It's been wonderfully cool today. I even found myself sitting outside in the sun with Maggie on my lap to get warm this morning.
Rog washed the truck this morning and then we went to the grocery store. It seems as if we are always hunting up a grocery store, but when you think about the fact our diet comprises 85% fresh produce (the rest is bread, pasta, eggs, dairy, and chocolate) and the fridge is very tiny, I guess it's not all that unusual.
Because it was cool today, I spent the afternoon cooking - making stuff for lunches for the next few days - pasta salad and potato salad. We have two days on the road coming up so we should be all set. Got lots of fruit and cheese to go with it!
So, an evening of watching the Olympics and playing Words with Friends is on the agenda and we are on the road again tomorrow. It's been a good rest but we are ready to head south towards home.
Tomorrow an overnight stop in Butte.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Huck Pie
Well, the huckleberry pie was not worth the calories or the cost. Bummer. The filling was good but the crust was like cardboard. Very disappointing. Won't be getting any more from that place!
Our new lamp and some LED lights in the wall sconce behind the sofa bed sure make a difference. I plan on doing some crocheting tonight while we watch the Olympics. I haven't done any for ages. Hope I remember how.
We went out exploring this morning, but that was disappointing. Nothing open on Sunday mornings except the churches and Wal-Mart. No galleries, tourist shops, restaurants that we could find. We went looking for the dam that is associated with Flathead Lake (the largest body of fresh water east of the Mississippi, according to something I read). We missed the signs and ended up way out in the ranch/farm land. Pretty, but we've been looking at that scenery for a few days now. So, back into town we came to check out what there was to see. Nothing. We had nice views of the lake but that was about it. We did find a restaurant that was associated with a hotel that was open and had lunch. That was our excitement for the day. We've been here before when we went to Glacier NP several years ago, so driving around looking at the scenery just doesn't appeal. And we avoided some storms and flash flooding, too, by staying home. (See next paragraph)
It has looked like rain off in the distance all day and tonight when we watched the local news we found out that most of western Montana is under a severe thunderstorm/hail storm watch. We are surrounded and are sitting in a storm holiday, thank goodness.
Cloudy, light winds, cool (I don't think it reached 80 today) enough for long pants for me. Silly Roger - he only brought one pair of jeans he had bought recently and one nice pair of pants. The jeans were dirty and the pants fell off him. He has lost a lot of weight in the last few months - down to a 30 waist size. When we looked at the pants he brought - 34. No wonder he had trouble keeping them up. I should have such problems!
Anothere quiet day planned for tomorrow. Maybe some touristy shops will be open to check out?
Our new lamp and some LED lights in the wall sconce behind the sofa bed sure make a difference. I plan on doing some crocheting tonight while we watch the Olympics. I haven't done any for ages. Hope I remember how.
We went out exploring this morning, but that was disappointing. Nothing open on Sunday mornings except the churches and Wal-Mart. No galleries, tourist shops, restaurants that we could find. We went looking for the dam that is associated with Flathead Lake (the largest body of fresh water east of the Mississippi, according to something I read). We missed the signs and ended up way out in the ranch/farm land. Pretty, but we've been looking at that scenery for a few days now. So, back into town we came to check out what there was to see. Nothing. We had nice views of the lake but that was about it. We did find a restaurant that was associated with a hotel that was open and had lunch. That was our excitement for the day. We've been here before when we went to Glacier NP several years ago, so driving around looking at the scenery just doesn't appeal. And we avoided some storms and flash flooding, too, by staying home. (See next paragraph)
It has looked like rain off in the distance all day and tonight when we watched the local news we found out that most of western Montana is under a severe thunderstorm/hail storm watch. We are surrounded and are sitting in a storm holiday, thank goodness.
Cloudy, light winds, cool (I don't think it reached 80 today) enough for long pants for me. Silly Roger - he only brought one pair of jeans he had bought recently and one nice pair of pants. The jeans were dirty and the pants fell off him. He has lost a lot of weight in the last few months - down to a 30 waist size. When we looked at the pants he brought - 34. No wonder he had trouble keeping them up. I should have such problems!
Anothere quiet day planned for tomorrow. Maybe some touristy shops will be open to check out?
