On June 12th
we left on our “vacation” within a vacation. Over 4,000 miles later we returned
to our RV in Two Harbors, MN, ready to begin the second half of our 18-month
adventure. Driving the car, we headed across Minnesota and North Dakota to Bismarck,
where we stayed for two nights. Perhaps it was just the time of year (or
because it wasn’t expected), but we found North Dakota surprisingly beautiful!:
rolling green hills, rivers, badlands, buttes, and wide open spaces.
We spent our first full day immersing
ourselves in all things Lewis and Clark – visiting Fort Mandan where they
wintered over in 1804-5 and first encountered Sakakawea and learning more about
the Native American tribes along the Missouri River.
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| Lewis' dog, Seaman |
We particularly enjoyed walking
around the Double Ditch Indian Village State Historic Site – a large earth
lodge village inhabited by Mandans for 300 years (1490-1785) which was a center
for trade along the Missouri, one of many. That night, we took a relaxing boat ride
down the Missouri at sunset and were surprised by some of the stately homes
along the river.
The next day we left early to visit
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (south section). With colorful badlands, wild
horses, rolling hills, canyons and grasslands it was clear to us why TR came
here to rest and recuperate and subsequently fall in love with the west. We
managed to take a few hikes and lots of pictures before heading north to other
section of the park (an hour or so away). 
There we managed a late afternoon
hike out to a canyon rim, saw some very interesting rock formations, a large
herd of buffalo, and rolling grasslands – all a part of this beautiful, but
lesser known park.
We spent two more nights in Williston,
smack dab in the middle of ND oil operations. It was interesting, and weird, to
see oil rigs and farms, side by side, but that’s the case all over this part of
the world.
From Williston we continued
our exploration of the Lewis and Clark trail at the confluence of the Missouri
and Yellowstone Rivers and then went on to Fort Buford, built in 1866 as a
major supply depot. We happened to be there on the day of the annual Rendezvous,
so we enjoyed learning about the ways and wares of the natives, the soldiers,
and the mountain men alike. My favorite was the talk on hunting and cooking on
the prairie.
The next day we entered Montana, following
the Missouri River to Great Falls, where we spent another two nights. We
thoroughly enjoyed seeing the 5 falls that make up the “Great Falls” of the
Missouri and marveled at the strength, endurance, and tenacity that it took for
the Lewis and Clark expedition to portage around these massive falls, an 18
mile trek that took nearly a month to complete. Even with dams, the falls today
are quite impressive.
And the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, located on a
bluff overlooking the River, was amazing, by far the best we had seen – from Oregon
to St Louis to Bismarck. The exhibits took us through each of the Native
American lands traversed by the expedition, giving us an exhaustive look at the
Journey of Discovery and the various native tribes that helped them along the
way. In addition, two films gave an overview of the entire trip and of the
rigors of the portage around the falls. Our immersion into the life and times
of Lewis and Clark was nearly complete, but as we drove easily over the
mountains from Great Falls to Sp0kane, we couldn’t help but think about how
difficult and exhilarating it must have been for those early adventurers. We
take so much for granted now, but for them, it was all new.
Next came a night’s stop in Coeur d’Alene,
to see my surrogate brother who had suffered a major stroke in March. As we
watched a once athletic and loquacious man (the same age as Lew) struggle to
walk and communicate, we were once again reminded how very fortunate we are to
have our health and how grateful we are for each and every day! It could all be
taken away in a flash. A sobering thought.
But on we went, to Spokane, to the
2019 Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. Although we lived in this city 45
years ago, we hardly recognized it today; we did enjoy walking along the river,
however, trying to remember. We enjoyed the thought-provoking seminars
and worship services at the convention, but left with mixed feelings about what
the theme “The Power of We” means for us and for the denomination going into
the future. We were given much to chew on and digest.
By this time, we were anxious to get
“home,” so we left early on Sunday, excited to make the 6- hour familiar drive
to Anacortes. Of course, our “home” was not our home anymore as it had been
taken over by Sandi and her family. We were only the guests for three weeks!
Nevertheless, it felt good and familiar (although I was amazed to come across items
I’d forgotten I owned and forgot where I had put things I knew that I owned!). I
was a stranger in my own house!
What did we enjoy most about being in
Anacortes?
- · Cool weather
- · Having the chance to spend some time with Sandi and learn more about their plans
- · Being with Andy and Dylan (sometimes)
- · Watching Dylan play a “mean” pirate in a play at the local theater
- · Walking in Washington Park with our friends
- · Celebrating early birthdays with grandsons: then watching Dylan thoroughly enjoy his new bike and Andy put together his new 300-piece puzzle with little help.
- · Sleeping in our King size bed!
- · Doctor appointments (well, didn’t exactly enjoy them, but needed to get them done while home)
- · The islands and water and trees
To be
honest, I was concerned about going home in the middle of our 18-month trip.
Would I even want to go back to the RV? How would it feel to go back to Washington
after visiting so many places around the country? We had lived there for six
years, but I still felt connected to Colorado and my Colorado friends. Or did
I? Coming back after being gone nine months, however, I realized that we had a
lot of friends in Anacortes, people who missed us and were glad to see us and
visa versa. It felt good to walk around Washington Park in the morning with
friends; I felt connected. I drank in the beauty of the islands and picked up
where I left off with my library book group and Newcomers. It felt right. It
felt like we had truly come home. And I didn’t mind leaving again because I
know now that Anacortes is where I want to come back to.
Three weeks of noise and chaos with
the grandkids and happy reunions with friends and family and deer in our yard
and Washington-style rain and working hard to make things easier for Tom and
Sandi…and then it was over. Vacations go too fast. Now we are “home” again – in
our “home away from home” and on the road, heading east, looking forward to all
the sights and sounds and experiences that will be new to us. We loved our
vacation, loved the northwest, loved seeing Sandi and her family, loved
reconnecting with our friends, loved sleeping in our bed for a few weeks. But
adventure calls and we are ready.
