More August Summer Travels

So after leaving Hope, ID we went to Missoula, MT for a couple days. We stayed at a very nice park called Jim and Mary's. Landscaping and club house we super nice. Tom went and toured the Smoke Jumper Base. If you are ever in Missoula this is a must. The base was pretty well vacant as all the guys and gals were out fighting fires, which this area has been plagued with lately. Our tour was given by a wife of a smokejumper of 12 years. Very interesting tour. We also went to the Saturday morning market in downtown and were impressed with the different types of produce. Also the way the folks had their produce displayed was neat. We bought some dragon's tongue beans and Yukon gold baby potatoes. Boy were they good.

Then it's off to Clayton, ID, population 7, to visit our good friends Kriss, Dan and Ms. Koda Bu. Oh my goodness, Kriss was working at the Old Sawmill, where we stayed. She surprised us by serving us dinner on our arrival! Hamburger deluxe for sure. Dan was working a job cutting hay for a friend but got to visit after work. Kriss showed us around the area. Donna and I had no idea that Custer County, Idaho has more gems than any other country other than Africa! And I only thought they grew potatoes! Ha. We went to her parent's beautiful museum. Dan and Kriss have just built a fine retirement home up on the hill with horses and all. They've really put a lot of work into it. My dear dog friend, Koda Bu, was so happy to see us. She's one the best dogs I've ever known. Donna and I had the pleasure of meeting Kriss' parents and dining with them too. What a pleasant visit we had. Thanks guys for all you did for us! Oh yeah, check Kriss' mom's wooden statue.....she calls it "peckerwood"! Now that's yard art!

Off we went to the Grand Tetons. We stayed at the Teton Valley RV Park which was nice. Unfortunately, the smoke was so bad it was hard to get good pix. We did drive through Teton National Park and enjoy the sights. We saw a few animals but mostly deer. The pic of the moose is one our friends Paul and Cheryl took. I borrowed it from them!!!

And speaking of Paul and Cheryl, we were able to meet up with them in Victor, ID. We haven't seen them in 2.5 years. It was so much fun to have them over for drinks and dinner. Oh yes, and we played cards too. That's what old folks too. It was a short, but a fun visit.

The short drive over to Shelley, ID was nice and we met up with our Excel buddies, Randy and Helen. What a nice visit at their gorgeous home. Drinks, appys, and then pizza was fun, fun, fun. The following day we ate at The Firehouse Grill which was good. Thanks Randy and Helen for a most enjoyable visit.

Another short drive took us to Soda Springs, ID where our Hemet, CA winter friends, Stephanie and Gary live. Again the folks showed us all round the area and we ate and drank like there was no tomorrow. Check out Gary's '55 Chevy Suburban. Pretty cool, huh? We got to see the geyser in town that goes off every hour on the hour! A trip to Hooper Springs was interesting with the springs and the covered bridge. Then we went to the Chesterfield Townsite, an old Morman settlement from the 1880's that is really neat. Many of the houses, churches, and stores are restored to original condition. Awesome sights. Part of the Oregon Trail passes through this community.

After that, we went to the Mountain Home, ID Elks Lodge RV park. Great place to park for an overnight or two and since it's only $10 a night with water, 50A service, and a dump! What a value. So happens the Lodge was having steak night. It was great and reasonably priced. Of course, Tom did something stupid.....left his camera in the restaurant! Duh. It's being sent to me and I should be back in business in about a week.

On our way to the OR coast we stopped to spend the night in Burns, OR and stayed at the Crystal Crane RV Park. The kewl thing about this place is the Mineral Hot Springs Pond. It is kept at 101*F and is real therapeutic. Tom soaked it for over an hour. His skin was smooth as a baby's butt and old bones felt pretty good after driving a long day. Well worth the trip.

Currently we are in Newport, OR staying at the real nice Port of Newport RV Park. Right near the water with paved PT sites. Full service for $40. a night. Our next stop with be up the coast to Tillamook, OR.....you know the cheese town!

Sorry for the windy report with so many pix....I got behind and we've had lots of activities!!!