Doctoring and Grocery Shopping

June 29 – I was up early but woke Bill at 8 as he wanted to be on the road to Rexburg by 9.  He had a 10:30 appointment with an Orthopedic doctor for his shoulder and then he had to go to the hospital to get his blood taken to control his Hemacromatosis.  I made ham and cheese omelets with fruit and off we went. It was 44 when I got up and the high today in the valley is supposed to be 59.  Needless to say, I put jeans on!

The 70 mile ride wasn’t too bad as we commented along the way on places we’d come to know last time we were here.  Everything pretty much looks the same.  The road is long and flat except in one spot there’s a hill as we pass through the valley.  It wasn’t until we arrived at the outskirts of Rexburg that we noted the first change, a Super Walmart.  It was started in 2014 and now the old one is a ghost shop. I noticed several building empty that used to be retail stores.  Too bad.

Bill was in time for his appointment and luckily the hospital was a block away, so while I ran errands he met with the doc and then walked over to the hospital.  He was doing his paperwork when I got back.  I went to Dollar Tree and McDonald’s happened to be in the parking lot so I had a mocha iced coffee.  I checked out where the library was as they have a used book store inside that we will want to check out.  I went to Albertson’s since we don’t have one any more near us in Florida.  By then Bill was about done at the hospital and got his pint drawn and we went to lunch at Fresco – Kitchen and Grill.  It was yummy!  I had the Strawberry Beet Salad with grilled chicken.  The dressing was a sweet creamy balsamic that was perfect.  My crispy spring mix greens were topped with toasted almond slivers.  I didn’t leave a crumb!  Bill, being less adventuresome, went with a hamburger and a mound of fries.  I think he wished after that he’d have tried one of the pizzas.  They all sounded good to me.  I think they are made on a flat bread type dough. 

We stopped at the library and got 3 books from the bookstore, then headed straight to Walmart.  Bill picked up his script that the ortho called in while I loaded the cart.  We had 2 Trader Joe bags full and some in a plastic bags.  Most of it was produce, we do like our fresh veggies and fruits.  Eggs here are cheap, .84 a dozen.  Last time they were twice the price.  I also bought some Idaho made cheese, Monterey Jack and some cheddar curds.  Great prices!

Bill was tired and asked me to drive the 70 miles back.  It wasn’t too bad, most of the way is 70 MPH, then down to 65 and then 60 with some 45’s mixed in at towns and wide spots in the road!  As soon as we unloaded we caught up with Elaine and Wendell and we’re starting to work tomorrow.  We’ll be on Friday and Saturday with Sue and Hank as we figured.  She seems very nice, used to live in south Florida for a while.  We didn’t actually meet Hank.  Elaine said to come in at 8.  We’re not sure if that means we’re only doing 11 hour days since we don’t get paid of if that’s just for tomorrow.  Guess we will see.

Kerry called and we had a long chat about work, shopping, and a string of other topics.  I cooked some chicken and made Chicken Quesadillas and refried beans and a small salad for dinner.  That's how I remembered what didn’t get put on the shopping list, salsa.  Oh well, at least we had sour cream!

We checked the water leak area and there is a small 6-8 inch wet circle directly under the kitchen area on the ground.  I saw where the leak was from and we put a bucket under it so it doesn’t ruin inside the compartment.  Inside the RV I found a small leak under the sink area but there’s no way I can get to it.  I stuffed a rag under it to catch it, as it seems to be a slow leak.  I'm thinking we might have more than one!  I guess we’re going to contact the mobile guy who’s living here for the summer and see what he can do.  I’m hoping to cut a deal on the “service call” charge of $100 since he’s only got to walk a few feet to us.  I don’t mind the hourly, but geez, he lives here. 

I hooked up the longer HDMI cable to the kitchen TV and it swings out from the wall much nicer now.  So I think we are getting settled.  Now to see how work goes tomorrow!

We made it to Idaho!

July 28 – Our last day of travel for a while.  Yee haw!  I’m ready to settle down for a while and stow as much clutter as possible and have some time to just chill.  The drive to Island Park is about 2 hours by car but a little longer in the RV. 

We packed up for the last time for 2 months and that’s when the fun began.  First we

A pretty bird at our neighbor's

discovered water in two of the compartments on the kitchen/washer side of the RV.  Bill dried them out as best he could and it looked like the water was dripping from the slide down in but we didn’t really see where it could be coming from.  So we closed it up and figured we’d see what happens once we stop.  I thought maybe it had rained during the night and water settled on the slide topper, however, there wasn’t any wetness anywhere else.

