Dan and I headed out of Vegas on Thursday afternoon, around 2 p.m., much later than I originally thought I’d get out of there. The sun was out – a real change from the entire last week where it had been overcast and raining – and it was very hot taking down the coach set up and hitching up. Just after we showered at the bath house in the RV park and pulled out onto Boulder Highway, it started to rain.

We didn’t hurry on the way up. We stopped three times to sleep, unfortunately on one of those stops I laid down for an hour and a half and finally gave up. Dan was crashed on the sofa and managed to take my shaking him out of a deep sleep very well. We made Missoula by 6 p.m. on Friday evening, about 1,000 miles of our trip was complete. Dinner with my granddaughter Jasmine and great nephew Eric and we were back to the coach and sleep by about 9:30 p.m. I was dragging ass. We had breakfast on Saturday with Vickie and Monte (they had just come in from a long haul trip of three to four weeks and they are on holidays now too), and we headed for Sandpoint.

The whole Northwest area fire index is off the charts. It’s dry. Coming through Missoula found us fading a dark, smoke filled sky and some smoldering remnants of fires along the freeway – the sky up over the mountain was running a billow of smoke. There’ll be no campfires this year when we are hanging out late evening, telling all of our tales and playing poker. Today it’s overcast and looks like it could rain, if it did it would be great for the area…besides I’m not in a tent this year. * 🙂 *

Most of the family starts coming in this afternoon and tomorrow. A few stragglers will be in over Friday and then it’s the weekend together…NICE!

We’ve hiked some of the area and gone for evening walks up country roads and old logging trails that cut off through the forest. These pictures are a few of a hike behind Round Lake in the State Park, the section of water between a lake and the next lake or part of a river is a slew/slough/slue. These are pictures of that slew as we hiked – and the water is moving, just very slowly.

Coming off of that trail brings us to one end of Round Lake. Round Lake is very small, maintained by the Forest Service, and has a dock area for swimming; fishing is available but nothing above an electric motor can be used on the boats. Most people canoe and raft on the lake. I’ve seen a moose out in the edge of the water, across the lake, feeding in the late afternoon. It’s peaceful, a far cry from the noise and screaming hysteria of mankind in Vegas.

While Dan and I made the trip together, my son Josh (lives in Oregon – used to live in Vegas) was already here with his girlfriend Jenny.

Darian and Riot will be landing in Spokane WA shortly and I’ll be picking them up. There are campsites reserved at Round Lake for the family – lucky me, I’m up the road about a mile and half at my brother Kevin’s.

I’ve been getting my ink retouched by Josh. He did these for me originally, the first one was done in Germany in ’92. The first picture is on my ankle. The original picture is on the left – the retouch is on the right.

This one was done in early ’94 when I lived in Gulf Port Mississippi…same deal, the original picture is on the left – the retouch is on the right.

There’s nothing quite like waiting until you’re old enough to know you want to get inked and then having your son do it for you. SWEET!

More later.