2016 Loop Trip, Missouri-South Dakota-Montana-Idaho

Here we go with this year's trip report. This will be typed "as we travel", usually with a day or two delay (depending on Internet access and the time to do it, of course).

DAY 0: PREPARATION

The day before one leaves on vacation is usually a busy one. One needs to pack suitcases, pack the vehicle, try not to forget anything on the packing list inadvertently, talk to the neighbors and the person caring for the house in your absence, and get some SLEEP. The latter is especially important when you live where we do -- just south of a major metropolitan area known for its horrendous traffic, and just south of a very hot desert land. You want to sleep so that you can prepare for departure in the early, early morning hours.

DAY 1: SAN DIEGO COUNTY to RICHFIELD, UT - 602 miles

Hubby and I were out within 10 minutes of the projected departure time, delayed only to take the time to take care of a last minute thought. The first part of the journey went smoothly, allowing us to traverse Riverside and San Bernardino areas without major traffic snarls, and to cross the desert when it was still fairly cool. We stopped for breakfast at North Las Vegas -- disappointing.

Once we got through these areas, we knew we could start taking our time. Our first little sightseeing stop was at Cedar Pocket exit in the Virgin River Gorge area of Arizona's I-15. There is a BLM site in there called Virgin River Gorge Recreation Area. There are places for day-use, like picnic areas, and for camping. The day use area was pretty enough, but to get into the Gorge itself, one needed to hike 2+ miles. We declined that at this time, took a few pictures, and moved on.

Our favorite ride of the day is between St George UT and the intersection of I-70. You climb up in elevation, everything starts to be green, and the temperature is cooler. We knew we'd pull into Richfield long before check-in time, so we chose a likely looking rest area near Cedar City, pulled in, opened the windows, and promptly took a nap. The breeze was blowing through the windows and felt great! We didn't want to overstay at this one, so we moved up to the rest area near Beaver and repeated the nap. It made us so refreshed and ready for the road again.

In Richfield, we pulled into the same motel we've stayed at on quite a few occasions: Quality Inn. They have a lovely "newer" pool that's been enclosed -- the water was comfortable! Didn't try the hot tub but it looked good. The room served our needs.

Dinner was down at the Frontier Village Restaurant, since JB's no longer existed (and a steakhouse with reviews stating it was overpriced, taking its place). Our food was delicious, price was okay, there was a LOT of food.


Donna

DAY 2 - RICHFIELD, UT to BURLINGTON, CO - 630 miles

We were on the road again early, as this was the day we'd been looking forward to, for weeks. This is our very favorite route between our home and Missouri (where we have family), because it takes us down some very, very scenic interstate miles.

In the San Rafael Swell before 7 am, there is little traffic, the morning breeze is almost cold, and the play between sunshine and shadow can be fun. Scenic photo stops are a must in here.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7385/2...1ccd0975_h.jpgIMG_3818 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

On to a food stop, then a fuel stop, in Grand Junction, CO. Note to self: if a fuel station won't take your card at the pump because it's a debit card, leave and find another station. We used this station "because we always have", but no more.

Off through the Glenwood Canyon area. We decided to enjoy it through the windshield this time, and make our next stop at the top of Vail Pass. We both wanted to get out and stretch our legs, not to mention enjoy the colder breeze! We walked some of the sidewalks in the Pass rest area, and of course took photos.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7343/2...4b1ef6ab_h.jpgIMG_3827 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Next came construction: horrendous, awful construction delays. We came to a full stop on the interstate right at the exit to Dillon. Then inched our way to Silverthorn. We had to make 3 lanes, plus entrance ramps, come down to 1 lane for some work that was about 100 ft in length. It delayed us a LOT.

We climbed the mountain to the Eisenhower Tunnel. There we came to a stop again, this time to go from 2 lanes down to 1. Here's a view out my windshield:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7047/2...63d4b1c6_h.jpgIMG_3830 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

All these delays brought us into Denver just in time to experience early rush hour (3:30 pm). There were a lot of places with stop-and-go traffic, or slow-and-go. We didn't have reservations for the evening, as normally this is about a 10-1/2 hour trip for us. So we were debating, do we call the motel or not? Decided not to.

After Denver's traffic issues, there was construction. ARGH! Again! Down to one lane. Then after Denver, on the eastern plains, two more major construction areas that took one to two-way traffic.

Finally pulled into Burlington, into our intended motel, and found that they had plenty of rooms even at 6 pm. They'd done a lot of upgrading inside the room, drained the pool (how disappointing!), and raised the rates. Still, they were cheaper than most of the other places in town, so we weren't going to complain.

Went over to Pizza Hut -- since we only have Pizza Huts that deliver or do take-out (no sit-down and eat Huts), this was fun to do, yummy, and not too expensive. (I had planned to cook in the room, but not sure that the room's electricity could have handled the power that an induction burner uses.)


Donna

DAY 3: BURLINGTON, CO to SALINA, KS - 270 miles

This morning was a leisurely one -- sleep in, have coffee in the room, play on the computer, pack up, and have a late breakfast at the Denny's next door. We made sure to take our time, as we were encouraged not to arrive at our destination until 4 or 5 pm, as my brother and his wife would still be at work.

Not too many stops, only one major one and that was for fuel in Hays, KS. We ran into the same issues there as we had in Grand Junction. It appears that in many stations, merely inserting your debit/credit card into the pump means you will be charged the credit price. (At home, you are given a choice, and if you choose "debit", you get the cash price.) Our truck is getting between 14 and 18 mpg, depending a lot on how much 75 mph, wind issues, and AC is used.

Pulled up to my brother's right at 4 pm, and my SIL was already home. Brother got home about an hour later, and we all spent the evening catching up and unloading the truck of the things that we had brought him from our parents' home in the Phoenix area.



Donna

DAY 4 - SIGHTSEEING DAY, KANSAS - 130 mi round trip

My brother was working, so my SIL, hubby and I headed down to Hutchinson, to the Cosmosphere. This is a Smithsonian-related museum that has the Hall of Space, an IMAX theatre/planetarium, and Dr Goddard's Lab within its walls.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7282/2...f758ace1_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 009 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

In the lobby itself were several items of interest. One was a trainer, "affectionately" known by early astronauts as the "spinner". There was also an SR-71 Blackbird, not a model but the real thing -- unfortunately, I was unable to get a great photo of it. Evidently, the "bird" was positioned there and they built the Cosmosphere around it, so the only way to get the plane from the building will be to dismantle either the building or the plane.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7280/2...0c1db440_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Inside the museum, we began in early WWII, where the V1 and V2 bombs led to the development of the rockets that brought us into space.

The highlight of the museum artifacts, to me, was the Apollo 13 capsule, "Odyssey". I have seen many of the Apollo splashdown capsules, but this was probably the most amazing one. It had been completely dismantled after they pulled it out of the sea, to see if the scientists could figure out exactly what had gone wrong. The Cosmosphere got it in 1995, reassembled it (it took years) and now it's on display.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7281/2...2ac0753b_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 038 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7553/2...719061de_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 039 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7353/2...6ceba2cd_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 044 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Photographers roaming the museum may find the display of space cameras very fascinating! One thing I learned was that there are still pieces of 6 cameras sitting on the moon. The back half of the camera, containing the film, came back with the astronauts, but the lenses are still sitting there. All are Hasselblads.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7278/2...3079b820_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 047 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Of course, like at the Apollo Museum at the Cape (see our 2012 trip report) and the space museum at Johnson Space Center (see our 2014 report), there were other mock-ups and replicas of LM's, lunar rovers, simulators. There was also a replica of the Apollo-Soyuz meetings, the flight where the US astronauts and the Russian astronauts met in space, shook hands as a show of goodwill (shocking during the Cold War years), and went back to their respective countries.

Soyuz
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7248/2...f2ce672a_k.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 056 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Apollo
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7341/2...c81cf6bc_z.jpgDonna 2016 Summer Wk 1 057 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After viewing the section about Skylab, the shuttle, and the ISS, we headed back to Salina. All three of us had learned a lot. That evening, the four of us watched the movie, "Apollo 13", at my SIL's suggestion.


Donna

DAY 5 - SALINA to LAKE OZARK, MO - 380 miles

This was our last day of driving for at least awhile, as we have family in Missouri. We said teary goodbyes to my brother and SIL in Salina, KS, and headed east once again. Looking at various maps and mapping programs, we decided to drive the mostly interstate/freeway-quality US highways instead of the 2-laners. It was probably much faster.

We made only a few stops. Fuel (diesel) is going down in price again, which is appreciated. When we stopped in Topeka, we had the choice between debit and credit, and choosing the debit card, it gave us the cash price -- $2.15. For food, both our regular GPS *and* our "The Next Exit" told us that there was an Arby's at a given exit on the Missouri side of the river. Not only was it not there, one of the locals said it hadn't been there in years, and pointed at the still-empty building. We ate at Hardee's instead. Neither of us had eaten breakfast, or had we stopped.

