Montana to the Coast and Ireland Bound

 

Just prior to making my last post, I was considering throwing in the towel.   Putting it together is a lot of work and takes a fair chunk of my time.   

Currently, I have almost 500 people signed up for email notification of new posts, and yet every time that I post a new one, I usually hear from about 4 or 5 people out of a regular group of about 10.

Usually the same ones every time.    I was starting to feel like a little whining snowflake and wondering if no one is reading it - why waste my time.   I thought the last post might be the last one, and just stick to my facebook posts now.   It's really much easier but you can't share any detail.

Someone out there must have read my thoughts however, because just after my last post I received a email from Donna B.    She wrote that she'd been following the blog since 2017, and told me how much she loved to receive it and follow our travels.   We exchanged a few emails and had a nice chat.

It was nice to hear from someone out there who reaffirmed that perhaps there are more people who enjoy it -  but just dont engage with the blog.

Thank you Donna B.    You gave me some power to push thru a few more.

My last post was over a month ago and left you in the Montana Rockies at St Regis.

Since then we've made 4 stops and currently are enjoying the cool breezes off of the Pacific at Winchester Bay, Oregon.   Kate and I stayed here back when we were full-timing.   Its a really nice park with good services, nice kept grounds, and good access to the beach.   But that is jumping ahead...  Lets get back to where we left off.

After leaving St Regis, Mt, we stopped at the Deer Creek RV resort, which is located a little north of Spokane, Washington, where they are currently having all those devastating fires.

Deer Creek RV Park Washington

It's a nice RV park with some newer sections and a whole large area they plan to expand to. It's co-located with a golf course so it's a real hit with the golfing folks.

Our view out the front window

While we were there, we took a ride down to Spokane to visit the Riverfront Park. It was built on the site of the 1974 world's fair, which, besides a worlds fair - was a very successful urban renewal project.  It had been railroad tracks and an industrial section along the river front.    It was rehabbed for the world's fair, and once that was over, a lot of the infrastructure remained and it created a wonderful waterfront park for the Spokane citizens..

Spokane Riverfront Park

A carnival like atmosphere with various vendors

The dogs strike a pose

Where's Kate?

In the park, you will find athe Looff carousel.     Built in 1909 it was created by the master carver Charles I.D. Looff as a wedding gift for his daughter and son-in-law.

The tower is all that remains of the Great Northern Railway Depot.  It was built in 1902 and most of the structures were torn down to make room for the fair but the tower remains.   

The Riverfront park occupies land both along the shore as well as on an island. that is named Canada island (it was named Cannon Island).  It was renamed during the fair as it was occupied by the Canadian Exposition during the fair.

After a few hours strolling around the park, we stopped at an Irish Pup across the street and had a nice lunch at their sidewalk seating with the dogs.   It was a perfect weather day.

Soon it was time to move on to our next destination, which was McMinnville, situated in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We broke the trip up into two days and so we overnighted at the Boardman Marina and RV park, which is located right on the Columbia river in Boardman, Oregon.

It's a nice park with full hook ups and great views of the river

Boardman Marina and RV Park Oregon

The drive down the Columbia River Gorge takes you through the Cascades. On the east side of the mountains you're in the rain shadow and it is very dry.

Within 30 miles or so it changes from a dry arid landscape to a lush green one as you get on the western side of the mountains.

The Olde Stone Village RV park in McMinnville. We stayed here when we were full-time and really enjoyed the town of McMinnville, which has a very quaint downtown section and is in a beautiful Willamette Valley.

Olde Stone Village RV Park McMinville, Or

The view outside of our coach at night

One day, we drove around in the foothills, looking for overlooks of the valley and found this pretty view

Located right across the highway from the McMinnville airport, I was able to enjoy a pair of DC threes that were using the airport every day for takeoff and landing work. It was quite enjoyable to see these old World War II birds conquering the skies again.

DC3 coming in for landing

Just before we headed to the coast, it was time to give the beasts a wash.

St Annie - Patron Saint of the unwilling bather

We"ll be meeting up with Bobbi and Kevin at the coast, so giving the mongrels a dressing up was a good thing.   A wash and a clipping, and they're good for a few more months.

Freshly washed and clipped

While in McMinnville, we drove about an hour to Silver Falls State Park. Our very first RV trip was in a rented class C and we visited Silver Falls back then. It's a great state park with lots of trails, one of which would take you by nine waterfalls. Unfortunately not all of the trails are a dog friendly so we have to take what we can get.  Barkers can't be choosers so to speak.    We still had a nice hike to the north Falls.

