We had such a lovely drive yesterday and for this morning as well. We were still in that Clark Fork Valley for a while this morning. As we spent the nite in Thompson Falls, we decided to go see the falls... However the original falls like so many others had been turned into a hydroelectric power source. It was still pretty spectacular.
Because we missed a turn we decided to go n to Coeur D'alene and then on to Spokane (only 6 miles).
One thing we learned today as we got back into busier highways and interstates and out of the by-ways we had been traveling is that we do not miss the traffic and the hustle and bustle. Interstate driving was BORING!
We have kind of run out of places and things to do and see on the way to Spokane so Jerry called the RV place and we are picking up the RV tomorrow instead of Friday. We have to go watch a video at 11 a.m. and then get everything loaded so we can head out. Will probably be in Canada tomorrow nite.
Went to Wal-Mart and got all the non perishables tonite so we did not have to get as much tomorrow! HA! What a laugh that is! Loading that RV is really going to be a chore! Grabbed a quick bite tonite for dinner...Jerry got salad at Schlotsky's and I got some spaghetti from Pizza Hut. Tasted good. Will have to go back to cooking tomorrow.
It was a pretty uneventful day so I won't make this a long post. I doubt we will get much in tomorrow except getting set up, etc. But we'll see what time we get away from here. More later, Linda
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
TUESDAY, MAY 29 2007
Well, b/c of our bit of truck trouble yesterday, Jerry had truck at Chevy dealer @ 7:00 a.m. Everything checked out fine fortunately so we are on the go again. I stayed in motel room w/ dogs and did some backlog computer stuff w/ pictures, etc. Got away about 9:30 a.m.
Glacier NP is still closed so we decided to leave that one for the return trip. Left Great Falls, took HWY 200 west to HWY 83 N. There were beautiful lakes along the way. Cut 0ver the top of Flathead Lake and drove Hwy 93 down the west side of the lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful! We had been here 20+ years ago and could not believe the development!
Connected back to Hwy. 200 and it has been one of the prettiest drives to date. Initially we were following the Blackfoot River on 200, but once we reconnected to 200 we are following the Clark Fork River. It is jaw dropping gorgeous! Every curve is a postcard and the colors in the river and the grasses are amazing!
Lunched at a little state park along the Blackfoot River. Staying the night in Thompson Falls at the Riverside Inn. Nice room. Walked the dogs down to the river and let them loose for a bit. They have been so good to be cooped up all day in the truck. Back up to room and over to a neighboring motel for dinner. Had dinner on bluff overlooking the river...gorgeous setting!
Jerry has said he could live in Montana. The western part of the state is beautiful! Our total miles driven to date: 3336 and counting. That is all in the truck.
Have not decided exactly where we are going tomorrow. We still have a day or so to kill before we get RV. We may call and see if we can get it a day early. We are both ready to quit loading and unloading every night. I never thought I would say 2 nights at a Motel 6 was a luxury, but if not quite luxury, it sure was nice not to have to schlep suitcases for a day!
Will post some pix....there is one or two with either one or both of us.....enjoy! Thanks for staying in touch!
Glacier NP is still closed so we decided to leave that one for the return trip. Left Great Falls, took HWY 200 west to HWY 83 N. There were beautiful lakes along the way. Cut 0ver the top of Flathead Lake and drove Hwy 93 down the west side of the lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful! We had been here 20+ years ago and could not believe the development!
Connected back to Hwy. 200 and it has been one of the prettiest drives to date. Initially we were following the Blackfoot River on 200, but once we reconnected to 200 we are following the Clark Fork River. It is jaw dropping gorgeous! Every curve is a postcard and the colors in the river and the grasses are amazing!
Lunched at a little state park along the Blackfoot River. Staying the night in Thompson Falls at the Riverside Inn. Nice room. Walked the dogs down to the river and let them loose for a bit. They have been so good to be cooped up all day in the truck. Back up to room and over to a neighboring motel for dinner. Had dinner on bluff overlooking the river...gorgeous setting!
Jerry has said he could live in Montana. The western part of the state is beautiful! Our total miles driven to date: 3336 and counting. That is all in the truck.
