lying on the rocks near the point where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. We drove up the coast of California on Route #1to Eureka. The views were breathtaking although much of the coast was foggy and cloudy. Once in a while, the sun would shine making the views even more beautiful. We stayed at a motel in Eureka so that we could check e-mail and send out e-mails. The man checking us in at the motel told us that it was foggy and cloudy most days in Eureka. He said that when the sun did shine, the wind was strong, which made it even colder. We have eliminated Eureka, California, as a place where we would like to live.

When we awoke, we ate breakfast at a restaurant near the motel. We left Eureka at 9:30 and arrived at Redwoods National Park at 10:45. Redwoods National Park is interesting because it includes both a national park and a state park within its boundaries. We picked and set up our campsite by 1:00. No discussion was necessary. We chose a site beside a babbling brook. On the other side of the brook is a forest of redwood trees and huge ferns. Bob really wants to dig up some of the ferns and take them home to put in our raised garden beds in our front yard. In Sequoia National Park and Redwoods National Park, there is a problem with bears so that campers are told to keep all items in a bear-proof lock box on site. Even soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and water can attract bears. The lock box here is about two feet by four feet. We keep our supplies in the box-even our cooler. Susan considered sleeping inside the lock box and keeping the supplies inside the tent with Bob. After setting up our campsite, we drove north through the park and stopped along the ocean to eat crackers and cheese for lunch. We continued driving north to Crescent City where we walked around Battery Point Lighthouse. A lighthouse keeper actually lives on site and manages and gives tours of the grounds. We drove back to our campsite where we enjoyed wine with penne pasta and four cheese sauce.

After we awoke, we ate cereal for breakfast at the campground. We drove down a gravel road to a parking lot next to the beach. On the road to the beach, we saw a group of three elk. As we watched them, they calmly and slowly walked across the road in front of our car and walked off into the redwood forest. After they crossed the road, we continued on our way. We parked our car, got our hiking equipment and started toward Fern Canyon. As we walked along, we came to a deep, stream carved Canyon, which had ferns growing on the walls of the canyon. We crossed over several footbridges and started climbing steps. The steps lead us to a trail that was parallel to the trail through the canyon but on the side of a hill above the canyon. The redwoods and ferns in the canyon and the forest on the hill above the canyon were beautiful. After completing the hike at Fern Canyon, we drove back toward the entrance. On the drive back to the highway, we again saw three more elk grazing along the side of the road. We then drove to Lady Bird Johnson Grove. The grove was dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson in 1969. Since the path was very muddy, we wondered if they placed a red carpet down for the dedication when Lady Bird Johnson visited. Some things that we have learned about the redwood tree: Giant Sequoia Tree: Coast Redwood Trees: Height: to 311 feet Height: to 367.8 feet Age: to 3,200 years Age: to 2,000 years Bark: to 31 inches thick Bark: to 12 inches thick Base: to 40 feet diameter Base: to 22 feet diameter Coast redwoods tower over all other trees in the world. Coast redwoods grow in a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast of California and southwestern Oregon. Fog is important to the life of the coast redwoods. As air warmed by inland heat passes over cold, near- shore waters, fog forms-almost daily in summer. Fog brings redwood forests relief from the dry summer. It reduces the loss of water through leaf surfaces. Fog collects on trees and then drips its moisture to the forest floor. Fog is not essential to redwoods, but its absence would reduce their range. Fog may help the redwoods grow, but the lack of sunshine in the Redwoods National Park is somewhat depressing. The weather is damp and cool.

We packed up the campsite and left Redwoods National Park at 10:00. For lunch, we stopped at a rest area and ate sandwiches. We drove north to Medford, Oregon and stopped at a motel to check e-mail. We bought some Coleman fuel, lunchmeat and cheese, and film. Then we ate dinner at Outback.

