Big Ride Across America 2011

Thurs, July 7--Happy birthday MaryBeth!!!

I don't know what happened to my last post, but I'll try to catch up.

July 4 was Hardin, a smallish town with no quilt shop, but there was a quilt show in the library--nice quilts, but nothing spectacular. I did stop at the Ben Franklin for elastic, since some of the riders are shrinking, and I managed to buy a few pieces for my trip quilt, and some batiks. We stayed at the KOA, which had a pool. We passed winter wheat, sugar beet, and behind the KOA was Coors and Budweiser barley. Lots of goldenrod. Tried to identify birds, but there are few places to pull off the road with Baby, so I was frustrated. Many of the riders went to the rodeo, a first for those from the East. We were again catered by Beyond Basil--another fantastic meal!

July 5 was Hardin to Sheridan, 87 miles. Another green day. When we crossed into Wyoming the roads changed from gray to red! I got an adapter for our fan so that we can run it on 12 volt. We've really needed it the last few days. Spectacular lightning storm at night, but no rain. Got to swim again at the KOA, and when I asked someone in the pool where they were from, they said, "Marysville WA". It was a whole family on their way to the grandpa's family reunion in Nebraska. I have seen so many greens on this trip that I have decided to do a small Trip Around the World quilt titled "Trip Around Montana". The greens continue to amaze me. I wrote "BF" in my notes, but I can't remember what it means. I guess I'd better use better abbreviations in the future.

July 6 Sheridan to Gillette WY, 112 miles! I left Sheridan so early that I didn't get to either of the quilt shops, but I did go to the Salvation Army and bought a tank top. I'm still looking for a lightweight skirt to replace the one I forgot, and for commemorative dish towels for my broken dishes quilt. The countryside is changing from lots of green to desert and green, still very beautiful with mountains in the background. The advantage of driving the back roads instead of I 90: In the teeny tiny town of Clearmont, pop 142, was The Best Kept Secret Quilt Shop, the only business in town. My first Kaffe Fassett since Odessa, lots of batiks, lots of half price remnants, $4 a yard fabrics, including Kaffe, $1 fat quarters, 3for$1 fat eighths, and a perfect RV fabric for the border of my journey quilt. She also had lots of felted wool, hand-dyed and others. I asked her why she wasn't in the quilters' travel book, and she said she was for about 5 or 6 years, and only one customer had found out about her from the book, so she saves $800 a year. She has a website: www.thebestkeptsecret.com, but she says she gets more in-store customers. Her prices are quite low. Everyone stopped at the Spotted Horse Cafe at mile 51, a tiny place with one woman running it. As we were leaving, I congratulated her on completing her marathon--it was the first time she smiled since we arrived. Passed our first coal strip mine--what a blight on the otherwise lovely countryside. We stayed at the high school, where we could have electricity. Ate at a restaurant. On restaurant nights each rider is given $12 for food. Noel, Dick and I have been buying our own dinners, which allows the group to buy beer--everybody loves us!

Big Ride Across America 2011

Sunday, July 3,2011

We're in Billings, where it was 98 degrees today. We just had a little squall that cooled it down a bit. Today was a rest day, so Noel, Dick and I went to Mass where we heard the best sermon ever, and we sang a song to the tune of the Finnish national anthem instead of our own unsingable one. We went out to brunch at a wonderful place called Stella's, then I went to the Art Museum while the guys went to the bike shop. The best exhibit was the Hungarian early 20th century retrospective--I bought the catalogue. I also found out that I had missed the Archie Bray foundation in Helena, so I didn't get to see the pottery. It would have been much better than the quilt shop.

I did find a good quilt shop in Haverton on the 1st. I spent a lot of time in there talking to the owner--I think she's lonely. I managed to find some fabric my friend, Linda Shea was looking for, so it was a successful visit. I also got some 4th of July and some barbed wire fabric for my journey quilt. I had lunch at the cafe in Ryegate, home of the testicle festival (really!) They had Rocky Mountain Oysters on the menu, but I had eggs. Dinner last night was catered by Beyond Basil, and it was fantastic! They will follow us the 55 miles to Hardin tomorrow, because in the caterers words, "Hardin doesn't have shit."

