Category: Travel

Posts about my Chapter 5 travel adventures

Eerie day! Smoke from wildfires in Manitoba blew into South Dakota overnight, creating an air quality advisory. Since I wanted to see Badlands NP today, I chose to drive the scenic route and stop at the overlooks rather than hike. Even in the sometimes heavy haze, the beauty and majesty of the badlands shined through. Here’s hoping the reports of improving air quality starting tomorrow prove accurate!

Surprising formations.

 

Some greenery mixed with the buttes.

 

Looking down on the badlands from an overlook.

 

Can you see the smoky haze in the background?

 

Mountain goats!

 

Anyone know why this is so famous…?

Relaxing day exploring! Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave NP, and Custer SP. AND my RV park has free wine tasting tonight!

Recognize anyone?

 

Compulsory pic!

 

Crazy Horse Memorial still in progress – probably won’t be done for another 100 years.

 

Another view.

 

Bike sculpture in Pringle.

 

SO EXCITED to be back on the trail with lower temps, blue sky, and tall trees!!!

 

Cold Brook Canyon Trail.

 

Guess who else was recently on the trail?!

 

Bison get thirsty too. (Wildlife Loop Road, Custer State Park.)

Lots of driving today! Left early-ish this morning and drove the long way here so I could see Devils Tower National Monument. Interestingly, both Yellowstone, first National Park, and Devils Tower, first National Monument, are in Wyoming.
I’m at a more luxurious RV park close to Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, etc. – and will be here for five nights. 🙂
Big news: the heat wave should break tomorrow!

 

 

 

107°!!! So, again, no hiking for me. Instead, I explored the South Unit from Addie, stopping at all of the signed areas on the scenic route. Very intriguing: the many prairie dog towns with their dirt mounds and prairie dogs poking their heads out. Also interesting: mama and baby bisons. In Yellowstone, the single bisons walking on the road were males who are banned from hanging out with the moms and babies. Today I saw herds of mamas and babies slowly crossing the road.
After ICE CREAM and a nap in air conditioned Addie, I attended the amphitheater production is the Medora Musical, a loose telling of the story of Teddy Roosevelt, Americana songs, and a comedian/juggler. In April, a wildfire almost destroyed the amphitheater!
Two prairie dogs – zoomed in and cropped…

 

The line of mamas and babies heading toward the road.

 

Looking out of Addie’s window.

 

A bison was here.

 

Buttes. I’m learning that mountains are created when the earth pushes up land masses, and buttes are formed when water and wind erode what is around the land mass. Im still trying to figure out how canyons fit into this story…The walls and upward cropping a of the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon, can those also be called buttes?

 

I think the variegation is beautiful.

 

More gorgeous formations.

 

From above the amphitheater. Hard to see but there are two elk on the ridge just to the right of the Medora sign. Also on the far right, it’s possible to see where the wildfire stopped.

 

I wonder if they thought about other meanings for their rainbow colors… This is the first state I’ve visited with ardent anti-maskers and, I assume, anti-vaxxers.

Heat wave! Addie said today’s high was 105°, and I believe her. Tomorrow is predicted to be hotter. 
So instead of hiking, we spent the morning cheering on my friend Nanine, who this morning finished her solo Great American Rail Trail bike ride (minus unsafe roadways Wyoming). So happy for her!!!!!!! 
TR National Park is divided into three separate sections, Elkhorn Ranch, South Unit, and North Unit. Addie’s low clearance won’t allow her to travel the rutted gravel roads in Elkhorn, where there’s also a fire. Tomorrow we’ll explore South Unit. Today we drove the 68 miles to North Unit, which several friends have said is the best, and stopped at the signed spots along the scenic route. The badlands geological formations wowed me! The pictures don’t do justice to the scenery given the smoky haze…

 

 

 

A variety of scenery, history, and culture today. I left The Huntley Project Museum in the morning and drove over to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. What I liked about the displays were their focus on both Custer and his soldiers and the Native American tribes that also fought on the battleground.
Next was Terry, MT, formerly a town where two railroads met and currently an agricultural area. Enlightening surprise: learning about Evelyn Cameron, a pioneer woman and photographer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Cameron. If you’re ever in Terry, check out the Evelyn Cameron Gallery! Also cool to see: the old Kempton Hotel.
Another 100 miles or so brought me to Medora, ND, just outside the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt NP. I’m at an RV camp with electricity and cable, so it’s air conditioning and the Olympics for me!
Monument to Custer and his soldiers.

 

Monument to the Native Americans.

 

I LOVE this.

 

Hitting the road with coffee and Addie!

 

Kempton Hotel.

 

Medora.

 

Dinner!

 

Walking around to explore and saw the entrance to the park. Curious about the tall structure to the right, thinking it was a monument, and found out it’s from the slaughterhouse that used to be on the site!

