I promise to catch up with the posts tonight.
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Medicine Wheel
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area to Bald Mountain Campground
Bighorn National Forest
We left the Horseshoe Bend campground and doubled back about five miles to Lovell, WY. Luci found a very nice supermarket to re-provision and I went to a parts store to try to solve the blown fuse in the truck. The person behind the counter agreed that it sounded like a fuse but was clueless (as was I) about which one. As luck would have it, a local “mobile mechanic” came in to get parts. Using my cell phone for internet and my test light, he quickly determined that I needed a 40 amp “Sub Batt” fuse. My luck continued because the parts store had two. I bought both for $10. The mechanic refused to take anything for his help, and I was back at the grocery store just as Luci was coming out!
Heading east we crossed the upper end of Bighorn Lake and began to climb into the Bighorn Mountains. We climbed 3600′ in 13 miles, going up 10% grades for most of the way. The Tundra made it without difficulty.
Once we gained the summit we stopped at the Medicine Wheel. The 1.5 mile walk in was mostly flat, but it was at 9600′. We were a little breathless and the views were breathtaking.
The origin of the Medecine Wheel is unclear. Archeologists think it was constructed between 1200 and 1700 A.D. It is very sacred to a number of Plains Indian tribes and has been visited by them often in the last few hundred years. It is a circle 80′ in diameter with a stone cairn at the center. Twenty eight spokes radiate from the center cairn. There are six smaller cairns around the rim.
The Forest Service makes it very clear to visitors that this is a very sacred place to multiple tribes and the offerings and site must be respected and not disturbed in any way.
Looking back along the path from the wheel you can see a radar dome for air traffic controllers covering three states. Such a modern contrast to the ancient Medicine Wheel!
This is the view from our camper front window. We shared the Bald Mountain Campground with a group of 30 high schoolers from Wisconsin on a 10 day field trip heading to Yellowstone. They were getting up at 4AM to see sunrise from the top of Bald Mountain!
100 miles today
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Rory and Luci
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Bighorn Canyon
Friday, July 26, 2019
In camp Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
We enjoyed a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and English muffin with Karl and Debbie. Then they packed up and headed toward Garryowen, MT and the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We will keep in touch and perhaps meet up with them again before we get back to Maine.
It turned out that the little episode with the trailer plug wasn’t quite over. When I was trying rewire the 7 pin plug yesterday, I apparently crossed some wires and blew a fuse in the truck and a circuit breaker in the trailer. This was not readily apparent since all the exterior lights (brakes, turn signals, running lights, etc) worked fine after the RV mechanic fixed the plug. However, when the trailer was plugged into shore power everything worked fine. But on the battery alone, it was dead. Not even a glimmer. Strange, since the batteries themselves seemed fully charged. After an hour or so of trouble shooting with a helpful campsite neighbor, I found a push button circuit breaker mounted on the frame underneath the trailer between the battery and the AC DC converter. I pushed it in and everything was back to normal. Just to be sure, I checked the 7 pin plug on the truck and found that the constant 12 volt supply that charges the trailer batteries while driving was dead. I was pretty sure it was just a fuse and when I can find someone to tell me which fuse, I will replace it. So we went off to explore the canyon.
First we drove north along the rim of the canyon back into Montana. The canyon here is about 1500’ deep. In some places further north it is 3000’ deep.
Bighorn Canyon is the third largest canyon in the US. The river is dammed by Yellowtail Dam near Ft. Smith, MT. The dam is 528’ high and the resulting lake extends southward through the canyon 60 miles and forms a lake in Wyoming. Our campground is at the south end of the canyon and the north end of the lake.
We finally saw some Big Horned Sheep. This is a ewe whose baby was not far behind. The daddy rams with the really big horns are up in the mountains cavorting with all the other big boys not to be seen today.
We went back to the campground / marina and took a boat trip up the canyon. We are now in about the same position as the boat in the picture above.
Sometimes on the river you need a place to put all that beer you drank. This is a floating outhouse!