Have not decided exactly where we are going tomorrow. We still have a day or so to kill before we get RV. We may call and see if we can get it a day early. We are both ready to quit loading and unloading every night. I never thought I would say 2 nights at a Motel 6 was a luxury, but if not quite luxury, it sure was nice not to have to schlep suitcases for a day!
Will post some pix....there is one or two with either one or both of us.....enjoy! Thanks for staying in touch!
MONDAY, MAY 28, 2007 - MEMORIAL DAY
Got great nite's sleep. Found a Motel 6 that would take dogs. Had a bit of car trouble this a.m. Moved the car to the door to load something and wouldn't start when Jerry turned the key. Figured dead battery altho it had just cranked. Tried a couple more times, waited a minute, then it cranked right up. Grabbed a bite to eat, went by a car parts place and battery and started checked out fine. Going to take it to Chevy dealer in a.m. to get it checked out since it will sit for 7 weeks while we are in RV.
Spent time with our friends and I did some laundry, then headed to Great Falls (the falls themselves for which this city is named). The MO River has been dammed 4 or 5 times in this area for hydroelectric power and that kind of did in the falls. When we finally found them at Ryan Dam it was really pretty altho not nearly as spectacular as they would have been in their original state.
Then went on to Charles M. Russel Museum. Jerry napped in car while I went in. He was a Western artist, originally from St. Louis. He became interested in the West and went west with a relative and stayed. He was a very prolific artist working in watercolors, oils, clay and wax. I really enjoyed looking at his watercolors. It was a VERY well done museum with a huge exhibit of his works. His sculptures in clay and painted wax were fascinating. He also did some carving of figures and many were quite comical so he must have had a wonderful sense of humor. Many of his paintings were humorous also. There was a log cabin on site that was his original studio and it was preserved like he had used it with his paints, easels, and all his paraphernalia on display.
Leaving there we went back to the Grainger's and went to dinner at Applebee's. Had a good time as always with them. It had been overcast all day and started raining while we were at dinner. Got back to motel and had an early night.
Spent time with our friends and I did some laundry, then headed to Great Falls (the falls themselves for which this city is named). The MO River has been dammed 4 or 5 times in this area for hydroelectric power and that kind of did in the falls. When we finally found them at Ryan Dam it was really pretty altho not nearly as spectacular as they would have been in their original state.
Then went on to Charles M. Russel Museum. Jerry napped in car while I went in. He was a Western artist, originally from St. Louis. He became interested in the West and went west with a relative and stayed. He was a very prolific artist working in watercolors, oils, clay and wax. I really enjoyed looking at his watercolors. It was a VERY well done museum with a huge exhibit of his works. His sculptures in clay and painted wax were fascinating. He also did some carving of figures and many were quite comical so he must have had a wonderful sense of humor. Many of his paintings were humorous also. There was a log cabin on site that was his original studio and it was preserved like he had used it with his paints, easels, and all his paraphernalia on display.
Leaving there we went back to the Grainger's and went to dinner at Applebee's. Had a good time as always with them. It had been overcast all day and started raining while we were at dinner. Got back to motel and had an early night.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2007
The night in the horse friendly motel was OK...quiet except for a/c which was very noisy and came on and off all nite. Did not have good night's sleep tho. The room was very small and no room to put suitcases, etc. However did have internet, fridge and microwave in room as well as coffee maker. Jerry too tired to eat dinner and not hungry, but I was so I took truck and tried a restaurant but it had closed at 9 and it is 9:15 p.m. SO, explored the town looking for place open past 9....settled on grilled chicken from McDonald's. Even the Subway was closed!
Left around 9:30 this a.m. headed for Great Falls to meet our friends, the Graingers who will be traveling with us through Alaska. It is a friendship that goes back to our Hawaii days and we are glad to have reunited and look forward to spending time with them.
Went to the headwaters of the Missouri River - there is a state park there and it was interesting but not what we expected in terms of size, etc. Actually the headwaters of the MIssouri is a confluence of 3 rivers....initially the Madison and Jefferson rivers which then join w/ the Gallatin River a bit further downstream. The confluence of these 3 rivers is the start of the Missouri River.
