June 23, 2016 (Thursday) - Livingston, MT to Garryowen, MT

It was an easy/hard drive to Garryowen.  Strong winds meant it was hard to keep the RV on the road but most of the drive was interstate because we just wanted to get there.  We’ve found that Northern Nevada, Wyoming and Montana all have really strong winds, with strong gusts of 40 mph.

When we got to the RV park the temperature was 100 degrees F with no shade.  The thermometer read 110!  We were ready to pack up and leave but it was hot everywhere nearby.  We waited inside the RV with the AC running until evening then we went exploring.

Somehow the tranquility of the picture of the Little Bighorn River valley fails to show both heat and wind!

We came to Garryowen to see the reenactment of Custer’s Last Stand on Friday.  The plan was to ride our bikes from the RV park to the location but the RV park owner said it would not be safe.  The frontage roads have no shoulders and the speed limit is 70 mph!  So, we found a place to drive/park the RV that was closer to the site and then we could ride just 1.5 miles to the re-enactment.  We have bright vests to wear and we’d go early to avoid most of the traffic.

June 22, 2016 (Wednesday) - all day in Livingston, MT

We spent the day merging contact lists and re-verifying them.  Still not done but it’s getting there.

Pretty sunset...

June 21, 2016 (Tuesday) - all day in Livingston, MT

Paradise Adventures…that’s the company providing the scenic float trip down the Yellowstone River.  It turned out to be more excitement than promised because the pilot of the raft could not handle the boat!  The wind was very strong which makes maneuvers more difficult.  After we scraped against the trees for awhile and the boat spun around, we started asking questions like

Q:  “Where are you from?”  ANSWER:  LA, California.
Q:  “How long have you been doing this?”  ANSWER:  Since May (note to self…it’s mid-June!).  Q:  “Is your right hand bleeding?”  ANSWER:  Oh yes, I probably shouldn’t be doing this today.  I cut my right hand last night and the ER glued it back together.  Guess they should have stitched it.”

As we approached some difficult bends in the river, two different passengers, more experienced than her, took over the raft.  Both men felt she was not qualified for the job.  Yes, we did report this to the owner when we returned because there was going to be another raft going out and the wind was getting even stronger. 

LESSON:  Before you pay for any trip, ask lots of questions about their qualifications!

Rafting on the Yellowstone River south of Livingston, MT

Rafting on the Yellowstone River

The scenery was beautiful along the river; we got to see a “grown up” Salmon Fly.  They grow to be about 1.5 inches long and the fish love them.  There’s A LOT of fly fishing in Idaho and along the Yellowstone River.

June 20, 2016 (Monday) - Livingston, MT - A change of plans

Yesterday we tried to change our plans and stay in Livingston for a few more days  because we felt like we needed some down time.  We couldn’t find any sites available so we got up this morning all prepared to drive to Cody, WY as planned.  On the way to the restroom, Terry stopped by the office and asked again about availability of a site for another night.  There was one available for up to a week.  We opted for 3 more nights.  So, here we are still in Livingston, MT.  Today was a long drive - from one end of the RV park to the other – maybe ¼ mile at most.  What we didn’t consider was that cell reception and WiFi is very poor on this side of the RV park so for WiFi we parked ourselves on the front porch of the office.

We signed up for a scenic float trip down the Yellowstone River tomorrow using some of our “fun-pot money”.  It’s the money we got selling stuff on eBay and Craigslist before we left.

Camping:  Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park for 3 more nights at opposite end of park – poor WiFi, poor Verizon connections

June 19, 2016 - Livingston, MT

Today we slept in.  Peter called to wish Terry and Happy Father’s Day and we had a long chat.  We went into Livingston and had a great burger – Montana beef and bison is awesome!  Then we walked around the historic downtown window shopping because here, shops are closed on Sunday.  People are friendly and it’s really laid back. 

A Sunday stroll through historic downtown Livingston, MT.

This evening we attended the weekly All You Can Eat Ice Cream Social at the RV park.  We were able to get some hints from experienced full-time RVers.  It was also laundry day so we used our collapsible wagon to haul our load.  It’s the first time we’ve used it.  We had thought it’d be good for hauling groceries if we needed to walk to a store.  Now we’ve got two uses for the wagon.

Laundry day - the first good use of our collapsible wagon.

