browser icon
You are using an insecure version of your web browser. Please update your browser!
Using an outdated browser makes your computer unsafe. For a safer, faster, more enjoyable user experience, please update your browser today or try a newer browser.
Our Great American Adventure Website Logo

Author Archives: Greg Alford

About Greg Alford

I'm a retired San Diego divorce litigation attorney. My wife and I have set out on what we call our "Great American Adventure." We are touring the United States in our motor-home. We'll take at least several years to "see it all." We departed home in San Diego in June of 2013 and we're still going strong. What a blast!

Donna’s Diner in Spokane Valley…

AUGUST 11, 2014. IT WOULDN’T BE RIGHT not to mention this little place. I’ve avoided making this blog more about breakfast, lunch and dinner than anything else. Too many people, when writing about their travels, make that mistake…”Today we made tuna sandwiches for lunch. We used dill rye toast and Best Foods mayonnaise with shredded … Continue reading »

Categories: Eateries, Washington | Comments Off on Donna’s Diner in Spokane Valley…

Spokane, Washington…

AUGUST 9, 2014. We said goodbye to our buddy Therese yesterday and she made the long drive home to Portland. We had a great time while she visited us in Coeur d’Alene. We cooked some good food, had lots of interesting conversations, did lots of “catching up,” dined at a few good restaurants and enjoyed … Continue reading »

Categories: Washington | Comments Off on Spokane, Washington…

The Old European Restaurant, Post Falls, Idaho…

AUGUST 5, 2014. A VERY SPECIAL PLACE. Post Falls is a town just a few miles from Coeur d’Alene. We happened on a restaurant there today that is very special. Without a doubt, this is the most noteworthy eatery we’ve found so far on our Adventure. Second place isn’t even close! All the soups and … Continue reading »

Categories: Eateries, Idaho | Comments Off on The Old European Restaurant, Post Falls, Idaho…

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho…

AUGUST 4, 2014: Coeur d’Alene is 30 miles east of Spokane, and is the largest city in the northern Idaho panhandle. It’s located on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene  and is often referred to as the “Lake City” or simply by its initials: “CDL” Barbara Walters called the city “a little slice of Heaven” … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho | Comments Off on Coeur d’Alene, Idaho…

We had a real scare last night…

AUGUST 3, 2014. WE’RE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! We’re lucky to be alive with our motorhome intact. No kidding! I’ve written about some tight spots and stressful situations we’ve encountered earlier on this Journey, but nothing like this! Right now, we’re safely parked in the lot at Northern Quest Casino, about 20 miles from our … Continue reading »

Categories: Washington | Comments Off on We had a real scare last night…

Palouse Scenic Byway and Top Notch Cafe…

JULY 29, 2014. A PATCHWORK OF ROLLING FARMLAND. The drive from Lewiston, Idaho to Newport, Washington via Spokane turned out to be a memorable one. State Route 195. True rural America. It took us almost 100 miles along the Palouse Scenic Byway, which is a spectacular drive through a patchwork quilt of rolling hills, celebrated … Continue reading »

Categories: Eateries, National Parks, Scenic Byways, Washington | Comments Off on Palouse Scenic Byway and Top Notch Cafe…

Lewiston, Idaho…

JULY 24, 2014.  HELLS GATE STATE PARK: About 125 miles north of Riggins we arrive at Hells Gate State Park, in Lewiston, Idaho. The Park is a gateway to both Idaho’s Lewis and Clark country and to another section of Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. We have a shady campsite along … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho, Scenic Byways, State Parks | Comments Off on Lewiston, Idaho…

Rapid River Fish Hatchery in Riggins, Idaho…

JULY 23, 2014. OUR VISIT TO THE HATCHERY: Several times in the last few days we’ve driven past a road sign for the Rapid River Fish Hatchery and today we decided to take the short drive there and learn a bit about breeding Chinook Salmon. It’s a very interesting operation. Here’s how the process works. … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho | Comments Off on Rapid River Fish Hatchery in Riggins, Idaho…

Kate’s Cattleman’s Family Diner…

JULY 20, 2014. RIGGINS, IDAHO. MEET KATE, OWNER OF KATE’S CATTLEMAN’S FAMILY DINER: This gal is charming and one of the most interesting people I’ve met so far on our Journey. Here’s how we met. We decided to take a drive this morning and stop for breakfast in Riggins, population 410. Not a Walmart in … Continue reading »

Categories: Eateries, Idaho, People | Comments Off on Kate’s Cattleman’s Family Diner…

Riggins, Idaho…

JULY 18, 2014 RIGGINS, IDAHO. We’ve just arrived and we’ll be here for about a week. The town is nestled deep in a canyon at the confluence of the Salmon and Little Salmon Rivers in west central Idaho. The population is a tad over 400. This is truly small town Americana. I love it. I … Continue reading »

Categories: Animals, Idaho | Comments Off on Riggins, Idaho…

Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area…

JULY 15, 2014 WE’RE HEADED TO SOME REMOTE AREAS. Our Great American Adventure is about to get kicked up a notch! Some pretty exciting country lies just ahead. We’re going to stay here in Boise until Friday and then head to Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area in northern Idaho. We’ve talked to some locals and … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho, National Parks, Oregon, Washington | Comments Off on Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area…

Boise, Idaho…

JULY 11, 2014. HI VALLEY RV PARK on Horseshoe Bend Road is home to us for at least another week. We “rode into town” a few days ago to have some work done on our diesel engine at the Rocky Mountain Cummins facility located here. Our engine was running a little sluggish and it turns … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho | Comments Off on Boise, Idaho…

We’ve made a big decision…

JULY 8, 2014. WE’RE GOING TO SLOW DOWN. Over our morning coffee during the last few days, we’ve been discussing the pace of our Journey. We’ve been talking about places we’d planned to visit that we’d need to skip, in order to get to the East Coast by Autumn. It’s dawned on us…gradually, over the … Continue reading »

Categories: Idaho, People | Comments Off on We’ve made a big decision…

Vale, Oregon…

JULY 5, 2014. VALE IS A TINY WESTERN TOWN on the extreme eastern side of Oregon, only about 15 miles from the border with Idaho. The population is less than 2,000. Rodeo is “where it’s at” in Vale and we stumbled upon this town on the final night of the annual Vale Rodeo. What luck! … Continue reading »

Categories: Oregon, People, Wild West | Comments Off on Vale, Oregon…

4th of July 2014: Redmond, Oregon…

JULY 4, 2014. We’re been in Redmond, Oregon for a few days, after driving east from Eugene, across the Cascades and through the Willamette Forest.  Redmond is in the high desert, just 15 miles north of Bend. The drive was breathtaking: we traveled alongside bright blue streams rippling across the rocks and meandering through the … Continue reading »

Categories: Holidays, Oregon, RV Cooking | Comments Off on 4th of July 2014: Redmond, Oregon…

Bub Warren…Western saddle maker.

JULY 2, 2014. REDMOND, OREGON. This was a really special day! As most of you know, I’m taking this Journey as much to meet folks as I am to see places. Today I got to meet a really special man. Here’s how it happened: We had taken our RV to a detail shop to have … Continue reading »

Categories: Oregon, People, Wild West | Comments Off on Bub Warren…Western saddle maker.

Eugene, Oregon…

JUNE 28, 2014. We just arrived in Eugene, having left Washington mid-day and driving all afternoon in the rain.  We’ll be here only a day or two. We’ve specifically come to have our windshield re-set at a specialty RV Glass facility. We’re getting an extremely noisy whistling sound around the windshield.  It’s upsetting when these … Continue reading »

Categories: Oregon, People | Comments Off on Eugene, Oregon…