More than a Big Sky!

Montana is not to be taken lightly. It is a HUGE state, particularly when you are travelling from the northwest corner (Glacier) to the southeast (Little Big Horn) corner in one day. There was a lot of driving (and riding) involved. Fortunately we were forewarned by a family who had done the opposite route and said it was 10-12 hours. No kidding.

I had a lot of time to read signs and boy did I see some interesting ones. The first caught my attention as we left Glacier National Park to return the rental car. There on the highway was a billboard for "Cannabis Pharmacy" Wait, pot leaves on a full sized billboard? Is that legal in Montana? I almost drove off the road! Had I a camera I would have taken a photo to prove its existence! I wouldn't post it as it might be misconstrued... When Skip and I reunited at the airport I asked, but he hadn't noticed it. Figures...my doubting friends will have no proof.

Further along we passed through a town (Polson, Montana) in which every street sign or destination signs were in two languages. Not Spanish and English, but English and a Native American tongue, Salish, I believe. It was wonderful that they were able to infuse the culture back into the town. I'm sure it was the influence of a Salish Community College. We had lunch in a local restaurant and one of the locals was there having a cell phone conversation in which he switched from a language I did not understand to English and back again. So cool! Our treatment of Native Americans as well as the slaves, and African Americans embarrasses me. This town in Montana might have been surrounded by a reservation, I wanted to spend more time there and be immersed in their culture.

The other signs were quirky ones that made me laugh. A sign for a store named "Nomad" written beneath was "moved 5 miles north." I don't know what they sold, but it was so funny! A sign on another business said: "Open by chance or by appointment."

If you have seen the commercials where they combine unlikely businesses and say that doesn't make sense, you will love the next two: a Sporting Goods/Jewelry Store. Toys for him, pretties for her. I wonder if the more he spends the bigger the diamond...

Then there were casinos combined with everything. The best was a combination was "Suds and Fun" a casino/laundromat. I'd rather drop my quarters in the dryer and watch the clothes spin dry than put a quarter in a slot machine, but here you could choose!

We were headed for a campground near Little Big Horn so we could see the place of Custer's Last Stand.

To the Sun

You would think that after a month and visits to various mountain ranges, we would become blase regarding scenery by now. Not so, each has its own distinct look and beauty. We were not disappointed by Glacier National Park. The park is joined with a Canadian managed park and is called the International Peace Park. This year they are celebrating 100 years of parkdom! I had no idea that it had been a destination for white man since then. The native people call it a sacred place, the backbone of the world. It felt sacred to us as well.

Again we were amazed at the lakes, creeks and waterfalls that interspersed the Going to the Sun Road. We stopped and walked to a few to get closer to the running water. So peaceful...even among the crowd.

Not long after entering the park we saw a bear cub run across the road. So cute! Not graceful, but cute. It then stopped on the other side and had a snack! We had to stop as it ran across, then proceed slowly stopping again just long enough to snap a photo. That's closer than I would choose to be to a cub not knowing where mama bear was...but I stayed in the car this time and got a decent shot.

The mountains suddenly became snow capped with streams and waterfalls bringing the melt water downstream. Many were very strong! Along the road were numerous waterfalls from the rocks. Couldn't photograph those, but whenever we stopped I snapped a bunch of pictures.

The road climbed higher and higher as it went around the mountains. Some falls we viewed from the valley we were now able to see at our level. So beautiful. The Going to the Sun road is restricted from vehicles over 22' so it was a good thing we rented a Subaru. I didn't drive long on the park road, turning it over to Skip. I would have been too stressed to drive around some of the bends. I know it was safe, but my blood pressure reacts to fear...

At some point, just like every other National Park, we had to stop for construction. They said 20 minutes. So you turn off the car, get out, have a snack and take photos. I took one to remember next time I am stuck in some city or on the Schuylkill Expressway.

