A sampling of interesting restaurants.
While in Ashland, we attended a performance at Oregon Cabaret Theatre of Legally Blonde, the Musical. We’ve visited Ashland many times over the years, but this was our first time at the cabaret.
Menu:
Stage:
Our table was upstairs:
Other tables:
Chandelier:
Jenn:
Brunch:
Legally Blonde dining:
Downstairs:
Stage:
Of course I couldn’t take photos of the actual performance, but it was enjoyable.
We drove our coach 321 miles, about six hours of driving, from Welches to Ashland, Oregon.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading south:
An interactive map:
Toading up in the maintenance area, as usual:
“Welcome to Boring, Paired with Dull, Scotland”:
Our favorite garden center in the Sandy area, Tony’s:
Willamette River:
Joining I-5 South, with heavy traffic:
Rest area:
I-5 South:
Lunch stop at Coburg Crossing Cafe at a TA Travel Center in Coburg, Oregon:
Rail bridge over North Umpqua River:
“Slow Down” for a sharp curve:
Rest area:
Nice Southern Oregon view:
A glimpse of Mount Shasta from I-5 South:
A glimpse of downtown Ashland:
Emigrant Lake entrance:
The lake was very low (and has been for a long time):
Unstaffed fee station (campers continue to site):
Entrance to The Point RV Campground (with a disconcertingly tight corner):
Our site:
The second Seattle Mariners game vs the New York Mets, at the Mariners’ ballpark, T-Mobile Field was originally going to be an afternoon game, but was pushed back a few hours as it was featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
We were there very early, having done the ballpark tour beforehand, so had ample opportunity to sample more ballpark food:
Julio Rodríguez exercising, having been on the injury list until this game:
Marking the batting boxes:
Jenn with inflatable trident:
Pitching:
Batting:
Cal on base:
ESPN Sunday Night Baseball:
Pitching:
Run scores:
Salmon Run:
Home run:
Two runs score:
Even though I’ve been in this ballpark more times than any other over the years, and had explored in the previous game, plus the guided tour, I still wanted to explore some more, to take pictures from other angles and places:
“Hotdogs from heaven”, a Mariners innovation where they drop hotdogs on little parachutes:
The wave:
Cal Raleigh is nicknamed “Big Dumper” (because he has a big butt), and they played on that by having him read out messages to dump people:
The M’s did rather well:
Mariners win:
Sweep:
Cal interview:
While our coach was at home, we spent a couple of nights in a hotel in Seattle (across the road from the ballpark), to attend a couple of Seattle Mariners games vs the New York Mets, at the Mariners’ ballpark, T-Mobile Field (which I’ll always think of Safeco Field).
The first game was an evening one.
We went in early via the bullpen gate, and grabbed some nachos from Edgar’s Cantina:
The crowd out by the bullpens:
Out-of-town scoreboard:
Retired numbers:
Dave Niehaus, late voice of the Mariners:
The Walk-Off Market, where you can just pick things up and walk out, via Amazon technology:
Root Sports TV set:
Welcome to T-Mobile Park:
Later we got some clam strips from Ivar’s Seafood & Chowder:
Cal heading to the bullpen:
Cal info:
Heading back:
Catching:
Run scores:
Salmon run:
Exploring the ballpark:
Seattle skyline:
Retractable roof over train tracks:
Hit It Here Cafe:
Moose:
Mariners win:
As soon as most people left, flocks of seagulls swooped in to scavage the waste food:
We like it when the Mariners win.
We drove our coach 338 miles, about six hours of driving, from Missoula, Montana to Quincy, Washington.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:
An interactive map:
Clark Fork:
45 MPH next 4 miles:
Rest area:
Welcome to Idaho; Entering Pacific Time Zone:
6% grade:
Rest area:
Welcome to Washington:
Spokane:
Bridges:
Truck stop:
Iron Skillet for lunch:
Paladin on the dash:
Dust devil:
Rest area:
Paladin in his dash bed while leaving the rest area:
The farms along I-90 in Quincy had signs on their fences indicating what the crop was; we’ve sometimes not recognized a crop and wondered, so wish everyone would do this. Beans:
Potatoes:
Sweet corn:
Timothy:
Mural in Quincy:
Heading down into the Columbia River gorge:
Our destination, Thousand Trails Crescent Bar:
Our site:
After visiting Little Bighorn Battlefield, we stopped by Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe on the Crow Indian reservation.
Swag:
Cafe:
Menu:
We’re big fans of Indian fry bread, so had Indian tacos for dinner:
We drove our coach 313 miles, about five hours of driving, from Mitchell, South Dakota to Custer, South Dakota.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading west:
An interactive map:
Heading west of I-90:
Rest area stop:
Sunflower field:
The Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture:
A Tiffin Allegro Red motorhome passing us:
Lunch stop at Hutch’s Cafe:
Menu:
Back to our coach:
Entering Mountain Time Zone:
Passing Badlands National Park:
Another rest area:
Paladin sat in his dash bed for a while:
Firehouse Brewery & Winery had several fire trucks along the freeway:
Paladin asleep on the floor:
Busts:
Entering Custer State Park, our favorite state park:
Curvy road:
Whatever we do, don’t turn onto Needles Highway with our coach! Very narrow and short tunnels:
Legion Lake campground entrance:
Our site, with a glimpse of the lake in the background:
We visited the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
According to Wikipedia, it is the largest mall in the United States, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, and the twelfth largest shopping mall in the world.
We had dinner at Shake Shack (first time we’ve seen one since we visited New York years ago):
In addition to being a huge mall, the center is filled with an amusement park:
Minnesot-ah!:
It’s an impressive mall… but still just a mall.
We attended a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies, playing at the Twin’s ballpark,Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Target Field entrance:
Seating:
Selfie:
Team store:
Cheddar brats and pretzel:
A citizenship ceremony:
Map:
Ballpark from outfield:
Putting:
Winnebago camper van:
More ballpark angles:
“Win! Twins!”:
Rotating ball and big screen:
Concessions:
Mascot TC Bear, kid, “animal control” handler:
Lots of screens:
“Unapologetically Loud”:
Mascots:
Dippin’ Dots:
At one point the lineup screen showed the Mariners lineup?!
Then the screens blanked out while they fixed that:
Run scores:
Twins win:
Final score and stats:
We drove our coach 198 miles, about three hours of driving, from Oakdale, Wisconsin to Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading northwest:
An interactive map:
Checklist:
Lunch stop:
Paladin on the dash while leaving the truck stop:
Roadworks:
Rest area:
I-94:
Chimney:
Minnesota Welcomes You:
Rest area:
Crossover:
Our destination, another KOA:
Guided to our site:
