17 - 31 July 2021 Cook, Washington with Zoe and Family

Home with Lulu, Zoe, Gabe, Pearl

We never get tired of the ride along the Columbia River on Oregon I-84 when you come around a corner and see snow topped Mt. Hood looming in front of you. And then there's the view of Mt. Hood heading up the mountain a few miles from Zoe's, rising above the Columbia River (see below). Way more spectaclar in person!

16 miles north of the Columbia Gorge, their home is nestled high in the forest between three volcanos; Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood.  the entire gorge area is trees on top of lava flows.   For the past few years, much more worrisome at present is fire.  At the moment most of the fires are north and east of them and we have no smoke.  That can change at any moment and we have fire evacuation plans.  They are near the end of any paved road except the one to their house from the Gorge.  The post office doesn’t deliver past the little dirt road they live on. There are only three houses on the main road past theirs before it turns to dirt and their mailboxes are next to Zoe’s.  

We traveled west on one of them on our way to Goose Lake with Zoe and there is no way we can get the RV through.  They say the other road north of them is worse.  So we will have to leave the RV if the southern route is blocked.  Goose Lake was beautiful but it took an hour to go the 23 miles as about 15 miles of them were dusty, washboard, dirt roads!   

Lava Flow Behind Zoe at Goose Lake

Cooling Down A Hot Day

Gabe spends much of the warmer months on these awful  roads throughout Washington trapping wolves, attaching radio frequency collars and doing a medical checkup including taking blood and DNA sample from their ears.  Zoe also travels in the outback for her work working with livestock producers encouraging non-lethal methods of wolf control and with native tribes providing bear awareness training.  Defenders of Wildlife recently published a “Bear Awareness” booklet that she produced.    

Our Hawaii friends, Dean and Jaynine spend 4 months a year RVing in the Northwest and we have been able to meet up with them a couple of times which is crazy cool.  They came out to Zoe’s one day and we had a grand time catching up, telling stories, hiking around the property and swimming in the river.  Can’t believe its been 20 years since we moved from Hawaii.  

  

Having a Blast with Dean and Jaynine

Mt. Hood above Columbia River 

Just love it, Zoe is still a rebel fighting for what she believes.  From the time in high school when she argued with her teacher and classmates that snakes have the right to survive to a recent conference where she was invited speak about Defender's wolf projects.  Her presentation was well received.  After watching a film about the host groups conservation efforts, Zoe stood up during the Q&A and said to the effect, "really, you think dissing fellow wildlife conservation groups efforts and infighting is going help the conservation cause?" Some argued back, some agreed.  At future meetings with people she sometimes get "oh yay,  your the one who stood up at the ......  conference......."

7/14 -15 Headwaters Of The Missouri State Park, Three Forks MT

We dry camped in the 20 spot campground in this park which is about 1.5 miles long at the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers which all merge to form the headwaters of the 2300 mile Missouri River. Lewis and Clark explored and named these rivers in 1805. To explore like Lewis and Clark with the goal of paddling and swimming in all 4 rivers, we put the kyack in by the road on the upper left corner of this photo. We floated for 2 lovely hours beginning in the Madison River. As we came to the Jefferson we paddled up it a litle ways and got out to swim and explore. Saw tracks along river bank for deer, moose, a possible bear, gulls and I found a large piece of an antique green blown glass lamp shade. We could hear the Gallatin River coming into the Madison well before we could

Approaching the Gallatin and Missouri Rivers

see it which was unnerving as we were determined to paddle it and swim. Coming around the bend it hit us broadside and we had to paddle like hell to maneuver up river. Once we made it to the bank, we walked upriver a bit and floated down one at a time so the other could grab on if we tried to shoot past and end up in the Missouri River for a 2 1/2 month float to the Gulf of Mexico. Adventure is worth it when only a little damage to the body or boat results! The Missouri begins where the Gallitan comes in so we got our 4th river paddle and swim as we disenbarked. Amazing to think L&C paddled and/or walked their boats against these currents for hundreds of miles! Sacajawea was captured here as a child and eventually returned as a member of the L&C Corps of Discovery. Another member of this expedition, John Colter, later made several trips to this area in search of furs and is where he began his famous run from the Blackfeet Indians. (Google it, an incredible story of survival). Pioneers slowly settled the surrounding area and transformed it into profitable grazing and farming land.

