Category Archives: Montana

by Carolyn | July 28, 2022 · 7:47 pm

On Vacation!

Yes, we finished our busy weekend of programs at Hells Gate State Park with record numbers. Finally, we have had good weather on the weekends. One Junior Ranger program had 19 children! These weekends are crazy, and our three days off fill up quickly too.

We just left Hells Gate to start this vacation – we are heading towards our Family Reunion in the Black Hills of South Dakota. So we are back on the road again. It’s been a year of planning for this reunion. Our children and families don’t get to all see each other much. We are most excited to have our grandchildren meet.

The reunion is in Keystone which is a good location for them to explore the wonders of the Black Hills. We have reserved cabins for them in a nice resort. The plan is for us to eat breakfasts and dinners together and for them to check out the sights on day trips.

I will be cooking – for about 20 of us. I am prepared. I have my spread sheets and index cards ready with menus, recipes and shopping lists. The breakfast burritos are finished and in our freezer, along with the chicken cacciatore (also a veggie cacciatore) and bracciole.

I planned a theme for every one of the five days. Each theme includes the food for the day, decorations and crafts. On the advice of our grandson, Griffin, we are having a dance party every night. Doug is putting together play lists of all our favorite songs and Doug will be on call to advise about day excursions and directions.

One of the nights will be a joint birthday party. It will be great for us to celebrate everyone’s special day together.

My biggest concern is our family’s travel. Most of them will be flying and right now as I write this the daily news reports of chaos in the airports is scary. So I reached out to the gods of travel and petitioned them for safe travel for our family.

A fast google search to be inclusive brought me:

Hermes, Greek god with winged sandals who protects travelers; Hermes’ Roman counterpart Mercury, who wears the same sandals, is known for his speed. Catholics have a few – St. Christopher and St. Bona of Pisa. Bona is the patron saint of flight attendants. St Joseph of Cupertino, who was known for his levitation skills and Our Lady of Loreto who is Aviation’s protector. The Universal Church also prays to St. Joseph for safe travelling. Hindu Ganesha promises safe journeys. So does the Shinto folk goddess of Japan Chimata-no-karni. I didn’t leave out Hina from Polynesia, Ilmarinen from Finland, Khonsu from Egypt, Lam Lha from Tibet who rides a golden bee, Meili a Norse god who carries a walking stick, Tir from Armenia and Mayan Xaman Ek.

I tried to cover all bases.

As far as our travels go, after Idaho we stopped our first night in St. Regis, Montana. It’s a pretty campground surrounded by tree-filled mountains. Each site is decorated with a wooden carving. The weather so far has been perfect – bright skies with cool temperatures.

Soon after leaving St. Regis, we crossed the Clark Fork River and then we followed this now perfectly peaceful lovely meandering river that about 10,000 years ago gushed the raging flood waters of Glacial Lake Missoula.

Driving near our favorite town of Missoula we spotted McDonald’s Peak. At 9,868 feet it is the highest peak in the region. Not surprised that is it snow-covered in July. We drove past Jeanette Rankin Memorial Highway (a women’s rights advocate and fierce defender of peace).

As we drive through this state, I keep my eyes pealed for the perfect place to situate a small log cabin. It is my daydream to find a spot, maybe along the Blackfoot River or beside the Sapphire Mountains. As we drive, we listen to audiobooks. Stuart Woods keeps us involved with our favorite character Stone Barrington and this trip J. A. Jance, whose Joanna Brady hails from Cochise County, brings us smiles as we recognize the locations. I am also crocheting a shawl for the upcoming wedding.

But mostly I look out the window. The road goes through the grassy plains between the mountains and those mountains are beautiful: Tobacco Root, Absaroka Beartooth, the Bridger Range, Big Belt, Crazy, and Elk Mountains, so far. Montana also has great rivers to keep me occupied: Little Big Horn and Yellowstone.

We love the area around Three Forks. It’s not just the rivers – Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin – that give us the pretty scenery, but it’s history too. It was in this area that Sacajawea in July of 1805 recognized the landscape and helped bring the Corps of Discovery to her people, the Shoshones, who provided the Corps with much-needed horses. And then the geology: in between the grassy areas along the foothills of the mountains, you can see the white soil, the ancient limestone left over from the Mississippian Era about 325 million years ago.

On Thursday, July 7^th we left the Hardin KOA. Weather is great during the day which makes driving pleasant, but afternoons and nights can be scary. Last night there was a threat of severe weather – thunderstorms, hail and maybe a tornado. It passed us but it was close and looking at the house-size heap of wood and branches from the tornado that had hit there just one week before, I was imagining the predicted 60 mile per hour winds sending those giant branches into our windshield.

But all is well. I even had time that night to do two loads of laundry and make a cheesecake for the reunion. (My refrigerator and freezer are filling up!)

Yesterday we had a huge moth bothering us during the drive. Doug finally got it out when he opened his window. One more fat black moth was killed during dinner. Then the flock appeared. At one time I counted five moths on the TV. Doug killed three before he fell asleep. When I got up in the morning, I cleaned up a few carcasses and then smashed three more while making breakfast. The big question – how did they get in???? We went from the land of spiders to giant moths.

Today we land in Rozet, Wyoming. Driving through this part of Montana is peaceful with long stretches of grassy prairies with cattle and horses. No more mountains. We passed the Big Horn River again. I love the mountains but Montana rivers winding their sparkling way through the state are beautiful. Passing the Tongue River convinced me it is one of the prettiest.

We drove close to the Battlefield at Little Big Horn. And then near one of our favorite places – Garryowen, which houses the Custer Battlefield Museum. This town has a population of two and covers 540 acres.

Friday, July 8^th is our last day traveling. We left All Seasons RV Park and began our day moving through the baled-hay fields. Last night we had a brief and pretty mild thunderstorm. The air is fresh and clear this morning.

Our journey today is just 160 miles.

Last night I made three cheesecakes – they are safely wrapped and stored in the refrigerator. I love baking in my small propane oven but I have to patient and understand the product’s “doneness”. I think the thermostat is close to accurate, but the heat is not evenly distributed. So, I check the food often, which lowers the temperature, so I have to add more time. I change the food’s placement in the oven and accept that timing is a guess. Given the oven’s size I can fit only one 9×13 sheet pan at a time. That is room for just one cheesecake. Each cheesecake takes about an hour so although these cakes are easy to prep, I can’t just forget about them in the oven. It was a total of about 5 hours making them.

Five years ago, I bought and started using a ceramic baking stone. Nothing burns on the bottom now. I learned the hard way with dozens of biscotti with very dark bottoms.