After bringing in the slides and retracting the leveling legs we ran into the next glitch for the day.  Normally we have issues with the front legs and if I retract 2-3 times we are good to go.  This time the driver’s rear leg would go up and then back down 3-4 inches.  I retracted 10-12 times with no luck.  We called the campground office and got the name of a mobile tech.  He didn’t answer so we left a voice message, knowing it could be hours before he could get to us.  Bill text Frank, our mobile tech at home, and he asked some questions and wanted a photo of the control panel.  Then he said to hold all four leg buttons down for at least 30 seconds, as that should reset the system.  The first try to retract didn’t work but we were exuberant when it went up the second time!  Finally, we left the campground at 11:05.  Darn!

The drive from Bozeman to West Yellowstone is one the most beautiful, serene drives we

know of.  There is only 1 tiny town along the way and rest is driving along the Galletin River as it rushes by.  Today there were several groups of rafters as well as many fly fishermen and kayakers.  Part of the drive there’s only the narrow 2 lane road, the river and the walls of the mountains.  All along are houses dotting along the road or back in the woods.  Then

It's difficult to keep an eye on the road!

the valley opens up with verdant fields with horses and cabins, rustic campgrounds and retreats.  I only saw one deer along the way but my focus was on the road. Looking up all along the way and seeing the snow on top and beautiful clear Montana skies is spectacular.

We didn’t stop in West Yellowstone, but we love that little town.  It’s 14 miles to Valley View RV Park so we do go in once a week or so.  There are lots of gift shops that we like to peruse and this year we’re going to the Grizzly and Wolf Park that we didn’t get to last time.  There are lots of restaurants to check out.  We were bummed to find that the tiny movie theater is permanently closed.    

Our space was ready and waiting for us at Valley View.  We are site D-1 so we have a view of the Laundromat/office.  Two of the other couples are in C-1 and B-1.  It’s a good idea so we can be the eyes and ears as the owners have a cabin in the area.  The owners, Elaine and Wendell, were at the bank and running errands so we got hooked up and started settling in.  The view from our RV is the snow covered mountains.  We have decent size yard and a couple of trees that do not obstruct the satellite. 

View through the window of the RV from our site

Once Elaine and Wendell got back we went to greet them and met one of the couples, Beverly and Nick.  They are full timers and this is their first time here.  The other couple, Sue and Hank, is off today. They are seasonal and were here in 2014 and he had a stroke while here.  He’s really not in very good shape and we’re told he is limited to what he can do.   The third couple has been coming here for years, Pat and Dusty, and they mow 2 days and work the office and bathrooms one day.  We told them we only want to work 2 days for our site.  The others work 3, get their sites and get paid.  I don’t want to work 36 hours a week, 2 -12’s is plenty for us.  We think we’ll be scheduled with Sue and Hank so Bill can do what he can’t.  They said we’d talk about it tomorrow.  Our first mail packet from Kam was waiting for us.

Getting fully set up takes some time.  I set up my printer and stand on the dash, my computer table and turned the driver’s seat around as my chair.  The rugs are down and the coffee table it up and we can actually sit comfortably at the dining table.  Nothing is behind the chairs so you can’t move in or out and there’s no printer on the floor so you can’t put your feet down.  The car is as unloaded as it’s going to be for a couple of days.

Too pooped to cook, I heated up the leftover bison roast and some leftover wild rice and it was a feast as far as we were concerned.

Almost at the end of the line

June 27 – Today we headed west again to Bozeman, MT., our last stop before reaching Island Park, ID.  We left around 9:30 and today was another windy day.  It also seems the traffic on I-90 was heavier than it had been.  I do hate driving in the wind and with some of the WIDE LOAD trucks, I hug the edge of the road. 

The scenery had changed yet once again.  As we left the low rolling hills of the high plains, we entered plush fields of green and higher hills and deeper meadows.  This was beginning to look like the Montana people envision.  We had some cloud cover and a couple miles of heavy drizzle and then we looked and there were the mountains breaking away from the clouds with snow-caps.  I’m not sure how many photos Bill took but I’m sure there were quite a few.

Our only tourist stop was an hour down the road, Prairie Dog Town State Park.  Normally there are brown signs along the Interstate denoting state and federal locations.  Not this time!  Bill could see on the map about what exit it was and when there were no signs he said, well, get off here and we’ll see what there is.  Luckily at the end of the ramp was a brown sign pointing left

under the interstate.  Then it pointed left again and Bill thought it was going to take us up a gravel road.  It didn’t!  It was a rather narrow paved road and appeared to go way up the mountain, but it turned out that this is an unattended park with a loop at the end of the road a short way up.  It was perfect for us since we were the only ones there and we parked in the loop and enjoyed the frisky little prairie dogs racing from hill to hill and chatting each other up and then, posing on top of their hill just as perfect as you please.  I haven’t checked my photos yet but Bill said I got some really good ones.

