9/1/09: Epilogue:

Every story needs an ending. This ending is kind of routine and boring. I did laundry, unpacked the camper and took the camper off the truck. While I am relieved to be home and around family and friends, a tiny bit of me already misses the road. There is a certain sense of wonder and thrill about what each day would bring. What was I going to see? Where was I going to stay?

This trip did fulfill my major goal of renewal and independence. Kathy and I had dated for five years and then were married for forty more. That's forty five years of joint decision making. I now have to learn how to make decisions on my own. While that sounds easy, its not. This trip helped me start that process. I have also noticed that each day, little by little, I find myself "grieving" less and "fondly remembering" more. Certain photos, events, and places now bring a smile instead of tears. I'm not totally over the grieving process yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Damn, I'm getting misty eyed as I write this.

I have a group of random observations from this trip that I want to remember. They are in no particular order, just random thoughts.

1) I love the two lane roads in America. In general, they are in much better physical condition than the Interstates. They are less traveled and much more relaxing to drive. They certainly don't get you from point A to point B as quick as the Interstates, but you feel better when you get there.

2) The rest of rural America is not all that different from Gouverneur, or Potsdam, or other small towns in Northern NY. There are good people everywhere. They talk about the same things at the gas stations and grocery stores as we do here. And of course, Walmart is everywhere. :-)

3) I enjoyed listening to the local radio stations instead of the ipod or satellite radio. Where else can you learn where to shop for tractor and combine parts? You learn about the local fairs and benefit golf tournaments. And most of all, you learn where to shop for your next new car, or where to get the best deal for your clunker.

4) I am struck by the number of towns that have beautiful murals painted on buildings. I don't think I had really appreciated them before. I see the one in Canton all the time and take it for granted. But as a stranger driving through small towns, the murals are very striking and pretty.

5) It was interesting to see local towns advertise their heroes on signs and billboards as you enter. Lots of ones for various local high school sports teams that were State Champs in such and such year. The most unusual one was a sign indicating that it was the home town of a soldier who earned the Medal of Honor.

6) I love rural America. I'm not a city boy. As I said in an earlier post, everyone needs to drive across the Untied States sometime. It gives you a whole new perspective of how big a country we are. It helps you appreciate just how important our agricultural land base is. However, a depressing side note is how much of that farm land is for sale. And it's not for sale for farming purposes. Big billboards smack in the middle of a corn or wheat field are advertising tracts of land for commercial and residential development. Sprawl is everywhere.

Well, I think that's all for now. If I remember other things I may come back and add to this list, or add another entry. When I started out writing, it was part travelogue, part diary, and part therapy. I have ended up writing much more than I originally planned. I guess that's the therapy part.

Thanks for listening........

Days 30,31,32: 8/28,29,30, Cranberry Lake, then HOME

210 miles to Cranberry Lake and then home to Gouverneur. Camped at Cranberry Friday and Saturday nights, then home on Sunday.

Friday morning and we are busy packing. I'm getting things arranged in the camper while Amy is helping Cam and Cody get their stuff together. Thursday night we (Cam, Cody, Zoey and I) "practiced" camping by sleeping in the camper in the driveway. Everyone survived the night, so the weekend camping trip was a go. By 10:00 AM we were on the road. We stopped in Long Lake for a rest break and even got to watch a sea plane take off. Lunch was McDonalds in Tupper Lake. We also had to do some last minute grocery shopping in Tupper Lake. Shopping with Cam is an adventure. If she had her way, we would have left the store with one of every item.

We checked in at Cranberry Lake State Park about 2:30. Alfie Bigarel met us with a truckload of firewood. Alfie and Karen (Kathy's sister) have been long time camping buddies. We camped together when our kids were babies. The original plan was for Karen and Alfie to bring their camper up and camp with us for the weekend. However, the rainy weather forecat scared them off. Alfie watches the Weather Channel 24/7, and he was convinced that there was a "perfect storm" brewing for the weekend. So they left their camper home. They did drive up and sit around the campfire with us each night.

It rained Friday night, but Saturday was partly sunny and pleasant. I had forgotten how much energy it takes to chaperon two kids, 8 and 5 who are brother and sister. We had a few minor scrapes, spills, meltdowns, and attitude adjustments, but I would not have traded the time with them of for anything. Campfire time with grandchildren is precious. It is amazing how much they can find to do when there is no TV, video games, or DVD players around.

