The train track campground last night wasn’t so bad. I heard one train as we were going to sleep and another as we were waking up. Far as I know, there weren’t any in-between. (Judy and Annie might tell a different story though.) The campground had a lot to offer besides trains. Afternoon shade. More robins than we’ve ever seen in one place before. We sampled the indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and Sauna. And it had mosquitoes. More mosquitoes than we needed. I think they’ve had a nice wet summer in Montana. Continuing east on US Highway 2. Rolling wheat fields yesterday giving way to rolling grasslands today. No-traffic two-lane blacktop. Big sky. Missouri River to our south. Tailwind yesterday. Headwind today. A weather front traveling faster than us must have passed. Crossed the Missouri. Turned right on US 85. Crossed the Little Missouri. More dotted lines on the map. The scenic route. Crossed into North Dakota; a new state for us. More rolling grassland. Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We went on by. We stopped at North Park Campground at the edge of Dickinson, North Dakota. Almost got a new bird today. We saw a family of sharp-tailed grouse. Only the second time we’ve ever seen them. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107013362562471418011.00046ff7cac9ae98ff560&z=4 4,400 trip miles.
Saturday – back in the USA!
East on Highway 3. South on Highway 4. Crossed over at Coutts/Sweetgrass. An easy 15 minute crossing; about the same as our crossing into Canada a couple weeks ago.
South to Shelby. Turned east on US 2. We like Highway 2. In earlier years we’ve followed Highway 2 from Whidbey Island in Washington eastbound through Idaho, and as far as Glacier National Park in Montana. We decided to travel more of the highway, headed east.
Stopped for the night at the little town of Malta, at the Edgewater Inn and Campground. (We’re sleeping behind the motel.) It’s a nice spot. Cottonwood trees. The Milk River. A train track runs right behind the campground on a bridge over the river. So far there have been about five trains an hour. I’m sure that couldn’t go on all night though…. They probably stop the trains about ten o’clock so everyone can get a good night’s sleep. Right…?
I mean, how bad could it be???
4,060 trip miles.
Check out the map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107013362562471418011.00046ff7cac9ae98ff560&z=4
It’s interactive. You can drag it, zoom it..
South to Shelby. Turned east on US 2. We like Highway 2. In earlier years we’ve followed Highway 2 from Whidbey Island in Washington eastbound through Idaho, and as far as Glacier National Park in Montana. We decided to travel more of the highway, headed east.
Stopped for the night at the little town of Malta, at the Edgewater Inn and Campground. (We’re sleeping behind the motel.) It’s a nice spot. Cottonwood trees. The Milk River. A train track runs right behind the campground on a bridge over the river. So far there have been about five trains an hour. I’m sure that couldn’t go on all night though…. They probably stop the trains about ten o’clock so everyone can get a good night’s sleep. Right…?
I mean, how bad could it be???
4,060 trip miles.
Check out the map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107013362562471418011.00046ff7cac9ae98ff560&z=4
It’s interactive. You can drag it, zoom it..
Friday
Red Deer to Lethbridge. Still in Alberta. Got Brother Tom’s 90 degree weather. We decided not to go through Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat in Canada. We’re not going to drive into Saskatchewan. We’re going to drive south into Montana. We did drive right by Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump just north of Lethbridge though.The house sale closed as we were driving through the town of Claresholm. We sold the Louisville house a year ago. We got the price we wanted… but with a delayed closing for a year, along with a year’s rent. We had to wait this long for the transaction to finalize, but finally it did. Daughter Becky stood in for us with a Power of Attorney and signed every document. Now the house is *really* sold. Thanks Becky. That simplifies our financial lives.
Stopped for the night at Bridgeview RV Park on the outskirts of Lethbridge.
3,760 trip miles.
Tomorrow. Montana.
Stopped for the night at Bridgeview RV Park on the outskirts of Lethbridge.
3,760 trip miles.
Tomorrow. Montana.
Thursday
We didn’t prepare to be out of touch. I sent out a flyer to Arizona for work a little while back, and now we’re getting some interesting responses. If people are going to pay attention to what I say, I’d better pay attention to them. Better head back to internet service. Better head south.
We thought about going west into B.C. first, but decided to keep it simple and stay on the east side of the Rockies. Drove east to Edmonton on Highway 16, then south to Red Deer on the QE II. Still in Alberta. Nice roads. Easy drive. The Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper was difficult on the motorhome. A winding, steep road. Very rough. We got pounded. Jasper to Red Deer… not so scenic, but smooth fast road.
3,545 trip miles.
Along the way
Mountain goats.
Bighorn sheep.
Elk.