Sacramento, Yosemite, Tetons, Yellowstone, MT, WY, & CO with the Stocks

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May 29, 2011 Day 22 Yellowstone NP?Fishing Bridge RV Park

When we woke up, it was snowing AGAIN!  We tried to wait it out for a couple of hours, then headed out to Mammoth Hot Springs (49 miles one way).  When we got cell phone reception, we had a message from Don & Marianne, RVForumers who are working in West Yellowstone.  Marianne told me that we were supposed to get 6 inches of snow today, 6 more inches of snow tonight, and 6 more inches tomorrow.  It snowed all day non-stop, sometimes very hard, and the wind blew, too., at 22 mph  I am so fed up with snow!  We told Fishing Bridge that we would be leaving a day early, and they returned our money.  Very nice!

We saw a couple of bison feeding on grass, one frozen as if he were a statue, and lots of Canadian geese by the rivers? edges, feeding on grass, also.  We saw 3 great blue herons, one out fishing in the river, which has to be about 32 degrees.

As we neared the Mammoth Hotel, we saw several elk rushing into an open meadow.  This was the highpoint of the day.  However, our pictures were so obscured by falling snow that you?d have a hard time identifying them.  We then had lunch at the Mammoth Grill?fish and chips for $7, the most reasonable prices we?ve seen here.  We got hailed on as we went from the car to the grill.

We then visited the Albright Museum, a very small museum.  They had a few glass cases with exhibits of most of the animals in Yellowstone and a few with some of the history of the area.

We will visit Yellowstone again in late August to see all the places we couldn't see this time.  We were already planning on going to Glacier NP on our way to our fall trip in Michigan.

We learned that we got a lot more snow at Fishing Bridge than in the northern part of the park.  Go figure.  I thought the further north of the equator, the colder, and hence the snowier.  Definitely not true.

Stayed at Fishing Bridge RV  Park?50 amps, no cell phone reception, FHU,  nice people, $42.16
 

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May 30, 2011 Day 23 Butte, MT

When set our alarm for 6AM and woke up to medium snow falling.  We got up early because we wanted to get to the Mineral Museum in Butte by 2 PM.  As soon as Dean opened the door to go out and hook up our toad, the snow began falling the hardest it has fallen the whole time we?ve been here.  Dean decided to dump the tanks at the next stop.  I was correctly concerned about being able to get out of the space.  The rear wheels did spin on the several inches of snow.

We had to drive VERY slowly for the first half of the journey out of the park, as the road had not been plowed.  Then we saw the first snowplow.  He must have been doing
25+ MPH!  Snow was forcefully flying through the air as he cleared one whole lane on the other side of the road.  As we went north, the snow diminished, and both of us relaxed.

We drove the 215 miles to Butte.  I called the Mineral Museum as we were driving, and I discovered that it was closed for Memorial Day.  We were so glad to have good cell phone connection and Internet back that I spent lots of time getting information about future RV camps and attractions, catching up on bills, e-mail, and posting.  It was good to be able to shop at a real grocery store with variety and reasonable prices.  Dean found a Radio Shack at the Plaza Mall.  More than half of the mall?s stores were closed.  This recession is really hurting lots of people.  We saw the movie  ?The Bridesmaids?, which had some funny moments, but overall was average.

Stayed at 2 Bar Lazy H RV Campground?50 amps, FHU, free WiFi, $28, no ambience, but the nicest manager?When we explained that we wanted to go to the Mineral Museum tomorrow and were concerned about what the checkout time might be, he told us we could stay until 3 or 4! (because it isn?t a busy time of the year)

Weather in Yellowstone: VERY snowy
Weather in Butte:  In the 40?s, a few raindrops, some SUN?YEA!  No snow, except on the mountains in the distance 
 
skyking4ar2 said:
Here's the best picture we got - we think we see brown, he was digging in the snow for critters, and a hundred people were standing around watching...we leave this in the hands of a jury of our peers...note the two small ducks in the lower left...

Wolf.
 
May 31, 2011 Day 24 Helena

We traveled from Butte to Helena, caught up on laundry, and did  some shopping.

