Idaho genealogy jackpot

Can you believe it's been 29 days since we started this adventure?  If you recall, the plan was to trace and discover some of my father's ancestors and their stories.  After visiting the county records office yesterday, I have to admit that I was disappointed.  But today we went to the office for St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Coeur d'Alene where I had the pleasure of meeting Sue Schmidt.  This kind lady found for me the baptism records for my father and most of his siblings, as well as the burial records for my uncles.  I also discovered in the church records that grandpa Ramey wasn't Catholic -- how about that?  Each of the baptismal records (written of course in Latin) showed the notation beside his name "acatholicus."  Curiouser and curiouser...

We left the church and went downtown for lunch.  We found a fantastic restaurant, Artisian Pizza, that was decorated like a New York loft.  Very cool.  And the food was great!  We strongly recommend this restaurant for the decor, the service, and the great food!  We really like the city and may come back for vacation one day.

Back to genealogy, it occurred to us that maybe land records could give us some interesting insights into family stories.  So we retraced our steps back to the county records office and looked at the really cool old leather-bound records books of land transfers.  And BINGO we found the record of grandpa buying the land to build their home in Coeur d'Alene in 1920, and the clerk said the house still stands.  Turns out that when we drove by to shoot a few pictures, the owner of the house was outside doing yard work.  He rents the place out and was between tenants so he took us inside.  I just ate it up!  Of course, the house has been changed over the years, adding stucco over the original clapboard siding and extending the rear of the house.  But still, I could imagine my dad's chubby toddler knees on the wood floors.  I always pictured their home as a rustic cabin sort of place, but this house is in town, just down the street from St. Thomas church.  Wow!  And to think that just last night I was ready to leave town early.  Thank you, my love, for convincing me to stay.

Street art -- an elk!

As close as I'm getting

Just one of many cool old cars

Coeur d"Alene, Idaho

We headed out on US-2 West for Idaho this morning.  Why did the deer cross the road?  Really??  We saw eight deer within 15 miles that decided, despite ALL the land in Montana, that they wanted to eat the grass right along the highway.  Oh, yea, and that grass on the OTHER side of the road looks so much more tasty!  Charlie had to blow his horn at one to get it out of the road because it was too busy looking at the truck that was coming in the opposing lane.  Geez -- made the trip a bit more stressful than necessary.  Especially when Montana marks the site of traffic fatalities with white crosses.

We didn't expect Coeur d'Alene to have a municipal park with a beach and boats and children playing in the waterfalls and young men playing basketball.  It was so nice and had such a nice vibe!  It's the kind of place that I would recommend for someone wanting to leave and start over new.  No worries, though, it's too far from our families and friends.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get any genealogy information at the County court house.  But we did visit St. Thomas cemetery.  My father had two older brothers, John and Eugene, both of whom died within 4 months of each other in 1926.  As a parent, I cannot begin to fathom the grief.  And my poor dad!  He was only 5 years old and must have missed his big brothers so much.  So I cleaned off their head stones a bit, left my own cairn, and said a silent prayer for the uncles I would have liked to have known.

We decided to pass on the Beauty Creek National Forest campsite I had reserved -- no electricity or showers doesn't sound so adventuresome after 28 days! -- and instead decided to stay at an RV site closer to downtown.  I am right now appreciating the electricity and looking forward to a hot shower and a quick trip to Starbucks in the morning.  Yes, life is good, my friends!

I could not resist posting one more picture from Going to the Sun Road, in case you have any question of why they're called the Rockies.

(Photos:  US-2 our guide since Maine; three fatality markers; potted plants on the light poles; note the seaplane at the dock: John and Eugene Ramey headstones; Going to the Sun Road)

Fish Creek Campground, Glacier

Today started with local country sausage and eggs – thanks, Charlie – and I slept until 8:45!  Then we headed out in search of a printer and a scanner so we could take care of business.  The answer for this printer/scanner-deprived camper was the Flathead County Library in Columbia Falls -- a small but bustling place with a dad reading kids a story, with a bunch of children with their moms, volunteers running a children’s summer reading reward program, enough computers (though no WIFI) for everyone who wanted to use one, and very helpful staff.  It reminded me of going to the C Burr Artz Library in Frederick when I was a kid and afterwards watching the big gold fish (maybe Koi?) in the fountain outside.  I liked it.  As a bonus, we stopped for coffee and a triple-shot mocha latte (awake!) at the Montana Coffee Traders on our way back – very popular stop for coffee (of course) and a meal.  Highly recommend a stop here.