Justin and Amy drove in about noon on Saturday. We all went for a hike, sat around the campfire, and in general, just relaxed. For dinner we went to The Lodge, the local hangout in Cranberry Lake. Saturday night the guys (Justin, Cody, and I) camped in a tent while the girls, including Zoey and their dog, Bailey, camped in the truck camper. And of course, it rained during the night. Fortunately the rain was light, and not too bad. At daybreak the rain stopped. Everyone, including me, was anxious to get home and cleaned up. By 9:00 AM we were packed and ready to leave. I arrived back home about 10:30 Sunday morning. Now, laundry and a shower.

So, after 32 days and 6,723 miles I have come full circle.

I'll write another post tomorrow. I have accumulated a bunch of reflections and observations during my trip that I want to remember and share. This trip is what I needed, and it more than exceeded what I hoped for. Thanks for following along.

Later.........

Days 28 and 29: 8/26-27, Queensbury

25 miles: still parked at Justin and Amy's

The last two days have been very relaxing and rewarding. Nothing earth shattering or exciting. Just very enjoyable being able to be with the kids and grandkids. Justin and Amy have gone to work each day. Camry still goes to pre-school for a few more days. So I got to hang with (and supervise) Cody.

Wednesday morning I got caught up with some of my online banking. I can get on Justin's WIFI network, which is much faster than my Verizon aircard. Then Cody and I went to Subway for lunch, and we did some recreation shopping at Lowes and Home Depot. Leslie Sutter called. She is the high school art teacher at Potsdam and has taught next door to me for the past 15 years. Leslie and her husband spent the summer in England and she had flown back into Albany on Tuesday. She was driving to Potsdam and knew I was in the Lake George area. So Cody and I met her at Starbucks and visited for an hour or so. It was fun exchanging travel stories and getting ourselves pumped back up for the classroom next week.

Wednesday night Justin and Amy took me out to dinner at a neat little brew pub in Glens Falls. It was warm enough that we ate in the outside dining area. Cody went to an overnight birthday party, so it was just Justin, Amy, Camryn and I. We called it "Camryn's Graduation Dinner." After dinner we went to Lowes to pick up parts for a plumbing project that Justin needs done.

I spent the day Thursday repairing a leaking pressure tank on Justin's water system. It's one of those jobs that can be real simple, or a disaster. This one wasn't too bad. Fortunately everything went well and Cody and I had to only make one additional trip (darn) to Lowes for parts. However, we did find it an excuse to have lunch at KFC.

The plan Friday is to head to Cranberry Lake and camp there for the last two nights of my trip. Cody and Cam are going to camp with me (if they don't get cold feet) Friday night and Justin and Amy will come up to camp with us Saturday night. We hope to meet Karen and Alfie Bigarel there. There is a 50% to 60% chance of rain for the weekend. Joy, joy. On the other hand, if I survived five days of rain in Montana, I guess I can tough it out for two more. Sunday will be the day Zoey and I pull back into my driveway after having been gone for 32 days. Hope the cat still remembers us.

See ya.......

Day 27: 8/25/09: Queensbury, NY

359 miles: parked in Justin and Amy Sipher's driveway.

Zoey and I were packed and on the road reasonably early. We pulled out of the campground about 7:00 AM. The fog was so thick you could barely see. On top of that, I got behind a couple of school buses. Apparently school has started in Pennsylvania. My original goal was to run the 2 lane roads to Binghamton, and then pick Interstate 88 to Albany and then I87 north to Queensbury. But the visibility was so bad, I headed north as soon as possible to pickup Route 17 in NY. While not technically an Interstate, it might as well be. In fact, I saw signs saying it was the "future Interstate 86." Anyway, the driving was easier.

I got an email on the iphone (I was at a McDonalds getting coffee, not driving) from long time friend Ron Reed saying that if I was going to be the Cortland neighborhood to stop for coffee. Since this trip really is about the journey and not the destination, a detour was not out of the question. At Binghamton, I went north on I81 for an hour and arrived at Ron's house about 10:00. We had a great visit. I first met Ron when he taught biology at Potsdam High School. He now teaches at Cortland High School.

I left Cortland about noon. I81 to Syracuse, then I90 to Fonda. Then 2 lane roads to Saratoga, a quick few miles on I87 and I pulled in Justin's driveway at 3:45. I got huge hugs from Cam and Cody. I haven't seen them in over a month. A little bit of down time, and then we went to Camry's Preschool Graduation. Cam is 5 and will be starting kindergarten in 2 weeks. Kids that age are so full of energy and enthusiasm. If we could just bottle it and dispense it back to them when they are in high school, kind of like a blood bank. It was a fun evening.

