Evening Walk Around the Lake

We went for an evening walk last night and wanted to go check out the picnic area.  We've seen the area well used in the last couple of days and were curious.

So off we went after dinner.  The closer we got, we realized there is a good-sized lake (really a pond) hidden from the street.

There is a nice asphalt path around it which is good.  And there are a few markers identifying the trees and wildlife that are in the area.

And some fishing docks/observation points around the lake.

We even saw a couple of guys making their way to one for some fishing.

We also had some other company

Who were there to enjoy the lake

The lake is a real bonus to be so close to our campground.  Pretty peaceful and makes for an enjoyable addition to the evening.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Moochdocking on Redstone Lake, Wisconsin

We did some 'moochdocking' near La Valle (near Reedsburg), Wisconsin.

Tom's family has a cottage on Redstone Lake.  They generously offered to let us stay there with them and we took them up on it.

We had a bit of an issue when we parked in there driveway but got it figured out and got set up.  It worked out pretty good after an initial issue with the wheels and jacks.

Their cottage is on a beautiful piece of property right on the waterfront.  It is gorgeous there.

A perfect place to enjoy the summer Wisconsin heat.  In fact, we all got a ride around the lake in their pontoon boat.

Tom's family has had the cottage for years and know lots of folks on the lake.  We during our ride, we stopped to say hi at a friend's place.

It is a good sized lake with lots of homes on the shore.  And it was active during the weekend.

After a long and coolish Spring, the weather warmed up and folks were on the lake enjoying the great weather.

As we made our way around the lake we saw more beautiful lakefront properties.

We really enjoyed our time there.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Pacific Northwest and the Produce Market

We have been here at Pacific Beach about a week and I wanted to get at least one post on our time here. The facilities here at Pacific Beach Resort and Conference Center are adequate.  The price is right but the term 'resort' gets overused a lot.

The RV park is fine but the facilities need to be upgraded.  The price is right at $20/night with one free night and we stayed a week.

The view from the campsite is blocked by overgrowth and brush along the fence which was a shame.  However beach access is nearby and we could walk a couple hundred yards down to it from our campsite.

Or we could walk downtown toward the Pacific Beach State Park and access the beach there.  We did that a few times for an evening walk and enjoyed it.

We are in this area because we wanted to see the National Parks and Washington/Oregon coast in the Great Northwest.

One day we took a day trip to Olympic National Forest and saw the historic Lake Quinault Lodge.

It was built in 1926 in 53 days by George Garrison who had worked on a similarly looking lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

Not far down the road was the Worlds Largest Spruce Tree.

You can see how the trunk of the tree dwarfed us.

Next we took a leisurely drive around Lake Quinault and into the Quinault Rain Forest.  It was beautiful with lots of growth and tall trees.

The Quinault Rain Forest gets about 150 inches of rain a year.

We made the drive around the lake was a mix of paved and unpaved roads.  It was fine with our Honda Civic but it signs warn again RVs making the drive.

One place we stopped was the Ranger Station where we took a hike to the Kestner Homestead and the Maple Glade Trail.  It lasted about an hour and one half and was very nice.

Later, we concluded our 70 mile day trip after a stop at the Big Cedar on the West side of Lake Quinault.

It was another mile or so up to the top of the hill to the Big Cedar.  The only trees we have seen that are this big are the redwoods of northern California.

It was an enjoyable day with lots of hiking and interesting things to see in the Rain Forest of Olympic National Park.

Yesterday, a few miles from Pacific Beach, we stopped by a produce stand at Copalis Crossing called, "Voss Acres Produce Market".  It had a nice variety of produce and historical interest.  Check out their web site.

We met the owner Sharon was very friendly.  She told us the house they lived in was moved down the railroad tracks 18 times in the late 1800's while the railroad was being built.  The house was the railroad office with a porch and back kitchen added on over the years.

The vegetables in the market were very inviting and we bought some tomatoes, zucchini and corn.  We talked with Sharon some more and she was funny.  I told here about the blog and wanted to take a picture with her and Pam.

She was agreeable but quickly dived into the drawer for some lipstick.  She would not have her picture taken without it!  Funny!

If you are in the area of Pacific Beach, Washington near the coast we recommend you go see the Olympic National Forest near Quinault and make a special stop at Voss Produce Market in Copalis Crossing!

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park was established twice:  in 1929 to protect the majestic peaks and in 1950 it was expanded to included the valleys below.  It is just 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park and worth the drive.

We crossed the Continental Divide and saw lots of snow on the side of the road and the rivers were full.

We had a picnic lunch along the road with these beauties in the background.

We drove the length of the park, north to south passing Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake and down to Moose Junction.

It was another gorgeous day of mountain beauty.  At the southern end of the park lies Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We stopped and walked around.

Seems like a high-end ski town without the snow at the moment.  So there are a number of hiking, biking mountain climbing guided tours.

We scaled the mountain through Teton Pass and looked back on Jackson Hole below.

The rest of the way home was mostly uneventful except for our descent down the mountain with 10% grades!

We loved our time in Grand Teton National Park and recommend it.  It was a fun day.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Until next time...

Rain on the Lake

I went for a run early on Thursday morning after I posted the blog.  When I returned I hooked up the external blue boy tank and made two trips to the dump station.  By then it was about 10:00 and Jeff and Tiffany came by to give us a ride to their cabin.

