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.

Day 41 – Lake Hebgen MT

Today was a rest day, so there isn’t much to report. We slept in. Bill ran into town to get some steaks and corn for dinner tonight. Then he worked on untangling the strap that pulls the awning down. He finally got that untangled, but now he needs to manually wind it back up. I worked on photos and read. I have finished 4 out of the 6 books I brought with me. It is always nice to have a down day, especially when we are on a lovely lake, and the weather is great.

Day 40 – Yellowstone NP WY

And yet another awesome day in Yellowstone. We entered the park at 9am intent on driving the northeast entrance road from Tower Junction to Cooke City MT. We saw two bald eagles across the Madison River sitting on top of two trees. At Canyon we saw a coyote in the meadow. It started to amble towards us, and we stopped. It came right in front of us, looked both ways, and then crossed the road. Amazing.

The we drove our favorite drive in Yellowstone from Canyon to Tower Junction. It was so beautiful. As I was taking a photo of wild flowers, a man told us there was a grizzly people were watching around a corner, so off we went. We could only really see it through the binoculars, but we did see it down in the valley wandering around eating grass. Awesome!

Then we took off on the northeast entrance road. Lamar Valley is the incredibly large valley, and we saw huge herds of buffalo. One was even up by the road grazing. We saw calves running and playing across the Lamar River. And there were no crowds, no ‘animal dams’. All in this beautiful valley. We also saw our first pronghorn antelope in Yellowstone.

We stopped by the Soda Butte Creek for a picnic. Bill had made sandwiches, and we enjoyed ourselves. There was a family group of about 13 people at the table next to us. They all had matching shirts, and I had to ask. They were in Yellowstone celebrating their parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary. The parents came over to talk to us since they had seen our NC license plate. They were from Raleigh, too. The dad asked where we were originally from, and when we told him, he went off on a historical chat of Indiana basketball including Everett Case.

At the end of Lamar Valley, we entered a narrow, pine-bordered area and climbed out of the park to Cooke City. This is a small town of 100 people with a 2-block main street. We went in to a small general store that was built in 1907. Bill has been looking for cigars for a week now, and amazingly, he found some good ones here. He was ecstatic.

Then we made the trek back through all the gorgeous valleys and mountains back to the RV. We have basically seen most of what there is to see in Yellowstone. We have traveled on most of the roads, seen most animals except a moose and a wolf. This is one amazing national park.

I posted some more photos on the Yellowstone 4 link to the left from today’s adventures.

Day 39 – Yellowstone NP WY

It was a slower day today. We didn’t head out until after 10. We stopped in West Yellowstone for Subway sandwiches. Our first “animal dam” was supposedly for a bear. People were jumping out of their cars and chasing down the road. Poor bear. We stopped at a lovely picnic area by the Gibbon River (there are many lovely picnic areas all over the park). Then it was time to tour Norris Geyser Basin. We started off on the 1.5 mile boardwalk around the back basin. The thermals here were lovely and unusual.

It was a long walk, and the sun was once again brutal. In the shade, it couldn’t be more pleasant, but there wasn’t much shade. We looked out over the lower basin, but chose not to walk it. We could see most of the thermals from the visitors center.

On the way back to the RV we drove by the bald eagle area. There have been signs posted on the road since we got here two weeks ago advising that there was a nest with eaglets. We have seen one of the parent eagles most mornings when we drive into the park. Today I got a pretty good photo of one of the parents sitting on a log across the Madison River.

We stopped by the grocery on the way through town. It is a fairly decent grocery considering it is in such a small town. We have been able to get most of the items we want. Tonight Bill grilled some tuna, and I fixed some veggies. We have the weekend crowd here at the campground. Some of the young people see no reason to walk around our campsite and barge right through. Not as bad as it could be since the mosquitoes keep us in until well after sunset.

Photos today are in a new link to the left called Yellowstone 4. Hope you can see the eagle!

Day 38 – Yellowstone NP WY

It was another awesome day in Yellowstone, and we saw still more unusual things the park has to offer. We started out for Mammoth Hot Springs in the northwest part of the park. We stopped at the Museum of the National Park Ranger north of Norris. A retired park ranger chatted with us for some time as we were the only ones there. Along the way we stopped at Frying Pan Springs along the road. The pool bubbles and actually sizzles. Just south of Mammoth, we stopped to see Rustic Falls and the Golden Gate Bridge which was originally built in 1885 through a narrow canyon. We drove through a section called the Hoodoos – unusual rock formations on either side of the road.

