Road Trip!

Over the past 20 years or so, we started a tradition where we gathered with friends either at Priest Lake, somewhere camping, or at Western Pleasures Guest Ranch. When we retired, everyone became so busy that it was harder and harder to find a date to get together. This year's answer was to overnight in Moscow, Idaho at Bridget and Dennis's house.

Raina and Dean arrived first, followed by the Bennett's in our Miata. Once we were all there, we called it "Glamping."

Everyone drove in and met at their house at about 2:00 PM. Once there we drank, talked, ate,  and laughed until about 10:00 PM when we went to bed. Breakfast in the morning with more talking and then we hugged everyone and were back on the road home by 11:00 AM. A very quick gathering.

Part 2 - Denman Island, BC

The Beach House

Leaving Westport at 4:37 AM we scampered up highway 8 and hit I-5. Our hopes were to get through Tacoma and then Seattle without getting stuck in traffic. As it turned out we flew through all the sticking points, including the border. We hit the ferry terminal in Tsawwassen (the T is silent) about three hours before our reservation on the ship.  When we checked in we asked if we could catch an earlier sailing  and with no hesitation they told us we were all set to go on the next sailing.

It was a beautiful crossing and we immediately drove off the ship and into Nanaimo to get supplies. Chicken in Canada, and especially on Vancouver Island, is expensive. We took a loan out and bought the chicken, loaded up on other necessities and headed out to find Denman Island.

Looking at The Beach House From the beach.

Our route took us up the coast, on A-19 the coastal highway.  When we hit the ferry terminal to cross over to the island we got in line and a few minutes later our friends Dean and Raina arrived. It was fun seeing them and we were excited to get to The Beach House and see Bridget and Dennis.

We all gathered at The Beach House and started laughing.  Our evening was filled with exploring the new place, eating and laughing. Let the fun begin!

Morning came and went with everyone doing their own thing.  Island exploration took up the rest of the day; we filled two cars and drove to the ferry over to Hornby Island.

Interior of The Beach House.

Bridget and Dennis led us across the island stopping once at a bakery where we looked around and bought some goodies. I had a great cinnamon roll and Linda had her usual chocolate chip cookie. I think it is her goal in life to find the best chocolate chip cookie in the world.

Dennis the fruit fly exterminator.

We left the bakery behind and drove over to Helliwell Provincial Park where we hiked a loop that took us right along the coast.  When we started the hike we ran into a group of hikers who were so excited they had to stop us and show us their videos and photos. They had just witnessed a pod of orca feeding on seals just off the shoreline.  We looked at their captured images and were amazed. One of the videos was taken with a cell phone and it showed the orca feeding so close to shore that you would never have guessed it was a phone video.  We were so excited, but the hikers said that the pod had moved on and we were just a bit late.

All the way over to the point we joked about missing a National Geographic moment because I had to have a cinnamon roll! The hike was beautiful and even though we didn’t get to see orcas eating seals, we had a great time.

We retraced our tracks back to Denman Island and took a loop drive around the island. We stopped at Tom Dennis’s pottery studio and then drove out to Bridget’s cousin’s home where we explored her amazing property.

Coffee on the beach.

Back at The Beach House we ate dinner and continued laughing until we had to go to bed. Our journey would continue in the early morning and we needed to try to get some rest.

We left the island on the first ferry; Bridget sent us off with hugs and waves. Both vehicles had great ferry spots on the two crossings and that made getting off the island much more interesting. During the crossing from Duke Point back to Tsawwassen, we had a very expensive breakfast together while we gazed out the front of the vessel.

Dean and Raina disembarked the ferry first, so we followed them to the US border.  Each vehicle picked a lane and soon Linda and I were moving through the system quickly and efficiently. We left the Weyens behind driving south following I-5.

The trip to Hornsby Island.

On the return trip we took I-5 to 405 and then took a left onto I-90.  Dean and Raina took I-5 to Everett then hit Hwy 2 through Leavenworth and finally connecting with Hwy 97 down to I-90. Once they hit Vantage they cut southeast on Hwy 26 and followed that home.

