3 Weeks mooching at the family compound.

 Guess it isn't technically 'mooching', but it's close.  Annie and Mark were very kind to let us stay at their ranch. It is 5 acres in the Sierra's that backs into national forest.  There are horses, goats, chickens and a group of dogs and cats that roam in paradise.

Steve got to fly in from Mexico and Ruthie came up from Sacramento. We had an impromptu reunion at mom's assisted living.  Mom is trying to figure out who the photographer is.  She knew Bryan just minutes before.  It is sad, but we decide to laugh some anyway. 

The view from our spot.  The stars at night are amazing.

 These are Annie and Mark's grandchildren.  They did well at the Plumas County fair.  They did all kinds of country things like raising sheep and showing horses.  We are learning a lot! Rowdy, Kanoa and Anela.

Excluding family (they are stuck with me anyway) and friends- I have had a lifelong talent for attracting weirdos! A new friend from the fair.

Annie and I on our way to Reno to see our mom and do some shopping.

We rode in to the Reno Airport to pick up Steve.  The motor home is the way to go!!!

Bestest friends since the 60's Julie and Marje.  It is impossible to believe that Marje is 90 years old! 

Ruthie's adorable granddaughter Jenna.  She is on the back of Annie's golf cart.

Annie goes EVERYWHERE in her golf cart.

Anela WON junior Queen at the Sierra Valley Jr. Rodeo! She does barrel racing and calf riding! She won 75 dollars riding a bucking calf.  She beat a bunch of boys even! We are proud of her.

If it's August then it's Pickle time!

 Diane Tracy and her daughter Sarah.  Diane is a friend we made in Vancouver.  Her daughter is awesome because she is going to be an L&D nurse! She bought 3 cases of cucumbers.  It was like I was the consultant. She ended up with 60 QUARTS of pickles!

 Eugene was easy! We only did up 40 pounds of produce.....it made 38 quarts.

 Leslie and her son Kyle.   We all worked together last summer.  So this year it went so much more quickly.  The Hansen's were supposed to be here too.  But their house sold too fast.  Kent we have a jar with your name on it!T

This is David, graduate of the Naval Academy and a retired commodore.  Because he's a newbie to the pickle world,  he had  menial kp duty! He realized this year that unless he gets some new recruits he'll be at the bottom  a long time!  Contact him if you want to join up.

So beautiful!

 The best people EVER!!!!!

T

See you next year David & Leslie!

We now have a load of booty in our rig.  Enough pickles to last until next year AND a few jars to give away!  Remember we are looking for free places to park!!! Love,  Mary and Bryan

A Trip to Bend and miscellaneous but hopefully interesting photos!

 An old wall in Jackson,WY.

Cool antique look of Old Faithful Inn from the 1930's

 Painting of Old Faithful in the dining room of the lodge.

A few miles west of Spokane is the oddly creepy slash interesting town of Sprague,WA. It is full of old vehicles. We went through this town on our way to an equally strange RV park.  Twilight Zone type stuff.

Sprague,WA

More trucks.

On the way to Avalanche Lake, Glacier NP

One of our best drivers!

One more truck.

Lance under Tumalo Falls in Bend, OR

Lance's place is like an art studio. We are in Eugene for a week.  Then we are going back to California and Nevada.  Thank you for reading our blog.  

Six Weeks and 6,000 miles!

The town of Forks, WA is having fun with their famous-ness!

We hiked  the HOH rainforest, the Hall of Moss (extremely boring), The Spruce trail and Marymere Falls. 

Crescent Lake inn.  Almost 100 years old. A sweet surprise after a long hike.

Nephew Todd came to spend a few days with us. He was a lot of fun.  The Olympic Mts. in the background.   This is Hurricane Ridge where winds, in winter, are about 80 miles and hour.

Today make 6 weeks out and 6,ooo miles traveled.  I think we need to come park at YOUR house for a month!!! Let us know :)

Going to the Sun Road: Glacier Part II

Here is part of the drive in Montana's Going to the Sun Road.  ENJOY! We are going back to Washington to rest up in the Olympic Mts.  We hope that everything is going well for you our family and friends. B and M

Fantastic Glacier National Park, Montana

 West entrance to Glacier.  We sure love our senior pass.  It allows for FREE entry to all national parks.  The pass costs $10.00 and is good for life.  This is an unknown man.  Cars were lined up waiting for a photo here.  We weren't inclined to wait.

Here is the Continental Divide. Rain and snow decides here whether they want to be part of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico OR the Pacific Ocean.  Logan Pass.

We carry a "Bear Bell".  They say the last thing you want to do is surprise a bear.  A man was killed nearby by a grizzly a few weeks ago.  

 It's a cliche, but the photos do not convey the beauty! This was taken from the Highline Trail which we hiked.

Another from the trail.

The air is fresh, dry and clear.

Bryan on the trail.  The hand rail looked like a garden hose.

 View from the trail, looking down a glacier to the Road to the Sun below. Will post more photos tomorrow.  We made a video on the Driving to the Sun Road.  This might be the most beautiful place ever!!!

It's not always cowboy food and fun!

Sunday we head to Glacier National Park.  We have been in Billings repacking, reorganizing, and repairing.  Thank you Dani for this cute plaque.  

This is the bin that sprung the big leak that led to Grant's head injury.  During  our trip we had to place a bucket under here. CLASSY right?   We were concerned that it would cost a lot of $ to fix the problem.  We nursed it along until we could stop for a while.  We put our best minds (Ely and Bryan) on the case.  They figured out that a holding tank had shifted off position under the shower.  They straightened it out and placed a spacer to hold it in place. Problem solved!  Practically no money spent.

Hans enjoying the newest mini-tragedy.  We are waiting for the new air bladder to arrive for the sleep number bed.  I broke the valve (for his side of the bed) accidentally.  All the kids in the cul-de-sac  seem to love hanging out here.

What did we see while running around Billings finding supplies?  Grandpa Curtis mined FELDSPAR on Clark Mt. near the Calif/Nev border.  Had to get a photo to honor Grandpa.  Only in Montana the gem and mineral state!


Thank you to all our readers!  It means a lot to us to see how many are looking at the blog.  Lacey's friend and neighbor Keri helped me with some blog tips today.  Thank you Keri!! Next entry from beautiful Glacier NP. Wish us luck that our rig stays together.  Love, Mary and Bryan