Sunday at camp and time for relaxation and small chores.  Independence Day was celebrated here yesterday.  This is Mormon country and, as in Southern Baptist country, the church is the focus of social life and Sunday is the main church day. 

The sun is intense and the bright gray siltstone that makes up much of the canyon wall creates a huge reflecting funnel.  This afternoon after a day of touring, we sit in our air-conditioned  motorhome.  It it were not windy, we might make do by putting out the awning, but today it would blow away. 

The natives are complaining.  This may be a year without a summer in this Northwest Region.  Here in the desert the folks are astounded by summer tanagers.  These birds are everywhere and people who have never before noticed them now see their red faces peering from yard shade trees.  The birds want to go up the mountain and get about the business of breeding and nesting, but the mountains are cold and covered with snow fields and trees that are only now beginning to leaf o

We had NO IDEA when we were following directions from the Idaho Birding Trail that we were going to find a modern day “Brigadoon”.  June 7th had started out as a routine birding day.  At 6:15 am we were on the road in southern Idaho.  By mid morning we had already seen 42 species with 2 stops:  Bruneau Dunes State Park, which has “the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America” and Ted Trueblood Wildlife Management Area, a large lake surrounded by reeds.

Coastal Washington has been a bit cold and dreary this week, but we enjoy staying in place for one full week here.  It has been a lot of miles since starting in the middle of March. 

We have abandoned California and arrived in the Pacific Northwest.  Leaving the redwoods in the Crescent City CA area was difficult, but the sharp green hills and rugged coastline of western Oregon are very welcoming.  

We have abandoned California and arrived in the Pacific Northwest.  Leaving the redwoods in the Crescent City CA area was difficult, but the sharp green hills and rugged coastline of western Oregon are very welcoming.  

Will the calendar save our family events year to year or do they need to be added every year on the new calendar year?  I have to add events every year on my google calendar, but the gmail contacts saves birthdays.  This is better but still needs improvement as multiple people often use the same e-mail address.  I am hoping for a calendar where events stay permanently year to year.

You may have noticed the news recently about the plans to terminate the shuttle program.  One of the final shuttle launches is coming up this weekend.  The space shuttle Atlantis is now projected to lift off on Friday afternoon at 2:20.    

Each journey has its highs and lows.  A high for us was San Francisco that offered us great weather, urban excitement, and our son, the reason for this Western jaunt.Leaving, our GPS (Magellen - nicknamed Maggie by us) led us astray.  I have heard the GPS called "generally poisinous snake" and it turned on us is San Fran.  We were to take the long way to the Point Reyes area, but as we were leaving the RV park a neigbor encouraged us to take the Golden Gate.  He said route 101 was fine through town and there was no toll northbound.  It would save us an hou