MT -– Paradise Valley, 9-11 June 2011

 

The highlight of our Montana trip so far!

Our campsite was on the Yellowstone River between Livingston and Gardiner Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park.  It was an “RV Resort” in a great location which meant a higher price tag but it was worth it!

   

On our first full day, Arleen and I went on a 40-mile bike ride.  It was supposed to be a loop, but we had to backtrack about 10 miles when we were stopped by private property.  And those 10 miles of backtracking were all fairly rough dirt road.  It was brutal on our “touring” bicycles (no shocks, hard and narrow wheels, and stiff frames).  Many of the ranches were amazing.  Some were even for sale but for as much $1.5 million!  We took a much needed rest stop at Dailey Lake.  It was beautiful.  We want to experience the primitive camping at the lake, but don’t know how the trailer would do on 10 miles of rough dirt road.  That’s another lesson we’ll have to learn the hard way!!

       

On our second full day, we drove up to a trailhead and went on a roughly 3-mile hike.  Our plan was to go up for 45-60 minutes and then head back.  At the 45-minute point we were in a beautiful meadow hemmed in by higher mountains.  Clouds nearby were darkening and the white cloud tops looked like growing cauliflower.  It was just a matter of time before they’d grow into thunderstorms so we headed back.  As I started up the truck, the sky let loose and thunder cracked loudly…our timing was perfect!  Sometimes, we weather forecasters get it right!

       

This was certainly the most beautiful place we’ve stayed so far.  There is a lot to do and the campground was top-notch.  There is a cabin built above the guest facilities lodge.  The cabin has a second story deck that overlooks the Yellowstone River.  Ellen had this cabin for three nights and we grilled steaks up there one gorgeous Montana afternoon.  It was pretty close to perfect.

            

Even as nice it was, neither Arleen nor I could give it a perfect “5”.  The price would have to be much lower and it would have to be further from the road.  We’d go back in a heartbeat, but in the meantime, we’ll keep searching for that perfect camp spot.

 

MT -– Alberton, 7 & 8 June 2011

 

The next stop was Alberton, Montana.  We stayed in a campground right on the Clark Fork River.  Like most of the rivers in Montana right now, the Clark was at flood stage.  We’ll get to that in a minute…

Arleen got “practice” driving and parking the truck and trailer.  Shortly after she took the wheel, she had to tackle about 25 miles of construction.  Much of that was east and west-bound traffic flying opposite directions on one side of the highway with only cones separating us and little to no shoulder.  And this was through some of Montana’s very rugged country.  Arleen handled it like a pro!  The real challenge was backing into our campsite. 

The campsite was hemmed in by trees on three sides and the raging river in the  front.  I knew it was tight but thought we could do it.  We were offered another campsite, but I ignorantly turned it down.  I  even mentioned that my wife needed to practice backing up the trailer.  Boy that was a dumb decision!  Arleen parked the trailer perfectly.  Her confidence exploded and I was proud of her.

       

Unfortunately, getting out of the campsite proved to be too much.  We couldn’t overcome the angle of the trailer, the position of the trees, and the raging river.  Each maneuver made things worse.  We called in a professional when the trailer was tight against a tree.  After 3 hours, over $150, and some fancy maneuvering by the tow truck guy and the Alberton town mayor, we were free!  The only damage done was to our pocket book and our pride.  We knew we’d learn some lessons early in our adventures!

The town of Alberton is a small, quaint western Montana town.  Ellen, Arleen’s Mom, stayed at the historic “Ghost Rails Inn” that was built in 1909 and is now a Bed and Breakfast.  The couple that own it told us stories of the ghosts that they say still live there.  Ellen was very comfortable in the “conductor’s room”.    

I planned a 20-mile bike ride loop but we wimped out because of the weather.  Instead we relaxed in our trailer and went on a short, roughly 2-mile hike.  We walked up to the “Natural Bridge” and watched the flooding river pass underneath.  The bridge was built in the early 1900s and was anchored to a large rock in the middle of the river.  It’s single lane and cars continue to use it regularly.  Multiple cars drove slowly by us while we were on the bridge.  Between the vehicles and powerful river, I expected some movement of the bridge…it was perfectly still.  Many of the locals were going to the bridge to see the “historic” flow.  Though we couldn’t experience the good trout fishing on the Clark Fork River, we did experience something “historic”.

       

It was a nice two days and there is so much to do in this area.  Arleen and I would gladly make a return visit.

WA -– Sprague Lake, 5 & 6 June 2011

 

We are headed to Montana!  Arleen’s Mom, Ellen was diagnosed with cancer in December and spent the winter in Kansas with her other daughter, Kathy, while going through chemotherapy.  She flew to Washington for our retirement ceremony.  Now having whipped cancer, Ellen is ready to go home to Roundup, Montana. 

Our first stop is Sprague Lake, Washington.  It’s located just off I-90 west of Spokane.  This is our first trip “loaded down” and the Dodge went 10.5 miles per gallon of diesel.  It cost about $130 to fill our 34-gallon tank…yikes!  Oh well… you have to pay to play.

Our campsite was level grass right on the lake.  We had full hookups and Ellen was right next to us in a “cabin”.  The “cabin” was on older trailer (30 years?) that had full amenities but had trouble hiding its age by looks and smell.  I don’t think Ellen got her money’s worth, but she was comfortable none the less. 

   

Arleen and I were very comfortable in our new home.  We were quite at home with unlimited water and electricity, a means to dump our tanks whenever convenient, plus satellite TV, internet, and a well stocked refrigerator.  In our case, I wouldn’t call it “camping”…I’d call it “living”.  Life is good!

Sprague Lake has good trout fishing, though we didn’t give it a shot.  We heard reports of 18-24 inch rainbow caught while we were there.  There was a nice fishing pier, small boat dock, and a fish cleaning station.  Next time we will give it a shot!

The highlight of our 2-day stay was the bike ride.  We did a 15-mile loop that was evenly split between hard-packed dirt farming roads and smooth asphalt.  The terrain was rolling hills with sweeping curves to keep it interesting.  We only saw one car heading the opposite way…the driver waved at us!  I love being “in the country”.  I also watched a small crop-duster plane do multiple passes over a field.  The way they come in real low and bank hard has got to be a blast!  I’ll keep crop-dusting in the back of my mind for my next career.

   

The only draw back to this place was the noise from the highway and active railroad tracks.  Arleen and I both rated it a “1” for tranquility (on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best).  However, that wouldn’t stop us from going back.  There are more bike rides to check out and trout waiting for me to catch!