A security guard who spends his days fishing (he told me he had been fishing every day at the park since 1997) was appalled when Jerry took off his shoes and socks and stood in the water at the edge of the river. He informed us he would not let anyone he knew swim in the river b/c of cold water leeches that are there. However I got the picture of him in the water. He also informed us that there are lots of rattlesnakes in the area. It was a nice stop and we can say we have "been there, done that" with photo proof, but we didn't waste too much time there.
Continued on our drive up to Great Falls. One section of the road we were taking followed part of Lewis and Clark's expedition and is designated a scenic highway. The ride to Great Falls was very interesting. The 2 lane highway through the mountains posted a 70 mph speed limit! We were amazed!
The highways we took carried us through forests w/ streams alongside the roads through huge valleys and pasture land which was gently rolling and extremely green. Almost always in the distance in any direction were impressive snow covered peaks. It was a nice drive. We ran into some kids who were loading skis into their car and they came over and told us about their day skiing. Snow skiing! At Showdown Mountain there was still snow on top. They had hiked to the top to ski down. I think most of it was mud skiing, but they did it so they could say they had been skiing in May. Kids!! LOL
We stopped at a campground in the national forest and had some cheese, crackers and sardines again. There was still a bit of snow on the ground and a very small bubbling creek right there.
Arrived Great Falls about 4 p.m., found our friends and drank a couple of Bloody Marys then had a wonderful dinner of turkey tenderloin, sweet potatoes and green beans. Watched prairie dogs from their motor home and spent the time catching up on what we had been doing since we were together in West Texas in Feb. They had also spent some time in Piedmont w/ Jerry.
Will be here until Tues. a.m. so it will be a treat to spend 2 nites in the same place. Schlepping suitcases is getting old. This may be last entry for a couple of days.....we'll see what we wind up doing while we are here.
Hope all is well with everyone at home! Love y'all, Linda
Left around 9:30 this a.m. headed for Great Falls to meet our friends, the Graingers who will be traveling with us through Alaska. It is a friendship that goes back to our Hawaii days and we are glad to have reunited and look forward to spending time with them.
Went to the headwaters of the Missouri River - there is a state park there and it was interesting but not what we expected in terms of size, etc. Actually the headwaters of the MIssouri is a confluence of 3 rivers....initially the Madison and Jefferson rivers which then join w/ the Gallatin River a bit further downstream. The confluence of these 3 rivers is the start of the Missouri River.
A security guard who spends his days fishing (he told me he had been fishing every day at the park since 1997) was appalled when Jerry took off his shoes and socks and stood in the water at the edge of the river. He informed us he would not let anyone he knew swim in the river b/c of cold water leeches that are there. However I got the picture of him in the water. He also informed us that there are lots of rattlesnakes in the area. It was a nice stop and we can say we have "been there, done that" with photo proof, but we didn't waste too much time there.
Continued on our drive up to Great Falls. One section of the road we were taking followed part of Lewis and Clark's expedition and is designated a scenic highway. The ride to Great Falls was very interesting. The 2 lane highway through the mountains posted a 70 mph speed limit! We were amazed!
The highways we took carried us through forests w/ streams alongside the roads through huge valleys and pasture land which was gently rolling and extremely green. Almost always in the distance in any direction were impressive snow covered peaks. It was a nice drive. We ran into some kids who were loading skis into their car and they came over and told us about their day skiing. Snow skiing! At Showdown Mountain there was still snow on top. They had hiked to the top to ski down. I think most of it was mud skiing, but they did it so they could say they had been skiing in May. Kids!! LOL
We stopped at a campground in the national forest and had some cheese, crackers and sardines again. There was still a bit of snow on the ground and a very small bubbling creek right there.
Arrived Great Falls about 4 p.m., found our friends and drank a couple of Bloody Marys then had a wonderful dinner of turkey tenderloin, sweet potatoes and green beans. Watched prairie dogs from their motor home and spent the time catching up on what we had been doing since we were together in West Texas in Feb. They had also spent some time in Piedmont w/ Jerry.
Will be here until Tues. a.m. so it will be a treat to spend 2 nites in the same place. Schlepping suitcases is getting old. This may be last entry for a couple of days.....we'll see what we wind up doing while we are here.