On the road
Rory and Luci
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Cody
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Cody, WY to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Luci, Karl, and I went into Cody as soon as the stores opened to find a hat for Karl. That was easily accomplished in a cowboy town like Cody! The Karl and I went to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is a world class museum. Actually there are five different museum radiating out like spokes from a central hub. You buy a two day pass and it would take two days or more to do justice to them all. Since we only had the morning we spent an hour in three of them. I chose the Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum, and Buffalo Bill Museum. Karl chose Whitney Western Art Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, and Buffalo Bill Museum. Since we had just been to Yellowstone and Glacier we passed up the Draper Natural History Museum .
An interactive art station in the Art Museum.
Too soon we went back to the campsite, packed up and left. There I made a big mistake. In our haste to vacate the site by 1PM Luci and I neglected to follow our usual light check before hitting the road. If we had, we would have known that the trailer lights were not connected. Twenty miles later in Powell, I noticed that the trailer brakes were not working and it came to me. I pulled over immediately, but it was too late. Dragging the connector plug on the pavement for twenty miles pretty well ruins it. Fortunately there was a NAPA store right across the street. I bought a replacement 7 pin plug and set about putting it on. Unfortunately the old plug was molded plastic and I had to cut it off meaning I didn’t know which color wire went to which position. We found several internet sites which conflicted with the minimal instructions with the plug. After an hour of trying different combinations and running the battery dead in the truck we gave up. Luci found an RV dealer who said they would help us only a mile away. We went over there and they fixed the plug in about 15 minutes. They declined to charge us anything so Luci gave them each a beer and we were on our way again. Since it was now getting late we decided to stop at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. We scored the last two sites with electricity which was good because it was 91 degrees.
The road into Horseshoe Bend Campground skirted these red rock formations.
One tree and the camper provided the only shade. We all like Karl’s new hat!
With the sun below the horizon it cooled off fast and we didn’t use the A/C after dark.
65 miles today
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Rory and Luci
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Glacier Day 4
Saturday, July 20, 2019
In camp Fish Creek Campground
Glacier National Park
Our campsite at Fish Creek. It’s pretty, but to level the camper, the front end is on the ground and the rear is blocked up with everything we had!
While others gadded about, we took a lovely morning bird walk from our campsite along the shore of McDonald Lake. It lasted three hours.
This black tailed deer was not at all concerned.
A Western Tanager is a beauty!
Typically around dinner time, we gather at the largest campsite for pot luck dinners. Left to right, Mason (the Hatt’s son in law), Rory, Karl, Debbie, and Steve. Of course, Petey was always in the middle.
Tomorrow, we split up. The Hatts are off to Denver to see their granddaughter and the Gallaghers are heading East. The Olsons, Luci & I will be together for a few more days to look for more western adventures.
On the road
Rory and Luci
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leaving Glacier
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Fish Creek Campground to Flathead Lake State Park, West Shore Unit
Today we split up. Jim and Barbara headed to Nebraska & to the east. Steve and Kim headed to Denver. Ironically, they both ended up in the same campground in Bozeman.
Karl & Debbie and Luci & I headed south to Flathead Lake. Since they had a reservation, they had a prime site with electricity. We had a small site tucked back in the trees with no services. The view of Flathead Lake across the road from K & D’s site was great!
Karl and Debbie went off to visit Libby where Karl worked for the Forest Service three summers during college. He has not been back since. Luci and I went grocery shopping and made dinner at their site. Afterwards we had a nice fire.
59 miles today
Monday, July 22, 2019
Flathead Lake State Park to Three Forks, MT
A typical Montana morning along US Route 93 heading south.
In Missoula we got on I-90 east. As interstates go, not bad!
It ain’t anything like I-90 around Boston!
We stopped for the night at a former KOA in Three Forks where we have stayed twice before. Karl and I went off to inspect the great river junctions of the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin meet to form the headwaters of the mighty Missouri River.
… while Deb & Luci did laundry and Luci made huckleberry pie.
272 miles
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Rory and Luci
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Yellowstone
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Three Forks, MT to Paradise Valley, MT
We got up early and had breakfast at Wheat Montana, a local bakery / flour store. Yum! Then we booked along I-90 east through Bozeman to Livingston where we turned south to the Paradise Valley KOA. We set up by noon and quickly headed south into Yellowstone National Park for a whirlwind tour of the northwest corner of the park.
