Home on the Range, Lake Sakakawea State Park, North Dakota 9/18/2009

We left Montana and headed into North Dakota early this morning. Our destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I had my heart set on doing a 2 hour trail ride in the park, but unfortunately the stables are closed for the season. The last time I was on a horse was when I was 14, so this was going to be quite the event. (The down side of traveling in Sept). Plan B turned out to be exploring the park via car instead. We hung out at the visitor’s center for awhile, watched a movie and perused the exhibits. (It was over 90 degrees again, so it felt like a good excuse to be inside an air-conditioned building). When we finally explored the park we were treated to seeing bison and hundreds of prairie dogs! (See today’s pic of these cute fellows). Unlike Yellowstone, which has lots of visitors, this park is practically empty. In Yellowstone there were always large crowds mulling around any animals. Here we had the bison all to ourselves. Yes, I now know more about Teddy Roosevelt than I ever thought possible. The rest of North Dakota was pretty much the same, miles and miles of rolling hills with amber waves of grain, except for the occasional sunflower field. It’s harvesting time so it was pretty typical to see the large rounds of hay scattered throughout the countryside along with combines harvesting wheat. On another note, in the south all we seemed to drive by were Baptist Churches, in North Dakota it’s Lutherans. We are camped in the heart of North Dakota next to Lake Sakakawea (alternate spelling). named after the Indian girl who was Lewis and Clark’s guide. Everything in North Dakota is broken down into three categories; Teddy Roosevelt, Lewis & Clark and Sakajawea. – anything else fuhgedaboutit. The campground is definitely prairie camping. Not something I am used to, but nonetheless I’m still enjoying the wide-open spaces and huge sky - the black flies I could definitely live without! We are going to continue exploring North Dakota tomorrow, but head even further north and venture into Scandinavian territory. Ya, you betcha! (For the record, yes everyone really does talk like that here!)

The Joys of GlenDIVE, Montana 9/17/2009

We enjoyed a beautiful morning at Cooney Reservoir and had a nice chat with the State Park Employee, Sharon. (There were only 3 campers at the campground last night. The joys of traveling in September.) Turns out she’s a Bay Area transplant albeit 40 years ago. At Yellowstone Park we discovered that our furnace was only blowing cold air. Not a problem for the next couple of days, but anticipating very cold weather ahead we thought it prudent to get it checked out. Sharon recommended a shop and we headed for Billings. There was a couple hour wait before they could check it out, but good ol’ handyman Ned was futzing with it and found the problem! Turns out the heater is perfecto, we just had too much “stuff” packed around the cold air intake. Dodged that bullet! Since we were in the neighborhood we decided to check out “historic downtown Billings” and ended up having a picnic lunch at the Visitor’s Center. We then ventured onto the Pictograph Cave State Park. It was hotter than hell (above 90 degrees) today, so taking a walk through the arid, baking hot loop trail to the caves took a bit out of me. Needless to say, I was expecting a good return on that investment of energy and expected to see some kick-ass pictographs. Unfortunately, the Crow Indians that painted the walls sometime within the last 11,000 years failed to use water-resistant pigments and the drawings were a bit faded – to say the least. I appreciated the historical significance nevertheless. (See the pic with the faint red drawings in the upper right side of cave). Further on down the road we decided to visit Pompey Pillar’s National Monument. This is the only remaining evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition passing through this area. Here William Clark carved his name and date (July 25, 1806) in the rock. Ned and I had read the book “From Sea to Shining Sea”, which documents the expedition. Therefore, it was really fun to see this piece of history. The new visitor’s center is quite exceptional – great architecture and landscaping, cool movie and nice exhibits. We kept moseying thru Eastern Montana and were lured by another roadway sign extolling the virtues of Rosebud historical courthouse in down Forsythe. We couldn’t resist. Turns out it’s famous for the drama that ensued when it was built in 1914. The project cost more than the bond, the local newspaper was outraged, and the foreman decided to hide out between the ceiling and roof with the key to the courthouse until they were paid for the job! Pretty much a hoot. The courthouse with the neoclassic design, including the copper dome, still remains a beauty today. Our final destination was Glendive, Montana and the last hour or so was proving to be a bit of a long drive. We decided to break up the monotony by listening to French tapes in preparation for Quebec. (Note to self: never-ever listen to French tapes with Ned while driving!! I almost ran the car off the road in hysterics over Ned’s gestures and silly French impersonations. I can hardly wait til we are in Quebec and Ned is using his new command of the French language). We finally arrived in Glendive at the Green Valley Family RV “Resort”. (No State Parks with facilities were available in this part of Montana). The resort is located in a cornfield between the freeway and the railroad tracks. Yes, there are hot showers, flush toilets, electrical hook-ups and laundry facilities. The laundry is in a fiberglass shed up on a hillside, the shower is a nozzle head only with a dribble of water, and there are tractors, backhoes and misc. machinery scattered about. (Sorry Craig, Pilot Rock products are not featured here!) At least we have a quaint (ahem) place to sleep, clean clothes and hope the Burlington Northern Railroad won’t keep us up! Tomorrow onto Teddy Roosevelt National Park

Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere, Montana 9/16/2009

After saying goodbye to the family early, we spent the morning and part of the early afternoon further exploring Yellowstone. We were fortunate to see large herds of Bison (several hundred at least), including a few that wondered across the road! When you enter Yellowstone the ranger hands out a leaflet warning you to stay AWAY from the bison. A bison weighs up to 2000 lbs. and can charge at speeds up to 30 mph. You would think with this information people would pay attention. Nevertheless, we witnessed several incidents of people being stupid. Case in point number 1: We saw a woman knock down her elderly father with the open door of her own car because she was obsessed with pulling ahead to get that perfect shot and forget that dear old dad wasn’t in the car yet! Case in point 2: A bison wondered very close to a couple as they stood outside their car, both clicking away frantically. When they lowered their cameras and suddenly realized the bison was 5 ft from them, they made a MAD dash into their vehicle. Amazingly, seconds later as the bison walked away, the woman jumped OUT of her car to get a shot of the bison’s butt! People being crazy! The best part of Yellowstone so far has been the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Upper and Lower Falls. I don’t know why Old Faithful gets all the love when the real crown jewel of the park is the falls. We stopped at several vantage points and were amazed at the force and beauty of the thundering water. (Check out today’s picture). After leaving Yellowstone we headed for Cody, Wyoming in search of Buffalo Bill. We stopped at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center and after spending a few minutes perusing the gift store, we decided that was enough cowboy culture for us. We were however channeling Vic, knowing how much he would love this place! The highlight of Cody turned out to be Bubba’s Barbeque where we both enjoyed a healthy cowboy portion of beef brisket, including baked beans and coleslaw. (That sound you hear is my arteries clogging). Our destination for the night was Cooney Reservoir State Park, outside of Red Lodge, Montana. The navigator was busy texting her daughter while the pilot was happily driving due east (in the wrong direction). Of course when the navigator discovered the change in course she used it as a grand opportunity to take a “back road”. We did find a large barley growing and storage facility being used by Busch brewing company. Ned was very impressed. The drive was beautiful, but arid and uninhabited. Once back on course, we enjoyed the drive through Red Lodge and after miles down a dirt, washboard road are enjoying Montana’s finest – camping in a mowed field next to a reservoir. It does however meet my requirements of flush toilets and shower! The last three days in Wyoming have been cool days (65-75) and very cold nights (38 deg last night!). It’s was 90 for most of the day in Montana and the night has a forecast of a low of 61. Nice! Tomorrow, Billings and a tour of the Pictograph Caves…Oh yes, and the occasional cute cowboy!

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 915/09

(Just now posting two days of activity. Yellowstone is a wireless free zone.) Day Two in Yellowstone and having a blast. We did the usual touristy things like visit Old Faithful, have lunch at Old Faithful Lodge, and took a couple of hikes to see the different geothermal activity. The hike I enjoyed the most was to Fountain Paint Pot. It showcased the whole gamut of geysers, mud pots and fumaroles. Spastic Geyser was the award winner. It continuously spouts water and steam in a pretty impressive show. Earlier in the day we had waited at least 40 minutes for Old Faithful to perform. It was a weak showing at best. The air temperature was cool enough that when it finally spouted, all we really saw was a huge cloud of steam. This in turn condensed and rained on us. Not what I exactly had in mind! Lunch in the old lodge was great fun. (Today’s picture is mom and I at the entrance. Mom had talked for weeks about visiting this lodge. It was special to share it with her). We had a corner table near both sets of windows where we enjoyed a leisurely meal chatting and joking around. We were definitely in vacation mode. We had plans to spend the evening playing Skip-bo, but after our long day sightseeing, eating dinner outside at our campsite and a fair amount of story-telling, we decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we head in different directions – the family heading for Glacier National Park while Ned and I head for Big Sky Country.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 9/14/09

