Tooleing Around: Day 26

I’m in California. Eureka!

The best part of staying in the Coos, was leaving it.

Slept like a child, though the bathroom had a vent sounded like a 747 landing.

I liked So It Goes, for breakfast, named for a Slaughterhouse Five quote and using a Clockwork Orange theme for its logo, housing an eclectic mix of movie books, novels and local band posters. Decent cheddar scone and cappuccino and lots of local foot traffic. As always, my Escape from New York Tee was admired by an enormous bearded biker lad. That t-shirt is #1 for comments, picturing Snake Plisken with a Twin Towers backdrop . Purchased at a concert by the man himself, oddball Director John Carpenter, who composes his own scores.

That may be my cultural reference record for one paragraph.

John, the big biker dude, is the owner and gave me some advise for the road south and a souvenir pin from the coffee shop. I’m reverting my cranky negativity on the town, lovely people.

I did finish Ranger Games on Audio Book. It was an intriguing study of masculinity, duty and soldering against the backdrop of the Rangers bank robbery. The central question being why the perfect all American kid would get dragged in. I’d recommend it, though had some quibbles .

I stopped in Bandon, as I’d read it was named by an Irishman after his home across the Atlantic. Cathy gave me a little history. The town was destroyed by fire in 1936, their museums current home was built in 1937 and housed thd fire stations , a bar, town hall , at various stages ,and now the museum. A lot of other towns burnt that very dry year too . Four died in the fire, more later from after effects from smoke inhalation. One child was born in town in the night. Cathy is a lifelong resident and active member of the historical society,

Seems I’m here for cranberry picking season. There was a creepy scabby bald eagle stuffed in 1912 in the Museum , not quite sure how it snuck in as an exhibit . Looked like Norman Bates work.

Hit Patades latest podcast, The Nights on Broadway edition , was one of the best to date in an excellent monthly series. Each episode takes an event in the music charts and wraps it in history and cross connections and a healthy dollop of fan boy trivia. The research is extensive and each episode is made to the duration it should be, todays 90 minutes.

This episode centered on The Bee Gees and what the Slate writer and presenter terms their Empirical period, that moment in an artists career they cannot put a foot wrong. Saturday Night Fever days! Don’t be dissuaded if it’s an artist you’ve no interest in, they are all excellently written and interesting.

And if you have not watched Saturday Night Fever, recently or ever, go to it. It gets better and better with age . Not many can claim a legacy like The Bee Gees. I cynically went and saw them in London’s Wembley Atena in the 1980s , they were white suited and fabulous.

The pacific coast road is indeed magnificent with lots of spots to pull over and take in the courtly rockscapes, cliffs and beaches. It had turned into a miserable Irish day so I stopped in Billings Harbor for coffee and gas. And a cranberry muffin . When in cranberry picking season…

I got a nice warm welcome at the way station from the agricultural lady, checking me fruit and veg, as I crossed the border . Why is California the only state that cares what you are carrying?

I had to stop for the odd museum boat. It looks like the misplaced ship in Close Encounters (extended version only). It was closed – Closed Encounter?

I got to Redwood National Park late, so I just drove through. Bad accident on the other side of the road, through the winding woods, the smoking car was being hauled from the trees as I passed, an ambulance , sirens ablaze , was leaving the scene.

As my Granny would say, “No day you find a giant bull is a wasted day”. I was so pleased , having skipped Fargo and Bunyan lookey here!

The two friendly Canuck ladies, taking photos of one another fondling the big blue bull balls, were nice enough to take a couple of shots for me. I offered to return the favor and photograph both of them tag team tinys testicles, but they reacted like I was some kind of bovine perv.

Of course I took a Scrote-tickling selfie.

Drove on to Eureka, checked in to Best Western, showered and headed to dinner at The Lost Coast Brewery. Struck up a long conversation with Jeremy Hernandez at the bar.

Jeremy is on two day driving trip out of San Bernardino, where he works as a helicopter medic for the fire department. An 18 year medic veteran, Jeremy got on the copters after looking for a spot for years, a job he so obviously loves.

Jeremy gets up to Boston and New York for St. Patrick’s day every year, where his FDNY colleagues provide cots and booze for all incomers.

A history buff, he’s looking to hit some sites of interest in Seattle and Portland in the next few days. His girlfriend is catching up in Seattle.

Weather kept me in the car a lot today, as you can tell from todays rambling. Going back to try and see Redwood properly tomorrow.

Hotel : $150

Gas : $54

Dinner: $23

Tooleing Around: Day 25

Latte and gluten free blue cheese bacon scone and flip flops and beach shorts and Cat Stevens and Florence & The Machine on audio. The Sleepy Monk could not have been more organic; the scone was scrumptious, oven fresh and the latte perfect. I now understand why Sleepy Monk had the only line on a quiet day, it never got smaller .

Ok, it got more organic, Neil Young , Harvest Moon, just came on.

I took a long walk along Cannon Beach to see it properly in daylight, there was a light mish, still hanging over the morning. Definitely the most spectacular beach I’ve been on. This is a town I would come back to.

Not a single person in the water.Chickens.

Rita and Maureen O Keefe were good enough to take some non selfies for me on the beach. Here out of Portland they come to Cannon Beach every year around this time, when the temperature is good and there are less tourists. They consider Cannon Beach their spot . Together many years they met working together in the OR. They are avid photographers, and planning to visit and shoot Ireland soon. Their feel is that the mountains represent the weather and cultural divide this side of the country.

Cannon Beach is one of my favorites landing spots to date. Given the choice it’s always the ocean and beach for me when it comes to scenery. It was nice to shake sand from my shoes.

Heading south on 101.

Then discovered, as I was driving away, I had missed most of the town. I found Parking and went exploring. Dropped by the Cannon Beach Book Company, a welcoming medium sized store with that Beach town feel. The well read owner gave me the perfect quote about the obsession of readers with buying excessive books. I can’t remember what it is.

Then Insomnia for Cappuccino (also the title of my second favorite Faithless song) and a cheddar bacon scone. Lunch. What is happening to me?

The staff had that East Village NYC feel, just cleaner.

Great music Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Chris Isaac cover, Zepplin, Eminem ……

This is how I like my seaside towns , much more Montauk than AC.

