Our original plan for August was to go off in our camper into the bush close to home, but the smoke from wildfires made us change our mind. We stayed in Cranbrook until Wendy took her “house trailer endorsement” road test. Here’s a photo of her doing the pre-trip inspection during her test. The road test went well, even through the mid-day summer traffic and she is now certified Class 5 with 07 endorsement. We left town immediately after the test for Montana, where we hoped we would be out off the smoke.

We stayed an hour east of Missoula, at Bearmouth for the first night. The next day we drove through to Red Lodge, Montana and stayed at the KOA. We chose Red Lodge because of its proximity to the Beartooth Highway, a engineering marvel. The road goes up to Beartooth Pass at over 10,000 feet. Here’s a photo of a postcard showing some of the switchbacks.

We had a perfect day. Here’s a photo from one of the viewpoints.

We drove over the pass and into Wyoming to the Island Lake campsite and trailhead and set off for a short hike. The flowers were past their prime but still beautiful. The fairly level trail goes by a number of lakes. It’s was wonderful to start a hike at 9,500 feet. No trudging uphill to get to the views!

The next day, we went up to the Beartooth plateau again and tried our hand at fishing. We went to Hauser Lake which is about 20 minutes from the highway. The first photo is of Doug, the second of Wendy. It’s kind of hard to tell us apart, since we have the same fishing clothes. We caught a fish each.

For our fifth day of the trip, we drove about an hour and a half to Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a true tourist town, since so many Easterners travel through it on their way to Yellowstone National Park. We found some good deals at Sierra Trading Company, then enjoyed an amazing lunch that included some of the best fries that Doug has ever had. After lunch, we visited the local quilt shop and were pleasantly surprised at their fabric selection.

Back to fishing: this time after buying some recommended flies and a hiking guidebook that described the route to Upper and Lower Sheepherder Lakes. The first photo is the “follow your nose” route to Upper Sheepherder and the next two are at the lake. It was a beautiful lake, but with no fish action, so we headed back down to the lower lake. Doug caught a fish on one of his first casts and enjoyed catching and releasing several. Wendy was happy to catch and release a little brook trout, especially because she had improved her cast enough to get her fly out to where the fish were feeding.

Red Lodge was a great base camp for us and it was even better when we discovered they had their own brewery. Red Lodge Ales is celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year. We visited a number of times and liked every brew that we tried.

We stayed at the KOA in Red Lodge, which was comfortable but rustic. The saving grace was the new shower room, which we enjoyed because we didn’t have sewer hookup.

On our final day up on the plateau, we hiked to Hauser Lake again, fished from the other side (no luck), then hiked to three other small lakes to make a circle tour. It rained for a few minutes before we made it back to the truck and we could tell the weather was changing.

On our way down the Beartooth Highway, we drove through a thick bank of fog. It was colder on the valley floor than it was up on the plateau. It rained hard that night and was still chilly the next morning as we packed up. The weather improved as we headed north. We chose to try out a new route home and stayed east of the Rockies, going through Great Falls to stopping in Shelby, Montana for the night. The Shelby RV Resort is connected to the local Comfort Inn and has spacious pull-through sites.

Our “travelswithafox” mascot has gone through another change. We hung the new wall-hanging in the trailer above Wendy’s chair; which you can see in the photos below.

Stay tuned for our next post from Sisters, Oregon (folk festival this time) and the Okanagan (for wine-tasting).

It was time for our annual trip to Sisters, Oregon for the quilt show and workshops (and fishing, hiking and biking.) We planned to stay a few days at Deschutes River State Park. We booked a beautiful site that had plenty of shade, which was important because the temperature reached 35 degrees (C) both days we were there.

Both days, we set the alarm 6:00 am, had a quick breakfast and rode from the campsite along an old rail bed that has been converted to a gravel trail. We had good views of the Deschutes River the whole way. Most of our riding was in the shade, except for a few sections, one of them allowing us to get a good photo. We rode for about two hours and covered about 20 kilometres.

In the hot afternoon, Wendy set up her quilting studio in the trailer. We also cooled off by using our pool noodles to float a few hundred metres down a slow moving section of the river.

