Ketchikan

Ketchikan is built at the base of the mountains. Population is about 14,000 and at least 100 jewelry stores. Why anyone would come to Alaska to buy jewelry made someplace else is beyond me.

We enjoyed walking around town and seeing the sites. A lot of the people on the ship went on excursions but there wasn't anything that interested us. We got out of town having spent only $20.

We left the dock around 3:00 and continued north. Goni and I swam in one of the pools then sat in the hot tub. Took a couple of naps and had dinner. Have seen a few whale snouts but no whales jumping out of the water.

For the evening we went to the 70's music and dance show. Then sat in a couple of lounges and listened to the music.

Haven't been able to upload pictures to the blog because I left the card reader at home. Plan to pick one up tomorrow in Juneau. In the mean time enjoy the self service portrait we took off the back of the boat as we left Ketchikan.

Alaska Cruise Day 2

The second day of our Alaska Cruise is "at sea" which means there are no stops.  We spent the day exploring the ship further, eating, napping, listening to music, and walking the track on the ship.    Our first stop was the dining hall where we had breakfast.  After that it was off to a seminar on how to get the most out of your digital camera.  Pretty basic but it was worth the time.  We walked around he track so many times that we traveled 7 miles throughout the day.  We had to do his or we would be so fat from the good food we wouldn't fit our clothes by the end of the cruise.   In the afternoon was a seminar on what to watch for while shopping in the ports of call.  The gal giving he talk was very interested in getting people to buy diamonds and jewelry.  We didn't get much out of the time spent there although Goni did admit that someday she might like a diamond.   All over the ship there is live musical entertainment. We listened to a lot of great music but our favorite was the Frankie Valli Tribute program in the theater in the evening.  The group sang great old songs and it was a wonderful program.  The group plays in Las Vegas and around he country.   We change time zones (go back one hour) when we get into Alaska.  Our first stop is Ketchikan at 07:00 hours Monday morning.  We didn't book any excursions in Ketchikan so we will just be wandering around on foot looking at he sites.   No pictures today but maybe tomorrow.

North to Alaska

After a night at Tom's be boarded a Yellow cab for the trip to Pier 66 on the Seattle waterfront. After going through the checkin procedure, which includes an airport style security check, we went on board. For the next couple of hours we explored and had lunch.

We went back to our stateroom for a little rest and to put stuff away.

It was off to our lifeboat station for the safety drill. A girl with an English accent taught us how to put on our lifejackets.

Then it was time for us to leave port and start the cruise. Captain Lars gave us a greating over the intercom. We relaxed in the Grand Atrium and had a drink.

So far the food has been good, crew has been nice and the ship comfortable.

Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall is in La Center this weekend. Many of you may have heard about the traveling Viet Nam Memorial Wall that is a smaller version of the one in Washington DC. My friend, Chief Tim Hopkin, from the La Center Police Department was instrumental in getting the wall setup in La Center. Goni and I went down to see the wall and were deeply moved. While the wall has the names of all the US troops killed in Viet Nam there are tributes to our troops who have served in all wars. We listened to the bagpipes play and looked at the displays. There is more than one wall and they travel the USA. To find out where one of the walls will be go to the following website: http://www.avtt.org

Homeward Bound Day 3

We made it home! Goni was eager to hold Harlow so we were out of bed and on the road westbound from Burley, Idaho at 06:30 hours Mountain time. We zipped across Idaho and Oregon arriving at the hospital at 15:15 hours Pacific time. Harlow slept through the entire visit but that didn't keep us from holding her. She looks wonderful and is in expected to go home Wednesday. The big road trip is over but not the end of the vacation. At the end of next week we head out on the final trip of the 25th anniversary spectacular when we leave on the Alaska cruise out of Seattle. We will blog our way through that trip too.

Homeward Bound Day 2

Day 2 of the trip home was uneventful. We left Kearney, Nebraska around 08:30 hours and headed west. Drove through the remainder of Nebraska, then Wyoming and Utah before stopping at Burley, Idaho for the night. Goni is eager tohold the new grandbaby so no moss is growing under our feet. With not too much effort we should be home Tuesday afternoon.

