Ft Wilderness

It was a fairly relaxing day at the RV. We had a late buffet breakfast at the Trail’s Inn. When the bill came, we discovered that they raised the buffet rates on Sunday. Truly time to pack up and go: crowds and higher prices! I cleaned the inside of the RV, vacuuming, dusting, etc. Bill did some chores outside. We want to get away by 9 at the latest tomorrow.

Judy, the lady in the loop with all the Christmas decorations, rode by, and we gave her the refrigerator stuff to share with her neighbor. She was truly appreciative. Nancy and Bob arrived at 4:20. I picked them up at the parking lot, and we came back to the RV. Nancy was awed over our neighbor’s decorations, so we wandered around looking at the other decorations. Then we drove over to the Grand Floridian Hotel to see the decorations there and have dinner at the Café. It was a pleasant dinner. We got back to Ft Wilderness at 9. Bob and Nancy headed off to the Villages, and we came back to the RV to finish packing. It is going to be hard leaving the shorts weather for the cold of NYC, but we will be back January 20th.

Ft Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge

It was a lovely, warm, shorts-wearing day. The RV repair guys came at 11:30. In 45 minutes they fixed the spring and installed a new topper over the slideout. While they were working, several people stopped them and asked them if they could look at their RV’s. Of course they were told just like us that they needed to call and set up an appointment. I can’t believe the amount of work they can get just by showing up.

We rode our bikes on the nature trail over to the Wilderness Lodge to check out their holiday decorations. They had a huge tree in the lobby and a neat tree made of red and black plaid flannel bags in the gift shop. We stopped by their little counter service restaurant and got a sandwich to split. While we were eating, a lady came in with a tray of cookies, icing, and sprinkles. From 2-3 every day they have a kids cookie decorating project. I wandered over to look, and since she just had one little boy, she told me to sit down and I could decorate one, too. Pretty soon another lady about my age came over and sat down too. She told me I couldn’t leave until she was done. It was kind of fun talking to the little boy as we decorated and ate our cookies.

On the ride back to the campground, we passed two deer grazing in the woods. They stepped back a big and waited for us to pedal on. We also caught a bunny nibbling. It was a pleasant afternoon. I did a load of laundry before dinner and started setting stuff out to take to NYC and Raleigh for a month. It is strange to be packing from the RV, especially for a month. We had shrimp and some veggies for dinner. We are trying to clean out the refrigerator before we have to shut it down and dump or give away what’s left over before we leave on Thursday.

Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom

The crowds at Disney are increasing, so it is probably time to leave. This morning we went to Animal Kingdom. We had lunch at the Flame Tree barbeque which is always fun because seating is hidden around the lake, and we can watch Everest ride and the ducks who come for handouts. Then we took a walk through the Pangani Forest. The colobus monkeys, okapi, birds, hippo, and gorillas are always fun to watch. I posted some photos on the Disney Christmas link on the left. The gorillas were really out today, and they were magnificent to watch. The crowds started to gather, so we left the park and came back to the RV. I took a nap.

At 5:30 we took the boat to the Magic Kingdom to see the castle lighting ceremony one last time. Then we had dinner at Cosmic Ray’s. Most people were getting ready to see the parade, so it wasn’t too crowded. However, after dinner, the parade was still going on, and it was difficult making our way down Main St to the entrance. Our boat home was packed. Bill went back to the RV while I stayed on the beach to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. I did get a photo of one of the more elaborately decorated golf carts that roam the campgrounds. That is also posted on the link to the left.

Ft Wilderness and MouseFest

It was a quiet, down day for me at the RV. Bill headed out at 10 to go to MouseFest. This is a convention of Disney fans. Bill just wanted to go see what it was all about. He spent an hour at the convention meeting Anita who answers questions every week on allears.net. He also met the author of one of his favorite Disney books, Reality Land. He had lunch in Epcot and then met the author for a tour of the World Showcase to see what had been planned and discarded as Epcot evolved. He got home around 5 and really had a good day.

Disney Rain

It was an interesting day here at Disney. We had all sorts of nasty storm warnings this morning including strong thunderstorms and tornado watches. We ended up just getting some heavy rain for a few hours that cleared up by 2. The local news was full of the discovery of a child’s bones that are thought to be that of Caylee Anthony.

I wrapped Christmas presents to mail. After it stopped raining, we went down to the store and bought some little gifts to send to German Barbara. Those are now wrapped and ready to mail. So tomorrow we will be making a trip to the post office.

Bill took a bike ride over to the Wilderness Lodge. On the path over there, he saw a deer who just looked at him and continued eating. We have seen lots of deer around here along with bunnies, squirrels, turkeys, and lots of neat birds.

We didn’t want to fix dinner, so we went over to the Trail’s End for the buffet. The food was pretty good. It is a very casual, western-themed buffet restaurant, so it was a bit of a shock when one of the waiters announced that there was a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary there. I sure could have found a more romantic place to celebrate a milestone like that!

Disney - Ft Wilderness

It was a lovely warm day with a few clouds. We did some chores around the RV and then headed out for some major errand running. Disney is not that close to the real world, so we have to travel a ways to do what we want. Bill wanted a new Unofficial Guide to Disney, so we had to find a bookstore about 12 miles away. We did some shopping there, and then went on to a drugstore and then to a grocery store. On the way back we made a detour to Target for a few items, and then to Camping World. Bill was able to get a new connector for between the RV and the Tracker when we are towing.

Finally we made it back to the RV. It is supposed to storm Thursday, so we took down the lights from the awning so we can put it up quickly if the wind starts catching it. I took a nap. Tonight Bill watched the Indiana basketball game.

Ft Wilderness and Epcot

It was a gorgeous day in Disney with temperatures in the 70s. Bill went to the Trails End for our free coffee, and we sat outside enjoying the lovely weather. Last night while I was down watching the fireworks, Bill heard a loud noise that shook the RV. When he went outside, the awning over the slideout had sprung. So this morning when the RV repair guy was next door, we asked him to come take a look and see what he could do. Judy (the lady with all the lights on our loop) rode by in her golf cart and stopped to chat. She diagnosed a broken spring. She said these RV guys were good and reputable. So we hung out and waited. The guy took one look and said “spring”, but he didn’t have the right spring. We are going to get the spring and a new awning replaced as soon as they get the parts.

Bill rode down to the main check-in area on his bike. I stayed here and labeled photos, a never-ending job. At 5 we drove over to Epcot to hang out until our 7:30 reservations at China’s Nine Dragon restaurant. It was fairly crowded, and there really wasn’t anything we wanted to do, so we checked in early and were seated. It is a strange restaurant – a sitdown, higher end, restaurant. The service was excellent, but the food was strangely mediocre and the service rushed. Bill had hot and sour soup, and the fried rice entrée with shrimp. I just had two appetizers: summer rolls and shrimp and taro. Our waiter was really nice. He was from Beijing and has been here for 10 months. He has only worked at this restaurant for 2 weeks. The rest of his time he worked the fast food counter outside. We did get a dessert to share (even though Chinese don’t really eat dessert) called Banana Cheesecake Eggroll. Now this was good! It was a large eggroll filled with a banana cream, drizzled with caramel sauce and served with caramel ginger ice cream!

Down day at Disney

Yes, there are down days at Disney. We didn’t go to any parks at all today. We slept in. Bill got up first and already had a load of laundry going. I actually felt well enough to have coffee for breakfast. After a light lunch, we headed out for Wal-Mart to fill our water jugs, get some milk and Christmas wrapping paper. Then we tried to find a post office. There is not one that is close to Disney, but our GPS found us one down Interstate 4. I mailed my Christmas letters and the cards that Mandy had done.

On the way back we stopped at Downtown Disney Marketplace which is a huge store that carries every Disney piece of merchandise imaginable. I went in to see if anything struck my fancy, but in my weakened state, I couldn’t deal with the crowds and the awesome array of stuff, so we just came back to the RV. While we had been gone, a huge trailer parked two spots away from us. There is barely room for the huge honking pickup truck that tows it to park. They have outlined their trailer with Christmas lights and set up all kinds of lights and junk around them. We are thrilled that there is a trailer between us as a buffer.

At 8 I wandered down to the beach to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They are good, but the ones they do on the nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are much better.