Next stop was Bend/Sisters RV Resort. Because we had a bigger unit we needed to change to another site. This one had good shade and pleasant neighbours.

Doug hiked up the Tam McArthur Rim to Crater Lake under Broken Top Mountain, farther than he had gone on previous trips. He felt pretty good completing the 20 kilometre hike on a warm day.

While he was hiking, a flock of butterflies flew over the ridge. The air was so thick with them that he had to keep his mouth shut so he didn’t swallow one. Here’s a photo of one that was resting for a few minutes.

While Doug was hiking, Wendy was taking a art quilt class called “Creativi-tree.” She fused fabric to the backing, and added paint and stitches. Here are the small pieces (11×14″ and 10×10″) “in-progress.”

Tuesday for Doug was a “rest” day but was filled with washing the truck and RV, getting groceries etc. On Wednesday, he headed up to the same area that he had hiked, but this time he took his float tube. While he was fishing, he could look at the ridge that he had hiked a few days before. He hiked the whole skyline in the photo below (and further.) He caught and released four rainbows. There’s a photo of one of them below.

Wendy took a two day class from Jean Wells, called “Simply the land.” It was a design class and similar to a class she took from Jean three years before, so it helped to consolidate her learning. The photo below shows Wendy’s “fall grasses landscape” in progress.

On Thursday, Doug was raring to go again and took his bike from the RV park up to Peterson Ridge, into Sisters for lunch, then back to the camp for a total of 40 kilometres. He met some nice horsewomen near the top of the ridge who took his photo. One of the Three Sisters is behind him in the photo.

Wendy took another class of a new technique, which was interesting but slow, so no pictures. She was quite tired when Doug picked her up from class, but perked up after beers and dinner in Bend.

Saturday was the famous outdoor quilt show in Sisters. Wendy took over a hundred photos throughout the day. Here’s a small sampling. The photo below is of the side of the Stitchin’ Post quilt shop.

Wendy toured the quilt show with Linda, her friend from Cranbrook who also took some classes.

Fishing is big in the area and so are fish related quilts.

Quilts are hung all over town, and the organizers work hard to group the quilts so each one complements the others.

After our week in Sisters, we drove to Camp Sherman, about an hour northwest. We stayed at the Cold Springs Resort, where we had stayed previous years. This time we had a different site, right beside the creek. It was hot during the day, but cooled off nicely each evening.

We discovered a bike trail that we had overlooked other years, that went from our campsite at Camp Sherman to Suttle Lake. We enjoyed it so much that we rode it twice. The first photo shows a portion of the trail around Suttle Lake; the second one is of the forest section and the third one gives the statistics that were collected using a mountain biking app that assumed we were at the ski area, hence the title.

Doug had a great time fishing the Metolius, and caught (and released) his biggest fish: a 13″ rainbow on a #14 Golden Stone.

And the birding was excellent as well. Here’s a cedar waxwing with a Saskatoon berry, taking right at our trailer, a rufous hummingbird that posed on the overhead wire, a young American Dipper and one of a pair of young Common Mergansers that were cavorting in the current.

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Most of our readers know we’ve been home awhile. Oh well, at least this post is written before we head off again!