As we travel the winding S curves of part of Iron Mountain Road, I know we are close. We arrived safely at Spokane Creek Resort. We backed into our terraced site, took some deep breaths of the pine air and relaxed for the afternoon and evening. Just a few moths that night.

Our long site is backed up to a mountain covered in tall pine trees. This is a beautiful property. Everything is well maintained with lots of open space. We need to come here sometime when we really can relax.

We were happy to see a brand new playground, upgrades to the pool, shower house and laundry. There is plenty of room around our cabins to park, play and set up extra tables and chairs. We were only here once for about an hour last year so it’s good that we remembered how nice it was. It’s really better than we had hoped.

We arrived earlier than everyone else to prepare for our busy days of food and family. Saturday, after days of working on my shopping list (I did a lot more than checking it twice!) we ventured out to provision us. I took extra time with this list because it is 40 minutes and crazy mountain roads to get to the nearest supermarket.

We first checked out the trail to the Flag at the Top of the Mountain where you can see Mt. Rushmore. I didn’t make it to the top. Too rocky and steep for me and maybe for the younger kids too. But Doug got to the flag and took a photo.

We managed to get all the food stored into the RV. The freezer and refrigerator are full and miscellaneous items are grouped in grocery bags labeled for the day I will need them. Right now our sofa and floor are full too with just enough room for each of us to sit.

I have a few things to prep tonight then we move tomorrow afternoon into one of the Cabins with a full kitchen. This place seems to have a great housekeeping staff, but I expect to wash all the cooking equipment tomorrow. I checked out the laundry with one small load. It is a spotlessly clean facility.

The gang starts to arrive on Monday. Some right around lunch and others later in the evening. No matter their arrival time I will have food and drinks for them.

Can you tell I am excited? Yes, but I will be happy and relaxed as soon as they all get here.

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Filed under Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming

by Carolyn | June 28, 2021 · 10:45 am

Adventures in Wyoming and Montana

BUFFALO, WYOMING

We were so excited to have a really nice weather day as we drove from Hermosa, South Dakota to Buffalo, Wyoming. We stopped at another Wyoming Visitor Center, this one just past the Vore Buffalo Jump. On another trip here we stopped to check out the Vore Buffalo Jump – a stop worth taking. This historic spot is one of many sites where native people herded huge bison herds over a cliff where they fell to their death. It was the women who organized these kills, positioned themselves near the fallen bison and eventually harvested the meat, horns, fur and fat from these giants to sustain their lifestyle. The story of buffalo jumps is an amazing look into the history of the plains and the way these creatures provided the natives with food, clothing, heat, and shelter.

It wasn’t long after that we pulled into Buffalo KOA. Just a two-night stay, but long enough to rest a bit, enjoy the weather and do the laundry. We were getting tired of sandwiches for lunch, so we tried Albertano’s Mexican Restaurant. Excellent enchiladas with a nice spicy salsa. We brought it back to our RV site and ate outside on the picnic table. Not too much wind but the cottonwood trees are shedding so we had to avoid eating the “cotton” that was drifting over us.

We drove over to Main Street and wandered around looking into the shops. We stopped at Lickety Split Ice Cream and ordered their licorice flavor. I had tried it there before and I was hoping Doug would like it as much as I did. He did!

HARDIN, MONTANA

It would be hard to leave the beautiful country scenery of Wyoming – if we weren’t going to Montana! We waved good-by to Buffalo and Wyoming. The new scenery included small streams lined with cottonwoods; the lovely Tongue River; a tiny cemetery; small, sheltered homes and cabins – all made the drive pleasant.

June 1^st found us in Hardin, Montana. Doug thought we should see something different than the KOAs we had mostly been staying in. For this stay he picked Grandview Campground. Our first impression was not good. I walked into the office to register, and I had to walk over messy piles of merchandise – clothing, souvenirs, grocery items – as well as scattered piles of paper. I get that they were about to paint this office, but it was a sty. The two little black dogs and a black cat were responsible for the paper all over the place. The owner was very talkative – I heard all about her trip to Ireland as a young woman with some very colorful details that were TMI. She escorted us to our site through two other sites that left us wondering how she could ever rent them. Our site was ok – gravel with a tiny concrete pad and grass. We did have a nice tree. And having great weather does make the place look a lot better.

We didn’t bother to unhitch for this two-night stay. Our neighbors pulled in the next morning and we had some quick friendly conversations. Later, after dinner, we invited them over to sit outside. Dehlia and Bill were from Brooklyn and Long Island. They were on a 6-week trip, one of many they have taken since they retired. They had great stories about their non-camping travels. We stayed out until dark enjoying their company.

While we were in this campground, we were able to video stream our niece Linda’s wedding in Las Vegas. It was a beautiful wedding – our bride was lovely, the groom looked great with his cap on backwards with his tux. My brother Dan sang the sang he wrote for Doug and I for our wedding – The Light of Love. We call it Lytle Love. And mother of the bride Lisa looked great and little dog Buddy was well behaved. It was such a great thing for us to be there virtually!

We left Grandview, thinking it really wasn’t such a rundown campground after all.

THREE FORKS, MONTANA

There was the same bucolic scenery as we drove to Three Forks. Purple sage and a few evergreens popped up here and there along the endless green grassy horizons. We got a glimpse of the Rockies again. You can’t miss those majestic snow-covered peaks that are sharp and almost perfectly triangular.

This part of the trip was along the Yellowstone River. To our right was the Absaroka Mountain Range which stretches about 150 miles across the Montana-Wyoming border on the western side of the Bighorn Basin. I like to crochet or read or do crossword puzzles as we roll along the highway, but when the view out all of our very large windows is this spectacular I just marvel and ooh and aah.

Our two-night stay at the Three Forks KOA included spending Friday at Lewis and Clark Caverns. We had been looking forward to this cave for a long time and we were excited to finally see it. We did the Paradise Tour – a newly established tour that allowed the tours to continue during COVID because this part of the cave is a large open room. I was glad to be able to do this tour. A week after touring through Rushmore Cave with its 412+ stairs was still making my knees ache.

This tour was a half mile walk to the entrance on a flat pathway with awe-inspiring views. We happened to be there on the hottest day ever, but being used to the heat, we were fine. We walked straight into a tunnel that was chiseled out by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression Era. The tunnel itself is remarkable – lit just enough to give it the ambience of a tunnel but with plenty of headroom. It was a long walk through the gray limestone tunnel and then you are in the amazingly colorful cave.

