Columbia River Gorge, Idaho, Glacier, Judith Gap, MT

12/11-12/19/99 During Dec 11 through Dec 19, 1999 I took a work/bicycling trip to Vienna, here are my trip notes.

Jul 17, 2000 Late start - library, cherries (closed), Fred Meyer to buy mattress. Through Portland - lunch at Blue Lake Regional Park. Climb up Multnomah Falls - very exhilirating, nice views. Herman creek horse sites.

Jul 18 Rick hikes in morning - Hood River - Museum, wind surfers, bagels - walk around town and see windsurf/mountain bike stores. Get off I-84 and into old highway Mosier - cherries - Mayer St. Part - lunch/swimming in swimming hole - Chris loves blackberries - Columbia Gorge Discovery Museum. Drive around the Dalles - windy across to Washington to Horsethief Lake State Part, windstorm all night - kym exits to car. Wind shifts in the night and blows tent in - scary.

Jul 19 - Got out extra early since Kym's in the car - Mary Hill Museum - ok but not great - excentrics castle built in the middle of nowhere. Nice native American display. Stonehedge replica - walk around and go to general store. Drove and drove to Pasco - Army Corps Hood Park - very nice sites. Awaken at 5AM by sprinklers - 2 feet from tent - get out and stop rotation. Rick messes back up.

Jul 20 - Drove to Spokane. Lunch at Cyrus Olearys, surrey around part - kids drove carosell - caught rings. Riverside State Park - British Columbia neighbors - swim but a bit smelly from the effluent upstream - cold.

Jul 21 - Hike suspension bridge - drive to Idaho - Post Falls - Cour de alean - swimming beach - great - milkshakes - Faragut St. Park - huge on Lake Pend d'Oreille -swimming at night - Kym losses clothes - speggetti Oh's. Fiddling music in background.

Jul 22 - Hike along lake - swam, drive to Sandpoint - nice city beach on same lake - walk around town - laundry - kids swam - Bonners Ferry looking for a compground - flat tire eat Chinesse rice while changing tire. RV park on Noyie River - mini golf w/mosquitoes.

Jul 23 - Kootenai Falls - cool - swing bridge - fun thimbleberries - Libby, MT - great grocery store - lunch at city RV part. Logan State Park middle Thompson Lake - swim. Packrat store.

Jul 24 - Drive to Kalispell. Fix tire - while mall shopping - ate at Heraldos - Mexican - good. Bookstore - Whitefish - mucky bottom lake swimming. Walked around town - city beach - sounds like trains coming through our tent at night. Condo builder neighbors.

Jul 25 - Drive to West Glacier stopped for cherries. Betsy and Kym hike Avalanch Lake trail - Rick, Chris, & Eric rent rowboat at McDonald Lake. Meet neighbors from Hartland, WI

Jul 26 - Drove Logan Pass - going to the sun road, throw snowballs - goats on hidden lake overlook - weeping wall haystack falls - Highline Trail (cliffhanger). St. Mary's Falls - rising sun - sun rift gorge baring falls

Jul 27 - Trail of the Cedars - Avalach Trail - Gorge - pretty. Drove to Apgar village education cabin. Canoe in windy conditions, Eric didn't like the waves.

Jul 28 - Say goodbye to Dan and Lou Ann from Hartland. Lunch at Big Arm St. Park, swam. Ice cream and bakery at Polson. Can't find USFS campground - check several private CG's - KOA in Kalispel - pool, mini-golf - meet biker from CA that came from Eugene.

Jul 29 - Took Mom to airport, say goodbye. Chris and Eric funcycles around KOA. Drive at 70 MPH to Helena, MT. Lunch in voleyball park - learn about forest fires and park closures. Go north to Blacksand St. Park and wait for site to clear. Climb hill to get a good look at fires, mushroom cloud. Jul 30 - Cruise out of Helena without stopping - take side road off af

12 - Martinsdale - bait shop - Kit Kat and Squirt - cluttered store/home. Harlow - antiques and mercantile. Judith Gap mercantile. Search for Suzannes cabin - last 1/2 mile.

Jul 31 - Drive and hike to ice caves. Eric puts up lots of resistance but goes the whole way. 90 degree hike but 40's inside of cave - nice. Meet Martha and tour craft shop.

Aug 1 - Badmitten - drive to canyon and have a lunch. Hike a bit, visit beaver pond. Martha stops by.

Aug 2 - Say goodbye to Suzanne. Get new tire. Lunch in White Sulphur Springs. Helena - boys watch pokemon 2000 movie. Kym and Dad hang out at library. Walk around Helena - fire tower - pedistrian mall. Try to find Kyms campgound - go back to pass just west of Helena. Find it, move three times to different campsites.

Aug 3 - Listen to old rock DJ'd by Rick. To Mousola - walk around - eat at Mexican Res. - good. Bakery, Kym get's "sudden death" pastry. Very smokey here from the fires. Buy $1 shirts at Kidfest. Laundry, head out of town on US12 but re-routed to I-90 because of fire. Drive until smoke gone. Stay in USFS camp "Cabin city". Dry laundry, hike interpretive trail. Very quiet CG.

Aug 4 - I-90 to Whitepine scenic route. Lunch in Moscow - Gyros for snack with downtown walk. Hells Gait State Park - swim in Snake River - Kym yanks off little toe. Rick Chri & Eric build teepee with Park Ranger.

Aug 5 - Rick walks to get milk at camp store. Lunch in Walla Walla, WA in very big park - swing and watch volleyball. Crow Butte SP, full so drive to Mary Hill SP and take last tent site. Swim in Columbia River, Kym's toe hurts.