Saturday, August 6, 2016
A Miserable Day for Maggie
As we were leaving the Deer Lodge KOA this morning and I took Maggie out for her pee walk, she took me straight to the office looking for Cass and her dog cookies. I had the hardest time getting her back to the truck and when it came time to go, she sat down on the grass, ears lowered, and looked at me as if to say, "No way." Roger had to pick her up and put her in the truck. She was not a happy traveler today at all and if we didn't have such a short drive I would have drugged her. We haven't done it in a while because she's been so good, but today I was ready to shove two pills down her!!
When we stopped for lunch we found a small cafe out in the middle of nowhere and pulled in to the large parking area. Roger went in to get a coffee and ask permission to park there and Maggie didn't like that at all. I tried to get her to walk around and check out the good sniffs, but she sat down and just looked at me. I tried pulling her and she slipped out of her harness and took off towards the cafe. Nothing I yelled at her did any good - Stop, Stay, Sit, No, Bad Dog - nothing. She just kept going with her tail down looking like a fugitive on the run. Rog had to catch her and carry her back to the truck.
Now that we have parked for a few days, she is a happy camper once again. She is minding, mostly, and enjoying being with us not in the truck. She's finally relaxing but still won't get far from Roger. I'm not sure she is speaking to me!
Today we drove northwest from Deer Lodge to Polson, MT which is located at the bottom end of Flathead Lake. Once we got off I-90 we drove onto the Flathead Indian Reservation and I'm thinking we may just be on the north side of it here in Polson. (From Wikipedia: The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation.)
This reservation is not quite as derelict as the Crow Reservation, however. Yes, there were some pockets of run down trailers and homes, but for the most part the homes were what I would call average. There were cattle ranches and wheat fields and the tribes are building a big casino on the south end of the reservation. The signs are in Engish and one of the local languages. The ones for the towns have the name of the town in English followed by the Indian name followed by the translation such as "home of the broad aspen." They were fascinating. I got a photo that was legible but it was only with the two languages and not the translation.
The tribes have also built land bridges across the highway for the wildlife, which I gather is quite abundant here.
This part of Montana is an outdoorsman's dream - hunting, fishing, off roading, etc. There are mountains, streams, forests, camp grounds every where. Makes you want to grab a fly rod and join the crowds.
To our delight and surprise the place we are staying for 3 nights is wonderful. It is an RV resort - not a campground or RV park. It's well maintained, the sites are large, there's grass and trees, and a swimming pool. We really lucked out and got an end site on the perimeter of the property. We have a large grassy area with two spruce trees and we look out over an open field and an orchard to the beautiful Mission Mountains.
When I took a walk with the Maggs earlier I discovered that one side of the park borders a golf course and another a field with horses. It's so serene. It's a small park and the hosts told me that many people live here all summer, but you wouldn't know it because there's no junky stuff outside the RVs. It's a bit pricey, but, so comfortable. We are talking about returning and spending more time here another summer.
I found a place that sells huckleberry pie and Roger stopped for me so I could get a slice for dessert tonight! He's a good guy!
Of course, no day goes without an RV adventure - we are now having other electrical issues. Remember the outside lights that stayed on? Well, he fixed that by disconnecting the wires to the switch and pulling the bulbs out. Now, the living room overhead lights are dimmer than normal and the panel with the switch for them gets hot when they are on. So, after dinner we went up the street to a Wal-mart and bought a floor lamp and we will leave those overhead lights off until we can get home and get them repaired - along with the other things connected to that panel if need be.
It was an overcast day with some haze we think might be coming from a fire. Late today the sun came out but it's just been perfect. Temperatures in the 70s and low 80s. Expect the same tomorrow.
Tomorrow we go exploring.
When we stopped for lunch we found a small cafe out in the middle of nowhere and pulled in to the large parking area. Roger went in to get a coffee and ask permission to park there and Maggie didn't like that at all. I tried to get her to walk around and check out the good sniffs, but she sat down and just looked at me. I tried pulling her and she slipped out of her harness and took off towards the cafe. Nothing I yelled at her did any good - Stop, Stay, Sit, No, Bad Dog - nothing. She just kept going with her tail down looking like a fugitive on the run. Rog had to catch her and carry her back to the truck.
