Travel with Sue and Ted

Author: Ted Larson

  • Grand Teton National Park

    Grand Teton BicyclingWe were assigned spot L75 at Colter Bay Campground, at the end of the loop overlooking the meadow and trees at the edge of the lake.  No one camped between us and the lake, so the view from our camping chairs was a wide-open expanse, broken only by the seldom used road between us.  “M” is the last loop, so being in “L” meant only L&M traffic passed by in front of us, maybe one truck every 30 minutes.  The blue of the water is visible between trees.  This spot is like being in the “D Loop at Pinecrest”, facing the water.  Nice.

    We road bicycles near Jenny Lake on Thursday and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the river while sitting on rocks.  There is no cellular connectivity in the campground, so we must wander over to the laundry and store to get public wifi and check up on things elsewhere in the world.  We also sat at the Jackson Lake Lodge to view sunset and enjoy a drink and snack.  I wish I had a kayak with all this open water.

    Click here to enjoy these additional pics of Grand Teton.

  • Grand Teton Sunset

    We made it to the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming just before sunset on Wednesday, September 7.  It was our longest drive of the trip so far… about 400 miles in one day from Boise to Grand Teton.

    colter-bay-moonrise-grand-tetonWe got a primo site at the Colter Bay campground in the first row overlooking the meadow and lake with no one else in front of us.  Here’s a view of the sunset that Sue took at 6:59 pm.

    Our lunch stop was so memorable in Idaho Falls!  Sue has this gift to search Yelp and find out-of-the-way places that normal travelers would miss.  Sue found “Grandpa’s Southern Bar-B-Q” in the old historic district and, as luck would have it, I got an on-street parking space for the truck and trailer for two-hours!   Sue had the “BBQ Parfait” layered with pulled pork, baked beans and cole slaw, and Ted had pulled-beef sandwich with spicy mashed potatoes.  We enjoyed it with swamp water (pink lemonade and sweet tea) and topped it off with a slice of buttermilk pie and sweet potato pie.  The purveyors — Lloyd and Loretta — were so warm and welcoming and made us feel like family – only we didn’t have to wash the dishes!

    The speed limit in Idaho is 80, but for trucks with five axles or more it is only 70.  And the freeways in Idaho are FAR superior to anything in California.  Trip on!

    T & S

  • Cycling in Boise

     

    We had a relaxing day in Boise today, staying two nights at a KOA, which gave us a full day to relax from driving.  Before the trip, we got new bicycles, and today was the first time we used them!  

    There are 25 miles of bikes trails along the river in the middle of Boise.  We started at the zoo, and went north a few miles to a bridge where surfers and kayakers rode the one wave spilling over a small channel leaving the three-foot dam.  The bike trail took us to Boise State University and we really enjoyed visiting the campus and seeing their bookstore.  There is such positive energy on a college campus that reminds Sue of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.  We rounded up our time in downtown Boise by having a late lunch at The Boise Fry Company whose motto is ‘Have a side of burger with your fries.”  There were eight different types of Idaho potatoes from which to choose which came with the option of nine different sauces and ten different kinds of salt.  Delish!

    We are big-time fans of Costco and we had fun checking out their store in Boise. It looks like all the rest!  We were pleasantly surprised to see a Costco car wash ($7.95) next to the Costco gas dispensers. 

    KOA parks are a unique slice of America. At this KOA, every Tuesday evening a group of men play music here in a kind of group therapy or group hug session.  They may not all know the notes, but they play with enthusiasm and joy and play a variety of musical genres: Bluegrass, country, American, and John Denver!  I left smiling when they played one I knew: That Good ‘Ol Mountain Dew.  “I’ll hush up my mug if you fill up my jug…”

    Our travels are going really well.  The car and trailer are perfect for us (although we are rather small compared to the other rigs here) and the trip is relaxing.  All is good.  

    T & S  

  • Made It To Idaho

    We made it to Idaho today!   On our third day, we crossed the state of Oregon on highway 20, which is beautifully desolate, alternating between high desert and pine tree mountains.  We’re staying at a KOA near Boise, and just had a delightful talk with our camping neighbor, Sharon and Shawn from Phoenix.  Tonight is a relaxing night, just sitting on lawn chairs in shorts, reading and writing, and drinking a bottle of Baileyana “Halcon Rojo” Pinot Noir.  Tomorrow we’ll ride bicycles around Boise most of the day.  

  • Second Day – Bend

    We meet Ila and Kumar

    We arrived at Bend, OR, early in the afternoon, and after dropping the trailer, we enjoyed a couple of hours at the “Old Mill District” by the river.  A highlight of this time was talking with Ila and Kumar, a couple we met at the “Va Piano” wine tasting room. Our conversation sharing life stories, while overlooking the river and tasting wine, was energizing and fun.

    ST-in-BendWe stayed at a RV Park that uses paving stones, instead of gravel or asphalt, and long enough for the car to be hooked up to the trailer the night before so we could just pull out quickly in the morning.

    Bend is a beautiful city with a great vibe, and we look forward to coming back here in the future.