AND NAOMI & JOHN'S WEDDING WEEKEND
July 25, 2000, Tuesday- off and running at a little after nine, and headed towards Vernal, Utah. After having driving a zillion interstate miles, we thought we would try US 40, which we would pick up an hour north of where we were via Route 9. The local road was great with a substantial shoulder the entire way. Heading west of 40 out of Kremmling, in Grand County, the US highway had no shoulder at all, and the trucks were cruising in the opposite directions at 65 plus MPH. Dicey! After crossing into Routt County, and Rabbit Ears Pass, we picked up a shoulder the rest of the way and basically didn't see another vehicle. Very nice, and comfortable with a 65 speed limit. Throughout the trip we noticed smoke from the Colorado forest fires. Arriving in Vernal at a KOA by 3 PM was a nice change of pace, permitting us to relax after the 277 mile drive.
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The grass space that we were in wasn't the most level spot in the world, and it took two 4x4's under the left rear jack, and a few extra pads under the front jack to get close to level. All evening Susan kept saying that we were far from level, but me in my thick headedness, kept saying to myself, it's as level as it's going to get. Susan also asked if she could do some wash, and I said no problem, forgetting that the sewer hose connection was beyond the reach of our hose, since we were very far forward in our space, trying to get as level as possible.
July 26, 2000, Wednesday- what a start to the day. All night long we were way off balance, so far that the sliding privacy door midsection of the coach, would slide open by itself. By morning, it was even more tilted. It seems that the left rear jack pushed all of the wooden blocks into the wet, soft grass, while the right side held up. The nose was so high, that Mom needed help getting in and out of the coach. In doing my check this morning, there was some jack fluid in the left rear jack pad. Also, our gray water tanks were almost full, so no showers until we dump.
Trying to be a good neighbor in the campground, I didn't want to start our engine to fix the jacks until 7:30. We had already finished breakfast hoping to do our touring starting at 8AM. Well, the jacks came up but the lights indicating that the jacks were down didn't go out. Out with the manual which talked about pulling the dip stick on the reservoir and making sure that it was 1/8" below the top. I searched high and low and couldn't find any dipstick. So, I called the factory and found out that starting with '99 models, there isn't a dipstick. Just pull the fill cover and top it to the top with automatic transmission fluid.
OK, so no showers, and we have to get some ATF. Let's head out to the Dinosaur National Monument and take the shuttle to the excavation site. It was cool. Thousands of bones have been removed, and thousands left in place as a permanent exhibit. The site, first discovered in 1909, provided many answers to the dinosaur history questions. The area, 450 million years ago, was a streambed, which in turn was covered with thousands of feet of fill over the years, then subjected to vertical lift 150 million years ago, and then the erosion took over exposing some of the artifacts.
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On schedule we left the park at 10:30, when, 9 miles down the road, I couldn't find my cell phone. Returning to the park, the entrance ranger said "this one?" and handed me my phone that must have fallen out of the car, or off my hip in the parking lot, and been run over by my or somebody else. Needless to say, we were not happy.
So, pickup some ATF, add it to the reservoir, and hope for the best. It worked! Lights out! Next, call AT&T, and negotiate a phone deal, $60 off if we signup for another year of service. Sounds good to me. They will ship the next phone to Coeur d'Alene, and we will pick it up, hopefully, when we get there on Friday. However, they say 3 to 5 working days. We shall see.
All of the above is really just an inconvenience. Phil will be delayed in heading north for the wedding, as a friend, a Copper Mountain Ski Patrolman was dying at any moment of leukemia. He felt he wanted to comfort the fellow, and then the family. It puts things into perspective.
At noon we started our drive to Pocatello, ID, about 325 miles from Vernal, a gorgeous drive with endless changing vistas. Utah provides unbelievable views, as seen from the backside of Park City and the other ski areas. The temperature in Salt Lake City was 102 degrees. Hot, but the dash air kept us reasonably comfortable. When we stopped for fuel, I cranked up the generator and the roof air to keep Mom and the cabin at livable temperatures. Arriving into Idaho, the skies were filled with black smoke. On our arrival into Pocatello, we were enveloped with smoke and falling ash. A state of emergency exists in our county of Bannock, but we look like we are a safe distance from any direct problem.
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July 27, 2000, Thursday- we survived the night well, due a wind shift. After a great breakfast of lox, eggs and onions we got on the road just after 9 AM, and arrived in Missoula, MT at 5 PM, an easy drive, again through spectacular scenery. The wind was too strong to do any BBQ at the coach, so we went for a bite at a local joint, and the first thing I saw at the bar, was a sign for my favorite brew. It's been two-year's since I've had one, and many American Coach owners had voted it the best in the USA during the various BS sessions. Moose Drool is number one, and it was worth waiting for. After dinner we left Mom in the small casino attached to the restaurant, or was it the other way around?, and went to Costco, down the street. Low and behold, they now have Moose Drool in bottles, so I picked up a few cases, just to be prepared. Big Sky Brewing Company has come through again.