We were about 10 miles from our exit off I-70 when the truck pulled something it hasn't done but once in two years: it bucked and kicked around for a few seconds, then went back to normal. It did it again, in a minor way, twice along US-54. Once we pulled into the hotel, it gave us the same issues it gave us at the hotel in Bismarck, two years ago. It is truly a mystery, that I'm afraid we won't solve until the part just quits. It's kinda scary, but we've decided it is not going to let us destroy a trip, nor are we going to throw any more money at it.

Though family is in the Lake Ozark area, they live in a rented condo and just don't have room for two more people. So we are staying at the Quality Inn at the Lake of the Ozarks. It's a nice place - indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, laundry facilities, fitness room, more. There is plenty of parking, too.

It is good to spend some time with our family. There won't be too many more posts unless we do some sightseeing in the area and I take more photos that don't have family members in them.



Donna

DAY 6 and 7: LAKE of the OZARKS, MO

These two days were mostly days to visit our family who lives in the area, and to really look around and try to decide "do we want to retire here". My husband is already retired, and ready to move back to his home state, while I still have at least two more years (depending on the economy) to go and help make the decision about where to move.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7377/2...45e888e3_z.jpgIMG_3851 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Lake of the Ozarks is a resort community, but with a number of full-time residents. The lake is huge, and was formed when they dammed the Osage River many, many decades ago. At this time of the year, it's lush and green, but also hot and sticky.

A funny story I just have to share -- we are staying at the Quality Inn, but every morning we come over to our family's small duplex to visit, carrying our cooler. One evening, our granddaughter (4) stuck her hand in the water to see if it was cold, which of course it was. The next morning, we came back with it full of drinks and ice. "Oh, look! It turned into ice! Like magic!" So now every morning, we return with "magic ice". I think it will be the smile carried with us for the rest of the trip.


Donna

DAY 8: HA HA TONKA STATE PARK

Our son-in-law was off work for the day, so the 6 of us set out in 2 vehicles to go to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. This is located southeast of Camdenton, just off US-54. Like most state parks in Missouri, it's free. Can't beat the bargain!

There are several points of interest within the park, and worth a little exploration. The first was Snyder's Castle. The man decided, back in the early 1900's, to build a huge home of stone/rock on the bluffs above the Osage River. He began the house in 1906, but died a year later with the inside of the home unfinished. It wasn't until 1922 that his sons finished the home. Unfortunately, in 1947, the house, and much of the close surrounding area, was consumed by fire. The remains are now part of Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7714/2...7ef80813_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri 002 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What is left of the Carriage House:
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7527/2...cd007b9f_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri 003 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What's left of the house itself:
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7297/2...f26fa003_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri 009 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What the inside looks like now:
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7535/2...3b69116a_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

How it was built:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7201/2...a66e571a_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri 031 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The water tower - built to bring water up from a natural spring close by:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7333/2...6ac3d424_z.jpgIMG_5950 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Another place of interest within Ha Ha Tonka SP is the natural bridge. This is very different from the natural bridges of Lake Powell, Arches NP, and similar, but formed of different type rock found in Missouri.

This is my husband standing underneath the natural bridge:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7234/2...e0ebd954_z.jpgIMG_5954 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

My husband's photo taken from underneath the natural bridge, looking back at me and my daughter. (The two grandkids and my son-in-law were not able to get to the natural bridge, as it was not accessible to anything with wheels.)
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7393/2...d820f3b3_z.jpgWarren 2016 Summer Wk 1 067 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As for the rest of the day -- daughter and I left the kids with Daddy and Grampa, and headed for the Osage Beach Premium Outlet Center. It's an outdoor center, not an enclosed mall. She wanted to get to a store with a really good sale going on this week, and I wanted to visit the outlet of a store that I love but can't always get to. The nearest store to me is in Yuma, AZ.


Donna

DAY 9: FAMILY FIRST

Just a lot of visiting with family -- always a highlight of our road trips. We are still with our daughter and her family.

DAY 10: FAMILY, THEN MORE FAMILY - LAKE OZARK to COLUMBIA - 83 miles

We checked out of our hotel on this morning, as our five night stay was over. Quality Inn Lake of the Ozarks is a decent place to stay -- comfortable beds, good showers (though a small bathroom), iron/iron board-refrigerator-microwave-coffee pot all in the room, and they serve a really good breakfast. When we were packing up the truck, though, we noticed (after we thought everything was in) that we had forgotten our personal pillows. So back we went into the room. There is a great reason, right there, to pack everything in the same place every morning, to ensure that you haven't forgotten something!

On the way down to our daughters, we made two stops. One was to pick up a magazine called "Relocating - Lake of the Ozarks", for people contemplating the move to the Lake. The other was more personal in nature.

Spent much of the day with our daughter and granddaughters, but at about 3, it was time to move north to our other family. Daughter was sad to see us go, and of course we were sad to leave, but we knew we'd see her again in a day or two. What's really sad about goodbyes is when the granddaughter that took a few days to warm up to you, tells you that she doesn't want you to leave!

The drive north on US-54 and US-63 was uneventful. We ran into a little bit of traffic at The Bridge (over the Missouri, just north of Jefferson City), because there is construction. Then traffic got a little heavier as we entered Columbia.

We spent the evening with my SIL and BIL, visiting, and then I took a long walk with my BIL, niece, and her new dog. The weather had turned a bit cooler, thank heavens! When we came back, all 5 of us piled into their van and went to a place called Tropical Liqueurs. They serve frozen slushies, which on hot nights are SO delicious! My niece had to go along for the ride, and I was even surprised that they let her come into the place.



Donna

DAY 11: FAMILY AGAIN

We spent the day just visiting and helping the family run errands and do stuff around the house. We really didn't do much special.

In the evening, more family arrived. My daughter and granddaughters came up for the weekend to make it a real family celebration. My SIL's son, DIL and grandkids all came over. It was a big noisy time with 5 little ones around the place. SIL ordered pizza to make it fun for everyone.

DAY 12: SEEING THE COLUMBIA AREA

There is a major area of Columbia, MO, that is torn up, to create a new interchange along I-70. Travelers in the area should be aware of it. Westbound travelers are detoured completely off of the interstate. Eastbound travelers are on the freeway but it is down to one lane. I asked my BIL, "when will they make it end?!" but they had no news about it.

As a result, we have taken a number of "backroads" to get to places around Columbia with them. We went to a farmer's market, situated on a middle school parking lot and grassy area, to pick up some yummy tomatoes fresh off the farm, and a few other things. Unfortunately, no corn on the cob for another week or so.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7358/2...5b7b50c5_z.jpgIMG_3863 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We passed by Mizzou's stadium.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7565/2...72e97590_z.jpgIMG_3865 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

I've written about the winery near Rocheport in previous trip reports, but it is always an activity that we enjoy with the family. Kids are welcome; they are just not allowed to partake of alcoholic beverages. You are welcome to bring your own picnic foods (and we did), but not to bring your own alcoholic beverages. Instead, you can buy wine by the glass or by the bottle. You can bring your own glasses to avoid a $3/glass deposit, so we did. We bought 3 bottles of wine and everyone shared.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7685/2...a1570244_z.jpgIMG_3873 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The A-Frame where you buy wine, and food if you didn't bring your own.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7418/2...c8743323_z.jpgIMG_3870 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

This was a warm and sticky day -- a storm was due any time -- but there was a breeze coming from the Missouri River.
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7381/2...c6708863_z.jpgIMG_3866 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The day ended with hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill -- and all the trimmings. Our family loves to eat!



Donna

DAY 13 and 14: FAMILY FROLICS

Not much to say about these last two days in Columbia -- most of it was spent visiting various other family members in the mid-Missouri area.

DAY 15: COLUMBIA to BROOKINGS, SD - 550 miles

Alas, it was time to start the other half of our road trip, heading west into a lot of historic and scenic areas. Saying goodbye to family again, was difficult -- always is when you only see them once a year, if that. Trying to get out of Columbia seemed like a Three Stooges routine, with one foul-up after another. Finally pulled out 45 minutes after we'd hoped, at 7:45.

We headed west on I-70 toward KC. I had tried, in vain, to get hubby to try another route, but no, he didn't want to do that, wanted to drive interstate all the way. (I wanted to go north on 63 to US-36 west, which would have been all divided highway.) In KC, rush hour was pretty much done, and we headed north on I-435. Just north of Worlds of Fun, the heavens opened up and we drove through a storm that brought a lot of water, lightning, and thunder for a good 10 miles. Then we drove out of it, for the most part.

