Rambling Wanderer

February 17
    We got our itinerary last night at the Philly meeting.......So excited! We are going to be doing so many things it will be hard to catch our breath, but wow is it going to be a great time. I am so looking forward to it.

8:26 am
    Well the day has come that Debi and I are going to Ellensburg to the Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering with my photography and cowboy decor. It will be the first time I have done anything like this, so it will be interesting to see how things go.
    I'm all packed, the Exterra is beyond packed, and I just got a text from Debi, it sounds like she too is packed up and ready to go.
    It takes about four hours to get to Ellensburg and with all the snow over the pass it will take a lot longer, so I probably should head out. I will post more soon.

   What a night!!!
   The Elgin Stampeder's Annual Crab Feed should be on every one's "bucket list".
   Not only do the Stampeders feed roughly 800 people all the crab they can eat, but they do it in such a way that it keeps people coming back year after year.
   Dozens of volunteers help turn what could be a hectic event, into a smooth running operation.
   It takes months of preparation to pull off the event. From advertising to clean-up, the volunteers go about their responsibility with a welcoming smile on their face.
   Fresh crab meat is brought in from the west coast, coleslaw, potato salad and garlic bread round out the meal, which is served family style.
   Now don't think for one minute that you will have to contend with an empty bowl of crab in front of you at any time during the night, because the volunteer servers constantly supply a fresh bowl when one starts running low.
   It is no small feat to get 800 or so people in and out with full stomachs in four short hours, but year after year it is done with great style. No one feels rushed, everyone has time to get their fill and so many promise to return the following year.
   This year I was lucky enough to take the money at the front door with two friends of mine, Debi and Kathy. It is amazing the stories you hear from people who come to eat crab. One gentleman told us he was 80, I said, "I bet you have a few stories to tell." His reply was, "I used to run around with Odies Payne, if that tells you anything." (Odies Payne is an Elgin legend, a good legend of course, although I've heard stories he was a bit wild in his day.)
   So, if you ever find yourself in Elgin, Oregon around the beginning of February, find out when the Elgin Stampeder's Annual Crab Feed is, and plan on attending.
   Like "The Elgin Stampede" on Facebook to see more pictures, learn more about the crab feed and all of the other great events that are put on each and every year at the Elgin Stampede Grounds.
 

   My Albuquerque Visitors Guide arrived in the mail today. I searched for a place to stay in Depoe Bay, without any luck however. The program for the Cowboy Gathering in Ellensburg, with my name in it, was posted on Facebook today, and we had our Philly trip meeting tonight. What an exciting time in my life. I just love it when I have trips planned. It always gives me so much to look forward to.
    I have so much to do to get ready for each one of these events, each one will have such a different feel, not only because of the location, but because of the people who will share these trips with me.
    My first trip will be the Cowboy Gathering in Ellensburg, Washington. Debi and I will be going and setting up a booth of my photography at the art show. We will be there for three nights and will hopefully sell everything we take with us....we'll see. It is going to be a great girls weekend and I can hardly wait!
    I will be home from the Cowboy Gathering for one day and Mark and I will be heading off to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Neither one of us has been to New Mexico, so we are both excited. We will be attending a trailer manufacturing convention, so our days will be filled with trailer classes and trade shows. We are, however, staying an extra day, so we can just explore the city and the surrounding area.
    A couple weeks after we get back from Albuquerque, Mark, Hannah, and I will be heading over to Depoe Bay to meet up with Mark's family for the weekend. Mark hasn't seen his cousins for several years, so it will be nice to get together and have some good times with these good people. Of course I love the coast, so it will be a bonus to be able to spend some time exploring Depoe Bay.
    Mark and I still haven't decided where we will be going on our anniversary...17 years now, wow! Last year we went to Wallowa Lake and it was so nice to not drive very far, so I think we will find some place close this year too. I was looking on http://www.vrbo.com/ and they had some nice places in Walla Walla. That might be fun. Walla Walla is so close that we don't really spend a lot of time there, we just go do what we need to do and then go home. If we were there for a couple days who knows what we could find. Walla Walla, I think that's our anniversary destination, now I just need to convince Mark, and he's pretty easy going, so he will probably think Walla Walla will be just fine.
    I wonder if I will be traveled out before spring even starts.
    Nahhhh!!
    Now its the big one, or should I say "THE BIG ONE"!!!
    Hannah and I, along with Tracy, Dennis, Aria, Lena, will head off for Portland to meet up with the rest of our Philly Trip group, board a plane and head across the country to Philadelphia. It is going to be amazing. I can hardly wait. We have such an awesome group of people going and we are going to create some great memories, forge new friendships and remember our trip forever.
    Wow, that is a lot to cram into just two short months, but I am ready for the challenge....I think I'm becoming a travel writer. Hmmmmmm, cool!