 

Smoky sunset through Addie’s window…

A “relaxing” day in three acts:
Act 1: After a lazy start, I drove to Billings where Addie and I had lunch (me – yogurt, her – Costco gas). I walked around Billings a bit – the city has many sides – cute restaurants and coffee shops, government offices, and historical sites.
Act 2: Through Harvest Hosts, I scheduled dry camping at the Huntley Project Museum. Not only is the museum a surprising gem, but also the curator, Judy, gave me several intriguing suggestions for sites to visit between here and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, my next stop.
Act 3: Based on Judy’s recommendation, this afternoon I headed over to Pompey’s Pillar National Monument to see Clark’s (of Lewis and Clark fame) name carved into a rock. Doesn’t sound good when stated like that, eh?! It was though! The visitors center and signage explained much of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Nice history lesson – an introduction to the sites I’m going to see tomorrow.
Billings

 

This 1920s stencil on the Oliver Building denotes the motorway from Glacier NP to Galveston, TX.

 

Skypoint, completed in 2002, is a tent-like structure over the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Broadway in downtown Billings, Montana, USA. Its highest point is 73 feet above ground level. There are three “sails” that make up the structure. The largest sail can move to let the sun through or to cover the intersection if it rains. Skypoint is part of the plan to revitalize downtown Billings and attract more people to downtown.

 

Street chalk drawing in Billings!

 

Can you see Wm. Clark’s name carved into this 200 rock pillar?

 

View from the top of Pompey’s Pillar.

 

Addie at the Huntley Project Museum.

 

One room schoolhouse at the Huntley Project Museum.

 

Dredger, Huntley Project Museum.

 

Hm… I don’t see any synagogues listed…

I explored the hydrothermal delights at Mammoth Hot Springs in the morning, enjoying the walk and scenery but not the crowds. (My horseback riding guides said Yellowstone averages 4-5 million visitors every year. We’re halfway through the season and already 5 million visitors have been here!)
In the afternoon, I headed over to Roosevelt Corral so I could meet Ponka and ride in Yellowstone’s backcountry for an hour. Our guides eloquently described the bison dust pits where the humongous animals roll around in dirt, the rocks left behind by glaciers, and the various flora on the trail. This was a fun way to see a different side of Yellowstone!

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Need I say more?!
[More…haha! After a long day of driving yesterday, the sweet camp host at Crazy Creek Campground, Cody, WY, let me “park” (not “camp” – if the ranger came by and asked!), as long as I left early before the ranger arrived, so I could have a safe place to sleep. I left before 6:30am, dodged more bison, and arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs (in Yellowstone near the north gate) at about 8am. Coffee, breakfast, a chat with Joel, and a FaceTime smile from Emmett revived me. From there, I drove to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and hiked the south and north rims. The photo, taken toward the end of the day (I see the tiredness in my face!) at Artist Point highlights the majesty of this canyon – the waterfalls, the river, and the rock formations. Now, I’m resting at a different campsite, boondocked at an RV park an hour north of Mammoth Hot Springs in Livingston. The shower here? Fabulous!]

There are so many parts to today, I’m going to break it down into sections!
Yellowstone and it’s hydrothermal features: Silly me, I thought the big deal was Old Faithful and that was it. I could not have been more wrong! What I thought would be a “one and done, cool, what’s next” site turned into a ten mile hiking day exploring an abundance of geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, travertine terraces, and mudpots. Gorgeous, surprising, captivating displays of the earth’s power!
Animals: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Well, not lions and tigers – but yes bears, elk, and bison! Most animal sightings occurred in the northeastern portion of the park. While traveling to the northeast gate, multiple times cars would be stopped with everyone hanging out of windows or walking in the road, aiming their cameras and phones in the same direction. Once, there was a mama black bear with her two babies following her. Another time, a herd of elk was next to the road. The bison, though, were cute – if you can call a humongous hairy animal cute! – at first. But then, they became annoying – and a bit scary! Twice, a bison took his half out of the middle – meaning, walked down the highway on the yellow line before finally deciding to leave the road (see video below!).
Road closures and camping: When looking for a campsite for these three nights on recreation.gov, I found availability at Greenough Lake campsite, national forest, out of the northeast gate. [Note: there is NO cell service or WiFi in Yellowstone.] Well…one road is closed for maintenance in the park, so I had to drive all around the park adding 33 miles to my route. Nearly three hours hours and many bison sightings later, I find the road to my campsite is closed from 7pm to 7am, Monday thru Thursday, for maintenance. I remembered passing a national forest campground between Yellowstone and the road closure. All sites are booked! However, the campground host so very sweetly is allowing me to “park” – not “camp” – for the night in a parking spot so I have a safe place to sleep tonight.
Grand Prismatic hot spring.

 

I love the colors!

 

More colors and textures!

 

Love this!

 

Which of these many photos of Old Faithful should I post? Haha!

 

Okay, this one!

 

Elk.

 

One of a gazillion bison.

 

Mama and her two cubs!

