I know it is Thursday and we did go for another super wow day. But I'm just to tired to post tonight. I have informed all (Terry and Tad) that Friday is a down day and no day trips. Stop back later Friday for a new me thinks great to be blog post. 

Just a hint of the day we had with a couple of pics. 

Terry and Tad

We did all this and more... stop back for the rest of the story.  Right now I just had a hot shower and am worn out. 
Terry and Tad are wearing me out. Now a little happy hour and all will be well with the world. 
 
 

Tad (or friend) said today we should go for a drive and stated my prior comments when I use a term like WOW would not be enough for what he has planned. 
He would only say we were going up to Quartz Mt. We went southeast of Roslyn, WA and after awhile we started climbing up forest service roads for about 25 miles where you get to see the road below at over 6000 feet at the end of our journey. I was so busy trying to drive and not drop over the side I didn't see what was about to become the beyond WOW factor he had been talking about. 

I came up and around the curve from below the curve in the center and could not see anything but sky or what I was getting into. I just continued and applied my foot on the gas pedal and went for it. Since I'm posting about it now, it went well. 

I was so glad to see a parking lot and shut it all down to catch my breath. 

I could see this from the parking lot when we stopped and thought this is a big WOW looking north. 

Now walking a few feet up the path and looking to the west I knew Tad was correct in saying the winding washboard forest roads to get here would be worth it.. 
My Oh My was it ever.  Look what Terry discovered... 

Mt Rainier is about 15 air miles from this point. We are not looking up at it but across to it. Words can not describe this view me thinks. 

 Now the road back out and down the mountain.   What a great afternoon we had in Washington thanks to our friend Tad. 
We had no idea we would ever see anything this grand. 

We are now back at Tads and having happy hour as I know I needed a gin and tonic as it was a big drive I handled today. Tad sez he has other drives planned for us. 
I hope not as wild as this one. We shall see.....
 

Today we went to the Roslyn Miner Days. And yes we did have on and off rain. But that kind of added to the excitement if you will. Our friend Tad (where we are camped at) volunteers at the Roslyn Museum and was on duty today explaining the antiquities and memorabilia of the coal mining era to the people who stopped in. He was loving every moment of it. 

Now this is one parade you have to love, not long, but they do, would you believe run it around the route twice. So if you missed anything you get to see it again. Makes it great for us taking pictures, as we get a second chance so we can still miss that perfect shot. So now we can't complain about the one that got away as we had a second chance. 

They had the huge big new fire rigs, but many small old ones also. 

We even had a pistol shoot out on main street. 

Paul B driving his 24 Model T (you would think I knew these people or something) But Tad our friend does..

Pete H driving his 31 model A roadster acquired when he was in high school per Tad. 

His passenger is from the Craven family who have a long history in this town. Even wearing a miners hard helmet with light. 
It was light rain on and off but it did not diminish the fun each parade participant was experiencing. Let alone the people with kids who could care less about a little water as they scrambled to get the candy thrown to them. 
As you can see by now we had a great time at this parade with the history very evident and now as I type our friend 
Tad is filling us in on the history. 

They were wet but after the parade they hit the bars and had a even better time. 

A memorial to the coal minors. Roslyn is full of history and people who are preserving the past. It is a National Historic Site.

You can see how the memorial towers over the street market area. 

Live music next to the market area. 

The old radio station set below from the Northern Exposure TV show was right behind the above players 
and the memorial by the street market area. 

Now I need to find the DVD set of the TV series. Checked Amizon.com and not that easy as the full set is poorly rated and expensive. Need to do more research. Nothing is simple me thinks. 

J P Patches was a TV clown for many years in the Seattle area and came to the event and spent hours with the kids. 

You know that was a labor of love. Any of you remember him from days gone by?  Visit his great fun web site.

We are back at the 5er and Terry is preparing a pot roast for later while now we are having happy hour with Tad in the warmth of the 5er. Yes we do have the furnace cranked up a bit. It was a fun but damp day in the northwest. Hope your holiday weekend is a bit dryer. 
This damp and cool weather spell sort of agrees with my personallity me thinks. 

Our host Tad sez not to worry as he wants to take us on a couple of day trips when things warm up and the sun shines again. 

OK watch out I'm getting out my soap box. If Nick Russell can have a Bad Nick Blog I can spout off once in awhile also.  Seems to be the thing to do these days. Now I'm not at a town hall meeting disrupting it, with uncivil, unintelligent talk, but on my own blog just posting the thoughts of a great American who does have a clue. 
I get so tired of people who have the mindset of  "I've got mine, so now the rest of you can go to hell". 
I think many might be surprised just who will be going on that journey. 

It's raining in the northwest here in Washington and we are inside the 5er and the weekend campers are already in a foul mood, so why not. 
Oh by the way have a great Labor Day holiday... brought to you by hard working Americans.
Labor Day is a national legal holiday that is over 100 years old. 
It grew out of a celebration and parade in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in 1882 in New York. In 1884, the Knights held a large parade in New York City celebrating the working class. The parade was held on the first Monday in September. The Knights passed a resolution to hold all future parades on the same day, designated by them as Labor Day.