Stayed at Lincoln Rd. RV Park, $41.52, 50 amps, FHU, nice managers who give you a very helpful map w/locations of places an RVer might want to find, small trees, weak WiFi.


June 1, 2001 Day 25 Helena, MT

Gates of the Mountains Boat tour ($12 each) was a fun afternoon.  We learned about the history and geology of the area.  These tours began as a way to transport steamboat passengers 125 years ago.  It is called the Gates of the Mountains because the cliffs in the Missouri River look like a blockade, but as you change your angle, they seem to open up to show the passage through to the Rocky Mountains. (picture 1)  We started on a lake created by a dam constructed to provide hydro-electric power.  The Missouri is the longest river in the US.  Three rivers come together to form the Missouri.  They are the (President Thomas) Jefferson River, the (Secretary of the Treasury) Gallatin River, and the (Secretary of  State) Madison River.

The captain was very knowledgeable and explained how the limestone cliffs were created 300-350 million years ago and have been uplifted by the subversion of the Pacific Plate.  We could really see this with some of the vertical layers (Picture 2).  I didn?t know that the Pacific Plate is still forcing the North American plate upward.

As we followed the river, we saw lots of cliff swallows bringing food to their babies in the nests along the river.  We saw a bald eagle?s nest and the eaglets.  We also saw two ospreys? nests.  They build them at the top of rock pinnacles. (Picture 3)  Like eagles, they just pile on more nesting material to their previous nest year after year, never cleaning out .  Some nests weigh more than a ton!  Ospreys were downriver fishing, and I learned they always carry fish head forward?tail back.(Picture 4)

There was an unusual plant that looked like broccoli growing out of the limestone.  It is a member of the rose family and sometimes blooms with tiny roses. (Picture 5)

Stayed at Lincoln Rd. RV Park, $41.52, 50 amps, FHU, nice managers who give you a very helpful map w/locations of places an RVer might want to find, small trees, weak WiFi.
 

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June 2, 2011 Day 26 Helena, MT

About 3 AM, Dean heard a ping-ping-ping of hail on the RV?s roof followed by increasing speed, volume, and probably size.  I slept through it, but Dean said he had never heard anything like it or even close.  He checked for damage first thing this morning, and thank goodness all is OK.

We went to visit the capitol in Helena, and there was the nicest group of 4th graders with us.  The capitol is very modest, was remodeled about 10 years ago after an earthquake, and they restored it to its appearance in 1900.  The pride of our guide and the teacher shone through.  They were especially proud of the fact that Montana granted women the right to vote about 4 years before the U. S. did.  There are 2 figures in the rotunda, and one is of the lady who led the fight for women?s rights.  There is an inside dome, which depicts 4 scenes from Montana history.  There is a room between the inside dome and the outside dome.  Girls? State is taking place this week, and the young ladies were debating the merits of a bill in the Senate chambers (Picture 2), and another group was doing the same in the Assembly chambers.  There were real senators there, tag teaming, to guide them through the process.

Montana has not been as hard hit by the recession and is a balanced budget state.  They only have 1 U. S. representative.  The state legislature meets for 90 days from January to April every other year.

Stayed at Lincoln Rd. RV Park, $41.52, 50 amps, FHU, nice managers who give you a very helpful map w/locations of places an RVer might want to find, small trees, weak WiFi.
 

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June 3, 2011 Day 27 Missoula, MT

We knew we?d had a very slow leak in the rear tire of our Jeep for a couple of months, and Dean decided it had to be addressed 2 days ago  It turned out to be a cracked wheel.  It needed to be welded to repair the crack.  Dean says, ?The guy did an excellent job?and it only cost $30?it would have cost us $400 to buy a new wheel.? Mark Granby @ (406) 431-3330 does welding and fabrication in Helena, and we highly recommend him.

Then we took the repaired wheel to the tire shop, Al Chafee Tires @ 406-443-3956.  On the first day in Helena, he was the one who found the cracked wheel, swapped the tire and the spare so that the spare was on the cracked wheel, and only charged us $15?2 dismounts, 1 mount and balance?what a deal!  Today he repaired a slow leak on the inner dual of the motorhome (nail), mounted and balanced the Jeep?s spare onto the welded wheel?total charge was $35.  If you?re going to have tire trouble, Helena is definitely the place to have it.

