DEPOE BAY, OR

DEPOE BAY, OREGON

After returning home from our extended road trip, we began working on our house trying to spruce it up a bit.  We have intentions of downsizing in the future, so the sprucing is part of our madness. Thanks to our son, Eric, more has been accomplished than the two of us could ever do alone. The bathrooms have been redone, the ceilings and walls have been scraped and painted, we have three new windows with new moulding all around, the carpet cleaned, a replacement fire door from the Kitchen into the garage, new bedroom and living room furniture, and there's still work to be done on the kitchen and outdoors part of the house.  We've had doctor and dentist visits and check-ups and follow-ups, with more to come.  I've been poked, prodded, X-rayed, CT'd, biopsied and violated. I need a break!!

Debby has been helping out at school and is anxious to begin her own class in the Fall, while the other teachers are excited for summer vacation!  After sitting on my duff for nine months putting 33,000 miles on the Sienna, I find myself seriously out of shape for backpacking this summer!  So I've been hitting the trails and mountains trying to get in shape for a couple of summer backpacking trips I have planned. 

Now that school has let out for the summer, we made a trip to the beach to enjoy the sun and salt air. We stayed in a very nice condo on the ocean shore at Depoe Bay.  The condo usage was a gift to Ami and her boys.  Debby and I were invited to join them. The 3 boys and I came down Thursday afternoon.  Debby and Ami had a wedding shower to attend so they didn't make it until after dark-thirty. 

I asked the boys what they wanted to eat for dinner and all I heard was "steak!"  Quickly running the numbers and doing the math, I decided to stop at the Lincoln City IGA.  The boys picked out steaks and opted to take advantage of our oceanside BBQ grille!!  It still set me back $30. I asked the boys if they thought they were worth $30. All of them assured me they were!

We checked into the Depoe Bay Worldmark and headed for our two bedroom unit.  Just as we pulled up, our Portland friends, Tammy and Cam walked up and greeted us.  They were staying in a unit nearby. The boys wanted to go swimming so Tammy and I checked out the giant hot tub next to the pool so we could keep an eye on them. 

Before dinner, Tammy ran to the grocery store and picked up three more steaks and we had a big barbecue with salad and fries.  The boys were very happy!  Following dinner we went over to Tammy's and her boy's unit to check it out. The boys wanted to play some basketball in the court right outside their back door.  As they played, I walked to the edge of the cliff and spied 22 Harbor Seals taking a siesta on a large flat rock near the shore.  I called the boys over to see them.  They thought it was pretty cool!  The large volcanic hill nearby is a bird sanctuary for Puffins, Gulls, Pelicans and Cormorants.  It smells a lot like one, too!!  It also serves as a marketplace for a couple of Bald Eagles!

It was a cloudy evening with no awesome sunset but still beautiful!  The ladies showed up before midnight.

Our second day was one of relaxation; no plans made. The weather was beautiful and the time went by quickly. The boys slept in, had a quick snack before Grammy cooked pancakes, then headed to the Pool.  I followed a bit later and monitored the water temperature of the hot tub while the boys swam.

The day was one of breakfast pancakes, swimming, basketball, Seal and bird watching, sun catching, movies, reading and snacking all day.  Ami tried unsuccessfully to read a book this weekend.  she did make time to work on Vacation Bible School material for next weeks' VBS.  Ami fixed Taco Pans for dinner!  YUM!  Not bad for a day's work!

Deb and I listened to a Worldmark sales pitch in exchange for a $100 American Express Card.  I'm sure it will be spent on the grandkids at the Factory Outlet in Lincoln City when we head North on Saturday!  Oh, wait!!  Today IS Saturday!!  WHERE does the time go??

We watched an Eagle fly in for breakfast this morning.  I heard the Sea Gulls squawking frantically.  He was causing a BIG commotion!  We went to the balcony and watched as he swooped in amongst the frantic Gulls trying to catch one.  Apparently he was successful because the others calmed down. A little later another Eagle came in for her breakfast!  I wonder if Gulls taste like chicken?