After we checked out of the motel, we went to IHOP for breakfast. They were quite busy, but we had great service. We drove northeast on Route # 62 to Crater Lake National Park. Having our National Parks Pass has been economical. We bought it before we left home. We selected our campsite and set up camp. Can you believe that there is snow on the ground in our campsite? The temperature is about 76 degrees so the snow is melting. Yearly average snowfall is 44 feet. We are getting pretty efficient at putting up and taking down the tent-no more discussions. Our campsite is quite large and it overlooks a canyon so we have a scenic view. After setting up camp, we started driving toward the rim of Crater Lake. We stopped at several visitor's centers. At one visitor center, we saw a video on the creation of Crater Lake. We learned that Crater Lake was once an active volcano. When the volcano erupted, it was 150 times the force of Mount St. Helen's in 1980. A large underground void was created and eventually the top of the volcano collapsed, creating a caldera. The water is supplied by melting snow and rainwater. No creeks flow into the lake. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh deepest in the world. The maximum lake depth is 1958 feet. The maximum lake width is 6 miles. The Rim Drive around the lake is 33 miles. All of these figures do not do justice to Crater Lake. It has the bluest water that you have ever seen. We started driving on the Rim Drive. We stopped at one overlook and ate lunch. We drove back to the campground and relaxed. Tomorrow we will complete the Rim Drive. We had pasta and wine for dinner. We are still enjoying some of the wine that we bought in Napa Valley.

We had breakfast at the campground and then went to take a shower. Susan's shower happened to be an adventure today. She went in and picked a shower stall and started getting undressed for her shower. When she was undressed, she realized that she left the soap in the car so she got dressed again and went out to the car to get the soap. When she got back to the shower, she got undressed again and put the coins in the machine. The water did not go on. She kept trying the coins, but couldn't get the shower to start. She put on a long shirt and went out and told the others waiting for their turn what had happened. One of the ladies went and told a lady who worked there about her predicament. The lady came in and told her to try another shower stall. She finally got her shower. Bob was more than happy! We had decided to drive along the Rim Drive today. We started the drive and stopped about halfway around. Bob wanted to hike down to the lake at Cleetwood Cove. Cleetwood Cove is the point where you can get a tour boat to go on a lake tour. While he hiked down the trail, Susan read her book and enjoyed the view of the lake from the rim. When Bob returned, we drove back to the campground. Since we decided to leave Crater Lake tomorrow, we decided to take down the dining canopy and pack everything but the tent. We then agreed to go to the lodge to have dinner. When we got to the lodge, the hostess was telling another couple that the earliest reservation for dinner was 9:30. That was too late for us. We are usually asleep by 9:00. We then learned that there was a cafe close by that had a buffet so we went there. We had a nice dinner and talked with two couples sitting beside us. One couple was from San Antonio, Texas. The other couple from Bend, Oregon was celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary.

When we woke up, we immediately started taking the tent down. After we got the car packed, we went to take a shower. No adventure today! We drove to the lodge to get breakfast. Crater Lake National Park was dedicated in 1902. The lodge was built shortly thereafter. Around 1960, the lodge was torn down and rebuilt, using some of the original materials. The dining room was a beautiful room with a huge fireplace at one end of the room. Above the fireplace was a picture of the original lodge. Of course, the wall along the lakeside was mostly windows. The columns in the room were actual tree trunks. Susan ordered blueberry pancakes, which were delicious with lots of big blueberries in the pancakes. Bob had his usual oatmeal. We left Crater Lake and started driving north to Mount St. Helens. The scenery along the road side was beautiful. As we got close to Portland, Oregon, it started raining. It continued raining as we crossed the state line into Washington. As we got close to Mount St. Helens, we realized that it was not going to stop raining. We didn't want to put the tent up in the rain so we decided to stop at a motel in Kelso, Washington. After checking in, Bob went to get the car serviced with an oil change and Susan went to do the laundry. At least, we accomplished something on a rainy day! After dinner, Bob read the paper and Susan typed journal notes. Then Bob sent the emails.

