Kim & John's 2013 Western Adventure

8/13/2019 Kim & John's 2013 Western Adventure

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Kim & Johns

Western Adventure

Summer 2013


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Our Summer of 2013

June 1, Minnetonka MN

Cue Simon & Garfunkel, "We've gone to look for

America . . ." Well, at least the northwest

portion of it!

June 1, Casselton ND

Eventful first day. Lost our

second20 foot awning when

it decided to self-deploy

(much like it's predecessor)at 60 mph, compounded this

time by gale force North

Dakota winds. Cut it loose

and recuperated at this less

than picturesque parking lot

campground west of Fargo ND.

June 2, Bismarck ND

Hit the sights on Day 2. We found the largest buffalo inthe world in Jamestown ND, and learned the tallest

building in North Dakota is the rather nondescript State

Capitol in Bismarck. Who knew?
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June 3, Dickinson ND

Thanks to all your terrific travel tips

(feeling alliterative today), we took in

part of ND's Enchanted Highway Truly

amazing art, including this 80 ton, 150by 110 "Geese in Flight," the largest

scrap metal sculpture in the world,

fittingly constructed in ND of oil well

tanks and pipe. Like all rock tours,

we've decided to christen our summer

sojourn the "World's Biggest Tour."

Im thinking we need to print

commemorative t-shirts . . .

June 3, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

With every visit to a National Park, a grateful nation turns its eyes to Teddy Roosevelt, who first

visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 . . . albeit not in a diesel pusher. The beautifully rugged

landscape in his namesake park is a legacy of the conservation policy he shaped to benefit so

many generations yet to come.


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June 3, Glendive MT

Were averaging one marriage-affirming RV challenge a day, mostly electrical, and so far,

science, skill and cunning are winning out over fear, ignorance and superstition. Others involve

operator error, where our latest life lesson was gleaned from trying to park a 17 ton rolling

house on uncompacted gravel after a week ofrain. Wisdom comes from experience, and

experience comes from bad choices . . .

June 4, Billings MT

Took a look down a westbound road, right away I made my choice . . . Still cloudy, but we seem

to have finally outrun the rain, knock on naugahyde. Absolutely gorgeous night in Billlings on

the Yellowstone River at the worlds very first KOA. Kant make this stuff up!


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June 5, Anaconda MT

Crossing the Northern Rockies in Montana, its difficult not to wonder at the intrepid spirit of

the Lewis and Clark expedition more than two centuries earlier. In another first today, our

search for the worlds perfect lemonade ended with a

street vendor in Anaconda MT.

June 5, Missoula MT

A word about our Beast of Burden. Its a vintage1990 Monaco Signature Crown Royale, lovingly

restored (see before and after pix). For the cylinder-index crowd: Cummins L-10 engine, Allisontransmission & Bendix cruise that would carry us to the top of K-2, if asked. For the HGTV

crowd: refinished solid oak cabinets, 3/4" hardwood flooring, dry stack stone in kitchen and

bath, convection oven, washer/dryer, satellite HDTV, WiFi & assorted man cave electronics.

Lewis & Clark 2.0
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June 5, Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain Hiiiiiiiigh, Mon-tana-Ida-ho! Its

been three decades since I called Colorado home,

but memories of the summertime Rockies came

flooding back today. Brilliant, clear skies that goon forever. Hot, penetrating sun, soothed by a

pine-scented breeze. High mountain meadows

cut by icy streams. Sweater-cool nights with a

million stars all around. And the mountain air.

Always crisp, forever clean.


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June 6, Osburn ID

Weve been especially taken by the fellow adventurers

weve met along the way. Like earlier explorers of

strange new lands, campers of all ages and ilk are

refreshingly accessible to their transient neighbors,

willingly sharing tips and tales. Our new friends todayinclude an amateur gold-panning prospector, and this

gentleman teaching his grandkids how to fly fish . . .

and apparently the youngest, how to modern dance.

June 6, Wallace ID

One of the joys of adventuring is discovering

little towns along the way. Todays find wasWallace ID, an old mining town where every

downtown building is on the National Historic

Register, home of the Wallace Blues Festival,

beer of "historic proportion," and a manhole

cover declaring it the center of the universe.