This tour was different from many other cave tours. Only a very few stairs; no tight passageways; and big open viewing areas where even with about 15 people on the tour, we all had room and time to look at all the many formations. Usually, the time on the tour is spent going up and down stairs at a rapid pace to keep up with the tour guide and the rest of the group. I’m not a sure-footed goat by any means so I take each step carefully and somewhat slowly; and I often feel like I’m holding up the rest of the tour.

But Lewis and Clark Paradise Tour gave me lots of time to look at everything – large intricate columns, hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites. I saw a back plate shield, oriented popcorn, and some really cool popcorn with very large perfectly round orbs. The decorations were right there in front of us. The history of the cave is interesting. Luckily, the State of Montana took over the cave’s protection or it would have been mostly destroyed. The few steps inside the cave were carved by the CCC out of actual flowstone. As much as that is not ideal, it was fascinating to see the polished layers of calcite inside those stairs.

We can check this cave off our bucket list, and we give it high marks.

GREAT FALLS, MONTANA

June 5^th – our grandson Griffin’s 4^th birthday. We’ve been thinking about this active and sweet child all day long and hoping he is having a great day.

Montana, like Wyoming, also has really nice rest stops. These are not visitor centers but the views rival Wyoming’s. We stopped in Cascade County and this stop was perfectly placed between rocky mountainous hills.

During today’s drive Doug had to contend with some high winds. They were certainly a force of nature as we went through these dramatic canyons. Most of the drive was mountains, evergreens, giant boulders, and meandering rivers. We had the Missouri River near us for most of the trip, but for a short time there was the pretty Prickly Pear Creek just on the other side of the road shoulder.

We saw signs for Big Horn Sheep, so on this drive I stopped searching for the Elk that are always advertised and kept my eyes peeled for the Sheep. Saw nary a one!

Another two-night stay – this one at Great Falls KOA. Aside from an annoying check in time of 3 pm – on a Saturday! – the park is beautiful. The sites are very long – long enough for the biggest rigs we’ve ever seen and room to park those giant trailers those rigs tend to pull behind them. They are wide enough to have a large grassy space between sites – nice to not be anywhere near our neighbor’s sewer. There is an ice cream parlor, breakfast, a cute little train ride, a popular pool, and a big playground and even some live music. The cost here is outrageous, but we’ve seen worse in parks that are not nearly as nice as this. The camp store is well stocked, especially with huckleberry products. I couldn’t resist the huckleberry cheesecake popcorn.

Today, Sunday, June 6^th is the 35^th Anniversary of Our First Date – something we celebrate every year. We chose to go to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretative Center. It is right next to Giant Springs State Park. This was certainly one of the finest Lewis and Clark centers we have visited. The displays were amazing. We have had the opportunities to visit many of the Corps of Discovery historic sites. This one, right on the Missouri River was an important one. At about this point in their explorations they were confronted with a devastating problem. Instead of one waterfall to traverse they encountered five in very difficult terrain. But the Corps persevered and with their strength of body and character portaged their boats and supplies up steep banks to get past the falls. Sometimes the portages occurred in deep snow and icy cold. Learning the details of their incredible journey is inspiring.

We took a nice walk down a path and then along the Wide Missouri. The weather was a little overcast and cool but that made for good walking. We had worked up an appetite so went into Great Falls to The Block and had sandwiches and homemade chips.

I took advantage of a Walmart right near our campground and loaded up on groceries. We had planned to have ice cream at the campground to put a nice ending to our happy day, but halfway through the store all I wanted to do was go home and put my feet up. I checked my steps and it seemed like I walked a lot more than 5,114 steps. I decided to buy Tillamook Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream (we are in Montana after all) and stay in for the evening. A good day and a great start to our 36^th year together,

HELENA

We have never been to Helena and wanted to add another State Capital to our growing list. Helena turned out to be an interesting capital to visit. Our home base for our two-night stay was Helena North KOA.

We had a great time in Helena although the weather was still overcast and cool. We took the Last Chance Tour Train to see and hear about this historic capital city. Our driver/guide Kelly toured us through the streets and gulches of Helena, entertaining us with stories. We drove through the pretty hilly streets of the mansion district, saw the blocks of tall stone buildings owned by successful businessmen during Helena’s heyday. We got to see the diversity of the architecture – smallish houses in Craftsman, Tudor, painted Log Cabin and Victorian styles. St. Helena’s Cathedral and its beautiful stained glass competes with a giant spire on what is now the Convention Center. Old mixes with new everywhere. As we meandered up a curving street Kelly explained that it used to be a river gulch and that is why it took that shape. We even got a good glimpse of The Guardian of the Gulch – the old wooden fire tower. It was a pleasant hour-long ride up and down the steep streets.

In front of the Montana Historical Society

Before we stopped for lunch, we toured through Montana’s Capital Building. The Grand Staircase showed off colorful stained glass in the arched ceiling and the windows. The artwork around the dome featured the conflicts and mergers of the native people and the settlers. The pillars were Montana marble – a soft beige with silvery veins. We peeked into the Senate Chambers – also designed with beautiful stained-glass ceilings and windows. We saw the Liberty Bell – like other states, Montana received one to display. Altogether this was a great example of a state building representing its culture and history. We ended our morning at Planet Gyro for lunch – the first time in many months we ate inside a restaurant. We walked back up the hilly streets to our car and decided Helena and its harsh and crazy history was a great place to visit.

MISSOULA

We followed the Clark Fork river part of the way to our next stop which was Missoula. We stopped along and the way and took this picture.

We’re happily back in one of our favorite cities – Missoula. We are once again staying at the flower-filled RV park – Jim and Mary’s. Our pine tree site smells wonderful – lots of grass in this big site. It’s only a two-night stay again but we will make the most of it.

Except – RAIN! There were only a few moments after we settled in when it wasn’t raining so I got outside and took some photos of the pretty flower arrangements all over the campground. It then rained most of the night. We woke up to RAIN and it rained all day. We had hoped to do a little hiking and spend the evening in Downtown Missoula. But RAIN!

And that was the end of our visit to Montana.

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Filed under Montana, Wyoming

by Carolyn | September 5, 2019 · 7:46 pm

Back in Big Sky Montana, with a few stops in Washington and Oregon

This time we entered Montana at the Gateway City of Wibaux. This is Eastern Montana where the motto is “Good People Surrounded by Badlands.” On the way, we saw the oddest sight – a giant 16 foot 2-dimensional metal baby sculpture chasing a rhino, bison, and velociraptor. These are obviously public art but like the other large objects we see along the highways, this just appears along the highway, sitting in an enormous field, with no explanation or warning. This one was strange. According to Roadside America, it is titled ‘Creepy Crawler Giant Baby’ by John Cerney.