We had a wonderful trip! It was fun connecting with Don and Caroline in Westport and then venturing on island to rediscover the beauty of the BC islands.  We can’t wait for another invitation to invade either of the two coastal retreats. 

Ferry fun with Bridget and Raina.

A little yard work.

"I think they have cell coverage al the way to here."

"They do!"

The sight of the Orca feeding frenzy we missed due to cinnamon roll.

Sailing the Streight of Georgia.

Smile!

Watchful seals, orcas gone.

Island tour selfie.

View from Bridgets cousins home.

Grok.

Statues at the entrance of the new cemetery.

The three evils.

First Fall at Hill's

Our usual visit to Hill's has always taken place in February, this year was different.

The Last President's

We arrived at about 1:15 PM and the cabin was warm and cozy. Usually we have to start a fire in the fireplace and wait as the combination of baseboard heat and the fire gets the room up to a comfortable temperature, but not this year.  I carry the massive load of items from the truck and Linda gets us settled in for the three days. 

Our truck was packed with everything you might need for a weekend in the snow.  Snowshoes, cameras, clothing, computers, tablets, table games, food and of course great quantities of drink filled the cab.  A large cooler rode in the back filled with refrigerator items. In all when we got all settled it took about a half hour.

Raina and Dean arrived at about 2:00 PM, they had about the same amount of necessities as we did, it took them less time to pack it in with the four of us laboring on it.

Bridget and Dennis arrived at about 4:00 PM; we all agreed that they had made great time.  Every year Bridget and Dennis are the last to arrive, it’s a tradition.

The sky was blue and we had a beautiful view of the Selkirk Mountains reflecting in the rippled waters of Priest Lake.  The mountain peaks appeared and disappeared as the clouds socked around them.  We were able to get some great photos as the sun set and the sky faded to dark.

Raina made dinner as the rest of us played with our electronics and talked about the happenings of the past year.  I mention the electronics because this year we had brought with us to the cabin, smart phones, Mac tablets, Droid tablets, laptops, point and shoot cameras, point and shoot DSLRs, Garmen GPS units and a solar panel to charge them.   We were so tech-ed out that we really didn’t need to talk to each other the entire weekend.

Dennis and I had brought the same new cameras, so we played with them all the time trying to figure out the settings and buttons.  Bridget either had a iPad or her Mac laptop opened as she chatted.  Raina, Dean and Linda kept us grounded and only used the technology if they had a question that could be Googled or viewed on a map. 

We had a great time reminiscing past visits and catching up with the past year.  Raina made dinner, tacos and such.  After dinner Dennis and Dean brought out the maps and scanned them reliving past camps and hunts.  The rest of us played a table game called Qwirkle, it was a fun evening.

Morning came and went quickly.  The weather had changed and we were seeing a bit of snow out the window.  At about noon talk turned to the Gonzaga game and everyone but Dennis walked up to the main lodge and commandeered front row seats.  The game was good and the Zags won, the broadcast was a bit odd because the sound was 4 seconds in front of the action.  You would hear a whistle and then 4 seconds later see the foul.

After the game we hiked back to the cabin and settled in for the evening.  Bridget had given Dennis instructions on putting the meal together and so when we returned she only had to do a few final touches and put it in the oven.  She had prepared a Greek shrimp recipe that she served over rice.  It was phenomenal!

After dinner everyone gathered at the table and Bridget readied the second annual Tim Tam Slam dessert.  If you want to know more about this experience, check out last year’s event.  Once everyone had slammed, or watched a slam, we played an all-inclusive game of Qwirkle.  The evening ended and everyone retired as the fire burned down to embers.

Morning came and we all started discussing next year’s events.  With Linda retiring the events of the past will no longer need to happen as they did in the past.  Her teaching required that we travel and such when she had a day off or a break from school.  Net year we will be able to go any time we want.