Last night it was raining cats and dogs. This morning when we awoke, the sun was shining. It was beautiful-lush and green just like it is after a summer rain. After eating breakfast at Shari's Restaurant, we went grocery shopping at Safeway's. We then started driving toward Mt. St. Helen's Visitor Center. We were hoping to see Mt. St. Helen's, but we were more anxious to get to Mt. Rainier National Park because we didn't have reservations at the campground. We thought the campground might be full because it was the weekend. However, it was not crowded. They assigned us a campsite and we drove to the campsite and set it up. We were anxious to see the park so we drove to Longmire and saw the Visitor's Center. Longmire is the site of Longmire's Medical Springs that James Longmire and his family developed in 1888 and 1889. It is now a national historical district. After the park was established in 1899, Longmire became the park headquarters. The original headquarters building houses a museum with exhibits that tell the story of those early days. The National Park Inn is also located at Longmire. Across the street from the National Park Inn is a short hike to Longmire's cabin. We decided that we wanted to hike that trail tomorrow. Then we drove to Paradise and saw the Visitor's Center there. The visitor's Center is round and has four floors. On the lower floor are a gift shop, a book store, and a cafeteria. On the next two floors are exhibits. The top floor has windows all the way around the room for magnificent views of Mount Rainier and the other mountains in the area. There is still a lot of snow on those mountains, especially Mount Rainier. Paradise is the prime winter-use area in the park. An average of 680 inches of snow falls each winter. Mt. Rainier holds the world record for yearly snowfall, nearly 1,200 inches. I would hate to have to shovel all that snow! A lot of families were enjoying playing in the snow and having snowball fights. On the way back to the campground, we saw Narada Falls and decided we wanted to walk to see the falls tomorrow. For dinner, we cooked hamburger, and mashed potatoes and drank wine. After dinner, we enjoyed a campfire.

When we got up, it was quite cold and foggy so we decided to eat breakfast at National Park Inn at Longmire. After eating breakfast, we hiked the trail to Longmire cabin across the road. We saw the Longmire cabin and the hot springs near the cabin. We also saw a deer on our hike. There were signs along the path to inform you about the natural habitat. We drove to Narada Falls and walked the trail to the scenic overlook to take pictures. On several places on this trail, we had to walk on snow. Narada Falls is beautiful with many smaller falls merging into one large waterfall. Since we had seen only the southern part of the park, we agreed to drive to Sunrise Visitor Center, which is at the northern part of the park. Sunrise Point at is 6,400 feet above sea level, is the highest point in the park that is reachable by vehicle. On a clear day, you have a great view of Mount Ranier. Unfortunately, it was still foggy so we could not see Mount Ranier. When we arrived at the Sunrise Visitor Center, we walked through the gift shop and ate turkey vegetable soup for lunch. The soup was hot and hit the spot. Since we were getting low on gas, we drove out the park to get gas, ice, and money from the ATM machine. Then we returned to the campsite and prepared sloppy joes and mashed potatoes for dinner. We also drank the last bottle of wine that we bought at Napa Valley. Again we had a campfire.

We woke up at 6:00, and it was still cold and foggy so we decided to eat breakfast at National Park Inn at Longmire. After eating breakfast, we drove back to the campground and packed up the car. We started driving to Seattle at 9:00. We drove west out of the park on Route 706 and then started north on Route 7. As we approached Seattle, we continued through Seattle on Interstate 5. Driving through Seattle, we saw the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, the Kingdome, and the Space Needle. We found an extended stay motel on the north side of Seattle in a suburb. After checking in at the motel, we drove west toward Puget Sound. We drove through the town of Edmonds and parked along the road next to Puget Sound. We sat and enjoyed watching the ferry go between Edmunds and Kingsport on the other side of Puget Sound. After a while, we walked down to the ferry to get information about the ferry's schedule. We agreed to take the ferry to Kingsport when we leave Seattle to go to Olympic National Park. Since we are close to the coast, we wanted fish for dinner. At the motel, we asked at the office to recommend a restaurant for a good fish dinner. The girl suggested Arnie's Restaurant in Edmonds. We drove back to Edmonds and found Arnie's next to Puget Sound. The restaurant on the waterfront had windows overlooking Puget Sound. The hostess seated us next to the window. We had a great view and a delicious dinner. Susan had fried oysters and Bob had halibut coated with cashews and Japanese bread crumbs. We told our waiter we were planning to visit Olympic National Park. He was a rock climber and was excited we were going to the park. He recommended several campgrounds on the seashore of Olympic. When we returned to the motel, we walked across the street to the theater. Bob wanted to see the movie, The Minority Report. We returned to the motel for the night.