No dramatic vistas or science lessons today. Just a wonderful day doing the little things in life, like visiting with friends and spending time with family. Sometimes the little things are the most important.

Later..........

Day 26: 8/24/09: Pennsylvania

366 miles: Camped in Canyon Country Campground, near Wellsboro, PA

On the Road Again!! I left Matt and Jaime's about 7:30 this morning. They had both already gone to work by then. I can't express enough what a peaceful and relaxing time I had with them. And Chasen is changing by the day. I last saw him at the end of June. I better figure out a way to get down there every few months to watch him grow.

I ran Interstate 79 north until it intersected Interstate 80. Went east on 80 for just a few miles, then abandoned the interstates again for the 2 lane roads. I traveled north up through Oil City and eventually hit Warren, PA. As I was traveling I got an email on the iphone from my friend Ron Reed. He said that if I happen to be in the Warren area to check out the Kinzua Dam, so I did.

Wow!! The dam is on the Allegheny River and it creates the huge Allegheny Reservoir. The man-made lake is 24 miles long, and extends into New York, as well as Pennsylvania. The surface area is twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. In fact, the dam is named after a town that was flooded when the lake was created in 1965. The primary purpose of the project was to help control downstream flooding.

See, the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River meet in Pittsburgh to create the Ohio River. That's why the baseball field in Pittsburgh used to be called Three Rivers Stadium, until they sold out the naming rights and it became PNC Park. Interestingly, at least to me, the Allegheny starts in Pennsylvania, flows north into New York, and then back south into Pennsylvania. The Monongahela starts in West Virginia, flows north through Morgantown and meets up with the Allegheny in Pittsburgh. And the the river that's created when they join, the Ohio, flows west and becomes the border between Ohio and West Virginia, and between Kentucky and Ohio and Indiana. Who said geography isn't fun?

Zoey and I sat around a campfire as I blogged. Every campground I have stayed at on this trip has banned bringing in firewood. Invasive species have become such a threat. Many of the campgrounds have "Burn It Where You Buy It" signs posted all over the place. The picture on the right is from the Mounds State Park in Indiana. Our mobile society and way of life have introduced species that normally would not have traveled so far on their own. Now we are starting to pay the price. The Emerald Ash Borer is already in this area of Pennsylvania. It is expected to get to New York this summer. The trouble is that scientists are predicting that this bug can potentially destroy the ash trees in much in the same way as the elms have been decimated. Scary news!

OK, that's enough science lessons for today. Tuesday I'm off to Justin and Amy's home in Queensbury, which is near Lake George, NY.

See ya.........

Day 24 and 25: 8/22-23, West Virginia

0 miles (60 miles on Matt's car): still parked at Matt and Jaime's.

This has been one relaxing weekend! On Saturday we went to a Wing Cook-off in Morgantown, where we met up with Jaime's parents and sister. It was HUGE affair! Eight restaurants had tents set up and were peddling their specialty wings. I'll bet there were 5,000 people there over the course of the afternoon. Now lets see, 5,000 people times, maybe 10 wings each. That equals 50,000 wings served!!!!! There was a car show as well with with moderns, classics, and antiques.

The most work I did Sunday was to wash 3 weeks of dust and road grim off the truck and camper. It needed a bath real bad. Tonight we are going out to dinner. I have had a really nice time with Matt, Jaime and Chasen, doing almost nothing. Real peaceful. I even had some time to teach Chasen how to blog.

On Monday Zoey and I head to Justin and Amy's in Queensbury, NY. We are going to take 2 days to get there. My road atlas shows US Route 6 in Northern PA as a scenic route, so we are going to try that. I'll probably camp somewhere in Pennsylvania Monday night and get to Justin's Tuesday afternoon.

Until next time.........

Day 23: 8/21/09: West Virginia

359 miles: Camped (or rather parked) at Matt and Jaime's house near Shinnston, WV.

Last day of driving for a few days!! Zoey and I were up and packed by 8:00 this morning. We took a few minutes to check out one of the ceremonial mounds created by the Native Americans over two thousand years ago. By 9:00 we were on the road.

