Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park was a much anticipated visit for us. We were shy of an hour away from it so while in Ennis we made this our first trip. We had visited the website multiple times to make sure we had all necessary details before heading out. We actually went 2 days to try and see it all. Day 2 was quite an experience!

Day 1. There was road construction within the park, it was very busy for the end of September, per one of the rangers, and very,  warm.  Most of you have probably been there before so you may, or may not, understand what I am going to say. I was disappointed in Yellowstone. I can’t tell you why exactly, except I think my expectations were influenced due to all the things we had heard about it. We have  been to so many beautiful and fascinating places in this country, I believe my expectations were unrealistic. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, with lots of scenic drives and wildlife everywhere. There were also lots and lots of stupid, inconsiderate people. In fact, there is a Facebook page dedicated to Yellowstone National Park idiots.  Check it out.

 Since parking was a definite challenge, to say the least, we chose to see other, not so popular, attractions. 

One of many Bison seen while there.

 

                                                                      Fountain Paint Pots

                                                                        More Paint Pot springs

                                                                                 Mud  Pots

                                                                    the Mud Pots erupting

                                                                             Bacteria Mats

                                                                Sulfur springs from a distance

                              The only bear we saw, unfortunately, was a dead one on the roadside

Day 2 would be prove to be frustrating but on the bright side,  the alternate drive to the Park  was worth it. The terrain was  beautiful and roads were good and not busy. The road took jus through some country we may not have seen otherwise.  The route traversed by Quake lake. https://www.yellowstonepark.com/park/history/yellowstone-earthquake-of-1959/ . Check out the link, it explains what happened one tragic night. Just before we neared the lake we quickly came to a halt as 4-5 mountain goats decided they wanted to cross in front of us. No problem...after all, its the wildlife we really want to see. Since we did the west entrance the day before, we chose to drive up to the north entrance and take the loop around to see the southern part. It’s a long drive to the northern entrance from the west but it was a pretty drive with lots of wildlife. We took the route to the the south to experience the rest of Yellowstone. Or so we thought! To our surprise the road was closed for construction. Grrrr!! That was probably the one thing on the website I didn’t check. But we thought there would have been other postings about it throughout the park.  It is now late afternoon and we have 2 choices and a decision to make. 1. drive about 1 1/2 hours back to the northern exit and another 2 hours back to our site, or drive 2 1/2 hours to the western exit and an hour home. So we took the northern exit and made it home just before dark. It was a day disappointing but we can now say we were there and don’t need to go again. All in all, Yellowstone was a good experience but a tiring one.

                                                                        Quake lake

      

                                                                   Safely across the street

                                                                         Gibbon  Falls

                                                                He stopped to pose for me

                                                               One of the many beautiful views

                                                             Roaring Mountain - Fumaroles

                                                                One of many herds we saw

                                                   A bull calling his harem at the exit.

                                                               

I have come to realize that our perception of things is very personal and  probably the opposite of others. Guess that’s what makes us so unique. As you travel and explore, regardless of how far you travel, or where it might be, remember to look for those precious moments to relive over again.  And while you are out there remember to be thankful for that opportunity and look up, it’s amazing out there.

Big Sky Country

Welcome Big Sky Country….I had no idea what exactly this meant but I sure do now. Our first stop in MT was Reed Point. At first glance it appears to be a ghost town as most building are old and closed. The closer I looked at the demographics of town I realized the population of about 350 people lived in the surroundings of the city. I don’t know the story behind everything being closed but it sure was a quaint town close to the Yellowstone river. When darkness set in, no city lights to speak of, with at least a bazillion stars out, it became very evident of why they call it Big Sky country! The stars appeared so close I felt like I could reach up into the sky and touch them. What this town lacked in amenities it offered so much more in beauty and charm. It amazes me how these little western old towns can offer things that todays suburban cities can’t hold a candle to. Talking about getting back to basics…

                                                                                                                   A                                                 A sample of downtown Reed Point MT                                                                         

                                                  This sign is seen frequently throughout town

                                             Baxter’s 1st introduction to the Yellowstone river

Old mill across from the railroad tracks.

                                                              A very artistic someone

                                               The old city bank converted into a home or apts.

At this point in our journey we re-evaluated our plans for future travels. It was our intention to go to Glacier, then down to Yellowstone and then back up to Coeur d'Alene ID (which in itself was 8 hr drive one way). Rob drives the entire time…he says he enjoys it, and I don’t argue that. So I need to be considerate of the plans I make. Our “black tank” issue is still there and now we have another issue to deal with. The quick release connector to our car air hose  braking system came loose and is now half the size it originally was cause it was dragging on the ground. We expedited one to be sent to our next campground but it was the wrong one. This influenced our decision to not go to Glacier or ID.

On Sunday we checked into our campground in Ennis, MT. The first thing I did was reorder the right connector and have it delivered to us by Sat. This would give us time to work on the black tank (ugh, still!) and explore while here. The campground was very accommodating, had everything we needed, lots of places to walk, large sites and beautiful scenery.

We got a very pleasant surprise while in Ennis. We got a text from  dear friends, Jan and Don McKinney. It turns out they were about 40 miles north of us and were coming to see us for the day. Oh my gosh. That was such awesome news. We hadn’t seem them since last winter. They are on a 90+ day trip visiting many of the NP and Monuments and happened “to be in the neighborhood “!  Besides talking and catching up, we went to town for lunch and camp back to camp. God Bless Don, he got hooked into the “black tank” problem. Just how he wanted to spend the rest of the day. What a guy! They headed back to their campground to continue their adventures and we all hope to get together this winter. Moments like this are priceless.