We slept late this morning. After showering, we fixed cheese grits in the motel room. We are staying at an extended stay motel with a kitchenette. We worked on the computer for a while and then drove to find Costco. We bought gas, water and cashews. We then drove south to Seattle on Route 99. We drove to Golden Gardens Park along the water where we had a picnic lunch of cheese, crackers, and beef stick. There were several groups of children playing at the park. Bob wanted to get some long pants since it is quite cool in the northwest so we wanted to go shopping. We found a mall along Interstate 5 and Bob bought some jeans. We returned to the motel where Susan worked on the journal and Bob read the paper and took a short nap. We had hamburgers at Canyons Restaurant near the motel. Then we went to see another movie The Bourne Identity.

We slept late this morning. Again, we fixed cheese grits in the motel room. We worked on the computer for a while and then drove to find Barnes & Noble. Bob wanted to get another book on tape to listen to on the way home. We are now listening to Shelters of Stone, the fifth book in the Earth Children series by Jean Auel but should finish the C.D. before we reach home. Bob found a book on tape and Susan found two teacher books. We then looked for REI, which was harder to find than Barnes & Noble. We bought a tent sponge to clean the tent. We needed to stock up on groceries for our camping at Olympic National Park so next we went grocery shopping. We returned to the motel and did laundry at the motel. After completing the laundry, we ate salad for dinner at the motel.

We woke up at 6:00 and ate cheese grits for breakfast. After we packed the car, we left motel about 8:00. We stopped to get ice, but we were in line for the ferry at 8:20. We planned to ride the ferry from Edmunds to Kingston. We followed the signs that pointed us to the ferry. On a street next to Puget Sound, we passed a toll booth, where we had to pay our toll of $16.00 to ride the ferry. The man at the toll booth told us to drive to one of about 10 lanes to wait until the ferry was ready to be boarded. Many people got out of their cars to walk around, get coffee, or talk to others. When the ferry arrived, everyone was told to get back in their cars. We then drove on to the ferry, where another man told us where to park our car on the second level of cars on the ferry. Again many people got out of their cars to go up on deck. We stayed in our car because we had a very good view of where we were going. When the ferry neared the shore, people started to come back to their cars. We waited until we were told to drive off the ferry in Kingston about 9:00. We started driving west on Route 101 toward Olympic National Park. On our drive to Olympic, we saw a sailboat on a lake. It looked so picturesque. We arrived at the campground and set up.

When Sue woke up, Bob had already had two cups of coffee and suggested that we go to Lake Crescent Lodge for breakfast. After a delicious breakfast, we drove through Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. As we drove up to the visitor center, we saw three deer grazing in the meadow in front of us. On the veranda of the visitor center, we saw beautiful views of meadows with glaciers and mountains in the background. We bought a t-shirt and a sweatshirt at the gift shop. While drinking hot chocolate and coffee in the cafe, we heard an announcement about a video about Olympic National Park in the theater upstairs. After we watched the video, we hiked a trail to the top of the ridge. We returned to Lake Crescent and hiked to Marymere Falls. The hike was through a beautiful rain forest, across a bridge over a creek, and up some stairs where we could see the waterfall that fell about 90 feet. We then hiked back to the car and returned to the campground, where we paid our daily camping fee. Bob suggested that we drive into Port Angeles for dinner. Susan quickly agreed. We ate at the Crab House which is located next to the ferry landing. Susan had fried oysters which she loves. Bob had salmon fish and chips. After dinner, we walked along the shore line at the pier. We then returned to the campground.

