South Dakota to Des Moines, Iowa, April 29

  Whew - a long day for us today. We drove 510 miles from the Best Western in Murdo, South Dakota to Ankeny, Iowa, just outside Des Moines.
   It was grey all day and mostly in the 40s. We made good time because the highway was empty until we got close to Sioux Falls and we were able to go 80 mph. We stopped for gas in Mitchell, but did not see the Corn Palace this time. (Boo hoo! But, a driving day)
   We did see an evil driver get his just desserts today in South Dakota. The man was going about 90 and weaving on I-29. And a short time later, we saw him pulled over by the police. Yay!
    We saw so many red-winged blackbirds today; it must be their perfect habitat. We also saw quite a few ring-necked pheasants.
     We have never seen this part of the country so wet. I guess it is because we have rarely traveled here in the spring.
     We are staying in a Quality Inn and went to the Ankeny Diner for an early dinner.

South Dakota, near Murdo

More of South Dakota

Wyoming to mid-South Dakota, April 28

  We got up to cold temperatures - about 32 degrees. The Mill Inn, while a good hotel, did not have a decent breakfast, so we hit the road pretty early.

Photo of cowboys on the range, hanging in Mill Inn, Sheridan, Wyoming

We only drove about 350 miles today. Unfortunately the weather was grey with leaden clouds. We hit snow flurries in the upper elevations and never got about 43 degrees and that was only for a little while.  We passed by the famous Wall Drug in Wall, but did not stop as we are in driving mode. But, we did think about our trips with the kids in the past. We saw amusing signs for Wall Drug for miles and miles and Jecca was so excited, but....slept right through it. Needless to say, we had to stop the next time we went by!
     We did not make good time today so it was good that we booked a room in Murdo, S.D. We stopped quite a few times - toilet breaks, to fill the window washer fluid, gasoline.

Driving today in Wyoming and South Dakota

   The scenery was pretty varied, but we did not get photos as the weather was pretty dismal. But, we went through the mountains around Rapid City, went through the beautiful Badlands and drove along the dry prairies, although they are wet now with the spring rains. We saw several herds of antelope, an owl, osprey, red tails, red-winged blackbirds.

Anonymous Bird in South Dakota

   The grocery store in Murdo is really small-more like a convenience store, so dinner tonight was pretty slim. Barbara got a pre-packaged salad and Mark ate cheese and ham from last night's dinner.

Last Day in Missoula and leaving Missoula for Sheridan, Wyoming, April 26, 27

  We did errands and chores with David in the morning: grocery shopping, Costco shopping, Staples to buy Maura and David a new printer, Lowes and....doing some clean up at Maura's old apartment.
We did a laundry and packed to leave....feeling sad about it.
   After Maura got home from work (T.A. for 7 year olds with special needs), we went to the Fin and Porter Inn on the Clark Fork River. We had a nice time and then went home and chatted till bedtime.

   In the morning of the 27th, we left with sunny weather from Missoula and drove all on I-90 to Sheridan, Wyoming. (480 miles) After about an hour or so, we got into misty, rainy weather and then as we went through the mountain passes, we even hit some snow flurries! Ugh! We are not used to weather in the 30s after months in the warmth! We are at the Mill Inn, a nice hotel. We went to the Albertson's and got chicken and salad fixings for dinner which we ate in our room.

Snow in Wyoming!

Big Fork overnight, hike back in Missoula, Nick's birthday - April 24-25

   On Sunday, the 24th, we took off after breakfast for Big Fork to visit with Dennis Jones, Maura's Dad, who we had never met.
    Unfortunately, the weather was spitting rain en route as we had hoped for wonderful views of Flathead Lake. But, we could see that it is very beautiful.

Nine Pipes Nature Reserve

Flat Head Lake

Houseboat that Dennis Jones used to live on

  We stopped at Pocketstone Cafe in the little touristy and quaint town of Big Fork. Mark had BLT and a small bowl of chili and Barbara had country tomato soup and a salad.

Main Street in Big Fork

     We met Dennis out of town at Echo Lake Road. It's a good thing he met us as we would have had a tough time finding the house, a log cabin that he built.
     The three of us talked into the early evening. We had a wide range of subjects. Dennis knows a lot about the history of the area which is also entwined with the history of his family. He is amassing information to write a biography of Lyman Beecher Sperry as well as compiling material about his family history.
    He took us into the Big Fork Inn for dinner.
    Then we talked until quite late.
    In the morning, Monday, we all had a delicious breakfast at the Echo Lake Cafe. Homemade breads, home fries, eggs...yum.

