I pulled my visor down on my helmet and after making sure my camera backpack was securely and safely fastened to the back of the sissy bar I swung my leg over the bike and settled in.  John sat in the driver seat revving the engine. My body leaned into his as my arms encircled his waist. We pulled out of the driveway and onto the road ready to enjoy an adventure on this blue sky autumn day.  We were together yet alone on this adventure. Sitting next to each other and yet unable to say a word over the roar of the engine as we made our way down the highway.  I felt totally secure on the back and as we rode along.  I was utterly immersed in the experience.  A tap on the shoulder and he would pull over so that I could grab my camera and capture it on film knowing that it could only represent a small portion of this experience.  This ride was a bit of freedom, spontaneity, adventure, and also doing it together. A tap on my leg from him and I knew we would pull over.  The sign to other riders who were enjoying the same kind of adventure we were was a kind of comradery that I really didn't know even existed. These small quiet gestures spoke volumes. The leaves had mostly fallen and collected along side of the road. The sun that shone so bright and the chilly air quickly becoming colder the longer we were out. The beauty of a steel bridge across a shrub lined river, the sunlight streaming through a train tunnel decorated in crusty orange leaves painted the adventure in colors that I just couldn't quite capture. As we neared home I was a bit chilled and just longed for a good cup of chili and a nice warm shower; however my adventurous free spirit was already planning another ride down this little used bit of highway.







 

John first introduced me to Leavenworth when we were dating.  We had driven through here once and stopped at the river that meanders through the town.  There happened to be a forest fire at that time and the wildlife sought refuge in the town.  We were on a bridge over the river watching a group of kids playing in the water when a "small" black bear wandered out of the bushes and down to the water. It poked it's nose in the air and sniffed.  The kids were still splashing around not even noticing the bear.  it stood there for a bit sniffing and looking and then wandered back into the brush.  Every time we walk along that same path in Leavenworth, that scene comes right back to me.  it was too amazing to forget.  This day though there weren't any kids playing in the river.  The snow wasn't too high up on the mountain and the air was crisp. This little German style town is such a fun little stop along Highway 2.  With blue skies and the leaves glowing in full color we just had to pull over and browse the shops.  The streets full of people happily walking from shop to shop, we joined in as well.  





 

I couldn't spend the weekend drinking wine the whole time.  We needed to get out, exercise, see the area besides the wineries.  There is a lot to the Palouse.  Being late Autumn we were pushing the limits before temperatures dropped too much and the snow flew.  However we found a great little trail just inside the Oregon boarder along a gravel road to hike.  It meandered along the creek crossing it back and forth until it petered out.  We talked, and laughed and just walked life together in this natural autumn setting. 


 

A weekend spent touring the wineries of Walla Walla with friends.  It was an amazing time.  there are essentially five main terroir or growing regions in the Walla Walla area.  We started our tour at the Westside with Woodward Winery and L'Ecole Winery right next door.  One thing we learned from our friends, Justin and Amy, is to bring our own food/snacks. Wine tastes better with food, also it helps with the alcohol content to diminish it's effects.  Each of the wineries we went to had tasting fees that were waived by purchasing a bottle or two of wine and so we did load up for the year.  We also visited Woodward Canyon, Seven Hills, Tranche, Three Rivers and Waterbrook.  I think my favorite was Tranche.  Their tasting room was a tent by a fire pit in the middle of their vineyards.  It felt more authentic than the others.  I think I would also have divided our time by region:  Westside, Eastside, Southside, Airport and Downtown.  The downtown and airport district were more of tasting rooms than near the vineyards.  We brought with us our Wine Folly book which helped out tremendously.  We had also learned a bit about tasting wine before going.  I admit I sometimes buy wine based on the label yet mostly on cost.  When I find a wine I like, I buy it again and again.  After coming back home, I tried looking for wines specifically from Walla Walla that I liked to augument my "wine collection".





