Posts Tagged With: Travel

Our Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day — Glacier National Park

Posted on June 26, 2022 by lisablackwell

We woke up on Thursday morning at the West Glacier KOA RV Park. The thermometer read 37 degrees. Lisa hates the cold.

Every trip has a day that just doesn’t go as planned or doesn’t come easy. We’ve all experienced it. Sometimes it’s a major medical issue like the time Lisa broke her wrist on a remote doctor-less island in the British Virgin Islands. Sometimes it’s a major inconvenience like Brad being detained by Chilean Security for having an apple in his backpack and being interrogated so long that we missed our flight to the Atacama Desert. Other times it’s nothing major. You just have a day where nothing seems to go right.

Our first day in Glacier National Park was the latter.

The entry sign looked so inviting.

It all started early in the morning with a text and a photo of a Covid test. Our youngest daughter, Stephanie, had just tested positive for Covid. She took a few more tests and indeed, she had the dreaded virus. She wasn’t feeling too badly but, nonetheless, we were concerned.

While Lisa was texting with Steph, we got the early morning breaking news alerts informing us that the Supreme Court had reversed Roe v Wade. We felt punched in the gut and the news immediately put us in foul moods and we went on a few expletive-laden rants. Lisa suggested we turn the RV around and head back to Canada, find a nice place to live and send for the kids and grandkids. We pondered that idea as we headed off to Glacier National Park.

We arrived at the West Entrance of Glacier and were confronted with electronic signs that told us to have our vehicle passes and ID ready. We had no idea what that meant. As we pulled up to the nice but official looking park official, Brad asked, “We don’t know what a vehicle reservation is.” She smiled and succinctly ushered us off to an area for cars without park reservations. There, a lovely woman explained to us that we could not go into the west entrance of the park without a reservation. That reservation needed to be made months ago. She did say we could see the park from the East side without a reservation and enthusiastically explained some of the sights we could see along the way. She also gave us hope by saying that we could come back at 4:00 and enter the west side without a reservation, This woman has a hard job telling people who didn’t do their research (like us) that they can’t visit the park yet she handled it with a lovely attitude.

A few other things she mentioned ever so nicely were: 1) Our dogs weren’t allowed on any of the trails in the park except one short paved one. 2) We couldn’t’ take our RV on the infamous Going-to-the-Sun-Road because it was too long. 3) It didn’t matter anyway because most of the road was closed because of ice and snow. 4) Have a Great Day! Things she forgot to mention: 1) The two east entrances to the park are an hour-and-a-half away.

As we turned around, Lisa mentioned that there is an old wives tale that bad things happen in threes so we had just had our three bad things for the day. Again, off we went with hope of seeing the sights the park ranger had suggested. As we drove along, we watched the temperature drop to 45 degrees and it started to rain. It had warmed to 60 degrees on the west side. OK, well, maybe four things and then we were good to go.

The day continued to confound us. We did see the cool sight at Goat Lick Overlook. — a family of mountain goats rock-climbing and yes, licking rocks. That was cool. We think our luck is changing.

Goats licking rocks, of course.
Goats on rocks.

We got to the Glacier’s Two Medicine Lake entrance at noon. Great! We can have a nice lunch at the lake. We pulled up to the gate and the ranger said sternly, “This entrance is closed. Come back at 2:30” Really?!?

Ugh. This is becoming a very bad day.

As we drove away we found a pullout and stopped to have lunch. As we pulled in a guy had stopped to pee. I’m sure we embarrassed him. He was also having a bad day. There was, however, a nice little waterfall and the view of the mountains was pretty good. So we stayed and ate lunch.

The view at lunch

The drive to the other east entrance — St. Mary — was a slow winding road. It took us a while to get there.

The high and winding road . Don’t look down or take your eyes off the road.

We got to the St. Mary entrance and were allowed into the park. Yes! But, we only got six miles in before a sign informed us that only vehicles under 21 feet could continue. The Winona Rider is 24 feet long. We stopped to walk along the lake a bit but because it was 45 and raining we didn’t stay long. We took a few pictures, saw some bear poop, we think, and figured we could at least check off Glacier National Park on our map at home.

St. Mary Lake
The view from our long and winding road.
Our short walk in the rain even had grizzlies.
A cold Lisa walking our bear attractant.
Maybe we’d better get back in the van.

The St. Mary entrance was about a hundred miles from our campsite and it was now 4:30. We decided it had been a long day and we should head home. There was a lot of road construction on the way up so we decided to go home on a different route. About 20 miles in, we came upon a very serious accident that blocked both lanes of the road. We sat for a while but realized it could be closed for a long time so we turned around and back tracked to the winding road with the heavy construction. It took us another two hours to get home. We were tired and in bad moods. Even the gnocchi dinner we made was mushy and not too good.

Yeah. It was raining.

We went to bed vowing that our second day would be a better day.

Day 2: Our Wonderful, Beautiful, Not Bad, Very Good Day

We woke up on Day 2 and the sun was shining with a forecast of 73 degrees. It was already a better morning than the day before. Daughter Stephanie, although having Covid was feeling reasonably fine and was mostly just bored. The Supreme Court decisions of the week still infuriated us but we resolved that we would get more politically involved when we get home and start doing what we could to take action (instead of moving to Canada), and lastly we had a plan to get into West Glacier at 4:00 pm.

With such a beautiful day at our beckoning, we had to take the dogs on a hike. We found an area that accepted dogs near Kalispell and drove 30 minutes to the West. It was a beautiful hike with lots of wild flowers and good views. Sophie and Ralphie were quite happy, maybe even giddy, because they could be off-leash for much of this hike.

We’re hiking and it’s sunny!
Beautiful views along the trail.
Lots of wildflowers

We went to the quaint town of Whitefish for lunch where we indulged in a post-hike beer and some pizza at a local pizzeria. It was some of the best beer we have had in a long while! While at lunch we talked about the day before. Those goats on the rocks were pretty cool. Remember when we were on that winding drive? Wasn’t the view amazing? Oh, and lunch by the waterfall. How often does that happen?That lady that told us we couldn’t come in was so sweet. It was interesting how we remembered the highlights. Maybe yesterday wasn’t such a bad day after all. Then Lisa noticed a sign on the street at our pizza place.

Wisdom and perspective from Jersey Boys Pizza. Oh, and their beer is really good.

On the way back to West Glacier, we just had to stop at the Huckleberry Land and buy ourselves some huckleberry pies for dinner. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a huckleberry before. It’s a bit like a blueberry but tases more like a blackberry. They grow them here. Huckleberries are everywhere.

I’m sure this place is for locals.