Mountains near Dennis's house, Echo Lake area

Dennis and Barbara at the Big Fork Inn

Dennis's back yard

    We drove home via Route 83 between the Mission and Bob Marshall Ranges and along a string of gorgeous lakes including the Swan, the Seeley, the Alva. The sun did pop out occasionally.

Bob Marshal Range...which David has hiked for weeks at a time

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get back to David and Maura's.

Whew- Barbara made it to the top of Waterworks Hill...out of breath

View from Waterworks Hill

View of Waterworks Hill with Maebe and Missoula in the background

    David and Barbara hiked the Waterworks just over an mile up and just under 800 feet of elevation from the bottom. It was strenuous for Barbara as it was quite steep, although David had no problem at all as it's a hike he often does with Maebe and he does hikes like that.  The view over Missoula was incredible. Coming down was a piece of cake! Then we took a short hike to a part of the Rattlesnake Creek which was full and rushing.
      After Maura got home from a session of emptying her previous apartment, we ordered pizza and made salad and had a lovely evening with some backgammon thrown in.
     We also wished Nick a happy 43rd birthday back on the island.

Saturday in Missoula, April 24

  We had a nice day hanging out with David and Maura today.
  In the afternoon, Maura and I went to a yoga class at the fitness club where she has a part-time job. Afterwards she and I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and we bought them some new silverware.
  Maura made a wonderful kale, beans and chicken soup for dinner and we played 4-way cribbage in the evening.

Black Foot River, Montana - April 22

  We had a mostly rainy day today and....it feels chilly to us with our last 2+ months of warm weather.
    We went with David to a reclaimed hardware/furniture/windows etc store and got two shelves for $2 each and then Mark and David hung them in the kitchen to make more storage space.
     We did a laundry and puttered around.
      In the afternoon, David took us to the Black Foot River. It is such beautiful country.

Montana Maebe on the run

      After Maura got home from work, two of their friends, Shannon and Josh stopped in with their six-month old baby, Juliette. We all sat on the front porch and chatted and had appetizers.

Maura, Juliette

Idaho to Missoula, Montana.....David and Maura, April 22

  Today we drove about 315 miles from Idaho Falls to Missoula, up Interstate 15 to 90. It was a beautiful drive.
   We stopped, per David's recommendation, in Dillon, Montana to visit a food truck and a Patagonia Outlet store. We did not purchase anything at Patagonia, but did look around. Then, we split some chile verde enchiladas at the food truck.

Food truck, Dillon, Montana

Outside of Dillon, Montana

Outside of Dillon, Montana

    We saw antelope along the way and looked for elk, but didn't see any of those.
    We are staying at David and Maura's new address on East Alder Street. It is kind of a derelict house, but they have done a good job at making it comfortable for them and it is nice and spacious. They live in a great neighborhood, very close to town. It does have a train track close by, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
     We went to a wonderful natural foods store and got food for a nice chicken, quinoa and salad dinner. Afterwards, Maura, David and I took a nice walk with Maebe, their corgi/heeler mix.

David and Maura along the Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

Clark Fork River, Missoula, Montana

Nevada to Idaho, April 20

  We got up bright and early and were on the road at 6:30 this morning, leaving Winnemucca.

Early morning in Winnemucca

   We drove  480 miles, a long haul for us, but the speed limit on the interstates is 80 mph so that does make the journey quicker and the roads were pretty empty for the most part. We took a smaller road, Route 93 from Wells, Nevada up to Twin Falls, Idaho for about 120 miles where we picked up the interstates again.
    The scenery through Nevada was much greener than we have ever seen it. Big valleys like the Pumpernickel Valley. It was a gorgeous day, although we did not get a good photo, unfortunately. We did see antelope, but not as many as we remember having seen in the past.
   We are staying in a pretty little city, Idaho Falls, evidently voted one of the 100 most livable small cities in the U.S.A. And, it does have a pretty downtown greenway with the Snake River. (But, politically, it is way too conservative for us.)
      We are at a very nice Comfort Inn with a hot tub which was great for our aching bodies. (Age and travel!) We ate at a Thai restaurant and walked along the Snake River.

Snake River in Idaho Falls

The Falls

Bye Bye California....onto Winnemucca, Nevada, May 19

  We drove 380 miles today through amazing variety of terrain.
  We started in the green and beautiful Napa Valley, drove near the flatter land of San Francisco Bay, then through the agricultural area around Sacramento. Then...up up up the Sierra Nevada Mountains to over 7,000 feet and through the Donner Pass.

