BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 17

July 30

Hello from one of our favorite fishin' holes. . . Chetek, Wisconsin.  We are at the Six Lakes Resort and RV Park.  We spent the morning catching Crappie until a storm blew in over the lake and ran us off!  We feel a little lucky to be here since we had to make a pit stop on the 29th to get the brakes fixed on the trailer.  The place we went was a hole in the wall shop but it is amazing that some of the best mechanical work can be found in the strangest places!  Steve will have a few words for the dealership when we get back home!!  So thanks to AR Welding in Blaine Minnesota for getting us back on the road!!

Speaking of Blaine Minnesota. . .

it is the home of our fishin' nephew. . . MATTHEW, his wife Jennifer, and his three beautiful daughters, from left to right:  Allie, Grace, and Taylor.

Stay tuned for more from

Chetek, Wisconsin !!!!!

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 16

If it weren't for the calendar hanging on the wall of the RV or the date posted at the top of my phone screen I would have no idea what day of the week it is or the actual date.  The days are all beginning to run together as we get closer to the last few chapters of our BIG Adventure.  Nevertheless it is Tuesday, July 26 and we are currently staying at the Crow Wing Lake Campground just south of Brainerd, Minnesota.  We arrived here on the 24th after a few days stay at Devil's Lake North Dakota.  Besides wanting to fish Henry's Fork, Steve also wanted to fish Devil's Lake for the advertised "JUMBO" Perch.  Well things are not always as advertised!!! 

First of all as we got closer to Devil's Lake, (the town) we began to notice huge dump trucks hauling dirt.  We suppose there is a gravel pit or something nearby but NO. . . this is not the case.  It appears that there is MAJOR construction on the main highway leading into town.  The highway had turned into a crater filled dirt/mud two laned 'road (?)'.  The lake was on both sides of the road only a couple of feet away and Steve is trying to manuever the truck and the RV around the craters all the while staying out of the water.  There were a few times I had to close my eyes.  Steve and I are not very happy as this goes on for several miles with the huge dump trucks, back hoes, and bulldozers veering in and out of the driving lanes.  HOLY CRAP!!!!  We are asking ourselves why they didn't detour us and hoping that the RV doesn't bounce off the hitch. . . it was bad. . . very bad!!  :)  We finally make it through and get back on solid pavement as we enter town and head for Woodland Resort and Campground.  But lo and behold we have to travel another crater filled dirt/mud road, but only for a couple of miles and it is minor compared to the last one.  Check it out!!!

We spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the town, the resort, and finding a guide for the next day's fishing trip.  But we cannot fish for "JUMBO" perch because they only bite in the winter, which the website neglected to mention, so we will be fishing for walleye.  Not too bad of a trade off!  Our guide for the fishing trip on Friday was Bruce and we did catch some walleye and northern pike but I have no pictures for proof.  :( 

First of all Steve found out that Bruce had been a meat cutter in his younger years. . . that took care of about one hour worth of conversation! Second of all we found out he was Bohemian.  Thirdly, he also has grandchildren. . . another hours worth of conversation!!  With all of this in mind, after the fishing trip was over Steve decided that he would call him:  Bruce the Bohemian Butcher!! Bruce also gave us the real story about the construction and once we heard it we weren't nearly as upset about the road conditions. . .


Devils Lake is a catch basin for water flowing out of Canada and it is currently 30 -40 feet higher that it was in the early 90's.  Over the years, numerous homes have been flooded and are now covered with water.  We could see barn roofs sticking out above the water.  Thousands of acres of farmland have been lost to the rising water and the construction we drove through was being done to raise the roads approximately 5 feet higher because the rising water was flowing over the roads.  The main building of the Woodland Resort has been moved back from the shoreline three times since it was first built.  Bruce said that once the lake water rises another 5 feet it will begin to flow out and the locals are hoping that this will alleviate their flooding problems.

 There is always a story to hear if we just take the time to listen!!

Today we made our way about 20 miles north of the campground to Gull Lake where we rented a boat and ventured out to catch whatever we could, no guide, just Steve and Kim!  We caught several rock bass which were returned to the lake but kept 20 nice bluegil.

STAY TUNED. . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 15

Tuesday July, 19

Hello from Custer's Last Stand at the battle of Little Big Horn

just south of Hardin, Montana. 