The 4:00 hour arrived and we got in line, holding our breath that we would be let in to the park. They waved us through and we were in, just like that! We took a scenic drive along Lake McDonald and stopped whenever we could to take pictures. We did have to turn around about 14 miles in because of the size of our RV but we were thrilled with what we got to see.

The mountains overlooking Lake McDonald.
Beautiful mountains
Avalanche Creek was flowing and had many waterfalls.
Parking to see the waterfalls.

We spent our last evening at our RV Park by getting a delicious meal of huckleberry chicken and huckleberry ribs all served with some delicious homemade mac and cheese and cornbread. We even shared some huckleberry pie for dessert. Our RV Park was a KOA near the entrance of West Glacier. At first, Lisa thought it was a bit too crowded and busy (she hates crowds of all kinds) but we both grew to love it. The spa-like showers won us over at the beginning of the stay but the homemade meals, the attention to every detail, the kids who were having the times of their lives riding bikes and making tie-dye shirts made this place unique and special.

The dogs enjoying our campsite.

Our stay in Glacier was a tale of two very different days and attitudes and experiences. But that’s the magic of travel; every day tells a different story and no day is like the other. Perhaps our first day wasn’t really a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day after all. And, really, a bad day traveling is better than a good day anywhere else, right?

Next we’re off to Blackwell Island Idaho.

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Banff Canada — It Took our Breath Away

Posted on June 23, 2022 by loansbrad

We left Shuswap Lake at around 9:30 and headed west toward Banff. We thought we were in the mountains until, about an hour later, the real mountains appeared. It was one of those moments when your breath catches and you marvel at the beauty of the view.

Now, we have seen mountains before. After all, we met in Colorado and got married there. And, we love Colorado mountains. These mountains, however, were different. They went straight up. They had craggy cliffs and jagged peaks. It’s hard to describe. And, the photos clearly don’t do them justice. But, let’s just say we were awed. And, for these world travelers, that’s hard to do. We now know why Lisa’s mom and dad so wanted us to visit, as they did thirty years earlier.

The Canadian Rockies overlooking Lake Minnewanka.

We only had two days to explore Banff National Park. So, we knew we couldn’t possibly see all it had to offer. But, if we could get in a couple of nice hikes, see some of the key offerings, and enjoy the views, we would be satisfied. We arrived at our camp on Monday evening. It was stationed at the base of the towering Mount Kidd. We set up camp and then set out to explore the area.

Sophie and Ralphie posing before Mount Kidd
If the dogs get a photo, well, then so do we.
The Blackwell Campsite Bar and Grill

Those hikes we mentioned? Well, we were constantly being warned about bears. Not those friendly black bears we have in California. Grizzly bears. Signs told us not to go hiking without bear spray. That’s like super, ultra, extra-strength pepper spray. You’re supposed to carry it with you and have the presence of mind to pop off the safety and spray a charging bear in the eyes before he eats you. Even our campsite had constant reminders along with a big fine if you left bear “attractants” out overnight. Attractants are anything a bear might want to eat — leftover food, an ice cooler, Ralphie. That kind of thing.

We had many opportunities to be educated about bear behavior.
The sign as we entered our camp.
There were four of us but two were dogs. Hmmm.

Fortunately, we keep the Winona Rider equipped with bear spray so we were ready. So, off we went on two beautiful hikes. One began at Lake Minnewanka and headed up the canyon on the river that feeds it. And, one hike was from Tunnel Mountain to “the Hoodoos.” We learned about hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park so this hike held promise.

Before we show you photos of the hikes, we need to explain the aqua blue water you’ll see in the rivers and lakes. The landscape at Banff National Park is largely influenced by glaciers carving the stone in the mountains. As these glaciers move down the rock, they grind the stone into a super fine powder called rock flour. This rock flour flows in the streams, rivers, and lakes creating silty water. The stone isn’t bright blue, rather, it absorbs all incoming light except this aqua color giving the waters a magical turquoise appearance.

The shore of Lake Minnewanka
Lake Minnewanka
The Cascade River flowing through Stewart Canyon and feeding Lake Minnewanka.
A ranger let Lisa holding a bighorn sheep horn. She learned how they get their name.
We hiked along the Bow River on our way up to the hoodoos.
The view on our way to the famed hoodoos was spectacular.
If you look closely you can see rock climbers scaling this wall. No, thank you.
The hoodoos. Needless to say they were underwhelming. But, the hike itself was incredible.
No bears, but, we did see a pair of Canadian Geese with their baby.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is the most famous site in Banff National Park. So, of course, we wanted to see it. We got up on our first morning and headed out to the lake. It was an hour-and-a-half drive so it took us a while to arrive. Once we approached the turnoff to the lake, signs informed us that the parking lot by the lake was full. We needed to go to the park and ride lot. Lisa, never deterred by these things said, “let’s just drive up and see if we can get in.” So, we drove up. And, we didn’t get lucky.

So, we drove back down to the park and ride where they summarily informed us that dogs were specifically not allowed. (I think they read our blog about Ralphie.) So, we drove home with the beautiful mountain views as our consolation prize.

The next day, we decided to head up at the end of the day. While we wouldn’t be able to get in a hike this way, we might be able to get in to see the lake. As we approached we got the same no parking available signs. Lisa, still not deterred, said we should drive up and see if we could get lucky.

We got to the top by the lake (You can’t see the lake from your car, by the way), and the same people that waved us back down the mountain appeared to be doing so again. But, no . . . They were sending us up to another lot right by the lake. We’re in!

It was worth it. The lake is all that was advertised. It was a bit of a cloudy day so the blue wasn’t as iridescent as it could have been. But, no matter. It was spectacular.

Lake Louise
The dogs mugging it up by the lake.
Shameless Lake Louise selfie.
A bit of sun caught this corner of the lake to give you a sense of the color.

We went into the town of Banff one afternoon and, as we always do in a new place, bought a Banff Christmas ornament for the tree. While it was clearly aimed at tourists, it was clean and beautiful.

Downtown Banff
Lot’s of clean public transportation.
The Fairmont Banff Springs. We had lunch here. It was really nice.

Canadians

We’ve spent the past week in Canada and, while the country is beautiful, our lasting impression will be of the people of this country. They were polite, kind, friendly and accommodating. Not just some of them — but, everyone we met were plain good people. Even the drivers were polite. When Brad mis-communicated an order at lunch, the wait staff were so apologetic that they got the order wrong, they brought out this amazing dessert for free and offered coffee and tea and water for the dogs. Now that’s hospitality, eh?

Not sure what this dessert is, but it had a Twix bar on top and in the middle. And, it was delicious. Sophie’s not impressed.

This trip so far has been an incredible experience. We highly recommend both Vancouver and Banff National Park for your future travel plans. On our way out of town we did, finally, stop at a Tim Horton’s. We do recommend Lake Louise. Tim Horton’s — well, you’re on your own for that.

