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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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Pompano, thank you sooooo much for the beautiful pics of my home-state old stomping grounds....the awesome Oregon coast! A very nice walk down Memory
Lane!! I hope you & Co-pilot pigged out on Dungeness crab on my behalf!
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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longlegsinlapaz ... that we did..con mucho gusto! You were lucky to have that spectacular scene as your stomping grounds. Kudos to you.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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estebanis
Nomad
Posts: 279
Registered: 11-11-2002
Location: Stuck North of the Border. They won\'t pay me
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Holy Moly! Pompano you have out done your self!!! Thanks for the road trip. Any chance of you cook'in me up some Coot Jerky???
Esteban
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Hi Michael (AmoPescar), dang..too bad I didn't get your message earlier, but we've already been through Washington and Seattle. We spent some great
days with amigos and passed by Woodenville one day on our way to the Mukilteo - Whidbey Island car ferry, where we were house guests for a
celebration.
I made a note of your brother Frank's place and will stop there next time. Will have dinner and give all your hellos.)
Windgirl..thanks for the camping tip. I believe we have camped at the Timberline RV park before. Gracias!
SEATTLE
First, some history:
As everyone knows, Seattle and all of Puget Sound were discovered and settled by lutefish hunters from Norway.
This is the view from our last campsite before entering Seattle. Pretty scene..cost was FREE..we boondocked it.
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Our first friend's fridge to raid in Seattle was an old Baja hand...mi amigo Michael and wife, Carol. Muchas gracias, muchachos. You cook a mean
breakfast, Miguel.
Like me, Mike is a conservationist & hunter. Again, like me, he collects outdoor memorabilia, including one signed goose sketch I gave him years
ago.
THE HUNTING WALL & MIKE'S COLLECTIONS
We're off to on I-5 to the Whidby Island Ferry.
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At the ferry docks..east side. Next to a branch of Ivar's Fish House.
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A short and pleasant ferry ride..maybe 15 minutes..a great commute for many locals who live on the island and work in the city. Lotsa islands and
fairys in Seattle.
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Our party destination is right handy ..first place you come to on the island. Right at the water's edge, so lunch is at hand!
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Among other fun things, crabbing is always one of my favorites. We got plenty of legals for dinner. Then went clamming along the beach. So easy..so
delicious.
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Some area visits:
We just had to visit the Boeing Store..we are pilots and senior airline attendants, you know. We collected a few things aviation-wise.
There's a wealth of plane nostalgia in this building for anyone interested in flight.
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NATIVE BOAT CRAFTING - DUGOUT CANOES
Hmm..I remember making my first duck boat out of 2 old Hudson car hoods welded together. Hey..don't knock it...it worked!
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THE WATERFRONT
MY DAY LOOKING AT BOATS FOR SALE
Nice batch..but too spendy for me. Nothing trips my trigger yet. There must be one somewhere around here, though....
I liked a certain stinkpot...can you guess which? And that 26' Tollycraft is a honey for the Cortez, too.
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SNACK ATTACK...
HOOTERS - DOWNTOWN SEATTLE WATERFRONT
(I only go there for the hot wings...)
"Balancing Beers" is becoming all the rage...
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One day we decide to see a major Seattle attraction that is CITY CENTER at the waterfront.
DOWNTOWN SEATTLE (really FUN to sightsee in a 34ft motorhome! I just grip the wheel with both hands, put my cap on backwards, and grimace
bug-eyed....the other drivers give me lots of room.)
PIKE'S MARKET - DOWNTOWN
When I asked our RV Park owner about parking downtown Seattle to see Pike's Market, we were told emphatically that it would be impossible to find
a parking place for our behemoth motorhome.
Well... I often wonder why a lot of folks just don't try hard enough to solve a problem. I decided to go find out for myself. (Hey..I'm quirky that
way) Piece of cake. I found this space under Hwy 91 rather quickly. Cost me $10 parking paid into a meter that took Visa. We walked all of 50 ft
and took a free shuttle to nearby Pike's Market. Easy. Done deal.
Pike's Market...a real zoo, but FUN!
I will assume most of us like seafood..what Baja fan doesn't? So here's a few quick photos I took of the scrumptuous seafood selections available at
Pike's Market.
