BIC Fluorescent Highlighters

Pat Sharp and I drove around the evening on the first day of the Road Scholar IAF program trying to find highlighters. The first store was downtown and it was closed. We drove a few miles north to Walgreens where Pat purchased a set of fluorescent highlighters for her and a set for me. It was very useful for keeping track of each day's travels.

Who is Rose Red?

Rose Red is my Geocaching name. Rose Red was not taken from "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer - My Life at Rose Red" ghost written by Ridley Pearson nor from Stephen King's televison drama, "Rose Red." Rose Red was taken from the Brother Grimm story of "Snow-white and Rose-red."

Travels with Nuvi

I would not be able to travel solo without the Garmin Nuvi 1450 with a detachable window mount as my navigator. One evening around 9:30PM I wanted to find the nearest Albertson to the motel to purchase a late dinner. The Nuvi lead me a couple miles across a housing development and then back again. Of course there were times that the Nuvi led me astray when either the Touchet River or the Clark Fork River were between where I was and where I wanted to be. And it goes into a panic if I turn off the main road to get gas (I don't let the tank get below a half) or for a bite to eat.

Homeward Bound - Monday, August 15, 2011

I knew that I had to drive back to Dayton and Starbuck to get the caches for the DeLorme Challenge. It was going to make for a very long day. I made the loop and ended up back at Walla Walla about 1:30PM. Altogether I found three Benchmarks and seven Geocaches before the WA/OR border. The most interesting was "Doing Time in Starbuck".

I did not do any Geocaching/Benchmarking after crossing the border into Oregon. I stopped at Hat Rock State Park to take some photographs. I traveled westbound tired and facing the setting sun. I arrived in Vancouver about 9:30PM. It was good to get home and be able to sleep in my own bed. It took me several days to recover from the 11 day trip.

Homeward Bound - Sunday, August 14, 2011

I had a good nights sleep at the Howard Johnson Express in Post Falls, Idaho. I attended the Bore Da Idaho! Croeso i Frecwast Geocaching Event at 9:00AM. It was an enjoyable event. Tasty poppyseed muffin. Great choice of location! Very colorful!

I traveled west, then south to Clarkson/Lewiston and then west. Besides attending one Event, I found six Virtuals, four Benchmarks and four Geocaches. The Virtuals were by far the most interesting of the day! I was stung on my thumb by hornets/yellow jackets at one of the caches.

I called ahead to make reservations at the Best Western in Walla Walla. I should have stayed the night in Clarkston. It left me traveling through the countryside for an hour in near darkness. And I missed a number of important caches for the DeLorme Challenge. I had a really good nights sleep.

Homeward Bound - Saturday, August 13, 2011

I could see the Missoula Ice Age Standlines on the hillside from the motel balcony. I got a poppyseed muffin and hot chocolate for breakfast at 6:00AM from the motel lobby. I went back to bed for a couple hours.

I was thrilled to see the standlines on Mt. Jumbo and Mt. Sentinel! After 15,000 years they are clearly visible. I visited the Natural History Museum at noon where I saw an exhibit on the Ice Age Floods and purchased the recently published book "Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood" by John Soennichsen. I had lunch at Burger King. I visited Sky King's gravesite at the Missoula Cemetery. My car was filthy so I took it to Dazzlers Car Wash. I stopped by Cracker Barrel Restaurant to get photos and coords for a Waymark.

Leaving Missoula I drove to Ninemile Remount Depot & Ranger Station in the Lolo National Forest. I took a photograph of Bill Jones, Volunteer with a Rocky Mountain Canary (also known as a mule) in the museum. I believe Bill said that his name was "Chipper" as the mule was made of wood. I saw a Time Capsule in Wallace but did not find the nearby cache as a car with a trailer was parked right next to it! It was late and once again a frantic search for a motel for the night. I purchased some snacks at Flying J Store in Post Falls for dinner. I found one Benchmark, two Virtuals and one Cache.

Missoula Ice Age Floods Strandlines - Friday, August 12, 2011

I had the buffet breakfast at the hotel. I drove along the Centennial Trail. I photographed the Treaty Tree and explored the grounds of Arbor Crest Winery. I visited Post Falls Park. I stopped at the Mullan Tree Site. I saw the monument but it was too hot to walk down the trail to read the signboards and see the historic tree. I saw the Old Mission of the Sacred Heart from the road. I stopped at the Train Depot and Courthouse in Wallace, Idaho.

I had a lovely Afternoon Tea at the Silver Tea Room however I did not care for the Pita Bread instead of White Bread Sandwiches. I saw the signboard about the Ice Age Floods at the Clark Fork River. The motels in Missoula, Mt were completely filled up. I drove about five miles to the Brook St. Motor Inn on the outskirts of Missoula. Nice room. Clean and reasonably priced. I shopped at Albertons for a deli sandwich, diet coke and Hershey Almond bar for dinner which I ate in my room watching television. I found three Virtuals, one EarthCache, one Benchmark and two Caches.