    One of my very favorite places to visit is Wallowa Lake. Whether it is summertime, when the place is buzzing with activity, the spring, when the snow is still on the ground, the dead of winter, when the entire lake sometimes freezes over, or in the fall, when the crowds have gone and peace and quiet once again descends on the area.
   For those of you who have never been to Wallowa Lake I urge you to go. It is such a unique place and every season is so different from the next, that no matter when you go it will be a unique experience.
    For those of you who have only visited in the summer, I highly suggest going in late fall or early winter. The lake, always a beautiful sight to see, is amazing when the nearby mountains are covered in snow.
    Any time of year there is plenty to do while visiting Wallowa Lake. The nearby shops are always enjoyable to visit, and the restaurants offer a variety of delicious dining opportunities. Mini golf, para sailing, fishing, boating, horseback riding, and hiking are some of the most popular activities to explore while at Wallowa Lake.
   The Wallowa Lake Tramway, which first began in 1970, will take visitors 3700' to the top of Mount Howard.
    The Wallowa Lake Lodge is an excellent place to turn in for the night after an active day around the lake. Built in the early 1920's Wallowa Lake Lodge offers 22 rooms and also has eight cabins on the property.
   Last fall, Mark, Hannah and I decided to take the boat to Wallowa Lake. Hannah wanted to swim one last time before winter, and I thought it would be great for Mark to drop us off at one of the many floating docks that are on the lake.
    Now I'm not sure if these docks are for public use or not. I always thought they were, but when I came home and told my son about our adventure, he assured me these docks were privately owned. So if that is the case then I assure whoever owns this dock we lounged on, we did not in any way cause any damage, and we really appreciate you letting us borrow it for that hour.
    Now it would seem that Hannah and I would have a great time swimming, and visiting, and just hanging out together on this day, but we didn't! Furthermore, that lake is so dang cold I don't know how I didn't come out of it without frostbite for as long as I was trapped in that lake! Yes, trapped! I was trapped in Wallowa Lake, while Hannah stood on the dang borrowed dock laughing her head off at her mother, who was freezing her fanny off!
    It all started off so great. Mark dropped us off at the dock and sailed away, he most likely was looking forward to some peaceful fishing.
    Hannah and I started talking about getting in the lake. We knew it was cold, which meant the only way to go swimming was to jump right in. There was no getting used to it little by little, because we were in who knows how many feet of water, we could not see the bottom at all. The dock sat about two feet above the water, which let us dip our feet in, but that was about it. We knew it was all or nothing.
    Hannah began explaining to me that the way she gets used to water is she jumps in and makes sure her head goes under, because once her head goes under she is instantly used to it.....uh huh!
    I decided to go first. Now if it was twenty years ago, you bet I would have dove in, head first, but I'm not that skinny little, in shape, young lady I once was, so I scooted to the edge of the dock and began lowering myself in, then took the plunge.
    Oh....my....gosh!!! I have never felt anything so cold in all my life. It sucked my breath away in an instant, to the point I could barely talk. All the while Hannah is screaming at me "Put your head under. Put your head under." I wanted to smack her. I tried putting my head under, but the life jacket I had decided to put on at the last second before entering the water, prevented me from doing so. By this time Hannah is dry, warm, and dying laughing. I reach for the dock, because I have decided that this isn't any fun, I don't want to swim anymore and I'm getting out. Only.....I can't get out. The dock is to tall and there are no foot holds to help a person, who is in the beginning stages of hypothermia, climb back up onto the dock. As a suggestion to the people who own these docks, who are probably young, skinny and in shape, maybe you should put a ladder on the dock just in case some chubby ol' lady decides to go swimming from your dock in September and can't get back on the dock....Just a thought.
    "I can't get out Hannah, call your dad," I tell Hannah.
    "I don't have cell phone service," she says, still chuckling.
    "No, just yell, 'Hey Dad',"
    So she yells, he asks if he needs to hurry. I tell her to tell him no, he doesn't need to hurry. Well he took that as he could just finish fishing.
    By this point I'm just not a happy camper, oh and Hannah decided to jump into the lake too. So now she too is stuck in the lake and cold, but still can't stop laughing at her mother who I'm sure was turning blue by this time.
    Finally Mark arrives at the dock and saves the day.
    The bruises I got from being dragged up onto the dock lasted for more than a month. I told my story for two weeks. Hannah laughed every time she thought of her mother stuck in Wallowa Lake for at least three days, and the Pendleton Whiskey I drank after my ordeal, was gone in minutes.
    So if you go to Wallowa Lake remember, the water is cold, the docks might not be for public use and the memories you make will last a lifetime.