Today we drove northwest from Deer Lodge to Polson, MT which is located at the bottom end of Flathead Lake. Once we got off I-90 we drove onto the Flathead Indian Reservation and I'm thinking we may just be on the north side of it here in Polson. (From Wikipedia: The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation.)
This reservation is not quite as derelict as the Crow Reservation, however. Yes, there were some pockets of run down trailers and homes, but for the most part the homes were what I would call average. There were cattle ranches and wheat fields and the tribes are building a big casino on the south end of the reservation. The signs are in Engish and one of the local languages. The ones for the towns have the name of the town in English followed by the Indian name followed by the translation such as "home of the broad aspen." They were fascinating. I got a photo that was legible but it was only with the two languages and not the translation.
The tribes have also built land bridges across the highway for the wildlife, which I gather is quite abundant here. This part of Montana is an outdoorsman's dream - hunting, fishing, off roading, etc. There are mountains, streams, forests, camp grounds every where. Makes you want to grab a fly rod and join the crowds.
To our delight and surprise the place we are staying for 3 nights is wonderful. It is an RV resort - not a campground or RV park. It's well maintained, the sites are large, there's grass and trees, and a swimming pool. We really lucked out and got an end site on the perimeter of the property. We have a large grassy area with two spruce trees and we look out over an open field and an orchard to the beautiful Mission Mountains. When I took a walk with the Maggs earlier I discovered that one side of the park borders a golf course and another a field with horses. It's so serene. It's a small park and the hosts told me that many people live here all summer, but you wouldn't know it because there's no junky stuff outside the RVs. It's a bit pricey, but, so comfortable. We are talking about returning and spending more time here another summer.
I found a place that sells huckleberry pie and Roger stopped for me so I could get a slice for dessert tonight! He's a good guy!
Of course, no day goes without an RV adventure - we are now having other electrical issues. Remember the outside lights that stayed on? Well, he fixed that by disconnecting the wires to the switch and pulling the bulbs out. Now, the living room overhead lights are dimmer than normal and the panel with the switch for them gets hot when they are on. So, after dinner we went up the street to a Wal-mart and bought a floor lamp and we will leave those overhead lights off until we can get home and get them repaired - along with the other things connected to that panel if need be.
It was an overcast day with some haze we think might be coming from a fire. Late today the sun came out but it's just been perfect. Temperatures in the 70s and low 80s. Expect the same tomorrow.
Tomorrow we go exploring.
Friday, August 5, 2016
We Should Have Stayed Here for the Rest Day!
We are back to grass - no trees - but lots of grass!!! Maggie's happy, I'm happy, therefore, Roger's happy.
We got on the road at our regular time this morning - around 9am but only had less than 100 miles to go. I had booked this place last minute when I couldn't get into the next place today and we needed an interim stop. We are in Deer Lodge, MT which is a bit north of Butte and south of Missoula along I-90. It's a small town and from what I read in the local flyers, the second town to be incorporated in Montana. The old territorial prison and several related museums are the main attraction for the city. The another attraction is a huge ranch with original buildings that have been dubbed a national historical site. It's a beautiful valley with high mountains west and south of us. The campground is next to the Little Bigfoot River and is quite comfy. Temperatures were comfortable until about 4pm and I had to turn on the AC. Once the sun goes down we can shut it off.
We almost had an incident on the road outside of Helena this morning. Two big dogs loping down the center of our lane headed directly for us. Roger slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side which had a narrow shoulder. I was hanging on to the door with one hand and on to Maggie with the other. We missed the dogs with the truck and just barely with the RV. Our hearts were pounding. That could have ruined our day. We just hope the line of traffic behind us missed those critters too. It was quite scary.
We got into Deer Lodge very early - around 11am. Most places don't let you come in until after noon or 1 o'clock. We pulled into an empty parking lot and I called the campground to see if we could go on in. Cass, the owner, said she had no problem with it but she was at the bank and for us to just pull in. She had our site posted on the door and we had started setting up when she got back. She told me to take Maggie off the leash and let her come in the office/store with me when I registered and she gave her a "cookie." Amazing welcome. We are used to people being pleasant, but this was such an enthusiastic welcome! This is the neatest, cleanest, most well maintained KOA we have been in. It's tiny in comparison to most as she doesn't have many sites, but it is meticulously clean. She's got her grandson working here learning the ropes in hopes she can turn the place over to him. At one point today she was teaching him how to "deadhead" some pansies she had in a flower box. She had some dog-shaped dog cookies on the counter in the office that she and her grandson made. Of course I had to get two for Maggie. She just got the tail of the dog but that was enough for her to beg for more. Maggie loves them and tonight when I took her for her "business" walk she headed for the office and was upset when I wouldn't let her go in.
