The End of our 2021 Summer Travels

Apache Junction, AZ   High 96   Low 72

We spent a week in Billings after leaving Canyon Ferry. We are still being very cautious with our health as well as that of those we care about, so we did not visit with anyone other than Todd and Michaela.  And even that visiting was limited.

Todd had pneumonia and was flat on his back for most of the week. By the time we left, he was feeling much better and we are grateful for that. We were able to enjoy a few take out dinners with them and got to get our animal fix. They have two dogs and two cats so lots of love to go around.

This is the only picture I took of Todd and his Dad.

 

We decided not to stay at the Moose this year because it is so noisy and the electric is not reliable. We stayed at Billings Village RV Park and enjoyed our time there. The park was mostly full but there were a couple of spots available most nights. We will stay here again.

 A beautiful sunrise to greet us.

 

We left Billings on September 8 - Jim's birthday. Happy birthday honey. We are headed back to Arizona and won't be doing much sight seeing along the way.

One place we did stop to take a picture of is the Round Barn near Twin Bridges, MT.   The Round Barn is located at the base of the Tobacco Root mountain range, surrounded by fields and land that was home to Lewis and Clark for several weeks during their historic expedition. 

 

The Barn was built in 1882 for the Doncaster Stable and Stud farm. The Barn, complete with an interior circular track, was home to both champion thoroughbreds and trotters. Its most famous horse was Spokane, winner of the 1889 Kentucky Derby, and the only racehorse from Montana to ever win such a title.  It is now used as a wedding and entertainment center.

We spent our first night in Dillon, MT at Countryside RV Park. We've stayed here several times and like this park. The next night we were at Honey's RV Park in Arco, ID. This is a free campground (donations) with electric. Scar owns the land and lives there with his dog Ruby. It is mostly dirt but really quite level regardless of what he says on his website. The night we were there, we had the company of an older Class C with a couple and their daughter. And a couple of car campers. Jim joined everybody for the campfire. 

While at the campfire, this owl decided to join the party on top of Scar's flagpole.

 

Our next state was Nevada. Jackpot for one night. We were treated to this beautiful rainbow. Jim didn't have much luck this time at the casino. He lost his $20 but had a lot of fun. He wore his mask and washed his hands frequently.

Highway 93 through NV is a long lonely road. But we did see some great cloud formations.

 

Next stop was the KOA in Ely. If the weather had been cooler we would have done more boondocking but having electric available was really nice.  The KOA was packed. In fact they had people boondocking on the edges of the campground using generators to run their air. 

 

We still have two more stops in NV. We try to keep the number of miles we drive each day under 200. Spent one night at Pickett's RV Park in Alamo.

 Love this 57 Oldsmobile and trailer. A man and his dog just out exploring.

The next night we were at King's Row RV Park in Las Vegas. We did not unhitch and were ready to head out early the next morning.

We spent our last night on the road at Dazzo's RV Park in Wikieup, AZ. Passport America Park for $15. Definitely not fancy but the take out food was wonderful. 

This is really the place I've been looking forward to. Welcome Home to us. 

 

We are really glad to be here even with the temperatures near 100 every day. We spent a few days getting everything moved from the Bungalow back into the Cottage.

Getting the Cottage and Bungalow washed today which they both really need. Doctor appointments start next week.

Now that we have returned to our normal life, I won't be posting very often. If anything exciting or interesting happens, I'll be sure to let you know.  It's been fun sharing our summer adventures with you. Stay safe and if you are writing a blog, please keep posting. I read blogs but seldom comment any more. 

Sunrise

 

2021 Summer Reflections

Canyon Ferry.  High  90. Low 58

Our summer at Canyon Ferry has come to an end. The boat has been tucked away at my brother-in-law's place and its time for us to move on. 

Reflecting back on this summer it has been smoke, wind, and fire. Definitely not what we were looking forward to. 

The fishing 🎣, when Jim was able to go out, was lousy. The water level dropped and continued dropping the two months we were there.  With the extreme heat, the fish went into hiding so they wouldn't be boiled. There were many days when the smoke was so bad Jim couldn't breathe if he went outside. Then there was the relentless wind. 

We were lucky that there weren't fires too close to us. There was one across the lake and we could see the smoke billowing over the top of the mountain. 

To top things off, Jim hurt his back and neck so that stopped the fishing for a couple of weeks.  Needless to say, our freezer is not full of walleye this year.

We did get to spend some time with my sister and hubby which was special. We also got to celebrate our birthdays since we are both July babies.

 

We were at their house to store the boat, and I was in the house visiting with my sister. when I happened to look up and saw these three bucks in her yard enjoying her apple tree.

Then this guy stopped and looked right at me through the window.

 

And our good friends, Ginny and Mickey, spent two wonderful weeks with us. Fun times.

The journey north gave us a chance to visit friends and explore a new "country". But the wind was not gentle breezes. We had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets as well as clouds.

 

Townsend has three beautiful murals painted by a young artist, Sophie Mathis.

 

So ends our summer at Canyon Ferry.  We will spend a week in Billings visiting our son and daughter-in-law. And then will begin the trek back to Arizona.