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Event Coverage Road Trip

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by dad-bud, Aug 16, 2015.

  1. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    OK, a few pics on the road from Astoria
    upload_2015-9-2_6-23-31.png
    Bridge over the Columbia River at Astoria - Washington is on the other side - somewhere.
    A storm had blown in and through Western Oregon and Washington.
    upload_2015-9-2_6-25-15.png
    The seas were angry that day......!!!!!! (and this was just on the river!!!!)
     
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  2. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    upload_2015-9-2_6-27-8.png
    When we got into Seattle, the place had come to a standstill as trees were blown down across I-5 and lots of highways and byways. Most traffic lights were out due to power outages (from trees blown down onto power lines)
    A couple of hours to go 6 miles. Grrrrrrrrrrr!
     
  3. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 9 - Seattle
    First up - Boeing Factory Tour.
    We found out that you shouldn't go on the weekend, as the working people at the Boeing Factory only work Mon - Fri, which obviously makes a lot of sense - they have lives!
    There are 3 shifts per day and unless they are working overtime, the factory is deadly silent on Saturday and Sunday.
    Another thing about the Boeing Tour is that no cameras, no phones, not even a notepad and a pencil so you can sketch pictures are allowed. I get the need to avoid industrial espionage but a few pics is unlikely to make the difference to Airbus securing all of Boeing's orders.
    Ah well, the tour was well run, the Boeing people were reasonably friendly, the subject matter very interesting and the size of the building is mind blowing.
    Definitely recommend going, but try to make it mid-week - at least you will see people moving around (other than one or two maintenance guys) and hear lots and lots of rivetting (so I'm told).
    upload_2015-9-2_6-40-54.png
    Modified 747 used to fly fuselage sections of 787's in from South Carolina(?) for assembly at Everett. (False colour due to taking pic through tinted window)
    upload_2015-9-2_6-43-8.png
    Test flight of a plane which has not been painted in a customer airline's colours - does that mean it's a test plane?
     
  4. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    upload_2015-9-2_6-49-35.png
    Pike Place Market - it was heaving with people around the middle of the day on Sunday
    upload_2015-9-2_6-56-43.png
    As was the Convention Centre, which had a sold-out Gamers Convention on - lots of people wandering around in costumes.
    I'd like to say something about wierdos, ................but pots and kettles.........., so better I don't make any disparaging remarks.
     

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  5. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 10 - Seattle to Spokane
    We headed off along the US-2, heading east from Everett instead of using the I-90. The Interstates are brilliant at getting from place A to place B, but the road is so sterilised that there's nothing much to see.
    I guess that isn't a bad thing as so many other drivers frighten me with some of the things they can do. I reckon that the average driver is really pretty poor-to-average, they wouldn't know if the car they are driving is front wheel drive or rear wheel drive, nor would they care. So many struggle to keep their cars pointing in the right direction when things get tricky.
    ..............and the frightening thing is that 50% are worse!!!!!!!!
    Anyway, back to our journey.
    We climbed the low mountains behind Seattle, over Stevens Pass, the weather was consistently wet, misty and dark considering it was mid-morning.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-14-38.png
    Before we left, we had been warned to check whether there were still any road closures along our planned route due to wildfires (we call them bushfires back home). Fortunately, the wet conditions were helping the fire fighters to control the blazes and we didn't see any signs of the mayhem as we passed through the dense treed mountains.
    Then east to Wenatchee, continuing on along US-2, we left behind the steep hills and trees and passed through a section of plains before arriving at Coulee City at the southern end of Banks Lake - part of the Coulee Dam hydro-electric/irrigation system.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-23-48.png
     
  6. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    We followed along the east bank of Banks Lake up to the romantically named Electric City and Grand Coulee
    upload_2015-9-2_7-25-55.png

    upload_2015-9-2_7-26-30.png
    beautiful raw countryside. I suggest you Google Coulee and read about the formation of the mini-Grand Canyon as well as the Coulee Dam - remarkable.
     
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  7. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    upload_2015-9-2_7-29-47.png
    The dam powers much of the Pacific North-West, provides flood control to the Columbia River as well as providing irrigation to large swathes of western Washington, making marginal agricultural lands productive.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-33-9.png
    Mrs DB was taken with the 'big-sky-ness' and took lots of photos - mostly of the sky.
    Hmmmm, it's sky, with clouds - ah well, she's happy, and that's good.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-35-12.png
    We arrived in Spokane, which seems like a very nice city. Large enough that it's got everything that you need, but small enough that it feels like a real community. We liked it.
     
