Montana Adventure Day 11

Today, Quinn and I went out and about.  We ended up at Ft. Owen State Park, MT.  Have to say it was not what I expected!  Just a small area fenced off from someone's ranch but it was interesting, and Quinn could go all around.  Some of these photos are of the actual fort or parts of it, some are just beautiful Bitterroot Valley, MT taken FROM Fort Owen!

Support beam, you know how I LOVE architectural details!

This another one of those brilliant solutions someone came up with!  Use some old piece of iron as a gate closer!  Push the gate open the iron goes up, let go and the iron falls and closes the gate!  BRILLIANT!

After we looked around we drove through the valley.  It was pretty but not breath-taking, I wasn't too impressed.

Tomorrow is moving day!

Montana Adventure Day 10

Here we are all settled in!

Stashed between two big buses!  We always look so tiny (until you see a popup or the cute little tent trailers that a Harley pulls.)

This morning started with a trip to O'Reilly's Auto Parts for a new battery, as planned, they also had white lithium grease!  They were good enough to install the new battery and now I don't have to worry about the truck not starting on some backroad miles from anywhere and without cell service!  All that's possible in Montana!

Then I hit the Quilt shop!  I bought these:

The horses for Ethan's quilt and the other two for my stash.  Not buying much fabric am I?  That's mostly because my crafting of quilts is going to take a back stage to other endeavors.  I'm getting much better than I was but I am still not passionate about it and I think I'd like to find my passion and spend my time at that.

I also hit a yarn shop, I used to knit a lot.  It fell beside the way when I couldn't afford the yarn or the time.  Now I can.  Like quilting though I only buy yarn for specific projects.  So I didn't buy any here.

It seems like day 10 is always the day I hit a wall on my travels!  I was looking at the maps trying to decide how to go home.  There are four ways, two I do not want to travel-I-80 I did coming out, no more Nebraska for me! I-90 goes through So Dakota, I've been that way a couple of times don't want to go again.  That leaves North through Helena and out onto the plains of eastern Montana and No Dakota.  I've never been out there and there are a couple of things I'd like to see but I'm afraid there would be DAYS of driving across empty plains, on back roads.  Pretty boring.  That leaves a sort of jagged route-I-15 So , through Wyoming on back roads to I-80, then across to Laramie, Wy and go south to Denver where I'd get I-70 (the one that's a few blocks from my house) and go home.  That's the way I'm going to go but today if Scottie had come along and offered to Beam me home I'd have gone!

Montana Adventure Day 9

So today was moving day.  Inside the trailer that means securing every little loose thing or they fly around!  (Never know what I will find when I open the door!  Drawers open, mostly the table in the aisle! Must find some anti-skid rubber stops for the feet!)

Then outside I have to dump all the holding tanks, black water first then gray, then move the hose to work the black water tank flush system.  This is my first time and I am amazed at everything that comes out through the flush system! And glad that it isn't still in there!  Then I unhook the electricity, store cords, hoses and drain pipes.  Then raise the stabilizers.  Then comes hooking up.  Keep in mind that I have only done this once before. I have to put the hitch back on the truck, it's really heavy!  I have some handy poles with very strong magnets in the base to use to line up the hitch with the receiver.  I managed to get things lined up on the first try!  The only bad thing it that the pole on the ball of the hitch gets knocked off by the trailer tongue before I have the ball in the right place so I pop in and out of the truck until that happens.  I think it only took 3 tries!  Shut down the truck and hook up the stabilizer bars (not easy on this new hitch, very stiff.  Looked for the white lithium grease I thought was in the truck-not found!  Must buy some) then there are chains etc to hook up and raise the tongue post on the trailer so it doesn't drag on the ground and break off!  Walk around the whole shebang looking for open doors and covers, get in the truck, turn the key and NOTHING.  The battery is dead.  Roadside assistance is again called.  Because it's a Sunday it will take 40 minutes for them to get there.  He arrives, jumps me and I'm finally on the road!  First business -buy a new battery! Tried to do that in Missoula but the Walmart folks didn't have a clue so I went on the my next camping place at Hamilton, MT.

Undid everything I'd done in the morning to set up camp.  There's an O'Reilly's auto parts across the highway-my first stop tomorrow!  This is a really nice campground with a big green space for Quinn to walk in and we can even walk over to the river.  We settle in for the next three nights here!

Montana Adventure Day 8-Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site

Today I went to Grant-Kobhrs National Historic Site.  You can read all about it here!  But I have Pictures!

 

 Yes, that's me in front of the original house!  Here's the back-

 Only two things in the the entire house were not original to the home.  I like those kinds of house tours as you can really tell how people lived.  These folks had money and were into technology, like electricity, hot and cold running water, indoor toilets, and coal furnaces!

All of the buildings are original to the ranch and one contains all the various buggies, wagons and sleds used by the family.  There is a blacksmith shop as well and someone working the iron all the time.  You can also get a cup of "Cowboy" coffee--I was spitting out grounds for quite a while!

