Monday, September 24, 2018

Two Travel Days - British Columbia, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming!

We were up early getting ready to hit the road Saturday morning!
Bev and Brian prepared a wonderful breakfast and, as we sat around the table with our coffee, I marveled at how God gifts us with special friendships. He simply allows our paths to cross and an amazing friendship forms.


Bev and Brian usually spend part of every winter down south in the states....Arizona mostly.


However we are all hoping they will headquarter out of Texas next year.
It's a God thing that we have full hookups for their travel trailer right there on our driveway!

I loved on Miss Pepper one last time and then she jumped down and went over to Louis Dean to tell him goodbye.

As I walked down the driveway - I looked up and said, "Good Morning, Canada!


And  just like that we were getting into our car and driving away.

Brian gave us good simple directions for getting back to the road that takes us to the border.
We turned the wrong way, of course, and were wandering around all over the place.
We got confused as to what we had seen on the road in and where we had been on the drive with Bev and Brian. Anyway, I stopped at an automobile repair shop and went in to get directions. We had our navigational thing but we were still confused! When they asked me where I was going, I said, 'Texas. But I need to find the border first!'


It was easy and our navigation thing was right all along. 
 I don't know how we can make simple so complicated!


The border guard asked if we were bringing anything out that we had not taken in.
I said three bottles of home made wine that was gifted to us.
No  problem!

As  soon as we were back in the US, I had news from home that a terrible rain storm had dumped 10 inches of rain in a short amount of time and our house had taken in water in the usual places. Den, sewing room and kitchen. Apparently the water rose so fast that it overwhelmed the sump pump and came in the French doors and ran down into both of the other rooms.
Our dear Stephanie had gone over to check on the house and moved things out of the water areas.
She said it was not standing water but - in places - when she stood on the carpet, the water squished her toes. Not as bad as it has been at times in the past. Still not good.
She had already been in contact with Summer and Amber.
Amber and Mike went over after the quads finished with hockey practice - they look so cute in all their hockey gear! Mike checked the sump pump and it was working.
They dragged the rugs out of the kitchen and into the gazebo and turned the AC down so the house wouldn't get musty smelling.
Suffice it to say - we will have a clean up job to do as soon as we get home.
Summer and Amber are both ill - Summer with her tooth infection which causes her other conditions to worsen - and they aren't able to suck up the water with our shop vac.
Like I said, we have handled worse and we will deal with it when we get home.
Louis Dean said we will enjoy the rest of our trip.

I truly wish I could have taken more pictures of the glorious fall foliage along our way.
While it hasn't peaked to its full glory yet - it is still amazing to see the colors.
We don't get much color in Texas.
Some years the leaves go from green straight to brown.

We stopped at a Safeway and bought some more picnic food and beer......
not just any beer!



We bought some to take back to the ranch and share with Dean and some to use in the margarita recipe Bev gave me.

We drove for a long time in Idaho.


Such a pretty place.


This was our picnic spot Saturday afternoon.
We didn't stay at that table long because it had been raining and the seats were wet.


We relocated to a sheltered one. 
Louis Dean teases me about keeping an electronic gadget in my hand all the time.

We were finally out of Idaho and into Montana.


It was not what I was expecting.
Since it's called Big Sky Country, I thought it would not be so mountainous.


Just beautiful!

It was a long day of driving and we must have stopped to stretch a few too many times because it was dark before we arrived at our motel in Butte, Montana.

**please note - we did not stop at a single store other than Safeway, potty breaks and to get fuel!** 
See? I can do it!

No more night driving!
 I said it when it was night getting to The Dalles in Oregon but I didn't learn my lesson!

I fell into bed last night totally exhausted and woke up with a headache that has not gone away yet.
We left home on Friday, September7th and every night since - 15 straight nights - Louis Dean has slept well. Really well.
Until last night. He said he was awake all night long. At 6:00 this morning he woke me up to tell me he was going downstairs for coffee. 
We ended up on the road this morning before 9:00!

The scenery was so pretty and our rental car drives like a dream.


The higher mountains gave way to smaller ones and then finally big giant hills.



Hwy 90 was under construction in several places so you would be driving along at 80 mph and then they would funnel all the traffic eastbound to the westbound side making it a two lane highway and reducing speeds to 45 mph. Over and over.

We stopped a few times to take photos because the lay of the land was changing right before our eyes as we traveled southeast.


Montana Country!!


Louis Dean took a few pics with his good camera.

Then I hit a 'wall.'
Not with the car but I seemed to have run out of steam.
Too tired. Not enough sleep.


So my knight in shining armor took over the wheel and on we went!
Right on through to Billings, Montana and down to Wyoming.


Long flatter roads!
We went from blue skies .....


to gray ones and then back to blue.


I have loved seeing so much of the country over the last few weeks!

We wisely stopped in Casper, Wyoming around 5:30 this afternoon.


Thanks again to Summer for booking us another good room!

