Leg 24- May 27- Anacortes, WA

I'm such a photographer

The Bounder rolled into it's final destination for this adventure, Dallas's family home in Anacortes.  Eliza Pearl has now met her final direct blood family members.  It was a touching moment when EP met her grandfather but, like a doofus, I goobered up the picture of them meeting.  Dallas wept, Dwight and Mary wept, & EP made hooting noises.  Evening time brought a smorgasborg of Milhollands reading on the bed for evening bedtime (very cute and they didn't notice me swing my hand around the doorframe for a photo).  The Bounder had made it 3,819 miles without a major breakdown (lots of little fiddly problems but nothing drivetrain).  We started at 31,388 miles on the odometer and rolled in at 35,207 when parked in their driveway. 

Dallas here: We'll celebrate this unite here and in Bellingham, WA for a few more days, then we will head north to Naknek, AK for the summer salmon season. We will probably keep blogging, just every once in a while as opposed to every night/every leg. Also, mail is always welcome in Naknek! It's like a holiday!

The Milhansons

c/o Leader Creek Fisheries

PO Box 449

Naknek, AK 99633

This is the back driveway into what used to be my grandparents house, now my Dad and Mary's house. It's a beautiful sight. The view out the left side of this photo is of Skagit Bay, Whidbey Island, and Mt. Baker. It's truly a beautiful "Welcome Home."
 

Leg 23- May 26- Pyramid Creek, WA

I should make this a postcard

Our last double day stop means we didn't have to run through our checklist of Bounder packup.  We merely had to load the 400 items it takes to care for a baby for a few hours.  We pushed back into the Cascades for a hike.  The first hundred feet of the trail were so scary to me (I'm scared of heights), we almost turned around right then.  But I forged on.  I am a wuss when it comes to elevation (as Sean can attest, I gasp like a fish at high elevation), so I struggled most of the way up.  However, at the top was the creek and EP posed for a bajillion photos, of which, the one right there was the best.  I had to carry Sasha most of the way down as her hurt foot does not allow her to walk down easily.  Dallas fell over with EP once but nobody was hurt.  Hammock time was a delight and there is a video on Dallas's Instagram to show the wonder. 

Playtime was perfect

Who's behind that tree?

Someone is jealous

 

Leg 23- May 25- Corkindale, WA

 

Gemma, Brooke, Dallas, EP, Blake, John, ME!

By the time the Bounder pulled into our campground for the night (it is so so charming), we had been without cell service for hours.  Even without cell, we had beautiful friends waiting for us.  Dallas's good friends, Blake, Brooke and Gemma and arrived.  At the same time, one of my friends from elementary school and beyond, John, had also made it to our campground.  We enjoyed showing off all the tricks the Bounder could achieve, our daughter (who ignored photo time),  catching up, vegetarian meatballs, wrestling, and hammock time.  It felt like the blink of an eye and all of a sudden, the evening was over.  Blake, Brooke and Gemma had to head back home.  What was a delight was John was able to stay to enjoy a long fireside chat.  Also, on our second to last overnight of the trip, John became the first guest to overnight in the Bounder on our cross country trip. 

She helped me make sure we were parked

John and I met some goats, then took a walk to do a small ceremony for Dad

John's bed became playzone prior to the end of the evening.

Leg 23- May 25- North Cascades Highway, WA

And in the darkness bind them

Sasha does not mind. 

A Bounder cannot rest (especially since we are flying in about a week).  The North Cascades Highway beckoned.  We continued a short ways to a small campground where we took a hike and finally made it into the flora that makes Washington State so famous.  Dallas cried a little bit to be back amongst the trees, while EP and I tried not fall down.  Sasha is still with her healing ACL leg so she required mucho carrying.  This stop was extra important as we deemed that the RV would not like the mountain passes with my Chevy Cruze still being towed behind.  Dallas jumped behind the wheel of my diesel car while I took the wheel of the Bounder.  The mountain passes were calling. 

You get past the treeline.

 

Leg 22- May 24- Alta Lake State Park, WA

Camping in the trees

Our final location today was a forested lake in gorgeous country of North Central Washington.   We found a great spot to park the Bounder then settled in for the night.  A nearby camper came over to chat with us and told us there were 2 juvenile owls learning to fly as one of their parents kept watch.  EP pointed at it then squeaked and swung her hands at it.  This is one of the prettiest spots we've stopped. 

Hoot Hoot

Sunsets in a canyon

 

Leg 22- May 24- Okanogan County, WA

EP liked the water falling

EP woke up just as the Bounder was rolling past Grand Coulee Dam in North Central Washington.  Grand Coulee is very absurdly large and causes some negative consequences.  The size of it, more than a mile wide, is awe inspiring.  I got very spooked by my fear of heights.  It made me want to work on a quixotic plan (I'm still planning it but hopefully it works out). 

This parking spot spooked me hard

Longer than a battleship

The scenery started to get amazing. 