At Mammoth Hot Springs (which is huge), we wandered around the Upper Terrace. These springs are different because they are limestone based. They weren’t as pretty as some of the other thermal areas, but they were impressive nonetheless. We had lunch at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. I had half a Monte Cristo (which was excellent, especially the raspberry jam that came with it) along with a cup of summer squash soup.

Then we toured Fort Yellowstone. Originally the park was under the protection of the US Army from 1886-1916. The headquarters were here at Mammoth. Most of the old buildings are still here. The Army really did a great job of protecting the resources of the park and building most of the roads.

We drove down to Gardiner and the north entrance arch, the Roosevelt Arch. The terrain drops rapidly and impressively. A beautiful 5 mile drive. On the way home, we encountered another “animal dam”. This time it was a female elk who eventually crossed the road right in front of us.

We had a light dinner, and then we had a tremendous storm roll over. Pea-sized hail rained down upon us. The only damage we had were a few holes in the plastic table cloth on the picnic table. After that was over, we had a massive wind blow through. There were big white-caps on the lake. I think it is done for the night.

I added 31 photos to the Yellowstone 3 link to the left.

Day 37 – Hebgen Lake MT RV Park

It was a down-day for us. I slept in. Bill waited until I got up before he went to the office and rented a little power boat. I couldn’t see spending two hours on the lake in the sun, so he went alone. I do have a photo of him taking off for a spin. He saw a restaurant a mile down the road, and it had been recommended by a lady in the office. So when he got back, we went to the Happy Hour Bar and Restaurant. What a cool place!

The inside bar was decorated with Polaroids of people with fish, people mooning the camera, and people ‘showing their tits’. There were also lots of ball caps from all over tacked on the wall. I got a cheeseburger which was quite good. Bill got something they call ‘cow pies’. It is hamburger, cheese, onions, tomatoes, relish, ketchup, and mustard, all baked in a scone. They are locally made and sound awful, but they were really quite good. It was a pleasant lunch and a bit of an experience.

I worked on photos a good bit of the day, cleaning them up and writing the labels for them. I finally got caught up. We just hung out at the RV, watched the lake and some TV.

I added a few photos of today at the end of Yellowstone 3

Day 36 – Yellowstone NP WY

It was another long, but awesome day. We set off at 9 to see the thermal areas from Madison to Old Faithful: Fountain Paint Pots, Midway Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, and Black Sand Basin. At the park entrance, more people were coming in than we have seen all week. We had 2 “animal dams” (traffic jams caused by animals near or on the road). Annoying but understandable.

Fountain Paint Pots parking lot was full and crowded, so we went on down to Midway Geyser Basin. The big deal here is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is huge and gorgeous. We then took a mile hike on the other side of the basin and climbed a hill to get a better photo. Luckily the sky had some big fluffy clouds so the sun didn’t kill us.

We went to the Old Faithful Inn for lunch. We both had a red pepper and roasted gouda soup. Bill had a burger that was almost charred, but my French dip sandwich was good. Fortified we went to Black Sand Basin that had some beautiful springs and geysers. At all the thermal areas, we saw the bacteria the lives around some of the pools and are wonderful colors. At Biscuit Basin we saw one of the prettiest pools called Sapphire Pool.

Finally we made it to Fountain Paint Pots and found a place to park. A bus almost ran over a family as it turned a corner too close. The mom was shouting obscenities at the driver, but he just kept on going. Here we saw Celestine Pool where a guy died trying to save a dog that had fallen into the pool. You can read about it here. We were very impressed with the Clepsydra Geyser that erupts almost continuously. Then right next to it, Fountain Geyser went off for 30 minutes and was amazing. To top it off, a smaller geyser across the boardwalk went off periodically. The whole thing was sort of like a fireworks finale that lasted for 30 minutes. Wow!

We stopped at the grocery in West Yellowstone, came back to the RV, had dinner, and watched a big storm blow through. It has calmed down now and is quite lovely outside.

Today’s photos can be accessed by clicking the Yellowstone 3 link to the left.

Day 35 – Grand Teton NP WY

Today was a long day – 12 hours on the road and 250 miles. We took a day trip to Grand Teton NP. In order to get there we had to drive through Yellowstone, but we got to see a new section of the road which included Lewis Lake, Lewis Falls, and Moose Falls. It was a pretty day.