 

On one of our yearly trips to Montana we listened to the story of the Sager Children who used the Oregon trail to travel to Walla Walla Washington.  While on the trail both of their parents ended up passing away and they continued on alone.  That story was "Seven Alone".  It is based on the true story of the Sager Children although I am not sure how much was fact and how much was embellished. It was so long ago that we listened to it.  Fast forward to now and we found ourselves at the historic Whitman Mission site.  The museum itself was closed but we could walk the trails.  It was a beautiful autumn day in the Walla Walla valley with long wavy grass and blue sky that stretch forever. We first climbed to the monument on the hill that overlooks the area.  From here you can see the mission site and the area of the Native American encampment.  So much tragedy on both sides.  Then we started down the hill, wandering around the restored mill pond and apple orchard, the irrigation area, and the footprints of the old mission buildings.  It was nice to have some background knowledge of who lived here and how they came to be here. This was worth the visit for sure.




 

Can you call this a hidden gem in Montana?  It seems like there are so many that the whole state should be a hidden gem of the US. This "little" gem is tucked away in the south eastern corner of the state, just above Yellowstone Park. To access this beautiful area, you must want to go there specifically because the road ends at East Rosebud Lake. The closest town is Roscoe, Montana and you must search that out as well.  The drive to lake is just as beautiful as the lake itself.  Rolling pasture lands, small creeks, campgrounds, looming mountains, lush evergreen forests, and wild grass hills are just a few of the sites to see on the way to the lake.  We started off in a little town called Bear Creek just over the hill from Red Lodge which is an iconic rustic Montana town at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. It is a destination spot for winter skiers and summer vacationers. We would through the beautiful country side exploring campgrounds and potential fly fishing holes until we arrived at the lake and the East Rosebud trail head. This is only accessible during the warm months.  For as soon as the snow falls in autumn the road is no longer maintained and isn't opened until the snow melts in the late spring. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon drive on a warm autumn day. 







 

 

Part of my time in Montana was spent with my grandmother.  She lives across the road from my Aunt and just up the hill from the quilt shop.  During the day I would work on the shop and in the evenings I was able to spend time with my grandmother playing games.  Let me tell you she is ruthless with cutthroat and hand and foot.  She is hard to beat.  I don't think any of us ever won.  She just casually and calmly looks over the board, taking her time only to swoop in and send you home.  You think you have it made but she has a knack of rolling the dice just right to land right on your spot. And then she will smile softly and say "Oh dear." I think she's sharper than any of us at the table. And yes she still does her crossword puzzles. 

 

This year I had the opportunity to travel to Montana to help out with a project.  This old mining office has gone through quite a few renovations and uses.  It originally started out as a mining office. Later a post office shared the space.  When the mine went dormant so did this building.  In fact most of the building in this small Montana town quietly went away.  However this building remained.  In later years someone bought it, added the little lean to partition and used it for a wood shop.  Again it closed it's doors and waited for another owner.  This time the next owner saw the potential of the building and preserved many of the original components such as the safe with 4 foot brick walls surrounding it, the original wood floors were brought back to life as well as the wood work around the windows and doors.  It became a destination for quilters around the state and from beyond.  This is the location of the Washoe Quilt Shop ran by my Aunt..  My Grandmother was in the shop daily sewing and working on her quilts.  My other Aunt and my Mother would take turns coming to help out at the shop as well.  After more than 10 years, my Aunt decided to retire and this building is going through another change.  We will see what it becomes next.  I spent a week with my mother, aunts, uncle, cousins working on the building.  We scraped and primed our way around the outside of the building; using a genie, and climbing up and down scaffolding and ladders.  I remember as a kid my grandmother always had a project or two going with different houses.  She once bought a house that had ceiling that were painted bright tangerine orange with lime green beams.  The ceilings were 18 plus feet and she erected scaffolding so she and my mother could zip strip the color off and then stain it bringing it back to it's original beauty.  Each of my aunts and my mother have had projects of one thing or another going, never sitting still. This project wasn't any different as everyone got involved.  I saw a cousin whom I haven't seen for almost twenty years.  I couldn't believe it was that long and we live in the same state.  During the week I was there a momma grizzly and her two cubs were wandering the gullies munching on huckleberries getting ready for the winter.  We were advised not to walk alone in the evenings and one morning awoke to a mess the bears made with the garbage as well as going through a picket fence to get to the bird feeders. I didn't ever get to see those bears.  Slept right through all the mayhem they created.