We've seen lots of wildflowers in Montana, and the scenery is still very green, with lots of rolling hills. One of the other Northwesterners and I commented that everyone in Montana has a view, while we are blocked in by trees. I'm really enjoying the open spaces, but I'm not ready for 9 months of winter.

The Big Ride 2011 June 30

Today is day 11 of The Ride. I'm in Helena, where I have to move Baby and the truck in 15 minutes. Today is 61 miles from Avon to Townsend MT, over the Continental Divide. The weather has been coolish, especially today, which suits me fine. The riders are goin through a period of "it's harder than I thought it would be", flat tires and bugs yesterday, sore ankles and butts. They're all pretty subdued at night, but elated that they made it one more day. The scenery is fantastic--Montana is a gorgeous state, at least so far. Baby is doing fine. More later.

2011 BIG RIDE ACROSS AMERICA

June 25, 2011 Day 6 of Big Ride Spokane to Sandpoint ID

I'm a little late getting started on this, but I was also a little late getting started on the Ride. Everyone rode out of Seattle Pacific U Mon am, but I stayed home with the flu.

There are 26 riders, ranging in age from 16 (Gabe from Manhattan) to 70 (Dick, our longtime friend from Seattle), and 3 crew. And then there's Cindy, toodling along, pulling Baby, our 9 foot Burro trailer, made in 1984. On the 4th day the water pump went out, but we managed to find a new one here, so we can drink and wash. The RV store wanted to sell us an electric one, but what fun is that? Baby's bed is 41 inches wide, 2 inches wider than a twin bed. We have been in the dorm at Gonzaga U the last 2 nights, and each having our own bed was a treat.

I bought a NOOK reader for the trip, spent a day learning how to download the software to checkout books from the library, and now I can't figure out how to get the books from my computer to the NOOK. I'm going to Barnes and Noble with the puter and NOOK and have them teach me. It's clumsy to read in bed on the puter.

Yesterday we visited 2 old friends, Frs. Tom Garvin and Gerard Steckler, at the home for unwed fathers on campus. Garv has parkinson's, and is totally immobile and has some memory deficits, but when the nurse told him we were here, and that Noel is riding his bike to Washington DC, he said "He's crazy!" Steck is as sharp as ever, and as caustic, and walks with a walker. He was playing bridge when we arrived, but was gracious enough to grant us an audience. He says he is impatiently waiting for death. I reminded him that he has been hoping for death ever since I met him in 1963.

The first day of the trip was Seattle to Easton, 2nd day Easton to Vantage, where my brother met us for dinner. I also met Meg, one of the Fat Quarters, a small quilting group I belong to. We went to lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe, and then to the brand new quilt shop in Ellensburg--a very nice shop, called Quilting by Dezine. 3rd day was Vantage to Odessa, on Hwy 28. Last year that day was hot and the scenery was brown--this year it was coolish and green--beautiful. I met Christian in the pool, who wanted to know if I wanted to "go in the deep end" with him. You can just call me Mrs. Robinson. I visited the quilt shop in Odessa again, and again it was great. She has no web presence, so you'll just have to drive to Odessa. The ride into Spokane on Thurs was gorgeous--a tail wind and waving wheat.

Today the riders are going to Sandpoint via Newport, but I'm going to a quilt show in Coeur d'Alene after my "lesson:" at Barnes and Noble. I'll have to buy a new bird book, too, since that's one of the many things we forgot. We think we might have our act together by mid Montana.

vacation

Well, Fillmore was a bust. I wanted to go back to St. George! The owner met us at the door of her office in dyed red hair with gray roots showing and gigantic curlers. She said she was leaving on the 8pm flight out, but she forgot to tell us that there was no coverage for her. The office, store and laundry were closed! We drove to a marsh to look at birds, and when I stopped the truck we were immediately surrounded by baby black flies--more bugs than we saw on any of our arctic trips! We also saw lots of birds, including American avocets, which we had never seen before.

