We are currently in Prosser, Washington, for the third time this year, this time visiting with a number of old friends who all came to join us for the weekend. We have done some of our usual wine tasting and buying over the course of the past few days. We have also enjoyed reestablishing our long-term friendships. Of course, there has been a lot of great food for sharing, as well as some fine wines to drink.

I think when we posted our last entry we were in Great Falls, Mont. We left there and drove the nearly 200 miles to Missoula, Mont., along state route 200. It was a really nice ride on a two-lane road across the mountains. The last 70 or 80 miles follow the Blackfoot River.

We stayed in Missoula for a week and were able to fish for three days during the week. On one of the fishing days, we broke down and paid for a guide and float fished the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. Both of us caught fish and had a great time in spite of the morning rain.

We also were able to attend the Saturday morning farmers markets in Missoula. They have two of them, each located within a few blocks of the other. The products at the markets are artistically displayed and quite beautiful. The markets have a large number of farmers selling products. One market is mostly vegetables and baked goods while the other has a number of different products, including meats. This is a must-see if you are in the area over the weekend.

Departing Missoula we moved to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, spending two nights there. We spent a day driving along the east side of the lake visiting the small towns and enjoying the wonderful view.

We then moved south to Clarkston, Wash., spending the remainder of the week there. This area is at the mouth to Hells Canyon on the Snake River. We had a great time touring the countryside following the wonderful routes provided by the hosts at our campground. This is one of the central areas for the Louis and Clark expedition and is rich history and cultural significance. This is also a rich agricultural area -- growing wheat as is primary crop, although there were a few other crops also. We would climb the canyon walls (steep but not vertical) to the plateaus at the top where the amber waves of nearly ripe wheat would stretch out for miles in front of us. Having grown up in the great prairie states, we find this not only beautiful but also a reminder of our youth.

Following our five days in Clarkston we moved to Prosser, which was covered in the first part of this blog entry. Tomorrow we move to Redmond, Ore., to attend the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) convention, Aug. 11 to 14. We look forward to attending a few of the seminars and spending some time checking out the new products and motorhomes the vendors and manufactures bring to the show.