Not much exciting to write about in my travels on this day. No rants, or philosophical ramblings today. As we drove, the flat lands of Indiana
transitioned to the rolling fields of Ohio, to the mountains of
West Virginia. I got to Matt's about 3:00, and promptly started relaxing. And that's how I spent the rest of the afternoon. Here I am hanging with my grandson Chasen.

So, a slow paced, relaxing weekend is in store. I'll post the next update Sunday night.

See y'all later......... (that's West Virginia talk)

Day 22: 8/20/09: John Deere World Headquarters

370 miles: camped at Mounds State Park, Anderson, Indiana.

It is a beautiful warm evening here in Indiana at 8:00 PM, and I am writing this as I sit outside in a lawn chair sipping a beer. I'm watching Zoey play with a pine cone. Ah, the life of a blogger.

Steve and Jane Randall were very gracious hosts. Jane fixed breakfast for me before she left for her library job. They have a beautiful home that borders on a golf course. Steve has about a 20 minute commute to work for John Deere. After I got the camper packed up, I followed him as he drove to the corporate headquarters. He doesn't work in this building, but rather one a couple miles away. He is involved with computer software programing for dealers.

The lobby of the headquarters building is open to the public and has a huge display area and collection of John Deere memorabilia. I got to be a little kid in a toy store. There was everything from lawn mowers to combines to bulldozers on display. All inside. An interesting little side note. The original John Deere sculpture and logo featured a deer leaping and heading down, as if it was ready to land on the ground. Somebody in marketing decided that a deer facing down didn't project the right image for the company. So a new sculpture and logo were created to show a deer at the beginning of the leap, and thus facing up. This is supposed to convey the image that John Deere Co. is "leaping up and into the future." I guess image is everything.

I left John Deere about 9:30. My goal was to get about halfway to West Virginia. That would be somewhere in the Indianapolis area. I had scoped out a State Park about 25 miles to the east of there, so I aimed for it. Because I started late, 9:30, and I lost an hour on the clock due to coming back into Eastern Time, I chose to run Interstate 74 most of the way. As luck would have it, I hit Indianapolis right at rush hour.

I don't mean to get on a soapbox, BUT (my students right about now would be rolling their eyes and saying, "there he goes again") American has to find a better way of getting it's people to and from work, without thousands of cars, each carrying only one person, racing along at 70 miles per hour weaving in and out of traffic. OK, enough said.

Anyway, I'm camped at Mounds State Park. There are some Indian ceremonial mounds here dating back to 140 BC or so. I'll try to have more about them in tomorrow's post. Tonight the campground is only about a quarter full, but the ranger says that it fills up each weekend. Actually the campground is just a small part of the park. There are numerous hiking trails, several Indian mounds, and a large picnic area in the park as well.

By the way, thank you for the feedback I've been getting, both public and private. It means a lot to me.

See ya soon......

Day 21: 8/19/09: Eldridge, Iowa

517 miles: camped in the driveway of Steve and Jane Randall in Eldridge, Iowa

Not a whole lot to write about today. Zoey and I left Salem about 7:30 this morning. For the first 200 miles, we stuck to the 2 lane roads as we headed south on US 81. Crossed into Nebraska and headed toward the Missouri River, which is the Iowa State Line. As we neared Omaha, it looked like time was running short. I had told Steve and Jane that I would get their place by 5:00. The GPS told me the only way we were going to do that was to jump on Interstate 80. So we did.

Wow!! After driving on 2 lanes for several days, the Interstate was a shock, especially a busy one like 80. Trucks, trucks, and more trucks. You start to realize that this country could not survive without tractor trailers. I did note the prevalence of wind turbines in Western Iowa. It seemed like they were everywhere. I did not find them obnoxious to look at. I'm really curious how much energy they generate. But it seems that this part of Iowa has accepted them.

I got to the Randall's right at 5:00. Steve and Jane were both in my high school class, and Steve roomed with me at college. We go back a long way. After a quick setup in the driveway, and a quick cold beer, we went out to dinner. They had made reservations at a place with a view overlooking the Mississippi River. I had a phenomenal dinner of Fillet Mignon. As we ate, a storm swept across the river, and the double rainbow resulted. People in the restaurant were all excited because of the rainbows. I snapped a quick couple of pictures with my cell phone.

We got back to the house and reminisced for awhile. In the morning, Steve, who works for John Deere, is going to give me a quick tour of the John Deere World Headquarters. That should be fun.