Disney - Epcot

It was a chilly day at Disney, but I am finally feeling human. The news said it was the coldest night of the season so far. Bill woke up not well and grew progressively worse through the day. Mandy got packed and ready to fly out tonight. She and Bill took her bag down to the reception area of the campground and checked her in for her flight. Bill decided he wasn’t up for the lunch at the German Biergarten in Epcot, so we canceled those reservations. Mandy wanted to go there anyway for a few hours, so we all drove over about 12:30.

We got the worst parking place ever in Disney. We were totally at the end of the row away from the trams, 75 cars away!! We got to the entrance and took a roundtrip monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom and back. Mandy has always loved the monorail. When we got back to Epcot, Bill was feeling worse, so he took the bus back to the RV. Mandy and I picked up fast passes for Fast Track and then went to the Sunshine Seasons restaurant in The Land. This is one of the best counter restaurants at Disney: no burgers, no fries, lots of salads, fruit, fresh wraps, chicken, Asian food, soups. I had a turkey and Muenster cheese on foccacia. Mandy had a fruit and cheese platter.

We then went on the Spaceship Earth ride which has been redone and is really rather neat, portraying the evolution of communication of man. We decided to go see if we could get on Fast Track before our fast pass time. The Single Rider line was only 20 minutes, so we did that. We stand in line together the whole way and then end up in different cars, filling in where an empty spot exists. After that we headed back to the Tracker (past all 75 cars!) and came back to the RV. Bill was huddled up asleep in bed. He didn’t feel well at all. Mandy finished getting ready, and I drove her down to reception where she caught the bus to the airport.

Bill was up and down most of the evening. He did rally to watch the final episode of the Amazing Race. We were totally pleased with the outcome. I went down to the beach to watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom – 15 minutes of amazing fireworks reflecting over the lake with Christmas music playing over the PA. So neat!

Disney World - Animal Kingdom

We all rallied today, but we took it fairly easy as Mandy and I were still not 100%. We had the breakfast buffet here at the Trail’s End restaurant, and then came back for a nap. Bill and Mandy stayed out late last night drinking their way around The World Showcase at Epcot.

At 3 we headed to the Animal Kingdom for an early light dinner at Yak and Yedi. Mandy had not been there before. It is a nice Asian restaurant. I settled for Won Ton soup. Bill had some ahi tuna and chicken lettuce cups. Mandy had some rice, green beans tempura, and some mixed veggies. We had a nice view of the Animal Kingdom parade which was fun.

Tonight Bill and Mandy went to the campfire movies here to see “Lilo and Stitch” and “High School Musical 2”. I stayed behind and went to the beach here at the campground at 9 to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They have them every night, and they last about 15 minutes and are pretty awesome!

I must talk about the huge displays of Christmas decorations that many of the campers put out. Neither words nor pictures can describe the unbelievable amount of money that has been invested in these setups. One woman on our loop is from New Orleans and she has to have at least 30 Christmas blowups, a million miles of colored lights, and a ton of wood/plastic stick items in the ground items. It is truly breath-taking. And she is not alone.

I keep posting photos on the Disney Christmas 2008 site, so just click on the link to the left.

Sick Day

I spent today in bed sleeping and trying to recover from the stomach bug. Bill and Mandy headed out to take the boat ride from the Port Orleans resort to Downtown Disney. It is a nice ride, giving some back views to some of the Disney areas. They came back and napped and then took off for Epcot. They were going to try to drink their way around the World Showcase and have dinner at Tokyo Dining. They keep calling and checking on me, and luckily I am improving, so maybe by tomorrow I will be human again.

Disney Hollywood Studios and Osbourne Spectacle of Lights

It was another lovely day at Disney. Mandy was still feeling a little sick, so we hung out around the RV until we headed to Hollywood Studios for lunch at the Brown Derby at 2. Bill loves the Cobb salad there. After lunch we went on the Muppet show and wandered around. We stopped a few times to give Mandy a rest. At 6pm they turned on the Osborne Spectacle of Lights. This is what we came to see. They have a two blocks in the park that are like street scenes for movies. They are covered with lights, and every half hour or so, they put on a light show flashing them. It really is an incredible sight, and I got some fantastic photos.

We got home at 8. Bill and Mandy went over to the beach to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. I was sicker than a dog. I think I got Mandy’s bug. They said the fireworks were great. I will get to see them some other night.

Disney World - Ft Wilderness and Candlelight Processional at Epcot

It was a beautiful day at Disney World. It warmed up, and the sun was shining. Mandy had a rough night with a sick stomach and spent a good part of the day in bed. Bill and I did chores around the RV. We had a light lunch and took a ride on our bikes around the campground. Mandy rallied, and we all took off for Epcot at 4pm. We had dinner reservations at the Rose and Crown as part of the Candlelight Processional package.

We hadn’t eaten dinner here before, so it was a treat. Mandy didn’t eat much, but Bill had a fruit and cheese plate as an appetizer. I had Samosas that were really good. Bill had steak and fish for his entrée, and I had pork tenderloin with a tamarind sauce. Both were pretty good. Dessert came with the dinner. Bill had a Bailey’s Irish Cream trifle, and I had a sticky toffee pudding which was excellent. After dinner, we found Mandy a spot to rest while Bill went to smoke his cigar, and I went shopping. I did find some cute books for some of the kids for Christmas.

Everyone started lining up for the Candlelight Processional program which was held in the big outdoor theater in front of the American Pavilion. This program has a full orchestra, a choir with at least 200 singers, and a celebrity reader. Tonight’s reader was Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser). The show combines classic Christmas carols with a reading of the Christmas story interspersed with he songs. It was really quite good and moving. We all really enjoyed it, and it was a nice part of our Disney Christmas.

I have posted more photos which can be viewed by clicking on the Disney Christmas link on the left

Disney World - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

The day didn’t start too well for me. I awoke with my stomach punishing me for the enormous amount I ate at Boma last night. Bill and Mandy headed over to Hollywood Studios, and I went back to bed. They had lunch at the Sci-Fi Drive In and got home about 1:30. I felt much better by the time they got home. We hung out around the RV, napped, and had a light dinner.

At 5:30 we headed over to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This is a special charge ticket, and the park is open from 7-midnight for those who have purchased this ticket. The first thing we did was find a good spot for the castle lighting ceremony at 6:30. They had characters on a stage in front of the castle, and finally the fairy godmother lights the castle with the special icicle lighting.

We stopped to share a funnel cake, went on the Haunted Mansion ride, and then Thunder Mountain. There really weren’t any lines for the rides. We basically walked right on most of the rides. After that, we walked to Pirates of the Caribbean to look at a small display of items that are only for sale during the party. I got a sweatshirt, and Mandy got a T-shirt and Santa mouse ears hat. We then walked right on the Pirates ride. Then it was time for the special parade. Some nice older ladies let Mandy and I squeeze in beside them next to the ropes, so we had a pretty good view. The parade really was neat with lots of huge floats with a Christmas theme. I will post some of those photos tomorrow.

We walked over to smoking area so Bill could have a cigar, and Mandy and I could stake out a place to watch the fireworks. There were tables and chairs in this area so we grabbed a table and waited for the special fireworks at 9:30. Christmas music played as the fireworks went off over the castle. It was an impressive show. Finally we went to see the half hour show, Mickey’s Night Before Christmas. There was singing and dancing by life performers. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go back. And to top off the night, we spent the last hour riding some rides: the People Mover, Small World, Peter Pan, Snow White, and the Tea Cups. At midnight we headed for the entrance and caught the boat back to Ft Wilderness. It was rather cold tonight – down in the 40s, but we stayed warm and enjoyed the party!

Disney World - Animal Kingdom

It was an Animal Kingdom day! Mandy wanted to get there for the early opening at 8, so we headed out at 7:30. As soon as we arrived, we headed for the Kilimanjaro Safari. Each time we do this ride, we see something different. Today it was giraffes. There were two adult and one baby giraffe that followed our truck, ran across the road in front and then in back of us. The baby frolicked, bounding and kicking. It was so cute. From there we went to Pizzafari for some breakfast. Bill and I had the breakfast plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuit, and hashbrowns. Mandy had a breakfast pizza with cheese, eggs, and two kinds of peppers and was quite good.