We were there for lunch and Kelly used Jeff's phone to take an interview.  After lunch it was a little cloudy and the rain started so we watched 'The Princess Bride' which was an entertaining movie which everybody enjoyed.

We then made two trips in the small boat to the other side of the lake where there is some good swimming. Jeff had to go back for the others.

This area is a popular spot for canoers to portage because it goes over water falls and an area they call the 'Chutes'.  We went to a spot around from that and all went swimming.  It was another beautiful place on the lake.

One guy even brought his two German Shepards.  They loved the water!

The skies started to cloud over so we decided to go back to the boat.  We got caught in a full blown thunder buster and found an area which had trees well below the sky line.  It rained for about 20 minutes and it was over.

After that we went back to the cabins and had a fantastic dinner of pizza on the grill.  It looked a little tricky but it definitely turned out great.  We are going to have to start doing them them way.  I was too busy eating to take any pictures!

Jeff gave us a lift back to the Roadrunner and that was about all for us today.  Thanks for joining us and viewing another edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!

A No-Camera Cruise

I was really looking forward to our 3- Hour Outer Island Wilderness Cruise on the Island Queen yesterday out of the harbor in Parry Sound.  I charged up my camera battery and made sure it was all set.  Too bad I didn't check the memory card.  No card, no pictures...ugh! * To my surprise, the first picture I took gave me an error message and when I looked I saw I had left the card back in the Roadrunner still in the card reader.

Have you ever done that??

After I got over that realization, I was determined to enjoy the cruise anyway.  Which I did.  We all (Pam and Kelly and I) did.

*photo taken from Kelly's iPhone

We arrived at the marina at 12:25 PM for a 1:00 PM cruise and there was already a long line to board.  It is a big boat (seating 550) so we were able to find a good seat on the second deck.  We wanted to get one on top but they filled pretty quickly.

A couple of weeks ago, we took a cruise on a vessel in Tobermory.   This one was considerably bigger (and the largest sightseeing cruise ship) and the ride was a lot smoother.  The first thing I noticed was the water.  This is not the crystal clear waters of Lake Huron.  It is the dark waters of Georgian Bay.

We followed the green route.  The cruise started out of the harbor and went past the Stockey Center and Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, then past the Canadian Coast Guard Base.  The base is one of the largest on the Great Lakes and is home to helicopters, boats and ice breakers.

Each spring, over 100,000 tons of salt is shipped from Goderich and Windsor and off loaded at the Salt Dock near Parry Sound (#3 on the map).  The salt is used for winter treatment on roads throughout northern Ontario.

There are many islands nearby and the big ship went slowly through some pretty narrow straits.  Many of the small islands are owned and provide a great setting for a cottage:

*taken from Kelly's iPhone

This cottage was about the most expensive looking house we saw.  It was a beautiful structure.

We went past the Big Sound, Hole in the Wall, and Depot Harbour as we went in a counter clockwise route on the cruise.  We passed Palestine Island (#8) where Irving Berlin vacationed many times.  At the end of the cruise, we went under swing bridge.

It was built in the 1800's to connect the mainland with Depot Harbour on Parry Island.   The cruise ship blew its horn signaling we were approaching and the bridge master stopped traffic and swung the bridge around to let our ship through.  The Wilderness Cruise was well worth it and a great way to spend the afternoon.

After the cruise, we returned home for dinner and cooked chicken on the grill.  It was a nice evening, so we all went on a walk through the nearby woods on an ATV trail.

Earlier in the day  we heard chainsaws and found out what they were working on:

The trail came out of the woods 30 yards from the Roadrunner:

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

If this is your first time (or even if it isn't) click on the 'Follow' button and join the growing number of Followers.  Let's see if we can get the next 5 this weekend!

Tuesday in Parry Sound

First, we want to acknowledge our newest Followers:

Sandra

Rodney

Kay Davis

Thanks for joining us!  We appreciate it and look forward to your comments!

--------------------------
Pam and I went into Parry Sound to mail some things to Adam while Kelly was finishing up her beauty sleep.  Parry Sound is a great little tourist town.  It is not too big but seems to have everything.  It has the special small town, well manicured, type of look-and-feel that makes it inviting ~ like a place you'd like to visit.

Parry Sound is on the eastern shore of the Georgian Bay about 145 miles north of Toronto.  It has almost 6,000 residents and is popular spot for South Ontario visitors.  It is also home to the worlds deepest natural freshwater port.

Near the Post Office we spotted a craft and farmer's market and went back to the Roadrunner to get Kelly.  While we were at it, we had lunch and returned to the city park.  Adjacent to the park is the old firestation

and the public library.

I stopped an talked with Wendel Messer who is an author.  His book The Conquest of Canada caught my eye and we talked.  He agreed to a picture and I said I'd mention him on the Roadrunner Chronicles.

I thought there were quite a few booths for a middle of the week event.  After that we walked around town for a while and checked out a few stores.

I noticed there is a Don Cherry Sports Bar in town.  I don't know that much about Canadian hockey but I recognized him as commentator during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Then we went down to the boat docks and marina

The Island Queen was just leaving port for an afternoon cruise around Parry Island.

We also stopped in the office of the Georgian Bay Airways which has an adjacent gift and ice cream shop.   While we were there, one of the planes taxied out into the harbor and took off.

Later, we grilled fish for dinner, ate outside on the picnic table and had tea while we sat around and enjoyed the evening.  It was an interesting day in Parry Sound and we are liking our stay here.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.  And thanks for the comments!