We like to partake of the local cuisine when we can so we visited downtown Ennis. There aren’t too many places I feel like I could live but this was one of them, except for winter. No big box stores or chain restaurants but it had everything we needed. People were extremely friendly and willing to talk or help out, if needed. There were metal statues all through town that supported the towns interests.  Sure makes good conversation. Another big plus is the Lions Club Park/ Rest area. It has a couple miles of trails, a fishing pond for under 12, ball diamonds, a playground and is on the Madison river. This was a great place to walk Baxter daily.

                                                 These were across from our campground 

                                                     The 12 under fishing lake at Lions Park

                                                               View from our campsite.

                                                             This relics is at the aLions Pak

                                           One of the many fish statues along the Madison river

                                                A downtown as semblance of the city foundations

Update on blank tank! I was more than ready to make a phone call and write a  check. Rob has worked on this problem just about every day (with many good intentions from neighbors). We found a mobile service that was able to come out. Whoohoo. The owners had been in a very serious car accident (3 months in the hospital) and that day was his first day back to work. After about 1 1/2 hours later and $$$ missing in the checking account, things were flowing downhill again. I couldn’t thank the service man enough.

It was a great week, lots of exploring, and our part came but not until Monday morning. Luckily, we were able to extend. UPS came, Rob put the new part on and we were outta there by noon with anticipation of yet more new places to seek out. We feel very blessed to be able to live this live style and see so many new places, become acquainted with new friends and choose our next destination. Whatever choices you make I hope it involves new adventures and gives you a feeling of freedom and happiness. Remember to be kind, love those near and dear to you and don’t forget to look up, it’s amazing out there.

 

Minnesota and North Dakota

 Playing catch-up is not something I like to do but it seems I have fallen into this scenario again. It seems life just gets in the way sometimes and having fun is almost always a priority.

After spending an extended stay in the UP of Michigan we continue our trek along highway 2 through the northern states.  Let me preface this statement with the fact that we are having to contend with a dreaded “black tank” problem! All RVers know about this and hope it happens to the “other” guy. We know what the problem was, how it happened, just don’t know the remedy. Luckily it didn’t keep us from traveling but it was always an irritating thought….what if?

 

As we weave in and out of time zones we finally end up in Duluth, MN. Having never been there before to visit, we had decided the top thing to do was the Northern Lake Superior Scenic Drive. It is 143 miles long but because of time constraints we were only able to about 55 miles.  There was so much to see but I am sure there was a lot we missed. I have a few highlights to share with you.

                                             One of the many awesome Lake Superior scenes

Gooseberry Falls

                                                        Two Harbors, MN 125 year old tug

                                                                  Split Rock lighthouse

                                   Lighthouse from the beach. Most photographed scene in MN

Is true, we do not have a schedule to meet but we feel like we need to move on. The ever niggling problem of the infamous blank tank looms over us, and (keeping our fingers crossed) check to make sure it has not become any worse. It’s not any better but has not prevented us from moving on.

Next stop is the Red River SP in E Grand Forks, MN. We don’t usually do State Parks because they aren’t always able to accommodate big rigs. Boy, we’re we surprised. It wasn’t exactly easy to find the entrance, winding through city streets and business district AND in the rain. It is one of the nicest state parks we have seen. In 1959 there was a major flood there and the city bought up 500 homes and created a flood plain and a beautiful park. We were only there for 2 nights but I sure got a lot of exercise while there.

                                                              Our morning visitor while walking

                                                       The river follows the park trail

                                                               Trail distance markers

In case you need a few minutes to rest

Even though we are having fun and the weather is beautiful, we pack up our things and make our way, slowly, to Montana. Visited another SP, Turtle River in ND on our way to Minot. It also was a very nice state park. Before we get to Minot, we stopped at the Geographical Center of North America in Rugby ND.

While we were stopped we noticed a Prairie Museum almost next door. Can we get this beast turned around to go see it? Museums are a “gotta see” thing. Luck was on our side as both places were on a service drive with a large parking lot. Before we could change our minds, there we were walking inside the museum and being given directions to best see the exhibits. It was a village loaded with history. We finally drove away a few hours later. I won’t bore you with all the pictures I took but will share a few to give you an idea of what we experienced.

                                                              The General store had it all.

                                                 Statue of the tallest man in the world from ND.

                                                        Someone is not paying attention!

                                                 These dresses were referred to a jingle  dresses.

                                                      A train car used to transport workers.

                            A huge collection of classic vehicles was also housed at the museum.

It’s time to mosey along as we have reservations at a campground and we do not like to setup late. Getting an RV parked and setup after dark can be rather entertaining and we do t like being the topic of discussion.  

We have watched enough and had a few good laughs. With time on our side, we manage to find the campground without getting lost…that’s always a plus. We rest our weary bones, check our blank tank, yep, still frustrating and trying our patience, but for now  it is “status quo”. We are ready to relax and plan out our next stop, Montana. We have never been to MT and are excited about all there is to see and do there.

Until we meet again, get outside and breath that fresh air, take a walk in the woods and let the breeze blow freely around you. While out there remember to look up, it’s amazing out there.