We took I-29 all the way to Brookings, SD. The weather was pleasant -- no air conditioner at all in the truck! We took our time, as we had reservations in Brookings. We pulled in there at 4:45 pm, about 9 hours after we left Columbia, staying at the Econo Lodge right on US-14.

After settling our stuff in the room, we walked over about 3 blocks to Walmart, where we picked up some stuff for dinner. Walked back, took a dunk in the indoor pool and hot tub.

Decided to cook a meal in the room. There were no rules that said we couldn't, the electricity looked like it would handle an induction hot plate. (We bring that, plus other cook stuff, in the camper shell of our pick-up.) We had salad, thanks to Walmart, and a chicken-and-pasta dish. The only problem was cleaning up afterward - I had forgotten the dishtub at home. I managed, but on the next trip to Walmart, that would be rectified -- as would the replacement of the coffee scoop that my husband left in Columbia. Doing dishes in the sink or bathtub of a motel isn't really recommended, because you can cause a clogged drain.


Donna

DAY 16: BROOKINGS to WALL SD, via DeSmet - 342 miles

There was no real hurry to leave the motel, which appeared to appeal to travelers, workers, and truckers. That morning, my husband noted 4 big-rigs in the parking area behind the motel. We enjoyed our coffee, then took commuter mugs to go. We had two stops to make that morning: one for fuel, and one at Walmart again, to pick up a dishtub and coffee scoop.

The truck turned west on US-14, which is listed as the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway", probably because it was the old road that Charles Ingalls used to go file a claim in Brookings, for a homestead in De Smet. His trip took a couple of days; ours took less than an hour for the 42 miles to De Smet. Hubby was hungry when we got there, so we found a cafe in the historic downtown area. This is a very small town; Walt's was a bakery, cafe, and gift store. Food okay.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7231/2...1778e804_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Finding the Laura Ingalls Wilder area of town isn't difficult. There are good directions on the historic homes website, and it's properly signed in town. We stopped in at this older home, which is not one of Laura's, but it's the little museum, gift shop, and where you sign up for the tour. Ours was the 10:30 am tour, which lasts about an hour and a quarter.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7563/2...d9b83176_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The tour takes you into 4 buildings. You can't take photos inside the Surveyor's house, where Laura and her family lived when they first got to DeSmet. Pa had a job working as paymaster for the railroad. Laura thought it was a mansion.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7286/2...162d1d22_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 013 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

I asked about why no photos inside, and our very personable guide did not have an answer, only that it had always been that way. (I surmised, as I did in Mansfield two years ago, that it had to do with $$ and because old-fashioned flash bulbs were hard on historical items.)

The guide then took us to Laura's and Carrie's first school, which was located elsewhere in town originally, but moved to the historical site so that it could be preserved. Evidently, it had been converted to a home for a while, but when reconverting it back to a school room, they found that chalkboards and the like had been covered over, not ripped out. Because of my profession, I was very happy that they allowed photos to be taken inside this school, and the replica of the Brewster School where Laura first taught school (until she married Almanzo Wilder).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7516/2...8dfb1344_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 017 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Desks in the first DeSmet school.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7438/2...c7ee6824_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Brewster school replica.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7733/2...2ce00699_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 041 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The next time one of my kiddos complains that his chair is too uncomfortable, I want to show him this photo:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7578/2...73894e8f_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The last place on the tour is still located in its original spot in town: the house that Pa built for Ma, where they lived, along with Mary and Carrie, until their deaths. Once again, no photos were allowed inside.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7315/2...816d8f0f_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After Pa died, Ma (Caroline Quinter Ingalls) took in boarders, and had this stairway built on the back so that boarders did not have to trek through the house and up a tiny set of steps to get to the upstairs rooms.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7583/2...e0b5caa8_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 045 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

That ended the tour. We returned to the Gift Shop, used the facilities, purchased a t-shirt for me, and headed out. It was almost 12:30 and we still had 300 miles to drive. My husband was given about 4 routes to use to get us down to 90, and he chose the one I predicted: US-14 to US-281 south. The 14 had some construction (including one with a pilot car, grumble) but the 281 was a breeze with almost no traffic.

Once on the 90, we headed west again, making one of the next stops at a rest area/scenic viewpoint/Lewis & Clark Information Center. The view was stunning, and the information was about L & C at this point on the River.

What a beautiful place to have a picnic, if it was that time of day!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7314/2...6cb4585c_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Pulling into Wall, SD, we easily located our overnight motel, Econo Lodge, checked in, took a dunk in the pool, changed, and headed for Wall Drug. It was only 4 blocks so we decided to walk. We spent a lot more time poking around the shops, looking at the "backyard", the art gallery, until the tummies started to rumble at the same time as the weather did.

Dinner was at the Badlands Saloon and Grille. While we were enjoying the meal, Wall was hit by a major thunderstorm -- heavy rains, thunder, and some lightning in the area. While eating, we were concerned about how long we'd have to wait for the weather to settle enough to make the 4 block trip back to the motel. Soon it settled, and we went outside again.
Hubby looks over at Wall Drug after the thunderstorm.
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7299/2...d4c22fa2_z.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 024 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

It was a night for settling in early, as we had a long drive to make the next day (with no significant stops.)


Donna

DAY 17: WALL SD to THREE FORKS MT - 603 miles

This was a long day on the road, giving me what I call "FBS" (flat bottom syndrome), despite getting out every two hours for a walk, etc. It was also a miscalculated day, as I had originally written down 540 miles, because the original intent was to overnight at Rapid City, and Wall is about 60 miles short of that. Well, as my husband said, "at least it was *all* interstate!"

We set out in sunny but chilly weather (in the 50s) before 7 am. First order of business, about 40 miles down the road, was fuel. GasBuddy again led us someplace that was about 15c cheaper than the stations in Rapid City. That was in Box Elder, near Ellsworth AFB (whose diesel was also more expensive).

Next stop was an oddball thing for us: Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. Let me preface this by saying, this is not very well known any more. It was built in 1936 by the WPA, and is on the national register of historic places. When my mom was a little girl on vacation in the Black Hills, she had appendicitis and was brought to a hospital (no longer exists) in Rapid City for surgery. This was just after Dinosaur Park was built. After she was released from the hospital, her parents took their daughters up to the Park.

Fast forward 30 years, my parents brought my brother and I to this park. I regret that we never took a trip through South Dakota when our girls were children, because I would have taken them there, too. Instead, I took my husband. It was fun, but he and I both had our thoughts about why the WPA built the park, instead of something just a little more useful. We came to the conclusion that they needed something that would lift people's spirits during a rough depression, and create a free place for children to play.

These are huge cement dinosaurs that have now been climbed on by many generations of children for the past 80 years.

One must climb a lot of stairs. This is not "accessible", unfortunately.
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7600/2...d9d00b8d_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 026 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As a child, I remember sitting on this one's tail.
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7464/2...6a7040d3_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 027 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Yours truly, standing in front of one so you can see the size of these things.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7458/2...b624e132_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 032 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We didn't make this a very long stop. It took us longer to climb the hill to get to the park, than we actually stayed. This is a narrow road with lots of switchbacks, where we hoped that we wouldn't meet too many others going the other way! Since we were traversing this at what was Rapid City's "rush hour", that wasn't at issue.

Between there and Three Forks, MT, there were only stops for brunch, stretching, and facility usage. It was 5:30 pm by the time we rolled into our motel in Three Forks.

We situated ourselves at the Broken Spur Motel on the south end of Three Forks. It was a cute family-run place. Because of the holiday weekend, I got the last room when I reserved BACK IN APRIL, and it was a kitchenette. That's a little more expensive than their other rooms. The unit had three rooms. The front room was the bedroom, with a sliding glass door, everything you need for a good night's sleep. The second room was the kitchenette - electric range (small), refrig/micro combo like many motels put in - table and 2 chairs - and a futon. Presumably the futon is for an extra person or two. The kitchen was decently supplied with cookware, pots and pans, but was very low on counter-space and that was not near an electric plug. The third room was the large bathroom/wardrobe, and (unfortunately) the only place to plug in a coffeemaker or toaster because it had counter-space!

So we walked over to the little market and Family Dollar store, and put in provisions that we hadn't brought with us. That night, it was chili, crackers, and a salad. We also bought things for a picnic lunch the following day.



Donna

DAY 18: HEADWATERS of the MISSOURI RIVER STATE PARK

My husband and I have a great interest in the expedition of Lewis & Clark. Over the years we have been to several of the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Centers, visited a few other sites, and have seen quite a few documentaries on the expedition and read a few books on the subject. When planning this trip, more L & C sites got added to the "must-see" list. We've already touched on a site or two on our trip, but we planned for an entire day at the Headwaters.