Packing the car and heading North, we made a bee line to the Factory Outlet and spent the free American Express card. From there we headed straight for MO's Restaurant on the beach. MO's is a favorite of ours, serving up a great pot of Clam Chowder and many other seafood favorites. I can't go to the beach without adding them to my "must do" list!

Feeling fat and satisfied, I let Debby drive while I crawled into the back recliner and watched BATMAN FOREVER on the Sienna's big screen with my grandson. 

Life is good!

PORTLAND, OREGON

PORTLAND , OREGON

We spent two nights in Libby, MT visiting our Grand Daughter and 3 amazing Greats. It was a fun time, not soon forgotten. Our last day, we went to the City Park and played with the kids on the cool playground. Afterwards, McDonald's.

We said goodbye and headed for home at 1:00. We had an 8 hour drive ahead of us. We really enjoyed staying at the Huckleberry House Bed and Breakfast. The early 1900's era home was beautiful and well cared for. The owners, Keith and Ellen, were gracious hosts and made everything perfect. The 3 upstairs rooms are spacious and beautiful. Our home cooked breakfasts were perfectly proportioned and delicious.

If you ever desire to take a trip to Libby, MT, we would highly recommend that you try to stay at the Huckleberry House! You will not be disappointed!

We pulled into Portland just after dark (about Dark-Thirty). It was great to be home! As soon as I get my facts together, I will blog facts about our trip, like miles traveled, hotel nights stayed, etc.

Now to put the house back together!

LIBBY, MONTANA

LIBBY, MONTANA

Enjoying one of the best days of our road trip here in Libby. This is the home of our Grand-Daughter, Emily and our 3 Great-Grand Children. It is a joy to be here and just have fun with them.

We drove into Sandpoint, Idaho yesterday for a trip to Walmart. We took the kids to Burger King to play while the girls shopped.

Our afternoon was filled with a photo shoot. We were getting some professional photos of the family. It was fun We did it in the great outdoors. The kids had fun.

Emily fixed chili for dinner. It was good. Saying goodnight was hard.

Today we meet them again for a trip to the park to play (weather permitting). Looks like we will be heading home about noon today. It's a 9 hour drive to Portland.

Saying goodbye will be even harder!

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

I was hoping Glacier National Park would be a highlight of our Montana adventure. I have seen amazing pictures of this scenic area and listened to people brag about it who have been here. But for us, this was not to be that amazing. The park was open but the road was open only to McDonald Lake Lodge. The rest of the park remained closed due to snow on the roads. The mountain tops were cloud covered, for the most part. What we did see was beautiful.

We stopped at the park ranger station and the train depot to pick up a couple of souvenirs.

We took highway 2 to Libby and arrived in mid afternoon. We booked a couple of nights at the Huckleberry House Bed and Breakfast. After Checking in we went to see our family.

My Grand-Daughter and her husband have three live wires that we adore. It was so good to see them again after nearly a year. The kids seem to have missed us! They were wound up like a two dollar watch! It didn't help much that we brought them some great toys! We get to spend tomorrow with them.

It's all good!

MONTANA

MONTANA

Our first stop out of Billings was to Bozeman, MT. There we met up with our good friends, Jill Jacobs, Glenna and Kiersa at Taco John's for lunch. It was great seeing them again. They had gone to our church for a while when their baby girl was going through some cancer treatments in Portland.

Although our visit was short, it was a blessing to us! Wish it could have been longer. I told Jill that we would come out and stay with them next summer. She said ok. After a couple of photos, we parted company.

Continuing North, we couldn't help but notice the change in scenery. The mountains began growing and looming over us. The weather began to change that we could see snow falling on the mountains. Soon we entered one of the snow storms and watched as the temperature fell to 29 degrees and the swirling snow fell all around us. Beautiful!

There was no accumulation on the highway so the traffic did not slow much. The roadsides were turning white, however. It felt good to be in possibly, the last snowfall of the season.

Towards the end of the day we decided to make a stand. We pulled over into the entry way of a large Best Western Resort. It boasted a casino, which we declined to help support. The Motel backed right up to Flathead Lake and our balcony view was awesome! PoLson, MT was a very nice area. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. This was the city where some dear friends of mine have her roots.

Tomorrow we head for Glacier National Park! Yea!!