Another factor involved is that we will be in Mexico next year during these dates.  We decided that we still want to meet up at Hill’s but changed the date to late October.  After almost 20 years of going to a cabin somewhere on President’s day this will be our last winter gathering.  It is sad and exciting at the same time.  Until next October!  



Tepee Creek Revisited

Dennis sent me a bunch of photos from our trip up the Coeur d'Alene river into the Tepee Creek area. Looking back is always fun.

Bridget & Dean, student and teacher.

Small creek fishing, da best!

Don't move! 10, 9, 8, 7...

Dennis took a million night photos around the fire.

Is it Sixteen Years?

Another year and yet another Hill's Resort gathering has passed, but the memories and photos will now live on in our blogs, photo galleries and hazy memories. It was another great year with abundant food and lots of laughs. The weather was superior with sunshine each day. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend.

It all started Friday with a clear sky drive up to Priest Lake. Linda and I left early enough to get up to the cabin before folks arrived. We like to get the wood in and a fire started so that the place is warm when the rest of the crowd gathers.

We unpacked the truck and as Linda was putting things away, I filled the wood rack. Raina and Dean arrived just as Linda was starting the fire which signaled the start of laughing and of course drinking.

Bridget and Dennis had been in contact and we knew that they would show up sometime between our arrival and the end of the weekend. They were on Hill time and no one can ever predict their actual appearance time.

The fire was going strong when the phone rang signaling that Bridget and Dennis were either lost or had actually found their way to the resort and couldn't remember which cabin we always stay in. It turned out to be the latter and within minutes they appeared at the door.

With the cabin warm and everyone present we settled in picking up where we left off last year, laughing and teasing each other. Bridget set upon the task of preparing dinner as the rest of the grouped drank margaritas, wine and a couple beers.

The dinner was outrageous! She fixed a Greek salad and some other Greek type main dish that centered around shrimp that we tossed over rice. We ate facossa bread with the meal and when we were all finished she brought out the most gorgeous home made apple pie any of us had ever seen. This pie was beyond belief. Thick light brown crust covering layer upon layer of apples baked so nicely that they still were just a wee bit firm when bitten. Then to top it off they added vanilla ice cream, we were in hog heaven.

After we licked our plates clean, Bridget broke out one of her new games. I am not sure what it was called, but it was based on identifying shapes on cards that, when put together, fulfilled a set of criteria that Bridget had interpreted and written on four, very small and delicately fashioned paper towel pieces. These intricate criteria sheets became the focus of much of our teasing for the rest of our stay during the weekend. It was so Bridget.

We played several rounds of the game and each time a sequence of cards was produced, Bridget would make sure that the three cards met her set of rules, matching each paper rule sheet to the cards every time they were displayed. This went on until everyone was exhausted and we all wandered off to bed.

Saturday morning arrived with blue skies and cold sharp winds. We ate breakfast and then loaded up our snowshoes for a hike around the local golf course. We took two rigs and proceeded to circle the golf course several times looking for a place to park and embark on our trek. Finally we stopped on the side of the street, parked and donned our snowshoes, we walked the exterior of the golf course playing like children as we went. It was a very fun adventure.

We returned home and had a bit of free time before the Gonzaga basketball game. When tip off arrived we loaded into the rigs again and drove the three blocks to the restaurant and bar at the main lodge. The girls smuggled their margaritas and popcorn into the bar where we watched the Bulldogs smother the Dons in an exciting yet one sided game.

Once the game was over we drove the three blocks back to our cabin and settled down to have a great taco dinner provided by Raina and Dean. It was late by this time so we ate and teased Bridget until we were ready for bed.

Morning came quickly and everyone was eager to pack up and get on the road. Raina and Dean headed up to Bonners to visit Raina's family. Linda and I drove back to Post Falls where we unloaded and then reloaded the truck so that Linda could drive down to Moscow to visit her Mom and Dad. Bridget and Dennis were lounging in the cabin when we left, once again on Hill time.