Hope all is well with everyone at home! Love y'all, Linda
Saturday, May 26, 2007
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2007
NOT a good nite....we were on ground floor of this hotel....the rooms were the biggest we have had so far and there was a wonderful place to take the dogs....HOWEVER...there were rooms above us and it sounded like they accepted elephants as well as dogs b/c whoever was in that room got up during the nite and hit the floor....could hear every step, dragging stuff across floor, etc...AND the real kicker was the bathroom....they were up 5 times between 12:30 & 5:00 a.m....every time they flushed I thought I was going to be baptized!!! AH well, life on the road.
Filled up w/ gas and went into Grand Teton Park and took the scenic road we chose not to take yesterday...should have taken that road. Had breakfast at a lodge in the park that was pet friendly w/ panoramic view of Tetons and on the bank of a lovely lake. A most enjoyable breakfast. Continued on the drive thru the park and it was spectacular, but there is not much to do in that park except gawk at the scenery and we certainly did that.
Back in Yellowstone we went to the Mud Flats Geyser Basin (I think that is what it was called)...the thermal features are so surreal and the colors in some of them are awesome! Then went to Artist Point -overlooking Lower Yellowstone Falls. Then went to Upper Falls and then to the other side of the river to look at them from that side....It is a beautiful place as you can tell by the pictures. Spent the rest of the day driving through the park. Stopped @ Gull Point on Lake Yellowstone for a break and had some sardines and crackers. There was quite a bit of traffic - I guess to be expected for holiday weekend, altho not all the lodges are open in the park.
Saw buffalo, antelope, elk and eagles, some up close and personal. Made a lot of stops on the way out....looks different w/o snow on the road and no ground showing. Made a stop at Tower Falls...that was pretty....then drove on to Mammoth Hot Springs. There is a hotel there and we tried to get a room but all full. Drove on to Gardner (5 miles out of park) to find a room, but it was already 7:00 p.m. and all the places were full. So, gave up on idea of seeing Mammoth Hot Springs and drove on to Livingston Montana. The hotel here not only accepts dogs, but horses are welcome as well! I guess that is when you really know you are in the West.
We were just glad to get out of the car. We didn't use a half tank of gas today, but it seems like we spent the whole day driving. We did do a lot of driving, but only @ 35 mph for the most part. Jerry was in a really good mood! HA! But we made it and did our own fair share of gawking and stopping. Yellowstone is just so pretty.
Tomorrow the plan is to get to Great Falls and hook up w/ our friends that will be traveling w/ us. Hopefully tonite will be a better night's sleep!
All for now....must go load pix....more tomorrow...Linda
Filled up w/ gas and went into Grand Teton Park and took the scenic road we chose not to take yesterday...should have taken that road. Had breakfast at a lodge in the park that was pet friendly w/ panoramic view of Tetons and on the bank of a lovely lake. A most enjoyable breakfast. Continued on the drive thru the park and it was spectacular, but there is not much to do in that park except gawk at the scenery and we certainly did that.
Back in Yellowstone we went to the Mud Flats Geyser Basin (I think that is what it was called)...the thermal features are so surreal and the colors in some of them are awesome! Then went to Artist Point -overlooking Lower Yellowstone Falls. Then went to Upper Falls and then to the other side of the river to look at them from that side....It is a beautiful place as you can tell by the pictures. Spent the rest of the day driving through the park. Stopped @ Gull Point on Lake Yellowstone for a break and had some sardines and crackers. There was quite a bit of traffic - I guess to be expected for holiday weekend, altho not all the lodges are open in the park.
Saw buffalo, antelope, elk and eagles, some up close and personal. Made a lot of stops on the way out....looks different w/o snow on the road and no ground showing. Made a stop at Tower Falls...that was pretty....then drove on to Mammoth Hot Springs. There is a hotel there and we tried to get a room but all full. Drove on to Gardner (5 miles out of park) to find a room, but it was already 7:00 p.m. and all the places were full. So, gave up on idea of seeing Mammoth Hot Springs and drove on to Livingston Montana. The hotel here not only accepts dogs, but horses are welcome as well! I guess that is when you really know you are in the West.