We drove to the Logan Pass Visitor Center where Skip had to wait and jockey for a parking spot. Not enough spots for all the visitors! Once parked we took a walk around the back of the center and saw a deer and bighorn sheep. It was SO beautiful there with the snow, mountains and wildflowers...and guest appearances of a buck and a bighorn sheep. They were so nonplussed by the people, the buck was within touching reach of the footpath. Though people had their children pose with the animal, I didn't see anyone trying to feed or pet him.

There is only one way through the park and you can either turn around and drive the road in the other direction or skirt the southeast side of the park through Blackfeet Indian Reservation. That's what we decided to do not realizing the distance...but the view was worth it! We were still able to see the mountains and streams of Glacier.

A road sign warned of cattle on the road, and sure enough around a bend and I was startled by a half dozen on the road and along side of it. I slowed real quick and drove more carefully. We stopped a time or two along that road, once for another Continental Divide sign and another for a Goat Lick. I finally understand the Continental Divide with the aide of a map. The Missouri River goes into the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic. The Columbia River goes to the Pacific. Both have headwaters in these parts. So depending on which body of water the creek, stream or river empties is determined by the Continental Divide. Still amazing this far west that water goes downstream to the Atlantic. We heard a Blackfeet Elder say that this is the backbone of the world and everything is downstream of here...

Goat lick was a rock outcropping which has some salt mineral that attracts goats. Skip saw several there.

We are not finished exploring Glacier. Tomorrow we leave for south eastern Montana, Big Sky Country and hopefully a visit to Little Big Horn to honor the native people. I hate Custer, I do not go to honor him and am glad they changed the name of the National Monument. It is on a reservation and should not honor a man who killed the people.

Nine Mile Falls

Yesterday we joined our friends Doug and Gail in the home into which they just moved permanently, north of Spokane. They have a lovely home on a lake where we were able to see an eagle among other wildlife as we drank our morning coffee on the Lanai. It is so nice to catch up with boating friends and relax in this beautiful place.

This afternoon was warm so Doug got out his jet ski and for the first time in my life I rode on the back of one. What fun! Skip knew better than to go too fast with me on the back. It was very cooling on a hot day.

They have been wonderful hosts opening their home to road weary us. It was nice to shower without flip flops and shave my legs without being afraid of touching the sides of the shower and catching something. Gail has been making wonderful meals for us and even washed my sheets and towels in her new washer! I feel like I am at a spa or bed and breakfast.

After pie we went out on a sunset cruise on the lake to look for eagles. We saw a golden eagle, a bald eagle, an osprey, and a heron. Never before did we get so close to an eagle. Although we took many photos, none were as good as what we saw. What a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

We miss them at the marina, it was Doug who first took us on his boat on the Chesapeake and helped us find our first boat when I fell in love with the bay. I hope we are able to visit them again here in Nine Mile Falls. This is a wonderful place to call home. I wish them much happiness and am grateful for their hospitality.

Voodoo Donuts or Bust!

Sometime over the winter we saw a show on the Travel Channel about Voodoo Donuts, an unusual trendy place in Portland, Oregon. Their specialty, beside a human shaped donut filled with raspberry jam, impaled with a pretzel stick; is a variety of weird donuts including a maple bacon donut. When we planned the trip Voodoo was put on the list of must sees.

After dropping off the car armed with Google directions we headed for downtown Portland to find it. We decided not to go to the original that had unknown parking, but to a second store that boasted on the website of a decent parking lot. We found the pink painted building with the ample parking lot. Once inside I was overwhelmed by the choices. A multi layered revolving display case had too many choices to allow me to think straight. We conversed with a Portland native who explained that the appeal of the maple bacon is greater after 2 a.m. when the bars close...

We bought a maple bacon donut to split, several Voodoo donuts, one with vanilla icing and crushed Oreos, and a few glazed. Surprisingly the maple bacon was good. the sweet maple icing is countered with the salty bacon.

