Salt Lake City to Boston

Day 40

Up early, and off to the airport.

Signing off for now. We will resume around March 11, 2008. And, as Dave Garroway would say, as he signed off, "Peace."

Salt Lake City

Day 39

As Sully would say, "What me worry? Salt Lake is a big city, I will find a spot". We wake full of energy, a few calls from the Yellow Pages to find a place for ChelseaExpress winterization (which means flushing out water & adding antifreeze to the vehicle). We hear that the State Fairgrounds store vehicles inside and has available space. The day is looking brighter.

We find a place for the winterization. The shop advises us of a warehouse around the corner that does storage. We checked it out and struck a deal for a heated space indoors for the winter. We were going to do an oil change & tuneup before storage, but the owner offered to get it done for us just before we return in the spring. All is complete and done by 1:00pm. Everything just fell in place. Relief! And as Sully would say again, "What me worry? This is a big city, I will find a spot"

We even have enough time in the afternoon to catch a movie before the Red Sox take on Cleveland at 5:15PM Mountain Time. We find a Sports Bar (tough in Salt Lake) with Cleveland fans behind us. The Red Sox win 10 - 3.

A few stories from the sports bar need to be mentioned. We arrived earlier in the day to reserve seats up front, but were told we couldn't. They said that if we were there by 5PM we would be able to get good seats. Because, it didn't get full until about 6PM. We get there at 5PM, but notice all the prime tables have Reserved signs on them. Sully starts to steam. We raise the issue with the manager. He tries to explain, apologizes & rearranges a couple of tables for us with a good view.

Next, we notice a promotion, a bucket of 4 beers (light or regular) by Coors for $8. We order some of each. We are told that earlier they ran out of regular Coors, and only have Light available. We ask for a replacement for the regular Coors, and are told it is not possible. The same manager, said that it was only a Coors Light promotion. He then proceeded to take down all the posters. We grabbed one before he got to it, and it stated both Light & Reg. He apologized again, but couldn't substitute another beer. He sent over an appetizer for our troubles. I think a message to Coors Headquarters will be sent.

And lastly, a guy from another table came over and told us he was a Red Sox fan. Guess where he was from? Wrong. He was from the last place you would think, New York.

Pokatello to Salt Lake City

Day 38

One of our goals today is to make the 120 miles down to Salt Lake City. The other is to find a home for ChelseaExpress to spend the winter. Our plans have slightly changed. That can happen when you are retired.

Sully and I are flying home from Salt Lake City Saturday Oct 13 & Steve flying home Monday Oct 15. Then, the 3 of us will fly back in March to go skiing for a few days with Joe and pickup ChelseaExpress to continue our journey. We think 2 more weeks will get us back home.

We arrive at our destination in the afternoon. There are a couple of prospects for storing ChelseaExpress, but nothing solid. I am a little nervous. We decide to sleep on it, and come up with some ideas in the morning. Our travels have taken us about 4,800 miles so far. A few US $s and many Canadian $s lighter, but what a time it has been. The laughs and adventure outweighed the cost tenfold. I would do it again without question.

Jackson Hole to Pokatello

Day 37
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! This blog entry is now an official substitute for a card.

Day 37

Happy Anniversary, Barbara & Dennis -- 32 fabulous years.

The day starts out again with a small problem. Small problems we can handle. Since Ohio, we have been hearing a little ping coming from near the fan blade area of ChelseaExpress. We thought that maybe a small piece of metal was just rattling. We couldn't see the blade from under the hood because it was in a plastic cover. The noise finally needed to be looked at. So, under the vehicle I went. I found that the bolt holding the AC had come loose and was occasionally hitting the blades. Also, the AC belt was missing. The bolt could have wrecked the fan blade if it slipped any further. I was able to secure the bolt. We can hold off on replacing the AC belt this time of year.

Noise gone, off we go quietly. We stop in Pokatello, ID for the night. Steve & I try to get back to our championship ways with a challenge to Mike & Joe in Boccie. The balls weren't rolling the right way for us. We were defeated by the international champions, Mike Sullivan & Joe Walker. We will get those guys next year.

We wrap up the night with a beverage and Trivial Pursuit. It took 4 hours to get 8 questions right. Our explanation is that it was the Genius Edition.

Jackson Hole

Day 36

Onward to Jackson Hole, WY, 104 miles away through the mountains. We pick the safest route, which means the route with the lowest elevation to travel. Route 26 follows the very scenic Snake River for miles. Numerous photos were taken. ChelseaExpress handles these mountain passes much better.

Jackson Hole is not what I expected. I thought there would be one main street with ski area/mountains on one side. That was not the case. It is a real tourist mecca with t-shirt shops all over the area. There sure are enough places to shop and drink. There was one section of the main square that had a few art galleries with very nice western art. Reminded me a little of Santa Fe.

Spider webs in town this time of year are a problem. These webs end up flying through the air landing on cars, clothes & even faces. Don't go to Jackson Hole the first week of October.

Yellowstone to Jackson Hole

Day 35

Our day starts off with only slight problems. No big deal.

We are looking to find the easiest route to Jackson Hole, WY. The mountain pass through Yellowstone may still be closed, so we take the second best road. That road takes us toward Idaho Falls, ID. Over the continental divide (7,072 elevation).

All was going well until we started to make the climb up that hill. The ChelseaExpress has been having a tough time breathing at various elevations. Vehicles with carburetors (autos 1987 & older) have trouble getting enough oxygen to mix with the gas in high elevation areas. About 100 yards before the summit ChelseaExpress STOPPED/STALLED from the lack of oxygen.

