We found an RV park south of Missoula at a reasonable price. They only had one site open and that was for only one night. They feature square dancing and that must be a big draw. We had prime rib for Dorothy’s pre-birthday and it was divine. So was Dorothy.
Friday, August 4
Made it south on US93 to just north of the junction with I15. I noted a ghost town on the map and Dorothy is all over ghost towns. This is close to the ghost town of Bannock which we enjoyed, so we decided why not. There are several forest service campgrounds along this designated scenic route and I figured they would be little used. Wrong. We were lucky to find a space. We are at 7,000 feet in the Big Hole, so the temperature is a little more comfortable. Seems odd to call it a hole at this elevation, but mountains surround The Hole.
Walking to the ghost town of Coolidge, named after the mine owners good friend
Perhaps the school house?
A fixer upper
We could only see the outlines of mountains on both sides of the road as the smoke is still with us. I never paid much attention to western fires. Now I appreciate the problem. The weed that covers the hillsides is as flammable as straw.
I have never thought about it, but a lot of the water in the US rivers comes from Canada. There would not be a Columbia or Missouri without the snow melt from Canada.
Saturday, August 5
We enjoyed the ghost town. We got there at 9 and the light was superb, just breaking over the hill. Of course, the short walk of a mile and half made Dorothy’s feet swell and she turned her ankle a bit, so tonight she is on pain meds.
We got away by 12 and went south an hour or so to a fav place, Clark Creek. We are perched above the lake and the view would be great without the smoke. We are two weeks and 800 air miles from our first smoke.
Why this park is not used is a mystery to me. Good sites, and it’s free. Thanks, Bureau of Reclamation.
We see hay grown everywhere. I wondered how it compared to other crops. It takes a LOT of hay to make steaks.
Crop Million Acres
Corn 89
Soybean 85
Wheat 56
Cotton 9
Hay 58,500
250 times the acreage to grow hay to feed livestock as to grow, corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Sunday, August 6
It’s 2.5-hour drive from Clark Canyon to Idaho Falls. The way we do it takes 6 hours. First, we had to stop at a Mex restaurant so Dorothy could get a Mex Fix. She picked it from reviews on the net. We were the only gringos there. The food was good. I had Carne Asada. I had never been served some much flank steak. She had the Chile Relleno. I sampled it. It was quite tasty.
We then went to a city park in Idaho Falls. It was billed as free and on the river. It was a parking lot with no hookups and was $15. We passed and found a fantastic place. It is operated by the county but is a Bureau of Reclamation site. We are in, what is to us, a “luxury” park - full hookups, asphalt, TV, Cell, green grass and on a reservoir. $9 a night! And it’s about empty. So quiet.
Monday, August 7
Dorothy is resting. I am doing little chores that are long overdue. We plan to stay here four days and catch up on chores. You know exciting stuff such as defrost the freezer, washing the vehicles, etc. We would stay longer, but the place is booked solid for the weekend. A family gathering or such.
Tuesday, August 8
Laundry Day. Had lunch at Olive Garden.
Wednesday, August 9
More chores. Vacuumed the Jeep and KoKo. Why does it take me three hours to vacuum the Jeep? We would like to stay another day, but worry we may not find a home near Jackson Hole on a Friday.
Dorothy asked me why I moved the Windex and paper towels. I said I had not seen them. She looked some more and went to the cabinet where they are kept. Then she sprayed the Windex on the mirror and discovered she had already cleaned them. I live with this daily. No wonder I am so daffy.
Where to go next? It's raining in the San Juan's. It's too hot for Moab. I expect we will spend some time in northern New Mexico before we head home.
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