We unloaded and I immediately put my suit on and went down to the indoor heated pool and hot tub!
This morning I had made a batch of Constant Comment tea and poured it up in an empty Gatorade bottle so I had my ice tea, book and a nice long soak in hot water followed by a hot shower.
Louis Dean has enjoyed watching football and playing music.
Now for a good night's sleep!
Just so you know, I have asked Louis Dean to NOT wake me up in the morning!



17 comments:

  1. You two are doing so much like my hubby and I like doing: road travels and adventures! Thanks so much for your pics and stories of your time on the road, the people you've met and visited, and of course, we always worry about what happens at home. I hope everything is okay...

    Love to you and LD!

    Jane

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  2. Oh I fretted when Betsy said that there had been heavy rains in Texas. Sometimes, things are out of our hands. I love that Louis Dean said that the rest of your trip would be enjoyed all the same. (Any chance of calling in the carpet squeegee guys as you did before? Didn’t they set up fans to keep the air moving?)

    What amazing country you are seeing and it changes so much! Praying that you are both getting quality rest tonight. You’ll need it for today’s most excellent adventure...

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  3. Oh, this atea you"re driving through (especially Montana) is one of my favorites in the west. Casper isn't much, but for me it was always getting close to home - when we lived in Colorado.

    We got flooded too. (Sept.13th storm)

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  4. HOLY MERCY!! HA HA HA LOL!---do you remember an old song by Johnny Cash ( I bet Louis Dean surely does! LOL) called "i've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere"? Well that song keeps playin in my mind reading your all's travels this past what? 2 weeks or so, however long it's been. I have loved all the LAND AND SEA adventures so much, feels like we've been right along there with y'all. My goodness the scenery is so pretty there. Do you read Betsy in Tennessee, she was just in Montana and/or Wyoming I think? For all I know, y'all might've been there the same time, ha ha LOL--wouldn't that be fun to accidentally meet up with another blogger, haha!!? (in addition to all the friends you already met up with) anyway, those mountains sure are pretty. I've just loved going on this big long trip with y'all and really don't want it to end, do you? ha ha LOL But I know after a while, going "home" sure sounds good. I hate to hear that you've had some water damage, but just do as Louis Dean says.........."and enjoy your trip, the rest of it". Don't let that water in the house take away your fun. I'm sure it will all be taken care of when y'all get home. I was wondering if you make scrapbooks, Linda? You could sure make a beautiful big one of this once in a lifetime trip and then sit and look back at it on cold winter evenings when you are bored and then enjoy your pretty pictures and memories all over again. HAPPY FALL MY FRIEND!

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  5. This has been quite a trip..a long trip of traveling the country! I cannot imagine having the stamina...y'all are amazing...yes we had a weekend of heavy rain...hope things aren't too bad at home! Gorgeous photos..be safe!

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  6. Hi Linda, I have enjoyed your trip and the pictures that you have shared. It is something I would love to do just go wherever and see all of the countrysides. I have family in Montana. Take care and Have a safe journey home. Hugs and prayers from your Missouri Friend.

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  7. This is just the kind of trip Tim and I want to do, and we will one day when we have an empty nest!

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  8. Love all the beautiful photos Linda...thanks for sharing your trip with us!!

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  9. I am so sorry you have work waiting when you get home. glad they could get the rugs out for you. sorry to hear they are both ill. I am sure home sweet home will feel so good you will deal with the floors ok.. so much beauty out there and you saw a lot of it.

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  10. Sounds like you two are making good time and will soon be home. Sorry you have to go home to clean up the mess, but thankfully your family could help out with the worst of it. I am loving all the pictures. They show what a beautiful country we live in. Hope you got a good nights sleep and are ready to put more miles behind you. Happy Monday !

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  11. You have covered a lot of territory and it is interesting to see the terrain change along the way. Hope you both slept well and will be refreshed for the next day.

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  12. I have really enjoyed reading your travelogue, Linda! We too were in Canada, on a cruise, but we were in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. Very little fall foliage there and warm days. Canada is beautiful!

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  13. Linda, I wondered if you felt like tearing your hair at times. Not knowing the roads is hard. I always think I can find my way around. But I would not want to be in the wilderness after dark. Please be safe. Glad you had the hot tub soaking...so good for stress , achy bones and muscles. I pray Summer gets better, that poor child has suffered enough. You sure have seen some beautiful places. I wish we lived in the path to your house, you could come see us. Blessings for more fun times and an easy route home. Love you guys, xoxo, Susie

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  14. It is just like I am going along with you! Your Montana pictures really do look like in the western movies! I am so sorry that Amber and Summer are both sick! I hope Summer can get to the dentist really soon. Your poor house. But at least you had lots of people to go over and get it under control.

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  15. This is a trip and a half! You will need another vacation to recover from this one! Hope your head is back to normal. cheers

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  16. My goodness you traveling folks, no wonder you hit a wall and had a headache. You are seeing some beautiful country though but that sure is a lot of driving! Hope you get some good rest.
    Take care,
    Saimi

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  17. I'm just catching up where I left off a few days back. I have no idea how you manage to do these great and detailed blog posts while you are on the road! So sorry to hear about the troubles back home...that you will have to deal with when you get there!

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