Harlow Jane has Arrived!

We received a message from Laurel that Harlow Jane arrived this morning at 0337 hours. She weighs 6 Ibs 3 oz and is 19.5 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well.

We are speeding home so we can hold our newest grandchild!

Trip Home Day 1

Sunday morning at 9:00 AM we headed west out of Chicago. The hope is it will take us three days to get home. We made good time and went 650 miles before stopping for the night at 8:00 PM in Kearney, Nebraska. We went for a long walk and a swim before heading off to bed.

Tomorrow we should hear word on the birth of our newest grandchild.

Cole Family Reunion

Saturday dawned like a typical Western Washington day - with rain and overcast.  But as the day progressed it turned out a little overcast and not too hot.  Just right for the Cole Family Reunion and food fest at Uncle Wendell's house on Lake Chapin near Berrien Springs, Michigan. Total attendance was not a large number but we had a good turn out.  We visited, looked at old pictures, took new pictures, celebrated birthdays and took a ride on a pontoon boat on the lake.  It was a great day and we had a good time visiting with family.  Goni, as was to be expected, took up with the women in the kitchen.  They talked about food, recipes and family.  Grover and Gary Klein went down to look at Wendell's shop. We had a big celebration for everyone with a recent birthday but especially Wendell who will be 80 in 6 weeks.  There was a 25th wedding anniversary toast for Grover & Goni's big anniversary.  Food was in great abundance and most of us were waddling around because we ate too much. There was a championship badminton game played in the back yard by many family members.  Cassie Laseke played Grandpa Cole's restored guitar.  We tried to sing songs but most of us couldn't remember the words. We then went for a ride on the lake in Wendell's neighbors pontoon boat.  Goni calls it a party boat but it will hold 12 people and is just right for cruising at slow speeds on Lake Chapin.  Wendell was the captain and looked smart in his captain's hat.  He took us down the lake to Berrien Springs and back.  A second group got a ride the other way to Buchanan. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  We left Saturday evening for one last night in Chicago before the long trip back home.  We stayed up til midnight talking with Greer and Joe before hitting the sack. Tomorrow we head towards home through the Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska countryside.

Michigan

Today we left Chicago for Michigan and the family reunion. Erica and Mia rode with us and it was a lot of fun. Traffic was a challenge but not severe.

At Uncle Wendell's we had dinner. After dinner we sat around visiting while we waited for the rest of the guests to arrive.

We also had a fire and made smores but got rained out after a while. Wendy made arrangements for us to stay with cousin Don and his wife Linda. So far it looks like lots of fun in store for everyone visiting for the reunion.

Chicago: The Windy City

The airshow was great but we only allocated 3 days to be there so reluctantly (at least for Grover) we headed to our next destination, Chicago. We drove through Milwaukee and through a couple of the neighborhoods on our way to find I-94. Goni said that the neighborhoods had "character" because of the different people and buildings we saw. Grover had other descriptions. We stopped at a Cabelas in Wisconsin so Goni could get more Jeff Foxworthy beef jerky. She really likes his jerky and Cabelas is the only place that has it. So we bought two big bags and headed south. We arrived at Greer's house around 2:30 and had a good time visiting the rest of the afternoon. We had Chicago pizza which is the best in the world. Then we went for a walk in unseasonably nice weather (low humidity & temperatures). Later in the evening the Mia and Erica invited us for a swim in their back yard pool. It isn't real big but we had a good time cooling off before it was time for bed. Tomorrow it is on to Uncle Wendell's in Michigan for the family reunion. We are looking forward to seeing relatives we haven't seen in years.