When we woke up, Bob suggested that we go to Log Cabin Lodge for breakfast. After a delicious breakfast, we drove to Ozette, which is located along the North Pacific Coast. We fixed sandwiches to take on a hike and prepared for our hike. The hike begins at the Ozette Ranger Station and goes on a 3.1 mile hike along the Cape Alava Trail to the coast. Most of the hike is on a boardwalk through a rain forest with tall trees and beautiful ferns. We were planning to walk 3.0 miles along the coast to the Sand Point Trail, which is another 3.0 mile hike that returns to the Ozette Ranger Station. The rangers told us that we needed to be alert to high tide which would be coming in while we were walking on the beach. When we reached the beach, we found a log on which we sat, ate our sandwiches, and enjoyed the view. Looking out at the Pacific Ocean, we could see small islands. After a while, we decided to hike along the Cape Alava Trail back to the Ozette Ranger Station. We didn't think we could get to the Sand Point trailhead before high tide. That point of the trail is underwater at high tide. Altogether we hiked 6.2 miles. We drove back to the campground and ate an omelet with cheese and mushrooms. We were going to have wine but Bob could not find the corkscrew. No wine tonight!

We slept late and stopped for breakfast at Lake Crescent Lodge. Then we drove to Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. We looked at the exhibits at the visitor center, where we learned that the Hoh Rain Forest has an annual rainfall of 142 inches. Chicago and Seattle both have an average annual rainfall of 70 inches. We decided to hike the Hall of Mosses Trail near the visitor center. We walked through the rain forest and Bob took a lot of pictures along the trail. There were tall trees and beautiful ferns. Bob would love to have some of the ferns that he sees growing in the rain forest. Since it is illegal to remove anything in the national park, he keeps telling the ferns that he wants them to follow us home. then he can keep them. Along the Hall of Mosses Trail, we saw an otter playing in the pond. On our drive back, we ate lunch along the Hoh River. Then we drove to Sol Duc Hot Springs, where it started raining. We walked to the lodge where we could smell the hot springs that smelled like rotten eggs. We returned to the campground, where it was still raining. Bob suggested that we drive to Port Angeles for dinner. We ate a delicious dinner at Dynasty Chinese Restaurant even though the tablecloth was dirty. When we returned to the campground, it started raining much harder. When we went into the tent, we discovered that the tent was leaking. Water seeped in through a seam in the fly down the screened opening in the tent. Even though it rained most of the night, the tent stopped leaking. Thank goodness!

We woke up at 7:00. The rain had stopped, but everything was wet. We started taking the tent down right away. We used the tent sponge to dry off the tent and dining canopy. Because everything was so wet, it took a long time to pack up our camping supplies. We left the campground at 9:30. Bob was having visions of Dunkin' Donuts as we drove toward Port Angeles. When we stopped to get gas, Susan bought a cup of coffee and a newspaper for Bob. As we were driving east out of Port Angeles, we saw the golden arches of McDonald's and stopped for breakfast at 10:20, ten minutes before they stopped serving breakfast. We drove to Port Townsend, where we got on the ferry about 12:45 to cross to Keystone. When we arrived at the ferry site at Port Townsend, we drove to the toll booth. We paid about $10.00 at the toll booth and then we were told to which lane to drive. When the ferry arrived, we started boarding the ferry. We were lucky because we parked at the front of the ferry, where we had a great view of the crossing. When we were crossing, we thought we saw two dolphins diving out of the water. When we arrived at Keystone, we drove off the ferry and started heading east on Route #20. We realized that we won't be heading west again on this trip. We looked for a motel in Burlington and finally found Holiday Inn Express. Bob checked e-mail before Susan started working on the journal. Bob found the laundromat on the same floor as our room and started doing the laundry. When we finished the journal and the laundry, we went to dinner.