Packing a lunch and tossing it in the truck, the first stop was at the pay kiosk at the State Park, 5 miles from our motel. It was a self-service kiosk, they wanted $6, and of course we didn't have exact cash. They also had no map. We eventually figured out that they would take a check (amazing!), at a later pay kiosk.

The first stop was also the second site of the town of Gallatin, now only a memory. The only thing left at any of the Gallatin sites was this old hotel, now being held up by some modern hardware.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7094/2...9c8fd7fb_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 006 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There was a half mile "Creek Loop", which seemed like a good idea. Pretty views, a nice creek, and somewhere along the way, we surprised both a deer and a grouse.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7570/2...ea72a5e3_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 009 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There was river access to the Madison River, at the next stop. You could walk down to the river's edge and stick your hand in it, or wade. It warned of heavy undertow by the presence of lifesaving equipment, though, so we didn't attempt wading.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7573/2...d497e67d_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 014 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

According to the US Geological Survey, the Missouri River actually starts where the Madison River and Jefferson River converge. The natives disagree, saying that the MO starts when the Gallatin River finally joins the Madison-Jefferson, a little bit further downstream.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7075/2...dc49c399_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 019 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Walking along the converged rivers a little ways, we came across this interesting plant. There was no interpretive sign to tell us what this is.

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7697/2...0645eafe_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 021 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The next stop was at Fort Rock. It was a nice climb to the top. We had just gotten to the bench at the top when my phone rang -- it was my mom, and I regretted that she didn't have Facetime or Skype, as she would have loved this view -- and would have hiked it too when she was younger.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7307/2...260107cb_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 030 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As we pulled up to the next point of interest, the Picnic Area/Interpretive Center, it was just about lunchtime. We found a nice shady parking spot for our truck, a shady picnic table for us (the only one), and had the lunch we'd purchased at the little market in Three Forks. Convenient and tasty! Then we hiked up the hill to the interpretive center, which was just more signs to read, and a little extra hike to the top of the hill.

The picnic area, the Gallatin River before it joins the Madison-Jefferson:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7335/2...fc9846d6_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 036 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The view of the Madison-Jefferson before the Gallatin joins it:
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7077/2...abcfc7c4_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 035 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Up near the Interpretive Center were graves of some children, who died as a result of the black diptheria epidemic back in 1870. So sad.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7399/2...7a0a3084_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Our final stop in the park was at the boat ramp, so that we could stick our hands in what was now the Missouri River. Then we drove back out of the park.

The early afternoon was spent just driving along the Jefferson River south and west of Three Forks, stopping for a scenic photo or two. We finally turned around at the entrance to the talc plant, one of the major employers of the Three Forks region. (The other was a gravel company just north of the Headwaters state park.)

We chose to have dinner in again -- after all, that's what kitchenette rooms are all about. It was once again a lot cheaper than going out to eat, and probably a lot healthier for both of us.


Donna

DAY 19: THREE FORKS MT to HELENA MT - 80 miles

This leg of the trip involves very short drives between overnight spots, in order to enjoy the drive, the scenery, and pull over to take photographs. We had a leisurely morning at the motel, checking out right around 10 am after a breakfast (made in the room) of eggs, sausage, and toast. (I should add that the motel's breakfast was pretty simple: toast, cereal, packaged sweet rolls and muffins. So we "ate in", using the motel's breakfast room for the toast and butter.)

After quickly making a stop for ice for our cooler, we went to the Headwaters Heritage Museum. This is a free museum in Three Forks with displays from a lot of the other towns around the area, located in a very old bank building. The bank's small vault was still there. The offices upstairs were converted into rooms with similar objects. The military memorabilia, including very old uniforms, were in one room. Another room was full of train stuff, as the Milwaukee Road had a depot in a (now-defunct) nearby town, Trident.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7603/2...56e45383_n.jpgIMG_3940 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At the museum, we accomplished another thing - we were able to purchase souvenir t-shirts for the Headwaters, to go with our Mississippi Headwaters t-shirts. The woman that was running the museum that day was very knowledgeable about the whole area.

Moving on, we headed for US-287, to take a more direct and slow drive to Helena. In a few places, we were following the Missouri River again (and crossed it a couple of times). At one point, I saw a sign for "Fishing Access", so we turned down the road -- just in time to get stopped by a train. After the train passed, continuing down the (dirt) road, we found a Bureau of Reclamation Campground right next to the river. No hookups, but it was really a pretty place for a campsite! We stopped next to the boat launch area, and walked down to the river. There were people setting out in a boat.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7246/2...82650cf1_n.jpgIMG_3941 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

A little further up the road, we set out on another "adventure", this one less successful. The woman at the Headwaters Museum had given me a brochure that would help you follow some Lewis & Clark sites. One was the Crimson Cliffs, at which one had been shown how the natives made dyes from the red dirt. We got probably halfway there and turned around. The road was horrible, full of potholes and washboard-like, plus it was rolling through hills with steep grades and hairpin turns where you hoped you didn't meet someone else going the other way. At a ranch drive, we turned around. However, we had gotten to look at some beautiful homes situated right on the River.

So on we drove, right on into Helena. It was right around 1 pm when we found our hotel. No, they weren't really ready for us to check in, but allowed us to do the check-in process without dropping any gear in the room. The state capitol building was located a couple of miles away, which I wanted to see, so we drove that way.

Parking was easy right in front of the Capitol, and it wasn't too busy. This was the start of the holiday weekend, so not too surprising.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7077/2...99b81853_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 1 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

You enter the building underneath that "grand staircase", where you are greeted by a docent from the Montana Heritage Society. The gentleman asked us if we wanted a tour (which wouldn't start for another hour), or if we wanted to do a self-tour. We chose the latter, took the brochure, and began to walk. It's a very beautiful building, built between 1899 and 1902. What we noticed was the difference between the desks and chairs in the Senate chamber vs. the ones in the Representatives chamber. The Senators got the more comfortable chairs and more microphones.

On the way back to the hotel (Super 8 Helena), we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some chicken and potato salad for dinner. Neither of us felt like eating out, and the leftover fried chicken would make a nice picnic lunch for the following day's outing.

This particular Super 8 was located near the junction of 287/12 and I-15. The staff tried to accommodate us early, but couldn't -- that was fine, understandable. The wifi was not particularly strong, however, and kept dropping out. (I have gotten so that I prefer hotel wifi's that require passwords. The other kind will often drop you in the middle of an upload of photos.) This one has a nicer fridge than we've seen in other places. Like many other hotels that we have stayed at, there's never enough electrical outlets, so our electrical strip was in use again. This one did a hot breakfast where you could choose egg, sausage, along with a nice assortment of other things.


Donna

DAY 20: GATES of the MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS AREA - 20 miles

We were up that morning early, and about an hour before we were to depart for our boat tour, we noticed that someone was double-parked right behind our truck. There was very little "wiggle room" to be able to depart without damage to either vehicle, so we informed hotel management. He looked at the registration papers to find that no one had declared that particular license plate, then retrieved a broom. Seems they had left the driver's window open far enough to be able to reach in with a broom handle and honk the horn several times. Finally someone came out -- but did not move the vehicle. Another vehicle abandoned the parking spot next to us, which would have helped us to wiggle out, but....I saw movement inside the vehicle, so I went outside to put something inside our truck. It was a woman, so I carefully approached her and asked if she could possibly move her vehicle into that empty parking spot as we were going to have to leave soon. She tried to tell me that the other vehicle was going to be back, but I told her that it's every man for himself in a motel lot, no one has reserved parking.....so she moved the car.

Off we went, picnic lunch in our cooler, to Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area. We had purchased tickets for the 10 am boat tour through the area. Later found out that the lake was only accessible to those with boats, or those who wanted to hike in 20 miles. (I love to hike, but that's a few nights in/out!) The boat tour guide was a retired middle school teacher - very informative about the geology, flora, fauna and history of the area. Meriweather Lewis had given it the name "Gates of the Mountains" back when it was just a river, but the lake makes it even more so. He took us down river about 6-1/2 miles then back. We saw a bald eagle's nest, a flying young bald eagle, an osprey nest with an osprey head sticking out from it, and a few jumping fish. The boat we rode on was only slightly older than the two of us.

One side of the lake belonged to the Gates of the Mountains Conservation Society, which also runs the public marina and the boat tours. The other side is the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, managed by the US Forest Service.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7353/2...69fd0016_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 008 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We rode the open boat. The pros: you were able to see a lot better. The cons: no onboard bathroom.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7311/2...4baaa92a_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 2 003 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Gates as seen from the water, on the south end:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7303/2...33991dd4_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 006 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Some of the geological rock formations are rather funny:
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7405/2...34c55f61_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The camping area, though you can "disperse camp" anywhere on either side where you can find a place to beach your boat and pitch a tent.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7367/2...60acf1ba_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 030 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Mann Gulch was the scene of a horrendous and huge fire, that killed 13 out of 15 "smokejumpers" who were sent in to fight the fire, back in 2007.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7446/2...400727ff_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 054 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Gates from the northern entrance, the way Meriweather Lewis would have seen them. (Clark was on an overland trip at the time.)
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7529/2...a7cd549c_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 Montana 2 055 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr


You may notice that a lot of these are my husband's photos. He had the better vantage point. I didn't trade seats with him because I knew he'd be a lot less tolerant than I was, of the 13-month old sitting behind us screaming and crying whenever anyone tried to hold him except his dad.