We drove to Missoula because it is close to our next destination, Polson.  We got a late start, and we could stay at the Walmart there.  We drove about 200 miles today.  Missoula is 4 times the size of Helena, and it has all the major stores and restaurants.  We treated ourselves to Famous Dave?s BBQ, one of our favorite restaurants.

Stayed at Missoula?s Walmart Supercenter?excellent parking for RVs.
 
Dean & Linda Stock said:
June 2, 2011 Day 26 Helena, MT
About 3 AM, Dean heard a ping-ping-ping of hail on the RV?s roof followed by increasing speed, volume, and probably size.  I slept through it, but Dean said he had never heard anything like it or even close.  He checked for damage first thing this morning, and thank goodness all is OK...

It's hard to imagine sleeping through hail in an RV.  Do you have a rubber roof?  ;D


Dean & Linda Stock said:
...Montana has not been as hard hit by the recession and is a balanced budget state.  They only have 1 U. S. representative.  The state legislature meets for 90 days from January to April every other year...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the US House and Senate did that?!?!  ;)
 
What an enjoyable read.  I can travel through you to those places, and I really liked the pictures.

We hope to go soon, well within the month and get to see more of the country.

Hope you have a great time, sounds like you are.
 
June 4, 2011 Day 28 Polson, MT

I wanted to see the National Bison Range in Moise, and the Pablo and Ninepipes National Wildlife Reserves that are near Moise.  The nearest RV parks (2) are in Ronan, but their numbers were out-of-service, and I couldn?t find  a way to contact them.  About another 11 miles up the road is Polson, and I was very impressed with the lady I spoke with there.  We saw both of the Ronan parks, and they had lots of big RVs in them, so we could have stayed closer, but we opted to go on to Eagles? Nest.

After we set up, we drove to the Bison National Range in Moise, about 30 miles away.  On the 19-mile drive, we saw 100+ of bison, including babies, (Picture 1), a few beautiful elk (Picture 2), several whitetail deer (Picture 3), many pronghorn antelope who are currently growing their pronghorns for this year (Picture 4), and lots of beautiful magpies.  WE didn?t see their bighorn sheep, mule deer, and black bear.  There were lots of beautiful wildflowers.

Just a few miles away is the Ninepipe National Wildlife Reserve?basically a very rutted road with bad potholes (worse than off-roading in Moab) over a dike to see birds on a faraway island.  I wouldn?t do it again.

On our way back to Eagles? Nest, we passed a wildlife viewing area on our left.  On both sides of the road were marshes and ponds, but most of the ducks and other birds scattered even though we were driving slowly.  On our way back to the main road we saw what I think is a red-tailed hawk being courted.  The hawk would buzz by her and dart in and out as she sat disinterestedly on a post. (Picture 5)  We saw a duck pair courting also, their heads were vigorously bobbing up and down, but they flew too quick to get a camera on them.  I hope they got another more private place and that we didn't keep them from becoming parents.

We drove a little further to Pablo NWR, but it was almost 9 PM, and it was posted to close at ?dusk?, so we didn?t go on the dirt trail.  It is a walking reserve on a reservoir.

We didn?t get to see the People?s Center Tribal Museum because it was too late today, and it is closed on Sundays.  I suspect that it may be really good.  It is located at the Salish and Kootenai College, which is a large college and has non-native Americans, as well as Native Americans.  I met a young lady who is studying nursing there, and she chose it because of its reputation.

Oops!  Pictures will follow.  They are in the camera; we can see them.  But, they refuse to come out.  Dean will work on this more tomorrow.

Stayed at Eagles? Nest RV Resort?a beautiful park next to a gorgeous golf course with lots of huge blue spruce strategically located so they don?t interfere with satellite reception, 50 amps, FHU, concrete pad with grass, lovely sites, very near a huge lake, Flathead Lake, $33.30, great management, chirping birds.  Sherlock gives it 5 stars. 

Beautiful day in the 70?s.  We slept with a couple of windows open last night!  I love the weather, the park, everything about this place.  I marked it as a place we should come back to.
 