It was back on I-90 into Bozeman and as the road turned left a second mountain range

came into view.  This time the sun was broken through and the snow caps glistened.  Bill says this is what it feels like for someone in Montana to visit Daytona Beach.  To us it’s no big deal, just as the mountains must be to them.

It was easy off on the east side of Bozeman to our RV park for the night.  We were parked by lunch time but Bill had to do the hook ups in some light rain.  We had lunch and left out of the park and onto Main Street.  We like Bozeman.  It’s a college town with nice restaurants and good shopping and great grocery stores.  Of course there is a Wal-mart and we found a big used bookstore today.  We came here several times for the day when we were in ID 2 years ago.  It’s about 2 hours so you have to make a day of it.  Some times I’d drop Bill at the theatre and go shopping.

We went to the mall first and I hit Joann’s and Bath and Body Works while Bill hit Barnes and Noble.  Then we went to the used book store and made a stop at Starbucks.  I checked out World Market but left empty handed, shocked Bill!  Last stop before dinner was Wal-mart.  Couldn't get anything refrigerated since we were going to dinner on the way home.  That was OK since we’re going to Rexburg (45 miles south of Island Park) on Friday as Bill has 2 appointments and we can pick up what ever we missed today.  Groceries will be once a week so a list will be VERY important.  West Yellowstone is 14 miles but only has 2 small overpriced tourist grocery stores.  It breaks my heart to pay those prices. 

There’s a little southern style (yes, in Montana) chicken place we like called, Roost Fried Chicken.  I had the spicy with cheese grits and collard greens.  Conventional Bill had fried with cole slaw and potato salad.  When we got to the RV the place was much fuller.  We put most of the stuff away, some we left in the car until tomorrow and later we had our free ice cream sandwiches that the campground gave us in Garryowen.  They are huckleberry ones.  I must say even with the chocolate wafers the huckleberry went really well.

Then it was time to sit down and get this blog caught up and hope the WIFI holds out long enough for me to get it posted.

Go west young man, go west!

June 26 – We left around 9:30 on our way to Billings, MT.  We were barely on I-90 when the ceiling panel above the dash behind the TV started sagging on the driver side.  Two self-tapping screws were in the piece.  We were stopping shortly for diesel fuel so we figured we’d pull out of the way after and screw them back in.  Of course, that was not to happen!  They would not stay up so we used packaging tape as best we could to hold it up until we stopped for the night.

We were only about 70 miles to Billings where we were camping for the night.  It was a nice Good Sam Campground, Billings Village RV Park.  Not too large but very well kept.  All the spaces were back in but we were unhooking anyway.  You could tell a lot of the guests were summer residents.  We had several places in the area that we planned to visit.  Before we headed out we attempted to put the screws back in the ceiling to no avail, so off we went.

Bill wanted to check with the Ford dealer and see if he could get the little clips to re-attach the bottom piece of the car bumper.  They took us in immediately but with no guarantees as they didn’t have the clips on hand.  Next door was a Burger King so we told them we’d walk over and have lunch while they gave it a shot.  When we got back it was parked in plain site and the piece looked back to normal.  Bill went to pick up the keys and pay and they didn’t charge him.  They said they attached the clips that were still there but it was missing some so once we get to ID he will have the dealer there order them.  What nice people!

Pompeys Pillar

We headed northeast about 30 miles to Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.  Pompey’s is a sandstone outcrop on the bank of the Yellowstone River and rises 150 feet.  It is unique as it’s the only major sandstone formation in the area and has been an observation point for 11,000 years of human occupation.  Markings, petroglyphs and inscriptions have transformed the formation into a living journal.  Once we

William Clark inscription

completed viewing the movie and touring the VC we walked out to the formation.  I thought we’d just see it from the ground but there is a boardwalk WITH STEPS that you can go up and see some of the markings and inscriptions.  It was 101 steps to the level where we could view the enclosed inscription of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition,

The steps

July 25, 1806.  That is the really important one for most people.  Then Bill dropped his sunglasses and they fell under a rock at the edge of the boardwalk.  Luckily I was able to squeeze my hand in and barely get hold of them.  Saved us a trip to the store!