Aiken Hotel, Old Town 1869

Trappers came shortely after L&C , and miners for the gold and silver discovered, then settlers/farmers began Gallatin City which was one of the earliers settlements in Montana. In In 1880, hoping the railroad was going through this area, entrepeneurs Asher Paul and brother-in-law Michael Hanley purchased 160-acres from Mr. Shedd and changed the name to “Bridgeville” because of couple dozen bridges Shedd built across the rivers, now the present-day “Old Town”. Unfortunately the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks were installed a mile south of Bridgeville. Paul and Hanley dabbled in mining with "The Silver Mine". Paul and Hanley sold their lands in Bridgeville in 1882 to a group of Englishmen, John Charter and Co., who settled the area and platted town, officially calling it Three Forks. Other reports say that Paul and Hanley platted the town and called it Three Forks. The cool little Three Forks Heritage Museum has some information about this Michael Hanley who we need to research to see if he is a relative. These Hanley's were from Limerick, Ireland. Many Hanley's were buried here in the 1800's. A short walk from the campground are remains of "Old Town" including the Aiken Hotel. Walking through the tall grass kicked up hundreds of grasshoppers with every step. This beautiful sunset from the campground doesn't show the hint and smell of smoke from all the wildfires burning north and west of here. The weather this summer has tempereature and rain records all over the world. In this area it is DRY DRY DRY although the temperature while were here was comfortable.

Smokey Campsite Sunset

7/11/21 Black Hills, South Dakota

 

Crazy Horse Monument

7/11 Every Time we come here to visit Joan and Craig we say we’re going to stay for a week but it never gets into the schedule. This is one of the most beautiful places in the world (I know, we say that a lot throughout our travels across this beautiful country) with so much to see and do that we have decided the next family reunion should be here. 

This time we stayed at Sheridan lake State Park and it is magnificent. As far as the eye can see, the Black Hills are covered with pine/fir trees which look black when approaching them from miles away.  Truly amazing is the beautiful grass covering the forest floor.  We didn't fill our empty water tank at the last stop figuring we were going to fill it at this campground. They said they had potable water but they didn't say the spigot could not attach a hose! Good thing there’s a lake to bath in. The park is quiet with lots of room between sites as you can see in photo with John doing his morning stretch routine we call "Nelsen's" after our Hawaii friend Dean Nelsen who put the basic routine together. Joan and Craig came out to visit us at the campground and we had great time learning about plans for their new house with a 360 degree view from the hilltop behind their current home.

 View from RV

Looks like Joan’s Subaru Towing the RV

Crazy horse memorial is a fabulous place to visit. The size of this project is incredible. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain (in background of picture above) about 10 miles from Joan and Craig's house. Crazy Horse (1840ish - 1877) was a great warrior who led the Lakota against Custer in the 1887 battle known as Custers Last Stand. Lakaota Chief, Henry Standing Bear (1874-19....), a cousin of Crazy Horse (1840-1877), commissioned the poor, self taught, Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski saying "My fellow chiefs would like the white man to know that the red man has great hero’s also." Standing Bear gave the Forest Service his personally owned 900 acres of land in exchange for the rights to erect this memorial "to honor the principles and values for which Native Americans stood and to honor all the indigenous people of North America. Crazy Horse is riding his steed out of the granite of the sacred Black Hills with his left hand gesturing forward in response to the derisive question asked by a Cavalry man, “Where are your lands now?” Crazy Horse replied, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”" Korczak's final dimensions were planned to be 641 feet long and 563 feet high. The arm of Crazy Horse will be 263 feet (80 m) long and the head 87 feet high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each only 60 feet high. Started in the late 1940's, it could take a hundred years to finish due to issues with funds, access to qulified stone masons, weather and millions of tons of more rock to remove. Built entirely from private funds so that no government agency can have any say/control of the project, Korczak's family are still running the operation which is now developed into a heritage center and a university where Native Americans can go for free to learn about their culture.  Photo below is of Korczak and Chief Standing Bear. 

Crazy Horse Final Product

7/6/2021 Westwards Ho

RV Hall of Fame

7/6/21  Yeah, we’re on the road again and traveling to see Zoe, Gabe, Pearl and Lulu in Washington state. The first two days of travel were much longer than planned due to traffic and construction. John’s plans for six or seven hour days turned into 10 to 12 as we made 835 miles to Elkhart Indiana on the second night. Listening to James Taylor “The Secret to Life Is Enjoying The Passage Of Time”  and Johns favorite “Damn Damn This Traffic Jam, hurts my motor to go so slow” helped pass the time.  The next trip we’ll add another day so we don’t arrive so tired. Guess we gettin old. 