We had hoped to do some hiking in the area, but for several reasons, it wasn't meant to be. We went back to the room and relaxed after having our picnic lunch at the marina pavilion, then watching the private boats launch for a few minutes. Dinner was at the place next door, the Overland Express, as I didn't want to drag the cooking stuff in.


Donna

DAY 21: HELENA to GREAT FALLS MT via YORK & FORT BENTON - 210 miles

Knowing that the day's drive from Helena to Great Falls was only going to be 90 miles at the most, we made some plans to include other things. What we didn't factor in: holiday weekend. In our home state of California, almost everything stays open for Sundays and holidays. Not so in the great state of Montana.

We drove out to York on the recommendation of the boat captain at Gates of the Mountain, for lunch. There was a bar there, normally opens at 11, that served incredible hamburgers. The drive out there was beautiful, with a good view of Hauser Lake and the Mighty MO.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7610/2...2c88685d_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 024 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At York - the restaurant was closed. Such a big disappointment! It just never occurred to us to call ahead. We drove back into Helena, and ate instead at the Grub Stake Restaurant in North Helena. They were busy and the service was good, but the food was slow to come.

Driving up to Great Falls was beautiful, though with some construction. We then found the way through town to get to 87 north into Fort Benton. On the way through, at Black Eagle junction, there was such an array of radio and TV antennae that, once again, our truck reacted. Some electronic force is messing with a sensor!!!! Persevering through with the engine bucking, it eventually settled down, but unfortunately, our nerves did not do so for another 15 minutes.

Fort Benton was sleepy, quiet, nothing going on, not much traffic on the streets, most of the stores were closed up tight. However, after the experience at York, we had called ahead to find out if the museums were open, and yes, they were. Stopped first at the Missouri Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center, paid our $10 to look at their museum and (if desired) see their film. I learned a few things - I wasn't aware that there were steamboats that went up the river from St Louis to Fort Benton in the late 1800s.

Drove from there down Front Street, where we stopped to do something we've never done: walk across the Missouri River, albeit on a footbridge. This was the first bridge over the MightyMO ever built, and is now for foot traffic only. It's a "bridge to nowhere" now, as the other end is fenced off - it goes into private property.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7431/2...381a0857_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 048 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Here's yours truly sitting on a picnic table bench in the middle of the footbridge. According to the plaque, it was a young man's Eagle Scout project, but had many sponsors.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7331/2...9d49c723_n.jpgWarren Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 050 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Venturing further down Front Street, we stopped at the Lewis & Clark Memorial Statue.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7585/2...f9160eb3_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

I would have loved to have toured Old Fort Benton. Unfortunately, by the time we made it to Fort Benton, the museums were either closing (as the Interpretive Center would do an hour later) or already closed (Fort Benton, Museum of the Upper Missouri).

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7448/2...13f79e0c_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 038 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Drove back to Great Falls via the same route, as there really wasn't anything else available without going 100 miles out of our way. So we had the same trouble with the truck, going through the Black Eagle antennae area. It took a bit for it to "find itself" and behave normally.

We settled ourselves at the Super 8 Great Falls, which is more "in-town" than some of the other places we've stayed at. It's right next door to a mall with a Ross and Big Lots store. First thing we noticed about the place was the lack of electric outlets. So we knew that cooking in the room was not going to be possible. There was a definite lack of places to eat nearby, or at least it appeared to be at first glance. The room was otherwise decent. We were working on building up enough points to be able to stay at a Wyndham property free on the way home - we had already received notice from Choice that we had earned a free night.


Donna

DAY 22: GREAT FALLS, LEWIS & CLARK

Once again, we packed a light picnic lunch, and headed out for the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center up by the Missouri River. We took the "Scenic Route", the ByPass, which took us out toward Malmstrom AFB and then back toward Giant Springs area.

The Center was located on a bluff overlooking the River. Paying your fee ($8/person for age 16 and up), you could wander about the Center for the entire day. The first movie was "The Portage", so we watched that, in awe of what L & C and their men had to do to get around these falls (an 18 mile portage). A second film was offered, Ken Burns' Lewis and Clark: An Introduction. No need for us to go see that one, as the entire video is in our home library.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7533/2...9580b446_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There were some repeated items from the two L & C Centers that we have already visited on past trips (Independence/KC MO, and Fort Mandan ND), but a lot of displays centered on the Natives that inhabited this area of Montana.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7618/2...e83b439b_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After spending over 2 hours in the museum, we were ready to be outside. We left the building to the scenic viewpoint outside of the center, then headed to the vehicle for an "in-truck picnic" (a must since there were no picnic areas near the center itself).

It was a beautiful afternoon for hiking. It was partly cloudy, not too hot, a good breeze was blowing - lucky us! We headed upriver first, towards the Black Eagle Falls, hiking first on the L & C Nature Trail, then on the River's Edge Trail (a paved hike/bike trail that goes on both sides of the river).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7623/2...2c291d44_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 032 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We didn't get too close to these Falls by hiking, and after the issues with the truck and antennae, driving near anything with the name "Black Eagle" was to be avoided.

Back to the Center, we got in the truck and headed toward Giant Spring State Park. Finding out that it was for the purpose of a trout hatchery, we moved on down the road to find some scenic viewpoints. At one, the Lewis & Clark Overlook, an interpretive sign made us about cry - the falls have been almost decimated by the addition of all the dams.

Rainbow Falls as they once were.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7317/2...b90253d8_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 040 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Rainbow Falls as they are, after the addition of the Rainbow Dam.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7445/2...19fd504d_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Crooked Falls as they once were.
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7601/2...c18845eb_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 049 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Crooked Falls, on this day.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7513/2...5f505f48_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Montana 4 052 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Total mileage on the feet, for the Center and the hikes, was well over 4 miles -- two 2-mile round trip hikes.

Our Super 8 had a couple of restaurants nearby, not a huge amount of choice, but JB's was one of them within 3 blocks. I always enjoy going to a JB's when we find one, but any more, their locations are dwindling. The food was good, enough of it, and the price was very reasonable. After dinner, we hit Big Lots and now have an extension cord as part of our motel "necessities".


Donna

DAY 23: GREAT FALLS to EAST GLACIER PARK VILLAGE, MT - 140 miles

This day started with a 3-banger when it came to delays getting started. The Super 8 had a problem developing with the door key reader -- our second of this kind of trouble on our trip. It locked us out completely during the repacking of the truck, and took the front desk clerk to come and get us back in the room. Second problem was stopping at McDonald's for a light snack before departing Great Falls -- of course they didn't get the order correct and we had to insist they rectify that. Third was missing the turnoff to get on I-15 (temporarily) north, and ended up on I-15 south instead. Easy fix, just get off at the next exit and turn around!

Finally on US-89 for the vast majority of the trip to East Glacier Park Village, where we were staying during our visit to Glacier National Park, things were better. It was mostly rolling hills, two lanes with occasional passing lanes, and we had to go through a few small towns. The skies dripped on us two or three times, only once driving through a shower where the windshield wipers were on for more than 2 or 3 swipes.

Pulling into our motel, Sherburne's Mountain Pines Motel, just after noon, we were told that we could check in, move stuff in, etc. So we did. What a sweet room!! It was very spacious! There were two queen beds, TWO bathroom sinks (one in the bathroom, one out of it), plenty of table space, three chairs and another table, a small TV (old style, but we never use the thing anyway), extremely clean and three windows. The only drawbacks were the tiny shower and finicky faucet handles on it, and no towel racks other than the motel-style "towel shelf" which was hung too close to the bathroom sinktop to hang anything on it. Less than $100/night - the norm around here is about $125-350.

Took off to go into the park immediately, to the Two Medicine Lakes area. First note: Glacier is among those parks that have gone up to $30 for entrance fee (from $25) this year.