Heading back into Billings we detoured about 10 miles to Pictograph Cave State Park.  We paid our entrance fee and checked out the small display area in the VC.  Then it was head out for a 1 mile loop trail to view the caves in 95 degree heat.  Luckily our safari hats were in the car.  The first of the trail is pretty much straight up hill to the main cave that was discovered in 1937.  Over 30,000 artifacts have been found

The best Pictograph we saw

with some dating back 9,000 years.  The more rain there is the more moisture is present in the cave and the more pictographs can be seen.  Of course when we’re there it’s the driest it has been in ages.  We did see some but not many of the 100 that are seen when it’s super wet.  Photos were tough to get but we got a few.  We completed the loop as we really needed the exercise but boy, it was hot and we were rather disappointed.

We did a drive around Billings.  It’s not a very big city and the airport is above the city on a plateau.  We drove past it on our search for Boot Hill but the map we had wasn’t marked the clearest and we did not find it.  Bill wanted to see the grave of Yellowstone Kelly.  We drove down the plateau on the main drag and passed the Montana State, Billings Campus.  Then we zipped over to Sam’s.  I told the owners where we are volunteering that we’d stop there for them for some campground supplies and I wanted a few things for us also.  It was late afternoon and they had food samples that were great.  I don’t think our Sam’s serves that late in the day or that large of portions.  We both had ¼ of a hamburger, 1/3 of chicken sandwich and a nice piece of the chicken quesadilla with sweet tea to wash it down! 

Once we put the groceries away I remembered that we were supposed to stop at a

RV Repair

hardware store for larger screws.  I got directions from the office and it was 4 right hand turns to Ace is the place.  They didn’t have the exact screw, of course and not the beige color either but at this point I really didn’t care.  I got white.  I got my Dewalt out and put it on to charge but we could not get a bit or screw to puncture the piece.  We think it’s fiberglass with the cover on it matching the rest of the ceiling.  We debated on buying an impact drill but I talked Bill into asking our new neighbor if he had one we could borrow.  I had determined that if the screw was long enough we could screw it through the fiberglass and catch the edge of the cabinet.  The neighbor ended up being the one to get the screws through and we put in 4 instead of only the 2 that were up.  It appears to be solid as a rock now!

With the big snack we had at Sam’s we just had some small leftovers and a piece of jello pie, so no major cooking or cleaning up.  The WIFI here is great and I got 2 days posted and caught up pretty well on my email.

Little Bighorn National Park ( are you getting the theme of Garryowen, MT)

June 25 – Sunday and we slept in.  Bill didn’t get moving until 9.  We had decided after breakfast he would wash the car and the front of the RV and I’d start cleaning the RV from back to front.  Everything is dusty from the winds blowing in around the slides and during opening and closing them.  Bill was finished first so he started from the front of the RV.  I literally wiped every wall in the bedroom, dusted, changed the sheets, vacuumed, cleaned the mirrors and the sink.  I used 2 rags and I still didn’t do the cabinet fronts along the table as we have a lot of stuff under the table and I didn’t do the cabinets above the driving panel. The floors are shiny and it smelled so nice with the Orange Glo scent in the air.  I also put a Bison pot roast in the crockpot with carrots, onion soup mix and beef broth to cook while we were out this afternoon.

Memorial

Bill showered and I showered and scrubbed down the shower, the door and the door track which is the hardest and nastiest to clean.  So now the bathroom was clean again also.  We had lunch and watched the end of a show on TV then headed to Little Bighorn National Park.  Of course there was a long line as today was the 141^st Anniversary of the 
battle and there was a lot going on at the park.  Different tribes were doing different things at different times.  It was free for anyone to go today so that draws more people also.  Their VC is pretty small which I didn’t even remember from the last time we were there.  We skipped the movie since we saw one yesterday but checked out the interesting displays and Bill got this magnets from the gift shop.  We found a bench outside to wait for the 3:00 event of the Indians riding in and there was a Tribal leader speaking outside at the end of the building and then blessed all the young people doing a “run” in memory of the event.  There was a group of men around a huge drum and they chanted and played the drum.  Suddenly we saw Indians on horseback go around the car circle and head back down the driveway.  I asked a ranger where they would be coming back so we would be in position and he said they were done and wouldn’t be back.  So no one on our side of the building saw a thing except horses rear ends!

