Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

We plan on riding in to Yellowstone and exploring the northern loop of the figure 8. Ashley suggests a trip to Bozeman instead, as we’ll be in Yellowstone soon enough and it will be a full day of riding, much of which we’ve already done. Unfortunately, Bozeman is further away than the park and pretty much all interstate so that’s a no-go.

Part of the morning passes as we disuss plans and we decide to knock out some of the items from our todo lists. Ashley sews the velcro holders on our curtain stays where they have been coming loose. I head outside and change the oil in both the motorcycle and the RV. Not sure what it would cost to get either of them done by someone else but I’m sure we saved a decent amount, plus we didn’t have to wait for an appointment!

While climbing under the RV (which might be the easiest oil change I’ve done) I looked around for the mice’s entry spot. The only real option that I noticed was a gap between the walls and the wheel-well trim. We’ll get some spray foam to block that.

Ashley started changing the inner-tube on her road bike’s front tire and I help her finish that. Darn thing seems nearly impossible to get seated correctly!

We eat a late lunch and head in to town for errands. Drop trash off on the way to the hardware store where we get pest-resistant spray foam, some self-tapping screws, weather stripping for the screen door (this home-ownership thing never seems done) and priced a portable propane heater ($99.99 and Walmart has
them for $79.99 so we’ll be waiting). Then to the Family Dollar for some groceries, top off gas and air in the motorcycle and we decide to take advantage of being in town for a date.

  

After walking up and down Main Street, reading menus, we settle on Bogart’s. They serve chips and salsa while we wait (one of our favorite snacks – we eat two servings) and I get a burger while Ashley gets a small pizza, and we share a margarita. While waiting for our food, we check Facebook and see that Pete and Heidi stayed in Red Lodge and recommend getting pizza at Bogart’s. What perfect timing to read their suggestion!

We didn’t realize it but the drink was half-price. The burger was decent and the pizza was, in fact, delicious! The Garden Pie – olive oil and garlic base with avacado, tomato, and mozzarella toppings. Ashley ate half and I had two of the other three slices.

Other than the water refill that was – I believe – pickle juice, everything was good enough that we’d be interested in returning to try more.

Finishing supper we walked to the grocery store for a few last items. We’ve enjoyed Dale’s chats and plan to invite him for supper tomorrow so we grab few items to share. We also pick up a pint of ice cream to split – a compromis between going to the ice cream shop for cones.

Shopping over, we rush home to enjoy our ice cream. Ashley holds two bags and I place the other in my lap. Too many items to fit in our saddle bags.

After enjoying our ice cream (it goes so fast!) we use the spray foam to plug up the wheel-wells. But not before I empty the trap yet again. Hopefully this will be the last.

Uh oh, Dale’s motorcycle is loaded up. That probably means he’s leaving tomorrow. If so, we waited too long to invite him to supper.

We pack our day packs for tomorrow’s hike around the Beartooth Loop Trail.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Though our plan was originally to spend the day out hiking, the fact that we’re baasically out of propane changed our priorities. With the weekend over, most of the other RVs clear out, leaving a prime corner spot empty. After a stroll down to check it out we decide to migrate there for our second week here.

  

I pull the motorcycle down as Ashley piles everything on the trailer. As we pull down a gentleman has walked over and set a tub on the ground while he goes to the creek for water. Ashley goes and talks to him as I turn around for a better access angle.

  

Gary is a local and he was going to grab the spot. However a) he’s stayed here before and will again and b) he’s not even staying overnight. He’s merely parking for the week. So he’s more than happy to let us enjoy the spot. How lucky for us, as we were more than willing to go back where we started. 

We drop the trailer and I head in to town to refill propane and fresh water and empty our waste tanks. By modifying our showers and using creek water for anything we didn’t ingest we’ve been able to stretch half a tank for a week, but it’s time for more fresh water.

  

Ashley stays at the site to ensure no one tries to claim it while the RV’s gone. Our folding chairs and the hammock help it look occupied, and she’s comfy as she reads and waits.

I fill and empty the tanks and head on back. Only one wheel needs any leveling adjustment and we are soon settled.

What a fabulous site! If the campground area is a baseball diamond, we are home plate; the fences replaced by the two branches of Rock Creek. The land stair-steps down to the water, with the clearing on the highest level, our home on the middle step (surrounded by trees for privacy) and the lower step a point that has our stone fire ring and hammock. Water rushes past us on two sides, clearly heard with our windows open or closed and visible from all but two of our windows. The space is private enough that we don’t feel the need to cover the windows in the cab, affording us a grand view of Rock Creek.

