Warm Weather at Last

We are now camped near the Snake River, just east of Boise, Idaho. This morning we traveled thru some amazing mountains in Montana but finally started descending into the Idaho flat land.

We left the Lewis and Clark trail because they took a more direct rout west but our journey was a lot easier! Somewhere along the way we came upon the Oregon Trail and drove past places like Massacre Rocks, Register Rock.

After we got things settled at the campground, we drove to the Hagerman Fossil beds National Monument Visitor Center. On the banks of the Snake are hundreds and hundreds of fossils and a person can drive over there and watch the diggings that are going on. We, however, were tired of sitting in the truck so opted to get the literature and take it "home" and read it instead. But the other thing that was of interest to us was the display of memorabilia of an internment camp for the Japanese located near here. The fascinating thing was that pictures were on display of Turlock because the fairgrounds were used at one time as a relocation camp. That was news to us and we graduated from Turlock High!

Every time we turn around we are learning something new!

Beautiful Little Town

We decided to pull in at Dillon, Montana. It's a beautiful little town with a gorgeous university. The buildings are made of stone and brick and are surrounded by lush green lawns. Everything you could need, you could buy in this little town. And it has a beautiful stone library as well. Sorry, no walmart. This town sits in a valley and round about are snow covered mountains. Yellowstone National Park is within a days drive of here. Wish we could go!
An interesting fact: the people who run the RV park have moved here recently from Snelling. CA so they know all about Tuo. Co. They recommended a Prime Rib place across the street and I think we'll go for supper.
Carolyn, Jim and Harry

Jim finished working today so it's time to head home!

Obama comes in tomorrow and we leave. I hear the Clintons will be here the next day.

Tomorrow we will be south, possibly in Idaho and probably not have Internet access. We've given up on the idea of going to Glacier. Too much diesel and not enough time to go up there. We'll do our sightseeing closer to home. Also, we can't wait to see the grand kids in Oregon.

Great Falls, Montana

Well, she followed us to Billings! We were just getting ready to leave when we heard Hillary was coming in to the airport for a short visit. Is there something going on between Jim and Hillary?

This morning we did the tourist thing and drove around the city of Great Falls. Jim will work tomorrow and the next day. It's amazing that since we left Pierre, South Dakota we have been on the Lewis and Clark trail quite by accident. And here is the place that gave the group the most grief because of the falls. There are actually 5 falls in the area so the expedition had to portage their canoes for miles. What amazing courage they had to keep going without any maps and few directions. The Missouri right now is so full because of the great rain that has come down in the last few days. Actually, the locals say there is more water in the river than they have seen in 10 years. That same rain has made our KOA campground muddy so it is hard to keep the trailer clean. At least today it is not raining and occasionally we see the sun.

You can buy a house around here for $100,000 and there is no sales tax. Diesel: $4.47

You can have your house on the prairie. I'm glad we live in Tuolumne county!

Fun In the Great Plains

We intended to zip up to our friends in Pollock, S.D. in just a few hours but the winds blew so hard from the north that it took us an extra day. However, because of that delay, we stayed at a delightful state park on the Missouri river. The birds were abundant, singing their hearts out! And we saw deer and snakes as well. But the next morning we were able to head north again in lighter winds and had a wonderful time visiting with our Death Valley friends. Of course, they wanted to show us everything, but we couldn't stay too long in Pollock. We did visit Sitting Bull's grave, toured their little town and met the neighbors. I helped Terry make a rhubarb pie from the rhubarb out of her neighbor's garden and for a person who didn't think I would like it, I enjoyed every bite!

Our next destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. And my, my, my! Did we see the bison! They were all over, right in the campground, next to the trailer, standing by the truck, everywhere! We saw the big daddies, the mamas and the little calves. We also had wild horses roaming thru the campground. So before we opened the trailer door, we had to look out the window to make sure a bison or horse wasn't standing right there. It was amazing! Also, we got in on a Cowboy Poetry celebration in the nearby town of Medora. We went to the community center and listened to cowboy music and poems. Fun, especially since it was raining and sooo windy outside. When we turned on the raido later we heard a tornado warning for an area just south and east of us so I guess we were blessed to be where we were.
So now we are in Billings, Montana spending the night with hook ups! TV and everything. The weather still isn't the best but it's not raining at the moment and it's not cold. Tomorrow we head for Great Falls.
We've been on the Lewis and Clark trail and following the Yellowstone river.