Can you BELIEVE the price of this Alaskan salmon..less than 8 bucks a pound! Holy Helmuts. Not that long ago, I saw it in San Diego for $18 lb.
Shucks, I catch it for free about 20 feet in front of the motorhome when in Alaska. (of course it costs me a small fortune to get to that spot in
Alaska, too!)
Cheeks are great..no matter what species of fish. I especially love Walleye Cheeks. Yummy..
Troll-caught Kings...the only way to buy salmon. When you can, of course.
These were REALLY BIG LOBSTER TAILS!! They captivated us.
Of course, we were ravenously hungry at the time and ordered two giant lobster tails, some fresh jumbo scallops, a few Alaska King Crab legs ..for our
dinner that night.
Gulp..the bill was $148.
I chewed very, very slowly that evening..savoring every morsel to the max.
Even the ceilings had seafood....
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Fresh Produce of Pike's Market is..everywhere!
Hey..this is my buddy, Pier's, product..Elephant Garlic. Good stuff.
Pike's Market has it all..even some dishes Co-Pilot has prepared from time to time.
The day was winding down...and we took a breather to watch the performance from this fireboat in the bay. A nice way to say Goodbye.
It's time to head this ballyhoo to ..where? Well, we played a quick game of chuck-a-luck and this highway came up as the choice. Who knows where it
goes...Maybe The Big Open?
...or The Road to Perdition?...we'll just have to wait and see.
Hasta pronto!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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AmoPescar
Senior Nomad
Posts: 835
Registered: 7-15-2006
Location: North San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Need a Fish Taco and a Pacifico!
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Hi Roger,
Loving the pics and story!
I really like the Pike Place Market! It is so alive with people, foods, colors, smells, etc. Wish I could shop there daily.
I know you guys appreciate good food, so sorry you missed out. But as you said, maybe next trip. Have sent a couple of other Baja Amigos there and
they were very happy! As I said, there's many cool things to see and do in that area.
Take care and drive safe!
Miguelamo    
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Still got both feet, fishabuctor, but my chainsaw is missing.....and AWAY WE GO...
EASTERN WASHINGTON - IDAHO
(Area motto: It's Cold..but it's Flat)
We leave Seattle and peddle to the metal down the freeway ...EAST! ....east?
It got late early...or I pooped out. Anyway I spot a likely-looking RV park while weaving thru traffic and decide to heave to...drop anchor..spend
the night.
"Honest, tesoro...Number 93 is their top luxury site, plus it's got a freeway view. Feel the ambiance!
Yes..that's the electric hookup. Plug it in, please...I'm pooped.
okay...then how about some vino?"
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Next day our lashup is heading east towards ADVENTURE AND SCENERY!
"AH GUARDA! Where are the trees? There are no trees here, yes? I do not like this road, Pompano. I would like see some trees,
tesoro."
"Trees? Okay, okay, trees..sheesh...I'll try this road then..
...opps..well, they sorta looked like trees from a distance, tesoro..really they did."
"uh..Hey, look at all those funny TREES, Co-Pilot?! Okay, so they're a little short. But look again..they're All lined up together like
soldiers on parade..what a sight, eh?
"An LOOK at this. Zowie! Wonder of wonders. This has GOT to be the Mother of all pot stashes! This is better than yesterday's
world's biggest ball of twine and that two-headed rattler.. right babe?"
"My God..they're actually windrowing the stuff! WEED CITY!"
"I love it here. Wild horses couldn't drag me away!"
"Pompano, there are walleye fish in that Columbia River over there, no?...do you still want stay here?"
"I thought so...then Andiamo! We go to the Columbia Gorge!"
'Yes. Co-Pilot, and then to that exciting, that tintillating, that hotspot of the wild and wooly west... SPOKANE!!"
"There's nothing quite like a fishing shack on a walleye river ....."
"Pompano, you are telling me this is where he practices parting the waters? Sure? "
Hmm...Cheney and Medical on the same sign...prophetic.
Ah..Wallace, Idaho. Famous for ....uh, well, you know... But also pretty damn good sidewalk barbeques!
"See..? I told you I'd get you some trees...
There..feel better?"