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June 7, Moses Lake WA

We found a little touch of CO in the

Pacific Northwest in the eastern high

plains of WA. After an afternoon dip

at our nice little RV resort, we

discovered a wonderful little shopthat had Kims childhood bike and

clever lamps built out of household

objects, including a motorcycle

cylinder head and shifter for a switch!

June 8, Cascade Mountains

Completed our outbound leg today after the Beast courageously

surmounted another couple of mountain passes in the glorious

Cascades. Planning to dock in Port Seattle for a few days to visit

friends. Interesting how we land voyagers have adopted the

nautical terms, tho urban campsites are far less sylvan than

we are used to!


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June 9, Seattle WA

Spent a wonderful day with my college roommate Ted and his lovely wife Jeanne rediscovering

Seattles vibrant arts community, natural urban environment, and fresh salmon! Its so nice to

share such a comfortable familiarity with someone from your deep, deep past. All these things

that dont change, come what may.


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June 10, Bonney Lake WA

The mountain was out today, and

the bluest skies youve ever seen

are in Seattle! Fellow Minnetonka

retiree Joe and his delightful wife

Bev shared with us their friendshipand beautifully renovated home,

and then let me live a vicarious

moment on the ultimate two-

wheeler. After a great sea-side

burger, we took in the sights of

verdant Point Defiance Park and

the Tacoma Narrows bridge,

whose predecessor infamously

bucked and collapsed under wind

resonance to the awe of us one-

time engineering majors.


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June 11, Vancouver BC

The Beast carried us into international territories today

as we left the U S of A and arrived in Vancouver BC for a

few days. Aside from the impossibly lush flora along the

coast, humungous trees, pleasantly mild climate, cool

suspension bridges and interesting place names, we areparticularly impressed that the snow stays in the nearby

mountains - where it belongs!


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June 12, Victoria BC

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call.

Following a misty morning ferry ride, the liquid

sunshine of the Vancouver Island mountains

delivered us into another day in paradise. Strolledamong the landed gentry at Victorias world

renowned Empress Hotel (shown here with my own

Princess), before opting for a more modest

afternoon tea at one of those delightful chance

discoveries. Ive my fathers French Canadian name,

but carry my mothers English tastes.


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June 13, Capilano BC

1,860 miles on The Beast and 350 more on The Toad at our halfway mark. To my Canuck great-

grandfather (and namesake, John Gunyou), thats 3,557 kilometers. I can see for miles and

miles and miles and miles . . .


Vancouver BC is the land of emerald rain

forests, without the stifling humidity. An

interesting meteorological phenomenon only

Paul Douglas Fir might explain. A clime that

nurtures mossy beds and huge, first-growth

ferns that predate time. And trees.

Reeeeeealy big trees. Awe-inspiring trees that

still tower over you when standing on a

suspension bridge watching eagles fly below.


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The Vancouver bromance continues.

Primordial forests, nearby mountains AND

oceans, breathtaking gorges and First

Nation carvings, vibrant urban density at a

livable scale, multimodal boulevards withgargantuan hedges, But mostly, its the

incredible skies. Skies in constant motion,

with ever evolving depths and hues,

impossible to faithfully capture in two-

dimensional digital images.


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As we reluctantly leave the west coast to cross the Cascades, I find myself thinking about the

waters we have come to know, and the salmon who defy logic and gravity to return to the place

of their birth to spawn and complete their life cycle. Leaving the bays that only hint of vast

oceans to enter the streams that cut through rocky, tree-lined canyons, up into waters with a

compelling life and energy of their own. Waters so rightly captured by Norman Maclean, "When

I am alone in the half light of the canyon, all existence seems to fade into being with my soul

and my memories of those I have loved. Eventually all things merge into one . . . and a river

runs through it.


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June 16, Leavenworth WA

The high plains and rolling Columbia River

valley between the Cascades and Rockies

must have been a welcome respite for those

intrepid, if not slightly unbalanced, souls who

ventured west in the pre-HoJo days. Divertingonto blue highways, we spent a delightful

evening on the Wenatchee River near

Leavenworth WA, the self-proclaimed

Accidental Bavaria of North America, where

even multinational banks and McDs sport

Germanic script.