The Grand Tetons are an amazing mountain range 50 miles long. They rise from the valley and run in what appears to be a straight line. We drove from the Yellowstone end to the southern end at Moose Junction. We looked for a picnic area, but they were either not very nice, no view, or crowded. We finally went to a boat launch area that had a ‘rock beach’. The view was amazing, we had some shade, and it wasn’t too crowded. We had stopped for the third time to pick up Subway sandwiches which makes for a nice picnic. We also stopped at a couple of chapels in the park. The best one was the Chapel of Transfiguration which has a picture window behind the alter facing the mountains. It was built in 1925.

On the way back, we drove hwy 191 north which is still in the park but is farther away from the mountains and gives a really neat view. The hwy follows the Snake River.

Back in Yellowstone we ran into the early evening road jams of people stopping to look at elk. They just slow down and stop in the middle of the road backing up traffic for at least a mile! At least we had good scenery to look at as we crept along.

I posted today's photos in a new set called Grand Tetons. You can assess them by clicking on Grand Tetons link on the left.

Day 34 – West Yellowstone MT

It was another non-driving day today. I slept in, and Bill got to watch the German Formula 1 race. At 3 we headed in to West Yellowstone to go to the IMAX theater. We were early so we went in to the Yellowstone Museum across the street. We didn’t go in since we didn’t have time, but I bought another book on the 1959 earthquake. This one is more factual about the slide and rescue effort.

The IMAX show was about the history of Yellowstone. Of course it was gorgeous and rather entertaining. My big excitement was finding my favorite Fuzzy Footies in the gift shop. I have about worn out the two pair I have, and I couldn’t find new ones. So I was happy!

We came on back to the RV and Bill grilled steaks and I fixed corn on the cob and the last of the zucchini and squash. It got really windy this evening, but Bill went out to smoke his cigar. He called me out to see a bald eagle chasing a gull almost overhead. The gull had a fish, and the eagle stayed with the gull until it dropped the fish. The eagle caught the fish and took off. It really was amazing to watch. I thought the eagle was after the gull, and it was rather exciting.

We have new neighbors across the road. The guy, Javier, came over and introduced himself. He seems like a really nice guy. He and his family are from Albuquerque and will be here all week, so that is nice. We still have the two sites next to us empty, so the view of the lake is incredible.

Tomorrow we are going to try and make the long drive to Grand Teton and back. That should mean more photos tomorrow!

Day 33 – West Yellowstone MT

Today was a down day. We slept in, did laundry, worked on photos (all the ones I didn't post online!) The folks next to us left early, so we had an unobstructed view of the lake all day. Bill was thrilled. He also bought a fishing license. I have yet to figure out where the desire to go fishing came from! There are lots of people in the RV park today. It was a beautiful day and a relaxing one, too. Bill took a short canyon drive near us and saw “Grizzly Country” signs. No new photos today!

Day 32 – Yellowstone National Park

The thing about Yellowstone is that it has such tremendous variety – the vast difference in ecosystems going from thermal to mountainous to huge meadows to pine forests. It is not only stunning but amazing to travel from one to the other in the course of a day. Our coyote was once again in the same area this morning. I got another photo of him. We drove through Firehole Canyon with a river running through a narrow canyon. After the Old Faithful area, we were in new territory climbing up to Craig’s Pass at 8200’ through pine forests. We stopped at West Thumb thermal area which is right on the enormous Yellowstone Lake. This was not as neatly done as the Old Faithful area, but there were still some stunning pools and even a few underwater in the lake.

We drove around Yellowstone Lake stopping to have a picnic in a pine forest on the shore of the lake. Driving through Lake Village we stopped at the Lake Village Hotel originally built in 1891. It has been renovated and is quite lovely. Next we stopped at the Mud Volcano thermal area. Most of these pools and geysers are very muddy. The Dragon’s Mouth Spring even had neat sound effects! The neat feature here was ‘cooking hill’. The whole area was heavily forested until 1978 when an earthquake hit. The ground water heated tremendously and killed most of the trees on the hill. It was a rather steep climb for part of the mile hike around the area, but it was well worth it.