The donuts themselves were REAL donuts, not the chain variety you find now. If you are old enough to remember bakery donuts or lucky enough to eat an old school fashnacht, you will like the donuts from the pink place. Not real sweet, very breadlike (homemade or artisan bread) The icing is thick and very sweet on the ones I tried.

The whole experience was totally worth the trip! I know it's a cult, but I don't regret it a bit. As for the cholesterol and sugar rush, well, it was a once in a lifetime experience. Next time I go to Portland I hope to see more than the donut shop, but be sure I would go there again. YUM!

Newport; Last Year Rhode Island, This Year Oregon

Thursday we decided to explore the scenic byway north of the campground. Originally we planned to go only as far as Newport...

The beaches north were more sand and less rocks. Some of the towns resembled shore towns of the east coast. Still no one swimming and few people sitting on the beaches. We saw several people flying kites...so THAT is what the beach is for, too cold and windy to swim.

Newport was a weird combination of working town/tourist trap. Only problem was the main drag for tourists is the same one the fish processing plant trucks need to use. Bad combination. Tourists are usually in a hurry and don't want to wait for a semi to try to turn or back up on a narrow street while they are fighting for free parking. As we were waiting for exactly that, some yahoo passed us on the wrong side of the road weaving between us and the truck backing up. We just drove to the far end of town and found parking along the marina. Working boats tied up had fresh tuna and halibut for sale right off their boat! It was very tempting to buy some, but though we had a cooler with ice, we couldn't fill the freezer. We did buy some crabs to have for dinner.

Newport has the usual tourist shops with t shirts, nautical, made in Oregon, and every other place has food! The town smelled of fish, fresh fish, and I am not complaining about it. It was a fresh fish of an active fishing town... There were some sea lions lying around the dock. They had been injured by man, one had raw skin that almost looked like it was branded. I guess they felt safe there because they slept, lifted a tail or a head here and there and roared. They posed for photos in their inactivity.

There were two different lighthouses close by. They were very picturesque. One was maintained by volunteers and donations, the other was a National Historical Monument. We were able to go into the one maintained by volunteers which was lovingly restored. It was furnished with antiques and there were several volunteers in the building who loved to talk about how the folks would have lived while the lighthouse was active.

We decided to go further north than Newport to Depoe Bay because there were supposed to be a pod of whales living close to a whale watching center. When we got there the folks said they hadn't seen whales that day. We were disappointed, but the ride was worth it. Depoe Bay says they are the smallest bay in the world...The town reminded me of a Jersey shore town.

We stopped at a small winery on the way home, but didn't buy anything there. No problem, a stop at a grocery store was all we needed to have the proper beverages for our crab dinner.

Oregon or Bust

We found a farmer's market in the very town we were near open Wednesday mornings! Finally farm fresh produce. Loading up on veggies and berries (Marion berries and blueberries are in season here.) we were disappointed, still no corn! A short growing season in this part of the world, they were closer to our late May early June in vegetables ready to harvest...

We traveled south on 101, Oregon Coast Scenic Highway, and it lived up to its name. The cool thing about Oregon is besides the pull offs along the way, there are many state parks with parking, picnicking, restrooms along the way. Frequent campgrounds dotted the road, too. Naturally we stopped at most of the pull offs and some of the state parks.

Each area was different. Some beaches were sandy, others rocky with no sand. There were sandy beaches that had huge rocks sticking out of the water. These were the ones the seals and sea birds of all sorts liked. You could see the seals lying on the rocks almost rock like themselves. Waves crashed over rocks making waterfalls in the ocean. Some beaches required a climb up huge sand dunes, others you climbed down rocks to gain access to the water. In some areas mountain streams and the forest came right up to the ocean. The forests were never far away along the highway.

The predominant tree is red cedar towering above other coniferous trees. There were enough deciduous trees to make the forest interesting. Red cedars are tall and graceful; the huge trunks indicate their old age. The branches are delicate, they hang veil like. Often the trunks are padded with moss. There was a Spanish moss-like growth on many of the trees. It was a brighter green than what you would see in South Carolina or Georgia.