We stayed at a Walmart parking lot in Dubois, Pennsylvania the first night which was packed with other RVs. Have never seen this many RVs on the road. A phenomenon that has occurred as a result of RVing being a safe way to travel during Covid.  John started making reservations in March for this trip and often found they were full or we were getting about the last spot. We stayed at our favorite Elkhart RV Motorhome Hall of Fame Museum and took the time to tour the new exhibits of RVs and motorhomes dating back to Conestoga wagon’s.  

Will and Carol

7/8  Met up with John’s cousin Will Duke and his wife Carol at their seasonal Hickory Grove campground in Sheffield Illinois. Tucked amongst the corn and bean fields, the setting was Midwest idyllic and dear to their hearts since they are farmers having inherited farms from there elders.  A canal ran right through the fields and we spent a morning biking the towpath having the place all to ourselves.

9/11-18/2020 Excel RV Service Center, Smith Center, Kansas

 The RV has been sitting at the Excel Service Center in Smith Center Kansas since our return from Zoe's in July.  Almost $10,000 in maintenance and repairs including new black/grey tanks, ladder, and much labor to lift and replace bolts and rotted wood in back end and secure interior walls which were not properly installed in the first place.  Also installed correctly and replaced worn parts in sewer ez, and fixed many small things inside and sealed spots on the roof after replacing vents, etc. etc.  FEELS GREAT to have her back knowing she is now as good as NEW!  

Mark Twain Cave, Missouri

Another bonsai trip (which we always say we are never going to do again), squeezing it in between doctors appointments and social engagements. Feels weird to be on a road trip in the truck without the RV behind.  We spend three nights in hotels, which we disinfect thoroughly to avoid COVID, and eat from casseroles, etc. from our cooler to avoid restaurants.  Arrive Monday 14 September, we spend a couple hours checking everything out then on the road again till dark.  Diesel is CHEAP most places paying less than $2.00 in mid west, versus $2.90 in Pennsylvania and more on the coast.   

9/15 Break up the return trip a little on the way back passing through Champlain IL again and check out some more addresses where John lived as a kid.  Spent the night at lovely Mark Twain Cave Campground in Hannibal Missouri and toured the cave that Samuel Clements hung out in as a kid and which he based the Tom Sawyer and Becky's lost cave adventure.  Next day we stop north of Henry, IL on I-80 for lunch with cousin Will Duke (grandma Mary's nephew) and wife Carol.  

9/17 For our last night John finds very rustic Clearview Campground in Dubois Pennsylvania.  On a

Clearview Campground, Pennsylvania

hilltop off the beaten path with a beautiful hilly view of cornfields, green hills, forests and a couple of houses in the distance.  95% of sites are seasonal and there is only one other camper here.  Only ONE site of the few available for overnighters can we fit in due to the rough roads, steep hills and small sites.  Run by a lovely local man, Dale, whose father built the park in the 1940's, in between spitting tobacco, he told us the history and brought us plenty of firewood which we enjoyed for hours watching the sunset through the smoky haze from the wildfires on the west coast.  We really needed this rest after 7 days of driving.  Was wonderful to watch a flock of migrating geese land in the field in front of us, and hear them excitedly welcome a few stragglers who came about 20 minutes later.  Wonderful, peaceful night.

Always good to be home, and the trip was totally uneventful for a change!  3,297 miles in 8 days, never again we say.....AGAIN.  One of these days our life will really slow down so we can drive on a relaxed schedule.  Looking forward to it.

July 24, 2020 HOME At Last

7/23  14 hours away from home, Covid continues to keep the traffic down and we finally have 2 uneventful days of driving.  

3 Months To Go

7/24 We are HOME!  Truck metrics say we drove 123 hours and 40 minutes this trip, covering 6,110 miles using 572 gallons of diesel.  Everyone is in quarantine for 2 weeks, so donning face masks and social distancing even inside the condo, we don't hug Jack and Michelle.  Emotions are all over the place, so happy to be off the road, happy to be home, while grieving this new norm which keeps us at arms length.  We are mentally and physically exhausted and Debra decides she is done with the RV lifestyle.  John says, yeah right, give you a couple months to recuperate and you'll have another trip planned.  I dunna know, have to go back and get it from Smith Center after repairs in September and we'll see.......