We then drove through Hayden Valley which was a vast beautiful valley. We saw herds of buffalo and elk. One buffalo was right next to the road looking at us and causing another animal traffic jam. We passed Canyon and headed home. We have now traveled the entire Grand Loop road. We still have much to go back and see. And we are planning a day at Grand Tetons next week.

I posted 28 photos from today in a new set called Yellowstone2 which you can link to on the left. I don’t want you to have to sift through all the older photos unless you want to!

Day 31 – Yellowstone National Park

It was another awesome day, full of waterfalls and wildlife. We headed out for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. As we entered the park, we saw the same coyote in the same place as yesterday morning. He had cars stopped, watching him. Every time there was a traffic jam, we knew some animal was ahead. We saw 7 waterfalls today and the coyote, buffalo, deer, elk, and a juvenile bear. At Canyon (which was really crowded) we went to the visitors center, saw a movie, looked at the exhibits. We filled out a survey and got a lovely Yellowstone book. Then we went to the upper falls, the smaller of the two big falls. The North Rim was closed for resurfacing, so we drove the South Rim to Artists Point. The view of the lower falls and the canyon there was just amazing. It looks fake in some of my photos.

From Canyon, we took the long way home up by Tower Falls and through Mammoth. The scenery was incredible. We went up high in the mountains. There was still some dirty snow on the ground. All through the park, there are still major signs of the 1988 fire. Natural reseeding is happening, but there are still lots of burned trees and acres of fallen trees. The wildflowers were everywhere and truly beautiful. It did start to rain some, but it didn’t destroy the beauty. We stopped at Tower Falls and Undine Falls. There was another big traffic jam – cars just stop in the middle of the road and traffic backs up, sometimes for miles. One time was for the juvenile bear. He was eating alongside the road and oblivious to the cars. Later, a buffalo crossed the road a few cars in front of us and headed towards us on the shoulder of the road. I got a great photo out of that. Just before Mammoth, we were stopped for quite a while. A car coming towards us said that buffalo were crossing the road. By the time we got through, there was no sign of the buffalo.

We got to West Yellowstone at 6:30 and went to dinner at Three Bears. I had buffalo stew and Bill had prime rib. It is much cooler tonight after the late afternoon showers we had. But today was almost perfect! I posted 26 more photos, just a sampling, in the Yellowstone1 link on the left.

Day 30 – Yellowstone National Park

We finally spent our first day at Yellowstone, and what a day it was! We saw so much it was sensory overload. Wildlife: elk, buffalo (dead and alive), coyote, chipmunk, and a bald eagle. We spent most of the day around the Old Faithful geyser area. After we hit the visitors center, wandered through the Old Faithful Inn, watched Old Faithful erupt, we started the 3 mile roundtrip walk to Morning Glory Pool. There were many, many neat geysers, pools, springs. The crowds weren’t too bad which really surprised me. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun and blue skies. The sun got to be a bit much, but the breeze was nice. I loved the neat wildflowers. At the end of the boardwalk near Morning Glory, were body parts of a dead buffalo. I wasn’t sure why they left it right there next to the path. But to counteract that we saw a large elk bull with a huge rack of antlers grazing not too far from the pool.

We got back to the car at 2 and left the area. We went looking for a picnic spot and stopped at Kepler Cascades which was a really neat waterfall. We finally stopped at Whiskey Flats picnic area, cooled off, had lunch, and rehydrated. Refreshed we did the Firehole Lake Drive which was really neat. The Surprise Pool was boiling with bubbles all around the edges. There were neat pools and geysers, and we saw our favorite of the day: Giant Fountain Geyser. It was quiet when we showed up, and we figured it had already erupted (it only erupts every 13 hours or so). As we were getting ready to leave, it started to erupt. It spouted in a variety of ways and heights. We sat spellbound for 15 minutes before we headed off.

At Madison Junction we saw tons of cars pulled off the road. Several female elk were sitting down next to the river, just relaxing. Not quite as impressive as the bull.

I have started a new set of photos called Yellowstone1. You can link to it on the left. I took 107 photos today but only posted 32. You’re welcome!