After that, Zoey and I are going to take 2 days and travel the 700 plus miles to Matt and Jaime's house in West Virginia, planning to arrive Friday afternon. We are slowly but surely making our way home. But I have to admit, I'm starting to get attached to my home in the camper. In fact, Jane had a room all set for me, but I felt more at home in the camper. So that's where I am.

That's all for today....

Day 20: 8/18/09: De Smet, South Dakota

411 miles: camped in Salem, located in Southeast South Dakota.

Today was a good day! Woke up to cloudless skies for the first time in quite awhile. Zoey and I left Bismark about 7:30 this morning. We ran Interstate 94 east for about 100 miles, then turned south on US 281. What a wonderful road! Two lane, 65 mile speed limit, and almost no traffic. Plus, you get to see the real countryside. In general, I'm so impressed with the rural roads in the west. More people should use them.

Our goal was to reach De Smet, SD. For those of you not familiar, De Smet is the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the basis of the Little House on the Prairie series. As I mentioned before, I have relatives buried in the De Smet cemetery. Not knowing where to begin, I stopped at the local library. They called the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society for me. What do you know. They have a record of Sipher burial plots in the cemetery. I show up and the they help me decipher (sorry) the map and show me where to look. The cemetery is about mile away. It took only 10 minutes of looking and I found the gravestones. There were 5 in all. Polley (it's spelled Polly in other records, but Polley on the stone) and 4 others. They might be her children or grandchildren. Polley Sipher is my Great Great Grandmother; born in 1825 and died in 1907. So for my grandchildren, Cam, Cody, and Chasen, that makes her their Great Great Great Great Grandmother, if I counted right. It was a neat experience finding the stones.

Then we took some more 2 lane highway and headed south on US 25, east on State 34, and south on US 81. Found a real nice campground just outside Salem, SD and got checked in by 5:00. We setup and made dinner. Canned spaghetti, another one of my specialties. :-) In the "I've see almost everything" department, a rig rolls in across the driveway from me with this outfit. I just had to check it out, so waltzed right over and made myself to home. This couple full times. That is their one and only home. But obviously, the neatest part is the way they transport their car.

The guy "camped" next to me came over to visit for an hour. He has a truck camper similiar to mine, but has it off the truck and setting on the ground. He has been living there in it for about 4 months. He lives in Minnesota, but works for a company laying oil pipeline here in South Dakota. He works 12 hour days, 6 or 7 days a week. His wife lives 8 hours away and comes to visit him on weekends. He works about 8 months a year, and gets laid off for the winter. He loves dogs, and has raised labs in the past, so he and Zoey hit it right off. I had a nice time visiting with him. We talked about kids, school sports (his kids are all grown up and moved on) and dogs. I guess it just points out that there are nice people everywhere.

OK, Wednesday Zoey and I are headed to Eldridge, Iowa to park in the driveway of longtime friends and former high school classmates Steve and Elizabeth (she was Jane in high school ) Randall.

See ya.........

Day: 19: 8/17/09 - camped in Bismarck, ND

414 miles: Camped at Bismark KOA, Bismarck, ND

Well, today started off on the wrong foot, or so it seemed. I was awakened by the the truck shaking because of the high winds. The rain was beating down so hard that Zoey went out to do her thing for a total of only 30 seconds, the outside temperature was 48, and THE DAMN SHOWERS ONLY HAD COLD WATER!!! So I cooked a warm breakfast of sausage and scrambled eggs, one of my few specialties. We left about 9:00 and headed to the Northern Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There is also a South Unit 70 miles to the south.

The Park is located on Rt. 85, south of Williston. Got there about 10:00. As I checked in, I asked about getting a a Senior Park Pass. For $10 this allows you unlimited entry to all National Parks for the rest of your life. The young lady at the check in looked at me and asked me if I realized you had to be 62 to get this pass. I showed her my proof, and told her that she had just made my day. Unfortunately, she is probably trained to flatter every "senior" that way. :-)

By now the weather had cleared and the sun was starting to show. But the temperature never got above 65 all day. There is a 14 mile scenic drive that we took. By the time we stopped at every pullout and took dozens of photos, nearly 4 hours had passed. The Park incorporates examples of both grassland and badlands topography. The badlands portion are where severe erosion has occurred over time, and reveal wonderful layers of sediment that show different colors and textures. The grasslands ecosystem supports a buffalo herd, along with deer and antelope. In fact, the buffalo herd turned into a temporary road block, as you can see in the photo. You can also see the grasslands in the background and get an idea of how productive they are.