QUESTION OF THE DAY…How are the Salmon Flies getting into the RV?  They show up at night, attracted to the lights in the RV.  We have 30+ flying around.  The more you kill them, the more they re-appear!  They don’t bite.  They are small and are everywhere.  Based on the sign in the bathroom, we think we’re supposed to close all our windows at night because they are small enough to fit through the screens and cracks but it’s a nice night with a light breeze so we’ve kept our windows open with screens on them.  Last night we left one light on far away from us for the Salmon Flies.  They were happy.  We’re not sure where they go in the morning…

June 18, 2016 - going from Henry's Lake SP, ID to Livingston, MT

Before we left Henry’s Lake, we finally got our website up and sent our initial email!  Our merged contact list is still messed up so we think that some of our friends didn’t get this email.  We’ll keep working on it.  We’ve been saving the Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey that Marcia and Steve gave us to celebrate this special occasion.  We’ll toast tonight when we camp for the night.

Celebrating finally getting our website up!

Today was a long drive partially because we decided to drive to the southern part of Yellowstone to see Old Faithful erupt then doubled back to get to the RV park which is located outside the northern edge of Yellowstone.  Many of the parking lots for the geothermal areas were full with no room for an RV.  While we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, we got to see the nearby Beehive Geyser erupt which was much more impressive.  They have an “app” for the geysers now.  That explains why everyone was running from one geyser to another to see the eruption.

Camping:  Yellowstone’s Edge RV Park for 2 nights – full hookups, showers, laundry, okay WiFi

June 16, 2016 – Going from Craters of the Moon NM, ID to Henry's Lake State Park, ID

We stopped just outside Arco, ID to tour the EBR-1 nuclear reactor site where the first electricity was generated using nuclear power.  It is located in the Idaho National Laboratory where they research peaceful uses of nuclear power. 

Henry’s Lake SP is about 20 miles from West Yellowstone and is gorgeous. We watched American White Pelicans and Trumpet Swans plus other birds on the water. 
 

Biking around Henrys Lake area

American White Pelican

Going into EBR-1 for a tour

The view from our dining room table
 

Trumpet Swans

June 15, 2016 – Going from Redfish Lake, ID to Craters of the Moon NM, ID

The drive along Highway 75 from Redfish Lake to Craters of the Moon is really pretty.  There are lots of National Forest campgrounds, picnic areas and pull outs along the Salmon River.  There’s also thermal springs, snow-capped mountains and lava beds.

Sunbeam Hot Springs on Hwy 75 south of Challis, ID

A canyon along Hwy 75

Once we set up camp at Craters of the Moon we pulled out the bikes and rode the 7-mile Loop Road stopping along the way to see the sights and the spectacular wildflower displays.  We’re finding that the bikes allow us to see a park much more quickly and more closely than even driving a car around.  The bikes perform really well on the hills and they are holding a charge much longer than we expected.

One of the stops along Craters Loop Drive.  Terry's watermelon helmet always makes people smile and laugh.

June 13-14, 2016 – Redfish Lake, Sawtooth NRA, ID

We rode our bikes to the Visitor’s Center and Redfish Lodge in the afternoon.  In the early evening we hiked about 4 miles around Fish Hook Creek Trail.  On our first rainy day we spent it in the RV consolidating our contacts list, scanning books and papers.  There was not enough cell reception to work on the website.

Biking around Redfish Lake

Redfish Lake

Wildflowers on Fish Hook Creek Trail

June 12, 2016 Sunday – Stayed in Ketchum, ID

Sunset here is at 9:10pm!  It gets down into the 30’s at night and maybe to the low 70’s during the day.  Ideal weather! 

We rode our electrified bikes about 25 miles today.  We recharged in the middle but we really didn’t need it.  This morning we rode into Ketchum, about 4 miles, and went grocery shopping.  The collapsible carrying crate is perfect for groceries.  One crate is about the amount you can fit into a hand-held grocery basket.  Two crates is about the max we can fit in our RV refrigerator! 

Our afternoon ride was to Sun Valley, about 1-2 miles past Ketchum (5-6 miles).  The bike trails around this area are separate from the road.  You go through beautiful meadows, along rivers, past blossoming wild flowers, along an old abandon railroad track, across bridges.  It’s gorgeous!  On our return from Sun Valley, we stopped to see the Ore Wagon Museum in Ketchum.  Wow are those wagons huge!  They only come out once a year on Labor Day Weekend for a parade.

This afternoon, after returning from Sun Valley, we went in the opposite direction towards the town of Hailey and saw an elk!

Riding to Ketchum on the Wood River Bike Trail

In front of the Sun Valley Lodge

The wagon on the right is an Ore Wagon used to carry ore.