Settled in we hop on our bikes and ride in to town, battling a cruel headwind that forces us to pedal on all of the downhills. In Red Lodge we stop at the Tea Shop and Book Store (the only coffee/tea shop we have yet to try) for an afternoon tea and wifi session. Our tea lattes were delicious, the muffin was cheap but fabulous and we enjoyed listening to the conversations between the locals. They used an IngenuiTea to make our drinks – it’s the tea version of my pour-over coffee maker. Ashley’s been wanting one for some time.

They have quite a wide selection of teas. Ashley’s stash from Pipers in Paducah is dwindling and, since tea shops are rare, she may resupply before we leave the area.

We finally finish up and start pedaling back home. Unfortunately, the wind seems, again, set against us and with the steady uphill climb we’re less than thrilled with the ride. Referencing the hike through the sand dunes a few years earlier I told Ashley that she “really ‘Jacked’ up this trip.” She laughed and agreed with me.

Eventually we return to the RV and stay for the day, since I’ve already made two trips into town today. Gary let us know he’s locked everything up and is heading out. We chat for a bit – his wife’s an RN. When Ashley says she’s a nuse he asks if she’s an RN. I think that’s a sign of a nurse’s spouse. They seem to ask about that distinction while nurses ask what unit you work(ed) in and everyone else just says ‘ok”.

  

I finish crocheting the basket I started before breakfast. Though it didn’t turn out as I expected I like the result. It works well in the bathroom for Ashley’s hair odds-n-ends.

  

More reading before an early bedtime.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

It did get cold last night! With our pile of blankets, though, we stayed plenty warm. Ashley didn’t sleep well, though, due to hearing mice. So we’ll have to look up preventative measures that we can take.

After breakfast we layer up and head in to town. The hardware store only refills bottles but recommends a place for tomorrow. That place is right next to the gas station with the free RV dump. I top off the motorcycle gas while Ashley goes in to see if they might also have water. They do! So tomorrow after breakfast we’ll go fill and empty all of our tanks. It’s been a bit of a stressful few days with the propane. We’ve been turning off the fridge to make it last longer.

Lesson learned – from now on we’ll top it off when it gets to half. The first half definitely outlasts the second.

Recon done we stop for coffee. Trying out the other option this time, Honey’s. We both get drinks and I get a bagel with cream cheese. The drinks are delicious, better than the Roasting House and the bagel tastes home made!

I schedule emails and get some research done while Ashley looks up mice deterrants. Dryer sheets or peppermint oil, apparently.

The lunch crowd comes in and I hear nothing but rave comments of Honey’s sandwiches. So we split one. They make it from scratch and it tastes like it! Well worth having, no doubt about it. I belive the overheard comment of “best sandwich in town!”

  

Heading out of town we stop at the Family Dollar for dryer sheets. Then we’re on to Bear Creek and Belfry to see about the Smith Mine explosion. Back in 1943, 74 men perished in an explosion – worst mine disaster  in Montana history. Sad to read about but also interesting to learn. Apparently the miners used chalk for some reason and, if the explosion didn’t kill them, were able to leave messages for loved ones before the methane gas did.

Back home I de-moused (that’s 4!) and Ashley distributed dryer sheets and peppermint oil cotton balls. Once we’re more level (not up on blocks) I will crawl under to see if I can find where they’re getting in so we can plug up any holes with expanding foam.

  

I journal while she cleans. Dale comes over to show me his Gazetteer map that he mentioned the other day. We’ve been curious about them since he did so that was great. They show one state per atlas with a special focus on public lands. Would be really helpful with finding boondocking locations and would pay for itself after a night or two.

We’re really getting a lot of reading time in. Both of us are certainly enjoying that. Always a voracious reader I have switched away from the blogs and email that have been my mainstays the past few years and have returned to books, whether hard- or soft-copy. While a good number of them are re-reads (like the myriad business books on the Kindle) many are also being pulled from my years-old “to read” stack.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

It got pretty darn chilly last night and I just can’t seem to get warmed up. Hopefully moving around will do it. We gear up for a day hike up Beartrack trail. Ranger John told us it was a good one to get your heart pumping as it’s mostly just switchbacks until you finally reach the plateau.

  

Indeed, I warmed up as we hiked. Long way up, continuously uphill. We finally reach the plateau and lose the trail. It’s a big, open field with rocks and scrub but neither a discernable trail nor a row of cairnes to follow. We eat lunch and listen to chatter on my amateur radio. Sounds like there’s a bike ride of some sort going on and the support vehicles are keeping in touch over the radio waves.