Oshkosh Day 3

It rained during the night with thunder and lightning.  I slept through it but Goni heard it all.  While it made the ground wet again it didn't create too many problems to the rain soaked grounds.  Surprisingly there was not as much humidity all day.  One of the problems with the rain was an increase in mosquitoes.  They are very hungry! We spent the day at the airshow and visited the warbird area.  Lots of old military airplanes including several that were doing run ups to takeoff.  Hard to believe some of these planes are 60-80 years old and still fly. We went over to Pioneer Airport and then the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) museum.  The EAA, which runs the airshow, has a hands on educational program for kids of all ages.  We took pictures of some kids practicing their flying skills.  We also got a picture of the Goodyear blimp before it took off to fly around the area. Inside the museum we saw lots of airplanes and people.  We saw the Aerocar which was designed and built by Longview resident Mort Taylor 50 years ago.  While the car was not a business success it was the first functional flying car. After the airshow we went up to visit my nephew Todd and go to dinner.  His three children, Derek, Cassie and Jordan were all there.  Haven't seen the kids (who are now young adults) for several years.  We had a nice visit and they will be heading up to the family reunion in Michigan on Saturday. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will head down to Chicago for an overnight visit to Greer and her family.

25th Anniversary at Oshkosh

Let Goni sleep in this morning so she could be rested up for a day at Oshkosh.  Because of that the continental breakfast at the motel was over so we went to a local restaurant here in New London called Bucky's for breakfast.  Good food at a reasonable price.  We have found most restaurants here have great prices and good service. The weather at Oshkosh was warm but there was a breeze which helped the upper 80's temperatures to be more tolerable.  No rain but it is in the forecast.  Oshkosh had so much rain over the last week that the grounds are very mushy.  They had to put many of the campers at sites off the grounds for the first time in 40 years.  The rain also prevented all the Cherokees coming in for the 50th anniversary celebration. We went and looked at the vendor buildings then took a tram out to the Vintage airplane area.  Saw some old airplanes and the Salute to Veterans airshow.  The airshow showcased World War II airplanes and the picture includes parachutists with fighter planes circling them as they descended. The picture don't show up well but it this was very impressive.  As we were leaving we saw the Goodyear blimp but couldn't get a good picture.  Will try again tomorrow. Came back to the motel and we enjoyed a hour long cool off in the pool.  Goni and I had a nice day together which is all either of us really wanted for our big anniversary day. Our plans for tomorrow are to go to the airshow then meet up with my nephew Todd for dinner.  He lives in Appleton which is just a few miles north of Oshkosh.

Oshkosh!

After spending a nice visit with Uncle Eldine and Aunt Margie we headed south for the big airshow at Oshkosh. Because this is such a large event we had made our motel reservations several months ago and the closest we could get a decent room was 25 miles away. So we checked into our room and headed down to Oshkosh. The band Chicago was holding a concert in the main square of the show starting at 5:30. We got to the airshow grounds and checked in and watched the airshow aerobatics being held over the airport. We spent a little time looking over the DC-3 aircraft in the square before sitting out our chairs for the program. Ford Motor Company sponsors the concert each year so we listened to the Ford people talk about their new Explorer model which was delivered by air crane while we waited for the show to start. The place was packed with people for the show and we enjoyed the music. Got some pictures of the crowd and asked the guy behind us to take our picture. After the concert we met up with Gary & Martha Sparks who had flown in on one of the DC-3s from Portland. It is the 70th anniversary of the DC-3 so it is a big deal for all that can get to the show are displayed. It is also the 50th anniversary of the Piper Cherokee (the plane Grover owns) so we hope to check some of them out. Of course the really big Grover and Goni 25th anniversary is tomorrow which will also be celebrated at the airshow. Much more important than any old airplane. We will report on that Wednesday morning.

Minnesota & Wisconsin

Sunday started early for the last leg of the journey to the midwest. We left Sioux Falls, South Dakota around 08:00 and hit the road. Travel was good on I-90 through Minnesota and across the Mississippi River before arriving in Bethel, Wisconsin to visit Uncle Eldine & Aunt Margie about 14:30 hours.

We enjoyed a visit and a great dinner made by Margie. Much better than the restaurant food and snacks we had been eating thus far on the trip.

Plans for Monday are to head to Oshkosh for the airshow. We hope to meet up with some friends from Portland who are flying back in a partially restored DC-3. Tuesday is the big 25th anniversary day!

South Dakota

We left Gillette, Wyoming this morning and headed east. Gillette was having some kind of youth rodeo this weekend and there were cowboys everywhere.
On our way down I-90 we came upon Sturgis, SD so we took a drive through town. They were getting ready for the big motorcycle rallye. We took some pictures including one of the largest biker bar in the world and the Sturgis Harley-Davidson dealer.