We spent just two nights in Miles City KOA Campground. We weren’t outside much in this campground even though the weather has been perfect. It is one of those campgrounds that has mostly cottonwood trees – and they were shedding. The white cotton was swirling everywhere and lay in clumps on the ground. It looked like a light snowstorm out our RV windows. We braved the white stuff to take a walk into the town of Miles City – just about a half mile walk. We went to the Post Office and then meandered down Main Street. This is not much of a town. It has lots of great history but the downtown area is pretty run down. No public art, but there are some benches. The houses are modest – some are well cared for with lots of flowers but others need paint and their weeds and trash are taking over their lots. But it was still a nice walk.

When we returned home we had an interview for a volunteer position that we have been excited about. The interview went well and we were offered the opportunity to volunteer at D.C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, SD. We visited the hatchery on our first trip through the Black Hills 2 ½ years ago and since then we have been thinking about what a great place this would be for a volunteer gig – and now we got it! We will be doing interpretive tours through the grounds and buildings. So we are learning as much as we can about trout – rainbow, brown, lake and cutthroat – and all about the history of fish hatcheries. We will be there from May through September 2020 which will give us time to feel like a part of the pretty town of Spearfish, to explore more thoroughly the canyon, and to visit the many attractions that are in that part of the country. Good news for us!

We stayed at the really nice but pretty expensive Billings KOA. Our site had a concrete pad, a nice concrete picnic table, a fire pit/grill and a two-seater swing. With our awning out, the swing was in the shade and was a great place to relax outside. We were still getting lots of cotton floating around but it didn’t seem as heavy there.

Wednesday was a hot (and a little humid) day but we drove the short distance to Pictograph Cave State Park. We saw the two caves – Pictograph Cave and Ghost Cave and were able to see the cave art painted on the walls as much as 9,000 years ago. Over 30,000 artifacts were recovered here starting in 1937 by the WPA workers. The paint applicator that was used on some of the red rock art was radio carbon dated as used between 1480 to 1650 BC – at about the same time Cleopatra was in Egypt and the Roman Legions sacked Carthage. The art and artifacts found in the Pictograph Cave set the sandstone cliffs apart and are a national treasure. During periods of heavy rainfall, three waterfalls flow down the walls continuing the erosion process. Quite a sight to see!

The next day we went to Chief Plenty Coups State Park. Chief Plenty Coups was a man of “many achievements”. He was chief of the Apsaalooke Tribe, also known as Crow. His Crow name is Aleek-chea-ahoosh. In 1884, he set up the homestead we saw as an example to his people of a good life of farming. We took the easy walk through the property along the edges of the hay field and over the sacred spring. Again, we had perfect weather so eating our lunch on a park bench was relaxing and pretty. Nice day.

On Friday, July 26^th, we left the Billings area and arrived at Bear Canyon Campground in Bozeman. We had been here before and this time we had a tree-shaded site for four nights. We just hung out on Saturday – the day started out rainy so we stayed home and relaxed. Then we went for a beautiful Sunday afternoon drive along the Gallatin River through the canyon all the way to the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The sky was bright blue; there was a pleasant breeze; the river sparkled; and there was hardly any traffic. The scenery is amazing. Charles Kuralt said that the Bear Tooth Parkway is the most beautiful scenic road in America. We haven’t driven that yet, but this scenic drive gives it a lot of competition.

We made it to the northern entrance to Yellowstone

Monday we were scheduled for routine maintenance at Freightliner near us. So we planned our day to accommodate this appointment. We went to the nearby Headwaters of the Missouri River State Park. This site was near where Sacagawea, a Shoshone, was kidnapped. She later returned and met up with Lewis and Clark in 1805 and served as their guide. The Corps of Discovery set up camp in this area where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers merge into the Missouri. In fact, they broke up camp on July 29^th, 214 years to the day that we were there. The three rivers are the source of the town’s name – Three Forks. Not only did we have a wonderful hike through the hills and prairies of the state park, but we also stopped in the town of Three Forks. It is another charming western town with all the pleasantries we like – murals, benches, no parking fees with plenty of parking on Main Street, and lots of interesting shops. In addition, Three Forks had some special amenities – we had a yummy lunch at Stageline Pizza and then we sampled the excellent pie and ice cream at Iron Horse Café and Pie Shop. We stopped in the extensive free Headwaters Heritage Museum to learn more about the history of the town and surrounding area. Everywhere we went we met friendly people, especially the woman who staffs the Three Forks Visitor Center – her office is a cozy, inviting old train caboose filled with many helpful brochures and she herself was a native with a wealth of knowledge and suggestions. The town also seems to really be into painted rocks. I like to paint rocks too so it was fun to see so many all along Main Street poking through the well-tended landscaping. This town rates really high on our list. We had to kill some time waiting for our rig to be done so went to a nearby recreation area on the river, set up our chairs and relaxed with the perfect weather and perfect view. Our rig was done early – no real problems just regular maintenance – so it was a great day all around.

On Tuesday, August 30^th, we left Bozeman for Fairmont RV Park in Butte. The next day we had a really wonderful visit to Virginia City and Nevada City. Virginia City is a genuine western town – the original buildings are still in their original locations and the renovations on them have been minimal. There are over 100 buildings – a whole city museum free to visitors – which you can walk into the entrance and see them the way they used to look. The wallpaper was faded and torn, the floorboards were worn and scuffed but the furniture and artifacts were authentic. We loved wandering down the boardwalk sidewalk and experiencing this western adventure.

Some of the original buildings in Virginia City

We watched ice cream being made and then had some!

Just down the road was Nevada City. This was a reconstructed town and the main area was sectioned off with admission fees. It was still interesting to walk around.

On August 1^st, we went to the Washoe Fish Hatchery – continuing to research and observe the fish industry in preparation for our upcoming volunteer position at the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery. Washoe had some pretty trout in a pool for us to watch as well as an indoor viewing area.

The fish viewing window at the Washoe Hatchery

After seeing fish, we went to Copper Village and Art Center. We don’t have any need to buy “things” but we like to look around, especially at the local items.

We left Butte and pulled into Jim and Mary’s RV Park in Missoula. This is the fourth time we stopped there – always a beautiful park to be in. We got there in time for the First Friday Downtown in nearby Missoula, followed by the Saturday Farmer’s Market. We love Missoula and enjoy our repeated visits there.