The road out took me along Sunset Boulevard – another movie reference. Score!

Following in the vein of my heroes Wallace & Gromit, I love All Things Cheese. With that I was excited to hear of the Tillamook Creamery, a major Oregonian dairy tourist attraction, along scenic route 101 South.

It smells like cowshit in the carpark.

Begun in 1909, by a number of small creameries, to ensure quality, the group has expanded over 100 plus years and multiple family generations into the hugely successful co-op it is today. This visitor center opened in 2018, I’d no idea cheese was so popular with tourists, the large carpark was at capacity, there had to be a couple of thousand visitors . The whole operation remains farmer owned.

As well as the usual exhibits and dairy based food halls, on display is the full, functioning cheese manufacturing process – milk through wrapping, meticulously laid out.

The cheeses were fine, and I’d put them on a burger. I wouldn’t be serving them at a cocktail gathering though.

There is a lot of food here and a lot of people waiting for it , some torn between the draw of free curd samples and the not free ice cream stand. Ice cream seemed to be winning.

I will say again, I bought the tuxedo I got married in faster than these people choose an ice cream flavor. Ice cream tourists like to read every one of the 50 listed flavors out loud before they pick. Some even call friend from the ice cream line and list them and describe every flavor they have ever tried. Some look like they have tried every flavor , today . I bet they sell punch cards.

I don’t do well in lines .

Damn good ice cream , Mountain Huckleberry. Action photo, not food,

It was to be my first dairy based gift store and I was unreasonably excited at the prospect. I was not disappointed and I did reel myself in. Bought more rubbish for my office.

Most of the cheeses sold here are produced locally save some from the sister co-op in Israel. They can be found in the “Cheeses of Nazareth” section.

I’d like to thank my brother for Dad Joke #73

I’ve now covered corn and cheese on the trip.

All in all, the Museum was a mooving experience (#74)

Started down 101 along the Pacific Coast and kept driving to Coos Bay. I was originally aiming for Newport then Florence, it did not look like a Florence, so I kept going. I did catch some good views on the route, but I’m thinking I missed a lot in the dark on those hairpin mountain roads .

210 miles later, dinner at Walters Pourhouse in what appears to be an industrial park by the docks. Lovely, It’s hopping and is still serving food at 10:30. They are playing great reggae and Bob Marleys spirit scents the air. Looks like another state that allows one armed bandits in the pubs. Sticking with the cheese theme, I ordered a grilled cheese and anyway, the tofu burger was sold out. I’ve not had cheese this good since my curds last visit to Wisconsin.

I learned who the Hamm Bear and Oregon State Beaver are, from Bob at the bar, who recently had to move here because his girlfriend got in trouble in Denver. I didn’t push for details.

Heading for Redwood tomorrow. Today was a lot more driving than I’d planned , but if did get me closer to California.

Not hanging in the Coos longer than I need .

The Bills:

Hotel: $130

Dinner: $9

Gas: $23

Tooleing Around: Day 24

I woke up to the sound of gulls and the throb of boat engines and the best view I’ve had from any room on this trip. I sat out on my front porch for a bit and took it all in. From my corner I could see the full expanse of the harbor, filled with small fishing boats, and rod fishermen along the jetty’s .

It’s such a peaceful spot, they type of town you might live in if you were hiding out from the mob. Then, next thing you know, Paula Walnuts charters a boat with the crew from NJ and havoc ensues.

To quote The Clash , should I stay or should I go?

On everybody’s recommendation, everybody being the amazingly friendly and helpful receptionist at the motel, I went to Blue Boy Breakfast for Breakfast, famous for their Dungess Crab Omelet. One of my few rules , no bottom feeders for breakfast. Skipping the crustacean I went with eggs, crispy bacon and hash browns and that unnecessary decorative orange slice.

Blue Boy had exactly the type of atmosphere fishing town cliches would lead me to expect – low key, local and large portions, Church like in its conversation tone, only missing a boisterous Quint style character in dungarees. The silence only broken by the gentle iced tea straw slurping of a not inconsequential lady across the room. And she emptied it, and she got another.

The only other customer is checking in on her birds with her bird sitter. She’s never left them alone for 5 days before and is worried they might go off their seed.

I took a walk up the viewing tower, known locally as The Space Needle of Westport, on my way back to the motel.

Checked out and took a walk around the jetty’s and piers of Gray Harbor and watched a couple of commercial vessels unload. It seems to be a crab town.

Court Ship, get it? Court Ship.

Some equipment fell off the Coast Guards boat as they were pulling out of the harbor, orange things. There was a lot of distant yelling and they turned around and collected it.

Seemingly there are a lot of feral cats in these beach rocks need feeding, per signage. Odd.

Westport was similar in a lot of ways to Galway, another fishing port on a Bay. I did spot sea lion in the harbor, not something I’d see back in Ireland.

One of the fisherman caught a 7lb salmon as I passed. Salmon we would see in Galway.

Back in my very early days we used to buy salmon from Jimmy McDonagh , a local alcoholic and poacher. Stolen Salmon, from an English owned river, boiled in water and vinegar, served with chips, still a favorite of mine.

Jimmy Mc was found dead, relatively young, kneeling beside his bed. The neighbors liked to think he went to his maker as he said his good night prayers. Whatever.

Bottom line, no more salmon. Fish cakes or fried eggs and mash, with HP sauce, on Friday’s, from then on in. Still my brothers favorite.

Chatted a bit to Harold and Maude, out of Oregon, fishing on the pier. They recommended I drive highway 101 along the Oregon Coast , and hit all the little towns. They’d spent five days driving it. They talked up the virtues of refundable bottles and gas stations with pump jockeys and zero sales tax. Oregon bound.

Penny at the office gave me some more recommendations. Astoria starts the drive on 101. Seaside is a nice town and Red Woods in California. Penny is a west coast child, living in Westport since 1977, originally out of Seattle. We talked concerts (Foo Fighters Shirt). She wanted to go to Woodstock back in the day, but she’d have had to run away. Still never been to New York.

Two plus hours south on 101 that were pleasant not spectacular, not butte ugly. The dramatic Megler span bridge across the Columbus river marked my border crossing to Oregon.

I stopped in Seaside to grab a coffee to see if was worth staying the night.

Exhuberent Anna, in Columbia River Coffee, was a pot full of local information and recommendations . Seaside is the town Oregonians come to escape the heat. I got a little history of the 50+ year old Megler bridge I’d crossed . At an impressive 4.1 miles it was the longest continuous truss bridge in the world when build. Anna describec the strange underwater barn remnant in the river, where fishermen hitched their horses during low tides, back in the day, while they fished. That I need to confirm.

An odd , insistent woman, with an inch thick of lipstick, came in with a yapping ratty dog , bought a bagel and fed it to the irritating mongrel on the coffee shop floor. Another “service animal” . Aren’t they all. That was the end of my Anna conversation.

I took a walk along the promenade . This town was the end of the trail for those other two famous explorers, Lewis and Clarke.

Seaside has that Atlantic City vibe, look and feel, similar citizenry and tourists, lots of kids and older people in motorized wheel chairs. I did find a good local bookstore called Beach Books and bought one called Sourdough.

Good coffee. Moving on.

On Anna’s recommendation I drove 20 minutes to Cannon Beach. It’s a radiant little town and obviously not one short of a few bucks and, Movie Bonus, the magnificent beach itself is the one featured in the closing of Point Break (the original guilty pleasure classic).

At the Pelican Brewery, I heard some other strange accents, and was well pleased to strike up a long conversation with Mark and Stephanie Stafford , over from Devon.

The fun young couple are here for their third anniversary, they had also come to the west coast for their honeymoon. They are determined to see every state in the next years and have already seen quite a few. Their honeymoon extended from a suite in the Bellagio, Las Vegas to an RV in Yellowstone.

This trip they have commandeered a yellow Chevy Camero convertible and are taking Bumblebee from Seattle to San Francisco.

Mark is a carpenter and a large load truck driver; Stephanie works in a Devon hospital . They left their massive Rhodesian Ridgeback in Devon with a friend. The 20 months old dog is already 42 kilos. I’d never heard of this breed.

As I walked back to my hotel , Bumblebee came roaring by. Safe travels .

I did a mileage check today , I’ve driven 4,652 miles so far on this trip.

Today’s Cost:

Hotel: $125

Dinner: $22

Tooleing Around: Day 23

I didn’t get murdered in my expensive hotel bed last night.

I had coffee and a muffin in Urban Roast. My understanding is that Urban Roast is a really slow and inefficient offshoot of Starbucks, but with the same product. Twenty minutes to get a below par cappuccino with only three customers in the place. Very fresh poppyseed muffin though. Welcome to Seattle.

A morbid gray hue hung over Seattle , just like in The Killing ( binge it if you haven’t already). Seattle traffic gives Manhattan a run for its money.

Museum of Pop Culture bound, it sounds like the ultimate trivia destination for fact dorks such as myself. It’s and odd organic silvery looking structure adjacent to the Space Needle. Maybe I will do the needle too, though I doubt there’ll be much of a view today .

Is it genetic that the minute a person becomes a tourist they lose basic functions like the ability to move and observe others? I thought it was just Times Square but it’s pandemic at The Needle too. There also that necessity to talk louder and state the obvious “It’s really tall”.

I definitely need another coffee.

I have an 11:15 viewing ticket. They take a free professional photo on the way in you can download from their website, nice touch. 41 seconds to the top at 10mph, a lot of ooohing and aaahing from my fellow Asian travelers, ear popping galore. Today I’m a tourist!

Ok it was pretty cool. The viewing circle is perfectly calibrated to handle the timed release of the crowds, it’s easy to move around and perfectly clean. The viewing glass is not covered in kiddie snot and dribble, its all very civilized and upbeat.

Today I conquered my lifelong fear of heights , walking against the tide on the rotating, transparent floor and taking touristy photos.

Then a visit to what is the largest gift store I’ve been in and bought a couple more pieces of kitsch then on to the Museum.

As I waited in the small ticket line at the Museum of Pop Culture, I asked myself , as I have before, do I prefer my service fast and rude (NYC) or slow and polite (elsewhere)?

Once in, the first exhibit is an iMax screen looping a history of the Sci Fi and Fantasy inductees. I could sit here all day.

The Marvel Universe of Superhero’s exhibit is indeed super, an absolute must for fans and passive fans like myself. They do a beautiful job with the exhibits but also put real relevance to the history of the comic book. There is a must watch five minute history video as you start the Marvel Tour. The exhibit covers the beginnings of the comic book all the way through this years Black Panther, with original costumes and interactive pieces. I’ve never seen a more gleeful bunch of visitors at a museum.

The inductees exhibit was my favorite though, touching on many of my favorite contributors across the sci-fi genre; Planet of the Apes; Philip K Dick; Matrix; Blade Runner ; Alien ; Ridley Scott; Star Trek ……all the greats.

Excellent use of music across the whole venue, always relevant to the room you were in.; Avenger Movie score and TV themes; the instantly recognizable Star Trek and Star Wars ; then Beatles thru Gary Numan in the Cafe; this place is so up my alley.

Popped in and watched a few minutes of BBC interviews on David Bowie on the big screen and just caught the end. I also zipped around the Nirvana exhibit , which seemed to be Mecca to the other visitors in there, just not my bag.

They don’t do things in half measures at the Museum . The restaurant and cafe are Wolfgang Pucks. I had a cinnamon bun and cappuccino. Damn good coffee and pie.

On advise from my researcher I reluctantly visited the Chihuly Gallery. I’ve seen individual pieces before and never been a fan. But as an exhibit it is unique , colorful and imaginative and I’m very glad I listened to her advise, because I’m so seldom wrong. A far bigger exhibit than I’d have envisioned with a broad indoor space and a glass filled garden and atrium.

Lesson learned today, never drive in, around or out of Seattle if you have any choice at all. Bumper to bumper leaving. It’s remarkable not to hear a single car horn for all the frustration, it’s not natural.

To fulfill my goal of avoiding a stay in large cities, I drove south to Westport, a small harbor town, on the Pacific, it looked interesting and I wanted to stay by the ocean. It’s got a large marina with commercial fleets and some charters.