We left the motel at 9:15, headed for North Cascades. The temperature was 65 degrees. We drove beside the Skagit River, which was green. Later, we stopped at the North Cascades Visitor Center. After we stopped at Gorge Creek Falls to take pictures, we drove to the Colonial Creek Campground and set up camp. Susan thought this was our best campsite of the trip. Then we went to Newhalem to go grocery shopping. We stopped at the Ross Lake overlook. For dinner, we cooked hot dogs and pasta-not exactly gourmet food. After dinner, we enjoyed a campfire.

When we got up, we started packing our tent and dining canopy. We left the campground at 8:15 and stopped for breakfast at Mazama Country Inn. The inn was privately-owned and well-maintained and used log and metal roof construction. We ate breakfast on the outdoor patio where we saw five or six hummingbirds flitting around a hummingbird feeder. After breakfast, we drove west on Route # 20 and then north on Route # 97and crossed the border into Canada south of Osoyoos. The agent at the border asked us questions like "Did we have alcohol or firearms?" We guess that we looked innocent because he didn't keep us very long. Susan can hear her two brothers saying, "Boy! Was he wrong!" We stopped for lunch at Penticton and drove on to Revelstoke. After checking in at a motel, we drove around the town and stopped to walk around downtown. On the main street of town, a group of musicians were entertaining about one hundred people. Near the bandstand, a lady was dancing all by herself-seemingly oblivious to anyone else. We could not find a suitable restaurant so we started driving again. We found an A & W Root Beer stand and ate dinner.

We got up at 7:00 and ate breakfast at McDonald's. We noticed that the mountains are getting higher. We passed Mount Revelstoke National Park and the Canadian Glacier National Park . As we were driving along, the radio, tape player, and CD player stopped working. We were very upset because we have been listening to The Shelter of Stone, the last book in the Earth Children series written by Jean Auel. Along the side of the highway, we saw some mountain goats. We stopped at the national park welcome center, where we bought a daily pass for the national parks in Canada. The ranger informed us that Lake Louise Campground, where we wanted to camp, was closed because of the danger of grizzly bears. Later at the Alberta Welcome Center, we bought a music CD, pin, and patch. After we arrived at Johnston Canyon Campground, where we set up camp, we ate cheese and crackers for lunch. Then we drove to Lake Louise Village, where we shopped and bought groceries. We tried to go see Lake Louise, but it was too crowded. Instead, we drove to Moraine Lake for a beautiful view of a very blue lake. We returned to Lake Louise Village to see the Visitor Center. There the ranger told us that we had to hike at Lake Moraine in a party of six or more because of the danger of grizzly bears in that area. We returned to the campground and ate beanies and weinies for dinner. When we washed the dishes, we realized that the soap had leaked and made a mess. Bob said to throw away the soap and we would buy some more soap. Then we had a campfire before going to bed.

When we got up, we drove to Lake Louise Village to have breakfast at the Mountain Restaurant. It was rather expensive and not very good food. At 11:30 we drove to Lake Louise to go on a hike, but it was too crowded again. Instead, we drove south to the town of Banff, where we walked and shopped for three hours. We stopped at an internet cafe to transfer funds and check e-mail. We bought some dark chocolate fudge, but the girls at the shop mixed up our order with another woman and we got mocha chocolate fudge. When we returned to the campground, we sorted through our souvenirs and decided to get a new bag. We drove to Lake Louise Ski Lodge and Gondola and bought a bag for our souvenirs. When we returned to the campground, we started to get ready for dinner and realized that we did not have soap to wash the dishes. That was a good excuse to go out for dinner! We decided to go back to Banff for dinner. We ate dinner at a food court in a small mall. When we returned to the campground, we had a campfire.