NEXT STOP....more of IDAHO and the PANHANDLE
[Edited on 8-30-2010 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13197
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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fantastic pics - great storyline - what an adventure ..... THANKS .. now .....about that book you're going to write ?????
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BajaNuts
Super Nomad
Posts: 1085
Registered: 5-11-2008
Location: eastern WA, the DRY side
Member Is Offline
Mood: no worry, no hurry....it's all good!
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well, shucks, Pompano! Y'all's was about 2 hours away from our humble abode. Could of thrown you a couple bottles of hot sauce for your journey.
Dungies are the BEST crab! And you can't beat the fish at Pike Place Market. Although our country grocery store gives them a run for the money by
bringing totes of fresh fish straight of the boats in once a week.
Enjoy the Northwest~
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windgrrl
Super Nomad
Posts: 1335
Registered: 9-2-2006
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Salutin' and yahooin' in yer general direction as you pass 'neath me territory of SE Alberta - land of mini-cacti, mini scorpions and big rattlers.
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
okay...then how about some vino?"
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Has she introduced you to the tradition of having a bevanda with every meal?
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
okay...then how about some vino?"
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Has she introduced you to the tradition of having a bevanda with every meal? |
Igor, I consider the custom of mixing water & wine a form of wine fraud!.... best left to the makers of boxed wine. 
Seriously, yes...we do bevandas daily. I also have been known to add ice cubes to my wine on occasion. If that's sacrilege, I'm a heretic.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Italy
It wasn't like that over there. Regular people didn't savor wine. It was drunk with every meal in large quantities. As you would drink ice tea or
lemonade in this country.
Everyone drank nothing but bevanda with lunch and dinner. From the age of 6 to 60. Every kitchen had this giant wicker bottle filled with vino rosso
and you just mixed it with water and drank it in large quantities. When you ran out you just took the bottle to the merchant and he'd refill it for
you.
The 'we never sell our wine before it's time' sort of wine was for restaurants when you went to town. Special occasions.
When I told my friends in junior high that I drank wine at home with every meal my friends didn't know what to make of it. They must have thought my
parents were alcoholics or something.
I remember dad sending me to the corner store to buy some wine for the family when we first came here and just couldn't understand why they wouldn't
sell it to me. That movie "My Great Big Fat Greek Wedding" sort of depicts what life was like those years.
Anyway, I downloaded a picture of one of those bottles. They seem to be uncommon now, mostly treasured by the artsy types. I guess if you wait long
enough everything becomes more valuable.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Igor, I think bevanda originated in Croatia and is more that than an Italian thing. I asked Co-Pilot it. She was borne and raised in Milano
(northern part of Italy) and said her family never drank it. But I think her folks were slightly more reserved ...and opposed to drinking that much
vino.
I have some wicker bottles at my rancho that look a lot like yours.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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irenemm
Senior Nomad
Posts: 623
Registered: 7-16-2009
Location: vicente guerrero, baja
Member Is Offline
Mood: relaxed
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Pompano and Co-Pilot
thank you so much for this wonderful trip. You can see how much everyone is enjoying it as well as you both.
I agreed with one reader we will also read the book.
This just makes it so good with the History lesson too.
Stay safe and have fun
we are all waiting for the rest of the Adventure
Irene
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mulegemichael
Super Nomad
Posts: 2310
Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: up on step
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shame on you guys for not stopping by when you were passing through sequim...damn!....see ya in mulege in a month, amigo
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Perhaps it's passed it's time.
No, we lived with Milanese's in Melbourne, Australia (big Italian colony over there) and they drank it every day with their meals. Most were from
Trieste, though, next door to Croatia (I still call it Yugoslavia ). No, these
weren't Sicilian and Calabrian paisanos. Northern Italy. Wonderful custom really. Loosens your tongue and makes every meal truly a social occasion
with everyone talking at the same time.
Also traveled through tha Basque country in the 70's and saw the same sort of thing in San Sebastian.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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"IDAHO'S PANHANDLE"
EASTERN WASHINGTON
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Eastern Washington is prime agricultural land and employs many workers...
...including illegal immigrants, which brings up a strange thing that happened during our trip. A farm in Eastern Washington is employing hundreds
of Jamaican workers to replace the Mexican workers (illegal immigrants) it lost when they walked out and struck for higher wages and shorter
hours...a story that could only happen in America.