We set off for Going to the Sun Road again today so Charlie could show me Many Lodge.  It has a very different feel than Lake McDonald Lodge, more like a ski lodge to me, but bigger and with better views.  Charlie’s buddy, Bob Remeto, tried to convince me that we should stop on the way at a certain Indian bar that they’d visited a few years before – thanks for the suggestion but I think I’ll pass Bobby.   

By the time we arrived at Many Lodge it was 13 degrees cooler than when we started and windy… brrr.  I suggested a different route back – Route 49.  Oh my.  Have I mentioned that Charlie is not thrilled by heights?  Well, this particular narrow and windy road had few guardrails and fright-inspiring cliffs – oops, sorry!

The absolute highlight of today’s excursion was the bear sighting – a bear with 3 cubs!  I was so excited.  At a roadside pull-off we saw a crowd with cameras all aimed in the same direction, so we pulled over and saw the bears in the meadow below.  Thank you, Montana, for the treat!  I’m sure the pictures would be much better with my son-in-law Andy’s camera lens, but this is the best I could do.  Now if only I could see some elk or moose.

Tomorrow we drive to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and then in a few days on to Helena, Montana.  Thank you friends who have expressed concern about the wildfires in the area – we will not take risks so don’t worry.  But I really want to go to Helena, so pray for rain.

(Photos:  a river runs through it; snow covered peaks; Many Lodge; bear with 3 cubs)

Glacier National Park

We awoke early, had breakfast, and were ready early to board a Red Bus tour for our Going to the Sun Road tour. Our jammer was Benny who did a wonderful job both driving -- very carefully -- over the narrow and winding road as well as entertaining us with his stories and knowledge of Glacier National Park.  We were told to dress in layers for the ride because it can become quite cool at the higher elevations -- they did not mention hail.  Of course, I had on sandals (with socks, what can I say, I've become a dork!) that became totally soaked when we arrived at the Logan Pass visitor center.  But what a trip.



The vistas are just gorgeous!  I had seen Charlie's pictures from his earlier trip to Glacier, but it's so much more in person.  These pictures will hopefully give you a taste of the awesomeness of the park.

The waterfall is pretty neat.  The water falls down a series of steps and is directed through the tunnel under the roadway.  Nice engineering.  We had a wonderful tour.  We left for our next destination in Glacier, Fish Creek Campground.  We were still cold from our bus ride and decided it was time that we figured out how to work the furnace in the camper.  Perfect!  Must mention again how fortunate we feel that we have a camper trailer and not a tent.

 (Photos:  Red Bus at Lake McDonald Lodge; tunnel through rock; high rushing water; glacier stream through tunnel under the road)

Lake McDonald Lodge

We're here!  The scenery is just beautiful with snow on the mountain tops, stunning mountain vistas, and clear blue rivers and lakes.  We stopped for a bison burger -- it was great -- before we drove to Lake McDonald Lodge.

The lodge itself was build in 1914 and has the rustic look you'd expect -- massive logs, stone floors, and a fireplace you could park a sports car in.  By today's standards, it wouldn't earn five stars -- tiny bathroom with no tub, no AC (not an issue for us because the evening air was perfect), no elevator and so on.  But it does have a grandness and beauty and peace that you won't find at the Ritz.

Charlie and I went on a vintage 1930's touring boat ride on Lake McDonald.  It was sunny and pleasant, with beautiful views.  I was really happy we went.  

After dinner we sat out on the lodge's patio overlooking the lake and enjoyed a few drinks.  A perfect end to the day.  It rained overnight -- both of us were started awake by a too-close-for-comfort crack of lightning -- but we fell right back into a very restful sleep.  There's just something about a bed that doesn't have wheels...

The water is crystal clear.  The picture at the right is looking down on a river's edge.  You can see each stone on the bottom, and the color of the water is stunning.

Montana

Sunday June 24th
I am so happy to be in Montana!  Big Sky -- a better name couldn't have been found.  I tried several times to take a picture that would show Big Sky, but I just couldn't capture it.  This is the state where my dad grew up and that I heard the stories of -60F temperatures, grizzly bears, mountain lions...  Yes, very happy to be here.  My grandpa was a road surveyor who worked on (I think) US-2 and the eastern access to Glacier National Park (I know).  All of this Montana history makes me think of the songs that my dad, who had a beautiful voice, used to sing.  She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes, home home on the range, Tennessee waltz, I've been working on the railroad.  I miss you, dad. And I wish I'd quizzed you more about the Ramey family history, even though it sort of made you sad sometimes.