Glazed donut and black coffee at Tim Horton’s

Next, we’re back in America at Glacier National Park, Montana.

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Blind Bay on Shuswap Lake. A little Slice of Heaven

Posted on June 20, 2022 by loansbrad

We drove out of Vancouver saying goodbye to the friendly staff at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. The doorman was particularly fond of Ralphie. Lisa offered to leave Ralphie with him. I quickly ushered Ralphie into the van.

As we entered the Canadian Rockies, Google Maps kept trying to get us to Shuswap Lake, today’s destination, via a longer circuitous route. Highway 5, the trans-Canadian Highway, is the most direct route but, for some reason, Google had a bias against it. We decided to ignore Mr. Google and obey geometry — the shortest distance between two points, and all. Given the popularity of our “something went wrong” blogs, you’ll be disappointed to know we arrived an hour-and-a-half faster than Google’s suggestion with no mishaps.

Lisa and I stopped for lunch in Kamloops, a town of about 90,000 residents in the foothills. Apparently, Kamloops is known for being the Tournament Capital of Canada. Hard to tell. We just stopped at a nice park on the river and had a picnic lunch. Ralphie nipped at a little girl who tried to pet him. Lisa asked if we could go back to the Fairmont and give him to that nice doorman.

The river was quite high. There has been record rainfall in the area so lakes and rivers are overflowing their banks.

The Thompson River overflowing its banks
There used to be a trail under the railroad tracks here.

We arrived at Blind Bay Resort, our RV Park, at around 4:00. The nice woman at the check-in desk sent us to our spot, a beautiful site overlooking Shuswap Lake (pronounced shoe-schwap). It is a beautiful place and we have been sorry this is only a one-night waypoint on our trek to Banff.

We set up camp, went on a walk, grilled up some burgers (accompanied with Hall wine, of course) then went to watch the sunset on the pier. It was a beautiful evening and we marveled at the little but rewarding experiences we are having by traveling in our little RV know as the Winona Rider.

Enjoying a beer upon arrival at Shuswap Lake
No one on the pier for Lisa to give Ralphie to.
Oh well, the beach is largely consumed by the high lake level anyway.
The end of the dock at sunset
Blind Bay at Sunset
“No, really. I’m innocent.”

Next stop. Banff.

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Vancouver: Green, Green, It’s Green They Say

Posted on June 19, 2022 by lisablackwell

People keep asking us, now that the pandemic is winding down or at least becoming endemic, if we will sell the Winona Rider. They also ask with raised eyebrows and incredulous looks if I really like traveling in it or if I am just being a good sport about it. The answer is that we still love traveling in the Rider. We have now been to 18 states and Canada with a total of around 26,000 miles so far. We have our routines down and don’t make nearly as many mistakes as we did at first. We get to see friends that we normally wouldn’t see and places that we know we wouldn’t see and we actually still really like spending time together after all these years!! Our living space is tiny but some of that is freeing and stress-free. So, yes we are keeping the Winona Rider until at least the year Brad turns 66 and he does his much-anticipated Route 66 ride!

See how happy I am?!!?

All of that being said, when we started planning this three-week trip, I was pretty adamant about staying at a hotel once or twice. I knew that getting out of the van would also be relaxing and freeing! So I used my “Bring Fido” App and booked us two nights at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. For such a nice hotel, it is completely pet-friendly and very welcoming to our two dogs. I am actually a little shocked about that. I am also like a little kid in a candy shop in our hotel room ordering up room service, taking long hot showers, using a blow dryer, and admiring all of the extra perks and views our room has to offer. I used my brother’s logic when he splurges on things. If you take the cost of the two nights at the Fairmont and divide them by the 14 days of our trip, the cost looks actually reasonable.

But I digress over my giddiness of being in a hotel room. Today’s blog is about Canada and our stay in the beautiful city of Vancouver. The last time Brad and I were in Vancouver was fifteen years ago for a Sales Conference with Wells Fargo. We fell in love with the cleanliness and the beauty of the city back then. Our visit had a lasting impression on me because our friend Jenny Clark was able to book my boyfriend James Taylor as the performer for the sales conference attendees. Jenny made sure to let me have some time to chat with James and the picture is still framed and in our house!

My love for James is steadfast! Here is when he made eye contact with me at Red Rocks!

But back to Vancouver, we left Vashon Island and had no problem getting on the ferry this time. We drove a couple of hours and had a lovely walk and stroll in the town of Bellingham and then had lunch by the water. After lunch, we headed up to the Canadian border where we waited for a good long hour to get across. Those of you who have traveled with us know about the Blackwell Curse — whatever line Brad picks will take the longest and that’s what happened to us again at the border. We are used to that happening so took it in stride.

Line at the Canadian Border
Leaving the United States

We arrived in Vancouver and checked into the Fairmont looking a little bit like the Clampetts from The Beverly Hillbillies. We had our van and all of our camping belongings and our two dogs as we walked in with the finely dressed hotel guests. The hotel couldn’t have been nicer as they problem-solved where to park our Van and greeted our pups with dog biscuits, a water bowl, and a dog bed.

The Winona Rider in Vancouver
Ralphie snuggling in his personal dog bed. He likes the Fairmont, too!

Vancouver is incredibly clean and green — literally and figuratively. It plans to become the greenest city in the world. Vancouverism is the city’s urban planning design philosophy and is characterized with a large residential population living in the city center near the water with the creation and maintenance of green park spaces. Vancouver also has a Greenest City Action Plan with the goal of becoming the Greenest city in Canada and the world. The action plan has ten discrete goals to build a green economy, green buildings, green transportation, access to nature, zero waste, clean air and water and to increase the amount of locally grown food. Their efforts are obvious everywhere you go and we know that our friends Mike and Mary Frandsen would give their efforts a big thumbs up. We didn’t see a single piece of trash to pick up on our walks which would also make Mike very, very happy.

Even our room key reminds us to be green.

As for the color green, everywhere you look and walk is green. We spent the day today in Stanley Park (Vancouver’s equivalent to Central Park) and walked about six miles with the dogs, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of Vancouver and taking in all of the green-ness. Stanley Park is a densely forested 1000 acre public park surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. It has frequently been listed as one of the best parks in the world. The photos tell a better story than I can so here are a few from our day walking around Stanley Park

Hard to believe we are near a large city
Walking the dogs
Stanley Park Bar and Grill–great lunch spot
Totem Poles from various First Nation Tribes
The Girl in the Wet Suit
Vancouver City Scape

As the sun sets on a great couple of days in Vancouver, we are ready to drive East to Banff via Blind Bay and Salmon Arm in the morning. No more hotels for at least ten days! Wish me luck!