We visited a farm near Brewster, WA, where an old schoolmate of mine now lives and owns a pharmacy. The huge farm belongs to a friend of his, and is
now hiring 300 workers from Jamaica through the H-2A visa program, which issues temporary agricultural visas. The farm is certified through the
Department of Labor to hire foreign workers.
US citizens got the opportunity to apply for the jobs, but the farm still didn't find enough Americans to plant, maintain, and harvest it's crops.
The farm owner said the problem is there's no guarantee that the people looking for jobs now will have legal documents. So... you have businesses that
are subject to enforcement actions by our Department of Homeland Security.
He also added that Jamaica has a long history of sending people to the U.S. for farm jobs. He said it would be up to the workes conduct and
performance which would determine whether their contracts are renewed at the end of a six-month period.
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Walla Walla, Washington...GREAT SWEET ONIONS! Don't ya just love 'em on your burgers?
The other entrance to Idaho..Hwy 12. Very scenic and one of the most direct highway connections from the MidWest to the Pacific Ocean. This highway
has the most miles of national forest travel in the nation.
NORTHERN IDAHO - via Spokane, Wash.
Wallace, Idaho is facinating: 118 years old, bawdy in its boom times, resolute in the hard times, this town of 960 reveles
in its history.
Wallace is the principal town of the Coeur d'Alene silver-mining district, which produced more silver than any other mining district in the United
States.
The area periodically experienced open warfare between miners and mine owners. Hard rock miners in Shoshone County protested wage cuts with a strike
in 1892. After several lost their lives in a shooting war provoked by discovery of a company spy, the U.S. Army forced an end to the strike.
Hostilities erupted once again in 1899 when, in response to the company firing seventeen men for joining the union, the miners dynamited the Bunker
Hill & Sullivan mill. Again, lives were lost, and the Army intervened.
One third of the town of Wallace was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1910, which burned about 3,000,000 acres (12,141 km2; 4,687 sq mi) in Washington,
Idaho, and Montana.
STORIES
THE 1910 FIRE
By Jim Petersen
Evergreen Magazine, Winter Edition 1994-1995
It was the largest forest fire in American history. Maybe even the largest forest fire ever. No one knows for sure, but
even now, it is hard to put into words what it did. For two terrifying days and night's - August 20 and 21, 1910 - the fire raged across three million
acres of virgin timberland in northern Idaho and western Montana. Many thought the world would end, and for 86, it did. Most of what was destroyed
fell to hurricane-force winds that turned the fire into a blowtorch. Re-constructing what happened leads to an almost impossible conclusion: Most of
the cremation occurred in a six-hour period. A forester named Edward Stahl wrote of flames shooting hundreds of feet in the air, "fanned by a
tornadic wind so violent that the flames flattened out ahead, swooping to earth in great darting curves, truly a veritable red demon from hell."
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Fun Facts about Wallace:
On September 25, 2004, Mayor Ron Garitone proclaimed Wallace to be the center of the Universe.
Specifically, a sewer access cover was declared to be the precise location of the center of the Universe. A specially made manhole cover was made to
mark the spot. It bears the words "Center of the Universe. Wallace, Idaho."
The 1997 film Dante's Peak was filmed in and around Wallace during the summer of 1996, with the large hill next to town digitally altered to look like
a volcano. One scene shows Pierce Brosnan driving a pickup down Main Street to escape the volcanic eruption.
The fire-fighting tool called a Pulaski is widely credited to a forest ranger from Wallace, Ed Pulaski.
Actress Lana Turner was born in Wallace
Now...aren't you glad you know this facts?
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While in Wallace, I saw one of the ..uh..'strangest' color schemes I have ever seen on a motorhome. Certainly got my attention...But what do I know?
I used to have a Minnie Winnie with parrots and palms painted on it.
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..then...
... also seen in Wallace. What Road Trip Report would be complete without an emu or two?
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Idaho Panhandle
The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho . Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as ..North Idaho, but I'm
still going to call it The Panhandle. The panhandle is bordered by Washington state to the west, Montana to the east and British Columbia to the
north.