The main difference between this coast and the Jersey shore is that they were not crowded. That's because no one swims in the ocean here. Dangerous waves combined with highs of 65 degrees doesn't make you want to jump in. Skip dangled his hands in, but was careful to keep the feet dry. No need for sunscreen because we were usually wearing long sleeves and jackets!

We drove south as far as Coos Bay, then went across the bridge to a working town, Charleston, where we found a nice restaurant for some fresh fish. You could watch the fishing boats in the marina.

Potatoes!

We covered the rest of Idaho and finally saw some potato fields. I can't believe that most of the Idaho potatoes grow in the western part of Idaho. I know it's long, but it doesn't seem long enough to produce all of the potatoes labeled Idaho potatoes...

When we crossed into Oregon we were jubilant! We made it! Route 84 travels along the Columbia River, the border between Washington and Oregon on the Oregon side. What a beautiful ride. Out in the distance I could see a snow covered mountain and figured it must be Mt. Hood. By the time we found a place to pull over, it didn't look as impressive, but the picture in my mind was incredible. I don't know if Mt. Hood is like its sister mountains: Mt. St. Helens, Mt.Rainer, Mt. Baker and still farther north Denali, which are often occluded by clouds. I got to see Denali from the air, but never from the land. People talk about the mountain being out like we do the sun up in Alaska. It's a big deal to see Mt. Rainier in Seattle, too. She wasn't out when we were there a few years ago.

Route 84 goes into the Columbia River Gorge, a Scenic Route. The views were beautiful with coniferous forest and hills on one side, the river on the other. Wild sweetpeas grew on the roadside. We saw kestrel, osprey, eagles and pelicans along the river.

We were able to stop at Multnomah Falls, a waterfall so high that I couldn't get it into my photo in one shot. Perhaps if I were standing on Route 84 I could have captured it all before I got smushed by a semi. We took time to hike midway up the falls trail. Took some photos and finally asked someone to take one of us! The whole trip and no photos of the two of us together! How silly.

I was practically giddy driving across Oregon,we made it! We were headed for the Pacific Coast, PACIFIC COAST!!!

We drove to Salem to pick up a car at the airport there was some difficulty. The airport was very small even though it is the capital of Oregon. There was one gate and two car rental places, neither of them was Avis, where ours was reserved. We drove around and around and finally returned to the municipal airport to the two rental counters and noticed the lady at the Budget counter was wearing an AVIS Shirt...Trying to trick me, I said. No, the sign hadn't come in yet, but they rented for both Budget and Avis.

The drive to Waldport to our next KOA reservation was beautiful. Across a mountain on a road that followed the Alsea River. I enjoyed driving, but it was hard on Skip in the RV, very winding and a lot of ups and downs. The river emptied into a bay which empties into the Pacific. After finding our campsite we took a walk across the bridge from the campground to the town. We saw seals swimming in the water and some diving loon-like bird. No white necklace so I didn't know if it was indeed a loon or not. A long drive that ended with a nice site and sight.

Are there Potatoes in Idaho?

Reluctantly we left the mountains, following the Snake River into Idaho. The ride again was wonderful; we loved seeing boats and people fly fishing in waders. I never knew that Idaho was more than a potato farm.

After the Snake River and mountainous section we came to lava everywhere. Having seen it in Hawaii, it was not something I realized you could see in Idaho. But we were, after all going to Craters of the Moon National Monument...and it certainly did look like the moon or some volcanic planet. Since the lava is black and it was a very hot afternoon, we only did a few small hikes on paved paths, also black. We were able to see cinders (very porous rocks) aa (also porus, but not in chunks) and pahoehoe which is the ropey slow moving lava. What was amazing is that this had erupted over 2000 years ago and there was very little new plant growth. Primary succession is a very long process where the lava breaks down from wind and water eventually becoming able to sustain plant life. Lichens, which are a symbiotic relationship of a fungus and an algae, slowly eat away at the lava also helping to create soil. Next grow the small grasses or wildflowers. The progression is very slow and depends on the amount of rain. On the Hawaiian Islands the sides which get the most rain have progressed farther and supports trees and such. Craters of the Moon reminded me more of the dry side...weird in Idaho.