We woke up this morning to the sound of soft rain falling on the winniemobile and had anticipated a cool and rainy day. Au contraire! By the time we were up and about the skies were blue, there were wispy clouds hanging around the top of the Tetons and the air smelled that rich piney smell after it rains. Truly divine! (Picture of the day – Mr. Ned looking mighty fine in front of the Grand Tetons). We had agreed to connect up with the family at noon, so decided to make good use of our time this morning. We did a little site-seeing through-out the park, visiting Jackson Lodge and enjoyed a mid morning hike at Jenny Lake. My favorite morning so far! After we connected with the gang at noonish, Ned and I decided to forge ahead into Yellowstone Park and try and get everyone campsites for two days. Along the way we spotted a Bison next to the roadway – very cool. We had a fun late afternoon & evening, drinking wine and sharing a meal. We took a little stroll down to Yellowstone Lake and got some great shots of the cloud reflections in the water and dusk. A light rain begin in the evening, just in time for bed.

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming 9/13/09

Today was action packed! We rolled out of the campground at about 10:15 (which was like herding kittens!!) and headed north up highway 89. It was absolutely stunning driving through canyons and rolling hills. The fall colors are just beginning to turn and it was one of those magical days where the temperature was between 65-70 degrees, the aspen were quaking and the clouds rolled overhead. We arrived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at around 2:00, time for a lunch/dinner stopover at a steak house. After lunch we strolled around town and enjoyed the Cowboy Jubilee that was happening in the town square. Lots of arts, crafts and cowboy music to keep us entertained. (Vic we were thinking of you!). Even though the clouds began to look a little foreboding we decided to take the tram ride up to Rendezvous Mountain, which was over 10,000 feet. Although it was a little chilly, views of the Grand Tetons and valley were spectacular! (Of course the 40 mile an hour wind also got our attention. Note to self: next time don’t wear the girly sundress to top of mountain). We split up after the tram ride, Ned and I took the winniemobile through an 8 mile “shortcut” to the town of Moose. The rest of the family played it safe and took the highway. Both of us saw moose along the way! (Yes, we have photo documentation). After doing a quick drive thru Colter Bay Campground, the fam decided they didn’t want to “rough it” and headed for Moran RV Park. We opted for a night at the Grand Teton National Park. We hope to get in a bike ride tomorrow and meet up with everyone by mid-day. (No Scott, I am not purposely ditching the family). After looking at the 60 or so pictures of today, I decided to post the family picture taken this morning at Bear Lake State Park in front of the folk’s RV. How’s this for a classic family “what I did on my summer vacation” photo?!

Bear Lake State Park, Utah 9/12/09

Having arrived in the dark, it was nice to explore Willard Bay State Park this morning. We took a leisurely 5 mile bike ride around the park and discovered that the lake was fresh water. We assumed it was part of the Great Salt Lake, but it was a reservoir that drained into the Salt Lake. The campground was surprisingly lush, with some campsites located right on the water. We finally packed up and headed towards northern Utah at about 11ish. We took highway 89, also known as the Logan Canyon Scenic Drive. (Thanks Polly and Nancy for the book. It’s the first of many recommended scenic drives we will be taking). Even though we were only about 2 hours to the next destination, we took multiple stops along the way to investigate. The above picture is taken at the Bear Lake overlook. Bear Lake straddles both Utah and Idaho. We are camped at the southern tip on the Utah side at Rendezvous Campground. So named for the famous rendezvous of fur trappers and Indians held in the summers of 1827 & 1828. The gatherings were attended by a thousand or more Indians and mountain men, including Jedediah Smith. We spent the afternoon bike riding, playing games and making use of the new hammock. We connected with the fam at about 7ish. It was great seeing my big brother and Dru and especially fun catching up and retelling old stories. Tomorrow Wyoming