Stopped first at the Running Eagle Falls trailhead, and joined the throngs of people on that very short, 3/10 mile trip back to the falls. There was a mist in the air, even at the parking lot, and most of it coming from the sky above.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7786/2...cabf2240_n.jpgIMG_3965 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Upper Two Medicine Lake was the next stop, basically the end of this particular road. In my family trip here, when I was a teenager, the Two Medicine Lake region got skipped (as did the Many Glacier region). So I wanted to rectify that. The General Store beckoned -- what a mixture of items to sell -- as did a walk along the lake for a short spell.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7704/2...479edbec_n.jpgIMG_3977 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Third stop in the region was at the Scenic Point/Mt Henry Trailhead. This was much less popular, probably because it was a far longer trail. It was 6/10 of a mile to Apistoki Falls, mostly uphill (up about 350 ft in elevation).

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7284/2...66890ba8_n.jpgIMG_3979 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Dinner that evening was a short walk down MT-49, to the Whistle Stop Cafe. I had BBQ'd chicken breast, while hubby was in the mood for a rib-eye steak. The prices were very reasonable and the food was tasty. My only regret was not having enough room for the delicious-looking huckleberry pie, for dessert, or the mint chocolate pie.



Donna

DAY 24: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

We didn't get as early a start as we normally do when we are entering a national park. It was closing in on 9:15 before we left East Glacier Park Village and headed north 32 miles to St Mary. MT-49 is some of the roughest highway I've ever been on, and a lot of it is open range. Rough road, extreme curves and cattle and horses in the middle of the road meant we weren't at the Visitor Center until 10:10. BAD time to start on Going to the Sun Highway!

It was literally bumper to bumper freeway along Going to the Sun at that hour. There were only a few scenic viewpoints that we were able to squeeze our full-size pick-up into, much to our dismay. Goat Island on St Mary Lake was one of them.

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8768/2...6747e9e0_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 002 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We captured this moment on camera, where the mountain is wearing a fur hat. The day went from sunny to partly cloudy, to mostly cloudy -- the mountains make their own weather.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7568/2...bba042c0_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At Weeping Wall, and later the Loop, we had to pull in the passenger side mirror for its safety. Here's a good indication about the traffic levels on the Going to the Sun.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8564/2...9264bc19_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 035 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We had to pass Logan Pass Visitor Center, and many other scenic points and trail heads. There were traffic directors at the entrance to the LPVC, waving you on, "lot full". If you happened upon the entrance just as someone was leaving, you might be let in. Otherwise, no.

Getting to the Apgar Visitor Center on the west side of the park, it was almost 2. We had an in-truck picnic lunch, napped, played games on the phone, walked around the Visitor Center area, and then drove to Coram to get fuel for the truck. Shopped for souvenirs in West Glacier, visited the Alberta Visitor Center there.

At 4:10, we started back on Going to the Sun Highway, going the west-to-east direction. This had not been in the plan at all. The plan had been to return to East Glacier by US-2. However, we wanted to stop at some of those scenic points that were full, and definitely Logan Pass.

This was much better. Most of the traffic was leaving the park, not just going in. We were able to stop at every scenic point, and do the Trail of the Cedars.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8898/2...13e7bfde_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 068 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Unfortunately, it was too late to do the Avalanche Lake trail that we had planned, and the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail was closed because of bear activity. There was a gutsy mountain goat that decided to come and munch on the vegetation in the Logan Pass Visitor Center area.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8631/2...d4e66f1d_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 110 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

By the time we got to St Mary Visitor Center, it was after 7 pm, and we still had a 32 mile drive. Getting into East Glacier Park, hubby wanted to buy a bottle of beer. No-go, it was some sort of Indian Days celebration and all alcohol sales (ALL) were shut down. Wish we'd known, he'd have bought one the day before.


Donna

DAY 25: NORTH, TO CANADA!

It was sad to leave that sweet little motel that had everything we needed (except, perhaps, a hot tub!), but we were on our way by 8:40. A stop in St Mary (town) for ice and a souvenir, headed north again then west at Babb to go into the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. It was cold and drizzly (again). We'd hoped for some breakfast but neither Swiftcurrent's cafe nor Many Glacier's restaurant were serving anything at the time.
Many Glacier Hotel
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8872/2...df0c15db_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 028 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Back to Babb, we found a cute little cafe that was serving lunch, so we each had a good sandwich and went on our way.

Reaching Chief Mountain MT/AB port, we found ourselves in a line of about 14 vehicles, and we were Tail-End-Charlie for quite awhile. About 30 minutes later, the Customs agent for Canada greeted us with a smile and we returned the same. Passports were handed to him, he asked us to shut off the diesel engine because it was too loud, asked about firearms/guns/weapons (none), asked where we were headed (Waterton Park and then west to return to the states through Idaho), wished us good journey, and we were on our way.

About 15 minutes later, we were at Waterton Park entrance station. It was $15.60 CDN (about $12 US) to enter the park, but that was only good until 4 pm the next day.

First thing we did was go to the Waterton Village to see what that was like -- we walked the edge of the bay and the lake for a bit, then wandered through town.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8743/2...055f121e_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 045 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Decided to drive up Red Rock Canyon Road all the way to the end. There, we walked up Red Rock Canyon for a bit, and then took off on the Blakiston Falls Trail. This whole time, clouds dripped on us -- I began to wonder if Canada waited till I got there to rain, because it rained on us halfway up the Alaska Highway, years ago.

Red Rock Canyon.
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7322/2...11b2d57f_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 050 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Blakiston Falls.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8878/2...ea06e456_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 061 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The closest I could get to Waterton, for open reasonably priced accommodation, was in Pincher Creek -- about 26 miles from the Park. Not exactly ideal, but the Waterton Village places were booked, and so were Mountain something (View? Home?), Cardston was about the same mileage but not going in the same direction we would be departing, so Pincher Creek was good. We were working towards a Wyndham free night, and there was a Super 8 there, fairly new too.

Dinner was in, because the place next door didn't have a good reputation, neither of us were in the mood to drive anywhere OR go to A&W (walking distance).


Donna

Lovely photos -- enjoying traveling along with you.

Mark

DAY 26: WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK, CANADA

Compared to Glacier National Park in the US (Montana), the sister park, Waterton Lakes National Park is pretty small. It can pretty much be seen in one day; more if you want to enjoy some of the hikes or are prepared for inclement weather hikes.

Our day began in the park before 9 am, at the park Visitor Center. Akamina Parkway, one of the two "main" scenic roads, is under construction this summer and not available to private cars. To get to any of the trails along Akamina, one must sign up for a (free) shuttle out to your trailhead and sign up for the return shuttle. The weather was looking pretty crummy, so we decided not to take the shuttle out and hope that we'd not get rained on. Or, worse yet, not make it back in time for our return shuttle. It simply wasn't that important to do specific trails.

We found parking near Cameron Falls, which are right next to Waterton Village. Looked and photographed the falls, then hiked UP the stairs and trail for a "brink of the falls" view.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8803/2...f8f3620c_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 124 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8856/2...e0e215f1_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 137 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We walked all over the Village, looking into the little shops more than we had the day before. Stopped and had coffee at one of them (no, it wasn't Starbucks). Walked down by the Lake in a different area.

While in the Village, one deer came up and helped himself to the leaves on the branches of the tree right next to the Waterton Historical Society building. Tourists: "click, click, click." Another mama deer and her baby Bambi went trotting across the lawn of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police building. Tourists: "click, click, click". Yet a different deer decided to make lunch of Zum's flowers and potted evergreens, sitting outside their restaurant. Tourists: "click, click, click". Yes, me too. The photos just haven't been uploaded to the computer yet, still on my camera.

We had lunch at Zum's -- fried chicken, yum! A little later, we had drinks on the patio at the Bayside Inn, watching the boats go up and down the lake, and the hotel folks were setting up for a 2 pm wedding (that was probably pretty windy).

https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8662/2...4b48d936_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 155 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Our last stop was to go up to the Prince of Wales Hotel. It was REALLY gusty up there.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8679/2...32bbcb63_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 158 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The view from outside the building was beautiful!
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7449/2...e40b99c4_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 166 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Drove back to Pincher Creek trying to decide how to tackle the next day's driving, as it would be more of a driving day than a sightseeing day.

For dinner, we went to A & W. It was right next door to the motel, and we hadn't been to one in several years. The only place we'd "done" an A & W was in Yuma, AZ. Well, this is a true A & W, and they still do real A & W root beer in real frozen glass mugs instead of the paper cups that the Yuma A & W uses. What a pleasure, making me really sorry that I hadn't ordered a root beer float!


Donna

DAY 26 in PHOTOS:

Gutsy deer eating the Historical Society's tree leaves
https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8808/2...5526e139_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 152 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Bambi and his mama run to the RCMP office to sample their lawn
https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8628/2...6d4c3592_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 151 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Maybe I should look both ways before crossing this street
https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8701/2...286f851a_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 150 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

This evergreen is mighty tasty!
https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8670/2...74452ea0_n.jpgIMG_4038 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Tourists: "Click, click, click" (including me)
https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8757/2...1ef8c7ef_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 154 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr


Donna

DAY 27: PINCHER CREEK AB to COEUR D'ALENE ID via BRITISH COLUMBIA - 280 miles

We set out at 8:20 that morning, oblivious to the fact of a time zone change a little later in the day. AB-6 took us to AB-3, which we were on for most of the day until we headed for the US border.