We were just glad to get out of the car. We didn't use a half tank of gas today, but it seems like we spent the whole day driving. We did do a lot of driving, but only @ 35 mph for the most part. Jerry was in a really good mood! HA! But we made it and did our own fair share of gawking and stopping. Yellowstone is just so pretty.
Tomorrow the plan is to get to Great Falls and hook up w/ our friends that will be traveling w/ us. Hopefully tonite will be a better night's sleep!
All for now....must go load pix....more tomorrow...Linda
Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Well, the good weather has been too good to be true. Woke up this a.m. and it was overcast and raining. But, glory be, I had internet connection!!! So I got busy and updated blog from last 2 days and posted it this a.m. Plus I spent a good bit of time answering email, and getting info for Jerry off internet.
Finally got going around 9:45 and went to breakfast, then to Wally world where we stocked up on some fruit and toothpaste and film for the old film camera. Left town around 11:30 and the rain had let up and sky was clearing as we left town.
Stopped outside Cody at the Buffalo Bill Cody dam on the Shoshone River that runs thru Cody WY.
At the time it was built (in the early 1900's) it was the tallest dam in the world and quite an engineering feat. The lake it forms is beautiful w/ snow capped mountains in the distance. The highway that goes to the east entrance to Yellowstone runs thru the Wapiti Valley. The rock formations are really neat. Volcanic hoodoos to be exact....(if you have ever seen Bryce Canyon, those formations are also called hoodoos). These are volcanic in origin and have been sculpted by time into some interesting balancing and needle shaped spires.
We made it into Yellowstone and drove around Yellowstone Lake. We had decided to go on to Grand Teton National Park as it is so close so all we did was drive thru Yellowstone today, but will go back tomorrow and visit places in the park we have not been before. Of course it all looks different without snow on the ground. There is still plenty of snow on the mountains and you can see the Tetons from Yellowstone also. It was a spectacular drive, but Jerry (my "patient" husband) was getting frustrated w/ drivers who would not use the pullouts and were driving VERY slow! The drive to Jackson Hole was spectacular also. Lots of snow on the Tetons and it is such a spectacular mountain range.
We drove down the highway that runs along the outside boundary of the park along the Snake River. The view of the mountains was incredible. We will take the inner road on the way back up to Yellowstone tomorrow for a change of scene. We plan on getting an early start and the sun should be full on the mountains....they were backlit this afternoon. Hopefully the skies will be clear and the sun shining!
Arrived in Jackson Hole about 5:30 which is the earliest evening we have had to date. Found a dog friendly motel and went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a drink. For the uninitiated..the barstools are western saddles, complete w/ stirrups...(see picture). Then went looking for a BBQ place and stopped in a couple of shops/galleries along the way. It never ceases to amaze me how creative people can be. There is really some unique stuff!
Had a BBQ dinner @ Bubba's and walked back to motel. AS I said, we are planning on leaving early in the a.m. b/c there is some kind of Western Days festival this weekend here and parades, and all kinds of activities. We would rather spend the time in Yellowstone and our goal is to spend tomorrow nite in Bozeman.
Finally got going around 9:45 and went to breakfast, then to Wally world where we stocked up on some fruit and toothpaste and film for the old film camera. Left town around 11:30 and the rain had let up and sky was clearing as we left town.
Stopped outside Cody at the Buffalo Bill Cody dam on the Shoshone River that runs thru Cody WY.
At the time it was built (in the early 1900's) it was the tallest dam in the world and quite an engineering feat. The lake it forms is beautiful w/ snow capped mountains in the distance. The highway that goes to the east entrance to Yellowstone runs thru the Wapiti Valley. The rock formations are really neat. Volcanic hoodoos to be exact....(if you have ever seen Bryce Canyon, those formations are also called hoodoos). These are volcanic in origin and have been sculpted by time into some interesting balancing and needle shaped spires.