When we got up at 7:00 to go hiking at Lake Louise, we remembered that we had to renew our camping space by 11:00. We didn't think that we would have enough time to hike so we decided to drive north to Jasper. When we were driving to Jasper, we realized that we were low on gas. We thought we would run out of gas. We were relieved when we saw a gas station so we stopped and filled up the tank for $49.00 (Canadian money). We thought that was highway robbery. We ate breakfast at the same place which was also expensive. We bought two cinnamon rolls and two drinks for $11.00 (Canadian money). Since we were only half way to Jasper at 9:30, we decided we needed to return to the campground to pay our camping fee. Then we started for Jasper again at 11:00 on the Icefield Parkway. On the way to Jasper, we saw a bear and later, a group of mountain goats. We stopped at the Columbia Icefield Visitor Center and learned a lot about glaciers. Across the parkway from the visitor center was Asthabasca glacier. In the exhibit, we learned that the glacier had moved a lot since 1970. There was time lapse photography showing the movement and melting of the glacier. The icefield is at 6,500 feet above sea level and is located on top of and between the highest peaks in that area. It feeds the glaciers flowing down the mountains. The Visitor Center had special buses to ride in to go to the glaciers, but we did not take a ride. At 4:30, we arrived at Jasper. Jasper is not as commercial as Banff. We saw a lot of peonies growing in Jasper. When we lived in Illinois, we grew peonies. Bob has really missed growing peonies in the South. He told the peonies to fall in behind the ferns that were following us from Olympia National Park. Susan kept looking back but did not see any thing following our car. We had to fill up the gas tank again and started driving back to the campground. On the return trip to the campground, we again saw a bear and a group of mountain goats along the side of the parkway.

We got up, showered and left the campground by 7:15 to go hiking at Lake Louise. For breakfast, we went to a bakery/deli in Lake Louise Village. We drove to Lake Louise parking lot about 8:30 and started walking along the lakeshore. When we got to the end of the lakeshore, we kept walking. The trail started ascending the mountain toward the Plain of Six Glaciers. About noon, we arrived at the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse and ate lunch. The teahouse has no access except by trail. They get their supplies by helicopter or horseback and have no electricity. Four women were living there but only in the summer. After lunch, we continued on the trail until we reached the Plain of Six Glaciers. As we neared the glaciers, it got colder. We sat on rocks for a while, looking at the glaciers. Also, there was a cabin at the top of a glacier built when early climbers were exploring the glaciers. When we left the glaciers on our return to Lake Louise, it started raining and sleeting. About 3:30 we returned to the Lake Louise chateau. The temperature around the lakeshore was in the 80's. We learned that the hike was seven miles long. Hungry and tired, we walked to the Chateau to eat dinner. We ate at Glacier Saloon in the chateau. Glacier Saloon had very comfortable chairs and good food. On our return to the campground, we stopped at Moose Meadow to look for moose but saw only groundhogs. We called our family on the cell phone and returned to the campground.

When we got up, we packed up and left Banff National Park at 8:30. As we drove on to the Trans-Canadian Highway, we saw a hitch hiker on the side of the road. We have observed that hitch hiking and bicycle riding seem to be more popular in Canada than in the U.S. We crossed the border at Roosville into Montana. Again the agent asked us the same questions. He did ask another agent to check our license plate number but let us go. In Montana, we drove south on Route #93 to Kalispell, Montana. We passed Dickey Lake (just for you Dick - years ago we stopped at Dickey Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway-remember?). We found a motel, where Susan worked on the journal while Bob did the laundry. We ate dinner at Barley"s Brewhouse.

We left the motel in Kalispell, Montana at 7:15, stopped for breakfast at Cislo's Family Restaurant. Yesterday we cleaned out the cooler because it was smelling bad. This morning we had to grocery shopping to restock the cooler. After we filled up the gas tank, we started for Glacier National Park at 9:00. We entered the park at West Glacier and shopped at some of the stores there. We bought a CD that was an audio tour of the Going to the Sun Road. We listened to the CD, but every time we turned off the motor, the CD would start over from the beginning. It was quite irritating. Glacier National Park was named the tenth U.S. national park in 1910 by President Howard Taft. It was named Glacier National Park not because of the glaciers in the park but because the glaciers formed a huge valley in the park. The Going to the Sun Road was built around this valley. The road was very narrow with steep drop-offs. At Lake McDonald, we stopped to take pictures. Lake McDonald is 10 miles long and one and one-half miles wide and 450 feet deep. At Lake McDonald Lodge, there was a huge fireplace in the lobby. Along the road side, we saw mountain goats climbing on the rocks. When we stopped at Logan Pass Visitor Center, we saw another mountain goat, which children were trailing. At Rising Sun picnic area, we ate cheese and crackers. When we left Glacier National Park, the landscape was quite diverse. We stopped at a motel in Butte Montana and ate dinner at a truck stop.