Day 29 – West Yellowstone MT

It was a bonus day for us. Bill left before 8 to head into West Yellowstone to see about getting the Tracker fixed. I stayed here and chatted with Mandy and relaxed. While waiting on the car, Bill wandered around town and got a hair cut. Turns out the only thing wrong with the Tracker was a loose battery cable. They tightened it for free. Bonus #1

When Bill got back, we decided to head into West Yellowstone again for groceries and lunch. We went the long way around Lake Hebgen (where our RV park is) to avoid some road construction. In 1959 there was a huge earthquake here. It killed 28 people, made the water in Hebgen slosh like a bathtub, created 100+ mph winds, damned up the Madison River forming Earthquake Lake, destroyed roads and campgrounds. We did not realize the enormity of this earthquake until we got to the slide area which is huge! They have built a lovely visitors center at the site of the slide which shows a 15 minute movie while one looks out the window to the slide area. We were greatly impressed. Bonus #2

We spent so much time here that we didn’t have time to do much in West Yellowstone except go to the grocery. It is quite windy today, and the sun is shining, but in the shade it is still nice and cool.

I posted some photos of our campsite and the earthquake area on the “On To Yellowstone” link to the left We still haven’t made it into the park. Tomorrow.

Day 28 – Hardin to West Yellowstone – 265 miles

We headed out from Hardin at 9:15. I 90 was not crowded, and we made good time to Bozeman. We did see some deer dead along the road. Hwy 191 from Bozeman to West Yellowstone was incredibly beautiful. We followed the Gallatin River through the mountains in a narrow valley. There was very little traffic which was surprising. The road goes through the corner of Yellowstone and opens up into a beautiful valley.

We finally arrived at Yellowstone Holiday RV park at 3:30. We will be here for 15 days. It is a mixed bag. The park is on a large lake called Lake Hedgan which was created by the 1959 earthquake. We have pine covered hills behind us, and the lake beside us. However, they filled in the inlet in front of us with dirt. The hostess said it was to cut down on mosquitoes. But it looks like a big dirt pile, and there is a big earth mover 30 feet on the other side of us. There are no bathrooms close, the internet access is not working. The view of the mountains across the lake is awesome. So, you win some, you lose some. The TV satellite works. And the cell phones.

Day 27 – Hardin MT

It was another chilly night which we were both happy about. Today was a warm, cloudless blue sky day. We headed out for Pompeys Pillar at 9:30. This was about an hour’s drive. A deer crossed the interstate right behind us, but luckily there was very little traffic, so he made it. Pompeys Pillar is a big rock out-cropping that William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) carved his name and date in the pillar. This is the only physical evidence left of the expedition and is now enclosed in a glass case. There is a fairly new visitors center with a movie and some really interesting exhibits. I especially liked the bullboat, made of a round wood frame and covered in buffalo hide. Then we went outside and climbed about 100 stairs to view Clark’s inscription. We climbed even higher to the top and a very impressive view of the Yellowstone River and the surrounding countryside.

After we returned, Bill drove into town for some water and a few groceries. We relaxed most of the afternoon and even took a swim in the KOA pool. Tonight, Bill grilled some steaks, and we had salad and corn on the cob to go with it.

I have posted some Pillar photos in the “On to Yellowstone” link to the left.

Day 26 – Devils Tower WY to Hardin MT - 268 miles

We started off the day with a dead Tracker. Bad starter. Something has to be making the starters die like they do. We will have it checked in Yellowstone next week. In the meantime, we push it to get it started. Last night I went out to look at the stars since it was so dark and saw a shooting star. First one in years. We left Devils Tower at 9. The drive was beautiful. The Big Horn Mtns were beautiful in the distance. Alongside the road in WY and MT was lots of yellow clover. I saw a cowboy on a dirt bike herding cattle.

We are now at the Hardin MT KOA. Bill drove back to Little Big Horn battlefield and spent 3 hours looking around. Between 7 and 8 tonight there was an ice cream social here at the campground. The local Rainbow girls come out with ice cream and toppings as a fundraiser. A small but pleasant campground.

Day 25 – Devils Tower WY

It was a beautiful, windy, cool day here. Bill went on a ranger-guided walk around Devils Tower. I wasn’t sure I could make it the whole way with the healing ribs, so I passed. He enjoyed it. We had lunch after he got back, and then we did the prairie dog hike. It is a ¾ mile hike around the large meadow where the prairie dogs are. The prairie dogs barked at us, dove into their burrows or just stared. They were really cute to watch.

We stopped at the store on the way back to the RV. Bill got ice cream, and I got a t-shirt. After a nap, Bill took off on a hike that would take him up on the red hills behind our campground. He called me when he was over there, and I went out. I had to use the binoculars to see him.