We did do something different – on Sunday we visited the Garden of 1,000 Buddhas. A lovely place, filled with the peaceful, happy faces of Buddhas within a circular wall crowned with small white casts of Buddhas. The top of the hill housed a large circle of prayer flags. The pond was lovely, adding water sounds to the peacefulness. We are glad to have spent some of our life in this truly special place.

As much as we love Montana, our Travel Spirit had other plans for us and we got to Riverside State Park in Spokane. There we were met by Doug’s sister Bev and her husband Barry. They had been on the road for about a month, enjoying Glacier National Park and Montana. It’s always fun for us to camp together, catch up, share a few meals and just enjoy each other’s company.

We also had the pleasure of meeting up with Jodi and Ken, our daughter’s in-laws, and seeing how happy they are in their new home in Spokane Valley. The four of us enjoyed a nice dinner together.

Camping in the beautiful state park along the Spokane River gave us time for some short hikes and beautiful views of the river. It was really hot so we did spend extra time inside our rigs being thankful for air-conditioning.

We parted company with Bev and Barry – they went home to Tigard, OR and we spent a few more nights on the road. We stayed one night at Plymouth Park KOA and two nights in the Cascade Locks KOA. We walked around the park in Cascade Locks and saw a little of the small main street.

As much fun as we were having, travelling and sightseeing, we couldn’t wait to get to our next stop: Olde Stone Village, McMinnville, OR – near our Portland area family!

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Filed under Montana, Oregon, Washington

by Carolyn | October 19, 2018 · 1:24 pm

Montana and Wyoming – Mountains, History, Big Sky

We love Montana! Coming into it from the West you first go through the mountains – the Purcell Mountains and then as you get to the eastern part of the state it is the wide expanses of grassy plains. The air is clear; the sky is as big as “they” say it is and you see more cattle than buildings.

Our first stop was in Missoula – a favorite city of mine. We stayed at Jim and Mary’s RV Park again. It’s one of the prettiest campgrounds we’ve been in. In between the sites are beautifully groomed flowers in antique pieces. Our fellow volunteers at Kartchner Caverns, Bill and Terri, get some of the credit for this pretty RV Park since they work camp there.

Missoula has a great downtown area and this time we checked out the Montana Natural History Museum where we saw displays of wildlife taxidermy and an excellent movie on the Cataclysmic Ice Age Floods and the geological history of the prehistoric Lake Missoula. This museum was along the River Walk in Cara’s Park. We checked out the Lewis and Clark markers next to Brennan’s Wave, a small waterfall on the Clark Fork (of the Columbia River).

Brennan’s Wave

Mural in downtown Missoula

We also went to Elk Country to learn about the conservation programs that keep the elk herd healthy. We are not hunters and as long-time vegetarians and animal rights people our opinions of the “sport” of hunting seems diametrically opposite but it was good for us to learn how hunting contributes significantly to conservation and protection efforts. Elk Country has beautiful displays, great information and all the proceeds from its gift shop go towards its goal of conservation.

Inside the Elk Country museum

We followed up this attraction with a walk around downtown Missoula. We stopped in the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center and Olive Branch Fair Trade Store. Jeannette Rankin is one of my heroes. She was a force for peace and women’s rights and showed enormous courage both times she served in the Senate. It’s very comforting to stand at least for a few minutes in a place that honors peace.

Jeannette Rankin

We hung out for a while, checking out other shops, and then stopped at the Tuesday evening Farmers Market on Higgins Street, looking for huckleberries and Candy Girl melons. We loved the neat displays of local growers and picked up tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, scallions and a sweet cantaloupe. Unfortunately, no huckleberries or Candy Girl melons in sight.

After Missoula, we traveled to Bozeman, another city with a nice downtown area. Bozeman is the largest city in Montana but still seems quiet and more a typical University town. We made sure to visit the Museum of the Rockies on the University of Montana Campus – in our opinion, the best dinosaur exhibits we have ever seen. This museum is responsible for some landmark discoveries, especially in the nearby areas where geological events have exposed acres of dinosaur bones. We also went to the planetarium show on Dark Matter – giving us an all new perspective as we gaze upward.

Museum of the Rockies

One more stop in Montana – Garryowen!

Garryowen is a truly unique town with a population of 2. It has one building which is a town hall, a post office, the Custer Battlefield Museum and gift shop, and a gas station with a Subway shop. When it was put up for sale in 2012 no one bid on it, but it is somehow still thriving today.

Quite a strange name – Garryowen. It turns out that the 7^th Calvary of the Civil War had a favorite marching song – the Irish ballad called “Garryowen.” One other strange fact about Garryowen is that it is the site of the skeletal remains of a Calvary soldier, who eerily has no head. They recovered buttons and bullets that document him a bit. On the 50^th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, his body was re interred in a burying ceremony. He was buried with a hatchet peace pipe and tomahawk – hence the phrase “burying the hatchet”.

We didn’t have time to see The Center Pole, a straw bale earth lodge, on Buffalo Indian Trustland on the Crow Reservation (Crows in this area are also known as the Apsaalooke), But we did learn that a famous resident of Garryowen was Henry Real Bird – the Poet Laureate of Montana.

We stayed at 7^th Ranch Campground. By climbing up a small hill near our site, you could view Little Bighorn Battlefield. At the top of this hill was a flag with painted rocks around the base. I like to paint rocks so we left one with our names to mingle with the others.

On Saturday, we went to Little Bighorn Battlefield. We had been there on our first visit to Montana, but it is a place that is certainly worth visiting more than once. The interpretive guides are impressive – with extensive knowledge combined with a sense of drama that makes for a vivid portrayal of this epic battle. On the short ride home, we stopped at the Garryowen gift store and bought some postcards.

Memorial at the Little Bighorn Battlefield

That was our last stop in Montana. Our travels brought us to All Seasons Campground where Oslen the owner stopped by to give us visitor information and help us with our stay. Oslen told us all about the war between the sheep ranchers and the cattle ranchers. And he talked about an historic gun that was part of his family heritage. This was a really small campground – instead of numbers, the sites were marked with letters and they only got part way through the alphabet. This campground was in another little town – Rozet. Wyoming. This town had a population of 25, Wyoming’s least populous town.