Next stop was Provo, with Palm Sunday at an Episcopal Church, our first this trip. We prosessed 3 blocks singing All Glory Laud and Honor to the accompaniment of a trumpet. It fulfilled all my hopes and expectations. I even wore my red shirt.

The 18th was at Hot Springs resort near Garland, UT. Wonderful large 94 degree pool and 2 hot tubs over 100. No laundry and no toilets where the RV sites are.

On the 19th we found our first diner of the trip! It's in Snowville, UT, almost to ID. Red stools at the counter, booths along the walls. Great food, grown-up waitresses, one from Bellingham.

We "camped" in Glenns Ferry, ID, then on to Boise, where we had to pay $35 per night in the KOA. We hadn't spent more than $13 since Ventura. Gas was cheaper in AZ, UT and ID, too. We went to Boise to visit my friend Maryann, who has just moved there from Seattle. She and Roger were the most gracious hosts, feeding us dinner both nights. On Thurs eve, we went to the quilt guild meeting, where the program was the Boise Peace Quilters. Started in 19980 or so, they make quilts for individuals and organizations who have promoted peace and justice.

ZION

April 15, 2011 Today is my brother's 63rd birthday. Happy birthday, C.L.!!! We're in the best RV park this trip--it's small, with very friendly staff who are professional singers. Heated pool and spa. I've been sewing in the clubhouse. We are sorry to leave today and miss Nickel's country western show tonight. Yesterday was Zion National Park. We took the shuttle tour in the park, and walked a 2 mile trail to the end of a canyon. The park is as beautiful as Rainier, but in a different way with all the orange, rust and coral peaks, interspersed with white and black. It's breathtaking. We stopped in St. George on the way here, and I bought some of Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons in the colors we saw around us. I will use them in the class I'm taking with Jean Wells in Sisters at the end of the trip. Before this we spent a night on Lake Mead after driving up to Hoover Dam. I bought a postcard of the dam to show grandson Julian what his great-great grandfather Mead made. We spent 4 nights in Parker,AZ with C.L., and bought an RV resort membership. The last 2 nights and the next 2 will be $13 per night instead of the $30 to 40 we would normally pay. So far we have been the smallest "rig" in every park. Tonight and tomorrow we will be in Fillmore, UT.

NOEL AND CINDY'S EXCELLENT VACATION

April Fool's Day 2011 We're finally back to blogland! We left Seattle March 28, spent the first night in Portland camped in our good friends', Ken and Jeannie Prier's driveway. We headed for Tillamook on Tues, visiting the Latimer Quilt and Textile Museum. The museum offers a tour of the permanent collection to groups of 6 or more. The quilt shop has a retreat center, so this could be a destination. It rained all day. We spent the night at the Thousand Trails campground in Newport, after shopping at BJ's quilt shop. Still raining the next day. Shopped at Noel's favorite quilt shop, Quilter's Cove, in Newport, then headed south. Again it rained all day, and the visibility was so poor that one of us suggested we head over to I-5. The other person said he didn't want to drive through the Siskiyous, so we continued on to California. When we got to Brookings, the young woman at the Subway Shop said that 101 was closed before Santa Rosa due to a mud slide, and wouldn't be cleared for several days. A man said we shouldn't take Baby across 299, but we continued on to Salmon River, CA. The next am someone told us we could take Hwy 199 and end up in Grant's Pass, so we did that and stopped at a nice fabric shop there. Then we continued south through the Siskiyous, and camped last night and tonight in Redding. I visited 2 quilt shops today while Noel biked through some beautiful country. One of the shops had Kaffe Fassett fabric for 65% off! I bought a little. We have white crowned sparrow singing to us, and ?scrub jays making less nice noises. We have a view of Shasta and Lassen.