These three are of the Beaverslide.  An old way of stacking Hay!  If you look at the middle photo you can (barely) see some post sticking up on the left end of the slide, hay was cut and placed there and when full the slide would be tipped up so that the hay fell inside the "cage" by way of that big hole!  There would be two men inside moving and packing the hay down to make a solid mass.  You can see the already piled hay to the right.  The first photo gives you an idea of how big the slide is.  (Not to mention pretty Montana scenery!)

Traditionally and here at Grant-Kohrs hay was worked using teams of horses-like these Belgians.

Oh look, a funny tourist!

The family that owned the ranch bred Belgians and used them-boy are they big!

Lastly some photos from around the ranch.

I love old steps!

Montana Adventure Day 7--Deer Lodge Day 2

Moving days are always a great deal of work so I just chill out after I'm done setting up.  Today, I journeyed into the small, very small, town of Deer Lodge to have a look see.  It isn't so small as to not have a quilt shop though--I bought these fat quarters

The blue and white one can barely see is for my stash the others are for an "I Spy" quilt for Ethan.
Then I sauntered through a couple of other shops and when I returned to my car it was to find myself locked out!  I could see the keys just lying there on the seat, ugh! Thank goodness I have roadside assistance and within 15 minutes the truck was open and I was on my way!  At least this time I didn't lose them on the beach!

Back to the campground after a stop at the hardware store to buy measuring cups (how on earth did I forget those?) and the grocers for some food type stuff!

This campground is directly next to I-90 and it is really noisy all night long, which doesn't make for great sleep!  It does have really nice, clean shower houses though!

Montana Adventure Day 6

Quinn and I backed (yes backed-my biggest fear is backing the trailer!) out of our space -without incident I might add and headed back toward I-90.  We would have liked to stay a few more days as it was quite nice but they were booked.  Emigrant is quite close to Yellowstone National Park so I think they are always full.  I booked us three nights in Deer Lodge, Montana so we went over hill, dale and mountain pass for a few hours.  Somewhere along the way I managed a Cafe Mocha at Starbucks.  Something I've discovered on this trip:  I can drive about 300 miles in a day for two days, then I need to have at least 2 days to recover! When we arrived about 3 in the afternoon, get ready, I UNHOOKED the trailer.  First time since I left home!  Hooking up is another of the fear bringers. Then I took a nap.  The campground is nice and not full.  There are plenty of places to walk and play soccer ball with Quinn and we visited with a few people.  There is something I do not understand.  There are a lot of people who live in their 200-300thousand dollar RVs full time--BIG buses pulling cars or trailers.  I get that that might be interesting but a great number of these folks park somewhere for a month (or longer) and then sit inside and watch television. (Or sometimes they put the TV on the outside and watch outside.) They have their own direct TV or Dish network or something.  I could live in a very nice house for the cost of one of these big buses and it would be less trouble than living in an RV.  One of the buses I saw had 6 wheels on the bus and was pulling a trailer with 6 wheels!

Montana Adventure Days 4 and 5

When last we spoke Quinn and I were in Cheyenne, WY at a campground that was only so-so.  However, they had a barbecue cafe on the premises so I bought some ribs.  The meat was relish, the sauce only ok as were the sides.  It's a good thing I like to cook.

The next morning we headed north up Interstate 25, another of the interstates that goes practically from Canada to Mexico.  I did see some wildlife-a couple of Pronghorn antelopes on the top of a bluff.  Wyoming is up and down, up and down-foothills you know-you can't use cruise control at all.  There was lots of construction and even where there wasn't it was pretty rough roads.  We ended the night at Sheridan, WY just shy of the Montana border.  Again, we didn't unhook.  This campground had the cleanest shower rooms I've ever seen!  Probably cleaner than the bathrooms at my house!

I took this one photo-

Just so you could see how small we look next to a tractor-trailer rig!  Always one of the smallest in the trailer park!

We spent an enjoyable evening visiting with the "Neighbors" and slept well.

Day 5 had us in Montana!  Hit Interstate 90 near Billings (where I had to have a Starbucks! It's interesting finding them, then getting in and out of some parking lot nearby!  We may be tiny as far as camping goes but we are definitely too big for drive-throughs!)  I was hoping to stay in Livingston for three nights but the campground was full so we spent the night in Emigrant, WY at a lovely campground right next to the river.  Just as we got there the skies opened up and poured rain with thunder and lightening.  Not only did I not unhook, I didn't put the stabilizers down! I was really glad I didn't buy one of those hybrid campers with a solid box and pop-up style beds!  Just hooked up water and electricity and when inside.  Of course, once the worst was over (for that round) Quinn insisted on a walk.  One that would leave her slightly wet for quite a while! I was so tired I crashed early.  Sleep that night was accompanied by rain-quite loud on the rubber roof even if it's only sprinkling!