This will be a quick look at our few days in Amsterdam. We stayed in North Amsterdam in an area that used to be industrial and is now quite residential. We were on the second floor of the “bluish windows” building.We overlooked a canal. When the weather is hot, as it was when we were there, people head out on barges and party. They can be a little loud in the middle of the night!We walked around old Amsterdam and had a good view of the Oude Kerk (old church).. Views of the canals.The first day we had a beer at the brewery that was beside this famous double windmill.Shopping for dinner.The next morning we visited a tiny cheese museum and Joanne posed as a Dutch milkmaid.We visited the Anne Frank House. Joanne had made our reservations back in April. It was really interesting and organized so that there weren’t too many people in the tiny rooms at a time.After lunch, we took a canal tour on a boat similar to the ones that you can see here. The central station (for trains, buses, metro and ferries) is in the background. It has an ancient facade, but is very modern in the back.A view from the canal tour.Here are the “Dancing Houses,” named for how crooked they are, seen from our canal boat.Next was the Maritime Museum (Hep Scheepvaartmuseum). You can see the kind of boat we rode on our canal tour just passing the sailing ship.The next day we walked around old Amsterdam some more. This statue was of a founder of the nearby Salvation Army,which was located in this leaning building.Doug and Wendy had a quick visit to the free part of the Amsterdam Zoo. Here’s a photo of a stork. Joanne and Bill did a bit of shopping.We decided to meet up at the Delirium Cafe, expecting that a cafe would be open for lunch. But it wasn’t. It was more of an afternoon and evening place. So we ate our apple and regrouped. Luckily the “Little Delirium,” was at Central Station so we stopped there for a beer.Next was the Rijksmuseum. We had to see Rembrandt’s famous painting: “Night Watch.” It was the size of a mural and was full of amazing details.We had reservations at the Van Gogh Museum at 4:30. Fascinating! Doug posed for a photo that was set up to automatically take your photo and email you the result.That night, Joanne and Bill’s neighbours who are living in Amsterdam for two years, welcomed us to their home and indulged us with a delicious home cooked meal.The next morning, Joanne and Bill had to fly to Edinburgh to get their return flight. Wendy and Doug had another day to tour. First up was the open air market at Albert Cuyp,then the zoo. This area is meant for the white pelicans (which can’t fly away) but it is also the chosen home of many cormorants and grey herons. The photo below that is of an ibex. It was great to be among some greenery after so much pavement and cobblestones.Here are two views of Montelbaanstoren, a tower on the bank of the Ouchescfuland Canal. The original tower was built in 1516 to defend the harbour; the top decorative half was added later. The first photo was taken on our last day in Amsterdam, and the other on our first.We took the passenger and bike ferry back to our home base. It’s a free ferry and well-used on a Saturday afternoon. Cars and buses take the tunnel across to North Amsterdam.And then we (Doug and Wendy) were on our way home. Doug was able to book us a first class ticket with points. Here’s a view of our cabin with pods for our Amsterdam to Toronto flight.So if you’re reading this in real time, you probably know we’ve been home for a couple of weeks. We’ve been busy getting ready for our next trip. Stay tuned for scenes from Sisters: quilting, fishing and hiking, (and some birds of course.)

We signed up for a seven night “Boat and Bike Tour” that had us travelling from Bruges, Belgium to Amsterdam, Netherlands; some of it by bike while our floating home followed and some of it on the barge. We saw so much country and took so many pictures, that we will divide the posts into three sections of two riding days each.

Thursday (Day 1): Bruges to Ghent, Belgium

Thursday started off rainy, first with a light shower, then thunderstorms. By the time we were meant to leave the barge, it was raining quite heavily. We delayed a little bit hoping it would let up, giving Wendy time to grab a shower cap for her helmet.

Here you can see Wendy in the front and Doug in the navy jacket as we head out. Bill and Joanne sensibly stayed on the barge and got off and started riding farther along in Aalterbrug.

It only rained for about an hour and by lunchtime we were dry. We stopped at a cafe in the middle of nowhere. If you ordered a drink, they were happy to let you sit at their tables and eat your lunch. (And use their bathroom) Joanne and Bill joined us here, but had to finish their drink quickly in order to join the first group.

We travelled through some pleasant farmland.

We had a quick photo stop at this private castle (Castle Lovendegem).

It was starting to heat up by the time we reached this windmill, the first of our trip. It was no longer in use and was used as a private residence.

We had our first chance to navigate traffic when we came into Ghent. We left our bikes at the square by St. Michielsburg and had an hour or so to explore the city centre.

Bill was asked to be the “sweep” which means he goes last and has a radio to use in case people get separated. He willingly put on his vest.

Wendy took this picture of the group going over a pedestrian and bike bridge but realized that it was unsettling to the sweep to have people behind him. She learned her lesson and took the next two photos without stopping, just slowing down a little.

We got back to the barge around 6:00 that night. Fifty six kilometres for Doug and Wendy and thirty four kilometres for Joanne and Bill.

Friday (Day 2): Ghent, Belgium to St. Amends, Belgium.

It was foggy and damp on Friday, but not cold, so we all headed out at the standard 9:00. It rained a bit just as we stopped to see another private castle.

There were poppies all along the trail but Wendy was able to get ahead on a cobblestone farm road and quickly took this photo before the whole group passed her.