 

Tribal Flag Display

We gave up on the events at the VC and drove to the memorial on the hill top where the majority of the 249 soldiers died.  When we were here prior you could walk around the headstone that mark where each man fell but now they have a fence around it.  Those that were identified were later moved, but the remains of the unidentified were buried in the mass grave under the memorial.  Part of Custer was moved to West Point where he went to school.  There is also a mass grave for the horses with a headstone.  They killed their own horses to use them as a barricade.  There are red granite stone markers where any known Indians were killed, but the Indians took most of their dead with them to perform their native rituals. 

We drove the rest of the battle loop which is pretty far and explains why Custer, Reno and Benteen had no idea what was going on with each other.  It’s a rolling hills area and you would never know what is on the other side of the hill.  We stopped across from the river location of the reenactment we went to yesterday and took photos from the hillside.  One of the rangers told us that they will never know the true facts about a lot of what happened.  As story was retold and retold by soldiers and Indians it was changed a little here and

View of Reenactment area from across the river

there and what the soldiers recorded is not what the Indians claim so the truth lies somewhere in between.

As we left the park we crossed over to a big “trading post” with a restaurant and perused the beautiful jewelry, pottery, rugs, blankets, all the things I love but don’t need.  Bill got a t-shirt and I got some huckleberry chap stick as mine is down to a nub.  Bill checked the menu posted to see if they had Indian fry bread and they did for $6 a piece so we passed. 

Next door was another Crow Agency event so we parked to see if they had fry bread.  Theirs was $3 so we each got one with honey and it was so hot we took it to the car and by then it was cooled enough to eat.  Yummy!  My favorite thing about being out west near the native Americans.  Well, that and the jewelry! 

The smell of pot roast was stimulating my taste buds once we reached the RV, but we waited quite a while for dinner since we’d had that bread.  I added in my canned whole potatoes and let them warm through and when it was time to eat I made gravy from some of the beef broth.  Bill loves gravy and that bison roast is so tender you rake it apart with a fork.  We each had a small piece of peach jello pie and that’s it for today.

I typed the blog but could not a wifi signal.  I downloaded and prepped my photos.  Maybe the next campground will have better wifi.

Battle of the LIttle Bighorn

June 24 – It was a bit nippy when I got up this morning and I ended up in the recliner with a

Wild Bill

cup of coffee and my Indian blanket around me.  The high was expected to be 78, so that’s perfect weather.  After breakfast we loaded our chairs and cushions in the car, along with my tote cooler with drinks and my backpack with snacks and our books.  I had some postcards and a package to mail and we hoped to stop in town at the post office this morning before heading to the battleground.  Luckily one of the ladies that volunteers here was going to the post office and offered to take my package.

We thought we were leaving early to the location of the Battle of the Little Bighorn but by the time we passed the road and drove out of the way, stopped and asked directions and got there, we timed it very well.  We got to park right behind the first set of grandstands.  There were a few booths set up with snacks, drinks, native crafts and food.  We chatted with some vendors who are Crow Indians and decided it was best to eat early or there would be a huge line.  We arrived at 11:30 and the main program wasn’t to start until 1.  At 1 there were still cars lined up to get in.  Cars were parked all over the field behind us.

Shooting on the run

What else would a person eat at a Native American event but an Indian Taco?  It’s really a taco but on Indian Fry bread.  We sat with an Elder of the Crow people and I could barely get Bill away from him as he really enjoys talking about the culture and native history.  At 12:15 they started with some introductory events which are also history/storytelling live exhibits.  Some were how the children and women were the food gatherers of nuts, berries and edible plants, then the use of wolf dogs to pull the travois.  The braves would ride

Part of the Calvary

bareback and doing the hunting for the tribe and a mountain man who shoots a target/animal with a bow and arrow from a moving horse.  A large herd of horses were driven into the center area in front of the stands and the riders had total control of the animals.  They would drive them in a circle and then face them to the stands and turn them to the side stands.  That was truly a magnificent display of horses.  Later they introduced the people portraying the famous tribal leaders who were present at the Little Big Horn as well as Lt. Colonel Custer, Major Benteen and Major Reno who were the 3 troop commanders, acting on the orders of Custer.  The guy who played Custer is considered the current most expert on the life and times of Custer.  The local Crow and other tribes portray the Indians and members of the US Cavalry School were the Cavalry.

There was a tribal song  played prior to the battle sequence and  the National  Anthem.  We 

followed the history of the Native Americans from their crossing the Bering Straits, to early life on the plains, through the first western expedition of Sacagawea with Lewis and Clark, to treaties signed, then treaties broken, to battles because immigrants were going west when they learned of gold, ending with the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  The reenactment was on the Real Bird Crow Indians property which is on the Little Big Horn River where a portion of the battle took place.  Further up the far side of the river is the Little Big Horn National Battlefield Park.  There were several battles, each by the 3 separate units and not all 3 were right where we were but one was for sure.