   I sent for business cards today for "Who Knows Chet Churchill". I am excited to give them to Chet. He is his own biggest fan and will do a great job promoting himself and the book I plan to write.
    For the few of you who don't know who Chet Churchill is, he is one of those characters you meet in life that.....hmmm. Well, let me put it this way...I have been telling Chet for several years that I am going to write a book about him, and I'm going to title the book "Who Killed Chet Churchill". The way I see it is, if Chet ever wound up.....ya know....killed, everyone that has ever met him could be a potential suspect. He's just one of those guys that says whatever pops into his head, good, bad, or horrible, but there is something about the guy you just can't help but like, after you get over being mad about the last crude thing he said to you.
   If you are on facebook search for "Who knows Chet Churchill" and "Like" the page, so you can be sure to see updates about the self-proclaimed legend.
   If you know Chet feel free to leave a comment. I am searching for any and all stories that have to do with this man who claims to know just about everyone in northeast Oregon and beyond.

  The first annual Ellie's Day was held at Inkwood Iron and Gifts on Saturday, January 22, 2011. Ellie has been at the Boise hospital for more than two weeks. She has been very ill and of course the expenses have been growing every day. So we at Inkwood decided to have a day just for Ellie. We invited everyone we saw, and all our friends on facebook, and we hung flyers around town. All profits on this day will go to Ellie and her husband.
    Ellie's Day at Inkwood Iron & Gifts went great! We had such a great turnout. So many of Ellie's family and friends showed up to help support her, it was just amazing.
   Debi and I were busy all day long. People came in and visited, and we talked about how Ellie was doing. The atmosphere was very uplifting and I hope that Ellie was able to feel the positive energy heading her way from Elgin to Boise.
   We had a scrapbook on the table and everyone was able to sign it and leave their well wishes in it. It was an amazing day. When all was said and done, all of Ellie's friends and family bought enough items in the store that they raised $442 for Ellie in six short hours.
    More of Ellie's friends have been organizing a steak feed and auction, which will be held at the Elgin Stampede Grounds on February 26, 2011. Auction items can be dropped off at Inkwood Iron & Gifts.
    Elgin, Oregon is a great place to live. The people are warm, caring, and some of the greatest people I know call this place home.
    Inkwood Iron & Gifts is located at 825 Division Street in Elgin, Oregon.

    Our first experience with MacKenzie River Pizza Co. was in Missoula, Montana. The atmosphere was great, the waiter was enjoyable to visit with, and the food was outstanding.
    We started off with their blue corn chips and salsa. Before we got filled up on chips our pizza arrived, and between the three of us, we ate every last morsel.
    That's all it took, we were hooked. We live in a rural area of northeast Oregon, so, we really don't get a chance to have delicious pizza brought piping hot to our table very often, so this was a wonderful treat.

Hannah with the Moose outside of the Kalispell MacKenzie Pizza Co.