We looked again for a barber - none in this town. We did find a Safeway and while Roger was getting fuel I walked over to it and got some much needed produce. (I got in trouble because Roger didn't hear me tell him where I was going and after he got the fuel he frantically was looking for me everywhere. He thought I'd gone into the store at the station to use the restroom. He couldn't find me anywhere. He finally spotted the Safeway and found me there. It was a bit of an anxious moment for him to have me just disappear. Next time I'll leave a note in my seat!!) The mom and pop places we have frequented have had a rather limited selection of the foods we eat. It was good to load up although I suspect our next stop will have a grocery store as it is an even larger town.
Last time we were through Helena I fell in love with it. It's a very nice looking city. Only problem is I can't live in Montana - Not even for the summer months. They don't recycle - anywhere. It is a very RED state, too, although most of the folks we have met have been very nice but politics have never been brought up. It is a very beautiful place, though.
Tomorrow we will go about 150 miles north to Polson, MT which sits at the bottom end of Flathead Lake. We have 3 nights reserved and hope to do some sightseeing in the area.
We got on the road at our regular time this morning - around 9am but only had less than 100 miles to go. I had booked this place last minute when I couldn't get into the next place today and we needed an interim stop. We are in Deer Lodge, MT which is a bit north of Butte and south of Missoula along I-90. It's a small town and from what I read in the local flyers, the second town to be incorporated in Montana. The old territorial prison and several related museums are the main attraction for the city. The another attraction is a huge ranch with original buildings that have been dubbed a national historical site. It's a beautiful valley with high mountains west and south of us. The campground is next to the Little Bigfoot River and is quite comfy. Temperatures were comfortable until about 4pm and I had to turn on the AC. Once the sun goes down we can shut it off.
We almost had an incident on the road outside of Helena this morning. Two big dogs loping down the center of our lane headed directly for us. Roger slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side which had a narrow shoulder. I was hanging on to the door with one hand and on to Maggie with the other. We missed the dogs with the truck and just barely with the RV. Our hearts were pounding. That could have ruined our day. We just hope the line of traffic behind us missed those critters too. It was quite scary.
We got into Deer Lodge very early - around 11am. Most places don't let you come in until after noon or 1 o'clock. We pulled into an empty parking lot and I called the campground to see if we could go on in. Cass, the owner, said she had no problem with it but she was at the bank and for us to just pull in. She had our site posted on the door and we had started setting up when she got back. She told me to take Maggie off the leash and let her come in the office/store with me when I registered and she gave her a "cookie." Amazing welcome. We are used to people being pleasant, but this was such an enthusiastic welcome! This is the neatest, cleanest, most well maintained KOA we have been in. It's tiny in comparison to most as she doesn't have many sites, but it is meticulously clean. She's got her grandson working here learning the ropes in hopes she can turn the place over to him. At one point today she was teaching him how to "deadhead" some pansies she had in a flower box. She had some dog-shaped dog cookies on the counter in the office that she and her grandson made. Of course I had to get two for Maggie. She just got the tail of the dog but that was enough for her to beg for more. Maggie loves them and tonight when I took her for her "business" walk she headed for the office and was upset when I wouldn't let her go in.
We looked again for a barber - none in this town. We did find a Safeway and while Roger was getting fuel I walked over to it and got some much needed produce. (I got in trouble because Roger didn't hear me tell him where I was going and after he got the fuel he frantically was looking for me everywhere. He thought I'd gone into the store at the station to use the restroom. He couldn't find me anywhere. He finally spotted the Safeway and found me there. It was a bit of an anxious moment for him to have me just disappear. Next time I'll leave a note in my seat!!) The mom and pop places we have frequented have had a rather limited selection of the foods we eat. It was good to load up although I suspect our next stop will have a grocery store as it is an even larger town.
Last time we were through Helena I fell in love with it. It's a very nice looking city. Only problem is I can't live in Montana - Not even for the summer months. They don't recycle - anywhere. It is a very RED state, too, although most of the folks we have met have been very nice but politics have never been brought up. It is a very beautiful place, though.