We went to see the 9:30 Lion King show, but it had been canceled due to technical difficulties, so we headed over to Dinoland. Bill and Mandy went on a few rides while I went to watch the monkeys in Asia. We got fastpass tickets for the Everest roller coaster and went on the Maharajah Jungle trek while we waited for out turn at the roller coaster. We saw most of the animals: komodo dragon, tapir, tigers, and many wonderful birds. After the Everest ride, we went back to the Lion King, and Mandy finally got to see that show. We did some shopping, and then headed to the car.

We all relaxed at the RV before we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to Boma for dinner. That is one of my all-time favorite restaurants, an African buffet. We totally stuffed ourselves. The soups weren’t as good as usual, but the Bobuti and the Geelrys rice were great as were the desserts. It was a fun day. The weather was great, sunny and not too cool.

I have posted photos on my flickr page which can be reached by clicking on the Disney Christmas 2008 on the left side of this page.

Disney World

Sunday 11/30

Greetings from Disney World! We started off the day packing up and heading out from Kings Bay at 9:20. The drive wasn’t too bad for the first hour, but then it started raining. And it rained! All the way to Orlando. We got to Ft Wilderness at 1:30, checked in and got our site at 104. This is a new loop for us, and we got a nice site. There are unbelievable Christmas decorations at many of the sites. I will post photos later. We are close to the boat dock, restaurant, and beach.

Bill and Mandy drove to get her week pass. When they returned we took the boat over to the Magic Kingdom for dinner and a look at the Christmas decorations. Cinderella’s castle was lit up, but later they turned on the icicle lights, and it was truly amazing. We went to see Monsters, Inc, a cute show that was interactive with the audience. We had dinner at Cosmic Ray’s which I really like since I can get a decent meal: rotisserie chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. We had time for a ride on the People Mover, Bill’s favorite ride. The park closed at 7, but there were still loads of people there who had tickets for Mickey’s Magical Christmas Party (which we are doing Tuesday night). We stopped for ice cream on the way out – Mandy and I shared a peppermint ice cream cup. Very Christmasy!! They had a machine that started blowing fake snow over Main Street!

We took the boat back in the rain and made it back in time to see the next to last episode of The Amazing Race. We were not pleased with one idiot team who made it to the final three. Then it was time to figure out our week’s plan. Mandy is making the most of her time here, and she may kill us all with all she has planned! The weather should be much more pleasant starting tomorrow!

Kings Bay GA

Saturday 11/29

It was a lovely day at Kings Bay Navy Base. The sun was shining, and the temperatures were in the 70s. The lake was covered with coots this morning. I love this black bird with the white beak! They were fishing for breakfast. We had breakfast, and Bill and Mandy went down to the community center in the middle of the campground for coffee. Bill then went to get the Tracker registered on base and to get a sticker. Our current one runs out Sunday. Navy bases are the only place that require the vehicle stickers now.

We headed off for the commissary to pick up a few items. With Bill and Mandy, it is tough to get out of there with only the essentials! We came back to the RV and had lunch. Bill made reservations here for 12 days between our Tampa stay and a RV rally in Georgia in March. There is lots to see around here, the campground is cheap and quite nice, so we decided to park here for a while.

Then we drove in to St Mary’s to show Mandy the lovely little town. Members of the old Presbyterian church were putting up Christmas decorations including a large wreath going up on the bell tower. The Cumberland Island Visitors Center was closed, but we stopped at a lovely park on the waterfront and wandered around.

Back at the RV, Bill and Mandy took naps. I wandered around the lake a bit. At 6pm we left for the tiny Japanese teppanyaki restaurant a couple of miles outside the base. Bill and I had been there last January, it was surprisingly good and very inexpensive. We had soup, a couple of shrimp for appetizers, salad, fried rice, sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, onions. Bill had rib eye and scallops. Mandy had more veggies, and I had the rib eye. It was all very tasty and fun. Our chef was from the Philippines and funny but not obnoxious.

Back at the RV, we had a little campfire. They don’t allow campfires at Ft Wilderness, so this was our only night to do it. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy on and off, so we have packed up most of our stuff and hooked up the Tracker. It should only be 4 hours tomorrow before we hit Ft Wilderness! We are all excited.

Raleigh to Kings Bay GA

Friday 11/28

We are back on the road again!! Bill, Mandy, and I took off in the RV at 9:15 this morning, headed for Kings Bay GA on our way to Disney World. The traffic wasn’t too bad, and we made it to the Flying J in about 2 hours. After getting diesel, we went in for lunch. Bill got the buffet, Mandy got a grilled cheese, and I got a special, a large breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. I haven’t had one since I was in Frankfort. This one was really quite good, so I was happy.

We traveled on, stopping a couple hours later at a rest stop for Bill to lay down for 20 minutes. The last part of our trip was rainy, but luckily it stopped just before we arrived at Kings Bay Naval Station. The camp host and his wife met us in their golf cart and showed us where to park. We have a lovely spot right in front of the lake. Since it was dark, Mandy didn’t get to see it, but we will be here all day tomorrow. After setting up, we ate the leftovers we had brought from home. We also undid the new foam top for the sofa bed. It is outside on the picnic table expanding to its natural size. I will let you know tomorrow how it all works.

Day 81 – Asheville to Raleigh NC – 265 miles

After 81 days, 1700 photos, 10,000 miles, and a million adventures, we are back home in Raleigh. It was a totally amazing trip, and I will have to go through the photos to absorb all that we saw and did. We truly had an awesome summer. Today we drove quickly home to beat the remnants of Hanna. We almost made it, hitting a bit of rain the last hour. Coming down from the mountains is always an adventure. There is a 6% grade for 5 miles which is a little hairy, but we made it. The scenery was wonderful. And a sign we saw at a rest area made my day: NOTICE It is unlawful to urinate on state owned property. Rest rooms available inside. GS 136-(5), GS 14-132.

I can highly recommend Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. They are truly worth seeing. And driving through our country, seeing the variety of scenery and people is a journey well-worth taking. This is the last blog for this trip. We have more trips coming up, so I will keep you posted on them.

Day 80 – Horse Cave KY to Asheville NC – 325 miles

Our last night on the road. We have decided to head to Raleigh tomorrow and hopefully beat Hanna and the rain that might come Friday night. The drive today was rather uneventful except for the beautiful section of I40 north of the Smokies. Driving through the curving, mountainous road was great. I love the mountains.

Day 79 – Horse Cave KY

This morning Bill left early for Bowling Green KY to see the Corvette Museum. I slept in, enjoyed the peace and quiet, and chatted with Mandy. Bill got home about 11:30 after having stopped at WalMart to get some bottled water. We had lunch, and then headed to Mammoth Cave for the 1:30 Onyx Cave tour.

This was a really interesting tour since there were no lights in the cave, just the Coleman lanterns that half of us carried. At the beginning of the tour were some lovely limestone stalactites and stalagmites. Then we went through some dry cave and ended up in an area of wonderful gypsum formations. One area looked like white chicken feathers had been stuck to the ceiling. There were many delicate gypsum formations on the walls and ceilings. My favorite thing we saw was a tiny (only 2” long) pipistrelle bat. He was so cute!! We saw lots of cave crickets which almost look like spiders. I didn’t get any photos because we couldn’t take them on this tour.

After the cave tour, we drove to see Sand Cave entrance where Floyd Collins died in 1925 after being trapped by falling rock. It is a most interesting, but tragic, story. Look at the web site by clicking on Floyd Collins above. We also saw his final grave site in the Mammoth Cave Cemetery.

Tonight we went the half block down the hill to Aunt Bea’s Restaurant. I wasn’t expecting much, and I wasn’t disappointed. But it was food. I added a few more photos to the Mammoth Cave link on the left.

Day 79 – Horse Cave KY

This morning Bill left early for Bowling Green KY to see the Corvette Museum. I slept in, enjoyed the peace and quiet, and chatted with Mandy. Bill got home about 11:30 after having stopped at WalMart to get some bottled water. We had lunch, and then headed to Mammoth Cave for the 1:30 Onyx Cave tour.