Sophie and Ralphie getting the sunset pose down!
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Heading North. A Ferry Ride to Another Time

Posted on June 18, 2022 by loansbrad

“You can’t make old friends.” — Kenny Rogers

We left Portland and continued our trek north on Interstate 5. The Winona Rider had never been to Washington so we were excited to cross the border and bag a new state. Lisa and I compete to see who gets into a new state first, usually by sticking our hand toward the windshield at the border, therefore having a body part enter the state first. As we approach the border I distract Lisa by pointing a random something-or-other and then stick my hand out to enter the state first. She looks at me with pity and shakes her head.

Vashon Island sits in the middle of Puget Sound between Tacoma and Seattle. An old friend of ours, Kevin Hoffberg and his wife Eddy live on Vashon Island. When we drew up our route for this trip, I reached out to Kevin to see if we might stop by for a visit. He enthusiastically invited us to stay the night with them and we enthusiastically accepted.

Kevin and I met over 20 years ago. I had just started my job at Wells Fargo and I needed to develop a mortgage growth strategy for the West Coast. Wells was then a distant third in market share. Our goal was to get to number one but that would need discipline and a good plan. Someone told me Kevin was a great consultant and could help. We met and almost immediately developed a connection. From that point on, Kevin and I worked together on bigger and bigger projects. His brilliance helped refine the knowledge and expertise of the Wells team and his ability to articulate the key issues and strategies to address them was unrivaled. We often met at High Tech Burrito for our meetings. That’s why, to this day, we never say we need to catch up. We simply say we need to grab a burrito.

Our relationship goes beyond a professional one, however. We have seen each others’ kids grow up, we have spent time with our spouses, we have gone through career changes, and life changes. We trust each other without question. In short, we have a long and rewarding history together. Lisa and I were looking forward to seeing Kevin and Eddy.

Now, Vashon Island, with about 10,000 residents, has no bridges. It is a relatively rural island (one might call it rural chic, however) and the people who live there want to keep it that way. So, the only way to get to Vashon is via ferry. Kevin texted me the ferry schedule and said to simply drive up pay the fare and drive on. The Winona Rider’s first boat ride!

We arrived at the line to get on the ferry at 1:15 to catch the 1:40 ferry. As we pulled up to the toll booth, the woman in the booth looks at our van, shakes her head, looks at me and says, “This van can’t get on.” “Um, ever?” I replied. I know I had checked the length of vehicles that could ride and we should have been fine. “We’re at low tide,” she said and that meant a vehicle of our length and clearance couldn’t get down the ramp without bottoming out. You see, the further north you go, the greater the tidal variation. Being in Seattle, tides go up and down a lot. That means the ramp onto the ferry was angled steeply down and 1:40 and the nose of our van would go straight into the floor of the ferry. “OK, when can we go?” I asked. “The tide will be up far enough for the 3:40 ferry. Come back then,” she responded. As I pulled out of the line and turned around, I hoped this wasn’t one of those Wizard of Oz “Come back later” moments.

Lisa and I went into the town of Ruston for lunch and then hung out at Point Defiance Park to see their gardens, run the dogs at their dog park, and stretch our legs.

The Antique Sandwich Company. A delightful place for lunch.
Garden of Eatin’. My kind of pun.
The dog park. Sophie had a great time. Ralphie got a time out because he doesn’t play well with other.
Point Defiance Park is, like much of the Northwest, quite wooded.
Lisa loved the rose gardens.

Once 3:00 rolled around we drove back to the ferry entrance. The woman who sent up away before gladly took our money and sent us into the ferry line. Soon we started loading and a guy directed us onto the ferry.

Driving onto the Vashon Island Ferry

Kevin and Eddy bought an old five-acre farm in 2012. The farm had been owned by a Japanese family for nearly 100 years. When they were sent to an internment camp during World War II a local farmer watched over it for them. The place is oozing with history. It also needed a lot of work.

We arrived at the Hoffberg property after a beautiful drive through Vashon Island. Kevin and Eddy greeted us with hugs, Sophie and Ralphie enthusiastically greeted Kevin and Eddy, and soon we were off on a tour of this magnificent place.

No matter how long you’ve known someone, there is always more to learn about them. Kevin, a business consultant, and Eddy an accomplished artist, also are quite capable farmers (they are adamant this is a “hobby farm”), carpenters, mechanics, gardeners, beekeepers, furniture makers, bakers, and overall fix-it people. Much of the renovation of the original home, and construction of outbuildings has been done by Kevin, Eddy, or both. I had no idea. And, the fact that I have no talent for any of these things made this discovery all the more impressive.

The property has many apple trees that Kevin and Eddy use to make cider. It also has pear trees, buckwheat, lavender, beehives, any vegetable you can name, a wood shop, art studio, flowers of all variety, tractors, an ATV, and even an area where people can glamp (luxury camping). The property is simply beautiful.

Rows of apple trees. They are cultivated a bit like grapevines.
Kevin and Eddy’s home. They did most of the renovations themselves.
The view from the house.
An outbuilding containing a wood shop, art studio, and soon a production studio for their professional dancer daughter’s videos.
The orangery that Kevin built. Basically a hothouse with citrus and other warm weather plants in it.
Poppies
Glamping Tent
A magnificent table that Kevin made himself in the glamping area.

We had a delicious dinner on their patio. For dessert we had Eddy’s homemade biscotti with Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine that, I am embarrassed to say, had never had. It was delicious.

Kevin somehow remembered we were fans of the Golden State Warriors so he ushered us into the house to watch the fourth quarter of game six — one that the Warriors would win to take the championship. We cheered them on, turned off the TV, gabbed for a while longer then went out to watch the sunset. The days are very long this far north so sunset is quite late. In the morning we had a delicious breakfast of egg salad on homemade sourdough toast. We also got to sample honey from the bees out back (delicious).

Our conversations continued apace in the morning. Too soon, we had to leave before the tide went down and we couldn’t get off the island. As we said goodbye, I’ll confess to having a bit of a tear in my eye. You see, old friends are woven into the fabric of our lives. They are irreplaceable. Lisa and I are fortunate enough to have many old friends. The past two nights we were able to visit with two of them — Jon and Sallie Cohen, then Kevin and Eddy. We’re less than a week into the trip and it’s already created many memories.

If you have a chance today, reach out to one of your old friends and say hello. You will both be glad you did.