Tomorrow we will go about 150 miles north to Polson, MT which sits at the bottom end of Flathead Lake. We have 3 nights reserved and hope to do some sightseeing in the area.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Another Day Without Air Conditioning!
It was 47 degrees when we got up this morning around seven - about 56 in the RV. We did use the "fireplace" for a little while this morning to take the chill off. This afternoon the temps are still below 80! Yay! No wind to speak of, so, the day is super pleasant.
We had a leisurely morning getting ourselves moving. Rog made me some blueberry pancakes - my first of the trip - and they were super good. We went into the town of Townsend looking for fuel, a barber, and a drug store. We found all of the above but the barber was backed up five deep so Rog opted out. We found a small bakery/deli (4 tables) that mostly sold doughnuts but did have a limited menu of sandwiches so we ate lunch before we came back to the RV.
I fibbed when I said this place was a total gravel parking lot. We do have a small patch of grass in a raised 6' x 10' bed between the RVs. Something's better than nothing. We did sit out there for a while this afternoon with Maggie stretched out in her flat dog impersonation. The rest of the place, though, is pretty much gravel with some sparse grass areas around the buildings and for the tent sites. Not many places to take the dog to do her business - the prairie grass along the outer perimeter is pretty stickery and she tiptoes through it and then tries to squat and bounces right back up when she hits the dried grass.
Rog said he saw lots of boats going out this morning as the winds were calm and the fisher people had to stay home yesterday. We've only a slight breeze this afternoon and it is wonderful after yesterday's constant winds of around 35 with some major gusts that shook the RV. The RV windows are open and the ceiling fan is running and it is quite comfy today.
Roger is getting his day of rest - he's sitting outside with his earphones listening to his Audible book. Well, he did strip the bed and remake it, cook breakfast and do the dishes after, and then helped me fold laundry. So, almost a whole day of rest. I've already had a short cat nap - me and the Maggs on the couch.
This camp store has a huge bookstore which I wandered through while the washers were going. Ended up buying a book and hoping it is one I can talk my book club into reading. "The Milagro Beanfield Wars."
Montana and horses seem to go together and this camp store has a couple of pretty cool looking ones.
We had a leisurely morning getting ourselves moving. Rog made me some blueberry pancakes - my first of the trip - and they were super good. We went into the town of Townsend looking for fuel, a barber, and a drug store. We found all of the above but the barber was backed up five deep so Rog opted out. We found a small bakery/deli (4 tables) that mostly sold doughnuts but did have a limited menu of sandwiches so we ate lunch before we came back to the RV.
I fibbed when I said this place was a total gravel parking lot. We do have a small patch of grass in a raised 6' x 10' bed between the RVs. Something's better than nothing. We did sit out there for a while this afternoon with Maggie stretched out in her flat dog impersonation. The rest of the place, though, is pretty much gravel with some sparse grass areas around the buildings and for the tent sites. Not many places to take the dog to do her business - the prairie grass along the outer perimeter is pretty stickery and she tiptoes through it and then tries to squat and bounces right back up when she hits the dried grass.
Rog said he saw lots of boats going out this morning as the winds were calm and the fisher people had to stay home yesterday. We've only a slight breeze this afternoon and it is wonderful after yesterday's constant winds of around 35 with some major gusts that shook the RV. The RV windows are open and the ceiling fan is running and it is quite comfy today.
Roger is getting his day of rest - he's sitting outside with his earphones listening to his Audible book. Well, he did strip the bed and remake it, cook breakfast and do the dishes after, and then helped me fold laundry. So, almost a whole day of rest. I've already had a short cat nap - me and the Maggs on the couch.
This camp store has a huge bookstore which I wandered through while the washers were going. Ended up buying a book and hoping it is one I can talk my book club into reading. "The Milagro Beanfield Wars."
Montana and horses seem to go together and this camp store has a couple of pretty cool looking ones.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
What a Difference a Day Makes
We have phone service, we have internet, we have TV, we have wind blowing at about 35 mph, we have 70 degree temps, and we are basically sitting in a gravel parking lot. Such a difference from the last two days. (I just posted what I had written while we were unable to make any entries. So there will be two for today.)