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  8. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 11 - Spokane to Kalispell
    A short drive along I-5 is Couer d'Alene in Idaho. Another very pretty looking place, laid-back and easy-going.
    From there, we headed up US-95, on the way to Kalispell.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-39-59.png
    Along they way, enjoying our journey, we decided to see what Canada looks like.
    Mrs DB and I haven't been to Canadia yet - we've seen it across Niagra Falls but resisted the urge to jump across the border - until today.
    Continuing up US-95 brought us to the border crossing at Eastport/Kingsgate.
    upload_2015-9-2_7-45-17.png
    We were planning on having lunch in Canada before heading on to Kalispell in Montana but didn't think about the time change to Mountain Time and we needed to be in Kalispell before 6.30 to catch up with Scott (RMR&C here on the HAMB).
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2015
  9. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    So we drove to Cranbrook, which looked just like any similar sized US city before heading back
    upload_2015-9-2_7-50-54.png
    to the border at Roosville where the nice border guard looked at us strange - I don't think he could fathom why we would drive into Canada and back out again in the same day. I think he thought we were a bit strange - I think he may be right.
    When we got back into the US, about 10 miles from the border, there was quite a bit of smoke evident on the sides of a couple of mountains
    upload_2015-9-2_7-53-10.png
    The rest of the trip into Kalispell was easy - the road was and the traffic was light.
     
  10. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    We met up with fellow HAMBer Scott (RMR&C) who had seen that we were heading his way along our journey.
    Scott brought out his little Plymouth coupe which he told us he has had for >30 years.
    Neat looking little car - it's been around for quite a while, but is obviously well sorted, reliable and looked like a lot of fun.
    We went and got some dinner together at a place that Scott suggested. The food was fine and it was great to catch up with another hot rodder from the other side of the world.
    Here's a pic of us and Scott's car
    upload_2015-9-2_7-59-49.png
     
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  11. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    One thing of note is that Kalispell is located in the County of Flathead - yep, how about that?
    Even got a pic of (?) the County Office (?)
    upload_2015-9-2_8-3-2.png
    It was pretty dark by the time we took the photo, so the following is a poor pic - not enough light and too far for the flash to help, so a hand-held 2 sec exposure makes for a shaky pic
    upload_2015-9-2_8-9-17.png
    it's still cool
     
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  12. It was really great to meet you both and spend some time chatting!

    Hope you have a safe and enjoyable journey and keep the updates coming please.
     
  13. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 12 - Kalispell, MT to Helena, MT
    Leaving Kalispell, nearby is the western entry point to Glacier National Park.
    A large Park by any comparison, but we were not there to camp with the many nature loving holidayers, we wanted to drive up the Road to the Sun Road, then through the Park to the plains that lay to the east.
    The road wanders past Lake McDonald and a river feeding it
    upload_2015-9-5_3-17-11.png

    upload_2015-9-5_3-17-54.png
    Beautiful, peaceful, but with plenty of warning signs telling us about the bears.
    .........................................which got me thinking about how many bears?
    Knowing the old saying about bears and woods, I pondered to Mrs DB about just how much bear shit there might be scattered through the woods. Are they prolific? Is their high fibre diet (apart from the odd fish, picnic basket or camper) increasing their 'quotient'?
    She looked at me kind of strange, ...... and knowing.
    I didn't ask her any more.
     
  14. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    Quickly the road left the river and started its climb up the faces of the mountains.
    The views of the mountains across the valleys became more spectacular, with the enormous scarring caused by the Glaciers from the Ice Age apparent and the destruction they caused to the hard rock hinted at the enormous forces they generate.
    upload_2015-9-5_3-34-52.png
    The very few small remaining 'glaciers' do not compare in any way, and appear to be rapidly melting away.
    upload_2015-9-5_3-36-13.png
    I realise that being late in summer, you wouldn't expect there to be extensive ice remaining but it looks like soon the signature remaining glaciers may be gone.
    upload_2015-9-5_3-37-27.png
    Ah well, I guess they'll return in the next Ice Age.
     
  15. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Thanks a lot Scott, it was great to catch up.
    Good luck with your many projects - I look forward to seeing a Build Thread from you...........???
    Cheers.
     
