The last train to Ritzville

 In the excitement to get home, I crossed over into Idaho and kept pushing past Coeur D'Alene into Spokane WA, I was looking for a KOA campground to have my last night under canvas, so to speak, but I didn't find anything. I pulled off the road at a sign for Ritzville, and thought it might be interesting 😎. 

I found an old motel called the Top Hat which had seen better days as they say, but as I saw the manager out cleaning the rooms, I had a fair idea it would be OK. 

I parked up outside while she finished my room and took a walk past the huge grain Elevator. It was hot and dusty, I was getting tired, and I had promised myself a cold beer to celebrate my last night on the road, so I headed back to sign in.

I was told the Owls might keep me awake as they hunted mice in the grain silo, but it was the constant rail freight shunting just outside the door ( it seemed that way) that did the job.

I slept for a little while and got up at 5 to shower and pack up for the 5 hour journey across the grain fields of Western Washington, to the lush and very green Pacific Northwest. The traffic was pretty light for a Monday morning, but I was too excited to notice too much. I pulled up at the ferry dock, paid for my ticket, and sat in line as the ferry unloaded its commuters.

It is only a 15 minute crossing to get to Vashon, yet probably one of the longest 15 minutes I had experienced for some time. I drove up the hill to our house and parked in front of the huge that seated our yard from the road. I had only been in the house for 15 minutes, but when I got out, the postman/postperson had left me a snotty little sticker asking me not to block our post box. 

Welcome home xx

Cossing Montana

 Montana is an outstandingly beautiful State.Apart from being the gateway to Yellowstone ( roads closed when I passed by) it has amazing vistas with cattle, rivers, bluffs, ranches and wide open spaces. i even saw a real cowboy catching his escaped livestock ♥️ I loved the journey across and eventually through it to Idaho. Somewhere I had lost the Oregon trail but had joined the Lewis and Clark trail

I stayed in Bozeman for the night and had a night out in the town. Great BBQ 😎

Battle of the Little Bighorn

Before I get into the memorial and the museum, I just have to say that General George Custer was a Twat of the first degree. He was a narcissist who had no feelings, other than contempt for his men, his superiors and the Native People who he was actively trying to exterminate.   It is surprising to me that he didn't get his ass served up on a plate much earlier than he did.    

If he had listened to the advice he was given, he and his whole platoon might have escaped their horrible fate on that windswept ridge.

The site is very well laid out, especially with the new Native memorial, and there are some great artifacts to help tell the story. Sadly, the Sioux and other tribes won the battle, but lost the war.

                               

St Louis through Nebraska

 Jeez, what a slog that was. Corn fields punctuated by Harvester dealerships.

I hung on as long as I could trying to get to Wyoming, but I fell short by 100 miles and ended up crashing at a one horse town not far from Scotts Bluff. 

The Motel/Hotel was nice enough but more expensive than anything else on the trip, desperate measures I guess. At least it gave me a good start to get to Sheridan later the next day.

I broke up the trip with a stop at Fort Laramie, one of the most important forts along the Oregon Trail. I didn 't set out to follow that Route, but that is what happened. I can't comprehend how hard that must have been. I had enough trouble in a Subaru, never mind an ox cart or even a hand cart. 

I pushed on through Wyoming until I got to Sheridan, where my next little adventure begins

A long slow drive through Missouri has a surprising turn....

 Many years ago, I learned that I have some relatives in Belleville in Illinois (no name connection)

My G Grandfather's brother emigrated to the States, and that he had a family there before he was killed in a mining accident. My G Grandfather was killed in a similar mining accident at the same time . The Telegrams telling each other crossed on the wire.

It isn't often you get the chance to travel half way across America, so when the opportunity arose ( now), I vowed I would track them down and say Hi😱. 

I knew that Tom, my cousin,  had an electric business in Belleville, so I did a bit of googling and found an article about Him. He had done some work with the City of Belleville quite recently, so I knew he was still alive. Armed with that, I made some calls and left messages to see if they could help me. By the time I got to Belleville, I had not heard anything, so I decided to just show up and ask them face to face. I went "to the City Planning Department and asked if anyone knew of Tom. "Are you Walter?" the lady asked? "That would be me," I said and sat down while she called Tom to tell him he had a Visitor.

Twins !!

It was lovely to meet him and his family, I stayed 2 days, and was treated like royalty. We are planning a trip back to the UK to visit the rest of the Bells (my family) some time this year.

Be careful who shows up on your doorstop. It might be me!!!!

The stormy night departure

I got out of NC this morning around 6 after a stormy night tucked up in the car. It was a good decision to abandon ship, so to speak, and dismantle the trailer in the early hours before the storm really set in about 2AM. I didn't make it too far ( Crossville TN!) and camped in the local KOA to regroup and sort out the clothes and kit etc that got stuffed in the car KOA is not that exciting, but they are always clean, have great showers and laundry facilities which is just what I needed. A little walk too, with nice farm and country views. I made some egg fried rice for an early supper and have settled down to read. 

The rain has started again but no lightning .... yet! 

And some sleet too  Yikes !

It was a cold night with ice on the trailer, but I kept warm with hand warmers in my pockets and a toasty sleeping bag AND a duvet cover🤪. I made breakfast, lots of coffee and packed up before 9. It gets easier all the time.

On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine

 I couldn't get out of Pigeon Forge fast enough. It is everything that is wrong with planning permission in the USA. Disneyland meets the Clampetts. Such crass commercialization in such stunning natural beauty would be hard to Imagine. I hightailed it up into the park and found the Blueridge Parkway on the other side. I had the place to myself, or so it seemed. It was stunningd

I stopped at a farm museum to marvel at the ingenuity of the people. It must have been a hard life, but oh so beautiful