PatrioticStabilist said:
What an enjoyable read.  I can travel through you to those places, and I really liked the pictures.

We hope to go soon, well within the month and get to see more of the country.

Hope you have a great time, sounds like you are.

Thanks.  I am glad you are enjoying it.  You should have better weather than we did.  We have had a good time, but RVing is a matter of constant adaptation and enjoying what the unscheduled adventures bring.  Except for the snow...what was a Winter Wonderland at first quickly became a Snow Jail--but the good thing is that  with an RV you can always leave....so we did.
 
June 5, 2011 Day 29 Great Falls, MT

It was a long day!  The trip was only supposed to be 235 miles, but I fell asleep, and Dean followed the GPS.  It took us 40 extra miles!  Apparently, the GPS had a love of interstates.  And?every time we approached any kind of an upgrade, the motor over-heated.  It was kind of like the kids? game, ?Red Light, Green Light??we?d go a while, then stop to cool, etc.  Meanwhile, I looked up repair facilities in Great Falls.  Tomorrow is Sunday, so we won?t probably get it fixed until Monday.

Stayed at Dick?s RV Park?Nice park, FHU, 50 amps, WiFi., cable, $33.70

Weather?Rain, in the mid-50?s
 
June 6, 2011 Day 30 Great Falls, MT

I love visiting national wildlife refuges.  The Benton Lake NWR is known for the hundreds of snow geese and waterfowl that visit from mid-March to the end of April.  However, ducks nest there and they have a wide variety of birds throughout the summer.  I know the yellow-headed blackbird is a common bird, but I?d never seen one, despite the fact that they are pretty common.  They have bright yellow heads, and they don?t stay put for photo ops, so I was thrilled when Dean got a picture.  There are trails, and we took made the 1 ? hour auto-tour into 3 hours.  Dean has spent hours trying to get the pics out of the camera and bought a new disc to record on, despite having room for hundreds of more pics on the one we have.  He isn?t one to give up easily and go into a camera shop.  All I can say is we saw all kinds of fun birds and had a wonderful time.  When we get the pics, we will post them.

Stayed at Dick?s RV Park?Nice park, FHU, 50 amps, WiFi., cable, $33.70, no mud despite lots of rain.
 
June 7, 2011 Day 31 Great Falls, MT

It rained hard all night, non-stop, complete with thunder and lightning.  I was amazed that we weren?t afloat when I opened the drapes this morning.  Dick?s RV has excellent drainage, and there wasn?t even a lot of mud, though the rain was still coming down.

THE BAD NEWS--We left early to get to IState, the Freightliner dealer who repaired our RV.  It turned out that our thermostate was broken, and they discovered a hole in the exhaust that they fixed.  They also found that the air filter wasn?t seated right and a tube was pinched, limiting air flow, so our motor will run even  better now, though we didn?t notice anything before.  Parts only cost $50, but it was so hard to get to because they had to access it from on top instead of down below that it cost $600!  OUCH!  Dean feels that it is a fair price because he could see the problem was in a difficult, inaccessible place and would require many hours of labor.
THE GOOD NEWS?While the coach was being repaired, we went to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, run by the U. S. Forest Service.  Wow!  The displays were very well done, with lots of real items.  The labeling was very informative.  The facility is beautiful, overlooking a river that is almost overflowing.  There were lots of guides there who were very knowledgeable.  The rangers and docents had a constant stream of high-quality films and talks going on in the auditorium.  This is a ?Don?t Miss? museum.
I WISH WE HAD TIME TO GO TO?Buffalo Jump State Park and VC, the ?Great Falls?, which now have an unusual amount of water, and Lewiston, where there is  Hutterite community.  We saw Hutterites, dressed in long polka dot dresses and hats for the women and girls, beards and black hats for the men and boys, in the Walmart.  Their ancestors came from Germany & Austria, and they speak Low German.  They are an offshoot of the Anabaptists, like the Mennonites and the Amish.  I?ve read everything I could find on the Internet.  They don?t own anything individually.  They live communally, like Communism in the extreme.  They do elect a leader (for life) who assigns chores, pays bills, and  ensures they do prosper.  They raise sheep, dairy cattle, beef cattle, crops, turkeys, and  chickens.  They make chokecherry wine, which a clerk in Walmart said is awesome.  He said his friend, who lived next door to Hutterites, was putting up a barn.  The Hutterites saw him working on constructing a barn, and the whole group came over and put it up in one day.  He wanted to pay them, but they only accepted a few beers.  On the Internet, there?s a Hutterite lady who invites outsiders to come to Lewiston to visit and learn about the Hutterites.  However, she needs advance notice and with the rain making everything so wet, I didn?t want to try tromping through the mud and possibly slipping.  They do not allow outsiders to join, but they are very open and enjoy a good reputation in the community.  Their children attend a public school at the commune, and a non-Hutterite teacher visits a couple of times a month, also.  They used to travel by horse and buggy and not use phones.  Now they have a couple of cell phones for the leaders, and they drive cars.  They are total pacifists and refuse to participate in any wars.  They are also totally male-dominated.