After dinner we drove into the park to get some sunset photos of the Tower at sunset. Deer were everywhere. The prairie dogs had gone to sleep, and the deer had taken over. A couple of them ran across the road in front of us. It was a neat evening.

The small area around here is truly beautiful. I posted some more photos – check the “On to Yellowstone” link.

Day 24 – Devils Tower WY – 147 miles

It was an easy day today. We left Rushmore at 9:45 after partaking of the KOA’s pancake breakfast. We made it here to Devils Tower KOA by 1. This KOA, as is Devils Tower, is in the middle of nowhere. Our campsite isn’t bad, and sitting in front of the RV in our lawn chairs, we have a great view of the Tower.

We had lunch at the KOA café and then drove into the Devils Tower Nat’l Monument park. Right inside the gates is a large meadow full of prairie dogs. It was really neat to sit and watch them eat grass, clean out the entrances to their burrows, and watch us back. They seem very used to cars and people. The visitors center wasn’t too full, and it afforded a great view of the Tower.

We had a light lunch in the RV and wandered around the campground. It is really a beautiful park. At 9 we went to a showing of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” outdoors. It was really neat watching the movie with the Tower right beside us. It got a little cold, but most everyone stayed for the whole thing. It is really dark here, and the array of stars is amazing!

I have posted some photos with the link “On to Yellowstone” on the left.

Day 23 – Mt Rushmore SD

It was a quiet day today, so nothing exciting to write about. I got my day off today. Bill went driving to Needles and Sylvan Lake. His only excitement was a traffic jam generated by a rented RV that didn’t read the signs about the one-lane low, narrow tunnels on the road. He did manage to turn around, but it took him a while. I stayed here, resting up, and starting to clean. When Bill got back, we got the Dirt Devil out and vacuumed the whole place. I also cleaned the kitchen and bathroom area. It will be nice to start off tomorrow with a clean coach.

Bill couldn’t find a barber shop nearby, so I did a small trim. It has been a while since I have done that. He drove back into Hill City looking for a new vent for the living area and some shish-ka-bobs for dinner. He found neither, so he got corn on the cob.

We continued to pack stuff up and get ready to hit the road tomorrow. It has been a pleasant stay and wonderful to stay in one place for a while. Tomorrow we head to Devils Tower for two nights. No new photos today!

Day 22 – Mt Rushmore SD

Last night and early this morning we had more thunderstorms. It did clear up when we took off at 10 for Deadwood. This was Bill’s choice. It took us a little over an hour to get there. The old train station is now a neat visitors center with movies and exhibits. We went to get lunch at the Deadwood Social Club which is above Saloon #10 where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. There was only one other couple eating there, but the food was decent. We took the elevator down to the Saloon and exited right at the stage area of the 1pm re-enactment of Wild Bill’s demise. We couldn’t get out, so we just stood there. Bill was picked to be a part of the presentation as a poker player with Wild Bill. That is the weird item of the day, so check out the Rushmore Area photos. This took a half hour.

When this was finished, it was pouring down rain outside. Bill rushed back up to the Silverado to do his little bit of gambling. He won $40. Mandy had texted that she was offered a promotion to office manager, so I ducked into a store front to call her. I think she is going to take the job, so that was good news today. We drove to Mt. Moriah cemetery where Hickok and Calamity Jane and others are buried, but it was still raining hard. We decided to pass, and came on back, stopping at the grocery. It is now a pretty evening.

Day 21 – Mt Rushmore SD

Bill left to run the bad starter back to Napa in Rapid City for his $50 rebate. I slept in for a bit. He also went to the Borglum Museum in Keystone on the way home. I tidied up, read a bit, chatted with Mandy.

At 1 we drove into Hill City to the Alpine Inn for lunch. It was really quite good and inexpensive. I had käse schnitzel – the German equivalent to our mac and cheese, and it was as good as it was in Germany. It came with a single bratwurst that was good, too. So it was a pleasant lunch.

Then we went to the train station to catch the 1880 Black Hills train. The train wasn’t over-crowded which was nice. We had a round trip between Hill City and Keystone. It was a pleasant enough 2 ½ hour trip, but I wouldn’t do it again. We did see some deer and a fawn, but there wasn’t much more to see.

We got back to the RV at 6. Bill wandered down to the movie theater here to see “National Treasure 2”. I decided to pass and upgrade the blog and post some photos which are at the end of the Rushmore Area link to the left.