Kevin and Eddy
Our daily “Dogs at Sunset” shot. I think Sophie and Ralphie are getting bored of this.
Ralphie at the front door as we were getting ready to leave. I don’t think he wanted to go.
Categories: RV, Travel, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Following in Footsteps

Posted on June 14, 2022 by lisablackwell

Brad and I are heading out on an almost three-week trip on the Winona Rider to Banff, Canada and back. This has been a dream trip of mine since my parents went in the 80’s and loved it so much they did another trip in 1995. (My brother and sister have also done a BackRoads trip to Banff so clearly I had some making up to do) On the last weekend that I was with my Dad at Easter this year, we looked at all of his pictures from his past trips to Banff and he was so excited that Brad and I were following in his footsteps. He was eager to read our blog after we sat and looked through all of his pictures from 1995 (My Dad was a great photographer.) He told me all of the places I needed to see and visit. His itinerary was very close to ours on this trip so indeed I feel that I am following in his footsteps. Sadly, my father passed away last month. Yet, I can’t help but feel that he and my mom are with me on this adventure.

Mom and Dad’s Itinerary in 1995…they started at our house in Northen California

Our send-off this morning was full of joy and hugs and artwork. We stopped by the kids and grandkids homes on our way out and they gave us good-bye hugs and waves! We promised to send pictures of Canadian roly poly bugs to Max (his favorite thing) and we gave Maile and Noa a little joy ride around Waterman Circle in the Winona Rider. Maile greeted us with the brand new haircut that she did herself yesterday while Katie was at a wedding shower. She’ll be going to a professional tomorrow to try and tidy up the variety of lengths that are now Maile’s hairstyle! There were a couple of tears on my part as we waved good-bye and gave the horn a good honk.

Max showing his latest Roly Poly before we go!
Maile sporting her new DIY haircut from yesterday!
Van Art Work
The Winona Rider and a person!
Max adding some color to our windows.

We set off for Medford Oregon today with a Harvest Host destination of EdenVale Winery. It was a beautiful six hour drive with Mount Shasta out of our window for a lot of the drive.

Mt Shasta

We did have one unfortunate mishap or shall we say grim reality of our trip. We filled up with Diesel Gas. Our gas total was a shocking $133 and we only had about 3/4 of a tank to fill! Ouch!

The new reality of road-tripping!

We had a little stop on the way in Ashland at the bread store that we have discovered in previous trips. We are going to try and emulate Brenda and Chris Dittmore as they bike through Europe by buying and consuming delicious pastries along the way. Our only problem is we won’t be burning the calories that Brenda and Chris are doing. We’ll be driving six hours while they are cycling! Ooops!

Our Harvest Host location at EdenVale is just one big exhale. The property is beautiful and expansive and we have a vineyard and a 100 year old barn as our backdrop. Tonight, we went back and forth from enjoying our beautiful view of the vineyard to enjoying the Warriors victory on our television! Life is good back on the road…crazy gas prices and all!

Our spot for the night
It’s mandatory to have a wine-tasting at the Winery! Would be rude if we didn’t.
The Vineyard at EdenVale
Voorhies Mansion at the Vineyard
Our traditional first night meal of wine and cheese
A Warriors Victory to make the night complete!
The flowers and greenery of Oregon
Sophie and Ralphie at Sunset
The Winona Rider, a hundred-year old barn and a Southern Oregon backdrop
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Lessons from the Road, Lessons in Life

Posted on July 28, 2021 by lisablackwell

The last load of laundry is put away and the mail is all opened. Before we move on to our next project and say “What Van Trip?”, we thought it would be a good idea to share our lessons learned from our second month-long trip in the Winona Rider. We visited 14 states in the past month. I checked off two new states; South Dakota and Minnesota and we both checked off two new National Parks; The Badlands and Wind Cave.

We have been to 19 states total in the Winona Rider–14 on this trip!

Here are our lessons learned from Round 2 on the Winona Rider:

  •  Trust your van (and driver) and have an optimistic outlook about being on the road.  

We had three things go wrong before we got out of Danville.  I thought they might be omens for the trip.  Brad just concluded we got all of the mistakes done at the beginning.  Brad was right.

  • ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple, ‘Tis a gift to be free

Keep it simple and downsize.   Don’t worry about hair products or blowdryers or shaving.   Make-up is a thing for a different world.  We wore a lot of the same clothes because it’s just easier. Wear sunglasses in all of your selfies. Our dinners were very simple ones with minimal dishes and plastic wine glasses.  Yes, Hall Wine still tastes as good in plastic glasses…almost.    Simplicity is freeing.

  • Be a planner and spontaneous at the same time. 

I am a planner and sometimes a bit rigid with my schedule. It is necessary to have reservations during peak travel times but there are also times when you have to be ready to be spontaneous and make changes. We changed a few locations during the trip and that allowed us to visit with a childhood friend in Ketchum, Idaho and stay at a farm house in Montana. We went off our route to see Lake Winona in Minnesota and Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. It added an hour to our day but it was totally worth doing. New rule for me: Be a plan-taneous person or a spontaneous-er.

  • Be aware of the number of days you are on the road and the days and dates when you are driving.   

We kind of blew some of our travel times by traveling through Chicago on Fridays and coming home from Nevada/Tahoe on a Sunday. You get the point. Also, we undercounted the days we would be on the road and ran out of wine on the last night (the horror!) and you can ask Brad about his mis-counting of his underwear.

  • Audio Books and Podcasts make the driving through long stretches in Nevada and Wyoming more tolerable.

We listened to the book “Running with Sherman” and enjoyed the Podcast from NPR, called “How I Built This”.  We found a station on Sirius Radio called Road Trip Radio but Brad nixed it after hearing the country song “She thinks my Tractor’s Sexy” for the fifth time.  You can never go wrong with Spotify.  We were in the Van together for over 5500 miles.  It’s good to have other things to listen to besides our own voices.

  • Routines save us from ourselves.  

We follow a lot of routines when we get to a new spot and when we leave.  My favorite personal routine is the one where Brad makes me French Press coffee before I get out of bed.  Brad’s favorite routine is when we share a beer when we get to our camping spot after a long drive.  Routines also help us from driving off with our awning out (well, we did that once), leaving the dog bowls, or even worse leaving Ralphie.  We make our bed every morning, do all the dishes, clean and vacuum daily.  It’s a small space and will overwhelm you if you don’t keep it tidy.   We do ALWAYS forget to turn on the Hot Water before we shower or do dishes so we still have room for improvement.

  • Nature is Healing.  

When we weren’t driving, we were out in nature. Some days we were outside 90% of the time. Our times on screens were minimal except to write this blog or text our kids and friends. Hiking on new trails is good for the soul. Sleeping in our van with neighboring rescue goats, fireflies, chickens, and chipmunks was peaceful. We slept like babies almost every night.

  • Dogs are joyful traveling companions.  