This was a really interesting tour since there were no lights in the cave, just the Coleman lanterns that half of us carried. At the beginning of the tour were some lovely limestone stalactites and stalagmites. Then we went through some dry cave and ended up in an area of wonderful gypsum formations. One area looked like white chicken feathers had been stuck to the ceiling. There were many delicate gypsum formations on the walls and ceilings. My favorite thing we saw was a tiny (only 2” long) pipistrelle bat. He was so cute!! We saw lots of cave crickets which almost look like spiders. I didn’t get any photos because we couldn’t take them on this tour.

After the cave tour, we drove to see Sand Cave entrance where Floyd Collins died in 1925 after being trapped by falling rock. It is a most interesting, but tragic, story. Look at the web site by clicking on Floyd Collins above. We also saw his final grave site in the Mammoth Cave Cemetery.

Tonight we went the half block down the hill to Aunt Bea’s Restaurant. I wasn’t expecting much, and I wasn’t disappointed. But it was food. I added a few more photos to the Mammoth Cave link on the left.

Day 78 – Salem to Horse Cave KY – 115 miles

We left Salem at 9:30 this morning, gained an hour and arrived at the Horse Cave KOA at 12:30. This campground is almost deserted. Tourists have gone home!!! We have no satellite TV nor WiFi, but our Verizon card works. We settled in with a great view of Interstate 65 a half mile away. The campground is wooded, but they are working very hard to upgrade the campground with 50 amp power, cable, and WiFi.

We drove to Mammoth Cave National Park about 2. They offer many tours since Mammoth is the longest cave system in the world. We decided to take the “New Entrance Tour” which left at 3 and lasted for 2 hours. It was a really neat tour. To start with we descended 280 stairs on a really neat staircase that did not blast away any of the cave. It twisted and turned through various formations and was really quite fun. The largest section of the tour was through a dry area with little formations. The last section was in a wetter section with lovely formations including the Frozen Niagara. We had a total of 500 stairs and lots of hiking, but it was very interesting.

After the tour came back to the Visitor’s Center (which is undergoing a major remodel), we walked to the Historic Entrance. I really thought we went here on some childhood trip, but I have no documentation nor photos. This entrance and tour is closed for restoration work.

We came back to the RV, had some dinner, and tried to get the antanna to work on the TV. Unfortunately all we can get is PBS which is showing the Republican convention. Sigh.

I did post some new photos on a Mammoth Cave link on the left.

Day 77 – Salem IN

It was family cookout day in Salem. When I got up, Joy was already working on her second pie. Yesterday she made macaroni salad. Bill and I made a run to the grocery for buns, hamburger meat, and beans. We headed over to Bill’s brother RH and his wife Barb’s home for the cook out. RH cooked at least 20 hamburgers and probably that many brats. He is quite good at cooking large amounts of meat. Bill’s sister Jamie, her husband David, their daughter Megan and her husband Steve, their son Ryan, wife Stephanie and kids Ethan, Lucas, and Audrey, RH and Barb’s daughter Holly and her husband Chris were all there along with the 3 of us. There was a ton of food. We ate, chatted, and watched the hurricane. The little kids played in the pool. Soon after, everyone left except for me and Bill, and Holly and Chris. We swam in the pool which was surprisingly cool and refreshing.

We did some laundry when we got home and took a load out to the RV. We had leftovers for dinner and watched some TV. Tomorrow should be an easy day since it is only 115 miles to Mammoth Cave.

Day 76 – Salem IN

We picked up some picnic food at the store, and Bill, Joy, and I headed out for Medora IN. Bill had seen on a map that there was a covered bridge there that was the longest in the US. The new bridge is right next to it, and it really is long. We drove through Medora and read about the brick factory that used to be there. We drove out of town and found the remnants of it. Then we went to Starve Hollow Lake (a state park) to have our picnic. It wasn’t too crowded nor too hot, and we had a nice picnic.

From there we drove back to Salem and went to Beck’s Mill. It is an old water mill that has been restored. It wasn’t open today, so we just looked. Back at home we found that RH and Jamie (Bill’s brother and sister) had decided to have a barbeque at RH’s on Monday. So we went to the RV to get some food to contribute.

Tonight we had BLT’s for dinner with the wonderful home-grown tomatoes! It is so sad that we can’t get these tomatoes everywhere and all year long. Absolutely nothing is better than an Indiana tomato. I probably could have made myself sick eating too many of them! We have decided to spend a couple of nights at Mammoth Cave Tuesday and Wednesday and then two nights in Asheville on the way home. So we should be home on Saturday.

I added a few more photos to the Family Visits Link on the left.

Day 75 – Salem IN

It was a down day in Salem for me. Bill headed off to Bloomington at 9 all by himself to attend the IU/Western Kentucky football game compliments of Bill Fortner. I stayed around the house with Joy. I worked on some photos, read, took a walk, had a nap. It was a pleasant day. Bill enjoyed the game (which IU won!) and got home at 5. We had Wendy’s for dinner and played some cards with Joy. I have added a few photos to the Family Visits link on the left.

Day 74 – Salem IN

Today we headed out to be gamblers. Bill, Joy, and I left at 11 for French Lick IN. The casino is at the French Lick Hotel where we went first. We had lunch in the casino, and then Bill and Joy went to gamble. I wandered around the hotel and grounds while Bill played blackjack and Joy played the slots. I finally went back and put a few dollars into the machines. I have decided that I am way too stupid to play the slots and that there are way too many choices to be made! I did play the penny slot and came out $1.12 ahead!! Bill won $20, but Joy was the big winner at over $100.

From there we headed a mile down the road to the West Baden hotel. This hotel has a magnificent domed atrium. It fell into disuse and disrepair in 1966. In 1996 it was purchased and refurbished which was a massive undertaking and reopened in 2007. We wandered around and had a drink in the dome bar. Rather fun.

Tonight we had leftovers for dinner which were still good. Brenda and Bill Fortner came over to bring Bill tickets to the IU football game tomorrow. We had a great visit and almost got caught up.

Day 73 – Salem IN

It was a pretty day in Salem. Bill, Jamie, and Joy drove to Scottsburg to take Jamie’s car in to be fixed. I stayed home, folded laundry, and worked on photos. We had wonderful leftovers for lunch. Jamie’s husband David is the newly elected mayor of Salem, so after lunch she took Bill and me for a tour of the mayor’s office. David wasn’t in, so we went back to the house.

Bill and I went to the Moose so Bill could turn in his membership application. He figures since this is the second time we have parked the motor home in their lot that he should join. The annual dues are only $35, and we are staying six nights just this trip, so it has already paid for itself. We drove back to David’s office, and he was in. I got my picture taken with him in his office.

Tonight we went to the Moose for dinner with RH and Barb. We sat with some friends of theirs and had a pleasant meal. One couple had been at Glacier two weeks before we were there, so we exchanged stories.

Day 72 – Frankfort to Salem IN – 151 miles

The days here in Indiana have been much cooler than we anticipated which is great. We awoke to geese honking in the field next to us. There were probably 30 geese having their breakfast. I went up to Margaret’s apartment to say goodbye and to make sure we didn’t wear her out yesterday. She was doing fine this morning, and she seemed to have had as much fun as we did yesterday.

When I got back to the RV, Harlan and Betty Clark were there having a tour of the RV. It was great to see them if even for a short time. We headed out about 9:45, stopping in Lebanon at the Flying J to dump our tanks and get gas. We made one more stop at a rest area for a lunch break and arrived in Salem at the Moose Lodge parking lot at 2. They have 5 hookups, and we got one of them. We only have power but that will keep the mildew down and the refrigerator going.

Joy had lots of food for dinner: ham, potato salad, corn on the cob, fresh green beans, tomatoes, rolls, and peach pie for dessert. Jamie and David, RH and Barb, and Bill, Joy, and I made a small dent in all of the food. A friend of the family came by with a ton of tomatoes. Joy took some, and I took one, washed it, and ate it whole! Ahhh, there is absolutely nothing like an Indiana home-grown tomato! I took several more to eat while we are here.

Day 71 – Frankfort IN

It was a lovely day in Frankfort visiting with Margaret. We went out for an early lunch at Arby’s and then shopping at Wal-Mart. Bill and Margaret took naps. Late afternoon we went to the store and I got some Michigan cottage cheese, one of my favorites! and found some of my favorite apples. We went to dinner at Everything’s OK Chinese buffet and Mongolian barbeque which was really quite good. Dessert was an ice cream soda at the Milky Way. What a delightful treat! After some chatting at Margaret’s apartment, Bill and I went to see our friends, Don and Marta. Tomorrow we head to southern Indiana to Salem to visit with Bill’s family.