June 17, Coeur DAlene ID

Our portal to the Rockies was Coeur

DAlene, a picturesque mountain town

on a beautiful Idaho lake. We

especially enjoy the local adventuring

at the end of our travel day, and

todays discoveries included acharming college campus, downtown

public ball field, very cool wooden

hulled boat, extraordinary sidewalk

commemoration, and the longest

floating boardwalk in the world -

another notch on our biggest tour!


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June 17, Post Falls ID

Nearing the Montana border, we felt compelled to order rare steaks for dinner last tonight, and

were not disappointed. My heroes have always been cowboys. And they still are, it seems . . .

all I know is, weve definitely left the land of Earl Grey tea, fresh cream and honey.


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June 18, Bitterroot Range ID

A peaceable drive today through the Western Rockies along gorgeous river valleys. Skirting the

Bitterroot Range brought to mind another Norman Maclean memory, "As the moon lingers for

a moment over the Bitterroots, before its descent into the invisible, my mind is filled with song.

I find I am softly humming, not to the music, but to something else. A place remembered . . .

somewhere else. A field of grass and wild flowers where no one seems to have been, except thedeer. And the memories are strengthened by the feeling of you . . . dancing in my arms." I do so

miss mountains in my life.

June 19, Butte MT

Stood alone on a mountain top, starin' out

at the Great Divide. Land Yacht carried us

across the peak of North Americas

watershed in a steep climb that

necessitated downshifting, leaning forward

and gritting out teeth. Down into the Land

of Big Skies, and boy are they ever! Skies sobig you need an owls neck to take it all in.

Skies so big I have to wear my grandpa

goggles to screen all that sun.


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June 19, Livingston MT

Weve been leading a charmed Camelot life, where it

never rains till after sundown . . . or at least until after

we hookup! It was a dark and stormy night at a beautiful

little campground on the banks of the Yellowstone River,

owned by John & Kim (no relation). Ambled aroundhistoric Livingston MT, and returned for breakfast at a

little diner we discovered the night beforeour usual

routine. Kim, sporting her new non-sweatshop sweater,

had the best French toast ever, and I enjoyed perfectly

prepared soft scrambled eggs, a rasher of slab bacon,

and even a honey jar for my tea. The historic Murray

Hotel sports an identical sign as Minneapolis classic

steakhouse, and we found out later that a MN friends

brother owns it!


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June 20, Billings MT

Mountain pass downgrades are a challenge -

as Newton points out, bodies in motion tend

to stay in motion (especially massive bodies!),

unless acted on by an outside force (like Jake

brakes!) Land Yacht sailed through the highplains of southeastern MT, where cattle graze

among rolling buttes that look like sock lumps

under a green blanket. In Sheridan WY, King

of Cowboy Towns, our campsite fittingly

faced a horse pasture.


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June 20, Sheridan WY

We spent a fun evening at a street festival in

Sheridan, complete with a cowboy band, future

Olympian, street artists, somewhat ancient cavalry

drum corps, and even a Penneys with the J.C.!


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June 21, MN ND MT ID WA BC WA ID MT WY SD MN

There is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the

dark of night . . . Navigator Kim has truly risen above and

beyond our directionally-challenged marriage. (It was an omen

that neither of us could remember where we parked our

car after getting our marriage license.) She has skillfullybalanced such exogenous variables as daily mileage limits,

habitable campgrounds, nightly new towns, Google-mappable

and Beast-drivable routes, to construct a remarkable voyage

across the northern tier of our country. All that, and entertain

the pilot by conjuring up creative limericks . . .

June 21, Gillette WY

We cruised through the Gillette WY coal

fields, which triggered flashbacks to my

former CO consulting life. Then, the Dakotas

welcomed us back the way we left them -

with menacing thunderstorm clouds that

outran The Beast, and reached down to

envelop us like a Steven King fog.


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June 21, Black Hills SD

Well, after 21 days of peaceful coexistence, The Beast turned on us. After removing its 50 lb.

starter in a thunderstorm (the next day was drier), the failing organ had to be admitted to the

diesel hospital, and with the weekend, that means were at least two days behind our original

MN ETA. The good news is, were marooned in a beautiful Black Hills park. The bad news is,

satellite, internet and phone service is more than a little sketchy. The good news is, we have anexcuse to see more of the local sights. The bad news is, many of them involve reptiles,

animated creatures, wax figurines and waterslides.