  

Using the binoculars we spot sign posts on the far side of the clearing and go to check them out. Finally, we’ve stumbled across the other trail we were looking for. According to the map that’s 5 miles so we head on back. Ashley didn’t realize how much of an incline the hike up was until we began working our way down the hill.

  

Though we kept watchful eyes open, we spotted nothing more of elk than tracks and scat and no more of bear than a single pile of poop. No other hikers the entire trip, either.

  

With a high in the mid sixties it never really got warm, though it felt that way to us after being in the cold air at 4,000 feet higher up on top of the plateau.

Checking the weather we saw lows in the upper 30’s overnight so we close up the RV early and pile blankets on the bed.

We’re awfully low on propane but it’s too late to get any tonight. First thing after breakfast tomorrow we’ll run into town and see what we can find.

Ashley built up a matched set of blisters on her heels so we’ll take a couple of days off before we head out on our next round of hikes.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

After breakfast we head into town to stop at the Coffee Factory Roasters – who make and brew their own coffee. Enjoyed some lattes while soaking up wifi to catch up on some digital chores.

  

Ashley approved the last batch of journal entries, I wrote and sent the latest email update, we both caught up on emails and we researched some local items. Particularly we checked out a couple of trails that we want to hike – making sure they’re reasonable day-hikes and we aren’t over-committing ourselves. It’s always hard to tell from other people’s descriptions. Are we advanced hikers? Do we agree with their thought of a “strenuous” hike?

Averaging out some descriptions leads us to think we’re more than capable of completing the Beartooth Loop in a day, so we plan on doing that soon – to be safe we’ll pack enough gear to be fine throughout a night if we’re over-estimating ourselves or the weather turns sour on us.

Finishing our coffees and chores we walk over to the grocery for some trail-friendly foods. It seems a bit pricey to us – but when you’re one of the two options in town I suppose you can get away with it. Plus – it probably costs more to get their supplies in anyway.

Back at home we read for a bit. Ashley does yoga and I hang up the hammock. After a bit I feel a few rain drops so I put everything away, only to have it clear back up.

We chat with one of our neighbors, Dale, who seems like quite an interesting fellow. He recommended we ride over to check out a historical site (he also rides so we talked a bit about motorcycles.) He’s from New York but has been full-timing for 3 years now; the first two in a van he outfitted himself. He has a pretty nice solar setup. In the past he’s hiked quite a few of the long-distance trails, including the AT and the John Muir trail. Very pleasant to chat with.

We eat supper and read more before bed.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

 

It did get chilly! And stayed that way for some time. We stayed bundled up almost all morning!  

 

Adding on some extra layers, we get on the motorcycle and head on up the road to explore the Beartooth Highway. It goes up and crosses over the mountain range, taking us from 6,000 feet to almost 11,000, down, and then all back in reverse. One of the brochures call it the prettiest motorcycle ride in America.

   
 

It was spectacular! We stopped only once on the way up – it was very overcast/hazy and we hoped it would clear up during the afternoon ride. We refueled in Cook City ($3.20 a gallon, glad it was the motorcycle and not the RV!), topped off our water bottles, and then stopped for lunch at a picnic spot a couple of miles back. Beautiful little waterfall to watch as we ate.

  

We had noted some places to visit and made a number of stops on the way back. Like a waterfall with a foot bridge only feet away from it. You could feel the water thundering as it hit the bottom. There we had company, a badger who stopped every 5′ to look back at us as he walked away.

   
 

Along the way we found the Beartooth Loop trailhead for an upcoming dayhike (maybe – it’s short enough for a day but the air is thin and the terrain may be a bit much for a single day). Stopped for a look at Island Lake, which is just as beautiful as you expect it to be.

Unfortunately, the clouds/fog didn’t lift, so we bypassed going up to the fire watch tower. On the way back to the Loop Trail we’ll be right by here so we can explore then.

  

Of course, we had to stop at the summit. Nearly 11,000 feet high! Cold, too. Had been for most of the ride, you could really feel the elevation! There was a nearby rock outcrop – which really looked like the highest point, so we made sure to climb up it. What a spectacular view of the world below!

   
 

In the parking area we passed a couple whose RV travel map was nearly full, only 4 states to go (California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Hawaii). They’ve been toruing for 6 years and only count states if they camp in the RV and exlore some. We like how they travel!

They were in a nice Class B. Which prompted a discussion that we could have gone smaller, or how a pull-behind trailer would have its advantages. We don’t want to change and love our home. It feels like home and is large enough that we can see living in it long term. For traveling and being out in the wildernes we could definitely have gone smaller, though.

One last stop on the way back is a rest area/overlook. We realize that, down at the bottom of the valley, we can see a clearing and, in it, our home!

