On Tour 10/7-10/15

Back on the road again October 7th, we headed towards Harrington, WA to do a benefit concert. The funds raised were to go towards refurbishing the Harrington Opera House. Built 100 years ago the community used the facility many decades. The opera house was closed because it was built before the days of fire codes. It is determined that a fire escape be built before it can reopen as a performance facility. The opera house held an open house before the concert (the concert was held at Harrington Community Church). Katherine and I could not have an official tour but we were able to peek into the old building. The original hand painted curtain was on display! Linda Wagner was the organizer of the event. I would describe her as a human ball of energy!
We left Harrington on Sunday the 7th heading for Idaho Falls, ID via I-90 to Missoula, MT and south from there through Dillon, MT, crossing the state border through Salmon, ID. We like to make it to church when we can. When we can’t we listen to a sermon on the radio. I find it very interesting that in rural areas it is very easy to find a Sunday morning sermon on many different channels. But in the big cities, I am hard pressed to find a sermon.
The scenery was grand. We have been blessed to be able to travel with the changing of the colors of fall. We have been experiencing the blazing colors of the Vine Maple, the gold of the larch and the contrast of the white trunk of the aspen against it’s yellow leaves.
We followed the winding Salmon River from the top Lost Pass, the return route of Lewis from the Pacific Ocean. We left the Salmon River in Salmon, ID to head towards Idaho Falls, arriving at 7:30, just in time to have dinner at the Bryngelson’s home, president of community concerts in Idaho Falls. It is always a joy to be invited to someone’s home for dinner. Generally we don’t have to leave a tip as we do in restaurants! It was interesting to meet friends of the Bryngelson’s and board members in the Shively’s as Jerry Shively is running for state congress in Idaho in his district. I’ve never met a politician before. They aren’t all bad. I encourage you to meet your politicians face to face and not depend so much on TV commercials. They were signs all over Idaho Falls for Jerry Shively.
The Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls is a special place. Many famous people have been to Idaho Falls. I was honored to be on the same stage. Brad, the stage manager, was very helpful and very relaxed.
We left for Burley, ID the next day to give a concert there on October 10th. We met my cousin in Pocatello, ID for lunch at Applebees. It is a joy to meet people who take us out to lunch. Max paid. If I know ahead of time he was going to pay I would have ordered much more than a salad! It was nice to see my cousin again.
Southern Idaho is where my father was born and where my grandparents lived. It was somewhat nostalgic to drive through the area that I visited as a kid. We drove through American Falls where my father grew up and where I visited occasionally as a child when my dad took our family to his high school reunions.
We never know what to expect when we arrive at a facility. In Burley, we were the headline in the local paper! King Fine Arts facility is a beautiful place. The community was very proud of their performance hall. It was built by hard work and fundraising from the community. We had almost 1000 people at the concert. We were also on the headlines the day after the concert in the local paper.
We had a couple of days off before we had to be in Ontario, OR to give a concert on October 13th. We left Burley on the morning of the 11th and did a lot of site seeing. We saw the oldest building on Idaho, the Rock Creek stage coach building located on the Oregon Trail. We ate lunch in Twin Falls, drove to Shoshone Falls, saw Thousand Springs where water cascades out of the side of the basalt canyon above the Snake River. An amazing amount of water! It is not just a trickle coming out of the wall, it is a river the pours out of the cliff.
We drove to Gooding, ID where my father was born. We went past my grandmother’s house where we had many Thanksgivings. The house has changed quite a bit from what I remember it being. We went into the hardware store, which is now a thrift shop, where my grandfather worked. We bought a latte (yes, even Gooding is influenced by espresso) for the car and headed to Sun Valley, ID to see what all the Hollywood stars go there for. The scenery is beautiful except for what the Hollywood stars have done to the place. Million dollar condo’s in the middle of beautiful scenery. We need to sell a few more CDs for us to be able to get a 2nd home there.
Our dinner was fantastic at the Pioneer Saloon. I had prime rib so large that it took up two plates. I had a famous Idaho potato as well. Fortunately we walked to the restaurant to get a bit of exercise. We headed back with doggie bags.
We left in the morning for Ontario, OR via Stanley Basin. Stanley Basin compares to Jackson Hole and the Teton’s in beauty without all of the Hollywood millionaires! We stopped for lunch eating our prime rib leftovers at a rest stop by a roadside hot spring. We arrived in Ontario, OR in the late afternoon to drop off the harp at the concert venue. Even though we basically sit al day driving, not exerting any physical activity, we get tired at the end of the day.
The concert in Ontario on 10/13 was held at the Four Rivers Cultural Center auditorium. Ontario can be proud of their museum. It was a fascinating look at Japanese culture, the American Indian, the Basque and the pioneer culture in Ontario. All are a foundation of Ontario, OR.


We drove to Sunnyside, WA via Hell’s Canyon. I have a good ability of making a 3 hour drive last 10 hours. Hell’s Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon, although a much different geographic style. It is a very isolated area. We drove through a town called Joseph, OR after driving through a cattle drive. That doesn’t happen in Seattle! We arrived in Sunnyside in the evening to drop off the harp and ate dinner in Prosser at a place called “The Blue Goose,” which was having a Bavarian theme.
We stayed at a B&B called the Sunset House. It overlooks the Yakima Valley and all of the grape vineyards. We enjoy casual conversations with people. B&B’s give a good opportunity for conversations at breakfast time. The host, Kerry Warden, made us feel at home. She made us Saturday Wonderful Surprise even though it was Sunday! We appreciated her support as she attended the concert in Sunnyside. Dan was the sound person who was helpful. Along with Dan, he brought his son Nick to haul equipment. My mom, brother and son Evan drove from Seattle to the concert. Since the concert was a matinee, we were able to drive to our house in Sultan after the concert. All five of us stopped in Cle Elum for dinner. It was nice to be home to sleep in our own bed.