Our dogs really got into the lifestyle.  They found their spots in the van when we traveled and were thrilled to run around as soon as we parked.  Every new location had new smells and places to run and explore.  Harvest Host spots are better for dogs because there are few people and the owners usually have dogs as playmates. Yes, sometimes they can be a bit stinky (Lookin’ at you Sophie) or wander to other campsites and go missing (that would be Ralphie) but overall they made the trip a lot of fun!  Just be aware that there is virtually no hiking with dogs in National Parks so you need to find trails in nearby State Parks.

  • Harvest Host is our favorite but there is a place and time for RV Parks.  

When we stay at Harvest Hosts, we get the privilege of staying in grapevines in wineries, a beautiful meadow, or near a fun brewery.  We are usually the only RV there.  Sometimes there is one other van but no more.  The dogs don’t have to be leashed and everyone is free to stretch out.  RV Parks are less private and and a little noisier but they have the advantage of having all of the amenities like water, power, dump stations, and cable.  It’s good to do a combo of both and both in moderation just like in life.

  •  Slow this Thing Down

Life is busy and full of to-do lists and meetings and events back home.  On the road, you have a chance to go slower and simpler.  Slow mornings drinking coffee and relaxing evenings looking at the sunset are part of every day.  Eating lunches at parks in small towns like North Platte, Ashland, Anita,or Schereville gives you a chance to see a small sample size of the people who live there and what they do for fun and recreation.  Playing the dice game “Farkle” or working on a crossword puzzle together are luxuries we don’t do often during our busy life at home in Danville.  It is really nice to live the slow life for a few weeks out of the year.

Hope you enjoy these lessons we learned from Round 2.  We thought we might only keep the Winona Rider for one season but it seems now we are hooked on traveling in our 6ft by 20ft long, 120 sq foot Van.  We aren’t exactly turning into Fern from “Nomadland” but we do feel like “One of those lucky people that can travel anywhere” 

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Well, That Didn’t Work Out the Way We Planned.

Posted on July 27, 2021 by loansbrad

Sometimes thing don’t work out exactly to plan. That can lead to disaster. But, Lisa and I have found that, often, a mangled schedule can lead to adventures you never would have thought to plan. The last leg of our trip in the Winona Rider unexpectedly led us to old friends, a new friend, and beautiful sights along the way.

Let’s roll the clock back to our last day at Winona Lake. Lisa’s sister Diana had a best friend, Heidi. Lisa has known Heidi since she was born and I first met her when she was 16. Well, Heidi was visiting Winona Lake while we were there. She asked where we were going as we headed home. When Lisa told her one of our stops was Twin Falls, Idaho, she said, “No it isn’t! You are staying with us in Ketchum.” Seeing a chance to reconnect with an old friend, we quickly agreed.

OK, roll forward to our last day in the Black Hills. As Lisa wrote, we loved the three days we spent there and were enjoying our final dinner the night before heading to our Harvest Hosts spot near Bozeman, Montana. When I made the reservation in May she had offered us a five-course meal at her farm along with a bottle of Prosecco followed by a movie in the barn. It sounded perfect.

A month later she texted me that she had to work at the county fair the night we were staying and couldn’t provide the dinner and movie. OK, no problem. We’ll still enjoy staying at what looked to be a beautiful farm.

Well, I texted her the night before our arrival and she let me know her house on the farm is now rented and she would need to ask the renters if we could stay. Uh oh. You see, Bozeman is a popular destination not far from Yellowstone National Park. I called several RV parks hoping they may have had a cancellation. No luck. I could only hope our host could arrange a stay for us.

She texted us back that her neighbor, Cheri, said we could park at her home for the night. I called her and she sounded so friendly and accommodating. We got her address and set out for Montana the next morning. Whew!

Devil’s Tower

On the way we saw that Devil’s Tower was only about an hour off of our route. Lisa and I decided that it would be worth the time and we readjusted our route. For those that haven’t heard of Devil’s Tower, it is a large butte that rises off of the floor of a valley in Northeast Wyoming. You may remember it as the alien landing place in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I think Richard Dreyfus might have crafted a replica in his mashed potatoes in one scene.

Devil’s Tower turned out to be worth the change of itinerary. It was spectacular. We could see how Steven Spielberg chose it for a starring role in his movie as it had an almost surreal, other-planetary feel to it.

The Winona Rider posing with Devil’s Tower
Lisa and I posing with Devil’s Tower
Devil’s Tower

Three Forks, Montana

We left and headed into Montana. We drove through Bozeman and headed west to a small town called Three Forks. Our route took us to a narrow winding road through farmland. Small and winding turned to a gravel-covered dirt road. We passed our original Harvest Hosts destination (it looked very nice) and drove another six miles to Cheri’s home over the washboard-rutted surface. Cheri explained to us that six miles away still qualifies as being neighbors in this area. Makes sense to us.

As we pull up, Cheri comes out to greet us. She told us where to park and showed us where her garden was along with the chickens and cats. She said we should help ourselves to anything in the garden. I told her we would keep the dogs tied up as they had never seen a chicken before and I was a bit worried what they’d do if they did see one (most likely cower in fear). Cheri then pointed out a nice area to take the dogs for a walk and said feel free to walk around the adjacent ranch. She would call them to let them know we would be walking around.

After we returned, Lisa and I sat down for a nice wine and cheese dinner. Cheri came out to chat. She said she grew up in Florida, came to college in Bozeman, got married and found this cute little farmhouse to rent. She said is was the only place they could afford at the time and fell in love with it. Unfortunately, her marriage ended, but her stay at the farmhouse didn’t. A few years ago she offered to buy it from the ranchers that owned it. They agreed and she happily owns this beautiful property today.

Later that evening she texted me from inside her home and asked if we would like some eggs for breakfast. I enthusiastically said yes. Out Cheri comes with four fresh eggs from her chickens. The next morning I fried them up and we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast.

As we prepared to leave, Cheri was also getting ready to depart on her own camping trip. We thanked her for her hospitality and as we drove gingerly down the washboard road, Cheri passed us by smiling and waving at us. Cheri let us stay to help out her friend. But, she also showed that the kindness of strangers can lead to new friendships. The world needs more people like her.

The Winona Rider parked in front of Cheri’s farmhouse
The road to Cheri’s home
Sophie and Ralphie enjoying a beautiful Montana evening
Cheri’s garden
The iconic-looking barn next door.

Ketchum, Idaho

Six hours later we arrived in Ketchum. The town of about 3,000 people is in a valley surrounded by mountains and ski resorts just south of Sun Valley. Heidi moved there several years ago with her husband Eric. The home, built by Eric’s father, is a beautiful, large home on the outskirts of Ketchum. It has spectacular views of the mountains.

