8/5/12 Sunday - Driving North

Today we headed north to Hungry Horse MT. MOst of our drive was on the east side of Flathead Lake. The lake is awesome!! It is the biggest fresh water lake East of the Mississippi. We saw a lot of Flathead Cherry groves and fruit stands selling the cherries. They are $1.25/pound here. We got to Canyon RV and Campground (Escapee price - little less expensive) and unhooked to get into our site. They call Full Hook-ups 30 amp electric, sewer, water - does not include 50 amp or cable TV. In fact no cable to even pay extra for. The WIFI is good here. Lots of dog rules here. Staying 4 nights in order to get Steve's shots. Later we drove into town and found the chocolate -covered huckleberries and had supper. Then we drove to Hungry Horse Dam and reservoir. We got home about 9:30 PM and the gates were shut but not locked--Thankfully--as no one said anything about shutting gates when we checked in.

8/4/12 Saturday Easy does it - Blodgett Canyon

Today we took it easy for awhile -- Steve wasn't feeling too good. We even went back to bed. Later we went to town for a hamburger and then drove to Hamilton, MT (south of Lolo) and checked out Blodgett Canyon in the Bitterroot National Forest. It was a nice drive. There are interesting mountains there and Steve found a clear stream at the trailhead. Some of the photos of the mountain compare it to Half Dome in Yosemite. It is better to google it and look at their images as I did not get great pics. Then we went back to the RV, showered and worked on the blog. We move to Hungry Horse, MT tomorrow.

8/3/12 Friday - Sight seeing

We slept in til about 8:30 or 9:00 this morning and Steve's headache was better today than yesterday. I called for a place to stay up by Glacier and made reservations for Sunday - Wednesday (8/5/1/2- 8/8/12) so I could then call the VA at OKC and order Steve's shots. We will be at Canyon RV Campgrounds and cabins at Hungry Horse, MT - hope it is as nice as this place. Then I checked with the office here and got one more night -- so we will leave Lolo, MT on Sunday 8/5/12. Later, we went to town and ate a nice salad for lunch at the Hayloft Restaurant, saloon and casino--restaurant was separate from the other stuff. Next we stopped at Traveler's Rest National Historic Landmark. It has bee archeologically confirmed that Lewis & Clark camped here in 1805!! Rufus got in Lolo Creek and layed down on his stomach. He looked cute and I took his picture.

Back in the pickup to head west to Lolo Hot Springs and Lolo Pass. It was a beautiful drive with trees and clear running water. We stopped and checked out Lolo Creek forest campground, the visitor center between Montana and Idaho. I had a nice visit with a volunteer lady who is from Dallas and volunteers in August and September for the last three years and she gets a free forest cabin for 3 1/2 days per week of volunteering. Then we checked out the Powell Idaho Ranger Station and Forest campground. This campground has electricity at sites in one loop, asphalt roads and it looked like a shower at one bathroom. It would also be a nice place to be camphost. On our way back to Lolo MT and the campground we stopped at DeVoto Memorial Grove where there are beautiful majestic red cedars 400 - 500 years old. It is said they can live up to 2000 - 3000 years if conditions are right. Then we headed back to the RV and had some soup and cheese & crackers. Tomorrow more sight seeing! I have always been interested in the Nez Perce Tribe since we owned Appaloosa horses years ago and wanted to go on the trail ride they have every year. This is one of the history spots we stopped at today -- Ft. Fizzle. The Nez Perce basically got behind where the volunteer army had set up to stop them and escaped. It is interesting to me to read some of these postings.

8/2/12 Thursday Where Should We Go Now?

Well we got up and got dressed and ate breakfast. Kristi and Logan were not feeling too good this morning, Austyn seemed to be better, but they finished packing the car and started for home. It was sad when they left. Steve and I disconnected the utilities and hooked up the pick-up--We left the Butte KOA about 10:30 AM (Don't stay there if you don't have to -- it is very crowded). We drove to Missoula and were not sure where to stay -- but I had looked up a site called the Square Dance Center and Campground about 2 1/2 miles west of Lolo, MT. Lolo was about 8-10 miles south of Missoula -- so we called and they said they could accommodate us even though it was going to be a big square dance week-end. We just love this place--it has beautiful trees, friendly folks and not all crowded up. Our site is 30 amp Electric and Water (No sewer) but there is a dump we can use. The setting is awesome. We took the dogs for a walk to Lolo Creek as soon as we got set up. Then later we went south of Lolo and explored Bass Creek recreation and campground (forest service)--asphalt roads--could be a good place to spend a few nights without hook-ups if we want, or to be a camphost at. Then we walked the dogs on a nature trail at this same recreation place. This area is beautiful and the temperature is great for walking -- plus the elevation is about 3200-3500 feet. Then hamburgers for us and the dagos at McDonald's and home to bed. We did not need the air conditioner--just the fan for sleeping.

8/1/12 Wednesday - Car repair

Steve and Kristi got up early and took the car in for a check-up. Then they went to Wal-mart to pick up a few things. After they returned Kristi and I did laundry. I was still feeling somewhat dizzy at times. The car needed brake pads and rotors turned and w tires on the back. That was done in a timely fashion at the GMC dealership in Butte. We then took the car for a test drive to Anaconda MT -- and it seemed to be driving great. We ate supper at Chef's Garden - Italian food and had ice cream at Dairy Queen. Then we drove around Butte a little bit and looked at some of the mansions. When we got back to the RV Kristi and the kids packed their stuff for departure tomorrow -- kinda sad they are leaving.

7/31/12 Tuesday -Austyn's Birthday

We got up and around, ate breakfast, walked the dogs, cleaned up and fixed our hair. I was dizzy, but this morning we went to the Mineral Museum at Montana Tech in Butte, MT. It was very interesting and the guy answered a lot of questions. We got some pretty rocks for the kids and Kristi got some fossils for her classroom. This is a tree that has butterflies made out of gem stones.

Then they took me back to the RV to rest since I was dizzy. Kristi and the kids returned with Austyn's Birthday cake and Wilcoxin Ice Cream (Moosetracks)!! We ate that and Austyn opened her presents and we had a little birthday party for Austyn's 10th birthday.

Later we went to Sparky's Garage for supper, but Austyn got sick at her stomach, and I was still nauseous So Kristi and Steve tried to eat while the rest of us ate soup. Kristi had to leave early with Austyn because she was sick. Logan was so cute-- he said it is not good for the birthday girl to get sick!! We agreed!

7/30/12 Monday - Move to Butte

Well we left Helena this morning after loading and getting some propane. Then we were on the way to Butte, MT--South down I-15. This was a short, easy drive. This afternoon Logan, Steve and I went to Wal-mart while Kristi & Austyn took a nap. Then we took a nap while Logan, Austyn and Krisit went swimming. Then we ate at Fiesta Mexican-- great service and the food was pretty good. We got home and took a walk on the nature trail by the visitor center next to the campground. The dogs and us really enjoyed it.