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

The North Falls at Sliver Falls SP

After about 18 days in McMinnville, we drove a few hours to the coast where we will stay at the Winchester Bay RV resort for 28 days before moving a couple hours north on the coast and staying there for a couple weeks as well.   

We were about 10 miles from the coast, passing thru the last of the coast range, and my outside temperature was reading almost 90°. All of a sudden about 4 miles from the coast we watched the temperature plummet and by the time we got to Highway 101 the temperature was in the 60s.

Winchester Bay RV - Site #92

A veiw around the park

On our morning walk, our buses in the center

Nature.... the greatest artist of all!

We took a nice walk down along the beach and I got to get wet a bit. The water is very cool but refreshing.

When I made my booking, I could only stay in our first spot for 14 days, but I was able to grab another site for 14 days, which puts us at the 28 day limit in the park. The photo below is our new site where we are now and we still have nice views out of both the front and side window.   We watch the fishing and Coast Guard boats go in and out of the inlet.

Winchester Bay RV - Site 168

The beachcombers

Finally, we have some BIG NEWS to share, and this will tell how many people are actually reading the Blog and made it this far.  🤣🤣

We've talked about this for well over a year and finally made the decision that we are going to permanently move to Ireland. 

Kate has her Irish citizenship so it makes it very easy for us, and I can obtain mine in three years. We will be able to retain dual citizenship.  We already have our rental lined up for the first year at least, we can stay longer if we like.   It's where we stayed twice before, last summer for a month.   A nice farm about 30 min south of Dublin in County Wicklow.

When we get back to Arizona, the beginning of October, everything goes up for sale. The bus, the house furniture everything. We will arrive in the Republic on July 5 and begin our next chapter.

Making a move like this is somewhat complicated.  Many details to keep track of and lots of things have to be done in order.  Step 1 required before you can do step 2 etc.. 

It's like being born and having to create a new Irish identity.  Getting a PPSN (Irish version of SSN) registering for the healthcare system, getting drivers licenses, and on and on and on.

I'm currently working with cross border financial and tax people to get my ducks lined up and seem to have a decent handle on all of that.

I have a to-do list which details everything that I need to do, the steps I need to do it in, and how to do each step.   Web links where needed etc.   So far about 35 pages long.  The steps to getting our drivers licenses is about 2 pages.   

Proof of identities and proof of address.   I need to show proof of address to do this, but I can't get this proof of address until I have proof of address.  I've gone in a few circles but finally solved that.  (I think)

There will be a lot more on that as we move forward and should make for some interesting posts. 

Maybe next I'll do a post and show you where we'll be living.

As for now, we still have to finish our summer here on the coast so stay tuned..

Arizona to Canada to Montana

Our last post in April left us in Page, Az at the Wahweep Campground on Lake Powell. 

We left Wahweep, traveled thru the red rock country of Utah and landed for the night at an RV Park in Filmore, Ut.

The next day left us a short 3 hr drive to Deer Creek State Park, in the Wasatch Mountains just west of Provo.    It's a nice park with Full Hook Up sites, great views, a reservoir for water sports, and only about 15 minutes from Sundance.

On day we went for lunch at the Foundry Grill in Sundance.   We've eaten here several times and always have enjoyed our meal.   They make a fantastic burger!

The resort has condos, meeting facilities, a ski area, shops etc.   I first came here over 20 yrs ago for a Controllers conference during my Prudential Real Estate days.

We stayed almost 2 weeks and then headed north, onward to our goal of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.    We stopped overnight at the Idaho Sky RV Resort in Rexburg, Id.    It's a brand new park.

While we overnighted here, I was busy checking weather forecasts for several alternative routes as snow was forecast along our way.   I finally settled on the route north thru Butte, Mt on I-15 knowing that I only had 2 places where snow might be a problem, and that I had numerous options to bail out off the highway if the going got tough.    On the alternative 2-lane routes, its much harder to bail out if the road gets greasy.

North of Butte, we cross a pass at altitude and ran into some heavy snow and slush on the road.   This lasted for about 30 minutes or so.

Once we descended down the other side the skies cleared, it warmed up, and became a rather pretty day.

After an overnight in Helena, Mt we crossed the border and overnighted in Lethbridge, Ab.