Heidi and Eric took us out to dinner in town with a few business associates of Eric’s. The dinner entailed great company, great food,and great wine. That night we stayed in the guest quarters, got a good night’s sleep and a nice shower (the shower in our van is a bit tight!) Heidi and Eric served us a nice breakfast before heading to the airport. We went into Ketchum to see the town before getting back on the road.

Heidi and Eric in their backyard
Ralphie didn’t want to leave.

Winnemucca, Nevada

“I was totin’ my pack down the dusty Winnemucca road. . .”

You’ve probably described a remote place you’ve been as being in the middle of nowhere. Well, no matter where that was, it wasn’t as middle-of-nowhere as Winnemucca. We had to find a place to stay that was halfway between Ketchum and home. Well, Winnemucca is it.

You may have heard of it. Johnny Cash sings about it in the song, I’ve Been Everywhere Man. It truly is dusty, hot, and dry. But, it does have a few things going for it. Being halfway between the Bay Area and lots of places makes it a regular stopping point for many people. It has a robust Basque population with the cultural benefits that affords. And, Butch Cassidy once robbed the bank there (What is it about all the bank robberies in the towns we visit?)

Anyway, we had a nice RV park, we fired up the air conditioner and turned on the TV for the first time on our trip to watch the Olympics. We had tough chicken we had bought in South Dakota, runny cheese, pasta, and a bagged, pre-made salad. But, we paired it with a very nice Burgundy we purchased in Ketchum so all was right in the world.

The next day we set out early and headed for home after a memorable month-long adventure. We met a lot of good people, reunited with others, and saw beautiful sights that continue to remind us of the beauty our country possesses. And, on road trips, like in life, sometimes when things don’t go exactly as planned, go with it. You never know what adventures might lie ahead.

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Badlands, Black Hills, and Buffalo Jams!

Posted on July 24, 2021 by lisablackwell

The main destination of our trip this week is South Dakota. I have never been to the Dakotas. Brad spent two years of his early high school years in Rapid City and was anxious to show this beautiful area to me. None of it disappointed and we had many delightful surprises along the way.

We started our journey at Badlands National Park. We drove from the Eastern end of South Dakota starting with fertile farmland to arid prairies to this unbelievable force of nature called the Badlands. The Native American tribe — the Lakotas — named this area Mako Sica meaning very eroded or bad land and the early French fur traders called the badlands ‘les mauviases terres a traverser’ or bad lands to traverse. Imagine early settlers traveling across the flat grassy plains and coming upon this magical geologic mystery of towering rock spires. We drove the scenic Badlands Loop and got out at as many scenic overlooks as we could. Dogs aren’t allowed to hike on the trails of most National Parks so we had to stick to the overlooks. We were fine with that because by the time we went sight-seeing the temps were in the mid-90’s. Here’s a few of our favorite Badland scenes. In a place like this, pictures really don’t do the area justice.

Brad does all of the planning for our RV trips.  Some of you might enjoy that little detail because until we got an RV, Gracie Forman, his right-hand person at Wells Fargo and I have done all of his travel planning.  He pre-warned me that our RV spot for the night might not be up to our standards but it was in a GREAT location because it was close to the Badlands.  Suffice it to say that if all of our overnight spots were like the RV spot near the Badlands, we would probably be selling the Winona Rider when we got home!  We made the best of it and enjoyed our air-conditioning and really good WiFi and called it a night.  

The next day we were off to the Black Hills but first we had to make a stop at Wall Drug. What a crazy place that is. You have to visit it to be able to describe it. Wall Drug Store began in the 1930’s as a place that offered free ice water to travelers. You can’t miss the location because there were at least 100 billboards telling us where it was and what they offered. We really wanted that 5 cent cup of coffee they advertised but the line was so long that we decided to pass and just enjoy the spectacle. There were cowboy hats, ice cream cones, coffee mugs, buffalo-skin coats, little license plates with your name on them – pretty much any cliche souvenir you can imagine.

Wall Drug goes on for blocks and blocks!

From Wall, we drove to Rapid City and stopped at Brad’s high school—Douglas High. Brad attended school there his freshman and sophomore years. The façade had changed but after walking around, he still remembered certain classrooms and areas he used to hang out as a young 15 year old. We drove by Ellsworth Air Force Base where his Dad was stationed and stopped quickly to look at the outdoor Air and Space Museum at the Base.

Brad re-living his youth at Douglas High
A Huey helicopter similar to the one Brad’s Dad flew when stationed at Ellsworth AFB

Next we decided we were up for Mount Rushmore. We weren’t sure how busy it would be but were delighted to see that the lines were short and the parking was plentiful. We did a quick Chevy Chase tour of the Monument. (Dogs aren’t allowed up close) We took a selfie and patted ourselves on the back for our lucky timing! It really is impressive and worth your time to visit.

Quick selfie at Mount Rushmore
Close up of the Presidents

Time for lunch and Custer State Park in the Black Hills. The Black Hills were named by the Lakota tribe because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered with evergreen trees. Until I visited, I had always thought they were named that because the hills were actually black. Duh! Of all of the parks we have seen, Custer State Park has to be one of the finest. There is so much to see and do and such variety of terrain. Our first day we had a picnic lunch at a lovely lake and then headed towards the Visitor Center to get our bearings. Funny thing though when you are driving through Custer State Park, you never know when you will get stuck in a buffalo jam. And stuck we got!!! There were at least 100 buffalo when we turned a corner on our path. They were everywhere—in the pasture, on the road, in the hills. None of them were going anywhere quickly. In fact, they seemed to relish in the fact that they were stopping lines of cars on both sides of the road and they were not about to move. We sat there for about 45 minutes wondering how we ever were going to get through but one-by-one each car took their turn navigating through the bison.

Buffalo Traffic Jam…These guys weren’t going anywhere fast!
A field of buffalo

The Native American term for buffalo or bison is Tatanka. The buffalo are held in high regard by the Lakota people and the species are respected as a symbol of the divine. After seeing these creatures up close, you really do understand their magnificence. Of course, my husband just wanted to sing the CU Fight Song and call out Ralphie every time he saw them because that’s what Buffs do.

A Retired Ralphie?

After our buffalo jam and a few more walks in the park with Sophie and Ralphie, we headed to our campground for the next three nights. I know that Brad was holding his breath that this one would get my approval and luckily it far exceeded it! We got one of the most picturesque spots in the place and have enjoyed a very peaceful, private camp site these past three nights. We were surrounded by pine trees and a real shower! I know I shouldn’t mix nature with a modern facility but when you are showering in a tiny wet bath in the Sprinter Van, a real shower is akin to heaven. I think I have enjoyed my three showers here a little too much!! We have been able to walk the dogs outside of the campground and see the sunset every night. We also have fun seeing everyone’s different RV’s and tents. They certainly do come in all shapes and sizes from Monster RV’s that are up to 45 feet long to Retro ones that are complete with a white picket fence and matching outdoor furniture to small pup tents that can only fit a single person. Our neighbors at our campsite are from Boulder and live in the area Brad and I bought our first condo. (What are the odds?)