We also discovered that there was a lot of early nuclear testing in this section of Idaho in the 40's and 50's. The first town lit by nuclear energy was Acco, the very town we were staying by..no wierd glowing at night, but I wouldn't want to live there.

We spent the night in Idaho at a different KOA. It was adequate, typical clean bathrooms, flat pull in area. We only needed a place to sleep and clean up for the morning. At this point I still had not seen a potato field and we were halfway across the bottom section of Idaho.

Isn't life Grand?

We visited the Grand Tetons in between visits to Yellowstone. Since you drive through the park to get to and from Jackson Hole, we did the drive 6 times not including the exploratory trip. There was the regular route as well as a scenic route. Both were spectacular. There were places to stop on both, too. Animals could be seen on either route as well.

Besides the beautiful mountains there were lakes, several with good sized boats and marinas. For my kayaking friends, there were many beautiful places to put in at both parks. The Snake River certainly does snake and there were creeks as well. You could rent everything from a kayak to a 22' boat in the larger lakes and there were many places to rent tubes or other floating devices. With more time we may have rented something, but we didn't stay there long enough to see everything there was to see nor do everything there is to do. Guess we have to go back!

In Jackson Hole I bought a sticker for my car with the Tetons on it. It summed up my attitude of late: Isn't life Grand?

Do NOT Appoach the Wildlife

One of the main reasons people come to Yellowstone is to see the wildlife. When there is an animal near the road all traffic stops in both directions. Most drivers pull over or make an attempt to; others just stop while someone gets out of the vehicle to snap a photo. The more rare the animal the longer the stop.

Park rules tell you: Do NOT approach the wildlife. There are warnings about "safe" distances to view wildlife. I was appalled in South Dakota when I saw a parent and young child run towards a bison in an open field. Did they think it was a petting zoo? People are gored by bison.

The elk, moose, mule deer and even the bison don't pay much attention to the tourists. We joked about them working shifts in different people areas. someplace had a T shirt to that effect. Even those animals could be dangerous if they decided to run away from the humans and come in your direction.

Being a rule follower, I expressed annoyance at those walking toward the animals trying to get a better shot or to have their child pose with the animal.

At some point we stopped to see what the crowd was looking at. I wasn't driving so I picked up the camera, got out of the car, crossed the street and went to the side of the road to see what I could see. Nothing, so I moved closer. No warning bells, no "DO NOT approach the wildlife" sounded in my rational mind. After all I was up an embankment from the animal which turned out to be a bison. as I took a photo of the birds landing on his back a second one approached from out of no where. OH! Where did HE come from? That's when the brain turned on and I realized there was one more fool than I thought.

We covered a lot of territory that day. Mammoth Springs at the northernmost section of Yellowstone had more interesting geological and geothermal oddities to marvel at. We stopped at the visitor's center but had trouble parking as a herd of female elk were holding a sit in at the green. Many parking spots were blocked by park rangers. there were warning posted : Do not approach the wildlife.

On the return trip we commented on the diversity of landscape within the park. It is enormous and changes. One really needs several days to explore the park connected by a figure 8 road.

We stopped for a late lunch in a parking area and noticed the traffic was at a standstill in both directions. As we were getting our picnic lunch out of the trunk of the car a person walked by and asked if we had seen the grizzlies...no...so up the road a bit was a mamma bear and two cubs digging food on the hill.

Skip grabs the camera and runs up the road. I continued to make my sandwich, eat it, all the while noticing that the traffic isn't moving and Skip isn't returning. I couldn't leave the car with the windows open and I had no keys...