I found the last restaurant open at 8.30, Aloha Alabama BBQ, with baseball on the TV and mariachi music from the kitchen and two other customers. Crispy shrimp & fries for dinner, with an excellent tomato ketchup.

My booking at The Westport Marina cottages tonight is a splendid, spacious cabin overlooking the Marina, there are also cabins on the bay side. They offered me ice creams and soda at check in, a neighborly touch. I took an ice cream bar. A lot of cars here so the place is still popular off season.

I startled the two largest raccoons I’ve ever seen as I unloaded my bags. They are still rummaging out there.

The Tally :

Hotel : $116

Gas: $62

Dinner: $17

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Tooleing Around: Day 22

I’m on the West Coast.

Went back to Woops!for that scone and additionally had a feta olive mini croissant with my cappuccino. It was tops.

Resort City Inn was the type of residency I’d hoped to see more on the trip . Small ; central; clean; friendly staff; inexpensive; good sized room and quiet.

Shelly Boyd , is the gracious proprietor of the newly opened Woops! CDA. Shelley recently spent six weeks in NY studying operations in the Manhattan and Williamsburg locations. She found the six week sabbatical a teeny bit selfish but completely invigorating.

Woops! tries to provide an international range of pastries to cover all tastes and it shows. You are spoiled for choice. Shelley brought me out a sample of the house made Huckleberry jam and a waffle (and it was free so a photo included on the blog is not against my food posting rules, it’s a gift ) , they were scrumptious . I’m hooked on Huckleberry.

Woops! scallion and cheese scone still holds rank as best ever. It was nice to see the store filled up as I left, they deserve every success,

I will miss CDA, I think I know half the people in town at this stage.

Onwards, 290 miles to Seattle.

As warned, the drive across WA is beige paint drying dull. One Irishman’s dream journey was fulfilled though. I passed through the biggest potato producing county in the nation. It smelled like cow shit.

Stopping for gas I noted that, as well as having the best squeegees of any gas stations, WA also had hand sanitizer at the pumps, a nice touch, if they weren’t all empty.

Moses Lake, where I got the gas, looks like Moses parted the waters and forgot to close things up when he moved on. To misquote Pee Wee, why does everywhere have to have a big butte? More dreariness.

Things got prettier for a bit around the valley and crossing the Columbia River bridge, The wind turbine farm, on the other side, was sci-fi like in its expansiveness.

I pulled off to get a coffee in Cle Elum and had to check out the giant Bull Durham mural . I know the movie, I had no idea it was tabacco.

Misty at the diner (named from an old C&W song she heard only once, not from the Clint Eastwood movie song) recommended I check out Roslyn, and old mining town with the states oldest saloon.

Yuk . I put that horrible vanilla creamer crap in my coffee by mistake while busy chatting to Misty, sweet enough to make my teeth itchy.

Harvey? No wonder he stayed invisible.

Roslyn is a sleepy old mining town that’s is home to the oldest bar in Washington State, The Brick. It is also home to the ugliest mural I’ve ever seen. Poor Marlon Brando would roll over in his oversized grave.

There was a lot of work going on with the sidewalks and a lot was closed up today. It was all a bit of a dusty mess. Not the best day to visit Roslyn. I checked out the quirky little bookstore , Books and Bites. I have a bigger book selection in the Escalade.

I did talk to Jan and Pam on the street, part of a walking group from Seattle. They had a local map so I asked for local info, since the Museum was closed. They pointed me to the old minining cemetery and told me to avoid the downtown area in Seattle if I was heading there, that the whole town is ridiculously expensive for accommodation and traffic and parking are a disaster.

Decisions decisions…I picked a town close to Seattle on my map and booked a room.

Made good ground with my audio book, Ranger Games. It’s really holding up.

The last 85 miles approaching Seattle are gorgeous; mountains, lakes, evergreens, tweeny Twilight characters hovering above the forests. Once you hit those mountains the whole dynamic of the landscape changes . What ever did happen to, that stud, Taylor Lautner?

I forgot to go to the mining cemetary.

I booked into Hotel Interurban, Tukwila, 20 minutes from Seattle. A step above my usual fare but – I’m on the West Coast for the first time. And I got a $110 credit from Hotels.com after 10 bookings. Used the gym for a bit since I was on my arse all day in the car.

Heading in to Seattle tomorrow. Hopefully there’s somewhere there I can get a good coffee.

Found out, from my researcher, that Tukwila has been ranked #1 Town for Crime in the USA. Sweet . Good to have a destination when you drive cross country.

I asked the hotel bartender if it was true, that this town has the highest crime rate . He said just in the USA. I feel much better now.

I ate in the hotel.

Some Idaho based recommendations :

On the book front , The 47th Samurai – not the best in the Bob Lee Swagger series, that’s Point of Impact. Most Stephen Hunter books are extremely readable. My favorite is probably Dirty White Boys, it’s almost a modern , demented Of Mice & Men. Almost.

Movies : Napoleon Dynamite. Love it or hate it. I love it.

Song that cheered me up in the butte doldrums : Extreme Ways – Moby ( you know it, you just don’t know you know it).

The Cost:

Hotel: $93

Gas: $53

Dinner: $17

There are sheep under the hotel stairwell .

Tooleing Around: Day 21

As it turns out I didn’t sleep in Idaho last night as I thought, I was in Washington. I checked out and took a walk around . The back of the hotel has a three star river view, far nicer than my dreary car park, one star view.

Ok – I checked with the receptionist , I am in Idaho Post Falls, right on the Spokane River.

My Tom Petty Tee from his last tour prompted a chat with Margo and Fred and their dog from Cleveland, who are sorry they missed him in concert. Too late now. Nothing like images of dead rock artists to inspire conversation, I’ve found. Should have brought Bowie and Prince.

Hotel Red Lion is infested with pets and children. I’m off to find coffee somewhere else . It’s a crystal sunny day.

Parked right on the Lake in Couer D’Alene and went to Rustic on Sherman Ave for eggs and bacon.

Jason on the street had explained the Moose was part of a series around town, something to do with a kids book he believed. Gives me a mission.

Breakfast was served in a prison tray but man, it was good. Best breakfast food I’ve had on the road; bacon; egg; toast and some kind of extra crispy spuds you cannot fork, I’ve not had before. Mediocre coffee. All the food groups covered.