  16. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    When we arrived at the Visitor Centre atop Logan Pass, there were a number of open topped buses used to ferry visitors around the park.
    The buses are styled in a 30's, 40's theme to add a bit of romance to the ride for the many tourists who don't want to drive the narrow winding road up the mountains.
    upload_2015-9-5_3-44-24.png

    upload_2015-9-5_3-45-10.png
     
  17. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    The drive down the eastern side seemed much quicker - the road is slightly newer, steeper a bit shorter and the bends not as tight, so speeds are higher.
    You quickly get down and drive along beside Rising Sun (Lake) before passing St Mary and the recent fires (Jun '15)
    We then headed east, with the intent of visiting Cut Bank.
    upload_2015-9-5_3-56-22.png
    On the flight over to LA, a new-ish movie of the same name was among the choices. It 'starred' Bruce Dern, Billy-Bob Thornton and John Malkovich and was quite a good story. Good enough to take the road from Glacier to have a look.
    It turns out that the movie was filmed in Canada, so our detour was a bit of a bust, but the drive was easy, we got some lunch and at least took a pic of the town mascot which featured in the movie;
    upload_2015-9-5_3-57-1.png
    (well, it didn't feature, but it was shown)
     
  18. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    After Cut Bank, we headed further east to Shelby and then slipped quickly down the I-15 towards Helena, the capital of Montana.
    On the way, we stopped into Great Falls for a quick look.
    Driving around Downtown, we spotted a few old Cadillacs parked in an old building.
    Behind is Fritz's Auto Repair run by Fritz Seitz, who owns plenty and runs a business specialising in servicing, restoring and generally anything relating to old Caddys.
    Fritz is a character in the best sense of the word and loves to show off his stable of original, restored and awaiting restoration Cadillacs he has stored in a building behind his workshop. He has about 15 cars indoors plus a bunch of old project cars lined up on an empty lot next door to his workshop, all for sale and all looking like reasonably solid candidates.
    Fritz is a friendly, easy-going kind of guy, so if you're in the area and haven't already visited Fritz, I suggest you make yourself known to him and have a chat for a while.
    From Great Falls, we continued down I-15 arriving at Helena early evening.
    We took a pic of the Capitol Building (just because it was there)
    upload_2015-9-5_4-18-26.png
     
  19. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 13 - Helena, MT to Billings MT
    From Helena, we headed down to Butte, Montana, not expecting to see an enormous scar on the Earth from the large open-cut mine just out of town.
    Driving into town, we didn't know what to expect, especially as Downtown is actually called Uptown in Butte. It turns out that Butte has been a mining hub for around 120+ years, ebbing and booming in response to the value of the various minerals hidden in the ore beneath.
    Copper is the largest volume commodity, but lead, silver and gold are among others of note. Having made a living from the mining industry over the last 10 years, I was very interested.
    As befits a city that regularly goes through boom and bust, some of the buildings reflect the better times, with imposing brick buildings and some magnificent mansions displaying the wealth that minerals can bestow.
    upload_2015-9-5_4-29-25.png
    Return on Investment can be enormous, but then, so can the losses. It's a game for gamblers rather than ordinary investors.
    As workings get to the end of their productive life, many get abandoned. When this occurs hundreds of miles from civilisation, they are often just left. In the middle of town, that's not such a good option.
    In Butte, they have built a large Technical College that appears to be based around mining (kinda like the School of Mines in Kalgoorlie, back home in Western Australia) and just next to that is the impressively named World Museum of Mining set in an abandoned old mine.
    upload_2015-9-5_4-35-29.png
    We didn't go in to be able to compare to the mining museums back home, but I'm sure it must be good - after all, it's named the World Museum...........
    I'm sure they wouldn't just make that up.
    After we left Butte, we headed east to Billings for the night.
    Billings is the biggest city in Montana and boasts having the tallest buildings in the 5-state area.
     
  20. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 14 - Billings MT to Glendive, MT, via Little Bighorn
    We set off a bit late and headed down to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.
    Site of Custer's Last Stand, we attended the visitor centre
    upload_2015-9-5_4-48-22.png
    before walking up to the monument nearby.
    Erected at the top the hill is a solemn monument erected a few years after the battle over the final burial site of the 7th Cavalry troops who fell in the battle with Custer.
    upload_2015-9-5_4-49-10.png
     