A few minutes later Skip returns all excited about the bear and the photos he took. "You realize," I said, "that there is yet another fool who approached the wildlife." Ah, but he had a plan. If mama decided to come down the hill he planned to climb the ladder on a nearby RV. I said, "Next time, leave me the keys..."

Lunch eaten and traffic still moving slowly and backed up pretty far, I thought we'd have trouble getting out of the parking lot. A nice person let us into the line of traffic as it inched toward the location of the bear. By then she was still visible, but higher on the hill. The car was stopped, I jumped out of the car with the camera and walked closer. A woman told me where to stand so I could see. I listened to her without thinking even though it was RIGHT in front of a pickup truck on the road. I looked at the bear for moment, took a very poor photo and had a moment of clarity when I realized once again I broke the rule. But I quickly decided that there were over 25 people there and the bear would get one of them, not me. So there I stood, gawking at the bear. I was interrupted by an annoyed driver who was yelling, "The traffic is moving!" OH, I guess I should move off the road.

So include me as a fool who not only approached the wildlife but annoyed a Homo sapien in the process. I'm glad he didn't run me over.

Thank you, Mrs. Harris

Skip and I had been talking about going to Yellowstone "someday" since our early courting/married years. To make that dream come to fruition was an exciting experience. We were finally here!

What we didn't know was that we would fall in love with the Grand Tetons along the way. We drove through Jackson Hole trying to find the airport where a car was waiting for us. Since we planned to be there six days it made sense to rent a car to travel around and between the parks.

I followed the RV with the directions from the car rental place and entered Grand Tetons National Park. The drive through the park was breathtaking. From the meadows arose mountains the likes of which I had never seen. They surpassed the Rockies in beauty because they were so close and so high. Expecting a touristy town between Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, we found they flowed seamlessly into each other. Flagg Ranch was between the two on John J. Rockefeller Memorial Highway which joins the two parks, no kitschy town or tourist trap between.

The view from our campsite was wonderful. We could see the Tetons through the trees and whenever we were there we checked the lighting because the time of day changed the way the mountains looked. My favorite was sunrise or sunset when they ranged from pink to purple to apricot. At night the stars were so thick you really couldn't pick out constellations. (I think it's a silly hobby based on the false belief that the stars are all on the same plane.) On the night we got home late from Yellowstone we could see the Milky Way, I think!

Our first morning we drove to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. Warnings about bumper to bumper traffic and road construction (saw our Recovery Dollars at work on every interstate highway in every state and every National Park we passed through.) did not damper our adventurous spirits. Layers of clothing, picnic lunch and snacks, water, camera, binoculars all packed and we were on our way!

There was a wait of about a half hour not long after we entered the park for road construction. So you turn off your engine, open the windows and breathe. We drove through parts of the park which burned in '88 which was coming back. Trees there were about 5 feet tall. Some of the dead trees still stood dwarfing the new growth. These forests need the fire periodically. The lodge pole pines have two types of cones. The regular ones that drop seeds each year and serotinous ones that are coated in wax and only release during the heat of a fire. So the trees have a cleared area to start their life. Another area must have burned more recently as you could still smell the residue of smoke and the new trees were much smaller.

The rest of the ride to Old Faithful wasn't bad. They are constructing a new visitor's center there and it was VERY crowded and seemingly disorganized. It was about noon and parking was difficult to find. Because I had to go to the bathroom we switched drivers Chinese fire drill style and I ran to find the ladies room while Skip found a parking space.

Then we found that Old Faithful was not far away. We joined the throng of waiting people, but couldn't get close enough to the Park Ranger to hear his lesson. We walked around the way and found a place to wait. We were not disappointed, it erupted and was very cool.

We decided to do the hike around the area, most of it paved or boardwalk, to see the other geysers, mud pots and other weird geothermal stuff going on. Much of it smelled like rotten eggs. Some of it flowed right into a creek...wonder how that affected the plants and animals... We were there so long that we were able to see Old Faithful erupt three times from three different vantage points.