Headed for Mt Rushmore where we made a quick visit and took a few pictures. Headed back to Rapid City and stopped at Cabelas to get a folding chair for Oshkosh. We couldn't find a place we liked for lunch so we headed east.
We stopped at the world famous Wall Drug for lunch. Lots of people from everywhere around the world were there. Very interesting. Goni drove for the first time since we started the trip and Grover took a nap. Spent the night near Sioux Falls, SD. We got some exercise in the pool and then went for a walk and saw fire flies which we don't have out west.

We are still talking to each other so G&G may survive this trip to celebrate another anniversary.
Tomorrow we arrive at Uncle Eldine's in Wisconsin for a visit.

Yellowstone National Park

We left West Yellowstone after having breakfast in a rustic cafe with a waitress from the Ukraine. Our first stop was along the Madison River where a fellow was doing some fly fishing. The river did not appear to be deep enough for canoeing but it sure was appealing. In 1985 we did the southern loop and saw Old Faithful. This time we decided to go north and see the site there. We stopped at Norris and saw some of the most active geysers and other "hot" features on a 1.5 mile loop walk. We then went over to the canyon area and looked over the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone. The waterfalls in the canyon were really impressive. We also saw extensive evidence of the 1988 wildfire that hit Yellowstone. Lots of standing dead trees with new growth underneath. Heading south we continued on and came upon a traffic backup caused by buffalo. We saw at least 100 buffalo from various distances. One of them decided to cross right in front of us on the road. He was a good sized fellow so we shot him with the camera. After continuing through the east side of Yellowstone and had an early dinner at Granny's Restaurant in Cody, Wyoming. Trying to makeup some time we headed towards Sheridan where we got on I-90 with a speed limit of 75 mph. It is really strange to be cruising along at 75 to 80 mph but we made good time and got to Gillette, Wyoming for the night. Goni is pretty tired of sitting in the car so we are trying to make it a little easier on her by stopping a lot. Next stop is Mt Rushmore and then on to Wisconsin.

West Yellowstone

We drove from Mountain Home, Idaho to West Yellowstone on our second day. Whatever gains we made with being able to cruise at 75+ mph were lost in the road construction zones. We arrived in West Yellowstone in the late afternoon. Did some tourist stuff including a visit to the local museum. We were walking around when we saw a group dressed in western attire with musical instruments singing on the sidewalk. They were advertising a play called "Calamity Jane". We decided to attend the performance and really enjoyed it. Goni said Grover was being spontaneous for considering such a non-planned event. It turned out to be a musical and Goni said her mom would have really enjoyed it too. Heading to Yellowstone on day three. Having trouble with our Internet on the Blackberry so we may get our blog updated late.

The Big Road Trip

Goni and I have embarked on our first cross country road trip since 1992.  We left Woodland at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 and headed east.  Destinations include visiting Yellowstone National Park, Mt Rushmore, Bethel, Wisconsin to visit Uncle Eldine, Oshkosh for the big EAA Airventure Air Show, Chicago to visit family and then to Berrien Springs, Michigan to visit Uncle Wendell and attend a family reunion. We reach Mountain Home, Idaho the first night and everything is going well.  No traffic or weather problems and the car is running good.  Speed limit in Idaho is 75 mph so we have been making good time.  The best part is we are absolutely alone together for the entire trip.  Our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up next Tuesday so the road trip is a recreation of one we did right after we were married 25 years ago with 5 kids in a VW bus. More coming tomorrow with maybe a few pictures. Grover

Mt St Helens 30th Anniversary

Last week was the 30th Anniversary of the Mt St Helens eruption. I was in Augusta, Georgia for the week attending a conference so I missed it. The link below goes to a Columbian newspaper story that was done about me and the search and rescue effort on the 25th anniversary. The Columbian re-published the story for their anniversary celebration.

Working amid devastation The Columbian

Tomorrow many of the old timers from Lewis County are getting together for lunch to remember the eruption. Many of these people I haven't seen since the 25th anniversary so it will be interesting to see how we are all doing.