Southern Idaho

This was, arguably our first time through Idaho.  The argument was that our first time was about eight miles of back-roads through the corner in the fog on our way into Canada but according to Kathy that didn't count.  Anyway we agree this was our first time west to east in southern Idaho. I'd heard good things about the amazing views and moderate climate and hoped to see it personally.

 The views began as Washington/Oregon had ended, winding roads following meandering rivers.  I envisioned trout fisherman and lonely truckers but there was so much more to come.

As we pulled into a parking lot near the mall, I reached out to a former supervisor from Fort Bend ISD and inquired about a local pizza company.  She'd long ago given up on Facebook and didn't respond until a week later so Kathy hiked what looked was right across the street to pick up some pie.  It ended up being nearly a two mile hike.  The pizza was still warm when she got back though.

But city life wasn't for us so we pulled out of town before the morning rush hour and crossed the plains.

 We enjoyed watching the wildlife, prong-horns, grasshoppers, migrating cranes, and watched a wild cat stalk a herd of deer.

Eastward bound the grasses give way to a rockier landscape. A place more foreign.  Volcanic peaks dot the horizon and basalt and pumice form alien landscapes and the Craters of the Moon appear.

This fascinating park has been a backdrop for 
250,000 visitor creating their own alien landscape stories.

Should I stay or should I go?

The freedom of our lifestyle continually has us pose the same questions we all consider.  How confining is FREEEDOM?  Kathy's college teacher once said, "A free man will spend his entire life trying to give his freedom up."  She vividly remembers that quote as we make our decisions about where we go on our journey.

When I decided no more cold winters, Kathy asked her boss if they had a need for her services further south.  I located a volunteer gig for us at Tonto National Forest near Mesa, AZ.  Her boss said super! We left Bellingham for good. 

We decided to take the long route and enjoy the scenery in our transition.  Time to tick off a few more National Parks along the way.  Mount Rainier, previously only seen by plane welcomed us near the end of the season, which such empty campgrounds and road construction. 

Beyond the beauty of this snow-covered volcano the views are eternal enchantment. 

 
We arrived before the Visitor's Center even opened so a very friendly Ranger snuck us in so Kathy could get her Passport stamp.  We have to go back and check out the museum some other time. 

Washington State

The evergreen state lived up to its name with farmlands, trees, politics, and the sometimes aegon color of the Pacific Ocean.  

As residents of Bellingham, Mount Baker a dormant volcano became our playscape and I found my field of Joy on Whidbey Island, our place of work and respite.  

The state parks and national parks are welcoming and affordable for camping even if families swarmed them like ants in the summer; we enjoyed many of them spring and fall.  

We built friendships and a local life which was hard to leave but we took what we love with us and left the disappointments behind.

Acadia National Park

Getting reservations for any campground in Acadia national park is difficult so we stayed in the state park for two days to start our experience.  After a nice lunch in a pullout near the harbor, we set up camp at the state park.  It was hot and humid, for Maine.  Our corner site was not very level but we made due.  We hopped in the jeep and drove straight to the beach.  The familiar red cabbage head jellyfish were plentiful.  As the sun set we headed home for a night of Ally McBeal, we brought the entire series on DVD.  These are my TV addiction medication.  

After several phone calls, the next day, our mail was located.  Kathy's mom had bundled our mail and sent it to us.  We headed into Ba HaBa or Bar Harbor to pick up mail and found a great Thai tea and coffee shop.  Then we were off to drive Acadia Loop.  Beautiful scenery hidden amongst fog and throngs of people.  We drove all the way up  Cadillac Mountain and got more Acadia stamps for Kathy's book National Parks Book.  Cadillac Mountain was a fog fest!  It rolled it heavy as we approached the crest.  At the top, the fog was thicker than pea soup!  Visibility was less than twenty feet.  The drive down was much slower as we feared cars that had pulled off into turn-outs would pull out in front of us.  

At the bottom, the fog was gone.  Hunger called.  We found the Chartroom, as per our locals recommendation from the Mexican restaurant up north, and feasted on lobster.  

Check out from the State Park was accented with a bike crash.  I backed the Jeep into a tree with the bikes on the back.   Kathy was upset mostly because I bent her rim.  Off to KOA for LP.  The nice guy filling our LP told us fellow work campers about corporate KOA jobs. Apparently, they offer great benefits.  A few minutes down the road, we joined the line for camping registration at Seawall Campground, the western park in Acadia.  

The campground was large and full even with no electricity.  It's alway interesting walking around and looking at other rigs.  The most memorable this time was a small class B. They set up behind us across the narrow road.  When they open the door out jumps two large white dogs.  Yes, two Great Pyraness and two adults in a large van!  

After our snooping around walk, we drove to many of the Acadia sights, Echo Lake, Seal Cove, Bass Harbor lighthouse.  Beauty at every turn but we were somewhat let down.  We decided our mistake was visiting Alaska first.  

We followed another recommendation and had dinner at the Seafood Street Diner.  It was pricy but flavors were spot on.  Upscale progressive dining and cocktails.  We recommend it too!  

On the way home, we stopped and watched the tide come in.  We sat on the rocks for an hour or so.  I enjoyed searching tide pools for starfish and crabs, picking at shiny rocks and watching seagulls of every variety.  We watched ducks swim in the ocean, yes finally, the real Atlantic Ocean.

Our evening entertainment the Ranger Todd show.  The program was about the sounds of the area.  Todd entertained us with his "twin" brother Ted (really just Todd) singing corny renditions of recognizable tunes. The walk home was in the real dark.  With only a disposable flashlight obtained from the Wisconsin Lumberjack competitions, and solar powered path lights we walked cautiously home.

The next day we had errands to do in town.  We found a laundry mat and tried to charge our computers, iPads and iPhones.  We bought groceries at the expensive town market and pharmacy.  Back to the seashore, the pounding surf, and a call with a job offer for next summer in South Dakota working at a motel. We discussed returning to Alaska, for a winter, well Kathy did.

Dinner on the open grate fire pit of steak and hobo potatoes we celebrated our last night in Acadia.  Finally, a flicker of our lights, our house batteries had dropped because we hadn't  used the generator for over five days.  We learned what our new limits of our batteries.  I finished reading Walking My Dog, Jane and decided, Alaska here we come!  Well, not quite yet.