We saw lakes and waterfalls, canyons, mountains and plains. All were beautiful. The best time to see wildlife is as the sun is setting. We saw bison, elk, moose, mule deer. There was a variety of wildflowers that changed with the elevation and rainfall of the area. I loved the alpine forget-me-nots, but did not get a photo.

We realized that we were too far from home to eat dinner there and decided to splurge on dinner at the Canyon Lodge. Skip had bison and I had trout My trout was fabulous. We toasted to our adventure bringing us here.

Mrs. Harris was a farmer's wife who loved the land. She managed the farm after her husband passed and continued teaching. She told her 4th graders about visiting Yellowstone and that Old Faithful was one of the most magical things you could see. She told her class that if they ever get the opportunity, they should see it. That stuck in Skip's head all these years. If you know Skip, you know he hated school, but he loved Mrs. Harris. She read stories aloud better than anyone he can remember and she planted a seed. That seed grew to make our visit bloom. Thank you, Mrs. Harris; you were right, it IS a magical place and everyone should go there.

It was 38 degrees when we reached Yellowstone the second time. By the end of the day the layers had been pealed off and it was a beautiful 76 degrees. There have been so many wonderful things that I want to write about, but lack of WiFi has stifled my ability to blog.

Later I hope to take the time to write about the scenery (magnificent), the wild life (moose, elk, bison and grisly bears to list a few), the campfires and starry nights, the weird geothermal stuff going on at Yellowstone, and my new love of the Grand Tetons.

We leave Flagg Ranch on Sunday and will go to Idaho again, near Craters of the Moon National Monument. Then on to Oregon. There WILL be internet there and I hope to catch up.

Fear not!

We are alive and well; roughing it in Flagg Ranch between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. If you are following on facebook, you know there is NO internet nor cell service there. We had to drive to Jackson Hole to get a prescription filled over 60 miles away (we took a side trip or two) and I'm sitting in the only hot spot that's free. No time to write more or post photos.

Grand Teton is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Tomorrow we will explore more of Yellowstone. Won't be back here until Sunday to pick up said prescription.

Thanks for coming on the trip with us!

5 Star Rating

The KOA campground at Montpelier Creek, ID gets a five star rating from me. The owner was friendly and proud of the improvements he has done here. The bathrooms were as nice as any condo or hotel I've stayed in. The staff is helpful and attentive without being intrusive.

There are tipis (tee pees?) that can be rented in which an entire family could sleep. How cool is that?

I plan to write to KOA and rave about this place. The natural beauty has been enhanced here.

A creek runs through the campgound so one can hear the water in the background. The owner created a nature path around the creek and is working on a wooden bridge to cross the creek. I am sorry we have to leave here today, but Flagg Ranch awaits with Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in their back yard.

Rocky Mountain High

Today was an early rise so we could go to Rocky Mountain National Park, south west of Fort Collins/Wellington where we spent the night. Oh, it was SO worth it! We had explored the southwest corner of Colorado on a previous trip where we saw Four Corners, Mesa Verde, and stayed in Durango. That's where I learned I liked mango Margaritas...

The Rockies are not like the mountains back home, they are sharp and many snow capped. There were breathtaking views around every bend. The primary vegetation at sub-alpine levels were spruce; we opened the windows to take in the fragrance!

Some of the road was in poor condition and we had been warned about construction delays. None today with half hour stops...nor was there bumper to bumper traffic that we had been cautioned about. Many of the pull off areas were utilized as storage for roadwork machinery and supplies. There are fewer stops that can accommodate larger vehicles like RV's. That meant fewer photo ops.

After the harrowing drive to the top which is over two miles in elevation, Skip announced that we were NOT going back the way we came. It was a result of the condition of the road with many ruts and bumps that made steering hard. It was a good call because the condition of the road out the other way was resurfaced and much nicer.