    Now, whenever I am in one of the areas where MacKenzie River Pizza Co. calls home, I search them out, and treat myself to some of the best pizza I've ever had.
    As I sit here at my desk, craving pizza, I realize it has been a while since we've had the pleasure of visiting any of these fine establishments.
    During a trip to Billings, Montana  we stopped in at MacKenzie River Pizza Co. for dinner. We had been traveling all day, and we were ready to stop for the night, and to get something to eat. As usual, we drove through the main part of city, so we could get an idea of what the city was like. This was Mark and I's first time in Billings, so we drove around for a bit.


View of thick, crazy cloud  from  MacKenzie River Pizza Co. in Billings

     A storm, which we had been watching for more than an hour, continued to grow over Billings. Finally we decided to have dinner at MacKenzie River Pizza Co. and see if the storm would pass on by.
    The hostess sat us near the window. I found the warmth of the place comforting, the entire staff, however, seemed as if they were ready to bolt at a seconds notice. Billings, you see, had just had a tornado the week before. From the looks of the torn up buildings nearby, it came with in a quarter mile of the pizza company, and these people working on this night were anything but comforted.
    A huge ominous cloud hung overhead, and hailstones pelted the pavement beyond our window.

MetraPark arena in Billings after the June 20, 2010 tornado

    The patrons in the restaurant were calm, most probably travelers that were unaware of the underlying tension that I thought radiated from each and every employee there. They still did their job, they were all friendly and attentive, but they were very nervous. Not a one seemed to be older than 25, and I am sure they were thinking, "what if", but it was fine. The cloud rolled away, their tension eased and once again we were able to cure our craving for MacKenzie River Pizza Co. pizza.

We pulled into St. Regis and decided it was time to eat dinner, so we went into BLANK and I had teriyaki chicken dinner. I'd had it the last time we were passing through, so I knew I didn't even need to open my menu. It was delicious and so was the baked potatoe soup, mmmmm, mmmmmmmmm, I highly recommend stopping in and treating yourself to these tasty items. They serve really nice portions and even though the dining room is rather small, it is a comfortable atmosphere. However, the last time we had stopped in they had just gotten done having tricycle races, yes tricycle races, and the bar side of this establishment was overflowing with tricycle riding revelers. Who knows if it got rowdy as the night wore on, but it seemed to be a happy crowd while we were there.
The weather held out for us as we made our way from St. Regis toward Kalispell. Within a short time we were getting close enough to our destination, (Kalispell), that I began searching for a place to stay. I grabbed the GPS and started searching. After several calls to motels that were either to high priced or to off the beaten trail, I found Somer's Bay Log Cabins. I almost didn't call. Just the name screamed "I'm gonna be expensive," but we were pleasantly surprised with the price, not to mention the gentleman on the other end of the line was very friendly. I had explained that we were hauling some trailers behind our pickup, that we would be delivering to Gardner RV in Kalispell, the following morning.
"What kind of trailers?" he asked.
"We have a stack of five utility trailers, so we need extra room to park, will you have a parking space for us?" I asked.
"Five trailers, thats against the law, you can't haul five trailers in a line behind you." He was in shock.
"No, no, it's just a stack of trailers, one on top of the other. A stack." I tried to explain.
Evidentally the picture he had in his head of us pulling five trailers like a train was hard for him to shake. Finally he understood and was outside waiting for us when we arrived at his place. It was rather funny. I think he was thinking we were crazy people trying to get away with pulling a trailer train down the Montana highway.



These adorable scarecrows were sitting on the front porch of the office.

 The cabins were adorable. Each one had  a front porch. There was plenty of room between each one that a person would not feel like their space was being invaded. The road that led to each cabin was paved and there was plenty of green grass to contrast with the light wood logs of each cabin.
Once inside, again we were pleasantly surprised. There was a living room, a very small living room, but a living room. There was a kitchen area and bathroom and a bedroom. All of it was quaint, cozy and above all clean. Yeah, I just love it when a place is clean.