9/11 Heading back to Smith Center Kansas to pick up RV

July 17, 2020 Heading Home

Wyoming

 7/17 With Covid closing down so many summer entertainment venues, RVing has become an even bigger rage and after being on I-84 through Washington, Oregon and Idaho for 8 hours and calling almost a dozen campgrounds around Boise, we find nothing available.  At 97 degrees we need electricity for AC so dry camping on BLM land or a Walmart parking lot (few and far between in these parts) is an unacceptable option.  John remembers Mountain Home AFB in Idaho is about 90 minutes ahead.  It's after 6 p.m., the office is closed but we press on. Rolling in around 8 p.m the camp host greets us with one open overflow spot with electric - YEAHHHHHH.  The base is in the middle of nowhere and we enjoy the desert sage smell.  Around 2:30 a.m. Debra awakes to extremely loud sounds something like a massive plane trying to take off.  It lasts several seconds.  A few minutes later it comes again.  She looks outside and sees nothing.  After all we are on an Air Force Base but really.....they have to do this in the middle of the night.  She puts earplugs in after the third wave.  Of course John never even stirs!!!  On the road the next morning Deb looks up UFOs near Mountain Home and guess what....in February 2020 there were several sightings!!!  I KNEW IT........

7/18 An hour on the road we blow a tire on the RV, we slow down trying to find safe place to pull off but the tire starts smoking so we pull over the best we can to change it, then find a tire store for a replacement.  Continuing across Idaho, Utah and Wyoming along I84 is a beautiful and relatively flat drive through rocky outcrops, sage and pronghorn (deer like animal).     Its another 97 degree scorcher so we start looking earlier for a campground with electricity and get the last spot at a KOA in Lyman,Wyoming.

7/19 Sunday is another long hot day.  In Wyoming we cross the continental divide which actually splits in two here and in between forms the continental basin where there is no outflow of water to either coast, it only evaporates.  Few campgrounds on this stretch of Wyoming and Nebraska but we find a nice RV park at a  Cabela's store in Sidney, Wyoming.   For a while now every time we open the parlor slide it sticks, this time it really stuck and caused a loud bang when opened.   We are exhausted and this is the straw that broke the camels back, we've got to stop and get it repaired. John comes up with the brilliant idea of bringing the RV back to where it was build in Smith Center, Kansas only 4 1/2 hours away and 50 miles out of our way.  

Excel in Smith Center Kansas

 Heading to Smith Center, we are on the road for about an hour when we blew another RV tire.  John knows which one as soon as we hear the POP; it is the 3rd blow out of the three crappy tires we just put on last October while visiting Joan in Rapid City.  John is wayyyy to good at this tire changing process but it takes its toll physically and emotionally on both of us. We arrive at Smith Center at the end of yet another long day and camp in their parking lot.

7/21  After determining that the back of the RV dropping is just sheared off lag bolts and not a structural issue, we go over our extensive list of repairs and maintenance overhaul as it has close to 90,000 miles on it.  We leave at 11 a.m. with the truck loaded to the hilt and praying for the rest of the trip to be drama free.  A few miles from Smith Center we visit the geographic center of the continental United States.  So cool that on this trip we visit both the continental center and geographic center!  Decide to travel due East on Rt 36 which has little traffic and lovely small town views.  Stay at a Comfort Inn in Missouri and disinfect every surface and bring our own pillows.  

7/22  Okay, finally a normal day, no drama, just relax...wrong!!  Now on Rt 80 we get a DEF warning light saying in 50 miles our truck speed will be limited to 50 mph because we almost out of DEF (cleaning fluid for diesel system). Makes no sense, the tank is more than half full and adding more DEF didn't turn off the warning.  For 50 miles it counts down a warning every 5 miles.  Our nerves are shot.  About 2 miles before we get to the Ford dealer, our 50 miles count down is up and the warning light goes off.  What the hay!!!!! 

John at Fraternity Scene of the Crime

 In the middle of this little drama we pass through Champaign, Illinois where John lived at age 10 when his father was getting his PhD in Civil Engineering at University of Illinois and his mother was getting her Masters Degree in Library Science.  Ah, who was taking care of their 5 kids????  John and a buddy bought some water balloons with money from scavenging bottles from the bushes around the fraternity houses.  Some frat boys gave them 25 cents (a huge amount of money in those days) to throw balloons at another fraternity causing a 3 day campus wide water war resulting in John getting grounded for a week.