It was good to be in Wyoming again – the Equality State with the motto “Equal Rights”. The scenery is western wheat-grass prairie – with as big a sky as Montana. Rozet is near a much bigger city – Gillette. We had already been to Devil’s Tower so on our one day in Wyoming we checked out downtown Gillette. We had a good lunch at Las Margaritas (you can find good Mexican food anywhere in this country!) We visited the Rockpile Museum. There we spoke with the woman at the front desk. Her personal history of her work in the quarry as a young girl was amazing and gave us even more insight into the interesting historic displays.

The Rockpile Museum namesake

It was a quick stop in Wyoming this time. We left Wyoming on Wednesday to return to our home state of South Dakota.

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by Carolyn | July 31, 2016 · 11:03 am

Good-Bye Rocky Mountains; Hello Flat Grassy Plains

Indian Memorial at the Little Bighorn Battlefield

Meriwether at the Truck Center

We started this part of the trip by scheduling routine maintenance on our rig. Our chassis is made by Freightliner so we arranged for a check-up at Rocky Mountain Truck Center in Belgrade. The staff there, especially Angela, were very helpful and hospitable. We didn’t know how long the work would take so we didn’t make reservations for that night. Instead we decided to try boondocking – or dry camping – no hookups. We checked out the local Walmart which was crowded with other rigs. We weren’t too enthused about the Flying J Truck Stop – the generators running all night and the diesel fumes weren’t too enticing. So we accepted the hospitality of Rocky Mountain Truck Center and stayed in their parking lot. We did have electricity but we used our stored water in our tanks. It was a parking lot, so we only opened one of our bedroom slides. It is different to be more closed in but really not uncomfortable. Our first experience with boondocking went well and I’m sure there will be more of it in our future. Sometimes you just can’t get a reservation in a campground; sometimes it just isn’t convenient to keep driving. We are grateful that there are places we can stay like this and take advantage of the kindness of strangers.

View from atop Lewis and Clark Caverns

Madison Buffalo Jump

Natural Bridge Falls

Natural Bridge Falls

While we waited, we got in more sightseeing. The Lewis and Clark Caverns were a great place for a picnic lunch but we didn’t venture into the caverns – the tour through them included duck-waddling, sliding, bending and 300 steps up and 500 steps down. Just couldn’t do it. We did walk the path to the interpretive pavilion at the Madison Buffalo Jump and learned ab out the lifestyle of the Native tribes that convinced those buffalo herds to run to the cliff where they fell over and then, through enormous community effort, the products from hundreds of bison were used to sustain these people. The Crazy Woman Mountains are beautiful. We saw the Crazy Woman Museum and the Natural Bridge Falls Recreational Area. Both excellent places to stop and get another history lesson.

So… big blue sky, puffy white clouds, sparkling rivers, gently sloping mountains, majestic trees, a riot of wild flowers, the sharp scent of pine and cedar, a osft breeze and bright sun – I’m at a loss to keep finding the words to describe this lovely place. Don’t mistake my lack of descriptive vocabulary for taking this scenery for granted. My friend Crystal texted me: do you realize how lucky you are to spend every day in nature? Yes, I do feel a constant sense of gratitude for this amazing opportunity to see this great country from the ground up to the big sky. I never take it for granted; I am never bored by this majesty; I love it and now, Montana gets my thanks for its stewardship, its State Parks and everything else that made this road trip through it so amazing.

Can you find the prairie dog?

Yellowstone River

We landed for the next three nights in Big Timber KOA. On Friday, July 15th we ate lunch at Prairie Dog Town and watched those cute little rodents as they signaled danger (from us) and then continued to visit with each other. We also checked out Montana’s beautiful free campsites at Fishing Access sites. Right on the rivers, these sites are primitive but certainly prettier than camping a few feet from another big rig. We don’t fish but we hope to take advantage of these sites on a future visit. Peacefully sitting by the Yellowstone River – taking a long break from driving and sightseeing – it sounds lovely. Thanks, Montana. These sites are a gift!

Random Road Sign

I thought you (our blog readers) might want to experience another part of our journey – the signs and sights we see along the road as we travel on. So here’s a sample: big horn skulls – beetle-cleaned; a doubled-wide church in Big Timber; the Buck Snort Lodge; Lucky Lil’s Casinos everywhere; a billboard advertising The Testicle Festival near Philipsburg, the Salish word for Arlee “where they distribute things”; the Mickey Mouse Koan; a town called Baaxuwuashee; a one-film movie theatre on Main Street; granaries; feed stores; antler chandeliers, gas, grub and goodies, plenty of Dairy Queens; the Medicine Turtle Trading Post; and endless fields of grain and corn. You’ll also occasionally see us post a graphic of a sign seen along the road. We also crossed the Continental Divide at an altitude of 6396 feet. We like to read the population signs of these tiny little towns and when we can, we wander through their side streets to see the housing and schools and stores that make up small western towns.

Little Bighorn memorial Marker (where Custer fell)

Markers where soldiers fell

Our trip took us next to Hardin, whose motto is A Great Place To Be. We agree. It’s the home of the Fighting Bulldogs and our temporary home at the Hardin KOA was a perfect place to venture out to more historic and beautiful sights to see. One of the most impressive is The Little Big Horn Battlefield, no longer only referred to as Custer’s Last Stand. It now is a remarkable look back into this historic battle. Along the long road through the rolling grassland you see stones marking the exact place where a soldier or warrior fell. The rangers know the details and dramatically reveal them, making you feel like you were there amidst the dust of horses’ hooves, the loud blasts of guns and the blood of men and horses that ran along the ground. It is also now the site of a small but beautiful National Veteran’s Cemetery.

Pompey’s Pillar along the Yellowstone River

William Clark’s signature location

Another day we saw the engineering feat of the Yellowtail Dam and hiked in the Big Horn Recreation area. Another day we saw Pompey’s Pillar, where William Clark carved his name in a rock. After a quick lunch in Billings, we went to Pictograph Cave. The trail took us to a large cave where you can still see the paintings of the people who sheltered in that cave. Our history lessons go back to pre-history as well as just a mere century ago. We had been following the route of the Corps of Discovery, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but soon we turn south to follow a different path through this country.

Lake DeSmet

The five nights we spent in the Indian Campground in Buffalo (the first RV park in Wyoming), included more trips to explore history and scenery. I had to see Fort Phil Kearny. I lived in Kearny , NJ, where a statue of Phil on a horse impressed me every time I saw it in the park. Kearny was a Civil War hero and although he never spent time at this place, it was very interesting to see the fort that protected travelers. Another picnic lunch was enjoyed on the shore of Lake De Smet. I walked along the Clear Creek Trail to the great little town – Buffalo, Wyoming – Forever West. This is our seventh state in our RV. We drove partly into Crazy Woman Canyon one morning but the dirt road got a little too rough for our trusty Honda. Downtown Buffalo has the old Occidental Hotel and some well-done murals. And as one of those murals say, it’s not a one horse town. We also drove and walked around Sheridan which is bigger but still small enough to be charming.

