Gone Fiddling Again.

That’s what this couple call themselves. They’re playing on the lawn of the Ellensburg KOA camp. Tofu and I are the only other people on the lawn. They’re really pretty good. I’ve been listening almost an hour. I like all their picks so far. Everything from Blue Bajou, to Yesterday, and Folsom Prison Blues. The old guy has a good voice. She’s pretty good on her fiddle.

Yes! We’re back in the USA! And tonight we’re sleeping next to the Yakima River. We’ve been looking at flooded rivers all day.

It’s been a stupendous trip but this old cow (bull) is headed to the barn. I’m looking forward to joining Sam’s pre-birthday party tomorrow night. Then we’ll be back in Corvallis sometime Monday.

I haven’t said much about the trip from Fort Nelson to Kamloops. Beautiful of course. Verdant valleys, Today enormous lakes, and cities with lots of people. A little before crossing the border, everything started looking like a desert, but then we turned into the cascades and Mount Rainier. Then we plopped down into the Yakima valley.

Highway 97, which we’ve been traveling starts in Watson Lake , Yukon and ends in Weed, California. It is the longest north-south Highway in North America. After Tofu and I pass the Dalles, I will have travelled the whole of it in pieces. I should add that highway 97 has been the best maintained roadway of this trip.

Kamloops is awful. About 90,000 people I think, but it is both terribly congested and spread out all over. The streets are poorly organized, and the jerks with the big pickup trucks are weaving in and out. Catastrophe awaits every few blocks. But we got out of there as quickly as we could, and in one piece. One of the nice things about today is that the ratio of monster trucks to sensible vehicles has dropped significantly.

We got through the border crossing smoothly this time. No line, just a few questions. However the northbound people were backed way down the road. Before I forget, at the RV Park out of Kamloops, I saw these ila s in bloom. Lynnie would have wanted me to share them with you.

I hope I haven’t given you the impression that I spent most of this trip dwelling on Lynnie’s absence. Most of the time I have been enthralled by the scenery, and pondering my good fortune to have been able to make the journey, and to spend a little time with the Boling Boys (and I did get to have some time with Emily B. As well).

The clouds are getting heavy. I’m getting chilly. I’ve currently got about 20 kids running around playing on the lawn while Gone Fiddling Again competes for attention. I thinks the time for Tofu and me to go for a walk.

I’ll try to share some photos from Sam’s “Old People” party tomorrow. I just realized that his is the last night for Tofu and me to sleep in the back of the van on this trip. Hallelujah!

Good Night from a really nice KOA camp. These people are really busting their butts to make this a positive camping experience. Love,