Day 70 – Genoa City WI to Frankfort IN – 316 miles

Back on the road again. We said goodbye to the Quicks and the farm and headed for Frankfort at 9:50. We found a route through Illinois that would totally avoid Chicago. It was 70 miles longer, but well worth the lack of stress. We did have to drive through a couple of small towns that were redoing their main streets, but we made it to Wesley Manor by 5:15. In the back they have a parking area for RV’s with 30 amp power. While we were backing in, the COO drove out to check on us. After we introduced ourselves, he was delightful and wanted to know if they could help us in any way.

I went in and found Margaret in the hall walking to meet me. She can see the RV from the window at the end of the hall. We chatted and caught up on some of our stories. She didn’t feel like going out to eat, so Bill and I ran out to The Island to get us breaded tenderloins and Margaret a hamburger. We ate in the apartment and chatted some more. We finally left about 8:30 and came back out to the RV.

Day 69 – Genoa City WI

It was a work day on the farm. Bill and John mowed most of the morning. Cheryl and Crew worked at the barn. I stayed at the house and played with the dogs! Watching them run together carrying a big stick was pretty impressive. Lunch was yummy leftovers. Back at the barn, the horses were brought back from the pasture. The little foals are so cute as they run and kick. Dinner was at Fisher’s Restaurant in Lake Geneva with John, Cheryl, Scott, and Jamie. Then it was home for cards! Luckily brother John won enough to keep him happy. Bill and I lost all of our laundry quarters and then some!

New family photos are posted in the new set called Family Visits. Click on the link to the left.

Day 68 – Genoa City WI

It was a beautiful day on the farm. We were all up and moving by 7. Cheryl went to the barn to let the horses out to pasture. Her barn manager Javier, helped. John and I drove down to the pasture and drove Javier and Cheryl back to the barn for more horses. It was fun to watch the foals, none of whom is over 4 months old, frolic as they followed their mothers to the pasture. After 3 trips, John and I took off for the 20 minute drive to the grocery store. We picked up items, and I even found 6 cans of sugar-free Café Vienna which Bill and I have looked for everywhere we have shopped.

Johnny, Annette, Kate, Matt, and Danny arrived about noon. The kids were thrilled to be on the farm. They certainly have grown since I last saw them 4 years ago, and I also got to meet Danny who is 3 and a real cutie. The kids absolutely love riding around on the John Deere gator, so there was lots of squealing and fun! Jimmy arrived a little later with Maggie and Olivia. Ely was sick so Cassie had stayed at home with him. We had a great time with all of the kids.

We all went to lunch at a place called The Upper Crust, and the kids were all pretty good. Back at the farm there was more hanging out, playing with the kids, showing them the RV, etc. It was a great day with the family. They all left to return to Chicago by 5. John, Cheryl, Bill, and I sat on the porch overlooking the pond and chatted and relaxed. What a lovely day! I will try and get some photos up on Flickr tomorrow.

Day 67 – Osseo to Genoa City WI – 248 miles

It was a lovely day today. We got a decent start at 9:00 today, and after stopping for diesel, we made pretty good time today. We stopped for lunch at a rest area and made it to John and Cheryl’s at 2:30. John was waiting for us in the driveway and directed us to a parking spot. He then gave us a quick tour around the farm. We walked for what seemed forever, but he and Cheryl have done a lot of good work to make the farm pretty impressive. Cheryl had to go pick up a mare and her foal from the vet’s, so she took off. John, Bill, and I sat outside with drinks catching up.

When Cheryl got home, we cooked some steaks to have along with some corn, a tomato and mozzarella salad, and some tortellini. Bill and John watch a movie, and in a little bit, John, Cheryl, and I went to the barn to feed and water the horses for the night. They have about 27 horses, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Some of the young horses are really sweet! The new Quick farm is out in the country, but they have some woods and a pond, and it is a lovely area to live.

Day 66 – Alexandria MN to Osseo WI – 245 miles

And another driving day. It was a little windy again today, and we ran into our first rainy day driving after lunch. There isn’t too much exciting to write about. Minneapolis had lots of construction, and Wisconsin didn’t have a welcome center. We arrived at Stoney Creek RV resort about 3:30. It is a lovely park with lots of space for each site, but the rain inhibited our enjoyment of it. We did get a couple of loads of laundry done. Bill drove to get some pizza from a place recommended by the RV folks. I cleaned up the RV a bit since we will be staying with family or the next week or so.

Day 65 – Bismarck ND to Alexandria MN – 300 miles

It was another driving day, beautiful but windy. For the first couple of hours it was tough keeping the RV on the road. We bypassed Fargo where we were going to stop and kept on going to balance the hours of driving today and tomorrow. We got an extra 100 miles done today instead of having to do it tomorrow.

The only interesting sight today was a rest area in Minn. It was on Lake Iverson, and the lake was so high that it had flooded some picnic tables.

We made it to the L Motel and RV park about 4. There was lots of room, and we got to pick a spot. Bill napped before we went out looking for food. We found a restaurant called Doolittle’s. I had one of the specials, Shrimp pad Thai which was surprisingly good and plentiful enough for lunch on the road tomorrow. We will drive tomorrow to Osseo WI.

Day 64 – Bismarck ND

We took off when the temperature was a little cooler and drove 40 miles north to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. L&C spent the winter of 1804-1805 at a fort they built near here. They worked well with the Mandan Indians who were also here. The Interpretive Center had a lot of good exhibits about the whole expedition plus some art work by local artists.

From there we drove 2 miles to the reconstructed Fort Mandan. The expedition built this 3-sided fort in 2 months. It was small but apparently quite sufficient. We saw a short movie at the visitors center here. There was also a huge sculpture of Seaman, Lewis’ Newfoundland dog. He went the whole trip with this corps.

On the way home we stopped in the tiny town of Washburn and had lunch at the Lewis and Clark café. The special was a grilled ham and cheese with homemade potato salad. I got that, and it wasn’t bad. When we got home, Bill went down for his nap, and I worked on some photos. He went out later to shop for some tow bar pins and cigars. He was successful. We had wanted to go on a sunset steamboat cruise on the Missouri River tonight, but it was booked.

I added the last of the North Dakota photos on the link to the left!

Day 63 – Medora to Bismarck ND – 134 miles

Still in North Dakota. We left Medora at 9:30 and drove across lots of rolling flat land with lots of sunflower fields. We arrived in Bismarck at 2:30 (we came into Central Time Zone!). After setting up at the KOA, we headed south to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. It has two really interesting areas – the actual fort area which includes the home where Custer and his wife lived, and the Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village.

We took a tour of the Custer house which was air-conditioned and interesting. Then we took a tour of the Mandan Village. The CCC rebuilt 5 of the earth lodges. They were really cool inside and there were lots of Indian artifacts. The also had a great visitors center museum. It was a good stop.

We grabbed barbecue on the way home and had a nice evening at the campground. I uploaded some more photos from today to the North Dakota link on the left.

Day 62 – Medora ND

It was a bloody hot day today, in the 90s and the sun is unrelenting. Bill was gone before I got up to go take a tour of Teddy Roosevelt’s cabin at the visitors center. He also toured the Chateau de Mores which is on the hill above the town. I worked on photos and stayed in the cool RV.

Tonight we went to the Rough Rider Hotel dining room for dinner. It was a good meal in a strange setting – lots of dead animals on the wall. Tonight we hung out at the RV and chatted with our neighbors who are ‘full-timers’. He was in the Marines for 23 years and then an LAPD cop for 17 years. Interesting guy. He said he was even on a couple of episodes of Cops. We do meet some interesting people in our campgrounds.

Day 61 – Teddy Roosevelt Nat’l Park ND

We had a slow start this morning, but finally we got going and went to the Visitors Center at Teddy Roosevelt Nat’l Park. We saw a short movie and had some questions answered. Bill is much more interested in Teddy than I am. I am more in to landscapes and wildlife! We came back out of the park and went for lunch at a place called Cowboy Café. It is a small town country diner, rather noisy and nothing special. The Reuben I had wasn’t bad. Then we went back into the park (just around the corner) to take the 36 mile loop drive.