History tends to repeat itself and once again Custer and most of his 3 troops were slaughtered. Everyone has an opinion of Custer and I’m not a fan.  He was known to be extremely arrogant and self centered.  I will concede that up until this battle, he was excellent at military strategy, but this time he was lured in and paid the piper, well, paid the Indian. We really enjoyed the event with all the education and the horses.

We stopped in GarryOwen to visit the Custer Museum.  The museum is a private collection and is mostly original photographs of the tribe chiefs during the “Custer” timeframe.  There

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

was native clothing, military clothing, swords and a lot of Custer related articles and information.  The thing we enjoyed most was the 45 minute documentary about the battle. It won second place at the Sundance Movie Festival and it was excellent.  The gentleman narrating it was compelling and forceful as he explained the locations and movements of the troops as well as the Indians during the battle.  Of course he used a number of maps that were better than anything we’ve seen in print or at the National Park.  In the front of the building, which also has a gift shop, is a monument to the Unknown Soldier at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  It was where the saying, “bury the hachet” was coined.  One of the surviving Chiefs and Lt. Godfrey, shook hands and buried a hatchet in the base of the tomb to signify the battle was over and peace was ahead.

OK, by now I was really maxed out on the battle and ready for something else.  We drove into Hardin, about 15 miles up in the interstate where there was a sidewalk celebration.  We got there a little late for most of the activities but watched the egg toss and the water balloon toss and checked out some shops and looked at some crafts.  We had talked about going to the rodeo at 7, so thought we better get dinner early and go to the grocery store after as it would be closed by the time the rodeo ended.  We ate at The Ranch House Grill.  The staff was very attentive but the place could have been a bit cleaner.  I had to ask her to wipe our table that was covered with crumbs and grated cheese.  The food was good but the best part was the deal on ice cream.  They only offered vanilla or huckleberry (it’s the big thing in this part of the country and is seasonal, you can get everything huckleberry) and it’s $1 a scoop.  We both got the huckleberry (when in Rome), and it was a huge serving but we were not complaining.  It was very good and we savored every bite.

We drove a mile down the main street to the nice new IGA and I got what we needed and a bottle of Montana Riesling that maybe we didn’t need, but I did!  We decided not to go to the rodeo after all as it was $12 per person and we we’d already spent $55 on admissions today.  Plus we were both wearing down after sitting in the sun this afternoon.

Since we ate dinner so early after we watched some TV and I worked on my journal, blog and  bills (the fun stuff), Bill made some popcorn for a snack.  It was cooling down again overnight so we were hoping for a good nights sleep in the coolness of the night.

Three States in One Day!

June 23 -  After I closed up the computer from writing my journal last night we started having some major wind.  Gusts of 25-30 MPH.  I HATE being in the RV when it’s windy.  Bill was already in bed and the toppers on the slides were so noisy I could barely close my eyes.  First thing this morning I had him go out and check that they were intact.  All was well!  Phew!

We really enjoyed our time in SD.  It was sad to break camp and head out.  About a mile up the road was a Flying J so we stopped to fuel up and hooked the car up and off we went. We discussed the issue with the water tank as Bill had left our mobile tech a message last night and he text back that it is a faulty backflow valve.  We knew there was a Camping World west of Rapid City and had hoped they might have one in stock and squeeze us in.  The service guy was not the sharpest tack in the bag.  He did say if they had it there was a 2 week back log.  So Bill thanked him and called Winnebago and they are shipping the part to us in Idaho.  We can manage until then by just filling our fresh water tank and using it.  About 30 minutes after that we decided maybe some of the GPS issue is one of our roof antennas is almost broken off so he called back and fortunately got the same lady and added the antenna to the order.  I think I can put that on but not the valve as you have to remove the whole front panel of the water/sewer connections.  There were a couple of mobile techs that came to the RV Park when we were there 2 years ago, so we’re counting on them.  If not it’s about 70 miles one way to the RV repair guy.

Once that was out of the way we could try to enjoy our drive and stops for the day.  We had planned to stop in Belle Forche, SD to see the spot (that has a monument) that is the Geographical Center of the Continental US.  There’s a VC there so we knew there’d be parking but as we approached it didn’t look good for an RV to park or get turned around to get out.  Bill suggested pulling in some where and try to go back and maybe park across the street but it’s not that easy to maneuver in a small town so I nixed the stop.  Boo hoo!

