Meandering the Country

June 30 – July 6, 2023 Minnesota was the very first sticker we put on this map.  I remember looking at the empty map, trying to picture driving to, camping in, and making memories in each and every state.  It was an exciting plan!  One by one, the states have been filling in.  It may sound funny, but it’s almost a little melancholy to have put the 48th sticker on!   Washington may have gotten a bit of the short straw, as we want to get down to Salt Lake City and spend some time with our son and his family before the oldest two grandchildren leave for summer camp.  I’m justifying putting the sticker on only with the knowledge we will get back this way again! For our two nights in Washington, we stayed at Liberty Lake RV Campground .  Conveniently, Saturday morning, there was a farmer’s market just across the street!  Who can resist buying some fresh picked Washington cherries?  Certainly, not us! After making the rounds at the market, we ...

June 19 – 30, 2023 Glacier National Park or the Swiss Alps??? Helena, MT broke up our trip from Yellowstone NP to Glacier NP.  We landed there with no expectations other than catching up with laundry and groceries.  Well, it turned out Helena had a few delightful surprises for us!  I’ve been trying to find Christmas ornaments from each state we visit and it was in searching for a Montana Christmas ornament that the surprises began.  A gal I was talking to referred me to a shop in “the gulch” that might have ornaments.  I’m immediately picturing some remote valley with a lonely store and wondered if we really wanted to go there or not.  Well, I’m sure glad we did!   It turns out, in 1864, four prospectors were down on their luck and headed back to the east coast.  They decided to give it one last chance and headed to the gulch, looking for gold.  Wouldn’t you know it, they stuck one of the largest gold mines around!  The area becam...