Zoey has been a great companion. She loves to ride, and perks up at every pullout hoping that she can get out. The trouble is that the National Parks are very fussy about not allowing dogs on the trails. So we couldn't do any hiking together.

After finishing our time at the North Unit of the Park, we headed south again on Rt. 85. My intention was to visit the South Unit as well, where the entrance is on Interstate 94, but time was catching up with us. So, we passed on the South Park and headed east when we hit the Interstate. Finally stopped in Bismarck about 7:00 PM.

Tuesday we are off to De Smet, SD. My grandfather John Sipher's grandmother (that's a bunch of greats, but I'm not sure how many) is buried there. I hope to find the headstone. Then I plan to spend Wednesday night with longtime friends and former high school classmates, Steve and Jane Randall at their place in Iowa.

I have to end on a bittersweet note. I've been pondering what to say and how to say it. I know friends and family are reading, but this is also my journal and my memories of this trip. So, here goes. Today, August 17, is the wedding anniversary of Kathy and I. There were times today when I was really bothered by the fact that Kathy was not with me and seeing the things I was seeing. But I also know that time passes and life goes on. I have learned that I can be alone and make decisions by myself. I have joked with many of you that for 40 years I didn't have to make any decisions and that the success of our marriage was two words; "yes dear." After almost 3 weeks on the road, I can honestly say that I am a more confident and independent person. But remember, I also have a young, petite, and blond companion helping me. So I have added this last photo to show you my most common view out the side mirror.

That's all for now..........

Day 18: 8/16/09 - camped near Williston, ND

560 miles: camped at Lewis and Clark State Park, Williston, ND

Well, day 5 at Glacier started just like all the others, RAIN! Not a heavy rain, just a cold drizzle. Zoey and I were packed and on the road by 7:00 AM. I decided to take US Route 2 east. Route 2 is a 2 lane road that parallels Interstate 94. I liked the idea of traveling a slower paced road (even though the speed limit is 70) with less traffic than the Interstate. Also, I think the country side is prettier, with fewer billboards, shopping malls, and truck stops.

Route 2 quickly transitioned out of the Rocky Mountains of Glacier Park to rolling prairie. It's easy to see why they call Montana "Big Sky Country." There are no trees or mountains on the horizon to block your view. All you see is sky. The agriculture varies from irrigated hay, to beef grazing, to dry land wheat. In fact, the combine crews were present. Nobody was combining because of the recent rains, but at farms and motels you could find trucks with combines and headers, along with the grain trucks all parked. They were just waiting for some dryer weather.

I decided I wanted to try a State Park Campground tonight. All of the private ones out here are parks just created in a hay field, with no shade or view. All the big rig RV's want to have pull through sites with no trees to block their satellite reception. Lewis and Clark was 20 miles off the main drag, but it is well worth it. The campground is less that a third full, and sits right on the shores of Lake Sakakawea. There was no cell service here, but would you believe, they had WIFI. Now that's a State Park I can live with. This lake is a reservoir created on the Missouri River, and is named after the Indian guide, Sakakawea who aided Lewis and Clark. It is the third largest man made lake in the United States, after Lake Meade and Lake Powell. Cool.

My goal is to explore the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Monday.

Stay tuned.......

Day 17: 8/15/09 - West Glacier, MT

22 local miles: still camped at West Glacier, MT

Well, my 4th day at glacier, and the 4th day of rain!! Some of the rain was just a light drizzle, while there was one torrential downpour. Right now at 7:30 in the evening the sun is shinning. The campground I'm staying is one of the best in my travels. For my Northern NY friends, it reminds me a great deal of Blake or Cranberry Lake. Many RV parks today tend to be open and plain. This one is very wooded and still hangs on to the older style of park. In fact, their slogan is "Camping the way it used to be."

I'll post a couple more of the photos Cory and I took on the Going to the Sun drive. This one is the Jackson Glacier. It is the fifth largest glacier in the park, but is shrinking rapidly. There are 27 glaciers in the park now, compared to an estimated 150 in 1850. Park scientists are estimating that based on the current rate, all of the park's glaciers will be gone by 2030.