This park is mainly ‘badlands’ type landscape, but it is probably a bit more impressive than the South Dakota badlands. I especially like the red porcelanite rock that is at the top of many of the formations. It was a really beautiful drive. And the bonus was the wildlife. There were several prairie dog towns. Many of the dogs were used to cars and just acted oblivious to us tourists. Then we saw several herds of bison. The first was right next to the road, grazing. Another herd made a pretty picture along the Little Missouri River. And we saw yet another herd right by the road as we were finishing the loop. We also saw some wild horses. We spent about 3 hours on the road. I took a small hike to a canyon while Bill took a short nap in the car.

We were still full from lunch, so we postponed dinner at the Rough Rider Hotel here in Medora and had a light dinner at the RV. We had two rabbits nibbling grass right by our campsite. They, too, didn’t seem too bothered by our presence. After eating, they just flopped down in the grass and took a nap.

I added some more photos to the North Dakota link at the right. Some of the scenery looks fake, but I promise it is real, as are the bison!

Day 60 – Lewistown MT to Medora ND – 306 miles

It was an interesting day today. We got off at 8:30 and made the long empty drive across Montana on a straight two-lane road. It went on and on and on. We stopped at a Flying J just over the North Dakota border to get gas and lunch, making it to Medora about 3:00. The landscape in North Dakota is quite impressive – lots of colored buttes and mounds. The campground is adequate, but nothing special, and tonight it is full.

We set up and then went into town to buy tickets for the Medora Musical and the Pitchfork Fondue. I am truly in cowboy land!! The Fondue started at 6:30, and there were hundreds of people there. They ‘fondue’ steaks on pitchforks in huge vats of oil. Everyone stands in line, gets a plate, goes through the sides line: crudités, cole slaw, beans, baked potato, melon, bread, brownie, picks up a steak and eats at one of many picnic tables. They do get everyone through quite quickly. The setting is pretty awesome, up on a mesa overlooking the interesting rock formations.

The Medora Musical is right there next to the Pitchfork Fondue. It has been running for 50 years in various forms. The amphitheater is built into the hills and seats 2600 people. We had seats front row center (not a lot of choices since we bought so late. It was a two hour cowboy/country musical with Teddy Roosevelt, a stranger in town, and a rather disjointed plot, but fairly entertaining. The whole experience was more unique than wonderful.

I have posted some photos in a new set called North Dakota, link at the left.

Day 59 – Great Falls to Lewistown MT – 104 miles

It is our last night in Montana after spending a month here. It has been a month of good adventures, so I hate to leave! Our morning was spent with RV maintenance. We got everything unhooked, packed up, and stowed away. We left the Tracker at the campground and went on base to get propane. Maneuvering the RV through the zig-zag of the gate was fun, but even more so was when we got to the base gas station to the propane tank in back. We had to ask them to move a car so we could get close enough to fill up! After that, we went off base to fill up with diesel. Finally we could go back, hook up the Tracker, and head out. We made it to Lewistown, a tiny town in the middle of Montana by 2. We stopped at a nice little rest area for a picnic lunch! The crosswinds were a bit fierce today, but we made it safely.

The campground is basically a field with hookups at the edge of town. We are surrounded by mobile homes. But we aren’t here for the beauty. We did a minimum hookup (electric and slideout). Bill wanted to go look at the Lewistown airport. Somewhere he had read that during WWII this used to be a B-17 training base. He went in to the small airport and talked to the airport manager who directed him to several small buildings with plaques on them explaining what they were used for. He had a good time. I stayed at the RV and vacuumed the carpet with our little Dirt Devil. It works well for what we need it for. It also stormed a bit. Hopefully it will be sunny for our long day to Medora ND.

Day 58 – Great Falls MT

It was an interesting morning. We drove 12 miles south of Great Falls to First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park. For centuries before the Indians had horses, they lured herds of buffalo to this mesa and over the cliffs. They then butchered them to survive the tough Montana winters. The visitors center was nicely done and fairly new. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Bill walked a bit of the 3 mile loop, and then we drove a gravel road up to the top of the cliffs. There was a huge prairie dog village up there. Apparently prairie dogs and buffalo co-existed well together. The view from up there was magnificent.

Back in town we went to the overlook of the Lewis & Clark Upper Portage Camp. They spent almost a month here, portaging and recovering from that exhausting 18 day task. There were some interpretive signs. We were the only ones there.

Then we went to see if I could get my hair cut at a strip mall. They said to come back in half an hour, so we went next door and had Mongolian Barbecue for lunch. It was really quite good and cheap. I didn’t quite finish my lunch when I had to go get my hair cut by a blond 12-year old looking girl who had a ton of black eye shadow on. She didn’t do a horrible job, and she was fast enough that I could go back and finish my lunch with Bill!

Bill dropped me off at the RV while he went to look for cigars and to drive 6 miles on a bumpy, dusty, 6 mile road to the lower portage camp. I chatted with Mandy and worked on some photos. When he returned we did laundry. After dinner we went to Wal-Mart to fill up our water jugs. Most Supercenters have a Culligan dispenser for 33¢ a gallon. I got some cottage cheese, apples, and mouthwash. How exciting.

I loaded some more photos of our day on the Great Falls link to the left.

Day 57 – Great Falls, MT

Today was Bill’s Lewis and Clark day. We went to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at 9:30. Luckily it was not nearly as crowded as it was yesterday. The building sits on a hillside overlooking the Missouri River, and the whole basement is a huge exhibit area with lots of exhibits detailing the entire exploration of Lewis and Clark. We watched two movies between trying to see as much of the exhibit area as possible. The is a fairly new center, and it was really well done.

Then we drove to look at the falls that aren’t anymore. Originally there were 5 sets of falls: one is now underwater, and the rest are dammed. Some water flows over the falls from the dams, but one can only imagine how beautiful they were before the dams were built. We saw Rainbow Falls and Black Eagle Falls. We grabbed a quick lunch at Taco John’s (a western version of Taco Bell that Bill wanted to try), and then we drove 12 miles to Ryan Dam and the true Great Falls. There is an island below the river that has been made into a lovely park area with a viewing area. We were the only ones there. Then we drove on down to Morony Dam. The drive took us over the high plains before a large dip back down to the river.

When we came back to the RV we went on base to the Commissary to pick up a few items. We had dinner and watched TV.

Day 56 – On the road to Great Falls MT – 225 miles

It was an interesting day. Our RV park neighbors were getting ready to leave, too, but their pickup truck that pulls their 5^th wheel wouldn’t start. We left them calling people to see if they could get it fixed. I hated leaving the mountains. We are now in the great plains. Bill encountered more wind than we have had so far. At a rest area north of Great Falls, there was a sign posted “Rattlesnakes observed in the area. Stay on sidewalks.” That was creepy.

We got to the campground at Malmstrom AFB here at Great Falls at 2:30. They don’t take reservations, but luckily there were 2 slots left. It is a fairly new campground in a field outside the base with all the hookups and only $17 a night. Bill immediately wanted to head to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on the Missouri River. The parking lot was jammed, as was the Center. The Lewis and Clark Association was having a meeting there. We decided to come back tomorrow.

So we headed down the road a half mile to Giant Springs St Park. Here there is a huge spring, rising from the limestone underneath. Lewis had written about it in his journal. It pours water into the Missouri River and also into the smallest river in the world, 201’ Roe River. It is a really pretty park with a fish hatchery.

We came back to the RV and finished setting up and had dinner. At 7:15 we drove on base, only to find they roll the sidewalks up at 7. The commissary is closed on Mondays. The BX closed at 7 and the shoppette closes at 6. We drove down the main street of Great Falls, and most things were closed there, also. Rather depressing.

I have started a new set of photos called Great Falls and set the link on the left.

Day 55 – Hungry Horse MT

It was a lazy, lovely Sunday. We both slept in. I was outside drinking coffee when our neighbor Carol came over to chat for a while. They are leaving for Idaho tomorrow. Bill had a race to watch, and we started to slowly do what we need to do to take off in the morning. At 4 we went into town for our last huckleberry milkshake at the Huckleberry Patch. We also got a barbecue rib dinner to take back to the RV. We watched some TV, Bill built a fire with the last of his wood. I packed up the coffee maker and dishes. We hope to leave for Great Falls at 9 in the morning.