Why they're called the Black Hills

Now that's a long flat road

The next hundred miles or so was low rolling hills, empty fields, fields of cattle with lots of antelope mixed in, fields of baled hay and very few houses, towns and traffic.  Now the traffic thing was a good thing! 

We crossed over into Wyoming for 20 miles, but it didn’t look any different.  Then it was on into Montana.  As we approached Ashland where we were going to stop, there was road work and no workers.  It went from one paved lane to one kinda paved but mostly gravel and was looking smooth enough and I was only going 25-30.  Well, wouldn’t you know without warning there was a dip and you couldn’t see it until you were on top of it.  THUMP! THUMP! Oh, no, that did not sound good at all.  The nose of the RV dipped and we were sure it was hit and then I checked the camera to see if the car was still attached and it was rolling along.  Deep sigh, but we still needed to check everything but it was torn up almost all the way to St. Labre Mission School where we were stopping.

St. Labre Church

We visited the school about 10 years ago and have been donors for longer.  The church is beautiful and the campus is well cared for and the staff is so nice.  We wanted to stop and see it again and make a donation.  They had plenty of parking for us.  Nothing wrong with the RV but the bottom section of the front bumper of the car took the hit and it came loose from the rest.  Bill said it looks like the clips are broken and he’s hoping we can duct tape it until we can get the clips from Ford.  We really will look hillbilly with our duct taped car.  However, it could have been far worse. 

We first met the new Priest and he took us over to the museum and we visited with him and

the lady on duty at the museum and a student who is working there for the summer.  They have a great museum and old and new native crafts.  The beadwork is so delicate and fine.  Bill was bummed they didn’t have a t-shirt his size as the school colors are the same as his high school, purple and gold.

From there we were only about 45 miles to GarryOwen, MT where we will be for 3 nights at 7^th Ranch.  It’s a Good Sam park and so nice.  It is on a hill but the spaces are kind of close to level and all pull though.  When we left the main road and then the pavement ended and went to gravel we had some

Some of the campground

apprehension but then I saw a Good Sam flag and knew it was fine.  They are full and the reason is for the same reason we came here; Reenactment of:  Custer’s Last Stand AKA Battle of Little Bighorn AKA Battle of the Greasy Grass.  The name depends on who is telling the story.  The events started today and we considered going to the rodeo tonight but we decided to spend all day tomorrow at the Reenactment and then in town at the rodeo and festival.  Sunday we plan to visit the Custer Museum and the Little Big Horn Museum.  This stuff it right up Bill’s alley!

I cooked tonight since we’ll be eating out all day tomorrow.  Panko seasoned cube steaks was the meat with sides of mashed potatoes and broccoli slaw.  For dessert we finally cut the peach jello pie I made a couple of days ago.  Bill did the dishes as usual and we reclined in our new recliners for the first time.  So nice!  

Deadwood is not dead at all.....

June 22 – Another morning to relax, nice!  After a breakfast of sausage, fruit and cereal, we

Wild Bill entering Wild Bill's
This is where Bill Hickok
was shot and killed

gathered up the cameras, maps and headed up to Rapid City where we took I-90 to Sturgis and drove to Deadwood.  It’s been years since we’ve been there and my brother told me it had changed a lot like Sturgis had since our last trip.  We easily found a metered parking spot and Bill set it for 2 hours.  We strolled Main St. and stopped in several shops.  We always see things we like but don’t need or have space for and today was no different. 

There were several tour buses and I recognized some of the ladies from when we had lunch in Hill City.  We also met a couple from Ohio and he had taught a year in my high school there but before I was there and lived later where Bill taught before moving to Florida.  Small world!  We went in the bar where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed.  Now to see the table where he sat and played his last hand of cards, The Dead Man’s Hand, they charge $10.  Luckily when were last there we sat just a table away and got to see the re-enactment as part of our meal. 

For lunch we went off the main streets to Harry’s Spaghetti Western as they received pretty good reviews on Yelp.  The menu was small and mostly spaghetti and pasta dishes but it was very good.  Bill had a half portion of spaghetti that came with a salad and spumoni and I had a crust-less chicken Parmesan sandwich with a side of pasta salad.  It was good but I had to lose some of the bread.  We made it back to the car with 2 minutes left on the meter.

On the way back we stopped at Wal-mart and Target.  I picked up some fresh veggies and fruit and 2 Bison pot roasts that were marked down.  I was excited as they are expensive and I’d bought one before and cooked it in the crock pot and boy was it ever good.  So I’ll cook one and I froze one for later.  The drive back was pretty uneventful and we got back at 4. 