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city within the Idaho panhandle; however, nearby Spokane, Washington is the region's largest city and also the location
of the regional airport, Spokane International Airport.
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"Sam Owen"
The Sam Owen area is part of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Located in the east-central part of the Columbia Plateau between the Cascade and
Bitteroot Mountains, the Idaho Panhandle is one of the most spectacular scenic areas in the country. Deep blue lakes, swift raging rivers, quiet
streams and high rugged mountains invite hikers, river rafters, canoeists, and nature enthusiasts of all kinds.
Idaho Panhandle - History
The Idaho Panhandle was originally created when Montana Territory was organized from Idaho Territory in 1864. All territory west of the continental
divide went to Idaho. However, the surveyors charged with carving out the new territory mistook the Bitteroot mountain range for the continental
divide. By the time they realized their mistake they were as far north as modern day Sandpoint, so the thin panhandle was left intact.
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Many changes have occurred since the time Lewis & Clark used this route in the early 1800's. The mountains a traveler sees
around himself today are shared by the U.S. Forest Service and the Plum Creek Timber Company. Each owns alternate sections of land creating
a 'checkerboard' pattern as shown above.
As we traveled across the area, we noticed a variety of textures and openings in the lanscape. They represent natural fire patterns and timber
management practices on private timber lands and national forests. This pattern of ownership began here in 1908 when the U.S. Government granted the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company alternate sections along their proposed railway route. This form of early land ownership by the railroads...every
other square mile... is common knowledge to those of us who have lived near a railway system that was established in the days of Western development.
(That's a LOT of land between Chicago and Seattle!)
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Don't forget the fishing tackle!
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Attractions we liked:
Panhandle National Forests
Priest Lake
Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Coeur d'Alene
Kootenai River
Silverwood
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One of many great hiking/riding trails found throughout the Panhandle.
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We came upon a scene which prompts me to post this note on riding bikes (bicycles) on our national highways: We were some of the first responders to
a bike/car accident on this highway in northern Idaho. Luckily, only a broken leg was the result of a biker not riding far enough to the side on a
road with poor distance-visibility. When two vehicles converge coming around a curve on these narrow roads, there is NO room for bikers. It could
have been much worse..brrr!
INDIAN -(Native American) HISTORY IN THE PANHANDLE
French fur traders named the local indian tribe Coeur d'Alene--"heart of an awl"--saying they were the finest traders in the world. The
tribe's trade involved year-long trips to the Pacific coast as well as to the Great Plains to exchange goods. They called themselves Schee
chu'umsch, which, in their native Salish language, means "those who are found here."
The Coeur d'Alene Indians lived in large permanent villages along the Spokane and St. Joe Rivers, near Lake Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake and on parts
of the large prairie known today as the Palouse country, an area of about 5 million acres. They enjoyed a close relationship with the inland tribes of
Canada and the Northwest, sharing a common language and fishing grounds, intermarrying, and attending big trade gatherings and celebrations. Silver
was discovered in the Idaho panhandle in the 1870s, setting off a frenzy of mining activity. The Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, established in
1873, originally included all of Lake Coeur d'Alene. By a series of treaty agreements, the reservation was reduced to its present size.
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An Early Mission
One of the first Catholic missions in the West, the Cataldo Mission was established on the St. Joe River in the early 1840s. Because of flooding, it
was moved to a bluff overlooking the Coeur d'Alene River in 1848. A new church and parish house were erected there and still stand today, both part of
Old Mission State Park. Every August 15, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe sets up tepees on the mission grounds to celebrate the annual Feast of the
Assumption.
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Major communities we visited in the last two trips:
Bonners Ferry
Coeur d'Alene
Dalton Gardens
Grangeville
Hayden
Kellogg
Lewiston
Moscow
Orofino
Post Falls
Rathdrum
Sandpoint
St. Maries
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Idaho Firsts, Facts, and Trivia
Rexburg is home to Ricks College, the largest private two-year college in the nation.
Elk River is the home of the Idaho Champion Western Red Cedar Tree, the largest tree in the state. Estimated to be over 3000 years old this giant is
more than 18 feet in diameter and stands 177 feet tall.
In Idaho law forbids a citizen to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds.