Although the temps in Big Timber were mid to high 80s, it was quite warm - enough to run the AC. It's amazing how fast these tin cans heat up with the sun on them. Today when we got up it was cool so we put on long pants and I put on shoes instead of sandals. We are glad we did. We never saw temperature readings above 74 today. Tonight it is to get down in low 40s. But, tomorrow, it's going to start warming up again. In the meantime we are enjoying not having the noise of the AC running.
As I mentioned we are no longer following the Mormans or the 49ers but now we are following in the footsteps of the Corps of Discovery. We crossed the Missouri River a couple of times today and I did see a sign pointing to the Headwaters of the Missouri River. Even here it's a good size. I don't think we will be following this path much past Helena as we head further north to Flathead Lake and the our intrepid explorers headed west towards the Columbia River. I a few years ago we stayed outside of Great Falls, MT and there was an interpretive center we visited so I'm thinking that once we pass Helena on Friday we will lose the trail.
Our campground for tonight and tomorrow had the promise of being a great stopover. The reviews were good and it was listed as the best park in the area. It's near a huge body of water - Canyon Ferry Lake. It's in a beautiful valley of wheat farms with mountains in the distance. We are eight miles out of town. There are no railroad tracks. But, it's a gravel parking lot full of RVs, ATVs, and boats. It looks as if most of the folk are seasonal and are here to fish and go off roading. Lot's of camo painted vehicles and outerwear on the guys. We stick out like a sore thumb! Oh, well. It can't be all bad - there's a small cafe next door whose specialties are chocolate nachos or huckleberry ice cream!
Tomorrow we will go into town (Townsend, MT) and get fuel and look around. It looked like a nice downtown area - very small, though. So, unless something else breaks, Rog will get a day of rest!
Maggie and I had a bit of a disagreement this morning. She was being willful as we were getting ready to go and then once we got moving she would sit and pant in my ear and every once in a while she would kiss it - not once, mind you, several times. This while I am trying desperately working Google on my phone to find an RV repair parts place in Bozeman to stop and look for the propane regulator. She was driving me crazy most of the drive and I spoke sternly to her several times. We made up later when we got set up and had a nap together.......
Once we got wifi today we ordered the propane regulator from Amazon and it will be at home when we get there. Since we aren't running the furnace at night, we should have no trouble.
Our stop for lunch today was another truck stop parking lot where we ate inside the RV (big time wind today) - but instead of a little cafe like before, this place had a bakery and deli! Yep, fresh bread for sandwiches and toast and some turnovers for dessert tonight.
Although the temps in Big Timber were mid to high 80s, it was quite warm - enough to run the AC. It's amazing how fast these tin cans heat up with the sun on them. Today when we got up it was cool so we put on long pants and I put on shoes instead of sandals. We are glad we did. We never saw temperature readings above 74 today. Tonight it is to get down in low 40s. But, tomorrow, it's going to start warming up again. In the meantime we are enjoying not having the noise of the AC running.
As I mentioned we are no longer following the Mormans or the 49ers but now we are following in the footsteps of the Corps of Discovery. We crossed the Missouri River a couple of times today and I did see a sign pointing to the Headwaters of the Missouri River. Even here it's a good size. I don't think we will be following this path much past Helena as we head further north to Flathead Lake and the our intrepid explorers headed west towards the Columbia River. I a few years ago we stayed outside of Great Falls, MT and there was an interpretive center we visited so I'm thinking that once we pass Helena on Friday we will lose the trail.Our campground for tonight and tomorrow had the promise of being a great stopover. The reviews were good and it was listed as the best park in the area. It's near a huge body of water - Canyon Ferry Lake. It's in a beautiful valley of wheat farms with mountains in the distance. We are eight miles out of town. There are no railroad tracks. But, it's a gravel parking lot full of RVs, ATVs, and boats. It looks as if most of the folk are seasonal and are here to fish and go off roading. Lot's of camo painted vehicles and outerwear on the guys. We stick out like a sore thumb! Oh, well. It can't be all bad - there's a small cafe next door whose specialties are chocolate nachos or huckleberry ice cream!
Tomorrow we will go into town (Townsend, MT) and get fuel and look around. It looked like a nice downtown area - very small, though. So, unless something else breaks, Rog will get a day of rest!