Leaving Rapid City

This may be the last entry for a few days as we'll be traveling from hear in the morning. We went to Calvary Chapel Rapid City this morning and were welcomed warmly. We were told there are only 3 Calvary Chapels in the state of South Dakota. Later, we drove to a little town south of here for lunch.
We stocked up with groceries today also, because we are heading north to visit with friends from Death Valley. From there we hope to see Teddy Roosevelt National Park before we drive into Montana. We're not sure where we will have Internet access.
It's been fun letting you know what we are doing. Hope you are enjoying it as well.
Hasta la vista!

Badlands

We drove out to Badlands National Park this morning. It is about 5o miles from our RV park. At first, I told Jim that I wasn't at all impressed by the place but once we came to the visitor center and started on the road thru the park it really became an amazing place. We hoped to see Bighorned sheep and buffalo but saw the usual pronghorned antelope and some snakes. The wind was whipping and we were thankful that the tempreature was warm.

Another stop we made was at Wall Drugstore in the town of Wall. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Walmart. In fact the story of the sucess of the place was published in Guidepost magazine. To make a story short, small buisness succeded simply because the owners decided to give away cups of ice water. Now, 70 years later, the place has grown tremendousnly and they have thousnads of people that come through during the summer months.

Fun day.

Diesel: $4:40

You'll Never Guess

Well, wonders never cease on this trip!
Jim came back yesterday from working at the dispatch center to tell me he had seen Hillary Clinton! Yup, she flew in to the airport right next to the office and he saw her walk down from the plane. She was making a stop in Rapid City to greet some of her supporters. Jim said she was shorter than what he had thought and that she looked better in person than on TV.
When he got back to the trailer today I asked him who he saw today but I guess Obama is in Sioux Falls today. Aw shucks!
It's warmed up here. Harry and I actually sat out in the sun. He enjoyed rolling around in the patch of grass we have.

We go exploring tomorrow. Will it be the Badlands, the original Wall drug store or downtown Rapid City? We'll tell you later.

We Made It

Rapid City, South Dakota

This morning we drove into Rapid City from Newcastle, Wy. It was an easy drive and very interesting as well. We drove over some beautiful country, forested with pine trees. We also saw the monument to Crazy Horse as we drove by and it was pretty impressive.

Once we got settled and had lunch, we drove to Mt. Rushmore to see the presidents. I never would have guessed that I would actually be seeing those carvings but here we were. In the park visitor center we learned some of the history. Also, we learned that an ancestor of mine was one of the workers on the monument, Conrad Felton. It would be fun to do some research on that story! Unfortunately, it started to rain again so we didn't do any hiking on the trails in the park.

Diesel: $4.24

Warmer

It was so nice to hear from all three children on Mother's Day. Any day I hear from them is a good day!
We awoke Monday morning to alomost 2 inches of snow and a blizzard. Harry loved playing and sniffing in the snow but it was COLD. I could identify with women who were headed west with their husbands and had come from snug homes in the east! But we waited for the snow to stop and hooked up the trailer and got back on I-80. The road was dry and traffic light but in a few hours we caught up to the storm. So since we needed to travel north anyway, we left the interstate and the storm and drove toward Casper, Wy. I didn't want to get out of the truck even for lunch but when the tempterature reached 40 we found a place to pull over and make our lunch. The farther we drove north, the better the weather became. We saw hundreds of antelope along the road. We drove past Independence Rock where the emigrants carved names in the rock as they passed thru. Our route was full of history and if we would have stopped at each interesting spot, we'd still be out there. When we got to Casper it was raining hard. We pulled into an RVpark right on the North Plate river and next to Ft. Casper. Unfortunately, it was the muddiest place in the state of Wyoming! Everytime I took Harry out both he and I came back so muddy! It was awful! Enough said about that!