We were also rewarded with a herd of elk, including some bucks. (or is it like moose: bulls?) Skip had been joking that they were as fictitious as jackalopes as we hadn't seen any either trip to Colorado.

The Continental Divide was marked several places along our route. The sign in the park indicated which side drained into the Atlantic and which went to the Pacific. Hard to believe that the watershed is so huge and the divide is so far away from either ocean.

The road back to Wyoming also offered beautiful vistas; we passed several large lakes and wove through mountain passes. I was surprised that both in the park and on this road there were people on bicycles with all their gear. I'm sure they thought we were the crazy ones in the RV. It looked like too much hard work to be fun. When the rain started I pitied them, when the pea sized hail came down I knew that had to hurt when it hit their backs!

Another plus of the long trip back to the interstate was that we witnessed a pronghorn crossing the road and running between the wires of the cattle fence. Both of us expected it to go over the fence. Beautiful creatures...

The driving yesterday amounted to almost 500 miles. We were driving west toward the setting sun and unable to read signs until Skip had enough and we stopped for dinner. By the time we got to the KOA it was midnight. I had joked as we passed an oil refinery that I hoped the campground wasn't near it. As we got off the next exit, made a right, then a second right my fears were realized we were right behind the oil refinery. They didn't have an envelope with our name and reserved site hanging with the others, so we took on of the two sites left. The entire place was stones, not gravel, larger stones...no vegetation, no trees. I said to Skip: "All that's missing is the train" and sure enough the train whistle sounded! We were so tired we slept without leveling the RV or hooking up the water or sewer.

In the morning the view of the hills surrounding the place WAS beautiful. It was a dessert, so that's why there was nothing green. I would NOT recommend that place, even though it was clean and the people were nice. They said someone took the site they had reserved for us, they were going to make sure they paid!

This afternoon we arrived in Montpelier, Idaho. It is beautiful here, but I will save that for another post!

From Trepidation to Serendipity

As previously posted we stayed at Devils Tower an extra day. Not obsessed with the Tower-no mashed potato sculptures-just needed to send a few post cards, download some photos, and add to the blog. The stay also gave Skip an opportunity to take his guitar to the community campfire where he sang and yodeled. It was a lot of fun!

Finally relaxed and totally into the trip I wanted to do some planning. Realizing that we had no reservations until Monday made me nervous. I did not want to sleep in a Walmart parking lot again (weren't too many around these parts) nor did I want to sleep on the side of the road. Pouring over a map with KOA directory in hand we planned the days until we check in Flagg Ranch. The only glitch was there was no KOA in western Nebraska. There were several state parks, but no ability to make reservations.

So with trepidation we left Wyoming yesterday to drive to Nebraska. Chadron State Park had an overnight opening for a bargain price of $21. It was pleasant enough; shaded, electric, and a long haul to the showers.

Prior to finding the campground we located a Walmart Superstore where we filled the cart with fruit and veggies! A vegetarian could starve to death in South Dakota and Wyoming. I love buffalo, but there was a craving for fish and veggies. Dinner was pasta with zucchini, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Yum!

We work early, broke camp (lifted the hydraulics) drove to the shower, then got on the road. We decided to see a portion of western Nebraska en route to Colorado, our next KOA reservation. Most of Nebraska was pretty flat with some rolling hills.

In the distance rose some bluffs, growing ever larger as we approached. Signs indicated that it was Scott's Bluff, a National Monument. Until we arrived we had no idea of the historical significance of this location. This was part of the Oregon Trail! We hiked a bit of it and listened at length to a history lesson offered by the Park Ranger we met along the way. Prior to this encounter I thought of Park Rangers as naturalists; this guy was a historian full of information about the Oregon Trail, Civil War, and the Pony Express which also passed through Mitchell's Pass. He tied the Pony Express to the Civil War as it was integral in keeping California informed of the situation and helped it be a free state. Fascinating and totally unplanned; hence the serendipity. It was important to us to leave room for that in our trip. Today was a win.