Get a text from cousin Kevin who is now in Attic, Illinois visiting his son and realize we will be within 45 minutes of there when we stop for the night tonight!!!  We have an enjoyable dinner with Kevin. 

Kevin and John

7/7/20 Extended Stay To Recuperate

After 10 days of pain and 3 visits to the ER in the middle of the move, Doctors find a hot dog size piece of strangulated fat adhered to her abdominal wall and small intestine near her appendix which is also enlarged so surgery removes both.  Her hospital room in Hood River, Oregon has a great view of the Columbia River and Mount Adams when it is not so cloudy.  Looking at Mount Adams to the right of the big pine tree you are also looking over Zoe's new house!  Nice to be staying with Zoe when this happened and not be in Alaska or British Columbia on our covid cancelled 62 day RV trip like we were suppose to be at this time! 

Will not be home to greet the newly weds Jack and Michelle who are moving from Hawaii  to Boston, so they will have a couple of weeks honey moon/quarantine at our place.  Sherrie will set them up with her good home cooked food.  They are still trying to find a place to rent in Boston before school starts for Jack at Tufts,  but since it will be online due to COVID, they have time to find what they want.  

Zoe Picking Sister Ball Momentos

The extra week at Zoe's was a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time together.  It especially gave us time to  paint flowers on her "garden wall" next to the kitchen.  She plans to ask everyone who visits to paint a flower.  

We have been away from home for almost 6 weeks and at Zoe's for almost a month and with mixed emotions, it's time to head to Rhode Island.  Hate leaving when we don't know when we will see each other again as Covid cases are skyrocketing around the country worse than ever.  With dangerous leadership from the White House, and states choosing to ignore recommended safety guidelines, the  pandemic is exploding.... no surprise, 2 weeks after July 4 partying.  In US 4.6 million known cases with 154,000 deaths, more than any other country in the world by far.  In the world there are 18 million cases, with 689,000 deaths, averaging  6,000 deaths a day.  Clearly some Americans think they are too privileged to have to sacrifice for the health of others. With nerves already frayed, months of protest around the country for  human rights and against police brutality and racism continue to escalate.

7/4/20 Zoe and Gabe's New Home Cedar Flats Road

Mount Hood view from street of rental house

Zoe touching Pacific at Waikiki Beach near Astoria

Here we are in Washington state to help Zoe and Gabe pack and move to their new home about 10 miles north of their current home in White Salmon, a small town on the Columbia River gorge.  A short walk down the street reveals a wonderful view of Mount Hood.  At 8 pm every night you begin to hear wolf howling here and there and then the kids and the rest of us start howling, with brings more howling from nearby neighbors.  This goes on for several minutes as a sign of thanks and respect to the covid workers.    

We have a break between houses and go to Salem, Oregon with Zoe to visit cousin Meghan, John and Aunt Shirley.  On the way back we tour some Lewis and Clark venues near Astoria, Washington where the expedition finally met up with the Pacific Ocean.  Zoe sends Jack and Michelle greetings from one Waikiki beach to another.


They move into THEIR house, they own it, on Cedar Flats Road in Cook, Washington!  It is closer to Mount Adams (like Hood, another non-dormant volcano) in the spectacularly beautiful Monte Cristo Mountain Range surrounded by thousands of acres of timber lands and national forests.  The second night here we were sitting on the back porch and noticed a deer munching flowers in the yard.  She looked up at us then continued to munch.  A few nights later out from the forest comes a doe with two speckled fawns.  There are many trails cut into their 5 acre wooded lot, with a bridge across a creek and a barn with an unfinished attached apartment.  From their trails, they join up with other property owners trails for a short walk down to the White Salmon River.  There are only 3 houses on their dirt road so why 7 mailboxes at the entrance?  Because there are only 4 houses past theirs on the main road before it also turns into a dirt road through the forests and mountains.  Last stop for the mailman! 
Had a wonderful July 4th with sparklers and cooking in the heart shaped fire pit where Gabe built a wonderful fire and Zoe and the girls collected cedar and other local flowers to smudge and purify their new home and property.  The house is beautifully built and may have used local cedar beams throughout.  We had great fun planting the peony's that originally came from Great-Grammy Dot Smith ( Phyllis's mom) via Phyllis's yard, Debra's yard, Dee's and Sherrie's yards!!!  Also brought out the hope chest from my great-great auntie Ruth (Dot's Aunt) filled mostly with family treasures.