Elk were sleeping on the lawn at the administration building in Mammoth Hot Springs. Rangers had to keep moving the “Keep Back” signs as the elk wandered as few very “curious” visitors inevitably wanted to get too close. There was a big article about a child that was tossed/gored by a ticked off bison. Two adults and the child were 10 feet from the huge animal.
The upper Norris Geyser Basin. Note the blue hot bubbling pool in the foreground.
A geothermal feature right on the bank of the Gibbon River.
Beryl Spring …. All these were usually accompanied by a mild sulfur aroma.
Don’t bother the sleeping Bison! We stayed in the car for this roadside sleepy guy.
Luci and Karl enjoying the geyser pool.
We had a picnic dinner at a deserted picnic area on the Gibbon River and drove back to the campsite in the dark.
70 miles on the road
200 miles touring the park
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Rory and Luci
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Into Wyoming
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Paradise Valley, MT to Cody, WY
We had breakfast at the KOA pavilion, then headed south into Yellowstone, and then out the Northeast Entrance. The Lamar Valley did not disappoint us. We saw not just a few bison but whole herds! And they did roam, run, and delight. The Lamar Valley road does not seem as crowded as the more famous Hayden Valley.
They were everywhere! About 4000 roam in Yellowstone. There was one buffalo dancing on my lawn…….
All the while we are surrounded by these beautiful mountains.
And then we climbed Dead Indian Pass. Try to trace all the switchbacks we climbed to get to the top.
As we descended the east side the scenery changed again.
All of a sudden we were out of the mountains into the treeless plains.
We finally stopped after a day short on miles but long on wonder in a very cramped commercial campground in “downtown” Cody, WY.
180 Miles
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Rory and Luci
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Glacier Day 3
Friday, July 19, 2019
In camp Fish Creek Campground
Glacier National Park
Today Jim, Barbara, Luci, and I set out early (8AM) to try to get a parking space at Logan Pass to do some hiking. However, when we got there at 9AM all the parking spaces were taken and a number of cars were circling. We decided to continue east down the Going to the Sun Road toward St. Mary. Since we only had the truck this was OK (21’ long). We stopped at Sun Point picnic area to use the facilities when a shuttle bus pulled in. It was headed to Logan Pass and had room for four so we hopped aboard and back up to Logan Pass we went!
The view from the Going to the Sun Highway looking back into the valley.
We hiked the Hidden Lake Overlook trail (about 1.5 miles each way) from the Visitor Center at Logan Pass. It is on the Continental Divide at about 6646 ft. We found this Hoary Marmot along the path. They are about the size of a large woodchuck.
Then we found this Mountain Goat along the path.
We spotted this family high up on the cliff. At least one of the adults is sporting a radio collar.
Another Nanny and Kid.
Hidden Lake is behind us. Yes, it is snowing. We checked off all the weather options in one hike except for tornadoes. We refer to this as Iceland weather. 35 degrees, 25 mph wind, sleet and snow. Brrr.
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Rory and Luci
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Glacier Day 2
Thursday, July 18, 2019
St. Mary Campground to Fish Creek Campground
Glacier National Park
Today we moved from the east side of the park to the west side. However, we could not drive over Logan Pass to do this because there is a length limit of 21’ total on the Going to the Sun Highway. We are about 45’, truck and trailer. So we around the south end of the park again along Route 2 over Marias Pass. The Great Northern Railroad (now BNSF) follows the same route.
Before we left St. Mary we had rain, then hail, then a beautiful double rainbow over the restroom.
Leaving St. Mary with evidence of the 2006 fire in the foreground. FYI, we are on the northeast side of the triple divide. The St. Mary River flows northeast into the Saskatchewan River and into Hudson Bay.
In the west you always have to be alert for animals in the road. There was a fence along the highway and these cattle were definitely on the wrong side of it.
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This obelisk is a monument to Theodore Roosevelt next to a statute of John Payne Stevens in Marias Pass. We think Stevens was a design engineer for the railroad who found this route through the mountains.
The Izaak Walton Hotel is a hotel with a railyard. It was built in 1939 on the south border of Glacier National Park and has been serviced by the Great Northern Railroad ever since.
You can stay in the inn or in any of the many converted rail cars and cabooses like this one. Rory got a tee shirt.
120 miles today
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Rory and Luci
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Westward Ho! 