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After returning from dinner we were pleasantly surprised that Phil and Karen had caught up with us, and had reserved the last space in the park. It's nice to have them on the road with us again.
July 28, 2000- Friday- we took a tour of the Smoke Jumpers Museum in Missoula, MT. This group of 450 people spread over some 8 or 10 bases, are nuts. First you become a forest fire fighter (say that three times fast), then after seven practice jumps, you are certified to jump out of a plane or chopper, and parachute into a fire area. Try not to get caught in the trees on the way down, or land in the hot spots! They carry 70 pounds of gear, wear special orange jump suits, (no pun intended), and with a few cargo chutes that follow, are prepared for three days and nights in the wilderness. After putting out the fires, hopefully, they walk out to the nearest logging road to be picked up by a land vehicle. All of this for $10.50 an hour to start.
Then we cruised over to Coeur d'Alene, ID. After crossing the MT. Border, and entering the Pacific Time Zone, we cruised down from 6300 feet to Coeur d'Alene Lake, at 2100 feet, all this over a fifty five mile decent.
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With temperatures forecast for the upper 90's, 99 to be exact, Susan needed a change to the planned wedding outfit. So, off to the resort shops we headed for a new outfit. It looked marvelous on her!
Art and Anna and Shelby had set up a hospitality suite at the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort Hotel, and we got to see all of the family from the Kleimer side and the Ast side. Great fun, and a nice dinner at 10 PM (11 from the Mountain Time Zone we all just left), before it was crash time.
July 29, 2000, Saturday. I picked up Rob and Deb at the Spokane Airport and returned to the resort in time for the kids to hitch a ride on the pontoon boat that Phil and Karen had rented. It was a perfect day in the sun for a cruise around the point to see the floating green at the resort golf course. This multimillion-pound green was complete with sand traps, flowers, trees, and of course grass, is reached via a shuttle boat. It is quite the site. A driving range hits balls into a fence area of the lake, and a boat harvests the balls. Ah, what money can do.
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The rehearsal dinner was aboard a dinner cruise pontoon boat on Coeur d'Alene Lake, and it provided a great place to meet John's family and to roast and toast the bride and groom. A lovely time on board, but more time was needed to finish the roasting, so off to a private dinning room behind the bar for more celebrations. Funny stories that can't be repeated in print.
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BE BRIDE AND GROOM |
July 30, 2000, Sunday- the wedding day is here. Susan and I were rushing around the coach to get ready for a rehearsal breakfast, when I won and lost at the same time. I was sans shoes and put my foot down just before Susan reached the same spot with her shoes one. Now, it will be a challenge for the next few weeks having a broken toe on my left foot.
Off to meet Art and Anna for a morning of kayaking on the lake, lots of fun and a little exercise, followed by a magnificent Sunday Brunch in the "Resort". I think we are eating our way through the weekend.
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At 4 we drove to the golf course where the family photos and wedding ceremony were to take place at 6. The car thermometer read 99. Tuxedos and dresses were a challenge in this heat. Lots of towels were needed for the photos, but by the time the wedding was to begin, and the boats arrived from the resort filled with the guests, a few light clouds provided a temporary respite from the intensity of the sun. A more beautiful setting couldn't have been planned, with the lake for background, a four piece string group for musical accompaniment, and a bride and groom with deep love in their eyes, it was perfect.
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Prior to the ceremony I had the chance to chat with one of the proshop staff members, and they estimate that less then 10% of the golfers actually land on the floating green. Local rules, designed to keep the game moving and the frustration levels from building, provide for two drives, and then a balled dropped in the drop zone on the edge of the green, with a lie of four. Each foursome plays with a fore-caddy, and the average time is four hours and fifteen minutes per round, for a $200 green fee.
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Back at the hotel, the reception for 175 folks was set in the elegance of the five star Coeur d'Alene Resort Ballroom, and the food and service couldn't have been more splendid. We left at 11:50 with everyone having tired feet from a night of dancing, that is, everyone but Mom and myself, due to our foot problems. Susan, however, didn't miss a number. Her feet never touched the ground, and it was great to watch "Aunt Sue" outpace all of the kids.
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July 31, 2000, Monday. The day after the big weekend. At 7:30 I drove Mom back to the Spokane Airport, 50 minutes away with traffic, for her 9:30 flight. With two connections, one in Salt Lake, and one in Dallas, it will be midnight before she returns home. A long day!
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At 10 we returned to the sceen of the crime, and regrouped with all of the family at John and Naomi's honeymoon suite to share in the present opening. Some gifts were good, some interesting, and some "why bother", but they were in a great mood, and everyone enjoyed the last hurrah before a quick bite and the run to the airport.
Rob & Deb's flight went well, but the nine heading back to Denver had a four plus hour delay because United couldn't find a flight crew to fly the plane from Chicago to Spokane to Denver. Needless to say, they were not happy campers.
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