Getting the Band Back Together

Coeur D'Alene, ID – We arrived at the home of my dear old friend Erin May (a.k.a. Reinold) in the early evening. It had been 9 years since I last saw his sorry ass but we picked up right where we left off. We spent the next day trading barbs and insulting one another just like the old days at The Alaska Club where we worked in the Marketing Department.

Our good friend and former coworker/manager/mentor, Colleen (a.k.a. the Great and Powerful Neeners), surprised us by flying down to Spokane and meeting up with us at Erin's place. It was really fun to have the gang together again.

The small brake fluid leak I mentioned earlier had become a much more serious concern so I decided to have a go at fixing the problem. The cylinder in the rear passenger side drum was the culprit and after many hours spent toiling over the various components I was able to get the new part installed and everything put back together. It was a learning experience but definitely worth the trouble as brakes are very important.

We ate some tasty Thai food for dinner then went out for a night on the town. Coeur D'Alene is a pretty happening town and Shana, Reinold's "Special Lady Friend", is a great gal. We had tons of fun but paid for it in the morning – some of us more than others. I guess a decade can have that effect on you.

Having fun with the brakes.

Shana, Erin, and Colleen. Careful man, there's a beverage here!

Jameson the dog, good. Jameson the Irish Whiskey, bad.

Big Sky Country

Friday morning we left Medora and the sublime beauty of the North Dakota Badlands en route to Butte, MT. The drive started out rather blandly as we entered "Big Sky Country" but became more compelling as we approached the city of Billings. Nicknamed the magic city because of its rapid growth following its founding in 1882, Billings is the largest city in the state of Montana.

Wide open ranch land gave way to the towering peaks of the rugged Rocky Mountains as we traveled further west. The van was put to its greatest test yet as we climbed high into the snow-capped peaks, and once again I was pleasantly surprised by the power and stamina of the hippie van. We passed many semi trucks lurching up the steep inclines but were easily overcome by passenger vehicles. I had to downshift a few times to maintain a respectable speed but good old Jerry kept his cool and we were soon gliding down the backside of these magnificent mountains.

One small regret: passing up the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park. However, it is a destination deserving of much more time and attention and I will someday plan a trip with this national treasure as the focus of my travels.

We reached our destination with only one minor incident –  Jerry threw a hubcap somewhere along the way. He has taken on a slightly less attractive appearance as a result, but I can live with that. There is also a small leak in the rear passenger brake cylinder. I'll be keeping a close eye on that and checking the fluid level obsessively hoping it holds up until we reach Seattle where I can take the time to conduct the necessary repairs with help from my friend Jacob who flies in from Tennessee.

I see where the term "Big Sky" comes from.

Scenery changing from flat plains to rocky hills.

Distant snow-covered peaks.

Interesting rock formations along the highway.

Missing hubcap.

There's fresh snow on the mountains this morning.

The Badlands of North Dakota

Thoedore Roosevelt National Memorial Park | South Unit – Medora, ND

By far the highlight of the trip thus far, the Badlands of North Dakota are a rustic and powerful place. After spending the day acting like a true tourist, I finally have some photos worthy of sharing.

Roosevelt's passion for the outdoors and his devotion to the preservation of nature's raw beauty are what led to the creation of this amazing park – as well as our national park system as a whole. For that, I am truly grateful. Because of my experience here, Teddy Roosevelt has earned a spot among my favorite U.S. presidents.

In addition to his devotion to the conservation of the environment, Roosevelt also had a deep love for writing, which is evident in the following quotes:

"We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation."

"I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us."

"Of all the questions which can come before this nation, short of the actual preservation of its existence in a great war, there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us."

- Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt's cabin.

Lazy bison.

Scenic overlook.

Vanagon-arama.

Dean Bean is unimpressed. Let's get on with it.

Jerry, front & center.

Pensive Dean Bean.

View from Buck Hill, very windy up there.

The Badlands of North Dakota.

The Badlands of North Dakota.

Wild horses.

Scenic pullout.

Fascinating rock formations.

Grazing bison.

Grazing horse.

Scoria Point Overlook.

Statue of Rough Rider, Harry Johnston. Yes, that's his real name.

