Friday, May 6, 2022 - We slept in so we did not get away on our trip to Walla Walla, Washington until 10:30. The weather in the area was unstable, but we did not have any rain until about 25 miles from Walla Walla. Up until that time, the trip was very beautiful with large snow-capped mountains leading down to lush green valleys with streams and rivers. We followed Interstate 84 nearly all the way to Pendleton, Oregon before turning northeast towards Walla Walla. It was a very beautiful drive. It took us about four and a half hours to get to Walla Walla.

We arrived at the Blue Valley RV Park in the rain. We parked the RV and completed our set up in the rain. It was not too bad and we were able to get the job done. About five other RVs arrived at the same time; lots of activity all of a sudden. The RV set up without problems and we are in our slot until our departure on Monday, May 9th.

On our drive to Walla Walla, we looked into where we would go when we leave on Monday. We found that we are traveling a little early in the season since some of the lakes in southern Canada still have ice on them, It seems that it would be better to arrive near Lake Louise in Late May or early-to-mid June. We have decided to head up to Wenatchee, Washington after we leave Walla Walla to check out some bike trails in that area and also to take a look at the Grand Coolie Dam. We will take a little more time to see some places in the states before we head up into Canada. We also want to go back to kayak in lake Pend Oreille near Sand Point, Idaho. We had a great time the las time we kayaked there.

Bill and Gina are actively involve with a local gun club and shooting range. Tomorrow, the East End Rod and Gun Club that is located in Milton-Freewater, Oregon is conducting a training session for women who have little knowledge and experience with guns. It is called the "Women on Target" program sponsored by the National Rifle Association. The four-hour class includes instruction on gun handling, safety, range rules, and then actual shooting. Charlotte Capp has signed up for the class so Lisa did the same. Her class starts in the afternoon at 1:00. We are looking forward to Lisa being able to take part in this training. Be sure to watch the video on this training and to check out the photo gallery.

While in Walla Walla, we had a great opportunity to visit with Bill and Gina DeWebber and Bill's mom, Ann. Our first get-together was going out to dinner at a local favorite Mexican food restaurant before going to the local Veteran's of Foreign Wars lodge to dance. We were also very fortunate in that our arrival matched up with Bob and Charlotte Capp's biannual visit to see the DeWebbers and Charlotte's mom, Ann. We then got together the next evening (after Lisa and Charlotte attended the NRA Women on Target activity) in the town of Milton-Freewater at an Irish restaurant called "Kelly's." The food was great and we had an excellent opportunity to visit with the family. On Sunday, Mother's Day, after church, Gina ordered food from a local restaurant and we went to their home to have lunch. We were all there to wish Ann and Gina a happy Mother's Day. It was a great lunch with great conversation. After lunch, we went back to our RV to relax for a while. Later that evening, Lisa and I went to an ice cream shop called "The Blue Palm" to buy yogurt for everyone. We took the yogurt to Ann's apartment where we all visited and consumed the yogurt. We had the opportunity to go over our Alaska trip itinerary with Ann, so that she would see where we would be at differing times of the summer. Also, Bob and Charlotte will be visiting us for three weeks once we arrive in Anchorage, Alaska. We are looking forward to their visit.

On Monday morning, May 9, 2022, we departed Walla Walla for the Grand Coulee Dam area and Grand Coulee City. The weather was excellent and the roads were smooth all the way to Grand Coulee City.

TRAVEL NOTE: We have determined that we are a little early in the season to travel into the Sand Point, Glacier NP, and Lake Louise areas. It is still pretty cold up there and kayaking with ice on the lake might be a challenge. We are looking at staying in the states a little longer before we cross the border into Canada.