Stopped at Coleman, AB, for a bit of breakfast. The place wasn't busy at all. It hadn't been the one I was looking for -- evidently that one was in town, not on the highway. We noted that fuel was running 90.3 for diesel in that area of AB, but later jumped to 106.9 in BC. Since there was absolutely no one else in the restaurant when we went to leave, we chatted a bit with the waitress.

One thing Canada has going for it: when you go to pay the bill at a restaurant, the wait staff will bring you a wireless device in which you insert your credit card, then it will print a receipt for you to sign. (We ran into a couple of places where Chip-and-pin was okay for Americans, but most places are chip-and-sign for American cards.) For security, you never let go of your card, so I hope that the US will adopt this as a general rule rather than the occasional place that has it.

The highways were in great condition, for the most part. Though most were two lanes, each side would take turns being given a third lane for passing. Rest areas varied between full facilities and pit potties, and AAA maps were not always correct for which ones were which!

The drive was very scenic, and with light traffic, we enjoyed the Canada portion of our trip. To my surprise, we changed back to Pacific time zone when we were in British Columbia. It made me check all the maps, and realize that Idaho is half Pacific time (northern half) and half Mountain time (southern half).

At the Border Crossing Eastport/Kingsgate (US-95 and Can-95), we had to wait about 20 minutes. While we were in line, another lane was opened up, which lessened our wait, I'm sure. When we pulled up, we handed the CBP officer our passports. He asked us to take off our sunglasses (of course), shut down the diesel (sure), asked us what we were doing in Canada (sightseeing Waterton Lakes), where we were headed (home to California eventually, Coeur d'Alene for the night). Asked us what we were carrying in the back (luggage and other trip necessities.) He started to say that the US considers everything being brought across the border as Canadian, so I told him, "I have a list of everything we brought with us, electronics and medications." He changed his stance then, softening, telling us he didn't need to see the electronics list, but were all the medications prescriptions? (Yes). Did they have our names on them? (Yes.) OK, did we have any fruits and vegetables with us? (No.) Guns, weapons, ammunition? (No.) OK, have a great trip! We told him, enjoy your day, to which he smiled, motioned around him and said, "with all this beauty? Beats duty in Nogales!" We nodded and said, yes, we travel along I-8 and 10 in Arizona, said good-bye, and moved on.

The drive in the US -- well, hubby was relieved not to have to constantly check to see if he was going 100 kmh (62 mph), 80 (48 mph), etc. I was relieved not to multiply km by .62 to get mileage.

We pulled into Bonner's Ferry and found a diesel station with a reasonable price of fuel. "General Lee" (truck) was very thirsty, down to about 1/4 tank. (We had not filled at ALL in Canada.)

Continued on into Coeur d'Alene. We got divided highway, almost freeway quality, about 15 miles north of CDA, and sailed into our hotel --- the last Super 8 of this trip (to hubby's relief - he no longer likes Super 8's).

No photos for this portion of the trip.


Donna

DAY 28: COEUR D'ALENE TUBBS HILL and VICINITY

Despite the weather looking just a wee-bit dreary, Coeur d'Alene's McEuen Park and its Tubbs Hill beckoned. Our hope was for some good views of the Lake Coeur d'Alene, a good hike, and some looks at local housing.

McEuen Park is located in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Our GPS took us right to the parking for the park, and immediately put us into a dilemma: fancy parking meters and no exact cash. One of us noticed that you could park for 2 hours for free, so we just figured we'd stay no longer than 2 hours and that would solve the entire problem!

The perimeter hike around Tubbs Hill answered all of our desires. The views out onto the lake were beautiful, even with the weather playing games.

https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7494/2...b7f19607_n.jpgIMG_4044 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

What wasn't great was the signage. At one fork in the trail, we went to the right, thinking it would keep us on the perimeter trail. Instead, we found ourselves nearing the 10th Street Pier.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8582/2...b6c4fbfc_n.jpgIMG_4049 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After finding ourselves at the piers, we sought the spur back to the main trail, and continued on towards the 3rd Street Pier.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8841/2...c9b5a9f9_n.jpgIMG_4048 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

All in all, it was a great 2.4 mile hike, completed well within the 2 hour limits of our parking meter slip.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent relaxing and going out to dinner. We were back in "civilization" for a night, so we took advantage of the many offerings that CDA had for dinner -- knowing that the next night, we might not be so lucky!


Donna

DAY 29: COEUR D'ALENE to DONNELLY ID - 276 miles

It was a very late start from CDA that morning. I had a special deal for IHOP that we wanted to take advantage of, before it expired, and there was one just down from our hotel. So we left the Super 8 just after 9 am, and left CDA just after 10 am.

Once again the weather played games with us. We'd drive into the sunshine, then into a bank of clouds that would spit at us. We headed down US-95 again. That route was listed as "Scenic" by the AAA maps, but it wasn't much more than very pretty farmland once we left the shores of Lake Coeur D'Alene.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8827/2...7a2e2a53_n.jpgIMG_4052 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We pulled up a long grade to the top of a pass where one could get a scenic view of the valley around Lewiston, and just as the road sign said "Scenic Overlook, 1000 ft", the truck began to buck again. There were TV/radio antennae to both sides of us and close to the road. Needless to say, we passed up the scenic view. As soon as we were away from the antennae, the truck was fine. It's definitely some sensor that gets false readings from those antennae.

The road began to get more and more scenic as the day went on. Around Riggins, where we lost that hour and went back to Mountain Time, we stopped at a rest area/picnic area along the Salmon River.

Views as we drove alongside the Salmon River
https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8642/2...19bfa5d6_n.jpgIMG_4057 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Salmon River at Skookumchuck Picnic/Rest Area, where we walked down to the river and stuck our hands in.
https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8691/2...08048f22_n.jpgIMG_4058 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Our night's stay was at the Long Valley Inn at Donnelly, ID -- a very tiny town with only one motel. It looked decent from the photos online but it was the lowest point on the trip as overnight lodging goes. The bed was a 4 poster with knobbed wood, and comfortable, but that was the nicest thing about it. The wifi was non-existent on our end of the motel. The shower was good, but the tub had black mold -- not a good thing. I'm glad it was cheap or I'd have felt gypped.

Dinner, OTOH, was at Cougar Dave's Bar and Grill -- locally recommended. The special was prime rib and really delicious! (I had thought about cooking at the motel but on what? There was no table space except a tiny desk, which was rickety. So we went out.)



Donna

DAY 30: DONNELLY ID to TWIN FALLS via SAWTOOTH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA - 278 miles

We were anxious to get on the Scenic byways that morning, but not so anxious to skip breakfast for either us or our thirsty truck. In Cascade, a Shell station took care of the truck's need for fuel, and just down the street was an inviting little place called "Gramma's Homestead Restaurant". In that place, we had a delicious breakfast, but also a nice conversation with the lone man at the table next to us. He had duty on some of the remaining Fire Lookout towers. I had been concerned about one of the byways we were planning to take, because of a reported fire, but he assured me that the fire was out and the road was open.

We headed down ID-55, also called the Payette River Scenic Byway, to Banks. We turned left there on a "farm-to-market" road called 24 on the map, but locally called the Banks-Lowman Road. It's also known as the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway. Unfortunately we saw no wildlife, but we drove along good road right next to a rushing river. At points, the rapids were really rough.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7531/2...aa138907_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 001 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Rushing rapids
https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8892/2...d7994b7a_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 003 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Calm river - pretty much
https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8856/2...39ff107a_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 007 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At Lowman, the byway stopped, so we turned on "north" ID-21. I use "" on north because it was technically north, but you twist and turn going around mountains and up the Banner Summit (7200') that you never really know which direction you're going. Finally you get to Stanley. Before Stanley, you get an indication about what's coming up when you get on ID-75 going south:

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8885/2...0171d084_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 015 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We drove through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area on ID-75. This too is a lovely drive, the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. There were many campgrounds in the area that were pretty underused, but this was not a weekend. There were roads leading to fishing and boating areas.

View of the Sawtooth Range
https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8749/2...4e879198_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Dump Idaho 030 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

About 20 miles before you get to Ketchum/Sun Valley, you climb a pass (Galena, I think). We stopped at the turnout at the top and were rewarded with this view:

https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8899/2...bbcba112_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 027 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After Ketchum and Sun Valley, the road was no longer quite so scenic. We were ready, by then, to call it a day. We had reservations at Twin Falls, so that's where we headed, to a lovely Quality Inn there. Checked in, had a swim in one of their 2 indoor pools (and hot tub), and went to dinner.