Day 54 – Hungry Horse MT

It was a nice, quiet day in the campground. We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, and enjoyed the view since our neighbors had left early. Bill finally took off to ‘run some errands’. He can’t stay in one place very long, so he drove in to Kalispell. He went to the RV store and got a new windshield brush with the long handle and some pins for the tow bar. Then he went to Costco, picked up a few items, and had a Costco hot dog for lunch. I stayed here working on photos, reading, and just enjoying the day. It alternated between cloudy with a few sprinkles to sunny. Bill got home about 3 with more morel mushrooms. I immediately put them in to soak. We had them for dinner along with some steak and onions. The mushrooms were great, especially since we don’t know when we will ever have more fresh ones!

Day 53 – Glacier Nat’l Park MT

We had to ride the Going to the Sun Road again up to Logan Pass. It was cloudy today which made for some crappy photos, but it was still incredibly beautiful. We had packed a picnic lunch and ate it sitting on a wall just past Logan Pass. We had a beautiful waterfall behind us and a lovely mountain view in front. I found a new favorite wildflower, the beargrass. I got photos up close. They have a really neat fragrance. We headed back to Hungry Horse, stopping at a T-shirt shop. I got a neat one with a bear on the front made out of letters spelling Glacier Park. But Bill got the best one. It has some Indians on the front with Homeland Security above them. Below it says: Fighting Terrorists since 1492.

Tonight we went to Belton Chateau for dinner. It is the first of the chain of chalets built in 1910 by the Great Northern Railroad. We had a great dinner. I loved my Vegetable Wellington: puff pastry stuffed with tomato, mushrooms, and leek, topped with a roasted pepper cream sauce. After dinner we went to the Huckleberry Patch for some huckleberry pie a la mode. Now we are stuffed!

I posted a few more photos at the end of Glacier 2. Just click on the link to the left.

Day 52 – Whitefish MT

We explored our area today starting with a drive to Whitefish. It is a big ski area, so we drove up to Big Mountain. As we parked the car, we saw two deer in the shade of one of the many condos there. The big one had some tumors which was a little disturbing. We took the ski lift up to the summit which was a 7 minute ride way up with incredible scenery even if it was a little hazy today. We decided to have lunch at the top at the Summit House restaurant. It turned out to be one of our better meals on this trip. We were seated by the window with a great view since there were only a few of us in the restaurant. The soup of the day was cream of mushroom with ham and bacon. It sounded so strange we had to try it, and it was wonderful. (Photo online) I had a fish panini that was excellent with a wonderful remoulade sauce. We certainly didn’t expect this quality of food at the top of a mountain.

After going to the grocery, we headed back to Hungry Horse. In the middle of town is this huge steel ball, 8’ in diameter weighing 4.5 tons. It was used to clear the area when they were building the Hungry Horse Dam. They would drag it with tractors, and the ball would knock down everything in its path! Rather impressive. We drove on out to the dam where the visitors center was open. We looked at all the exhibits. It was a rather interesting place, and the dam is huge!

We came back to the RV to rest, relax, and chill. It was 90+ today, but under our awning in the shade, it wasn’t too bad to sit out there and read.

I added 8 more photos to the end of Glacier2 (link on the left) including a photo of our RV site here.

Day 51 – Hungry Horse MT

I had a quiet day at the RV. Bill left the RV at 8:30 for his all day kayak/rafting trip. He didn’t get home until after 5. It was a bit more than he had bargained for. He found his legs got really cramped in the kayak. There were 2 guys in the big raft, a girl doing the trip, and Bill in his kayak. They had a big breakfast and got on the water about 10:30. At 12:30 they pulled up on a sandbar for lunch. The girl pulled out a table, a grill and food and fixed steaks along with potato salad, strawberries and kiwi, and cookies. They were back in the water at 1:30. Bill said the water was ice cold and finally got into the main raft at 3 for the last 2 hours in the water. He is going to be stiff tomorrow. I washed sheets and put on our new sheets. I read and worked on photos.

Day 50 – Kalispell MT

It was a non-touring day but still fun. It was really cold when my alarm went off, and I really didn’t want to get out of bed!! But I did. We headed into Kalispell (about 20 miles away) to the Social Security Admin office. Bill needed to turn in documents so he can start getting his social security in December. We found it, and we didn’t even have to wait too long. They gave him a letter opener and a jar opener for filing online! Hee!

From there we drove by the Conrad Mansion, a restored pre-1900 home. It would have been interesting to take the tour, but we hadn’t had lunch, the tour didn’t start for a half hour, and it lasted for an hour and a half. So we wandered around outside, reading some of the plaques. Then Bill asked Lola (the GPS) where to go to lunch, and we found Julie’s Center Street Café. It was an interesting little restaurant. Julie is a 50ish attractive blond who waited on us. Bill got a Rueben, and I got a Rueben omelet which was really quite good. She creates her own sauerkraut with pork in it, which was on top of my omelet.

Then we were off to Costco to get gas for the Tracker. Next was Wal-Mart where I got a $6 watch since my Seiko battery died. I will have to wait until Raleigh to get that fixed. Finally we stopped at the Huckleberry Patch for some souvenirs and the best of the huckleberry milkshakes we have had so far.

Back at the RV we put the awning out so we could sit outside and read. It was supposedly in the high 80s today, but in the shade we were quite comfortable. Bill grilled some Costco shrimp while I cooked some of the great corn on the cob for dinner. It was a really pleasant day.

Day 49 – Glacier Nat’l Park MT

It was a long day, 10 hours, spent on the east side of the park. We left the RV at 8, drove the Going to the Sun Road and arrived at Many Glacier Hotel (built in 1915) on Swiftcurrent Lake at 10:30. We signed up on the waiting list for the 11am boat trip which went across Swiftcurrent Lake, involved a short hike over to Josephine Lake, and then a return the same way. It was a pretty trip, but we didn’t see too much exciting. They have lots of grizzly bears in the area, but we didn’t see any.

We had lunch in the lovely dining room in the hotel where we had a table facing out to the lake. I had a very good Rueben sandwich. Then it was time to head on out down the east side of the park to the Two Medicine area. Many Glacier and Two Medicine areas have the only entrance roads on the east side of the park except for St Mary’s which is the end of Going to the Sun Road. The roads only go in about 12 miles. At Two Medicine we to took the Running Eagle Falls nature trail. It is a very short, level trail to a really neat waterfall. In the spring the water comes over the top of the falls. But now in the summer, it comes out of a large hole halfway down the falls. It was a pretty falls. We went a mile further into Two Medicine to the store there. This store used to be part of a chalet system that the railroad built to encourage tourists. Two Medicine chalet was built in 1914.

Then we started the last of the trip back to West Glacier. We drove on Hwy 2 around the south end of the park. We stopped at East Glacier to see Glacier Park Hotel, another early hotel. We just did a drive by. Continuing on Hwy 2, we were a little dismayed at the steep grades and hills on this highway as we have to take it in the RV when we head to Great Falls next week. But it is a beautiful drive. We stopped to look at the Isaak Walton Inn which was built in 1939 to house workers removing snow from the railroad tracks. It was an interesting little hotel.

We hit the grocery on the way home. We got some corn, zucchini, milk, pepsi, etc. We were so glad to be back at the RV. Bill had some leftovers, and I had an ear of corn and tomato and cottage cheese salad.

I added 16 photos to the Glacier 2 photo link on the left of this page.

Day 48 – Glacier Nat’l Park MT

We hiked today. Luckily we got an early start and made it up to Logan Pass before the crowds got too bad. The drive up was incredibly beautiful as it was the first time. We found a place to park at Logan Pass and headed up the Hidden Lake Trail. We didn’t think it would be too bad since it said “boardwalk”. A boardwalk up a steep mountain is still tough. And when it is covered by snow, it gets really tricky!! As we started out, we saw some big horn sheep in the distance. I got a photo, but one has to blow it up to see the sheep.

It took us a couple of hours to make it to Hidden Lake. Along the way we started seeing a lot of mountain goats. Many were right by, if not in, the trail. One kept bleating up to some other goats on the mountainside. He didn’t seem very happy at all, so we all waited until he decided to cross the path and head up the mountain.

