Dog Talk, WY

I don't think they could ever enact a law around here about dogs needing to be tied down in the back of trucks like CA . . .




. . . every third pick-up on the road would riot.





When I stopped to get some groceries yesterday, I noticed this pretty little dog, alone in a parked truck beside me. He seemed anxious . . .





. . . and then jumped out to run around my feet. When I went to walk into the store, he did too.


A checker immediately stopped him, asked if it was my dog and when I explained what happened, she took over. I suggested she try to find the owner, "possibly shopping in the pet food aisle?"


She gave me that "I've got a better idea because yours won't work" look and commanded the dog to "COME!" When I pointed to the grey pick-up, she marched over to it with the obedient dog, on her tip-toes reached inside the heavy tail gate and unlatched it.


With her best marine drill instructor voice, she commanded the dog . . . "IN, UP!" and when that totally worked, she issued forcefully, "STAY!"

She slammed that tail gate shut with purpose and the sitting dog didn't move an inch. Ok, so that's how it's done here . . .

A Testy Festy

Driving east out of Missoula, MT, I figured I well missed the festival - but for 19 miles I wondered in anticipation if the gift shop might have some unusual interesting items.



No one seemed to be around The Nutshack, the place was deserted.


Inside I found Kristen sitting at a lone table using her laptop to surf the web. She told me to feel free to look around and take any gifts to the food counter to be rung up. Other than a bunch of t-shirts from the festival, a few postcards were for sale with some camping gear.

Kristen told me I could sample The Balls for $1.00. She said they were deep fried and tasted like chicken. They'd be glad to start up the fryer for me. I didn't know whether I'd be able to chew into one or not.

As I heard a cook rustling around, Kristen told me about the Festival. She said they moved it to the weekend before Sturgis and now get 8 - 10,000 - mostly some pretty wild types who ride in on big bikes. They camp all over the fields nearby and after a night or so, many are wandering around naked, only wearing their happy party moods.

Events include a hairy chest and wet t-shirt contest. Bull Bingo is played - betting on the squares in a penned area, where the bull might have to relieve himself.


When I asked more about the bulls, Kristen went into the kitchen and wearing gloves brought a whole testy out for me to see and touch. She described how they remove a membrane and thin slice the partially frozen organ. The cook came out of the kitchen while I tasted my dish and made a *YUKKY* food face at me. Surprised, I asked him, "But of course you eat these, right?" He replied he always does that to tease first tasters.

Surprisingly these munchy little slices were really good. They use an awesome batter to fry them - they were little, tender and round like fried zuchinni - that's what I pretended they were. I'm not sure they tasted like chicken, they reminded me of beef heart my mother used to cook when I was a kid - a more concentrated, sweet flavor than muscle meat.

As the 3 of us stood around and laughed, I wondered where the rest of the party organs go - but no one knew . . .

Coming Clean in Gillette, Wyoming

This has got to be the best thing happening for a weary driver. I've been avoiding doing laundry because I just didn't want to deal with it. It feels like such a waste of time.

But in addition to speedy free WiFi, they supply large clean tables to use, 3 flat screen TV's high up on one of the center posts and friendly assistance when you stand in front of a machine, scratching your head.

Can you believe free coffee too and even little Dixie cups with an already measured amount of powder per load?!

Traveling alone can have its moments. Late last night as I propped open my motel room door to unload some things, a very British older man mistakened my room/door for his and just marched right in on me. He was so gracious and apologetic - then we laughed -

But this morning, eating, I overheard 4 construction workers at the next table trying to up each other with 'bad car' stories . . . one cracking everyone up . . . "When we bought it, it only had 60,000 miles on it, but the transmission went out almost immediately . . . then my wife hit a deer and took out half of the front end . . . but one day when I pulled it into a car wash - something stuck with the rollers - you know the big huge ones on the sides? The rollers started banging and banging the car, making a terrible noise - and then breaking both side windows! We couldn't get the thing to stop before all the pounding even trashed and cracked the windshield, real bad. Geeez, we had to have the thing towed out of the car wash!"

But I love these small towns. In Buffalo, WY this morning some kids playing in a school yard kicked a football over the fence into the traffic. All 6 cars stopped and some guy got out and pitched the ball back to them. 5 minutes later, I'm across the street taking photos of a statue and I hear a little pleading voice: "Can you get us the ball?"

A soccer ball was rolling across the empty street - so I picked it up and drop kicked it high over a few passing cars, over the chain link fence and back into the yard. Sometimes I really miss those soccer games - it was a good kick too!

Liquid Planet, MT

I'm sitting in The Book Exchange in Missoula, MT this morning - an ample, interesting looking bookstore and Wifi cafe called The Liquid Planet . . . facing east with the warm sun (45 degrees outside) trying to sneak in. A question-of-the-day posted on the coffee counter: "Who was Alexander the Great's teacher?" I guessed and got it correctly - can you?

Things are going well. I stopped at a Wal*Mart yesterday and bought a 6-pack. That puts me into underpants (and not having to search for a washing machine) for another week. I scored and wondered how many more weeks I can keep doing that.

I've have 2 awesome days driving through Idaho and Montana - I'm not making much mileage but I'm sure finding the photos. When I first drove into Montana, a state sign by the side of the road announced 'white crosses will be placed where people have died on the roadway'. Each time I drove by a single cross I found myself thinking of death, dying and driving - it's an effective message . . . and then I drove by a triple. Do you suppose that was 3 in a car, or 3 separate accidents in this one spot?