  21. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    The monument sits just beside the main site of the final battle, with markers showing the places where the troops fell, along with a special one showing where Custer's body was found.
    upload_2015-9-5_4-56-8.png
    Nearby is another more recent monument to the Indian combatants.
    History has been rewritten now to show the Indian perspective - they only wanted to continue their traditional lifestyle living off the land and not in restricted reservations, which wasn't considered in the same light 140 years ago as it is today, as America expanded its 'civilisation' turning open grazing lands into farms and ranches.
    It's easy to condemn Custer or the Indians as the bad guys, depending on your point of view. Each was doing what they thought was needed by them.
    A road leads south from the Custer's Last Stand site with informative boards showing how the battle developed that day (and the next). Spread over a 5 mile length, there are plenty of other markers showing where troops fell in the various running battles with the Indians as the troops sought to avoid the same fate as Custer and his troops.
    It was a moving experience - more than I expected given our detachment from all aspects, but the great loss of life, evident by the very large number of markers around the site is sobering.
    After spending a few hours at Little Bighorn, we headed east again, finally stopping at Glendive, just near the Montana / North Dakota border.
    OK, now 14 days into our trip, we have covered just short of 4000 miles so far. We've seen plenty of natural wonders, with plenty more to come.
    We've visited some of the great cities along the West Coast, as well as plenty of smaller cities, many of which are great in other ways.
    We look forward to continuing our drive through the US, and will continue to post a summary of our trip.
    Cheers.
     
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  22. 56premiere
    Joined: Mar 8, 2011
    Posts: 1,445

    56premiere
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    from oregon

    Thanks for the trip.
     
  23. Great stuff. Thanks for the ride along. :)
     
  24. rtsidejohnny
    Joined: Sep 29, 2006
    Posts: 247

    rtsidejohnny
    Member

    Thanks guys, I LOVE road trips! You're perspectives on the sights and sounds of the trip are really interesting, not to mention you're FUNNY TOO! Thanks for sharing and please keep it up.
    Johnny
     
  25. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
    Member

    Thanks guys, I'll continue to update in a day or so.
    Glad you're enjoying it - hopefully as much as we are enjoying our holiday.
    Cheers.
     
  26. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    Day 15 - Glendive MT to Jamestown ND
    As we left Glendive, after quite heavy rain overnight, it was very foggy as we started along I-94
    upload_2015-9-10_1-37-31.png
    It lightened up a little bit later, as we approached Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
    Entering, we found that you can buy a one-year long pass to all National Parks - for $80 instead of paying $15 - $25 per park. We'd already visited 3 but decided to get one as we will be visiting plenty more over the remainder of our trip.
    Our suggestion to anyone is to get the Annual Pass and visit as many NPs as you can - they're well worth taking the time to see.
    At Teddy Roosevelt NP, it's intended purpose is to show the places he stayed in the mid 1880's, when he first visited the place. At the south entry, just off I-94, is the small cabin he built and lived in for the first year or two.
    After looking at that, we drove around the South Loop.
     
  27. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    As we drove around the 36 mile South Loop,
    upload_2015-9-10_3-35-18.png
    we were fortunate to see lots of wildlife.
    Mrs DB love the Prairie Dogs - she reckons they are "So cute"
    upload_2015-9-10_3-27-30.png

    upload_2015-9-10_3-36-7.png
    A little further on, we saw a few Bison in a small group
    upload_2015-9-10_3-30-26.png
    And then further along, there was a herd of about 50 just wandering across the road (there had been plenty of (ummm, let's call it) 'fresh evidence of their high-fibre diet to hint at a sizeable number of them in the Park)
    upload_2015-9-10_3-38-55.png
     
  28. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    A little further along I-94, just after Dickinson is a road heading south that is called 'The Enchanted Highway', with 7 sets of statues undertaken by a local man intended to bring notice to the small town of Regent located at the south end of the road, about 30 miles away.
    Without the statues, it is likely that the only people visiting Regent would be the local farming community.
    As piece of art, they are excellent, well executed, most are coloured though the variety suggests the artist has great vision and talent.
    I would definitely recommend a visit if you're around that way.
    Statue 1 - actually at the junction of the I-94 and the Enchanted Highway, to start you on your journey
    upload_2015-9-10_3-47-33.png
    (the sky had cleared a bit to the north by then)
    Statue No 2
    upload_2015-9-10_3-48-38.png
    I shalln't describe them, as they are pretty self-evident, other than to say they are about 20 ft high and are significant efforts on the part of the artist
     
  29. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    upload_2015-9-10_3-51-8.png
    Statue # 3 - The largest of a set of grasshoppers
    upload_2015-9-10_3-52-20.png
    A small portion of Statue # 4 - a multitude of fish and marine life
     
  30. dad-bud
    Joined: Aug 22, 2009
    Posts: 3,884

    dad-bud
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    upload_2015-9-10_3-53-37.png
    A family of pheasants(?) - Statue # 5
    upload_2015-9-10_3-54-33.png
     

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