This picture shows and area that was burned in 2003. That year turned out to be a very historic year for fires. On average, about 5,000 acres are burned each year by fire, usually started by lightning. In 2003, over 145,000 acres burned. The 2003 fire was the largest one since the benchmark year of 1910 As you can see, while the dead trees are still standing, there is a lot of regrowth occurring. In fact, much of the ecology of Glacier depends on fire to kill off old, weak trees and replace them with new growth. Also, with the new growth, new species of animals return to the area to feed on the new plants and insects.

OK, enough of the science lessons.

Cory was up, packed, and out by 8:00 this morning. I had a wonderful time with him. And the two dogs got along great. In fact, Zoey has been laying around all day bored. Today was a lazy day for me too. I cleaned up the camper after having lived with two wet dogs for a few days. I took a long nap. I surfed the internet planning my next few days itinerary. I read by the campfire between rains. And I shopped for souvenirs and groceries. I'm pretty well packed and set to leave first thing Sunday morning.

My plan is to take Route 2 east across northern Montana and North Dakota. I'd like to visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota on Monday. By Wednesday night I'm hoping to stay with some long time friends, originally from Gouverneur, who live in Iowa.

I'll stay in touch.....

Day 16: 8/14/09: West Glacie, MT

185 miles on Cory's truck, still camped in West Glacier, MT

I just realized that this is the halfway point in my 31 day trip. Time flies.

Rain, rain,rain. I've been to Glacier three days now, and it's rained every single day. But that's OK. If I wanted to see Glacier in the sun, all I have to do is buy a calendar. Some of the cloud formations Cory and I have seen are out of this world. So here is how the day went.

We left early for the Going to the Sun drive. About 8:00 AM. Stopped at the Apgar Visitor Center and picked up some maps. Resisted all the postcards and expensive books. The rain was holding off in the morning, but the clouds were very low. In fact, some of the time, we were above the clouds during the drive.

I have been fortunate to see several National Parks. Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyon Lands, Rocky Mountain, and a few others. The views were always awesome. However, the views at Glacier were jaw dropping. If anything, the cloudy weather added to the depth and perspective.

The road is a narrow two lane drive built back in the 1930's when cars were much smaller. In fact, there are currentlyy width, length, and height restrictions. On top of that, there are no guard rails. Just short, two foot high decorative boulders to stop you from falling a thousand feet! And on top of everything else, the road was undergoing construction. But the views were out of this world.

The drive is fifty miles long. Our intention was to drive one way, stop for lunch, and then turn around and drive the same road back to get a completely different view of things. However, during lunch a huge thunderstorm came up, with hail and rain. So we decided to take a different way back. A route that we felt might be slightly safer. But, we actually ran into some snow on the roads on the way back to base camp! Yup, that's snow you see in the road. Probably an inch deep in spots.

It's still raining. Too wet for a campfire. So we all are in the truck camper. I'm blogging, Cory is reading, and the two dogs are sleeping.

Saturday, Cory heads back to Oregon. I'll hang around another day to book shop, pick up a few souvenirs, do a little sightseeing, and rest up. Then Zoey and I will start our way back east on Sunday. While the trip has been great, I miss my friends at home.

See ya soon.....

Day 15: 8/13/09: West Galcier, MT

270 miles on Cory's truck: still camped in West Glacier, MT

The day started cold and rainy, again. In fact, the clouds were so low we couldn't see any mountain tops. Please note the very sophisticated tarp system we have rigged. As you can see, everything is dry, the dogs are getting along, and life is good. With rain in the schedule all day, we decided to take a road trip. We checked the weather radar on the internet (can't do anything without the internet) and most of the bad weather appeared to be south of us. So, we went north, with Cory's truck and the two dogs. And of course, it rained most of the day! Must be some of my niece Jaci's luck wearing off on me. :-)

We decided to see some of the less touristy side of Glacier. So we mapped out a circle route from West Glacier to Columbia Falls to Eureka to Libby to Kalispell and back to West Glacier. All the way the clouds and rain dogged us. But on the other hand, traffic was light and the scenery was absolutely beautiful because of all the low clouds.

As part of the trip, we drive the sixty-seven mile Lake Koocanusa Byway. The lake was created in 1974 by the construction of a dam on the Kootenai River. The reservoir is ninety miles long, twenty miles or so that extends into Canada. In fact, the name of the reservoir comes from the first three letters of the Kootenai River, the first three letters of Canada, and USA. The name, while Indian sounding, was actually one selected from a contest to name the lake.