I LOVE this park! It has everything I love: trails, forests, waterfalls, animals, rivers. I am SO coming back here for MANY more hikes and explorations!
This morning, I took a road trip around the park, visiting various scenic views and old homesteads.
In the afternoon, I went on a float on the Snake River. It was so much fun – even with a thunderstorm for part of the time. The views: spectacular! The people: fun! The water: refreshing!
I LOVE Grand Teton National Park!
View through the doorway of Cunningham cabin.

 

Snake River

 

Mormon Row Historic District.

 

Homestead with Tetons in the background.

 

Miss Addie relaxing.

 

A herd of bison along the road. Today, I also saw a bald eagle!

 

If you are ever in the Tetons, I strongly suggest going on a float!

 

Cooling off on the raft.

 

Storm’s abrewing.

 

LOVE!

There’s nothing like a big hike to offset a day of driving! I woke up early (for me!) so I could arrive at Jenny Lake by 8am – and find a parking spot.
Today’s hike: 10.5 miles around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and, after a big climb up switchbacks, Inspiration Point. (Hm…several parks I’ve visited have Inspiration Points – not very inspired naming!)
For much of the hike around the lake, there were very few people. Once I got to Hidden Falls, there they were! One option is to take the ferry/shuttle across the lake from the Jenny Lake Visitors Center to Hidden Falls – an option many people take.
The afternoon consisted of napping, reading, laundry, and vacuuming.
All in all, a refreshing day!
Jenny Lake

 

Jenny Lake

 

Great trail!

 

String Lake flowing into Jenny Lake

 

Anyone know the name of these flowers? They were all over the burn scar area – Alder Fire (1999) on Jenny Lake trail.

 

Hidden Falls

 

Inspiration Point

 

Laundry day

The drive through Montana and Idaho proved uneventful – flat scenery. And then! The Tetons came into view – WOWZA! Camping for three nights in the park itself – very nice. Tomorrow I’ll explore the park; tonight is relaxation time. 🙂

The view for many miles today.

 

First Teton sighting.

 

View of Jackson Hole from the top of Teton Pass, five miles downhill from here with a 10% grade. Addie did great with downshifting.

 

Wowza!

 

Twins! Both 2010 Chevy Roadtrek 190 Versatiles!

 

Sunset over Jackson Lake.
My “off” (non-travel supposedly relaxing) day started with goats joining me at my campsite. Bud, the largest, thinks he’s a dog and loves being petted. A 3.5 mile hike from the campground, through a marsh, into a forest, and over grassy hills astonished my senses. I enjoyed seeing flitting butterflies and buzzing bugs while listening to birds calling and leaves rustling.
Following lunch, Addie and I headed into town. Not only were there an old library, compliments of Phoebe Hearst, and an Art Deco theater, but there also were a car show at one park and an art festival at another park, both with live music.
Upon returning to camp, Addie rested while I showered in the campground’s claw foot shower. Ah… 🙂
Woke up to the camp goats. The goats and horses are all rescues.

 

Not sure if the chickens and turkeys are rescued!

 

A horse, a donkey, and a pony walk into a bar…

 

Can you see the butterflies flitting and bugs buzzing in the marsh?

 

Car show in the downtown park…

 

Phoebe Hearst, wife a California Senator George Hearst who invested in the Anaconda copper mine, donated the library to improve the culture of the town.

 

Washoe Theater – I peeked in and the employees welcomed me to see the theater including turning the lights on so I could see the majesty of this historical landmark.

 

Relaxing in Addie’s shade.

What a day of contrasts! From Glacier I traveled to Flathead Lake for several miles. Beautiful and BIG lake! (“Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western US (by surface area) outside of Alaska.”)
After Flathead as I approached Missoula, I noticed the sky looking hazy, the smell smoky, and my eyes itchy. Yep, surrounded by fires.
Missoula, the second largest city in Montana and home of the University of Montana, has a darling downtown and, according to Wikipedia, a thriving brew pub industry. Lunch? Fish tacos and a beer at Tamarack Brewery.
While walking off my beer, I discovered the Elks Lodge 383, a beautiful old building containing both the lodge and apartments.
The final leg of today’s journey was almost a Plan B. Google’s directions to the Hipcamp I’m staying at led me astray. Fortunately, I was able to reach the owner who talked me to the correct place, an old western town. Karen, the proprietor, bought the property in 2019 and rents spaces in the refurbished buildings as a B&B. When she realized how many people are having trouble finding camping sites, she opened up some of her 52 acres to dispersed camping via Hipcamp.
That’s a long post for today! Addie and I are enjoying our adventure!
Flathead Lake

 

Smoky skies!

 

Surrounded by wildfires 🙁

 

Fish tacos and an award-winning beer 🙂

 

Seen while walking around Missoula

 

Missoula

 

Elks Lodge (no RV facilities though!)

 

 

Right now in Anaconda there’s a thunderstorm warning…

 

My Hipcamp for the next two nights!