When we left the motel in Butte, Montana about 8:00, we stopped for breakfast at a truck stop. We drove east on Interstate 90 to Route # 287, then south to Yellowstone National Park. Route # 287 was very scenic. We arrived at Yellowstone about 11:00. Along the road, we saw where a forest fire burned a few years ago. The trees were black, but a new growth of evergreens were now growing. As we drove through Yellowstone, we saw some elk, moose, and a large bird (perhaps an eagle). The traffic was slow driving through Yellowstone. We arrived at Grand Teton National Park at 1:30. After we registered at Colter Bay Campground and set up our tent, we went to Colter Bay Visitor Center. Then we drove to Jackson Lake and ate lunch at a picnic area. After we drove to Jenny Lake and drove through the campground, we returned to our campground and ate cheeseburgers and corn on the cob. While we were eating, it started raining. It rained all night. Bob said that there was a lot of lightning and thunder during the night. This is the second time that we have visited Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Since Grand Teton National Park is our favorite national park, we decided to see it again.

We slept late until 8:00. Although it had stormed and rained during the night, it was very sunny and beautiful when we got up. We showered at Colter Bay for three dollars. We drove to Jackson Hole, south of Grand Teton National Park. When we ate breakfast, we were seated inside because the outdoor seating was not open yet. After we ordered our breakfast, Bob asked our waitress if we could move outdoors. Another waitress interrupted and said that we could not move outdoors since our order had been placed. Our waitress came to us later and told us that the other waitress had been very rude and that she was moving us outdoors. After we shopped in Jackson Hole for several hours, we drove to Gros Ventre campground. When we visited Grand Teton National Park many years ago, we had camped in Gros Ventre campground. The campground looked different than we remembered it. It is much larger and more crowded than it was then. After we stopped at the Moose Visitor Center, we had a picnic lunch at String Lake. We returned to the campground and relaxed. Again it started raining. In the afternoon, the clouds build up and it starts raining. We ate mushroom and cheese omelet with wine for dinner.

When we woke up at 8:00, we drove to Jackson Lake Lodge for breakfast. The lodge is very beautiful and expensive. In the dining room, there are floor to ceiling windows on one side of the room. Outside the windows, there is a beautiful view of the lake and mountains. After breakfast, Susan finally bought a Native American sand painting. She has been admiring the sand paintings since the beginning of our trip. When we returned to the campground, we started taking down our tent and canopy. Since our tent and canopy were wet from the rain, we sponged them off and hung them on a clothesline to dry. We wanted to make sure everything was dry since we were not planning to use them on this trip again. We left the campground at 12:00 and drove west on Route # 26 and # 287. We drove through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and desert areas. We found some construction on the road. As we drove into Casper, we saw dark skies and lightning in the east. We registered at the motel and then went to the East Ridge Shopping Center to find another book on tape. We bought another Robert Ludlum tape to listen to while driving home. We ate dinner at Village Inn Restaurant.

We left the motel at 7:00, stopped to get gas, and ate breakfast at Village Inn Restaurant. While at the restaurant, Bob realized that he must have left his glasses at the motel so we went back to the motel where we found his glasses. Today is Susan's mother's birthday. Sue called her mom on the cell and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. We left Casper at 8:00 and drove through a lot of farmland until 5:00 when we stopped at Grand Island, Nebraska. We registered at a motel and ate at a truck stop.