Devil’s Tower

We are now in Mountain View RV Park in Sundance, looking up at Sugar Loaf Mountain from our windows. Yesterday was a highlight of our trip. We went to Devil’s Tower, known by the native peoples as Bear’s Lodge or Bear’s Tipi. It was much bigger and more powerful than I had imagined. It was thrilling to see it from a distance as we drove closer and closer. We hiked the Tower Trail, circling this massive rock. It was a great experience to walk through the Ponderosa pines, see the prayer bundles and ribbons placed in this sacred spot, and look up, up, up to see the different facets of the tower. We marveled at the climbers who slowly made their way up the sheer faces. We finished this perfect day by going to Vore Buffalo Jump, a very different kind of jump. At this one, the native tribe drove the bison into a sink hole. It is an active archaeological dig where you can see thousands of bones where they were found. Amazing!

Today we check out Sundance. We love these western towns where we meet the friendly residents and see the unchanged essence of the west. Tomorrow, we leave Wyoming for South Dakota – more exciting sights to see!

Posted from Sundance, Wyoming, United States.

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by Carolyn | July 12, 2016 · 5:25 pm

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park was all I had imagined it to be. I had been dreaming of seeing this park for many years. It turned out to be the perfect place for me to be at that moment in time. Almost as soon as we arrived at the RV park in Columbia Falls we heard the devastating news that my brother Mike had died suddenly in Miami, FL.

My first reaction to this sad news was that I was a million miles away. Truly on the other side of the United States. Thanks to my brother Dan’s efforts, I did not have to fly to Florida. We are planning a family get together to remember Mike in August in New Jersey so with Doug’s patient help I have plane tickets for that trip. And Doug did the painstaking work of plotting out our next few weeks so we knew what airport I could fly out of and what campgrounds we could stay in.

Knowing that was taken care of was a relief. But then I had to deal with my grief. I found solace in the beauty of mountains, lakes and waterfalls. I listened to lively birdsong and saw an endless variety of wild flowers. Sometimes life takes a hard turn and this time I landed exactly where I needed to be – in the pristine landscape of glacier-carved mountains.

Our first day in Columbia Falls was very rainy so we just stayed in the RV. Then on Thursday, July 7th we drove the 15 miles to the west entrance of the park. We knew enough to dress in layers and that was smart. We took the shuttle up Going To The Sun Road to Logan Pass. We emerged from the shuttle into a cloud – a wet, cold cloud. It broke a little so we got our first sight of the mountains. We didn’t do much hiking up there. Not only was it cold and wet but one of the trails was closed because of a momma grizzly and her cub on the trail. We took the shuttle to St. Mary’s Lake and took off some layers to hike to St. Mary’s Falls – about 2 miles but an easy trail. We ate our lunch at the upper part of the falls. Even with lots of fellow hikers nearby it was a peaceful, beautiful place to be.

We took another shuttle to Avalanche Creek. The shuttle drives are incredible. The road curves around the mountains so you can see the glaciers – the glaciers that are still there, that is. When the park was founded, there were over 200 glaciers, now there are only a few and they are much smaller. We read that by the year 2020, four years away, there will be NONE left. The evidence of global warming smacks you in the face up there.

We hiked the very easy Boardwalk Trail of Cedars. Another 2 mile trail. The quiet of this forest was lovely and at one point we found ourselves looking face to face with a deer. He stopped and posed for us. Then Doug saw two more. Coming upon wildlife on trails is part of the joy of hiking, but I was starting to get nervous about coming upon a bear. We didn’t and that’s fine with me. By the time we got home we were beat but happy to have experienced that part of the park.

Friday was rainy and cold so we took care of stuff in the RV. We went out to dinner at the Tea Kettle Restaurant – a small place with great food. We built our bowls of rice, sauces and protein and ate every grain of it.

Saturday dawned sunny with just a few clouds so we went back to the park and drove part of the Going To The Sun Road ourselves. We hiked John’s Lake Loop and then the Rocky Point Nature Trail at Fish Creek. The last hike was really beautiful but it rained and we got soaked. I rarely wear a hat but this time I thought it would keep the rain off my face. Instead the wet stuff gathered at the hatband and ran in a steady stream down my face. Regardless, it was a memorable hike. There were wild flowers all through the trail among both giant cedars and new growth pines. We loved it and came home tired and happy and wet. We also stopped by the Lake McDonald Lodge.

Our last day in the park was Sunday – a sunny and warm day! We drove to the North Fork side of the park and decided to take a hike on the Huckleberry Trail. There were trees but mostly new growth and dense low foliage on both sides of the narrow path. It was really pretty but I had a lot of anxiety about bears. We had talked to a volunteer and some rangers about bear sightings and just to be safe we had bought bear spray. The spray is pepper spray and is only used if the bear is less than 30 feet in front of you. As I was walking, singing and clapping my poles together, I started thinking too much about the bear that might be around the next bend on the trail or barreling towards me through the dense growth between the trees. Then I saw a tree trunk with deep claw marks and right next to it fresh bear scat. I should point out that Doug disagrees with me and said it was not claw marks nor bear scat but my fear got the better of me and in spite of the perfect trail and the best weather yet, we turned back to the car.

We headed out to Bowman Lake – on the road less traveled for sure. It was about a 30 miles drive on mostly dirt roads to one of the best views in the park. We ate lunch in a little meadow with the ground squirrels and other small varmints. We then took a short walk to the lake. As we got closer and the trees parted my breath caught as I saw my first glimpse of that lake. The mountains surround it, the water is a calm sparking green and is so pure you can see every pebble by the shore. The view was perfection. Looking at the far mountains you could see how the glacier carved through the mountains and then dug out the lake. So very beautiful!

We finished our wonderful day by stopping at Polebridge where we purchased the world famous (and totally worth the hype) huckleberry bear claws. The perfect end to the perfect day. I’m still very sad and cry a lot but my heart felt peace looking at some of the most beautiful sights in earth. Mike loved the outdoors and I hope he found away to share those moments with me.

We left Columbia Falls and turned back to Jim and Mary’s RV Park in Missoula for a quick one night stay. We are in Camp Three Forks also for one night on our way to Belgrade where we will stop for some routine RV maintenance. I am grateful that I had the chance to see Glacier National Park and grateful for the comfort it gave at this sad time in my life.

