Back to Oconee

October 18  Monday
Flew into Atlanta on Thursday with Barb's sister Vicki and her husband Ed.  We met Ben and Penny for dinner before heading east to Lake Oconee.  Ben and Penny's retreat continues to be just that for us.  With temps in the 80's, we spent much of Friday, Saturday and Sunday outside.  Ben was fighting the flu Friday and Saturday, and Penny was fighting it on Sunday.  However, we were still able to spend some time Sunday on the lake.  Today we are visiting one of our most favorite towns, Madison, Georgia which is just a few miles from B and P's lake home.  The town, spared the scorched earth policy of Sherman's march to the sea, has several homes and buildings from the early 1800's.  We plan to spend another week in this area.

Ben, waveboarding behind the boat...

Home

Arrived home Saturday afternoon after spending two nights in Lacrosse.  We had the opportunity to visit with all the E WA sibs and their spouses, visit the Selbu cemetery, and even watch a nephew's daughter play a basketball game in my high school gym.  You can "go back" but it is never the same.  So many things change, most for the good.

Again, Barb and I are so thankful for the experience.  Another National Park is "checked off" our list, another rendezvous with good friends and family, and another safe trip into the exploration of the Creation.  Our RV has opened up so many opportunities, opportunities that are beyond our expectations.

Picnic lunch at Whitefish Lake the day before leaving MT.

On the way home

Left Diane and Gary this a.m. and drove through Kalispell, Libby, Bonners Ferry, through Sandpoint and settled in Newport Washington tonight.  What gorgeous country with so many clear lakes and rivers.

Glacier

goat

Many Glacier Lodge.  Not many glaciers now.

A bit cloudy and hazy, but an enjoyable day traveling through Glacier with Gary and Diane.

Sheep

Waiting for construction

Crews work to retrieve worker who had gone over the edge in a loader.

Under the Big Sky

Finally, an evening under the Big Sky.  A gormet meal of fresh fish and dining outside overlooking the valley.

fish finally

After a day of rain with some exploring, and a day of wind, with more exploring around Polson, Gary and I finally got on the lake today.  The sun shone bright and the winds were calm.  The lake trout grow big here, sometimes above 30 lbs.  We caught six and released three.  With Gary's fish alone, our motorhome tiny freezers were full.   Tomorrow we hope to drive the 80 some miles north to camp just outside Glacier.

On to Flathead Lake

On Wednesday morning we met up with Gary and Diane in Coeur d Alene.  We traveled east together marveling at the beautiful countryside, especially the Clark Fork River.  We are parked in Polson on the south shore of Flathead Lake.  We will spend four days here, at least one of those days fishing. (MT fishing licence in hand).