Wide open spaces.  HUGE ranches. But no wildlife sightings, not even a buffalo -- come on!  I did see in a local paper that a grizzly bear killed 70 sheep.  Ok, now I'm a bit scared about seeing wildlife.

I like the people here.  In another one of our many gasoline stops, the attendant gave me a free cup of coffee.  She asked "Is that all you're getting?  Did you get gas?"  And it was free.  How nice is that?  Can't imagine that happening on Rockville Pike.  Oh, and one of the customers was wearing spurs.  Loved it.

As we've traveled US-2 in MT, we've seen a few unique things.  One -- We saw the side of the highway and the median strip being mowed, raked, and bailed for cattle.  Very green.  Second, road construction -- on steroids!  Many miles of US-2 were under construction -- a major highway was turned into a gravel road!  With the traffic in the DC metro area, can you imagine if a highway were gravel?

 And when we again had paved road, there is a huge black cloud with lightning hovering over our route.  We are out-running it though -- what??  Driving rain, buffeting wind, 10' visibility, and shooter marble-sized HAIL!  The hail only lasted a few minutes, but the camper took a beating -- dents everywhere.  Hello, State Farm.

Because of yesterday's ND campground fail, we traveled farther than planned so we didn't camp in MT where we planned.  So tonight we are at the Riverview RV Park in Cut Bank, MT.  Thank you, Montana.

(Photos: US-2 as a gravel road; dark skies before the hail; view at our campground)  

North Dakota in a day

Friday June 23rd
When we drove onto the plains of North Dakota, we saw a landscape dominated by crops and cattle.  At our first gasoline stop at a small station, I saw 2 men and 1 little boy with big cowboy hats talking about the local rodeo.  A bit down the road, we stopped at a vintage car show.  So far, we were liking the view of ND that we saw from US-2 West. 

 

Then we got to the Williston oil basin area.  There were oil pumps, and flaming methane, and storage tanks, earth movers digging and moving the dirt around.  BIG equipment and trucks.  Barracks housing and travel trailers everywhere to house the workers.  But there are no towns in the area.  The plot thickens.  We arrived at the campground that, from what I saw on their website, looked the best of those in the area.  And it probably was.  The problem was that the rv park, as well as every random parking lot in the area, was being used to house the oil workers.  So "our" campground had campers lined up like a parking lot where, if you sneezed, the guy in the next trailer would say bless you.  And it was Saturday night and these were men who'd been working hard all week -- uh, no.  We decided not to stay. 



So down the road a bit we thought, hey, let's just get a room tonight.  Remember all those workers?  Yea, the Holiday Express was charging $295 + tax for a room.  No.  So we hit the road, eventually stopping in Montana at a weight station/rest area for the night.  We had the company of several big trucks, a couple of vans, and another camper -- oh, and the highway noise and the railroad tracks.  We were up early.

North Dakota, I'm sure you're a lovely state.  We just weren't able to experience it this trip.  Maybe next time.

Minnesota - Land of Lakes

Lake Bemidji State Park -- I'm really liking this campground. Great WIFI reception at the campsite PLUS not too many mosquitoes or flies.  So Charlie and I are presently sitting by the campfire -- free camp wood left by the previous campers THANKS -- while I write this post. 
 
If you are an outdoors person, you need to visit Minnesota.  Sporting supplies are sold everywhere.  And there are lakes!  While we were in the Upper Peninsula, we saw signs all over advertizing a Friday Fish Fry.  Of course, now that it's Friday, not a sign in sight in the Land of Lakes.

I was surprised how the majority of the rural roads we've seen are gravel.  I guess that makes sense in areas that are not heavily populated -- like Warba, population 101.  I love seeing so many population signs.  Speaking of signs, the Adopt a Highway program exists here as well, but the twist is that many of the stretches of road are dedicated to a lost loved one.  Nice, instead of an advertisement. 

Charlie has enjoyed seeing all the vintage cars -- we have seen so many being driven or just parked or being sold.  And for the most part they're in beautiful condition.  What's with that?  I guess vintage American cars are the toys of choice for the boys of the upper midwest.

To all my lady friends in the neighborhood sipping Friday night cocktails right now, Enjoy!

Wisconsin - Where the state dance is the Polka!