Zoe's office with an amazing view

HUGE BARN with Unfinished Apartment in Back

The "Solarium" 

Cedar Flats Road

Wildflower Fields surround the house

6/27/2020 Jack and Michelle Marry

We are SOOOOO excited to welcome a daughter and sister-in-law to the family.  Jack and Michelle decide to have a simple marriage ceremony in Hawaii to get Michelle into the Navy medical system before they arrive in Boston.  When the COVID thing subsides they will have a real wedding.  Our Hawaii friend Dean officiated the ceremony infusing Buddhist and Hawaiian traditions while his wife Jaynine did a spectacular job decorating with flowers.  The ceremony took place in their yard which is up the road from where we used to live in Kailua 20 years ago.  Michelle's family and ours was on  ZOOM to witness the festivities.  After the ceremony was a puppy reception with 10 puppies from Dean's dogs recent litter.  Soooooo cute.......both puppies and newlyweds.  Jack said good thing they were all spoken for or there probably would be a pup on the plane to Boston in addition to their dog Penny.   Later they had some photos taken at the beach.










On July 10, 2020 Jack departed from the destroyer USS Chung Hoon (DDG93) after serving for 4 years as Legal Officer, Auxiliary Officer, and Navigator.  For "meritorious achievement" during his two tours of duty Jack received both the Navy/Marine Corp Achievement Metal and the Navy/Marine Commendation metals.  

6/15/20 Geographic Center of US, Belle Fourche, South Dakota

6/15/20  Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Geographic Center of United States Monument

Here we are on the north west corner of South Dakota called the Tri-State area as it is 15 miles from Wyoming and not much farther to Montana.  20 miles north of here on private property is the geographic center of the United States since the addition of Alaska and Hawaii.  The geographic center of the lower 48 is in Kansas near where our Excel RV was manufactured at Smith Center.  

Rocky Point Campground From Our Kayak

We are staying at a lovely state camping area called Rocky Point Recreation Area on the Belle Fourche Reservoir.  Created in 1911 when the Orman Damn was built to provide water for the area, at that time it was the largest earthen damn in the world, just over a mile long.  Nothing on the Plains to stop the wind that blows regularly here, the locals call it Stormin Damn.  We meet one of the local RVers who brings us some fresh caught walleye.  We met because the night before the wind was sooooo strong that it blew their two large floats across campground into the woods so fast that I couldn't begin to catch it.  I told them about it the next morning and they found them over the ridge behind our RV.  We exchanged some stuffed quahogs (hard shell clams from Atlantic) that our Westerly neighbor caught and made the day before we left. We picked some sage on our way out the park for Zoe to use to smudge her new home.  

Custer Arriving Black Hills 1874

Another great visit with John's sister Joan and husband Craig who we social distance with eating on the deck. Deb and fellow rock hound Craig can't pass on an opportunity to dig rocks together so off we go on the ATV with masks.  I LOVE TO ROCK HOUND WITH CRAIG cause he knows his stuff!!!  I want to spend a week here so we can do it every day and not have to rush.  We pack up a 50 pound rock filled with rose quartz that Deb mined with Craig on a trip back in 2014 or 2015 to take to Zoe's new house.

6/16 John spends the morning remotely giving presentations on "the limitations of computer simulations" at the Military Operations Research Society conference. It was well received and I am so glad he continues to make a difference in the world of serious gaming.  He finds a few hours here and there to continue working on his book about using game theory to solve complex world problems.  We tour Deadwood and learn about the massive amount of gold taken from these hills and about Wild Bill Hickcok getting killed here. 

Deadwood Today

 6/17 NO TRUCK DAY - boy do we need a day off the road. John works on his book, Deb works on the blog and we enjoy a wonderful kayak on the lake where we see carp feeding on the surface.

6/18 Now on to Montana, which is 675 miles across and 10.5 hours of driving time.  Like traveling from Westerly to Fayetteville NC - 9 states.  Almost to our destination of Bozeman MT, we stop to change drivers and notice that we have a flat tire on the rig.  Doesn't take long to change due to electric levelers acting as a jack and VAST amount of experience.   Arriving at "Camp Walmart" at 3:40 there are already 12 RVs in the lot, by 9 pm there were 25!   The view of the Rocky's over the white RV in the photo is

Camp Walmart, Bozeman

magnificent. Good thing we have wax earplugs for the noise and eye shades for the parking lot lights at Camp Walmart.