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.