Grangeville is located in north central Idaho. The community is considered the getaway to five wilderness areas and four national forests totaling 5
1/2 million acres. The total is second only to Alaska in designated wilderness area.
The Lewis & Clark Highway (United State Highway 12) is the shortest route from the midwest to the Pacific Coast and the longest highway within a
national forest in the nation.
Bruneau Dunes State Park contains North America's tallest single structured sand dune. It stands 470 feet high.
The Kamiah Valley is rich in the heritage and legends of the Nez Perce. It was here, among the ancestors of the present day Nez Perce, the Appaloosa
horse was first bred, primarily for use as a war animal.
Hell's Canyon is the deepest gorge in America.
Birds of Prey Wildlife Area is home to the world's most dense population of nesting eagles, hawks, and falcons.
Soda Springs boasts the largest man-made geyser in the world.
Rigby is known as the birthplace of television since it is Philo T. Farnsworth's hometown. Farnsworth pioneered television technology.
President Theodore Roosevelt established the Caribou National Forest in 1907. The area now covers more than 1 million acres in southeast Idaho.
In 1924 local McCall resident and Olympic ski champion, Cory Engen, started the celebration known as the Winter Carnival to help curb the boredom of
the long McCall winters.
Sun Valley is recognized as the home of America's first destination ski resort.
Idaho ghost towns include Silver City, Yankee Fork, Gold Dredge, and the Sierra Silver Mine.
Sawtooth Mountain/Sawtooth National Recreational Area was named for its jagged profile.
Anderson Dam is known for its blue-ribbon fly-fishing.
Dense forest regions make up a large part of the northern Idaho Panhandle. Very lush.
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Here Co-Pilot gets a nice roadside drink of fresh water. Me?..never touch the stuff.
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SOMETHING PERSONAL FROM A PREVIOUS TRIP IN 1992
In late August of that year, 1992, I got a case of 'cabin fever' and decided to take a long motorcycle trip.
Not having any particular destination in mind, I quickly packed a small bag and headed south and west..and was to come upon the Randy Weaver - FBI
event which had just started. I watched the TV coverage of the standoff at Ruby Ridge from my motel room in Havre, Montana..and thought I'd include
the action in my trip the next day.
Off I went, thru Glacier Park and on to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where I soon cycled up the barricades at Ruby Ridge. There were CNN, ABC, CBS and other
camera crews set up with their satellite trucks and a news gal was interviewing the spectators and passersby about the stand-off with Randy Weaver and
family.
I was wearing my black leathers and headband when I came thundering up on my black Vulcan and pulled in alongside the tv reporter. She came running
over to me and asked me if I were part of the protesting anti-government group who had been showing up in numbers that day. Well, I couldn't resist
and said,
"Hell, yes. And about a hundred of my brothers are right behind me. This is OUR FIGHT, TOO! "
The poor CNN gal was almost giddy with glee. Her eyes and grin showed her excitement as she sensed a real grass roots story about to unfold..and SHE
would scoop all the other newspeople present.
She began to ask a lot of questions about where we came from, how many states were represented, how we disagreed with the government, what we thought
about Weaver's arguement with the feds on the gun issue, etc, etc.
I couldn't keep up the charade any longer and confessed. "Miss, I'm just a wandering lost soul from Baja trying to find some excitement
myself..heading for the coast and some sun and fun."
I did get another smile from her..but also a cutting motion across her throat as she signaled her cameraman to stop filming. On to the next
protester..."this guy is .. no story."
(photo note: I took this matchbook joke photo after driving thru a forest fire after the Ruby Ridge standoff event....I DID NOT START THAT FIRE!)
.
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The following is what did happen.
RUBY RIDGE - BONNERS FERRY - AUGUST 1992
RANDY WEAVER - RUBY RIDGE STANDOFF - I WAS THERE.
On a remote ridge in northern Idaho, a surveillance operation leads to a military-like siege on the home of Randy Weaver. After an 11-day standoff,
three people are dead: a federal agent, Weaver's wife and 14-year-old son.
Aug 23, 1992 - Dozens of federal agents in August 1992 converged on the remote mountain cabin in the Idaho Panhandle, where Randy Weaver's family
lived. The agents were there to arrest Weaver on a charge of possessing illegal weapons. Weaver's 14-year-old son, Sam, and deputy US Marshal William
Degan of Quincy, Mass., were killed in a gunfight that touched off the 11-day siege. Weaver's wife, Vicki, was fatally shot by FBI sharpshooter Lon
Horiuchi on the second day.