Day 20 – Mt Rushmore SD

Bill started the day with laundry at 7am. Lucky me, I got to sleep in! Then he took a nap and watched a Formula 1 Race. The strap that pulls the awning down came off (stitching disintegrated), so I did a sewing project, and we got it back on. We shall see how long that holds! Luckily our mishaps have been minor and fixable so far.

We took off about 1 to head to Thunder Head Falls. This is a gold mine that got flooded when the miners broke through an underground stream. It let loose a waterfall at the back of the mine, which then had to be abandon. There were a few people there, but it is such an out of the way place that we had it mostly to ourselves. It was interesting and rather impressive.

At 7 we took the KOA bus to Mt Rushmore for the lighting ceremony at 9:30. It was pretty when we got there, so we went into the museum, saw a movie. Bill wanted to walk the Presidents Trail, so I stayed in my seat in the ampetheater. It started to rain, and then it started to lightning, so everyone was asked to move inside. Bill found me after his walk. The crowd hung out waiting to see what the park would do. I wandered up to the general viewing area and sat. They announced that due to severe weather in the area there would be no program, but they would turn the lights on anyway. Which they did. Then it started to pour. I walked toward the front to wait on the bus. It was there and waiting to take the first load back, so I jumped on, calling Bill to tell him where I was. He came back on the second bus. It is still stormy, but I am safe and warm in the RV!

I posted more photos on the Rushmore Area link. I also have a weird item of the day: A t-shirt that Bill saw in the Rushmore museum. Check it out in the photos.

Day 19 – Mount Rushmore SD

It was to be a down day for me today. Bill headed out for the Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB east of Rapid City. I slept in until 9, had breakfast, worked on photos, cleaned up a bit in the RV. At 12:30 Bill called from Keystone saying that the Tracker was having problems starting. He had managed to push it and get it going and would be home soon. He had stopped at the commissary to pick up a few items. We unloaded those, and I looked up car repair places in Hill City. We headed out. The place we had wanted to go to was closed up tighter than a drum. As we rode through Hill City, I saw a sign over a shack saying “Auto Repair”, so we pulled in. So cool – a place run by aging biker dudes. They tested the battery, banged on the starter, but nothing. He called a Napa store in Rapid City, and they had a starter.

They pushed us to get us going, and we did the 1.5 hour round-trip to Rapid City and came back with the new started to the biker dude place. While they were installing it, we wandered the streets of Hill City. It is very much like the main drag in Gatlinburg TN – lots of gift/souvenir shops, restaurants, coffee shops. We split an ice cream cone and headed back to the biker dude place. It was all fixed and running. The guys there were really nice. The guy who did the repair had a nifty restored hot rod out front, so Bill figured he knew what he was doing.

Back to the campground at 4:30. So much for my off-day. Bill went down to the camp shop and got a pizza for dinner. It wasn’t bad. Now we are watching the Rapid Rooter guys unclog the restrooms next to us. They have been out of order for two days. So much entertainment here.

Day 18 – Mount Rushmore SD

Today was another touring day. We left the campground at 8:30 and drove the two hours to Badlands Nat’l Park. We stopped at a visitor’s center with a huge concrete teepee frame outside. What a neat sculpture! The Badlands were really impressive. The weather wasn’t too hot, but the sun was murderous. Bill got out and walked one trail. I walked far enough to see the “Beware of Rattlesnakes” sign, when the sun drove me back. We couldn’t find a covered picnic spot, so we ate our sandwiches driving down the road. This was a really neat site, mainly a drive-through, but beautiful and unique.

Since it was right there, we stopped at Wall Drugs. Good lord, it was crowded and stuffed to the gills with junk. But it was here that I found what I am starting today: Weird item of the day. Bill went to get a donut. As he ordered and was paying, I noticed a huge block of what I assumed to be grease/lard/whatever just starting to be melted in the fryer. I asked the counter girl what it was, and she answered “Grease, but we change it every day!” The grease block is posted on the Rushmore Area link along with some other photos of the Badlands!

Day 17 – Mount Rushmore SD

Last night we wandered down to the office because we had heard that people start lining up here at the campground to get tickets on the shuttle buses that will take campers to Mt Rushmore tonight for the fireworks. Tickets were to be passed out starting at 6am today, but there were at least 30 people in chairs lined up at 11pm last night. And it was cold! Bill went over a little before 6 this morning, but they ran out before they got to him. I am just as glad.