Finally we were on our way to Banff.    The drive on TCH1 toward the Rockies is a pretty one.

Canada has placed wildlife overpasses along the highways in strategic locations that allow the wildlife to follow their normal migration routes and to hopefully eliminate animal vehicle controntations.

We spent 13 nights at Banff Tunnel Mountain Campground, and then due to weather along the icefield parkway we extended our stay for another 2 nights.   The drive along the Icefield Parkway is just too pretty to miss it due to low clouds.

View from the Campground.

No visit to Banff is complete without a visit to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.   Opened in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to spur passenger traffic along it's routes, it is one of the earliest of Canada's Grand Railway Hotels.

View from the deck at the hotel.  The Bow River flows down in the valley which it carved .

Bow River Falls with Rob & Pat

Bow River View.

A view of the Banff Springs Hotel from across the valley.

The whole gang (minus Morgan who was working) on our morning dog walk.

We waited out the bad weather and got a decent day for our drive north to Jasper along the Icefield Parkway.

One of the prettiest drives we've ever taken.   The pictures just cannot do it justice.

We arrived at the Whistler Campground in Jasper National Park.    The campground was savaged by the devastating 2024 Jasper Wildfire.     When we were here last, the campground was in a thick pine forest.   Now it is an open grass meadow.

A favorite day trip for us is a run up to the Athabasca Falls.    Dogs are allowed on the trail which makes it a plus.

As we drove thru the burned out areas, I kept stopping to look at the new growth taking hold.    There were lots of berry bushes taking hold first, but also I spotted many young lodgepole pine seedlings.

After Jasper, we headed 4 hrs east to Edmonton.    We stayed at the St Albert Kinsman RV Park.    Right behind the park is a great park and trail along the river.   We took the dogs for long walks everyday along the trail meeting friendly Canadians along the way.

Alberta's license plate says "Wild Rose Country".    Everywhere along the trail we enjoyed those wild roses that the plates refer to.

Leaving Edmonton, we headed south towards Calgary and stopped at a self-service Truck/RV Wash.

Typically as is my luck, a massive thunderstorm moved in just as we were exiting the bay.

Heading to our next stop the fields were white from the hail that fell but luckily we missed that.  None the less, the bus got road grime all over its fresh wash job.

The calm after the storm.

We stayed several days at Bow Rivers Edge RV park in Cochrane, Ab.    Behind the park is this nice walkway along the Bow River.

Critters along the walking path

The dogs pose on an old bridge over the Bow River

Our spot was a 30a fhu back in site just long enough to fit us.

Next we were off to our next destination and a surprise for Kate awaited.

To get there we had to cross several mountain ranges thru the Canadian Rockies.   Another beautiufl day for a beautiful drive.

Coming down our last grade into Radium Hot Springs, BC

Our destination for the next week was Fairmount Hot Springs Resort.    Rob and Pat had secretly planned to meet us there so when they showed up at our door Kate was quite surprised (and pleased) to say the least.

Rob took us one day to the town where he grew up.

After spending time in the hot springs, I found that we all had shrunk

There is an RV Park and hotel sharing the grounds.

After another great week it was time to hit the road and back into the US for us.

Traveling in Canada along the headwaters of the Columbia River

Our next stop was Jim & Marys RV Park in Missoula, Mt.    We've stayed here many times and really like the place.    A very accomodating place with helpful staff, very clean grounds, and just loaded with lots and lots and lots of flowers everywhere.

75' 50a FHU

We day tripped to Hamilton Montana.  There was an afternoon concert going on at the museum

Then we took the dogs for burgers on the outdoor patio at Naps Grill.

They claim being voted the best burger in Montana and I have to say that I dont necessirialy that.

It was really fresh lean local beef and cooked a perfect medium rare as I requested.

Hamilton is home to the Rocky Mountain Labratory.    A high level bio laboratory.    Unfortunately, across the board manpower cuts by the DOGE crowd stripped about 50 workers off the job. at a time when their expertise is needed more than ever.

Rocky Mountain Laboratory

Rocky Mountain Laboratory

Our next stop, and current home, is the Nugget RV Park in St Regis, Mt.   It's tucked into the mountains about 60 miles west of Missoula.    We are here till tomorrow at which point we head over to Deer Park (near Spokane) Washington for a few days continuting our slow treck towards the west coast and the cool breezes off of the Pacific Ocean.

See you on the Oregon Coast!