Railroad trestle in the distance by the Donner Pass

Barbara in shorts at the Donner Pass

    The Donner Pass is named after the tragedy of the Donner Party, American pioners who spent a disastrous winter in 1846-47 snowbound in the mountains. They were trapped near Truckee, high in the mountains. Some set off on foot to seek help. It took four months before a rescue party arrived. Of the 87 members, 48 survived, partly because they resorted to cannibalism. (Shades of The Essex)
   Then, we went down, down, down into Nevada and into the flat area around Reno with nearby salt flats. Then across the middle of Nevada which is dry but we can see snow covered mountains around us.
   We are at a nondescript Motel 6 in Winnemucca, population 7,000. We went to a nearby supermarket (Ridley's) and got food to eat at the motel. Temperature: 77 degrees.
     Winnemucca was named for Chief Winnemucca of the Paiute tribe. His daughter, Sarah Winnemucca advocated for education and fair treatment of the tribes in the area. She wrote the first autobiography written by a Native American woman. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad reached Winnemucca, part of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Basque immigrants worked as sheep-herders and the town still has an annual Basque Festival. And, in 1900 Butch Cassidy's gang robbed the First National Bank of Winnemucca.

   This is our turn eastward, so we feel as if we are starting for home. We have been in California since early March and have thoroughly enjoyed it. California has it all - beaches, both sandy and rocky, deserts, mountains and skiing, beautiful forests, rich agricultural areas, rolling hills, fabulous weather and vibrant cities. (Of course, there are those earthquakes, wildfires, flash floods and droughts) We are sorry to leave California.

Calistoga Day, April 18

  Another wonderful day in Calistoga! Sunny and warm - it got to around 85 degrees.
  We started with a visit to the Vincent Arroyo Winery where we got some olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus some port wine. We had a nice chat with the tasting room guy, Jeff, who used to visit Nantucket.

Vincent Arroyo Vines

Barbara at Vincent Arroyo

Vincent Arroyo Vines

   Then we went into St. Helena and visited the Helena Olive Oil Company still run by an Italian family, and got some olive oil made with local olives.
   We talked ourselves into going back to Vincent Arroyo and got some more oil and vinegar!
   We hung around the pool and hot tub during the middle of the day and then went back to Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen for a 4 p.m. dinner where we had the dining room to ourselves. Both of us had the ahi tuna salad - yummy! (Barbara had had it the night before.)

     After that we went back for some more hard work in the hot tub.

Comfort Inn

   

Calistoga mixed with Nantucket! April 17

   Another wonderful day!
    We left Emeryville and headed for Calistoga, one of our favorite spots on the planet. It is at the upper end of the Napa Valley and a place we have camped many times. This will be our first with a real roof over our heads.
    The weather was ideal - it got to the low 80s with lots of sun.
    As we were very early, we went slowly. We stopped at Oakville Grocery and got some olive oil. We stopped at Sattui Vineyards where we have enjoyed their wonderful shop and deli in the past. Mark got a delicious pesto and cold cut sandwich and Barbara got a seafood ceviche. We ate in the beautiful garden with a backdrop of the vineyard. The roses were in full bloom and fragrance as well.  We bought some mustard and olive oils.

Add caption

    Then we went to the Comfort Inn - a very nice one, too. We soaked in the mineral water hot tub for a bit and then went to Viader Vineyard where former student and drama kid, Ian Dooley is manager. Ian was in Mark's memorable high school performance of Noises Off! He is married to a lovely Argentinian who he met while traveling in New Zealand. They each work at a vineyard and both are qualified Level 2 sommeliers.
   As a bonus, Sam Herrick and his girlfriend, Randy, were also there, so it was a wonderful gathering.
   Ian was off work, yet voluntarily met us at the Viader, open only by appointment, so we were given a code to open the gates. Ian gave us all a wonderful tour of the vineyard which overlooks Napa Valley. It is owned by an Argentinian woman who is considered a very accomplished and innovative wine maker. We went through the vines (Cabernet and Cabernet Franc) and into the caves. All the grapes are hand picked and the grapes are not crushed, but slowly pressed by their own weight. Everything is done on site, from the grapes to the fermenting, crushing, bottling..... We bought a bottle of their flagship Cabernet which has been described as "liquid cashmere."

Ian explaining about growing the grapes at Viader

Looking down through the grapes of Viader toward Napa Valley; reservoir in the photo

Sam and Randy at Viader

Viader Tasting Room

    Those of our readers who know us best, know that we have given up alcohol for three years in solidarity with a loved one who has embraced a life of sobriety. We did waver on that today as we did sip a little bit of wine, but very little. We bought the bottle for a future celebration to share on a special occasion.
    Afterwards, Ian's wife, Florencia, met us at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen where we had one of the best meals of our entire journey of three months. Barbara had the Ahi Tuna salad and Mark had the spaghetti carbonara. Sam and Ian had the duck burger about which they raved. Conversation was stimulating and it was truly a delightful evening.

Florencia, Barbara, Sam

Ian and Florencia