Shamrocks beckoned. I spotted a store on Sherman Ave called All Things Ireland and hit paydirt with Sharon Kearns & Terry Bowen. One of the larger stores of Irish products I’ve seen , and definitely the most attractive. It has been very successful here for the last 20 plus years. Very popular with the tourists and of course St. Patrick’s Day a boom, there’s a countdown clock on the walk .

Both ladies have spent time in Ireland, most recently Terry, who shared photos of Galway, . She has seen my fathers bust of Kennedy in Eyre Square and had taken some shots. Seems everyone gets great weather when they visit Ireland but me.

Sharon was extremely versed in local history and gave me a succinct summary. Couer D’Alene means river of the awl, so named because of the local Indians sharp negotiating skills, not caving for beads and firewater. I’m in the home town of Northern Idaho University .

Sharon’s Daughter is a welding artist , with pieces on display around town. There was a really interesting piece in the shop.

We had a long conversation about Irish history and culture, shared information , took photos and I was off to get a proper coffee at Woop! on Sharon’s recommendation. They had a scrumptious selection of baked products and I tried a scallion cheddar scone. Call it lunch and the new best scone ever.

Coeur D’Arlene has a big St. Patrick’s day parade annually with sponsorship from All Things Ireland.

Seemingly not a lot to see if I decide to head West into Washington for a long long long stretch. Decisions decisions…

I just realized I crossed the Rockies yesterday. That’s why it got so hilly.

It’s the little things remind me I’m not in Manhattan anymore. Six hours parking in the city center, $6, as opposed to a small mortgage in NYC.

On recommendation from my new friends at the Irish store I took a walk to the lake side. At the entry to Tubbs Hill I had a bountiful conversation Melanie and Daniel out of Tulsa & Ketchum, Oklahoma. Let me start by saying, I was very pleased to see I’m not the only tourist taking photos with these goofy moose.

Daniel is an attorney and Melanie worked in healthcare consultancy and they are currently in the first stages of empty nest syndrome. Their daughter just left for school, their son is in Dallas, I believe they said.

Daniel just completed a 90mile D’Fondo cycle around the lake this weekend, with a Tulsa group of 40 cyclists, to raise money for a teenage charity they are actively involved with. Taking advantage of the empty nest they stayed a couple of additional days. They very generously offered a bed in Tulsa if I pass back that way. Cheers guys!

And they admired my Petty tee shirt.

Today I need to be concerned about fires and cougars, and they don’t mean horny older women. My lesson of the day, never surprise a cougar by springing from a bush.

Tubbs Hill brings you a few hundred feet up for a broad view of the town and lake , very pretty and not a difficult hike. It starts right there on the edge of town.

Seemingly I have incidentally followed the Mudgy Moose Trail. Per the legend of the children’s book, Mudgy is looking for his friend Millie Mouse, last seen shitfaced in the Coeur Tavern the previous night. Adventure and heartbreak, but ultimately redemption, ensue .

Resort City Inn was right across from where I was sitting checking mail and looked pretty interesting so I checked in online to the 18 room establishment and walked over.

Thomas, at the counter , a budding origami artist, and a nursing student at the University, is here from Evergreen , Colorado. A rock climbing enthusiast he hopes to go to Missoula or Bozeman next semester. With my extensive expertise on both the Montana towns I was able to give him my sage advise and believe I may have completely changed his whole future for the better.

Thomas is working 30 hours a week here and is a full time student. Another admirable hard working dude.

Really nice Christmas stores are hard to find. Wifey and myself have been collecting Christmas knickknacks across the world for the past 20 years, to the extend we cannot get a tree big enough to fit them all.

Christmas at the Lake is possibly the most attractive holiday store I’ve been in. Greg and Mary Peak, the proprietors, were involved in fabrics, on the retail and manufacturing side, in Manhattan and Connecticut, for years. They decided to make a life change and had a list of 10 criteria needed to be met by a town to make their move there. Coeur D’Arlene hit all the marks and they move here 17 or so years ago and opened their appealing store.

Coeur is a big Christmas town, featured yearly on the network shows and hosting a festive parade after Thanksgiving.

I’m going to need a bigger tree. I bought more decorations, all good ones.

Paddy’s Day and Christmas are well covered in this town, I’m coming back.

Favorite book store of the trip so far has to be The Well Read Moose, just outside town; a combined book store, coffee shop and wine bar. The staff knew their books and podcasts ( Hit Parade) and Kathy was even a fan of Taboo on F/X (Tom Hardy), though I’m not sure how the conversation ended up there.

On driving from the bookstore to my motel, I noticed two gigantic feathers in the center of the road . On research I learned that in Idaho they represent spiritual ascension or really large chickens.

Showered and headed to Crickets for dinner at the bar. Things were happening there for Monday Night Football. Crickets is a great looking establishment , oddities spread all around the place : car grills; merry-go-round horses; vintage signs; beaten up parking meters and a mix of big old leather booths and bar tables.

I sat at the bar and quickly struck up a conversation with Terry and Kelly Matthews and was made welcome by Sean Ryan, the congenial bartender.

Terry and Kelly moved to town from Las Vegas 17 years ago, as they felt Couer D’Arlene was a far better place to bring up their three beautiful daughters (one redhead, one blonde and one brunette aged 29, 27 & 22).

Terry is in construction, there’s a lot of new building in town. Kelly is in Emergency Health Care, which she finds more satisfying than her current job. She is transitioning from Family Health Care where she finds she has to deal with a lot of self inflicted issues and patients that often do little to help themselves.Kelly had tales of smokers on oxygen killing themselves from flash burns when they insisted on smoking with their masks still on.

I found it kinda funny.

I settled up for my very good fish and chips, exchanged details, had a big hug from Kelly and headed back to the hotel.

Sean Ryan told me to come back soon. I might.

Today’s Tally:

Hotel: $96

Dinner: $16

I missed a moose.

Tooleing Around: Day 20

Continental breakfast was an array of cold products and a toaster, lots of kids running around , limited space and some frizzy haired middle aged woman reading a local newspaper loudly to her partner. Breakfast buffets are definitely not the way for my cranky morning self. Unfortunately, it was the only game in town. But good coffee.