Maggie and I had a bit of a disagreement this morning. She was being willful as we were getting ready to go and then once we got moving she would sit and pant in my ear and every once in a while she would kiss it - not once, mind you, several times. This while I am trying desperately working Google on my phone to find an RV repair parts place in Bozeman to stop and look for the propane regulator. She was driving me crazy most of the drive and I spoke sternly to her several times. We made up later when we got set up and had a nap together.......
Our stop for lunch today was another truck stop parking lot where we ate inside the RV (big time wind today) - but instead of a little cafe like before, this place had a bakery and deli! Yep, fresh bread for sandwiches and toast and some turnovers for dessert tonight.
Monday and Tuesday in Big Timber MT
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| We are right in the center |
It’s Tuesday afternoon, the second of August, and Maggie and I are sitting under a lovely big cottonwood tree next to the RV and enjoying the 80 degrees. It’s supposed to get hot later, so we are enjoying the breeze and being able to be out. Poor Roger has gone in to the town of Big Timber, MT (about 5 miles) looking for a high pressure regulator for the propane line and getting fuel for tomorrow’s journey.
No, the propane saga is not over. We thought it was, but no. We were still getting a leak somewhere. Rog put that new pigtail to the system in when we were in Colorado, had the tank filled, and we’ve been traveling with it off. He checked it yesterday and we still had a leak. Today we traded in the tank at a propane place. Thought we were good. Put the new tank in, hooked it up, and it’s still leaking somewhere. A neighbor said he heard a hiss coming from the pressure regulator, so that’s probably been the problem all along. With both of us not hearing well we never heard the noise. So, as I said, Rog hopes to find a new regulator or we are back to hauling around a tank that’s turned off because we can’t trust it.
As I type, Rog just pulled in - no new regulator, but the propane store manager is coming out to take a look at our problem. Stay tuned.
Sunday night in Sheridan, after I finished the journal entry and as we went to bed, we had a large thunderstorm hit - winds about 60mph, lightning, heavy rain. We had just opened up the windows for the night and had to go shut them in a hurry. It came on fast, lasted about half and hour, and then moved on.
Monday we continued north on I-90 into Montana. We left the Oregon/California/Morman Trails as we passed through Casper on Saturday and the Platte River took a left turn and headed more westerly. Now we are on the Lewis and Clark trail along the Yellowstone River. We are in Big Timber, MT and according to all the signs and plaques around town, the expedition stopped here at the confluence of the Boulder and Yellowstone Rivers. According to the map we will be following our explorers for a while.
We drove through the huge Crow Reservation and it was so depressing seeing the dereliction and poverty. We passed by the Little BigHorn National Monument - we had been there years ago on a Memorial Day and it had put us into a sad state. We didn’t figure we needed more of a downer than driving through the rez.
Windmills - you know, the kind that are on farms and ranches that are used to pump water to the surface for the livestock. Well, we saw one with a solar panel attached. Go figure. Wind? Sun? Got it all!!
Trains - last week all we saw were trains with miles and miles of coal cars attached. On Monday we saw trains with different cargoes. One with airplane fuselages that Rog thought might be coming from Boeing to an assembly/paint plant. The other one had all the cars loaded with wind turbine blades. A bit more interesting than the coal trains.
Billings, MT looks like a nice place although there is an oil refinery and a power plant but as you know the interstate doesn’t go through the nice neighborhoods. The next town on the highway, Laurel, has the west coast’s largest rail switching yards, which were visible from the interstate. It was Yooge!!
We found another very nice Rest Area on Monday just outside of Billings - no Indian jewelry, though. We had a nice lunch and break from riding. We got into Big Timber around 2:30pm.
We are staying in the Spring Creek Campground and Trout Pond RV park. It is a lovely little campground that we stayed in on our first trip through this area. They even put us in the same site that we were in before. The Boulder River flows along beside the campground and there is a natural spring in the middle of it - the campground, not the river. They’ve built a pond and stocked it with trout. There is lots of grass, trees, and very friendly people. We did find that pizza place in town last night and it was as good as we remembered! 