Tonight we are alomost in South Dakota and we have had a wonderful driving day. It's been warm, in the 50's and sunny! Instead of the mud tonight, we have a train next to the RVpark.
We are in Newcastle, Wy. We are having a good time!

Mother's Day in Wyoming

We woke up to frozen hoses. 30 degrees at 7AM
But when I walked Harry it didn't seem that cold. The sun was shining. Later in the day the wind really picked up and now we are surrounded by clouds.

We drove into the town of Evenston to an Alliance church and it was good. We met the pastor and the people were friendly. They gave the mom's carnations so I have mine in a glass on the table. After church we found a WalMart and did some shopping. In the afternoon we walked over to Ft. Bridger. We had walked thur the fort a couple of years ago and again were impressed with the fortitude and tenacity of the folks back in the 1800's. I thought of the moms coming thru here on their way to California or Oregon and the military wives who lived at the fort. This is an interesting place to visit but would be a harsh place to live. The wind always blows, we're told and there is not much around. Yet many notable people came thur here, even Mark Twain. This was the location of the first school in the state of Wyoming.

Tomorrow we head East again. We had thought to take some back roads from here to the northern part of the state but the weather looks bad. We'd rather stay on the interstate if we're facing chancy weather conditions. So we'll drive East tomorrow and then head North on Tuesday.

We have some neighbors today. We saw some buffalo.
Diesel: $4.17

Ft. Bridger

We are now in Wyoming at Ft. Bridger. Our campground is right next to the restored fort that played such an important part in the history of the West. Jim Bridger founded it back in 1843 and hundreds of emigrants, Indians, the Pony Express, the US Army and others came thru here. Right now we are the only tourists camped. I guess the season hasn't really begun. We are enjoying the peacefulness. The campground manager told us that a moose comes into the campground frequently and poops under the trees and it drives her bananas because she has to go around and pick it up!

It's colder here and suppose to freeze tonight.

Diesel: $4.24

Yesterday we drove along the Humboldt River, an area rich in history. From Fallon to Battle Mountain was pretty ho hum but as we left Battle Mountain the mountains became more prominent, covered with snow and surrounded with misty clouds. We ate lunch at a rest stop and read a marker telling about when the Donner party camped in that location. An altercation developed between two of the men and one was shot. The shooter and his family were then banned from the wagon train and forced to find their own way to California. Later, when the Donner party was stranded in the Sierras, the same shooter was one of the men who volunteered to bring supplies up into the mountains for the Donners.
This morning we'll pass the famous salt flats where races for land speed records are always held. And then on to Salt Lake City. We hope to stop just across the border of Utah in Wyoming.
Harry has settled down to stretching out on the back seat of the truck and snoozing.
The weather has been perfect. We are in winter again. Or at least, cold spring. I put another blanket on the bed last night.

First Stop Fallon, NV

Our First Day Out
We are parked this afternoon in Fallon, Nevada. The big cottonwood trees in the campground remind me of Lahontan where we used to camp. This time we have full hook ups and wi-fi. Jim has been doing work on projects for Brian so it’s good we have internet available.
When we stopped for lunch we discovered our bedroom window was coming apart. The metal frame was actually broken so Jim had to use his trusty tools to fasten it to the wall and hope it will stay in place till we can replace it. It’s always an adventure, taking off into the wild blue yonder!
The weather here is perfect.
Harry is a little confused but will adjust well in time.
Diesel: $4.19

Getting Ready

This is the day we are packing! And watching three little grandkids who are "helping" pack the trailer! Tomorrow we leave for South Dakota. If we had our druthers we would choose a time later in the spring or summer but Jim needs to work in Rapid City next week so although the weather may not be ideal we are headed that way. Hope to see the Black Hills, Mt Rushmore and other sights along the way. Maybe if the weather is favorable we'll even swing up to Glacier National Park.

This is another one of thoes unexpected treats we've been blessed with in our later years.