I sat under a stairwell . Nobody wears skirts anymore.

Dinner last night was a Duck Prosciutto Pizza. The duck must have flown South, no sign of any on the pie and what remained was a soggy, cheesy, thin dough.

Room was great though. Well fed, coffeed up and ready to check out the slopes. I took a walk up to Whitefish Village , with its pleasing lodges, stores and views, but currently deserted, save for a couple of unlikely looking mountain bikers . I can only imagine it’s hopping in snow season.

Five miles down Big Mountain and 40 miles back to West Glacier to give Going to The Sun Road another shot .

Noticed there’s not a lot open around here in Sunday’s . Passed some massive Jesus signs and there are intermittent creepy white cross road markers, I still haven’t figured out across the state.

I was going to check out the Grizzly Sanctuary, but I saw a sign that said “Bear Left” so I turned around (Dad Joke #72).

Got to use my National Parks Pass for the 4th tons getting in the west gate st Glacier. I took the road that would take me fully west to east across Park.

My first stop was at Avalanche Lake. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled air as fresh as the mix of fir, cedar and maple, as I proceeded along the well marked trails. The entry signs recommended carrying Grizzly Spray – I was empty handed, naked in the Wild. As long as I was not the slowest runner, I’d be grand.

Everyone thinks they are shooting photographs for National Geographic the minute they step in to these parks. There were amateurs with tripods all over the paths.

Mary, the ranger , recommended the two mile hike up to Glacier lake , 500 feet elevation.

Two dozen baseball caps in the car and I didn’t bring one. I’m a foggy glassed idiot.

You could hear the river rushing below as you hiked the teo miles through spectacular forest then the payoff, Avalanche Lake, one of the most majestic scenes I’ve encountered, surrounded by forest and cascading falls coming off the mountains. Worth every step..

Chatted with the Sakas family and we traded photography services. Mom, Dad, two daughters and son in law are out of Mentor, Ohio – my first stop. They had lots of bear spray.

I needed to pee but not that badly.

Back down at the Escalade, I was wet but I was well pleased with that breathtaking five mile round trip saunter . Fortunately there was only one trail there and back so I didn’t lose myself or the car.

I’m sopping, the rain got ridiculous, there was only myself and a couple of eejits in lumberjackets still outdoors. I turned left and headed for the bone in the pork chop of Idaho. I’d gone as far in to Glacier as I was going to in this weather.

Went back to Cafe Delight to put on dry clothes and try the Huckleberry pie (very good). Anne recommended Coeur D’Alene in Idaho as a destination, so that’s where I’m heading.

My first huckleberry pie.

So much of the drive from Montana to Idaho reminded me of the opening credits from The Shining (and closing of the original cut of Blade Runner for any trivia geeks). I90W is the most beautiful highway I’ve ever driven.

Rain turned to a magnificent evening as I drove West, rounded Flathead Lake and negotiated the plains.

245 miles later I’m eating Cajun Chicken and Pasta in Crafted, Coeur D’Alene, Northern Idaho . Everything is closing at 8. Six hours plus driving today and I’m in another different time zone.

I just found out from my server that Coeur D’Alene is on Lake Coeur D’Alene. Coincidence? Becca was a real sweetheart and gave me the run down on town and what to see. She’s studying pediatric nursing and was the only person that would talk to me today , if only for a fleeting moment.

My Escalade smells like a damp mongrel.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeres Karly”.

Hotel: $98

Gas: $52

Dinner: $15

Some Montana based recommendations:

Lonesome Dove: I know the story of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana will not appeal as a concept, but this is such a magnificent book. Watch the mini series after you read it. My favorite book.

Black Cherry Blues: I’m not one for book series, but the Robicheaux novels, from James Lee Burke, are masterful.

Movies: Arrival; Little Big Man (also a great book); Shooter & Open Range – both worth a peek. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot – excellent 70s heist movie with young Eastwood and very young Bridges.

Tooleing Around: Day 19

Today was wet.

Breakfast at Zootown, cheddar, ham and pepper bagel. Chelsea is going to Ireland for 10 days next May. Everyone is going to Ireland. Brian is having issues putting down late night tracks . Brad is back from Vegas and everyone’s is happy to see him. Brian is playing air guitar to The Killers. Chelsea is working on het degree in Social Studiesand working with refugee family’s in Missoula , some from the Congo. Brian would love to see U2 but hasn’t yet. He heard Bono lost his voice.

Missoula has taken in over 270 refugee family’s here in Montana. Chelsea worked in Jordan for a number of months last year, with Syrian refugees. Some of the issues that Refugees need to deal with in their new USA home are food poisoning , food cant be left in the open air here as it could in some of their homelands and a fear of the snow. Many of these emigrants have never encountered cold ot seen snow before and need to learn how to dress. Honorable work.

On everybody’s recommendation I took a meander around the river side, Saturday Farmers Market. Some of the more interesting sellers were the Hillbilly Hindu ( honey lemonade) and The Wandering Jew of Old World Remedies ( I have no idea). It’s game day, the town is humming. You have not lived until you hear Amazing Grace played on the saw. The saw, much like its Celtic cousin, thd bagpipe, needs the right piece of music to portray its true beauty as an instrument.

So many people I met in Missoula told me they came and never left, or left and came back . With its fun, funky mix of people and establishments and nature right on the doorstep, I can understand why . I’m sorry to leave.

Glacier National Park, Going-To-The-Sun Road – here I come.

The first hour out was bland but then a large weird sign that just said Museum appeared on the horizon .

And how often in life do we get the chance to drive down Memory Lane! I had found the Museum of Pioneering Americana, whatever the hell that is.

Who would have thought a drive down memory lane would bring me to the most fun Museum I’ve been in, just off the highway in Polson, Montana.

It’s impossible to give a real sense of this place. All of $6 entry it’s got a main building mobbed with curios as its entry and four acres of eccentric memorabilia: army collectibles; the states largest stuffed buffalo; a preserved 50s diner; military helicopters and Jeep’s; antique gas pumps; a magnificent collection of antique motorcycles; creepy dolls and hearses; foldable bicycles;historic buildings ; an alien autopsy center…………….tip of the iceberg…

Just go to the place , it will put a huge smile on your face. What a fabulous find. I bought another t-shirt.

Marge, at the gift counter, recommended I take the more scenic route 35 around Flathead lake into Bigfork. It was a good call but driving North brought me in to rain. I stopped at Bigfork for a drink. Picturesque little town but a lot of it already closed for the season. Stopped in at the Garden Bar, lots of drunks watching the Grizzlys .

Lesson one in Glacier, not a lot to do when it rains. The Locals are happy for the rain with all the recent fires around though.

Fortunately I’m enjoying my latest audio book, Ranger Games, non fiction about a group of Rangers robbed a bank. It’s a fascinating story and social study.

Drove on to West Glacier and got coffee and tater tots with Aoli, a house made specialty, at Cafe Delight, right at the entry to the Park. Best Tatar Tots ever and Anne at the counter set me straight on where to look for accommodations – 40 miles to Whitefish , a ski town. Anne’s ex was an Irishman from NY. What can I say ? She leaves here for Florida when the season ends in a couple of weeks, going to Key Largo.

It’s coming down cats and dogs here at West Glacier.

Lesson two in Glacier : Huckleberries . All I know of huckeberries is Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) in Tombstone repeatedly saying “I’m your Huckleberry”. Will try some pie later.

Fortunately Kandahar Lodge has a restaurant and a bar, because I was not driving back down those 5 mountain miles in the dark. It’s a beautiful ski lodge with a roaring fire in the lobby, the first hotel wifey would really have liked. It’s booked up as most other residencies in the area are currently closed for the season.

Took advantage of the gym and steam room then went to the bar to eat. I’ve seen bigger bathtoomd , 8 seats and that includes two at the bar counter. I’m 33.3% of the clientele. The steam room was bigger.

Talked to no one and to add insult to injury the bartender had a mingey beard and an man bun telling loud not interesting stories and jokes you just know he had told a thousand times and probably aren’t true and says “like” every two words. Thsts my job.

The bar closed closed at 10.

Hotel: $135

Dinner: $22

Gas: $43

Hoping to get some sun for Going-To-The-Sun tomorrow.

Tooleing Around: Day 18

Over breakfast I had a long conversation with Lee and Bonnie Manicke , locals from nearby Polson. They were in town last night to see a performance by Herb Alpert and his wife Lonnie Hall.

We could bond over Herb, I used to play a lot of his pieces back in my Brass Band days -Spanish Fly a big crowd favorite.

Lee enjoyed the show but is more of a C&W man, Bonnie loves Herb (a favorite of my mother too) who they felt still sounds great but his hearing is not so hot. He had a hard time with audience questions.

Lee is about to turn the same age as Herb next month, 83. The couple celebrated both their 50th Anniversary last year and the arrival of their first grandchild December 30th, to keep up the family names.

Lee , now retired, ran his own property appraisal business from home.

They gave me great instructions on what to see and how to get there. You can’t beat local knowledge.

A pleasant way to start the day.

I’ve put on my hiking boots, for the first time ever, to act like a real traveler for a day.

Missoula definitely has that artsy college feel; purple hair; piercings ; ill fitting jumpers; plaid shirts ;the great unwashed and a spattering of homeless; douchey man buns & beards ; coffee shops and bars, lots of bars.

Love this town already, so I booked another night, different hotel.

Splendid first cappuccino of the day at Zootown with a coolest kid on the block baristas.

A number of people recommended the M Trail, across the bridge, behind the football stadium , so I took a stroll.

I crossed the Clark Fork River , from A Rivers Runs Through it and caught a trout in my backpack in the very spot Brad Pitt stood in his waders. I had a local restaurant debone and sautéed it, with a little butter, a little garlic, a little black pepper, and a little lemon juice, for a small fee.

The walk took me though the Montana State University, home of the Montana Grizzlys , playing tomorrow. Suddenly the name “M Trail” started to make more sense. UMs Mountain is one of the most popular trails in the state, cleared by students in 1909.

I shouldn’t have worn jeans. It’s in the 70s and not a bit of shade on this mountain.

I met a seven year old and his mom finishing the hike. I could do this.

There are 14 Trail options. It’s .8 of a mile up to the giant M. I was thankful for all those elliptical hours. You could see the Grizzly an the field below training.

I definitely should not have worn jeans.

There are viewing benches strategically positioned all the way up. The Big M was not at the plumit. Holy God – I had more to climb.

I had a multi faceted conversation with Gail Oss & and her beautiful step daughter Bella, and her two rescue puppies, as we all descended the mountain.

Gail, a genealogist, does volunteer work as a DNA Angel, searching to find birth parents for adoptees.

Gail delights in the humane aspect of the work and takes huge intellectual satisfaction in putting the puzzle pieces together. Just today she got a tearful call from an adoptee she helped reunite.

Gail and her husband, from the Bronx, did a three week exchange in Galway 15 years ago. They frequented Roisin Dubh’s bar when they were there. Roisin’s is a two minute walk from my home, along the canal, back in Ireland Where they loved the Pub culture that was a time you could still smoke in bard, which they found tough.

With a sackful of adoption stories to share, from the uplifting to the heartbreaking, Gail would like to start a blog and is trying to come up with a catchy title. I would look forward to reading them.

Gail gave me explicit recommendations for Glacier, which I’m going to follow. She’s a seasoned visitor.

I should have worn shorts.

Crossed the other bridge from town the center and visited Shakespeare & Company, on a recommendation from Lorna. Shakespeare’s had an unusual book collection in a fun store and the owner knew Lorna. Said she was a peach.

I bought a graphic, award winning novel, Kindred and Last Exit to Wisdom by a renowned Montanan author.

There are some attractive boutiques and restaurants over the Higgins Ave Bridge and a nice riverside walk that side, overlooking fly fishermen and kayakers.

Then back across the river and into Plonk for a drink, a wine bar and upscale restaurant with an old school detailed ceiling. Best OJ and Club Soda I’ve ever had, tasted like a 2015, buttery with a hint of oak.