 

Leg 22- May 24- Spokane, WA

Bright and early in the morning, Tom and his delightful wife, Veronica, took us to a delicious breakfast spot in Spokane (where EP wiggled across the floor and then danced with a chair to the delight of all the servers).  Afterwards, we met the charming F. Tyler and his wife, Kaitlyn, at a Spokane park (this park was incredibly large) where we all sniffed lilacs then EP ate one.  Unfortunately, the Bounder had to get rolling so our time was short lived. 
 

Leg 21- May 23- Spokane, WA

Through driving rain we made it over the mountain passes of Montana, through absolutely beautiful Idaho, then down into surprisingly lovely Spokane. Spokane was not just a random stop, it had another man from my dorm, Lile.  Tom Barnett, a Lile 331 man, just like Brian Barnes, opened his electrical sockets plus his hose bib and the Bounder found love from a Spokane street.  We didn't have a ton of time, but Tom caught up with us from the Bounder (Tom and I last met in person in 2012 we think). 

 

Leg 21- May 23- Huston, MT

Manly man

Our RV needs to be level for so many of the functions.  Huge hydraulic legs with monstrous returns springs can level the Bounder but, if you remember, we had broken a return spring in Iowa.  In order to get the hydraulic legs back up, I had to use a crowbar then use a pump jack then hold it in place with a ratchet strap (aka, not easy).  Since Marshall was our mail stop, we had sent the replacement parts and he is a handy fellow so it was double good.  He and I puzzled out what to do for longer than it actually took to fix it.  Big springs scare me and we felt great accomplishment for finishing (and even more for not hurting ourselves).  Huzzah!
 

Leg 20- May 22- Huson, MT

We hadn't had a mail spot since Iowa.  But our next mail spot was so much better than that.  Our friends Sarah and Marshall had started work on a little homestead in the middle of the woods adjacent to the Lolo National Forest.  So far, they had just completed a...shed that had a little apartment in it.  Their "shed" was able to swallow the Bounder with ease.  For the first time since we had bought this beast, it was under cover.  

There was no time for lollygagging, we had some sunshine, trees, logs, and friends to enjoy outside.  Marshall and I walked to the top of the hill and let some of Dad free into the forest.  After we grilled up some burgers we had a delightful picnic under an open sky.  It feels good to let the environment envelop you while enjoying excellent story time with friends. 

 

Leg 20- May 22- Deer Lodge, MT

Dallas's 150 year old piano

EP woke up just as we hit a town with multiple museums.  We browsed a few (they cost money), before we found the Powell County Museum (it was free).  Dallas super enjoyed looking at a piano that was shipped overland over 150 years ago (and was shaped like a square).  I found an exhibit where someone had made miniatures of various animal drawn conveyances (i.e. horse drawn wagons).  There were way more types than I ever could have imaged.  Outside, they had marked the golden spike where the northern route of the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1909.   The train engine I took a photo in front of had been built for the Soviet Union but was blocked by being shipped because Pres Truman because of the Berlin Airlift Crisis.  It was also very large and incredibly powerful.  We continued on to sunshine and more beauty from Montana. 

Choo Choo

Somehow they restored a 1909 Sears Carriage House

A train we took back from the Soviets

Someone asked me to take pictures of pretty people from the past

Oh yeah Montana, keep it up

 

Leg 19- May 21- Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, MT

Snow begins again

Leaving Livingston, the snow started to come back with a few flakes at first then began to stick.  We knew which campground we were headed to so we pushed on wards down canyon pass roads.  Three years ago, Dallas and I had stopped by this campground.  It made me fall in love with Montana then.  When we came back, I fell in love all over again.  We picked out a spot and began to set up the Bounder as flakes began to fall harder (EP was busy holding the wheel for us).  By the time Sasha and I had completed her just got done with riding walk, the snow was coming down enough to stick while the temperature plunged.  We all bundled up and were the only ones on a nearby hike.  By the time we hit the turn around point, the temperature was well below 30 and snow was piling up to the point it got hard to walk.  We barricaded the front windows of the Bounder with reflective insulation, cranked on the small electric heater then were forced to go full force on the mid and rear propane furnaces.  The Bounder beat back the cold and we enjoyed magical views outside all night. 

I couldn't believe it was sticking again

The forward scouts of our hiking party

The main force of the hiking party

Snow went from not sticking, to sticking, very fast

EP was jazzed

 

Her new thing is playing with the wheel

Montana, being magical again

Leg 19- May 21- Livingston, MT

Snow in May, can you believe it

Ohhhh ho ho ho ho ho, little did I have any idea what was in store today.  We rolled out of Columbus and I noted to Dallas I saw a smattering of snow evidence on my morning walk (because who would ever believe snow in May).  Ever westward we forged on until we legit hit rolling snow.  I kept the Bounder slow and safe until we came to our mid day spot, Livingston.  This town was great, we had terrific lunch followed by a restored train depot turned into a museum/civic center.  EP & I spent an hour inside and only saw three panels (that's how packed this museum was).  The curator of the museum and I shot the breeze for quite a while and she eventually gave us a sticker for the Bounder plus seemed to genuinely enjoy our enthusiasm.  The snow had ended and EP was getting tired so the Bounder rolled on. 

Lookout, a bear!

Downtown was pretty fun too