Our neighbors are from Billings, MT. They park their rig here for the summer and come on weekends. This week they are on vacation so are spending it here. Very nice people. They even offered to dog-sit Maggie while we went to town today but she would have nothing to do with that. Before we even left she had slipped out of her harness and run back to the steps of our RV. We ended up just leaving her in the rig while we were gone for the hour or so. They have a little mini-doxie named Gonzo! He’s a cute little guy and the dogs seem to tolerate each other once the initial sniffing of butts was completed.
I’m writing this in a word processing document and hope to pull it into the journal tomorrow night - along with some photos - assuming we have wifi or a phone signal (we’ve been told that AT&T is pretty much worthless in Montana) so I can use the hotspot. We do have wifi here - not strong enough, though to upload the journal/blog. The computer says I’ve got four bars when when I go to do anything it drops to one. I’ve better luck with the iPad and can at least play Words for a few minutes before I get kicked off.
We couldn’t get the Dish TV to work - too many trees. So, no TV, no news of the Trumpster’s latest stupidness from the phones or iPads. It’s really kind of nice to not know what the latest silliness is in the world. Besides we have plenty going on ourselves.
While we were in town this morning we found a small grocery store and got some needed items. We also stopped at Gusts’ Mercantile in downtown. I had seen a t-shirt with a very nice graphic done by a local artist at the visitor’s center when we got lost on our way into town and had to ask for directions. The lovely lady there gave us directions to the campground and also told me that I could get the shirt at Gusts’ in town. When I went today they had no shirt in my size in the color I wanted, but I did find a western style shirt on a sale rack that will remind me of Montana, so the trip to Gusts’ wasn’t wasted.
Actually, I’m glad we went in that store. There was a very old dude wandering around the store and he started a conversation with Roger when he saw Roger looking at an old Navy uniform up on a shelf. It was the old dude’s from WWII. He was a torpedoman on a destroyer in the Pacific. He had a display case with a model of his ship, pictures of men from the ship, history of the ship, etc., etc. Rog spent some time talking to the old guy about his service and the man was very glad to have someone who had been in the Navy ask about the old days. Then I spotted a newspaper article in the display case about Mr. Gusts and his store and I asked if he was that person. He smiled and beamed with pride. I’m glad we took the time to speak with him and make his day. We figure he had to be at least 91 and he was there working in his store. No, the trip into that store was not wasted at all!
Everywhere we have been today we’ve encountered the nicest people. Everyone trying to help us out. As it turns out the propane guy drove out to the campground because he couldn’t believe what Rog was telling him about the set up of the propane system. Then when our neighbor came over and told him that his system was set up just like it he realized that the regulators are there for a reason. He tried to get us a new one by tomorrow morning, but no one he called even heard of the high pressure regulator for RVs. Amazing. So, we are back to just shutting off the tank on the one side and moving on. We were told that there are three big RV places in Bozeman and we should find it there.
In the meantime, we noticed that a running light in the front had a broken lens. On Monday a bird flew into the RV and we think that it must have hit that light. So, as I write, Roger is off to an auto parts store that our neighbor thinks will have the lens, otherwise we have an exposed electrical hazard. Let’s hope he finds one. When he left Roger told me to try and find more stuff for him to fix while I was gone. Think he was serious????
When Rog got back (with no lens cover) and after a long session on the couch thinking about “stuff” he took the panel off the wall in the hallway that has all the switches on it. Remember I told you about the scare lights coming on and not going off? Well, that particular switch, even in the off position, was burning a red light. It was getting quite warm being on all the time. In telling our neighbor the story he mentioned fire possibility from a messed up wiring problem. So, as I said, Roger removed the panel and pulled the wires to that switch out and taped them up so they wouldn’t be touching anything. This is a problem he can’t fix - it’s going to take an RV electrician. Looks as if we will have to take the RV in for service when we get home and be very careful not to look at the new ones on the lot while we are there.
We had a good for you dinner after last night’s pizza, but then while we were sitting outside enjoying the evening breezes, Rog went down to the little store and got ice cream. We are having a hard time staying on our low sugar diet, but Oh, Well - we are on vacation!
It’s bedtime again. I’ve been adding stuff to this narrative all day as I think about things. I’ll probably still tweak it a little tomorrow when I upload it.
Tomorrow we are off to Townsend, MT where we will stay two nights. The temperature forecast is for high 60s tomorrow an low 70s for Thursday. Hopefully Roger will get a day of rest like today was supposed to be.
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