2023 Reiff Travels with the Bear

My sisters Susan, Gayle, and Frani treated us like the special prince and princess we want to be! We shared laughter, memories (this erupted way more laughter), good food, and adventures around Shawnee and Tecumseh Oklahoma.   Here are just a few...Marathon Yatzee game, pool party in Harrah, thrift shopping, and several stops at the Sonic. We got to catch up with spouses and kids...now grown adults, but I keep blocking that small point.  And... we watched The Long Long Trailer , a 1954 movie with Lucy and Desi Arnez right at the start of their careers. Imagine these two pulling a trailer across country...you just have to see it! John and I could relate! A big shout out to Mike of Susie and Mike for sharing his knowledge, skills, patience, and tools with John. The Happy Breadbox RV needed some fixin' and he was our hero! And by the way...that's one thing we say from Oklahoma..."I'm fixin' to..." It doesn't matter what it is...first, we get our fixin' en...

Amarillo Texas surprised us in the form of Palo Duro Canyon State Park's beauty. It's huge beautiful! Never have a seen a sign for 10% grade...and lived to tell about it!  It is the second largest canyon in the United States...and you know number one! the second largest ...in Amarillo Texas, really! Palo Duro canyon is  about 120 miles long and 20 miles wide and  is up to 800 feet deep. I didn't see them all, but the information said there are four geologic  layers to be seen when descending 500 feet to the floor of the canyon. I couldn't look till we stopped! Heights, much height.   Here are pictures  we took, and some I grabbed from the web, because  the place was just too good for you to miss!  You can see the geologic layers! 

The Great Idaho Potato Tour spotted in Washington state on tour. Is it real?  Check out the link if interested; we got a kick out of following it. The tour celebrates the potato, of course, but also raises money in small towns for businesses and non-profits.  And I bet you didn't know...if you're ever in Boise Idaho looking for an air B&B, yup you guessed it, you can stay inside a giant Idaho Potato House ! We are having fun, and you just never ever know what will be on the road with you! I really like looking up things connected to the phase "I wonder what..." Here is an example. For miles and miles we saw poles with orange striped paddles just standing out in fields with nothing besides nature to keep them company. Well, once in a while some fencing, but you know how snotty fencing can be... John wondered what they were. Lo and behold, they mark high pressure gas lines and point down to mark the spot where one is not, and I mean not, to dig. I found this stoc...

We are veering East, headed to Oklahoma and visits with Marianne's family. Watch out sisters, big sister is headed your way!  And about the desert...when they say it's hot, just believe it. We camped in Patterson and Needles CA 111 to 114° and I'm not kidding. I could see the heat from the comfort of our air-conditioned happy breadbox RV; it had presence. And walking in it was something else, something dangerous and a reminder of the power of nature.  And it's not one desert, not one color or shape, or form...amazing. And on the miles and miles of flat stretches we would see miles long freight trains crossing the horizon and disappearing into...where?  (John saw one disappearing into a tunnel on the side of a mountain.)  I just loved seeing them.  In Needles CA we stayed at Feders River RV and Motel. The river was there, but the motel was out of commission because a pickup truck caught fire and they are waiting for insurance stuff to happen. I liked the place; t...

For days I've followed the news of rain and more rain and flooding in the Northeast, especially Vermont. I didn't know what to do with all the emotions scrambled up with Florida's dumb as dirt curriculum decisions...  Then Emma Rianne sent us an image of her dog Elle contemplating life under a rainbow.  And, true, the world settled into a more hopeful balance...something about rain and rainbows ...or dirt dumb and new shovels. Then, I saw a sign at a cafe, and it moved me. Whomp!  That was a surprise; I don't care for signs telling me what to do. Sign:      " Live, Laugh, Love! " Me:          " More of your conversation would infect my brain."                             Apologies W.S.   Here is what the cafe sign said: Your job is the dream of someone unemployed. Your house is the dream of someone homeless.  Your smile is the dream of som...

We are heading down the coast sampling State Parks and figuring out next steps right before we take them. I’m so proud of myself for not being hysterical; I’m finding that tiny spark of “it’s really OK joy” in my lack of total control. The coast provides a slideshow of spectacular views; I’ll insert some of the many places we explored.  The coast road on 101 is still in repair mode, and we can see where the storms have taken bites out of the road. Looks like the repairs are repairs to the quick fixes earlier. Down the coast of Oregon and CA, we stayed in state parks...Nehalem Bay, Humbug Mountain (Bah!)! It was lovely.    Cruising into California, we lucked out and got a place in the Redwoods...we just drove through Avenue of the Giants...and it was a different world. Our campground was once again (Yes! we stayed there in 2017) Hidden Springs in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Put this on your list, because you must just feel the trees and have conversations with them. ...

We had a grand four days with Randi and Charlie and Monty the dog. We were pampered, fed, entertained, and informed about places, food, and things anew!   Since I just can't figure out the gallery widget thing, I just uploaded the wonderful shots and did my best to tell you what they represent. The order is off, but the fun and love is still with both of us and we head into Oregon and on to the next phase of this road trip!  Yes, they are all mixed up, and it just shows you how much crazy fun we had!   Bear was so glad to see Monty and Charlie and Randi, too!   Walks around their Ballard neighborhood...you can walk to everything! And everything is Dog Friendly!  Yay! On our final evening, we were treated to a sunset picnic at one of their favorite spots. the Golden Gardens Beach. Wow! Randi and Charlie often bike here after work - what an amazing decompression plan!     Charlie and Randi scored, and shared, a sunset heading home fro...

We made it to Washington State! And I don't actually know what day it is, but we have seen the east and west parts of Washington. Stunning in so many ways. We stayed at two WA. State Parks, Potholes east and Fort Townsend west.  The eastern part of the state is full to the brim with sage brush, and home to Sage Grouse. And while I'm dispensing scintillating tidbits, did you know that sage brush is not related to the herb sage, but is part of the Sunflower family?  Yup, and here we are back to those mysterious Sunflowers...hmm. Driving out of the flatness of sagebrush.... cliffs emerged and all John and I could say to one another was different versions of Wowness Wonder. We had to stop...to just Look Up! sometimes you know the beauty won't show through your pictures, but you take 'em anyway; I did.  And then I looked down and the whole roadway way a trash dump, even too ugly to be called litter...just trash. So, there is Beauty and there is Ugly, together. It's impor...