Take note of the warning in the middle of the sign!    YIKES!!!!!

Now let's take a little trip back in time . . . back to Henry's Fork, Idaho where we stayed at the Red Rock RV park from Friday, July 15 until this morning. 

Yes, that is the rv park.  We had a beautiful view!



Just one of our four-legged neighbors!

This area was well known for moose sightings but I was getting somewhat discouraged since we had not seen any.  But Steve started calling for them:  MOOSKA MEESKA MEESKA MOOSE and look at what we saw. . .

We spent Saturday the 16th with a guide fishing a lake and learning how to use our fly rods.  Steve and I both caught our first fish on our fly rods!! Check out my catch . . . a 20 inch rainbow trout.

We spent Sunday making our way to the Warm River to try a little fly fishing on our own.  The road to the river was one less traveled. . . note the Teton Mountain range in the background.

But it is amazing what you can see along the way. . .

We haven't decided whether we will ever be 'fly' fishermen but we gave it our best shot!!!

Once we put the fishing to rest for the day we headed down the road to check out some waterfalls.  We were somewhat skeptical since we have seen several waterfalls on this trip.  Nevertheless they were just as beautiful as the rest:  Lower and Upper Mesa Falls on Henry's Fork River.

I will leave you with a picture of the Teton Mountain Range which is actually

in Wyoming but seen for miles and miles!

STAY TUNED. . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 14

Wednesday, July 13

Look what we found in downtown Spokane Washington. . . Spokane Falls.

Who knows what is around the corner at our next stop!!!!

Stay Tuned. . . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 13

HELLO from Seattle, Washington

We arrived in the Seattle area on Monday, July 11th and after a little time for relaxation we headed straight to the Space Needle.  Even though we expected it to be just a little bit taller it was something to see and Seattle is a beautiful city!

We took a drive through the City Market and the Riverfront just to see if it was worth the trip back the next day and it was!  We spent all day Tuesday goofing around, eating, and shopping!

We had their 'famous' Macaroni and Cheese as a mid morning snack. . . .



and fish'n chips and crab cakes as a mid afternoon snack!!



 We found an elevator only after we had walked up 156 steps to the market!!

Hey kids. . . look at the Steelhead your DAD caught!!!!

So long from Seattle, Washington! 

Over the next couple of days we will be working our way across Washington and back into Idaho to do a little fishing at Henry's Fork for trout!!

Stay tuned. . . . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 12

We made our way into the Portland area on July 8.  Since we wanted to spend some time in Portland and at the Oregon coast we decided to stay at a state park which was in between both of our stops.  We did not have a reservation but were lucky enough to get a spot for three nights.

As we were coming in to Portland we were amazed at the sight of Mt. Hood.

height:  11239 feet



The Columbia River passes through Portland.  We visited the Saturday Market along the river front.  There were tons of people, craft booths, and food booths.

After a day spent in the Portland area on July 9th we made our way to the Oregon coast on Sunday, July 10th.  Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Did you know that it takes 350 squirts from a cows utter to make one gallon of milk?  You didn't?. . . me neither!!! 

 And you all know what I say. . . "Everything goes better with cheese".  I am beginning to think that Steve feels the same way.  Just look at all of the cheese he picked out!  The cheese popcorn is mine!!

Our next stop was Cape Mears to see the lighthouse but we got an added bonus. .

. . . a whale.  It was a gray whale and would come to the surface four or five times and then dive for 15 minutes or so and then back to the top. 

I know it is not the best picture but it is difficult to watch and take pictures at the same time!!  Take my word for it. . . it was absolutely amazing!!

Our goal was to eat our way up the coast so when we pulled into a small fishing town called Garibaldi, Oregon we found our first stop!!  We spent some time on the pier watching two girls crabbing.  They would bring some up in the cage or trap or whatever they call it, but the crabs were either too small or female.  If you are caught with a female crab it is a $300 fine!!  We found a small restaurant and went in for some fish and chips for lunch!

We have passed several signs warning us of wildlife crossings but did not see much of anything until we came across these elk standing right next to the road as we traveled up the coast.

Next stop. . . Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.

And of course I must walk barefoot in the Pacific Ocean!!

Check out Steve's dinner. . .

Crab, Crab, and more Crab!!!

Stay tuned. . .