I readied a box to mail to Shiloh and Jude, wrote some postcards and washed Bill’s cleaning towels for the vehicles.  For dinner I used a half of the rotisserie chicken and made chicken salad and served it over a bed of spring mix topped with yellow grape tomatoes.  We finished the brownies for dessert.  I don’t think Bill was overly thrilled with the dinner, as it probably wasn’t as filling as he would have liked, but he said he liked it.

I’m behind on my paperwork!  I need to balance my bank statement and pay a couple of bills but at least the checkbook entries should be all caught up. 

We have really enjoyed it here, it’s a very nice park and quick to get to places.  After dinner Bill went out to get something and we had water running from under our water storage tank.  We can’t find what the cause was since the water was not on fill it was on regular.  We ran some of the water off as the tank was literally to the top and the water was coming from the release pipe.  Bill checked it all again and we don’t know what caused it.  At least it went on the ground and not inside.  We shut off the water from the faucet and will shower and use the storage water to get the level down some before we take off tomorrow.  Hope this is just a fluke!!!!

Monument Day

June 21 – No hurry at all to get moving today.  Kerry called about some things with mom and I made some related calls, then made ham and cheese omelets for breakfast.  We didn’t leave until 10 but really were in no rush.  We decided to start with Mt. Rushmore.

In the tunnel

We headed to Custer State Park and instead of going in we took the side road which is full of hairpin turns and 3 tunnels.  We knew what to expect and again, it was a beautiful ride.  The only wildlife today was a couple of turkeys and an antelope.  The tunnels are all single lane and two of them frame Mt. Rushmore.  The first one we could see it but there were people behind us and shooting through the window wasn't good.

From the pull out

  The second time we could see Rushmore and I took the photo while in the tunnel and it turned out excellent.  Further along the route was a pull off where you could see Rushmore from a distance.  That was nice also.

From the site

Once we arrived there was a bit of a traffic jam getting through the parking booths but the lots had plenty of space.  We managed to park under cover, nice!  I think it was less crowded than 10 years ago as it was easier to take photos without other people in them.  Since we’d been here before we didn’t do all the walks or the sculptor’s shop.  We had just missed a native dance program and since last time we went to the nighttime lighting, we didn’t plan to return for that either.  Mostly we just wanted to see if anything had changed and visit the shops and get any new Park Passport stamps.  I got 2 new ones!!!

It was nearing lunchtime so we drove on to Hill City, saw the hotel we stayed in years ago and chose to eat in the same place we did last time.  Alpine Inn, a Bavarian place, was very good last time and got good ratings on Yelp.  Bill had a loaded Club Sandwich and I stayed with the main fare, Brat with red cabbage and cheese spaetzle.  It was delicious but of course, I dripped some red cabbage on my lime green top!  (It came out in the wash).

From the Visitor Center

Next in the driving loop for today was Crazy Horse Monument, which we had not visited before.  It’s not nearly as well organized at Rushmore, and more expensive, but you do get a lot for your money and you can get a return pass good for 2 days at no extra cost.  Parking was highly disorganized, but we managed.  The movie was very

From the bus ride

informative but a bit outdated.  This project was started in 1948 and when Sculptor Korczak died in 1982 his wife Ruth took over the leadership and their 10 children worked on the sculpture.  Two of the 10 children chose other life paths.  Ruth died in 2014 and 2 of her children have died so the remaining 6 run the show.  It’s a non-profit organization and has received no federal or state money.  That’s one reason it has taken so long.  All of the entry fees go directly to the work

Close up

on the monument and the bus tour tickets and sale of concessions pays the other expenses.  It’s a beautiful and well thought out facility.  We realized when we got home that we missed 2 buildings on the end.  We did see the completed “mini” replica.  It

Add caption

was well worth our time to visit but we don’t feel it will be completed in our children’s lifetime.

Continuing our loop drive we drove to Custer and its downtown has a definite Western appeal.  There were a lot of people milling about but we were actually looking for a grocery store.   We found a Dakotamart store and it certainly had all of the essentials and some gourmet items also.  Prices, however, were pretty steep for a lot of things.  We didn’t need much but I mainly wanted some chicken for dinner since I think I left my bag of chicken breasts in the freezer at home.  Produce was off the charts!  I got what I needed and we completed the loop by cutting through Custer State Park.  That 7 day pass came in handy.

I made chicken, corn on the cob and a bag of broccoli and other veggies salad.  It hit the spot!  I took a few cookies out of the freezer and we had a couple for dessert and I made a peach jello pie for tomorrow.  Then it was time to get on the blog and download my photos.