Delayed post for Thursday June 21st

Deluge in Duluth!  We didn’t realize it at the time, but the big rains we griped about yesterday caused HUGE rain – nearly 10 inches in two days – in the area of Duluth, MN.  Tonight we’re camping at Pattison State Park near Superior, Wisconsin, which is right across the bridge from Duluth.  You have probably heard on the news about the zoo that flooded, killing many animals and temporarily losing a polar bear and a seal – both recovered.  Big flooding in the area, houses destroyed, huge sink holes, roads torn up.  We went over to see Big Manitou Falls near the campground and it was amazing.  So our challenge tomorrow is to figure out whether US-2 is open through the area so we can continue west as planned.

Today I drove all the way – imagine that!  In Superior we took the time to a) get the oil changed in the Ford – 3600 miles driven so far; and b) go to the laundry mat.  Tonight, we’re camping at Pattison State Park which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It is a really nice park with swimming, camping (of course), picnicking, hiking, and cool old buildings.  Downside?  flies and mosquitoes.  We had the same problem at Gogebic State Park last night -- You would think that since we arrived in a POURING rain, they would have taken a break from trying to eat the tourists, but no.

One neat sight – the mailboxes along the roads in the area are built, usually with metal poles, such that they will pivot when struck by a snow plow.  Don’t you just love Yankee ingenuity?

Pure Michigan

Before we left Sault Ste. Marie yesterday, we drove over to the Soo Locks on St. Mary’s river and watched a couple of ships pass through on their way from Lake Superior to Lake Huron.  I guess it’s essentially the same technology that they used at the C&O canal as early as the 1830s.  It was cool to watch.  We also stopped at the Weather Bureau museum at the locks.  Prior to the Weather Bureau being established, commerce ships consistently sank in the Great Lakes and hundreds of sailors died because the captains could not predict upcoming storms.  

So we headed west on US-2 this morning.  Some sights along the way -- The neat cairns of Rte 17 in Canada have given way to graffiti.  Twice, we saw a wild turkey trying to cross the road (Why did the turkey…), one with her babies trailing behind.  Pasties are apparently quite popular to eat here.  There are snow mobile paths adjacent to and crossing US-2.  Must be pretty wild during the winter snows!  A general store/gas station where we stopped had a wide variety of animal pelts for sale, including a black bear.  It may also have served as a taxidermy business given the number of animals mounted on the walls.  And none of the gas stations have pay-at-the-pump – nearly drove away forgetting to pay.  Less technology and more trust in this area of the country.

The best part of today’s trip?  Stopping at a road-side pull off for lunch, getting out of the car and walking back to camper to eat, while enjoying a beautiful view of Lake Michigan.  Blessed indeed!

(Photos: Gorgeous flower bed at Soo Locks; Charlie wading in the St Mary's River; Vernors Ginger Ale)

Out of Canada

The plan was to drive from Pembroke to Sudbury, Canada, for the night then continue on to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  Plans changed so we (i.e., Charlie) drove straight to the border instead. Traveling along transcontinental Route 17 West, I was surprised by the number of courageous/fool-hardy bicyclists who were sharing this two-lane highway with the cars, trucks, and campers whizzing by.  Then I started to notice that there were cairns -- a pile of stones left by travelers -- along the top edges of roadside rocky cliffs.  Some were just little piles of rocks, with one laid on top of the next, while others were pretty elaborate piles in the shape of a figure with the body (of rocks) balanced on two legs (of rocks).  It is my guess that these cairns were left by the bikers that stop to rest as they travel Rt 17.  After I noticed the first one, I found myself constantly scanning the top edges of the granite boulders on the side of the road.  Very very neat.  I tried to take a picture but, since we were traveling at 90 km/hr :-) and there was no safe shoulder to pull onto, all I was able to capture was a blur.  Now if I had the camera and skill of my high-school friend Linda O'Brien Huffman, I would have a great picture to share! 

Some fun highway signs -- Please don't feed the bears!  Not likely to be a problem - yikes!  A second pair of signs was warning of deer and moose.  They were positioned side-by-side such that it looked like the moose was charging after the deer.  Made me chuckle.  I'm disappointed not to have seen a moose in our travels, but Charlie has lifted my hopes with the chance to see elk in Montana and Idaho.  My dad used to mentioned grizzly bears and mountain lions, so I hope not to see any of them!

We are staying in a nice campground, Brimley State Park, on the banks of the St. Marys river.  Very pretty, with a sandy beach and apparently great fishing.  It was really nice to hear the fog horns of passing ships last  night.  At one point, it seemed to me that they were talking to each other with different tones.  It was beautiful -- a wonderful alternative to the highway noises of the Garden State Parkway! 

Unfortunately, there is no wifi in the area except at the local McDonalds.  Today Charlie and I are going to explore Saulte Ste. Marie, both the US and Canada side.