Hidden Lake is a gorgeous lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. There was a nice overlook for us to sit, watch the lake, and rest. A red-headed chipmunk scampered around us and was soon joined by a ground squirrel. On the way back down we saw two mountain goats sitting in snow next to the trail. There was a ranger there who explained that they were trying to keep cool. The got on the right was really panting hard. Above them were six big horn sheep sitting on a rock rim looking down on us. I think we were their entertainment for the afternoon.

After slipping and sliding our way down the trail (Bill fell on his okole once!), we headed for home. The parking lot was now full, and the traffic coming down was thick. We came home and rested. Bill went down the road to a bar/restaurant to get us some hamburgers for dinner. They were pretty good burgers. We will probably be stiff and sore tomorrow, but we only have a drive and boat ride planned.

I started a new Glacier set called Glacier 2 with the photos from today! You can click on it on the left.

Day 47 – Hungry Horse MT

Today was a rest day for me. Both of us slept in quite late. We did 3 loads of laundry, finally. Luckily most of the campgrounds have laundries, but the ideal time to do a load is in the middle of the day when everyone is out touring. Then Bill took off to go exploring dirt roads in the area. I stayed home and worked on my photos and cleaning the stove top. I also did some reading. Tomorrow we will be touring again.

Day 46 – Glacier Nat’l Park MT

Today was a bit slower but pleasant. We left the RV at 10 and headed to McDonald Lake Lodge to try and catch the 11am boat trip. It was a rather uneventful hour trip on the lake, but we did see a bald eagle. We had lunch in the lodge’s dining room which was a pretty place, and the food was decent.

We drove on down the road to see if we could find a parking place at the Trail of Cedars boardwalk. This is a neat walk through cedars and hemlocks, so quiet and peaceful. A bridge crossed Avalanche Gorge. The stream through this walk is so clear, as are most of the streams in the park. I can see why the parking area is always full. We stopped at a couple of pullouts on the way home.

The big treat for today was the little huckleberry stand halfway to the park from the RV park. When we passed it yesterday, I couldn’t believe a sign that said “Fresh Morel Mushrooms”. So we stopped on our way to the park, and sure enough, the guy had buckets of morel mushrooms. It is the season for them here in Montana. So we got a half pound on our way home tonight. I cooked them up, and they were delicious. I could have eaten a whole pound all by myself. We may have to do that again before we leave here.

Day 45 – Glacier Nat’l Park MT

I have no words tonight to describe the Going to the Sun road in Glacier. It has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We left the RV at 9:30 and drove the 9 miles to the park. The drive starts out in pine forests which open up to Lake McDonald, a beautiful 10 mile lake. Then the mountains appeared in front of us, and we started climbing up. There was a lot of road construction in the alpine area, but that still couldn’t detract from the awesome vistas before us. The mountains were a variety of shapes and composition, some snow covered. There were many waterfalls (which I had been afraid would be dried up for the summer), some cascading right down to the road.

We saw mountain goats by the roadside. It was truly incredible. We stopped for a picnic at Sun Point on Lake Mary at the eastern end of the road. When we were finishing, a female mule deer found herself in the parking lot in front of us and couldn’t figure out how to get away from the cars and people. She came very close to me. Some people coming towards the trash can scared her, and she dashed off in the woods in a panic.

After lunch, we took the hike from the parking lot around the end of Lake Mary. The lake was gorgeous with mountain peaks on the opposite shore. We hiked about a mile to Baring Falls. It was a pleasant hike. The sun was shining, but the temperature was cool. Funny item. A 10 year old boy was hiking towards us with his mom and grandmother in front of him. I heard him ask his mother if she had a first aid kit. She asked him why, and he replied, “A mosquito bit me!”

We drove on to the St Mary’s Visitor Center at the east entrance to the park. The flags were flying at half mast, and I asked a ranger why. She said that they have lost a few forest rangers in the past two weeks in the California forest fires. Sad. Outside in the parking lot was a huge osprey nest with two occupants.

The drive back across the park was equally beautiful from a different perspective and different angle of the sun. We drove through the spray from the falls going over Weeping Wall.

The Tracker wouldn’t start after our last stop in the park, so we came on back to the RV to have leftovers for dinner. Our RV neighbor, Carol, came over and sat by Bill’s fire and chatted with us for a couple of hours. She and her husband are from north of Phoenix.

I took a million photos today, but I can’t see how anything on film could do this drive justice. I did post 32 of the best ones on a new link called Glacier 1 which is in the left hand column here.

Day 44 – Missoula to Hungry Horse MT – 140 miles

We are now outside Glacier Nat’l Park in the land of huckleberries! I thought the Dole Pineapple Center had the corner on items made from or about fruit. Here it is all huckleberries. Supposedly they only grow wild, but there are tons of them around here. In fact we have them growing in our campground, and I have already tasted them.

We left Missoula at 10:20. The drive was a bit windy, but it was beautiful, especially around Flathead Lake. We arrived here at 1:30 and got to our campsite. Mountain Meadow RV Park is really a small (52 sites) campground cut into a forested hillside. We have trees around us and can see the mountains through the trees. We got all hooked up, and then we headed into the tiny town of Hungry Horse to the grocery store which is a decent one for the size. Bill decided we needed a huckleberry milkshake which we shared. It was really quite good, a little sweeter than blueberry.

We drove to Hungry Horse Dam to take a look. That was a pretty 4 mile drive, and the dam is rather impressive. They have a small visitors center and give tours which we might do one day.

Bill grilled hamburgers tonight. It is supposed to get down to 32 degrees tonight. Good sleeping weather. Tomorrow we will make our first visit to Glacier. This should be a pleasant 12 days.

Day 43 – West Yellowstone to Missoula MT – 286 miles

It was a travel day. Getting everything ready for a move can be a pain. We put up the coffee maker in its original box, put the dishes in their box, put the shower stuff into drawers and cabinets, move the bikes into the bedroom, unhook the electricity, water, and sewer, put the slide up, pull up the jacks, hook up the tracker. We can generally get it all done in less than an hour. We were off before 9.

The drive wasn’t too bad. It did get more windy than we have seen before, and the wildflowers disappeared. We stopped in Butte to get gas and have lunch. Bill pulled over later to take a short nap at a nice rest area. We arrived here at the Missoula KOA. It is another huge park, but it is nicely laid out and has trees. The jacks wouldn’t go down. We think the house batteries were low, so we unhooked the tracker and headed out for shopping. Missoula seems to have everything we need. Bill had found a store downtown that sells cigars, so we headed down there. We stopped at Target on the way back and got some drinks, shampoo, and other necessities. Finally we went to Costco. Bill got some wine and steaks. We both got a book. We picked up some pork chile verde for dinner along with a salad. Costco is right across the road from the KOA, but we have some houses between us, so the noise isn’t bad.

We had dinner and then wandered down to the laundry to do a load. They serve ice cream here every night between 7-9, so we had a small dish. Tomorrow we don’t have far to go, so it should be an easy day to reach Hungry Horse. Everyone speaks highly of this RV park, so we are hoping it meets expectations.

Day 42 – West Yellowstone MT

Our last day in Yellowstone. We started out slow. Bill went fishing and had nary a nibble. I cleaned up a little in the RV and had my coffee at the picnic table reading and watching Bill fish. At 11 we headed into West Yellowstone. We went first to a Mexican café near the IMAX theater. After lunch we went to the IMAX theater and saw the Lewis and Clark movie which was quite entertaining and beautifully done.

We walked across the street to the Yellowstone Historic Center. A park ranger was just starting to give a half hour talk out front, so we stopped for that. He talked about Presidential involvement in the park from Grant to Ford. He had some interesting tidbits. The Center, even though small, had a lot of interesting exhibits. I especially like the ones that discussed with text and photos early tourist activities in the park. They had an amazing half hour movie on the 1959 earthquake that was much better than the one at the Earthquake Center.

We looked into a couple of shops and then headed back to the RV to start packing up. It has been a wonderful two weeks. Yellowstone is truly a magnificent national park. The variety of landscape, thermal areas, wildlife, wildflowers is awesome. I can only say that one should come here for at least a week. Having two weeks here, we didn’t miss much and yet we didn’t have to rush. Tomorrow we have an overnight in Missoula MT before arriving at Glacier on Wednesday.