We made it into Yellowstone and drove around Yellowstone Lake. We had decided to go on to Grand Teton National Park as it is so close so all we did was drive thru Yellowstone today, but will go back tomorrow and visit places in the park we have not been before. Of course it all looks different without snow on the ground. There is still plenty of snow on the mountains and you can see the Tetons from Yellowstone also. It was a spectacular drive, but Jerry (my "patient" husband) was getting frustrated w/ drivers who would not use the pullouts and were driving VERY slow! The drive to Jackson Hole was spectacular also. Lots of snow on the Tetons and it is such a spectacular mountain range.
We drove down the highway that runs along the outside boundary of the park along the Snake River. The view of the mountains was incredible. We will take the inner road on the way back up to Yellowstone tomorrow for a change of scene. We plan on getting an early start and the sun should be full on the mountains....they were backlit this afternoon. Hopefully the skies will be clear and the sun shining!
Arrived in Jackson Hole about 5:30 which is the earliest evening we have had to date. Found a dog friendly motel and went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a drink. For the uninitiated..the barstools are western saddles, complete w/ stirrups...(see picture). Then went looking for a BBQ place and stopped in a couple of shops/galleries along the way. It never ceases to amaze me how creative people can be. There is really some unique stuff!
Had a BBQ dinner @ Bubba's and walked back to motel. AS I said, we are planning on leaving early in the a.m. b/c there is some kind of Western Days festival this weekend here and parades, and all kinds of activities. We would rather spend the time in Yellowstone and our goal is to spend tomorrow nite in Bozeman.
Wednesday & Thursday
Well, have not been able to post for a couple of days and so will try now....pictures are finally posting, but not with blog dates...by the time the trip is over I may have this down pat.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23
Got a late start b/c we were on the phone w/ Cingular for about 2 hours STILL trying to get phone mess straightened out....Jerry's frustration this time.....oh well...FINALLY got it straight for his phone anyway....mine - well, I give up. My advice to you all...don't get voice mail transfer.
Got away from Kadoka about 10 a.m. and on to Badlands. Lots of rolling, very green pasture land till we got to Badlands. THEN....the Badlands were just such a contrast....lots of gray, pink and yellow tints, but very little vegetation. Cliffs and towers, etc. It is beautiful! Hard choosing only one picture to post. Then on to Mt. Rushmore. That was spectacular also. The story behind the sculptor is fascinating. He made plaster masks of each of the presidents depicted on the mountain and they raised them to the cliff face for the workers to use. In taking off rock, he told the men who were sculpting the faces to "feel" the masks and then to "feel the cliff" and they would know how much rock to remove. Granted they did have measuring devices hanging off the top of the cliffs to get the proportions right, etc, but that was most interesting.
Drove on to Devil's Tower, but no place to stay so on to Hulett - the nearest town to DT. Late dinner, and was unable to get passcodes from desk when we returned so no post....to bed instead.
THURSDAY, MAY 24
FROST on the truck this a.m. Real frozen stuff! Yes it was cold this a.m.! However it warmed up quickly. The town of Hulett fills up w/ motorcycles when the rally in Sturgis is happening...glad we are not here for that. Walked to diner for coffee and cinnamon roll, then left for Devil's Tower. That was AWESOME! There is paved path around the base and we walked around it. About a mile walk and we discovered how hard it is to walk and look up at the same time! For those of you who don't know, Devil's Tower is where the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was filmed. It is a monolith rock that sticks up out of the floor of this valley. We spent several hours there. Found a trail/road with great view of tower and Jerry let the dogs run while I got out sketchbook.
Then we drove for a LONG time across Wyoming to Montana to get to Little Big Horn - the place of Custer's last stand. There is a national cemetery there as well as the Little Big Horn battlefield. It is strewn with headstones marking the places where soldiers and Indians were killed. It was hallowed ground for sure for both sides - one trying to preserve a way of life and the other trying to expand a way of life. It is a beautiful place...rolling hills with the Little Big Horn River along one side. There were some huge thunderstorms that were moving in and the sky was spectacular. They don't call Montana "Big Sky Country" for nothing! Got into a little rain, but mostly watched it in the distance.
Drove on to Cody Wyoming to spend the night. Cody is about 50 miles outside Yellowstone which is where we head on Friday. It is a neat town also, with a HUGE Buffalo Bill Cody museum. I think we are going to pass on the museum and head straight into Yellowstone. If roads are open we will also head into the Tetons either Fri. or Sat. as it is so close.