In a special essay by PBS host Bill Moyers, the part-time editorialist and one-time LBJ White House press secretary captured the essence of America's health insurance debate with a single word: "Deranged."
"Red, white, and blue kooks are as American as apple pie and conspiracy theories," he said.
Moyers continued:
So here we are, wallowing in our dysfunction. Governed — if you listen to the rabble rousers — by a black nationalist from Kenya smuggled into the United States to kill Sarah Palin's baby. And yes, I could almost buy their belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, only I think he shipped them to Washington, where they've been recycled as lobbyists and trained in the alchemy of money laundering, which turns an old-fashioned bribe into a First Amendment right.
Only in a fantasy capital like Washington could Sunday morning talk shows become the high church of conventional wisdom, with partisan shills treated as holy men whose gospel of prosperity always seems to boil down to lower taxes for the rich.
Poor Obama. He came to town preaching the religion of nice. But every time he bows politely, the harder the Republicans kick him.
No one's ever conquered Washington politics by constantly saying "pretty please" to the guys trying to cut your throat.
Moyers goes on to suggest that the president must "tell it like it is" during his speech to Congress on Wednesday.

The key to getting the health insurance reforms he seeks, Moyers added, may lie with Talking Points Memo creator Josh Marshall, who suggested recently that a public health insurance option would be within reach if Democrats could just describe it as being allowed to buy into medicare before age 65.

"[Recent misinformation] also points back to the question (a frustratingly good one) of why the advocates of a public option and just reform in general have not simply explained this as allowing people to buy into Medicare at any age," wrote Marshall. "Because, essentially, that's what it is. And I think I could pretty much guarantee you that if the question in the public mind was 'Would you like the option of buying into Medicare before you turn 65?' the opposition would be vastly diminished."

"This health care thing is make or break for your leadership, but for us, it's life and death," concluded Moyers. "No more Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. President. We need a fighter."
-- Stephen C. Webster

Read the transcript click here. 
See the video click on the graphic or click here. 

 

We pulled out of Entiat City RV park about 9:30 AM and headed on our way slowly to Roslyn, WA where our good friend Tad (that we met in AZ at the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Club had encouraged us to land on his property and enjoy time with him. 

But first things first. We detoured up to Leavenworth (tourist trap heaven) and got out of there fast.  Terry could have spent the day but I didn't let him. I got off on a side street and managed to get back on the main drag and get out of town pronto.  Not a big rig friendly kind of place. 

 South of Leavenworth we had to stop at this fruit stand. 

Terry say Hi... 

After going over the pass on US 97 south we did come upon Roslyn, WA. Now I don't need to tell you about this cool place now do I.
A site for fans of the hit TV series Northern Exposure

This is a real town and not a fake tourist trap, but with real people who live life as only they know it here. 
The whole town is filled with side streets with small homes as they have been for decades. A very real and pleasant place. 

We have landed at our friend Tads place in Roslyn. We got the dish up and it deployed and found the satellite just fine. 

It stormed during the night with lighting.. so I go up and retracted the dish also hoping no strikes close as it is so very dry and all are on alert for fires. Look at how dry the field we are camped in is. Things are wet this AM with the rain during the night so we like that along with the locals. We hear there were a few lighting strikes and the fire response teams are out and about to cover them. We do feel safe and are having a wonderful experience. Thanks to Tad we are learning about the history of this area as he grew up here and has great stories to share. Me thinks he must have written a book or two about all this. If not he should have.

Later went on a drive up the valley to some of the lakes.. This one is Cooper lake. 

Now as you can see we have been finding the best of the best with our friend Tad showing us what we would never have found on our own. 
Life could not get much better than this me thinks... 
 

We left Omak, WA and headed out wondering where we were going to land. Checking ahead I called to BeeBe Bridge County Park 
(the red tent on the map) and the nice lady informed me HW 97 was closed going over the Columbia river to the east side as truck 
rammed it last night and it is closed till further notice. Only way going south was Alt HW 97 going down the west side of the river. 

Looks like this is the bridge that was closed below. We can detour to get around it without and not complain as we hear a life was lost. 

That meant we had to climb up Alt HW 97 and go through Chelan, WA.  Detour was fortunate for us as Chelan is a very pretty town 
with a world class lake. A big WOW factor. This no small resort town as a new SuperWallmart has been built. 

Now coming back down from high country and to the river again. 

This is one of the best scenic road drives I have may have ever been on me thinks. Every curve in the road produced another WOW comment. 
I don't do that much... but today my glass was not just half full but overflowing... No I tell myself... Just Stop That... 

Pateros City had a nice city park right on the river with $10 overnight curb side parking with a few 20 amp plug ins. 
Should have stayed, but moved on as it was still not even noon yet. You know me.  STOP for the day in the AM not, me thinks. 
The views were so great just wanted to see more around the curve... 

All along the river is fruit country. Here a few pickers are going to work. 

We landed at Entiat city RV park right on the river. 

If you have noticed I have ratcheted back on my pictures files sizes in the above. They were getting a little large. 
I do yell at bloggers who post huge pictures so I have restrained myself. Ouch... 
 

Another day another day trip yesterday... This time from our RV park in Omak to Riverside on back roads to Conconully, WA

 
 
 
 

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