Posted from Three Forks, Montana, United States.

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by Carolyn | July 5, 2016 · 4:01 pm

Going to the “Going To The Sun Road”

We really liked the campground and the area around Missoula. We spent most of the Fourth of July weekend enjoying our pine-scented site. On Sunday we went to Travelers’ Rest. This state park is the one scientifically identified site of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Other locations of the explorers’ journey are basically speculations based on journals. At this site, archaeologists found real proof that Lewis and Clark stopped at this place on their way west and again on their way back east. They unearthed fire-cracked rocks from campfire kitchens, a camp that was set up according to exact military specs, a pewter button and a blue trading bead. They also found traces of mercury in the latrine area which were attributed to Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills which Meriwether Lewis gave to some of the men in the party as purgatives.

West Fork Lolo Creek

Lewis and Clark Camp Site

West Fork Lolo Creek

We happened to have visited on the 210th year anniversary of the groups’ final day at the site. We read all the information in the museum and then walked around the trail through the campsite area. We met and talked to Lewis and Clark enthusiasts who shared their extensive knowledge of this part of the captains’ journey. Travelers’ Rest was a place where people stopped in their travels for thousands of years. It is located at the eastern end of the Lolo Trail in an area the Bitterroot Salish refer to as No Salmon. There are, however, lots of trout in the Bitterroot River and plenty of native roots and other food to sustain travelers on their way. It was a good place to dry game meat and gather their resources to survive a long winter in the Rocky Mountains. If you are anywhere near this amazing place, take time to stop and relive the story that took place here.

Today the trip from Missoula to Columbia Falls was just beautiful. We are on our way to Glacier National Park and the most popular attraction there is the trip up Going To The Sun Road. We are eagerly anticipating driving up it!

We drove about 120 miles today on Route 93 – most of the time on the Flathead Indian Reservation. I can’t help but look upwards in Big Sky Country. So today the clouds started out gray and dramatic but then the sun came out and the bright sky lit up the mountains. Along the way there were signs in both the Native American Salish language and English. Some of the really interesting and obviously descriptive names were: Ravali – The Area of Large Diameter Aspen Trees, Pablo – Forest Tapering to a Point, and Polson – Tipi Poles Above the Water.

Flathead Lake

Route 93 Flathead Reservation

Dramatic Sky

National Bison Range

The Mission Mountain Range

Wildlife Crossing Bridge

Huckleberries are big here and you can get “Huck Pie on the Fly” in the Huckleberry Patch store in Arlee. You can also indulge in huckleberry milkshakes and bison burgers there. In Polson there is the Miracle of America Museum. I haven’t gotten around yet to looking up what the miracle is so if you are curious you might want to investigate that. There is also a museum in Ninepipes and I’m curious about the origin of that name too.

We drove for almost an hour along the banks of the very large Flathead Lake. The Rugged Mission Mountains in the background, the lovely turquoise water, pine trees and charming little towns all made for some great photo opportunities (although the quality isn’t great since I took them as we were rolling down the road).

One photo I didn’t get was actual bison on the National Bison Range outside of the St. Ignatius Mission. The rolling plain was grass-covered and the area was huge. I think the bison may have been camera-shy but they have the perfect place to live in peace and comfort. In nearby Ronan, I saw a sign declaring “This is God’s county.” I found myself thinking that the bison herd would agree.

The geological history of this area is fascinating. The Mission Mountains, which moved from the west and then wound up east of Flathead Lake, were carved by glaciers. The lake is part of a 900-mile furrow that extends from the Yukon in Canada to St. Ignatius. Thinking about mountains moving and ancient glaciers making gigantic trenches is only enhanced by how pretty they look now.

The nickname for Montana is the Treasure State and I hope my photos show you why I think there are treasures everywhere you look in this beautiful part of the country.

Posted from Columbia Falls, Montana, United States.

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by Doug | July 2, 2016 · 4:08 pm

Coeur d’Alene and Big Sky Country

Lake Coeur d’Alene

After visiting the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, ID area for a few days, we closed up our home and moved onto “Big Sky Country” – Montana. We stopped for an overnight stay in St Regis, MT and now we are in a great RV Park (Jim & Mary’s RV Park) in Missoula for the Independence Day weekend. We’d previously found out the hard way that it’s important to reserve space on holiday weekends well in advance!

If you look at our states visited page, you’ll see that we added Montana but not Idaho. Our rule for coloring in a state is that we must have first stayed overnight in that state. Since we drove straight through Idaho (and just the narrow panhandle at that), it doesn’t get colored! And there is so much more to see of Idaho that we just can’t wait to return.

We have experienced quite a change in geography over the last two months. We started with the beautiful and rugged rocky coast of Oregon, crossed the Pacific Coast Range, followed the Columbia River Gorge, crossed into Washington and seeing Mt Ranier in the distance, experienced the absolute beauty of Lake Coeur d’Alene (seen in the above phot0), and then into Montana crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. Soon we will crossing the Rockies and the Continental Divide!

While staying in Spokane, we drove a short hop to Coeur d”Alene to see the gorgeous lake and to have a picnic lunch at a city park bordering the lake. There is a huge resort right on the lake with a marina that has a 3300′ floating boardwalk (the world’s longest) surrounding it. We walked the entire thing including the raised bridge you can see in the picture for the boast to enter and exit the marina.

Lake Coeur d’Alene

World’s longest floating boardwalk – Lake Coeur d’Alene

McEuen Park – Lake Coeur d’Alene

The last day in Spokane we went to Manito Park which consists of several gardens, a conservatory, a lake, lots of open space and trails, and undeveloped areas. We first visited the Japanese garden which was very peaceful and cool (appreciated since it was a warm day!). We then walked to the Rose Garden which had too many varieties of beautiful roses to even mention, and then onto Duncan Garden which was a huge plaza with many colorful plantings of annuals.

Spokane Nishinomiya Garden

Rose Garden at Manito Park

Duncan Garden at Manito Park

After arriving in Missoula, we checked out the downtown First Friday Gallery Walk. The streets were alive with people and the galleries had free food and drink. We crossed the bridge across the Clark Fork River where we saw people cooling off by wading and tubing.

Downtown Missoula

Calrk Fork RIver running through Missoula

Clark Fork River running through Missoula

Last night we heard fireworks from the local farm team ballpark. Early this morning we went to two of the farmers’ markets downtown. We were impressed by the amount of local produce and how artfully and neatly it was displayed!