Aug 23, 1992 - Weaver reportedly moved his family from Iowa to Idaho's panhandle in 1981 He his wife Vicky and their four children have been
barricaded on their ridge since February 1991 shortly after he failed to appear in court on charges of selling illegal sawedoff shotguns to a federal
informant.
From Northwest a magnet for hate groups Hate groups groups flourishing in the Panhandle.
Aug 23, 1992 - In a steady rain, dozens of vehicles made their way up Ruby Creek Road, a logging tract that leads to the cabin atop Ruby Ridge, about
40 miles south of the Canadian border in the northern Idaho panhandle. At least two armored military troop carriers drove past a blockade of marshals
...
Aug 25, 1992 - Because of the seclusion and lack of minorities the hills of the northern Idaho panhandle have been fertile ground for white
supremacists over the past decade. Aryan Nations is based in nearby Hayden Lake and antiZionist rhetoric like that espoused by Weaver is commonplace
...
From Fugitive's son, 13, died in shootout Youth's body found on Idaho mountain - Related web pages
pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/61826771 ...
Aug 30, 1992 - Mr. Weaver moved to the remote Idaho Panhandle from Iowa nine years ago in search of an independent life style. Many of his neighbors
and several people aligned with the white-supremacist movement have gathered at a roadblock three miles from the cabin to show support for him.
Epilogue
Following his release from jail, Randy Weaver flew back to Iowa with his children and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the government for the
killing of Samuel and Vicki Weaver. In an out-of-court settlement, Randy was given $100,000 and his daughters were granted $1 million apiece. "The
government got caught with its pants down," Randy stated after the settlement. "They broke a whole bunch of serious laws, they were totally
embarrassed, and they settled our lawsuit out of court because they didn't want a lot of questions asked. This became a personal vendetta with the
government when I laughed in the face of the agent who offered to drop my charges if I became an informant. They admitted in court that crime is about
as serious as a traffic violation."
Federal prosecutors eventually ended a two-year long probe into several FBI officials for their role in the Ruby Ridge standoff. Following the
investigation, Danny Coulson, former head of FBI headquarters, was given a letter of censure; Michael Kahoe, who had been involved in researching the
rules of engagement, was censured and suspended for 15 days; Richard Rogers, head of the hostage rescue team, was censured and suspended for 10 days;
Larry Potts, the man who had approved the rules of engagement, was censured; Eugene Glenn, Ruby Ridge field commander, was censured and suspended for
15 days, and Lou Horiuchi, the HRT "Blue" sniper/observer team leader, received no punishment for his actions, which resulted in the death of Vicki
Weaver.
Randy Weaver eventually relocated to Montana with his daughters and purchased a car lot. The Weaver cabin still stands on Ruby Ridge and, as of this
writing, remains unoccupied.
Since the shoot out at Ruby Ridge, Randy Weaver has been deemed the patron saint of militant gun owners, a living martyr whose infamous shoot-out with
federal agents helped ignite "A seething backlash in the country," as the N.R.A. puts it.
This backlash, along with the Branch Davidian's standoff in Waco, Texas, was later said to have caused the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal
building in Oklahoma City, by Timothy McVeigh.
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This is the End of the Washington - Idaho Trip.
We're glad you could join us for our visit to the great state of IDAHO...next stop is MONTANA...and GLACIER PARK
[Edited on 9-3-2010 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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windgrrl
Super Nomad
Posts: 1335
Registered: 9-2-2006
Member Is Offline
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We travel through the IP annually and your report has illuminated my previous knowledge and observations. Thanks for taking the time to your time and
pictures through these parts. We travel at the speed of light to get from Alberta to Hood River!
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
Member Is Offline
Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Wow, thanks so much for all your time and effort to share your great adventures..
Really enjoyed it all... again.. thanks..
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irenemm
Senior Nomad
Posts: 623
Registered: 7-16-2009
Location: vicente guerrero, baja
Member Is Offline
Mood: relaxed
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I will be waiting with much antipaction
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