Once again, on a Lorna recommendation, I went to Top Hat, a downtown Gastro Pub, and hopping music venue. Met Steve at the bar. He just back in from a day of trout fishing, having arrived in town Tuesday. He shared some photos of the rainbow and cut throats he caught the past few days, all get thrown back. He been coming here fishing a dozen plus years from Minneapolis and had seen Missoula improve on each visit.

Steve had his own consulting services firm, is a Harvard business grad and was a Basketball recruit at UND. Steve and I were able to make the comparisons between his background and mine, on the Kayak team for the Regional Technical College Galway.

The marinated chicken tacos with the House Hush Puppird were delicious.

And then the music began.

Red onion Purple opened for Kuinks and between the two they covered a broad spectrum of musical instruments: bass chellos; fiddles; banjos; drums ; ukulele; guitars and my favorite instrument of the night , a saw. You haven’t heard music until you see a saw player.

Sadly no cowbell.

Onion opened with an odd cover of Golden Brown by The Stranglers, a favorite of mine. Red Onion Purple sounded great but did look like an SNL skit , as Steve pointed out.

Both bands were completely fun.

We crossed the road to what must be the melting pot of Missoula, The Stockmans Bar; an old school drinking establishment with an age range from 21 to 90 and as big an ethnic mix as you are likely to find in Montana. There was also a sampling of testosterone fueled local bodybuilders, wandering the floors.

As the Stockmans logo says, “Liquor in the front. Poker in the rear.” There was indeed a bar as you entered and a Texas Hold ‘Em game running in the back. The blaring Rap music was a strange selection for the establishment but everyone seemed in fine form .

Steve and myself finish our drinks and went out jolly ways. Hopefully we will reconnect in Manhattan, where he travels to frequently.

Todays Bills:

Hotels: $112

Dinner: $15

Tooleing Around: Day 17

I really did SFA today.

The cleaning lady was singing show-tunes along with a radio in the next room. I hate musicals, it was time to leave Bozeman.

But not before anothe mega scone at Wild Joe’s.

That was my last attempt to find a Bozemanian.

I’m seriously prevaricating around the bush today, stopping for a second cappuccino in Rockford, another sleek establishment and revisiting the bookstores.

Well I knew it was just a matter of time. Forgot where I parked. There are a lot of restrictions in Bozeman and they are not prepared for the population growth, traffic and parking wise. The good news, I saw a lot more of Bozeman downtown , after weaving and winding around the backstreets; the bad news it took me 45 minutes to find the Escalade. Google Map Marking from now on. Of course the car was always just 2 minutes from where I started my search. I’m a knob.

Couldn’t find a shop selling chapstick anywhere downtown Bozeman – me poor lips.

Missoula here I come.

I gotta say, this unplanned traveling is making me feel all Grasshopper, full David Carradine, the man with the happiest of endings.

The first two hours out of Bozeman is not the most interesting stretch of road , though I did go through Manhattan and crossed the Missouri River a couple of times.

Pulling into Helena for gas at the half way spot a large western styled sign said I was in Deep Country. It sure felt like it.

The most interesting thing to see across some of the plains was those mile long freight train . Those monstrous trains the good guys always get to the other side of in movie chases and escape. The type that creamed Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry.

Driving across the endless plains of Montana today, I remembered what was possibly my first car journey.

Father Willy, the neighbors older cousin, was nice enough to bring us neighborhood kids for a spin out the country in his red Renault. I was probably eight or nine. It didn’t go so well.

Not an hour out on the coastal road I leaned over the good Father, from the back seat, in a panic to have him stop. Not fast enough. I puked all over his nice black suit and the drivers seat.

Father Willy did his best to clean himself off in a Pub bathroom and not choke this poor little sick Christian.

It was a long journey home to Lower Canal Road in a car smelling of damp Catholic Priest and Pepsi and Cheese & Onion Tayto puke. Granny and my mother were mortified when he dropped me off at the door. My relationship with the church was downhill from there.

There were so many more car vomiting stories to come in the O’Toole annals. As we never had a family vehicle. all five junior O’Tooles were terrible travelers.

And here I am driving thousands of miles across the States.

Helena’s National Park got me back into the forest and mountain landscape, after a lot of Casinos and dingey looking outposts skirting the city of Helena.

It may not have been the most exciting day, But I did find another giant bull. It’s not nothing.

240 miles and five hours later and I’m in Missoula. A mad rush to find parking and a Coffee Shop – I needed to pee like ten men.

Liquid Planet was a great find, it’s a combined coffee shop, wine store and they seem to sell pastas, sauces and spices . I needed the coffee, I had panoramic view overload. The last thirty minutes driving into Missoula were striking and it’s a very attractive town on first look.

It may be a college town but I struggled to find a restaurant open after 9. Locals Only, a bar serving Tacos was still open . I think everyone in there was a local. I did see a Sushi spot open but raw fish in Northern Montana ?

Just found out the the river that runs through it, in A River Runs Through It, runs through Missoula.

Driving the five hours today, I did get a feel for how vast and unpopulated this state is.

For you viewers at home, Monrana has a population of just over one million across an area of 147k square miles. For comparison, New York has 20 million over 54k square miles ; there are 1.7 million in Manhattan. I’ve met a sizable percentage of the population of Montana in two days. That’s today’s geography lesson kiddies.

It was a quiet night at Locals Only, and bartender Lorna Buckingham, who radiated confidence and intelligence , was nice enough to keep me company.

Lorna figures that anyone who has lived in Missoula always comes back. She had studied Medieval History and Creative Writing here, left for 10 years and is now back to stay.

Lorna shares an apartment with her partner and their two young boys. They met when they were both working in Vegas, a town that was good for the wallet, not for the soul. Lorna works the bar two nights a week and writes for a farming almanac, there’s a agricultural background in her family. Her partner is the day manager in Locals Only.

As she said of their travels, the only place two heavily tattooed lesbians , with two kids ever got sideways glances was Utah. Mormons!

A huge proponent of Missoula, Lorna described how it’s not a big money town but is a hotspot for musicians, writers and artists. The town has two major music venues, built either end of town, by the competing breweries. Most major bands come through this college town of 60 thousand people. The Dropkick Murphys are here next week, a hopping, Celtic Punk band.

Lorna gave me a list of local music venues, bookstores and assorted destinations. Looking forward to taking it all in tomorrow.