The overwhelming majesty of Mt. Rushmores

heroic profiles juxtaposed with one mans

unrequited dream of a Crazy Horse Memorial

evoked memories of the many faces of America

we have seen along the way. The seasoned WA

traveler who offered us counsel on his favorite

campgrounds. At the top of a MT mountain

pass, the trucker who shared driving tips, the

retired SD mechanic who drove an hour one

evening to help try and resuscitate The Beast,

the genial BC border guard who was more

interested in our travels than in possible

contraband, the ND auto parts store ownerwho took time to diagnose a problem, then

sent us to a competitor, the WY couple who

shared stories of their 13 grandchildren -

wishing their four sons would stop! All our

fellow AZ, CO, OR, VA, CA, GA, et al mobile

migrants who have provided the many human

scale experiences that so enriched our travels.


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We spent Day 2 of our enforced relaxation in the

mountain sunshine on the spectacular Needles Highway

in Custer State Park, with its intimidating 8 foot-wide

rock tunnels, towering pillars, expansive vistas, mountain

meadows and deep blue lakes. Only a ceramic buffalo,but then, everything feels a little grander at altitude.
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June 24, Bad Lands National Park SD

On the road again. Just can't wait to get on the road

again . . . the organ transplant was successful, so The

Beast was discharged from our Black Hills KOA to the

northern plains. We bypassed Wall Drug, foregoing

the requisite bumper sticker, but did divert into theBadlands, which I first visited many years ago on a

solo motorcycle trip from CO to MN. Riding quietly

and alone through those unimaginable formations, I

remember struggling to fathom the awe of the first

visitors when they sanctified the grounds for all

future beliefs. Now Kim and I both do.


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June 25, Belvidere SD

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway . . . This adventure definitely

needed a 60s sound track. Looking back on these many posts, it seems Ive managed to invoke

(some twice) Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead, the

Stones, the Eagles, the Who, the Jimmy Buffet, Allman Brothers, John Denver, Judy Collins, even

Learner & Loewe and retro Perry Como, and now Sweet Baby James.


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June 25, Wall SD

Returning to sea level, we seem to have transitioned from grandiose natural scenery to

beckoning man-made sights. Leaving the Pacific Northwest, Cascades, Rockies, Black Hills and

Badlands, we entered the vast rolling plains of East Dakota, with nature on a much smaller

scale, like the curious dragonflies that shared our campsite. Sights ranged from a recreated

1880 prairie town, Elvis Harley, and the worlds only Palace of Corn, all of which will have towait for a future trip with the grandkids. Although . . . as a child of the corn belt, I found the

latter concept strangely compelling.

June 26, Sioux Falls SD

Wheels up at 0900 in Sioux Falls SD

for the final leg of our month-long

adventure . . . foregoing the blue

highway hypotenuse for interstate

ease, our ETA is 1430 with a stiff

tailwind, and as the say in my

Mothers neck of the Appalachian

Hills, the Good Lord willin and the

creek dont rise.


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June 26, Minnetonka MN

What a long, strange trip its been . . . that seems aproper musical postscript for our 4,825 mile

voyage of discovery3,930 on the Land Yacht, and another 895 on our Toad side trips. Early

on, my Mother shared with Kim that all the Gunyou men have the soul of a gypsy. Nearly a

century ago, my grandparents took their well worn Airstream on a trip from OH to the west

coast, and several decades later, my parents did the same in their more than gently used motorcoach. We Gunyou men have been blessed with a modicum of mechanical skills to keep our

respective beasts running, but far more importantly, with companions willing to tolerate, if not

embrace, our innate wanderlust. As we concluded our road trip today, quite fittingly on our

anniversary, Kim and I shared our mutual surprise at how, despite our trepidation, a month of

extreme togetherness has actually brought us much closer. In addition to a more comfortable

familiarity, it seems the choreography of close quarters has resulted in a penchant to finish

each others sentences . . .

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Kim & John's 2013 Western Adventure

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