August 2004

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The summer is passing more quickly than we'd like. Here it is August already. The days swiftly move into nights almost unnoticed. We suddenly realized we've been retired and fulltiming a whole year now.

The sights are far and few between out here. We visited a religious
commune in Springdale. (approx. 15 miles south) where they live a
very simple, self-contained lifestyle. Women are dressed in bright
purple and green printed dresses and men wear black pants with
suspenders. They raise cattle, grow crops in order to sell at the
area's farmer's markets, and create leather novelty items for tourists.

On our last day we drove up to Showdown Ski Resort in the Little
Belt mountains enjoying a spectacular view. The temperature was
91 when we left the campground with the usual risk of rain.

While decending
the mountains the
sky gave way to
huge raindrops turn-
ing to hailstones.
It was a horrifying
experience.

Down the road we settled into a campsite located in Cheney, Washington. So much to see.....so little time. It's located 10 miles west of Spokane, the inland Empire's "Lilac City." We visited Riverfont Park with its 100 acres of greenery. The famous group, ZZ-Topp, had just performed over the weekend
and Rod Stewart was scheduled to appear. There were Japanese gardens at Manito Park, wineries, museums, and a walking/biking path stretching from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Spokane is a city rich in culture and activities where the August weather was a comfortable 75-80 degrees.

One thing we've noticed about the western and northwestern states is an abundance of espresso cafes. They really love their caffiene out here. They have kiosks on street corners with drive-up windows. Even the campground we stayed at had an espresso cart at the office.

We moved onto White Sulphur Springs, Montana. The town boast it's
mineral pool which is open to the public. It recharged my body but I
think it gave Don his cold. (In and out of extremely hot water)

On our last day we visited Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. It's located about
20 miles east of Spokane. The huge lake is the center of attraction in
the city. There's a great deal of attention paid to recreational activities
and the arts. The park stage hosts free entertainment and the playgrounds
as well as the beach area provide unlimited fun.