Peaceful Big Pines Campground
Sophie and Ralphie going on a Sunset Stroll
Cute Retro RV…We really need to up our game!
Can’t even imagine driving and parking this monster

The last two days we have had slow mornings and leisurely evenings with some great morning hikes, picnic lunches at lakes, and a little sightseeing thrown in. We did another quick Chevy Chase tour of Crazy Horse Memorial (they were building this memorial well before Brad lived here and are still not close to finishing) and we did a couple of lovely picturesque drives on Iron Mountain Road and Wildlife Loop. Our excursion on Iron Mountain Road was averted when we got caught in some pea-sized hail (and Brad hates peas). We quickly turned around and felt great pity for all of the motorcyclists who were finding cover under the trees. On our way to Wildlife Loop, we got caught in a shorter Buffalo Jam- these guys were on the move this time. We also got to see Pronghorn antelope, Prairie Dogs, more Buffalo and delightful, playful Burros.

Lover’s Leap Hike!
Lost Trails Hike…Just a man and his dog(s)
Beautiful waterfalls on the Lost Hills Hike
Crazy Horse Memorial…Will it get done in our lifetime?
Another Buffalo Jam…These guys were on the move this time.
Brad, Can we bring this cute donkey home?
Hail Storm!

The Black Hills and Badlands are one of the most awe-inspiring places we have been. It has been so nice to “drop anchor” here for three days and take our time seeing the sights and enjoying nature. And, yes, I’ll never forget the great showers and my husband calling all of the buffalo on the road “Ralphie”. Go Buffs!

You lookin’ at me, Brad?
So True!

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Midwestern Wine and Beer and Water — Lots of Water

Posted on July 18, 2021 by loansbrad

When we last left you, we were sleeping with goats in Nebraska. Well, since then we have stayed at a winery in Iowa; spent two weeks in one of our favorite places — Winona Lake, Indiana; stayed at a brewery in Wisconsin; and as I write, we are staying in a winery in Garretson, South Dakota called Humble Hill Winery.

We come from California wine country so if you think we might be a bit snobbish about our wines, you’d be right. And, while the wines in South Dakota, Iowa, and other non-California wineries we’ve been to aren’t what we’re used to, we have met wonderful people who are plying their trade with the tools they have been given and doing a good job of it.

We have nothing but praise for the places we’ve stayed and the people we’ve met. You don’t need to make world-class wine to make people happy and to build a thriving business. You simply need to make something that is tasty and make the experience something people enjoy.

Let’s back up a bit. We left Pickrell, Nebraska and drove to Marengo, Iowa (yeah, we’d never heard of it either). We stayed at Fireside Winery which had beautiful grounds and a very friendly staff. Given the wine selection we ordered a local beer that they had on the menu. Add a nice cheese and charcuterie plate and we had a beautiful evening. The sunset was spectacular and the generous people at the winery allowed us to eat dinner in their outdoor dining area. It was a fantastic experience.

Our beer and cheese platter
Sunset at Fireside Winery in Marengo, Iowa

Off to Winona Lake, Indiana to spend time with Lisa’s Dad and to enjoy all that lake life has to offer. Stephanie, our youngest daughter met us there and we had a fantastic time although it wasn’t without it’s lowlights. For one, Lisa’s childhood friend’s mom (Lisa’s summer Mom) passed away while we were there. It was tragic and sad.

We left Winona and headed north on our one-week adventure in the Winona Rider. First stop — Tumbled Rock Brewery in Baraboo, Wisconsin. While the place feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere, it is close to Devil’s Lake State Park, a popular attraction that was spectacular. Baraboo is famous as the home of the Ringling Brothers and their circus.

We had dinner and a local English IPA (it was very good) at the outdoor bar and were entertained by an enjoyable blues singer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. While we were hoping for a circus act, the singer won Lisa over when he did a James Taylor song early in his first set.

Toasting a Successful Travel Day
Tumbled Rock Brewery
Sophie and Ralphie Enjoying the Evening’s Entertainment

As we headed west, Lisa said she had always wanted to visit Winona, Minnesota since it had the same name as the lake she so dearly loved. And, since our van, the Winona Rider shared the name we knew we had to take the detour to the town. Oh, and the original Winona Ryder was born there so it had that going for it too.

The town of 27,500 was beautiful. It had a large lake at its center named Lake Winona (as opposed to our Winona Lake) and ran along the Mississippi River at the Minnesota/Wisconsin border. We had a terrific lunch on the shore of the lake. After lunch I headed to the center of town, only to be flagged down by a local telling me I was going the wrong way on a one-way road. I hate it when that happens.

Once we got turned back around, we found the Winona Visitors’ Center and Lisa bought a t-shirt. You’ll probably see her wearing it someday. She’s very proud of it.

Us in front of Lake Winona. My Port Winona shirt is from Indiana, not here.
Lisa at the Lake Winona Visitors’ Center
Lisa’s new favorite shirt

We left Winona and headed west for Garretson, SD and our current overnight stay at Humble Hill Winery. Garretson’s claim to fame is that Jesse James robbed a bank here and eluded the posse sent out to capture him. We didn’t see him either.

Rob, the owner had a dream to start a winery ever since he met a retired Lt. Colonel in San Luis Obispo who had started one in California. Rob is a retired Army Lt. Colonel and thought he could do the same. He said it took him about ten years to make it a reality, but, he seems to be doing well with it. Things started out rocky, however. First, a powerful line of thunderstorms came through in 2015 and blew down the building behind his home where he planned to put the tasting room. We are parked right next to the wreckage. Then, the new garage addition he put on his home for the tasting room burned down. He finally rebuilt and opened a couple of years later. Give him credit for persistence.

Sophie and Ralphie at Humble Hill Winery
The should-have-been tasting room that blew down in 2015

Lisa and I have been appreciating the simple pleasures of road travel on this leg of the trip. We have been able to see things we never would have seen and meet people we never would have met had we simply flown from one place to the other. It is a slower pace that we are cherishing. And, coming from the West we don’t have much water. In the Midwest, water is plentiful. So, while we may have the wine in California, no one can top the lakes in the Midwest. If you haven’t spent time at one, you haven’t lived.

It’s also a pace that we may long for on our next leg as we head to the tourist crowds of Badlands National Park and the Black Hills. Stay tuned . . .

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