This is the view from our cabin. It looks out at Flathead Lake

http://www.somersbaycabins.com/
http://www.flatheadlake.home/
http://www.gardnerrv.com/
http://www.lori-kimbel.artistwebsites.com/
http://www.kimbeltrailers.com/


Somer's Bay Log Cabins
5496 Highway 93 South
PO Box 447
Somers, Montana 59932
Telephone: 406-857-3881
Toll-Free: 888-443-3881
E-mail: stay@somersbaycabins.com

When we travel we don't always book our motel room before our trip, simply because we never know when we are going to get where we are going. We do pretty good about getting in the rig and heading on down the highway, but from time to time we ignore the time and spend time enjoying things along the way. I'm not sure why, but one place in particular pops into my mind whenever I starting thinking about traveling.
Mark and I were on a sales run. We build trailers, yeah, trailers. Interesting huh....well it can be, but it can be pretty boring too after five years of constant struggling and trying to make enough money to survive. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, because it has been a great outlet for Mark, who absolutely loves to design and build trailers. We have met many great people that we simply would never have met had it not been for the fact that we build trailers. It has taught us a lot about ourselves and how to handle a thousand issues that we would never have had to deal with had we not decided to build trailers.
Aside from the wonderful people that are now in my life that wouldn't have been the travel has been the greates gift this trailer business has given to me.
On this particular trip we finally decided to call it a day near the town of Lincoln, Montana. We drove into town, glanced at the city center, which happened to be the entire city, right there in the center with a highway going straight through the middle of it. Before we knew it we were driving out the other side. After going about a mile beyond the city limits we decided to turn around and find a place to stay for the night. There were a few motels, but the place that caught our eye was an old log inn. There was one car in the parking lot, which turned out to be the owners. One car, to me, was a sure sign that would not be clean enough to stay, but it had something about it that drew us in.
We noticed a sign as we walked in. It had instructions for all of the bicyclist that seemed to be passing through the area just as we were. The hotel was booked with bicyclists, that explained the absence of non-green mode's of transportation in the parking lot.
After taking our luggage to our room, which had an obvious tilt. So much so that if you sat on the bed you would be compelled to place your foot on the wall so as not to tumble forward. It added to the charm. The inn was welcoming, inviting and had offered its walls to weary travelers for many many years.
I'm not sure what it is about this place that it pops into my memory so much. I almost hate to revisit it for fear of ruining the comforting memory I have of it.
I find it strange that it jumps into my memory from time to time, because there really wasn't anything out of the ordinary that happened during our stay. We walked to the local grocery store and bought snacks for our dinner. We set up our lawn chairs on the side yard and had a drink along with our snack lunch. The owner of the place came out and visited with us as we were fixing our dinner and drinks on the tailgate of our pickup. He was nice and was very interesting to talk to. We talked more with him the next morning before we headed on our way.
I highly recommend stopping in for a night or two. It was very clean, and very quiet. There was a small bar downstairs, along with a breakfast room and a larger living room, which was decorated with saddles and western decor. The owner was friendly and enjoyable to visit with.

  Las Vegas is known for its glitz and glamour. People from all over the world come to Las Vegas everyday just to experience a portion of what the city has to offer.
  Now I love Las Vegas just as much as the next person, maybe even a bit more, it is actually one of my very favorite cities to visit. I love the lights and all the people from all walks of life and the architecture, I absolutely love the architecture! Amazing the calibur of designing that goes in to every single detail in Las Vegas. Vegas has so much to offer on so many different income levels and intellectual levels, a person could stay for six months and still not experience everything.
  Out of all of the adventures Vegas has to offer I am here to tell you...."Do not miss M&M's World!"
M&M's World is located at 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd., right next to the MGM.
  At M&M's World there is something for everyone and for every budget. It is a chocolate candy paradise, and not just any chocolate candy, but everyone's favorite character chocolate, M&M.

  M&M World Las Vegas has four floors of M&M candies, gifts, memorabilia and even 3D movies staring, yep you guessed it, M&M candies. Anything and everything M&M can be found at M&M World Las Vegas. Pens, paper, purses, and pajamas, cooking items, clothing, magnets, toys, games, jewelry and so much more.
  This shop is a real must-see while visiting the bustling city of Las Vegas. You will not be sorry you stopped in.

What could be better than a wall full of colorful M&M's!