Today we drove the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. It is 70 miles long and is truly beautiful. First we had to get past the humongous crowds going to Rushmore. The parking lot was already filled at 10am, and there were tons of cars trying to find a place to park. But then we were off. The first neat photo op was the first one-lane tunnel. It frames the Rushmore Monument. There were many of these tunnels on the byway.

We passed a lovely lake and went back to see it. Only one couple was there with their picnic. We stopped at a Wolf People store to get some water. They had 2 wolves out back that we went to see. Up close and personal. Soon after that the bus in front of us stopped, and there were 4 pronghorn antelope on the hill right next to the road. Cool wildlife! We passed the Game Lodge which Eisenhower and Coolidge had visited and decided to stop for lunch. A busload of people had just unloaded, and we were seated with John and Barbara, bus people. They were lovely lunch companions. We had a buffet that wasn’t bad. As Bill was paying, he reached for a toothpick which were in a dispenser. Shades of Rainman, they all went flying all over the floor!

The Cathedral formation was amazing. However there was a haze over the entire area. We were told that it was from the fires in California. There was a crowd of cars at the needle’s eye, so we didn’t get to stop and see that, but the entire drive was amazing! The weather today was perfect – sunny but still cool. Several photos are up on the Rushmore Area link to the left.

Day 16 – Mt Rushmore SD

Finally, a much anticipated down day, mostly maintenance and weather induced. As we were drinking coffee on our patio this morning, some young boys were making 911 calls on the payphone next to us. A little disturbing. I did tell their mother when she came out of the restroom, and she thanked me for telling her. Shock! Bill called the RV maintenance guy recommended by the campground, and he came out at 11:15 to look at the water heater. We needed a new circuit board which he installed, and now we are working fine. No more cold showers.

Then the heavens let loose, and it poured most of the rest of the day. Photo posted on the Rushmore Area Photos. It was also pretty cool – in the 50s most of the day. I got caught up on processing/labeling my photos, and Bill drove in to Hill City to mail Mandy a copy of the trip packet. Tonight we ate at the KOA restaurant, The Ponderosa. Mediocre food, but filling. The spinach dip was really quite good as was the grilled tilapia I had. The rice and veggies not so much. After dinner we wandered down to the center of the park. They have nightly entertainment on the stage. Tonight was a group of 12 barbershop singers, Top Hats and Roses. They were rather good. I am glad we are up at the front where it is much quieter. There is a huge playground/water slide, pool, bouncing pad, miniature golf, theater, etc. in the middle of the park. A lot of activity. Bill built a fire tonight. The smell of wood is always nice.

Day 15 – Douglas WY to Mt Rushmore – 180 miles

Today’s drive was shorter, but we were on two lane roads the whole way. It was uneventful until we pulled in to check in the Rushmore KOA at 1pm. Then the skies opened up and let loose with lots of rain and lightening. Bill checked in, and we got our site, pulled in, and waited until the rain let up. Bill hooked up the water and electricity. More rain. He let down the jacks. More rain. When we finally went to put out the slide-out, it wouldn’t go. Bill called Good Sam tech support, but didn’t get much help on this one. He finally figured out that maybe the lock had jiggled out at the top of the slide-out. He pushed that back in, and the slide-out worked.

The rain let up enough about 4 for us to head out for Hill City about 8 miles away. We found the only grocery store in town and picked up some essentials: milk, bread, oatmeal, tomatoes, spinach, apples, etc. We drove the long way home through Keystone and in front of Rushmore. The sun was behind the faces, so I didn’t get any good photos. There was a pullout that I could get Washington’s profile. You will have to wait for more photos. The whole area looks beautiful, so we will have fun exploring.

We are now back at the campground. It is unbelievable. Huge. 500 sites. Luckily we are near the front in a deluxe site. We are basically in a small valley without trees, but the view is great. And the satellite TV works. They have a restaurant, pub, big store, 2 swimming pools, horse riding, a theater, a stage, a water slide. Most of that is at the rear of the park, so it isn’t too noisy up here. We are right next to a comfort station, but we have iron table and chairs and a nice green separating us from the bathrooms. Check out the website here. We are both happy to be settled for the next 9 days. I have started a new set for photos called Rushmore Area. Just click on the link to the left.