We though we were going to have to turn around and go back to Yellowstone. Steve, Joe & I got out to stop the traffic so Sully could turn the vehicle around. Sully got it started again and thought he would give it one more try getting up the hill. ChelseaExpress had just enough energy with about 500 lbs less (3 guys) to make it to the top. It was all downhill from there. We look back and wonder what we would have done if we didn't make that summit. We now look for mountain passes that have an elevation below 7,000 feet.

Yellowstone

I forget who got us the bottle of Manny Being Merlot, and I have no idea how it tastes, but rest assured that the label is awesome.

Day 34

We wake to snow & 32 degree temperatures. We are advised at the entrance to Yellowstone that 2 of the major roads are closed due to ice & snow. The road to Old Faithful is open, so that becomes our goal. On our way we stop to see Buffalo, Elk, Deer and various small geysers.

We arrive at the parking lot to Old Faithful about 45 minutes before the scheduled eruption. Our anticipation builds, wondering if we are going to feel the earth shake under our feet. The ranger told us that there is a volcano under the ground covering more than 60% of the park. We are standing over it. The eruption of steam & water happens with a wimper. It shoots up about 40 feet without noise or vibration. A big disappointment. Summer crowds must be unbearable here.

We exit the park in the afternoon to catch some of the game in which the Red Sox clinch the first series. We hold of on uncorking the "Manny being Merlot" wine.

Missoula to West Yellowstone

Day 33

With advice from Brian, we take a scenic road toward West Yellowstone. The trail takes us through Nevada City, Virginia City, Ennis & Quake Lake. Nevada City & Virginia City are throwbacks in time (mining - western towns). Tourists flock to the these places in the summertime, but few (4 guys from Chelsea) are here this time of year. Steve pulls up to the bar at the old saloon and gets a shot of Old Thompson to get the day started. We arrive at Quake Lake, MT next. A quake in (I think) 1959 created a huge mountain land slide which killed numerous people, destroyed a town, created a damn and submerged trees. Upon leaving a small black bear tries to challenge ChelseaExpress by walking down the middle of the road toward us. We stop -- no sense in getting black bear fur in the radiator. He scurries off into the woods, but we keep a close eye for Momma Bear. We camp at West Yellowstone, Mt.

Missoula

Fans! The the RV officially has fans! Awesome.

Day 32

Oops, forgot to mention on our way to the restaurant we saw a small farm with Buffalo and a cut off horse head in the front yard. Yes, a real horse head. We didn't stay long here.

At Missoula we cruise around the U of Montana (Grizzlies) on a cold rainy day. The school doesn't hold a candle to the U of Calgary. Maybe the weather had some influence. Off we go to Butte, MT. We want to get there so we can catch some baseball, NY & Bosox. Butte is having a little resurgence due to the huge copper mine back in business. We find a combination sports bar, casino & restaurant. The Jokers Wild/Chefs Garden Restaurant with the fabulous owners Brian & Christina Hands. We conversed with them for hours, and found a lot of things in common. They made us feel like family. We had the 2nd best meal of our journey. The first was with our wives in Banff. The Bosox beat LAA. They got a kick out of our blog. So here is a special "HI" to Brian & Christina from the boys from Boston (Mike, Steve, Joe & Dennis).

Rexford to Missoula

Day 31

On our way to Missoula we travel next to the very large Flathead Lake. Half way around we spot the Mission Mountain Winery in Dayton, MT. It is time for lunch and they point us to a restaurant that serves Bison burgers. I'll try it. When we get there we find that bison burgers have been off the menu for 1 year. But the cheese burgers were pretty good. A game of indoor shuffle board was played. Sully & Joe were victorious. Steve & I should have cheated. Wine tasting is next up. Sully was driving, so he was out. I did not picture this area for growing grapes, but I was wrong. I thought the Pinot Gris was the best of the bunch. There were no reds that grabbed our attention.

Fairmont to Rexford

Day 30

As usual, we con our way into the lodge's hot springs pool. This gives us a chance to relax, before the first Red Sox playoff game. A little further up in the hills of the camp site, with a great panoramic view, the original hot springs pool is located. Our next goal is to find a location where we can watch the Bosox kick some ass. Missola, MT would be a good choice, but it is a little to far away. So, we decide to get over the border first, then find a spot.

The US border is a funny story. The agent asks us his usual questions. The 2 questions that challenge us is, do we have beef and do we have citrus. We have both (oranges & bologna). He tells us to dispose of both. So, before you can say jack-rabbit, Sully pulls out the rolls & bologna and eats the evidence. Only the oranges are left to give the agent. We are then on our way.

A gas station attendant tells us of the Frontier restaurant/bar (big TV) and RV park in Rexford, MT. That's the spot. We park, watch the game have a few beverages, plus their famous 16oz rib eye steak dinner for $17. The Patriarch of the 180 residents in the town is 78 year old Don Caldwell. He seems to own the town and keeps a close eye on the restaurant. We view numerous deer right outside ChelseaExpress. Not much around this part of Montana.

Banff to Fairmont

Day 29

We get an extra bonus upon leaving our National Park campsite. Because we arrived at our site late, they didn't charge us for the night. What a country! The road we want for getting back to the US takes us through lake Louise. When we arrive at the Fairmont Lake Louise heavy snow is falling. It was snowing so hard we couldn't see the glacier and only half see the lake. No walk around the lake today. So, instead we relax at the Raidum Hot Springs. Overcast skies hinder views as we go over the mountain pass. The Fairmont Lodge/Rv Park/Hot Springs is our spot for the night.