While on the road, a weasel of some sort crosses in front of us.

Back at home we prepare supper and eat. I check the mouse traps and discover our pest has gone to meet his maker. Horray!

We read before bed.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Tired of staying in Walmarts we head out early. 10 miles down the interstate we have to decide if we’re going to Livingston or Red Lodge. At the last minute we decide on heading south to Red Lodge. It looks out of our way, not the most efficient route, but we will get to see more and it will help us slow down our rate of travel a bit.

In Red Lodge we park and walk around downtown. We enjoyed looking at the backpacking stores – I always like looking at new gear and Ashley is trying to talk me into a new daypack.

We debated getting a trail book, a topo-map or both for the Beartooth Wilderness. Decided on just the map, which we got at a great book store/tea shop combo. Ashley loved looking at the teas. They have one that smells like her Lapsang Souchong from Pipers in Paducah, like a campfire. It was named Odin’s Armpit. Haha!

Stopped at another store and picked up two cans of bear spray, as this is grizzly country.

At the edge of town we visited the forest ranger station where John overloaded us with information about trails, campsites, and dispersed camping options. We also received a dozen or so brochures and trail maps. Very helpful!
On down the road, we stop at the first of the dispersed options. A beautiful little spot just off the road, beside Rock Creek. Unfortunately, there are no spots available.

The next location is a large clearing with plenty of parking areas. It is just across the creek from the road, with a wall of trees separating us. It’s nestled down at the foot of the mountains, tucked in a valley. We find spot on the treeline, just 30′ from the stream with only one neighbor on one side and a fabulous view up into the mountains.

  

After getting settled we go explore a trail that leads on up the hill. It’s ATV approved and goes on for miles so we detour up a hill for an overview of the area before heading back.

  

This is the kind of boondocking we’ve been waiting for, nestled in the mountains with water next to us and tucked into the trees! Aaahhh…

Before supper we compare our trail guides with the map and pick out a couple of overnight trips that sound great plus some day hikes as supplements. This seems like our kind of place!

Going to be cool tonight so we close the windows and bundle up.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

Didn’t sleep at all well last night. Lots of traffic around us – perhaps street racing, judging by the sounds.

The worst sound of all, though, was that of gnawing – so we picked up some mouse traps to scatter around.

The blinker seems to just be a loose connection, though it took about an hour to figure that out. How frustrating!

After breakfast we migrate downtown and find street parking so that we can walk to a local coffee shop. I need internet to upload journal entries (and the many pictures we’ve taken!) plus we want to research Yellowstone before heading that way.

We wrap up and walk down to The Good Earth food co-op where we pick up some items before walking back to the RV. It has started raining so we are wet and cold upon returning.

After lunch our next stop is about halfway across town, the Barnes and Noble. Ashley has been checking out different guides to the National Parks at the various visitor centers and we want to pick one up. It will help us better know what to expect as we plan our next steps for each of the parks. B-and-N have the one she’s liked the best and we pick it up.

It’s already mid-afternoon, so we consider just staying in Billings another night. Save a day of gas and another free night’s stay. There is an empty-looking office building next to the store where I’d like to stay – it will be much quieter than the Walmart next door. We park for a bit, after a few minutes someone comes to let us know that the owner doesn’t like over-nighters. We let him know that we’re just taking a break and don’t plan on staying. So after a few more minutes we head on over to Walmart and find a spot for the night.

We read and have supper and read some more before bed.

Journal entries are just that – the digital copy of my hand-written entries in my journal. If you aren’t interested in the daily details of our adventure, feel free to skip on to the next “regular” post.

After a cold night neither of us are in a hurry to roust out of bed. We read, enjoying the morning after breakfast.

Once it warms up we head out on our bicycles. A mile or so down the road we pass through a bison herd, sneaking through with the line of cars hiding us.

As the road Y’s off we go left and ride until another herd is completely blocking the road. We turn around and take the other branch of the road.

  

The hills are quite steep and we run out of breath quickly. It also took some time to get warmed up. We feel out of practice now and don’t like it. But then again we haven’t ridden on large, long hills like this before. Iowa had some steep hills, but they were short and over quickly. 

Back at home we start preparing to head out. Ashley grabs a shower and I do yoga to help stretch out my back. Check out is noon and we just make it (not that anyone seems to be checking). We pull over to the picnic area for lunch and then head out of the park.

A quick stop on the edge of Medina nets us a geocache find in North Dakota before we hit the interstate and head on to Billings, Montana.

There we stop at a Walmart and pick up a few odds-n-ends and settle in for the evening.

The passenger blinker is out, so I’ll replace the bulb in the morning.