8/1/76 to 8/14/76
3581 MILES

Aug.1st and we were off for home. As usual we hated to leave but by that time we were anxious to see New Hope.

The North Cascade Highway is spectacular. We have done it in both directions and are always thrilled with the scenery. The Washington Pass viewpoint was exceptional. From there one can see forever.

Then there was the Gorge Dam overlook above Diablo Dam. Our pictures of that area are good. We made it to Winthrop, an attractive tourist spot, and we spent the night there.

The next morning we started out again and went through dry and brown land except where there was irrigation. The east side of the Cascade Mts.is so different from the west side. We passed through the Colville Indian Reservation and saw the Chief Joseph Memorial. Then to Grand Coulee Dam again. It was hot!

We spent the night in Sandpoint,Idaho. It was a very nice town. We followed the rivers through the mountains, an easy and interesting drive. We took a ride up to Logan Pass and then down to St. Mary's Valley. We really enjoyed the scenery.

Our next stop was West Glacier, Montana. Then we drove over one of the most interesting and scary roads of the trip. It was called Going To The Sun Road. It was very narrow and the trailer just about made it. I was relieved when we got through there. East Glacier was our main destination for sightseeing. It was terrific! We visited with the Melicheks and had dinner with them in the Lodge.

When we left East Glacier every thing was normal but on the way we stopped for lunch or something and when Eddie opened the door of the trailer I heard him say, "Oh(bleep)". As I looked in I said "you can say that again". The holding tank had overflowed and had spilled out over the floor. We had to detour through Great Falls where we did major cleaning and had the Honey Dipper pump the tank out. There was no way to repair it and so we were without that facility for the rest of the trip. Bummer! We dragged into Havre, Montana that night, pooped.
This was Big Sky Country and there was nothing to do but drive. More aggravation--one tire was wearing badly. We got to Stanley N.D. The camp ground was free and very nice. That was a plus that we needed.

Back on the road and now in the beautiful state of Minnesota. We did a lot of driving that day and finally pulled into a great campground in Bemidge in the lake country. We loved it there--a welcome respite. The lake where we camped was the source of the Mississippi River and we crossed the little stream that was to become that mighty river. We had also seen the mouth south of New Orleans.

Aug. 10th Now we are in Michigan but we had missed our route and landed in Duluth,Mn. so we looked over the major shipping port and to our pleasure some of the tall ships were there. All were sailboats which we liked. Now back to our planned route. We crossed the Mackinaw Strait that separates the upper peninsula from the lower. It was an interesting area. We stopped by the famous old Victorian hotel and sat on the porch for a spell. We left there and made it all the way down to Bessemere, Mi. for the night.

Now we only have the state of Ohio to go through before we get to the great state of Pennsylvania. Boy, can you ever tell the difference when you cross over the border of the two states! Our friends, Marge and Johnny Schouten live in Lilly, Pa. Of course we could not pass there without stopping to say hello. We are about half way across the state by now and getting anxious to get home so we didn't stay very long.

Aug. 14th and home sweet home. We did flush out the holding tank before we got here though. A must before Eddie could face working on it. Even with the adversities we had a great trip and remember it with pleasure.

next: Washington D.C.
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