Fargo, North Dakota

When we got to Fargo we wanted so badly for someone to speak to us like they do in the movie. Well, that didn't happen. Actually, nothing interesting happened at all. We drove in, we found a place to stay and we left early in the morning. I'm sure Fargo is a great place but I couldn't tell you the first thing about it.

All I can tell you is that my uncle and I stayed up way too late drinking and sharing old stories. It was great but we paid the price in the morning and we had a rough go getting back on the road. It's a good thing our next destination wasn't too far down the freeway.

I'm so glad to have my Uncle Dean Bean with me for the trip. He's probably driven more miles than I have so far and it's been really fun catching up with him. He has a quick wit, a great sense of humor and he's been very helpful with planning and navigating along the way.

Oh ya sure, Dean Bean. I suppose you da man, donchaknow, eh!

Oh man, what time is it? Time to drive another 500 miles? Really?

The plains west of Fargo.

Tire Changeover

Wisconsin Dells, WI – We stopped off here for the night. In the morning I performed the closest thing to a roadside repair yet: swapping out the spare tire for this unevenly worn one – located on the front end passenger side.

The van's been pulling to the right since day one. I noticed the tread was a bit worn when I first inspected the vehicle and figured I had better keep an eye on it. It held up pretty good honestly, but I got tired of obsessing over it.

Breaking the lug nuts loose was tough, and getting the spare out from under the van and then the old tire back in underneath wasn't easy, but it was worth it. A pretty simple fix all said and done. Jerry now rolls straight and true and I have one less thing to worry about.

Here's to small victories!

Unevenly worn tread on front right tire. Some feathering/scalloping. Cause?

Chicago Traffic

In Alaska we like to say you have to leave the state every once in a while to remind yourself why you suffer through living there. A trip through Chicago during rush hour is the perfect example. It was awful, what a nightmare!

I was too busy driving to get a decent photo. I promise to do better on that front in the future. This crappy photo was taken not long before we hit the heart of the city and doesn't even begin to do justice to the snarling, bumper to bumper morass we encountered.

One moment we were moving along at a steady clip – life was good – and then all of a sudden traffic came to a standstill. It was so hot, working the clutch was a real chore, and I was convinced the engine was going to overheat.

In the end we made it out unscathed. The silver lining is that I have a lot more confidence in the van's reliability now. The temperature gauge held steady throughout the whole fiasco – probably only about an hour even though it felt like the better part of the day – and before long we had the windy city behind us.

Farewell sweet home Chicago, I'll take the trials of Anchorage and the Seward Highway any day.

Captain Dean Bean

Greeting and Salutations,
Welcome to Elyria, OH. Yippee! Okay, so it's not the most exciting destination. Sorry Elyrians. This place just happens to be where we decided to stop over last night. We made it through Cleveland – actually a pretty cool skyline and a beautiful sunset last night – and figured we had better get some rest. We traveled about 500 miles and that was enough for one day.

Dean Bean took the wheel for most of the drive. He did pretty good for not having worked a clutch in years, and I was able to enjoy the scenery along the way. Not too interesting really, pretty flat but very green. The day was rather hot, over 80 degrees! I haven't felt heat like that since we were in Hawaii in 2008.

We had a little scare when a flashing red light came on in the dash, right behind the temperature gauge needle. Oh no! I got really worried. After a stressful few miles of hawkishly monitoring the needle and a bit of research on my iPhone I had it worked out. Turns out we were just a little low on coolant. That's why dad kept that half-full bottle in the back of the van. Three cheers for Donboy! He always came prepared.

There's no indication of a leak and water's not getting into the oil or anything like that. I'm not sure where it's going to but I topped off the reservoir (just a pint or so) and no more blinking red light. Huzzah! I'll have to keep an eye on that. Overheating is probably about the worst thing that can happen to the van. In such a case, catastrophic engine failure is soon to follow. No worries though, crisis averted.

Today we head for Madison, WI. It's about another 500 miles or so. I've never been to any of the states that lie between here and Seattle, WA so it should be interesting. I'll try to be better about taking photos from here on out.

Peace out,
Bail-Dog

Uncle Dean Bean prepares for the drive.

Captain Dean Bean at the helm.