Whoa then . . . what does this mean? (I had visions of a school bus or something).



Hours after I wondered about other traveller's fate ( like 4PM) I noticed I left our locking gas cap far behind in a gas station (at dawn) in Libby, MT. Fortunately near Ronan, MT (where I discovered it), I also found a Chrysler/Jeep dealer - but unfortunately he had no Rubicon gas caps (locking or otherwise) and sliding a greasy finger down his computer screen, he announced 2 existed 'nearby?' - one in Seattle and one in Billings, MT (nearly 300 miles east)! He used a greasy finger to dial the local NAPA auto parts and they struck out too. (That's about when I started eyeing the new Jeep Unlimiteds on the lot and wondered how hard it would be to unhook the little leash on their caps - you know, after everyone left for the day?). Geez I felt awful - park the car all night with an open gas tank?



With a helpful smile, sliding that greasy finger again on his monitor for a phone number while announcing "Your Last Chance" - he scored! at an auto parts place called Auto Quest . . . just down the highway, still open but totally the type of place you'd fly right by . . . the store located in the back of a strange old building with an even more strange covering out front hiding everything . . . 3 very bored teens behind the parts counter - amused and interested a grandmother type would get so excited about finding a gas cap . . .

One salesboy though turned out to be a wealth of info about driving through the Dakotas into Minnesota. Men love their roads and I do too. I took lots of mental notes.

Aristotle was Alexander the Great's teacher BTW . . .

Wed - driving through Washington

Wednesday driving I-90 East through Washington, was less than inspiring. Before I left the North Bend area, I stopped at the train museum in Snoqualmie (I still can't pronounce it) - a bigger pile of rust I've never seen. The smoke stack below is even growning evergreens at its base.

They have a very interesting and well kept museum/train store though. I found a book on the history of "Dining on Trains" and bought it because each chapter has dozens of interesting historical photos.

But heading east I felt as down, drab and depressed as this metal. B said I've been spoiled with British Columbia and Desolation Sound. He could be right. I-90E is at first a beautiful drive through the wooded lush Cascade Mountains - but the range isn't wide like the Rockies. At 65mph soon you're through them and eastern WA is nearly as flat and dry as Anza Borrego.

Almost to Spokane crossing the Columbia River that runs north and south in the mid part of WA, Wild Horse Monument sat proud and impressive on a hill above the water and a pull out. The dozen or so iron statues looked hikeable, so I drove a dirt road from the observation area, parked and headed out on foot.

I think I climbed within about 30 ft of the top. I made the mistake of carrying both cameras/extra batteries (cell phone for safety and keys) and when the sand, gravel and rocks got too steep and slippery, I had no choice but to head back down. I just didn't have enough hands or free grip to get over the rocks and bushes. That sucked but the view was pretty spectacular from up as high up as I could go.

North Bend, Washington

Sept 23, 2008 North Bend, WA

Well here goes, an attempt at an online travel journal, typing not handwriting as I like to do. I make my way from WA -- East. I'm not sure tonite how far my drive will take me overall. Only a little less than 2 days ago, we were traveling together for a month through OR, WA, British Columbia and instead of heading back to San Diego to start my fall trip east, B decided to fly home to get business/jury duty done and I thought, why not leave from WA instead.

Exciting, though at first it was unsettling and scary to think of launching into a solo journey so fast with so little preparation (I have mostly summer clothes), all my maps/books, notes at home - and so comfortable and relaxed traveling with another person.

Late this afternoon I dropped B off at the Sea-Tac airport and headed East. Not wanting to slog up I-5 in rush hr, I tried an eastern diagonal Hiway 18 to I-90. Hundreds of stop lights later I finally found I-90E but soon it climbed into the rugged mountains and pine filled canyons that create a giant grand spine down WA. Afraid of running out of lodging options, I'm at the iffy scruffy, old North Bend Motel in one of their last rooms, a non-smoking room that's seen dozens break the rule - very smelly, probably a headache in the a.m. and noisy - as 2 men got into an argument earlier, crunching all over the gravel parking lot. This is a tiny 2 motel town, next to an even smaller village - Snoqualmie, with no lodging and a giant RR museum of rusted broken down train cars that stretches the length of Main St. I'm only about 50 mi from the airport - not much mileage today.

Before it got totally dark, I drove back to Snoqualmie Falls. The very 'New Joysey' motel owner who came west when his "brother got really sick", said I should be sure to check out the Falls at dusk, but he really wanted to tell me about living in WA, "where most days you have a choice - you're indoors and depressed or outdoors and wet."

I really miss B tonite. To forget, I totally rearranged all the food/kitchen supplies we've been hauling. I washed out the inside of the 2 coolers we have and cut up a huge celery I bought, as well as radishes and 3 containers of cherry tomatoes in a very tiny bathroom sink. For dinner I bought a half lb of jumbo shrimp and standing in Safeway waiting for the butcher to wrap the bundle, it felt strange not to share the anticipation of our favorite dinner on the road as we have these past weeks.

It can be lonely when you're used to the daily movement, activities and affections of another person. I know I'll find my solo travel groove. I'm looking forward to a lot of poking around with cameras and not feeling I'm holding someone else up. I even stopped to pick some wild black berries tonite.