From dinner, we walked over to the Snake River Canyon's Perrine Bridge Lookout point.

Perrine Bridge
https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8774/2...0a4d3d30_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 iPhone Dump Idaho 035 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We got directions to the Shoshone Falls, which were somewhat of a disappointment. They have been controlled because of the addition of a dam, but also the season of the year makes a big difference in how they look. To a July visitor, they weren't running as much as a spring visitor might see -- much like the falls at Yosemite, probably.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8645/2...b125e347_n.jpgDonna Summer 2016 Idaho 040 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At that, we called it a day. This was the last real sightseeing day planned for the trip -- it was time to start heading towards home a little quicker.


Donna

DAY 31: TWIN FALLS ID to ST GEORGE UT - 520 miles

Knowing we had reservations on the other end, and all freeway to drive, we set out later than we often do on long mileage days: 8 am. We hadn't seen much in the line of freeway since Three Forks MT (only a little between Helena and Great Falls). We took I-84 all the way down to I-15 in Utah, and took that in to St George.

Salt Lake City and vicinity stretches out for over 120 miles, beginning at Brigham City in the north, and ending after Provo to the south. Somewhere in there we stopped for lunch, getting a bit lost trying to locate the place, but the GPS (finally charged up and ready for use) got us back on track.

It took us a while to figure out what caused it, but the transmission was heating up quite rapidly. The weather outside was in the lower-90s (according to the Weather app) and the climbs were gradual, so we were puzzled. Stopped at two separate Flying J's for a rest area stop. Finally after the 2nd one, hubby dropped his speed from 76 mph to 75 mph -- and the tranny temp dropped. We remembered that 80 mph had heated it up, a couple of years ago, but didn't think there'd be such a drastic difference between 75 and 76 mph, especially with the cruise control on.

Our trip has been a "lollipop" trip. We start and end on the same highway (I-15), but looped around. This was the day where we closed the loop, when I-15 intersected with I-70 in mid-Utah. Hubby commented on how excited we were back then, to be heading out, but now we were excited to head back home, too.

We pulled into St George just before 5 pm -- not quite 9 hours later. The hotel had no problem finding our two night reservation. I was especially happy about that, as I had spent a half hour on the phone with Choice Privileges reservations back in CDA, trying to iron out one night paid and one night free (earned with points).

It was well over 105 F and our bodies were still trying to adjust to that heat. The weather had been considerably cooler up north -- jeans and sweatshirt temperatures -- and this heat was obnoxious. As soon as we unloaded our stuff into the room, we headed for the indoor pool. (We had tried to get into the Comfort Inn that had an outdoor pool, but they were full one night of the two we needed to stay.)

There were all kinds of choices for food within a half mile from the Comfort Inn St George North, including all sorts of fast food and a Texas Roadhouse. We drove down to one a little further away.

The Comfort Inn was excellent, with everything we needed (except towel bars). Since we were paying for one night, and using points for the other, we had to check out on one morning and check back in under points. They offered a hot breakfast, though hubby stated that the biscuits and gravy at the Quality back at the Lake of the Ozarks was better. :-)




Donna

DAY 32: LAYOVER DAY in ST GEORGE

During a last minute re-plan of the end of our trip, we decided to stay a full day in St George. There were things that looked interesting, to be sure, but the main reason for this day was REST.

Interesting things:
Red Cliffs conservation area - outdoors - too hot
Dinosaur tracks - outdoors - too hot
Virgin River Gorge, the hike we declined on our first day - outdoors - too hot

Staying in the room, sleeping, relaxing were the orders of the day instead.

DAY 33: ST GEORGE to HOME - 440 miles - a little over 7 hours

My hubby does not like driving in the heavy traffic between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, nor do either of us like the desert heat (even with an air conditioned vehicle). Our plans were to leave in the very wee hours of the morning again, the same way we started this road trip. That was the reason for the layover day: to give ourselves time to sleep, relax, and prepare for an early morning departure.

We were actually out before our planned "lift off". The hotel had suggested that we just leave our keys in the room instead of checking out, and offered to mail the invoice. Because we had paid for this second night with some of our accrued points, they can email it to us.

The drive was smooth. We stopped at the Flying J at Primm, near Whiskey Pete's, for more coffee and to use the facilities. California had the gall to close BOTH rest areas along I-15 north of Barstow. The Agricultural Inspection Station was lit up and cars were sent through one lane, but nobody was manning the lane. Stopped in Yermo for fuel, though we possibly could have made it down to San Diego County, then again in Riverside County for a pit stop.

We were planning our arrival time at home when all four lanes of I-15 came to a full stop, just short of the Deer Springs exit at the Welk Village Resort. We sat there for 20 minutes. While sitting, several CalTrans, two police cars, a big truck designed to move dirt and rock, and a tow truck went by. However, we never saw anything that indicated an accident *except* a long section of guard rail in the median strip was wiped out. It took another 15 minutes for us to get past the mess, and we had been about 1/4 mile back in line.

Arrived home, emptied the cab, went into the house, looked around, petted the cat a lot, put her outside, and we decided it was time to crash.

It had been a good trip, all in all. In the near future, I will post statistics such as mileage and costs, and reflections about what we'll do differently next trip.

Thanks for reading this!



Donna

On the last day of the trip, hubby and I usually muse about the good things and not-so-good things on our plans, and reflect on what not to do for the next trip. Here's some of our reflections that we made:

* Hubby was not happy with all the Super 8's. There was always something missing that he needed, or something was in poor condition.

* Stick to Choice properties (EconoLodge, Quality, Comfort Inn) where possible. Hubby liked them more than the Super 8's.

* Rethink bringing camping chairs and a large cooler on the trip. Just took up valuable space!

* Never forget an extension cord and an electrical strip. These come in handy at motels!

* Give more serious consideration to where we are on the 4th of July weekend. Places get full and are more expensive!

* We didn't need to stay two nights at Helena or Great Falls. We could have spent 3 nights at Great Falls and done the boat trip, Lewis and Clark from there. Be careful when planning short hauls and planning to stay 2 nights, that there's enough to do that interest us, in a given area. Same happened at Pincher Creek and Coeur d'Alene.



Donna

One of the reasons we planned our trip the way we did, was because our younger daughter was expecting a baby in July. We planned to get home 10 days before the baby's due date. Well, the baby was born a couple of days ago (which may explain my absence from the forums for a couple of days -- I was secondary support in the LDR room) -- we have a new grandson! I had been working on this before being called upon to head for the hospital:

SUMMARY OF TRIP EXPENDITURES:

5631 miles - 33 days - Average: 170 miles per day

Lodging - 25 nights - $2236.85
Average: $89.47
Highest: $144.72 (Quality Inn, Twin Falls, ID)
Lowest: $65.77 (Econo Lodge, Brookings, SD)

Fuel (Diesel) - $656.65
Lowest: $2.04/gal (Camdenton, MO)
Highest: $2.65/gal (Cascade, ID)
Lowest mpg: 14.18 mpg
Highest mpg: 18.59 mpg

Food: $1021.84
Mostly we ate out, but supplemented with grocery store dinners,
lots of beverages and snacks brought from home. Highest cost meal was for
our anniversary dinner, $90. Some snacks under "Misc".

Admissions: $176.31
This includes Cosmosphere, Laura Ingalls Wilder DeSmet, Gates of the
Mountains boat trip, Glacier NP, Waterton NP (USA cost), Shoshone Falls,
Three Forks Missouri Headwaters SP, Lewis & Clark Great Falls, and Upper
Missouri Breaks NM.

Souvenirs: $231.92
T-shirts, Coffee cups, shot glasses

Miscellaneous: $88.84
Ice, laundry, KSTP toll, new trucker's atlas




Donna

This past week, I was following the news of the western fires. There are so many burning in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming (particularly Yellowstone and Grand Teton) and California. I was saddened to read of the fires around Lowman, ID, which had been on our route this summer.

Stay safe, everyone!


Donna

A little "coda" to this old trip report from last summer:

Hubby and I found ourselves in need of some parts for our garage door. The company that installed the door, a few years back, is out of business. Couldn't find a local Wayne Dalton dealer, so we went online and found several places that stocked the parts we needed. One of the best reviews was from a company in Idaho, so we placed our order.

We received the confirmation of the order within just a few hours. At the bottom of the invoice was the street address of the dealer. It was in Garden Valley, ID, along the Banks-Lowman Road! I remember that small town, about the only small town between the towns of Banks and Lowman, and remember being concerned about the road before we left on the trip and of fires in the area.

The parts arrived today, three days after we ordered them. Just could not beat the service, AND the fact that we'd been through the small town where they came from, just this past July. What a small world!


Donna