Well, that catches you up on our wanderings. There are still hills in the distance and roads before us, so I guess we will continue! Dogs doing OK...not eating much yet, especially Gabby, but since she had 4 teeth pulled right before we left she may still be a little sore. They are beginning to adjust to life in the truck. They have been so good and seem to be traveling well. I know they will be better when we get into the RV and they have more room to get up and move around.
We have seen some wildlife.....turkeys - females and males in full strut, deer everywhere, antelope everywhere, mountain goats, rabbits, chipmunks and pheasant. Hopefully we will see lots more in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Love to you all, Linda
P.S. Please note that the photos do not always match up with the text on the blog....will try to do better! LOL
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23
Got a late start b/c we were on the phone w/ Cingular for about 2 hours STILL trying to get phone mess straightened out....Jerry's frustration this time.....oh well...FINALLY got it straight for his phone anyway....mine - well, I give up. My advice to you all...don't get voice mail transfer.
Got away from Kadoka about 10 a.m. and on to Badlands. Lots of rolling, very green pasture land till we got to Badlands. THEN....the Badlands were just such a contrast....lots of gray, pink and yellow tints, but very little vegetation. Cliffs and towers, etc. It is beautiful! Hard choosing only one picture to post. Then on to Mt. Rushmore. That was spectacular also. The story behind the sculptor is fascinating. He made plaster masks of each of the presidents depicted on the mountain and they raised them to the cliff face for the workers to use. In taking off rock, he told the men who were sculpting the faces to "feel" the masks and then to "feel the cliff" and they would know how much rock to remove. Granted they did have measuring devices hanging off the top of the cliffs to get the proportions right, etc, but that was most interesting.
Drove on to Devil's Tower, but no place to stay so on to Hulett - the nearest town to DT. Late dinner, and was unable to get passcodes from desk when we returned so no post....to bed instead.
THURSDAY, MAY 24
FROST on the truck this a.m. Real frozen stuff! Yes it was cold this a.m.! However it warmed up quickly. The town of Hulett fills up w/ motorcycles when the rally in Sturgis is happening...glad we are not here for that. Walked to diner for coffee and cinnamon roll, then left for Devil's Tower. That was AWESOME! There is paved path around the base and we walked around it. About a mile walk and we discovered how hard it is to walk and look up at the same time! For those of you who don't know, Devil's Tower is where the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was filmed. It is a monolith rock that sticks up out of the floor of this valley. We spent several hours there. Found a trail/road with great view of tower and Jerry let the dogs run while I got out sketchbook.
Then we drove for a LONG time across Wyoming to Montana to get to Little Big Horn - the place of Custer's last stand. There is a national cemetery there as well as the Little Big Horn battlefield. It is strewn with headstones marking the places where soldiers and Indians were killed. It was hallowed ground for sure for both sides - one trying to preserve a way of life and the other trying to expand a way of life. It is a beautiful place...rolling hills with the Little Big Horn River along one side. There were some huge thunderstorms that were moving in and the sky was spectacular. They don't call Montana "Big Sky Country" for nothing! Got into a little rain, but mostly watched it in the distance.
Drove on to Cody Wyoming to spend the night. Cody is about 50 miles outside Yellowstone which is where we head on Friday. It is a neat town also, with a HUGE Buffalo Bill Cody museum. I think we are going to pass on the museum and head straight into Yellowstone. If roads are open we will also head into the Tetons either Fri. or Sat. as it is so close.
Well, that catches you up on our wanderings. There are still hills in the distance and roads before us, so I guess we will continue! Dogs doing OK...not eating much yet, especially Gabby, but since she had 4 teeth pulled right before we left she may still be a little sore. They are beginning to adjust to life in the truck. They have been so good and seem to be traveling well. I know they will be better when we get into the RV and they have more room to get up and move around.
We have seen some wildlife.....turkeys - females and males in full strut, deer everywhere, antelope everywhere, mountain goats, rabbits, chipmunks and pheasant. Hopefully we will see lots more in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Love to you all, Linda
P.S. Please note that the photos do not always match up with the text on the blog....will try to do better! LOL
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