At the base of the dam, the river reverts to it's original state. What a beautiful river. In fact, we stopped at a boat launch site for a break and saw an osprey nest, as well as an eagle roosting. Made my day! Made it back to base camp by 5:00 and cooked dinner over the wood fire. Cory is sitting by fire reading and I'm just finishing the blog. Tomorrow's plans include driving the "Road to the Sun" Highway through Glacier National Park. Only 50% chance of rain tomorrow.

The trip is going very well, but I'm beginning to miss my friends from home.

Later........

Day 14: 8/12/09: West Glacier, MT

465 miles: camped in West Glacier, MT

Yup, I finally made it to Glacier. I had sunshine all the way except the last half hour. And then the skies opened up. Not a real heavy rain, but just enough to be miserable. Fortunately setting up the truck camper is a breeze. Cory was already here, sitting under a tarp reading. It didn't take long for Cory and I and the 2 dogs to be under cover in the camper. The sky cleared some later in the evening so we could spend some time around the campfire.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm sure some want to know if I really ot up early to check on the meteor shower. The answer is yes. I was up at 3:30 AM and went out and watched for 10 minutes or so. I only saw one, but it was awesome. The streak stretched across the entire sky. I just read that some astronomers feel that tonight (Wednesday night) will be better watching. Not me. I'm crashing in bed tonight.

I left Livingston about 6:30 this morning. Headed west on I90. Google maps said to go all the way to Missoula, and then head north. But the Garmin GPS had different ideas. It gave me a different route that involved some roads off the more common path. So I trusted it. Boy, am I glad I did. The scenery was spectacular. Everything from rolling plains, to valley farmland, to snow covered montains. It was all beautiful. I pulled into Glacier Campground about 2:00 this afternoon in the rain.

Thursday's activity will be to explore some of the surrounding National Forest Land. The dogs need to get out and run. Cory has a 3 year old black lab. Dogs are not allowed on any of the hiking trails in Glacier, so our hiking will be in the surrounding forest land. Friday, the weather is supposed to brighten, so we will drive the famous Going to the Sun Highway, which is noted for it's spectacular scenery. That will be an all day excursion by the time you go across the park and back.

Well, I'm really tired. See ya.......

Day 13, 8/11/09, Livingston, MT

747 miles: camped in Livingston MT. Small world fact: the campground owner has been to both Canton and Potsdam, NY during the last year.

No other way to put it. Today was all work and no play. Well, if you count sightseeing out the windshield, then I did have some play time. Twelve hours of it!

Zoey and I left Fargo at 6:15 AM. Not a big deal cause I'm a natural early riser. In fact, I woke at 4:15 with no alarm. Fortunately the 7:00 AM wake schedule with Dave and Ann Wright did not corrupt me. :-

Interstate 94 is an excellent road. Relatively smooth and not much traffic. Of course, not many people live this far north. The flat farmlands of Eastern ND began to transition into the rolling prairie and badlands of Western ND. The combines were out in force. I heard on the radio that only 63% of the winter wheat crop had been harvested compared to the usual 80%. So they were playing catchup. I took a picture, but holding a camera and driving 75 (yes, that's the speed limit here) is tricky. I eventually slowed down to 65. My mpg at 75 was killing me. Oh, by the way, the temperature is killing me too. It hit 95 for a few hours today! The truck AC couldn't keep up.

We stopped at the outskirts of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Here is a picture of the "badlands" that are a part of that park. As we roll into Montana, the clocks go back another hour. So now we are two hours different than the east. Mountain Daylight Saving Time. The time change is great when you are heading west, but you really pay for it when heading back east. Eastern Montana is very rolling and dry. I94 ends in Billings MT and joins I90. They both follow the Yellowstone River for a long time.

Here is a picture of the Yellowstone at a rest area in Rosebud, MT. William Clark from the Lewis and Clark Expedition actually followed this river for quite awhile. Probably right where you are looking at now.

Tonight I'm in Livingston, and there are pine trees and mountains in the background. Glacier is six hours away, so I'll be there early afternoon Wednesday. I hope to catch the Perseid meteor shower in the morning, but the clouds are blowing in now. So we'll have to wait and see. I have my alarm set for 3:30 AM Mountain Time. The Perseid shower was the big one that Kathy and I caught in 2001 and she wrote about in her Pi Mu Epsilon speech. Here is a link if you have never read it.

All for now. Stay tuned.....