This week we have been driving. 1100 miles so far, and we are not done.
We stayed in Bend until after Norm's doctor appointment. Kris went with him, as he doesn't always tell the doctor the truth, or remember what he said. Norm quite quite mad at Kris as she spoke up in the doctors office about his driving, memory, and stumbling, so he came out with a few referrals to him him with all that, but he has no interest in doing any of that and quite angry Kris mentioned any of it. Kris felt in all good conscience the driving needed to be mentioned, for the safety of others on the road.
So with Norm mad at her, it was good timing to leave on Wednesday to go visit our friend Helene in Montana, and then see Dean's cousin also in Montana, and then on to Boise to visit Derek.
Nice drive from Bend to Seely Lake Montana.
 |
| Lots of windmills as far as you can see near the Columbia gorge |
 |
| Tug moving cargo on the Columbia |
 |
| Small marina with boats. Even a small catamaran |
 |
| Its onion and potato harvest time. Lots of onion skins blowing off of this one all over the road |
 |
| Potato storage sheds - or maybe onion - couldn't tell |
 |
| Nice sign on a rest stop along the highway |
 |
| Back in Dean's home state |
We stopped on the way in Superior, Montana, to do a quick 2 mile hike on a trail. Dean's dad Roger was honored by the forest service with a bench on a trail near where they had lived.
 |
| Dean on his dad's bench |
 |
| The bench inscription is fading. Dean let the forest service know it needed repair. |
 |
| Part of the trail area where the bench is. Very pretty walk |
After stopping for the hike, we continued up to Seely Lake to see our friend Helene. Tom and Helene worked at Boeing with us before we left, and have been good friends for a long time. Tom recently passed, and will be missed.
They have a beautiful log cabin with incredible views of the Swan mountain range. Tom was very artistic, doing pottery, painting, making custom guitars, poems and songs. A very talented guy, and they certainly needed the large home to house all his creative activities.
 |
| Helene's cabin in the woods, They have 133 acres of mixed woods, stream and fields |
 |
| Greeted by dragons on the drive to the house |
 |
| Helene, has three dogs, two are very large Leonberger dogs |
 |
| View from the house of the Swan range |
Had a great visit with Helene, and left early on Friday and headed to Stevensville, Montana to catch up with Deans cousin Renee. Had a good but short visit with Renee - forgot to take photos, and hit the road again to drive to Boise.
 |
| Nice rainbow on the road heading south |
 |
| Back in Idaho |
 |
| Very twisty drive along the river for most of the way |
 |
| Sawtooth mountains with mostly no snow near Stanley, Idaho |
 |
| Lots of fires this year, now causing mud/rock slides along the road |
We made it to Boise, and spent a nice day with Derek and Emma. Will be here a couple more days.