Stayed at Walmart?we are trying to make up for the repair costs.

Weather:  Rain, high in the low 60?s
 
June 8, 2011 Day 32 Cody, WY

We drove 331 miles today through beautiful green grasslands.  All the rivers are filled to overflowing, and we saw one farmhouse that was on an island surrounded by flooded croplands.  It sprinkled most of the trip, with some stronger showers.

For Chinese there is the Year of  an Animal.  For the Stocks, this is the Trip of the Repairs.  We keep everything in top shape, and we make sure that everything is perfect before we start a trip.  So, we don?t expect to have a multitude of repairs.  The repair for the day is a valve on one of the Jeep?s tires.  Thank goodness we learned about the Pressure Pro from an RVForumer, so we heard the alarm go off and pulled off.  The tire was flat, but Dean was able to replace the valve.  If it weren?t for the alarm, we would have dragged the Jeep along for miles, ruining the tire, the wheel, and maybe more.  Tomorrow we?ll start our day at the Jeep dealer.

When we drove into the park, the rain stopped, as if we turned the handle on the shower.  AND  a beautiful huge horizon-to-horizon rainbow appeared.  It was the most beautiful rainbow I?ve seen in decades?all the colors, and they were brilliant!  AND?the sun was out.  Earlier today when the rain tapered off, I got excited because I thought I was seeing the sun peeking out from the clouds, but it turned out to be the MOON!  What was it doing high in the sky in the afternoon?  Anyway, I thought that maybe the rainbow foretold the arrival of the sun?maybe for many days???  Dean got all the hook-ups done, and he had no more than shut the door than the skies opened up, and it rained ALL NIGHT!  Don?t the skies ever run out of water?  I?m sure that the poor people being flooded wonder the same thing.  My heart goes out to them.

Staying at Absaroka Bay RV Park?thank you for the recommendation, RVForumer Marsha?FHU, 50 amps, WiFi, cable, $29.  It is very nice and right-priced.
 
Linda,

I am so enjoying your trip reports.  Your topics are so real.  We too have had  our fair share of repairs and we both know there are not enough Wal Marts in the  world to make up for the expenses.  We too in Northern Idaho are sick of rain but  have had some doozie lightening shows.  We are watching Clark Fork River  rise and rise right in front of us. I am content just to hunker down so your adventures are a  daily thrill to read. 
 
Any of you who are sick of rain, please, please send it to the Four Corners states especially eastern Arizona.

Wendy
 
Wendy said:
Any of you who are sick of rain, please, please send it to the Four Corners states especially eastern Arizona.

Wish we could.  Our forecast is for, rain today, tomorrow and for that matter every day for a week.  We have had over 2 inches in the last 3 days.  Figure how that computes when we normally have about 14" of water; snow, rain, hail, etc., in a year. 

Our rain is coming from CA as well as the NW, get the Californians to send the rain to you, we have enough!
 
Be careful what you ask for!  Someone in Texas must have wanted the rain to stop last spring and since last Sept Comal county has had less than 1" of rain.  We are afraid to ask for rain because then we get 7" of rain in two days like last Sept.  :-[

Last night we had lots of rain and high winds go through Milwaukee and south of here all the way down to Chicago.  Lots of damage in southeastern Wisconsin.
 
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