We rode along a dike for awhile.

Soon we were in Dendermonde. Although this square seems to be circled by the original houses, they were all rebuilt after the First World War. Most of the houses were destroyed or burnt in the war, with only 84 houses left undamaged.

Dendermonde is small enough that you can meet the mayor in the town square. He was biking between meetings and stopped to say hello. He encouraged us to visit the renovated city hall and the display at the visitor centre. Here’s Joanne in front of an historical map of Dendermonde.

We also met a local who joined us for a beer. He was an interesting guy who ran marathons.

We hiked about a half an hour more to the spot that the barge was docked. Doug, Wendy and Joanne hopped on and Bill continued on. Here’s Bill’s photo of one of the spots on his 14 kilometre ride along the river.

And Bill’s view of the barge when we caught up to them a few hours later in St. Amands.

To reach Bruges, we flew to London, then to Brussels, and then took a train to Bruge. The train was so smooth that Wendy could work on the blog as we traveled.

Our apartment in Bruges was up on the first floor in an old building that had been renovated. The high ceilings and ornate furniture gave it an elegant feel.

We were on a street in the centre of town, just down the block from the Market Square. Here’s a view of the street in the early morning, before the tour buses arrived. The second one is taken later in the day, looking the other direction. You can see The Belfry above. The market square is just beyond it.

This is a view of the canal closest to our apartment, taken in the evening. The next morning, we took a canal tour in one of the boats that you can see peeking out under the tree. We had a beer on the patio that you can see in this picture on our last day in Bruges.

The first full day in Bruges started with a canal tour. Doug was lucky enough to score a seat right in the front of the boat. There’s another view of the Belfry on the second photo.

Here’s the Minnewater bridge and a view of the swans in Minnewater Park.

There are modern art installations throughout Bruges. The theme is Liquid City: how flexible, liquid and resilient can a historic city like Bruges be? The Blue Whale was made from plastics apparently retrieved from the sea as a reminder to everyone to use less plastic. The first photo was taken from our canal tour, the second on our own walk on our last day in Bruges.

After the canal trip, we headed over to the Belfry. Three hundred sixty six steps later, we were at the top. Here’s the view of the Market Square below. You can see some of the bells in the second photo. The bells sound every quarter hour, so we were at the top to see and hear the bells ring and also at the level below to see the mechanism in action.

Then another walk around town…

… that ended at “The Beer Wall,” that had a display of beer bottles and glasses, all made in Belgium. The seating was covered but open air. Notice the unique sign designating the toilets just above Doug’s head in the third photo.

So far we were making it through the “tick” list: canal ride, swans, the Belfry and Belgian beer. Now for the waffles. The window of the House of Waffles was just next door to our apartment, so we picked up our order and went upstairs to eat them. The second photo is Joanne with her Double Chocolate Supreme waffle.

After that decadent “lunch,” Doug, Bill and Joanne went downstairs to the Torture Museum. Yes, you read that right, our apartment was two floors up from the museum. Here’s Bill posing with their “tourist attractor.”

Wendy went on her own walking tour. Here’s a view with a canal boat just like the one we were on, and some views of the amazing architecture (and more canals).

Wendy got a good view of Saint Anne’s Church, with its 1624 Baroque edifice. The next day, we all walked by it.

Next: brewery tour! Joanne had booked our tickets to De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) back in April. Here are a couple of pictures from the tour and one of us enjoying the included beer at the end.

And our day wasn’t finished yet! Our tick list so far: canal ride, swans, the Belfry, Belgian beer, fresh waffles, brewery tour. The only thing missing was a meal of mussels and fries. Doug and Bill dealt with that one. The other photo is of the meal that Joanne and Wendy had: white asparagus and smoked Atlantic salmon.

Wednesday is market day and we were lucky enough to be there. You can just see a portion of the central monument behind the striped umbrellas, if you want to contrast it with the almost empty Market Square photo earlier in the post taken from the top of the Belfry. We bought our lunch there and ate it on a nearby bench.

Later that day, we were able to check in to our barge, “The Magnifique II.” Our boat and barge tour from Bruges to Amsterdam is the topic of our next blog.