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. 

Odds and Ends

 After the doctor evaluated Jim's neck on Friday, he determined that two more visits were needed and Jim agreed with him. He still has a little trouble turning his neck and has a pain running up into his head. Update: After two more sessions Jim is feeling great and can turn his head.

On Sunday we had a cold front move through. Wind gusts of 55 mph and a little rain. Then the temperatures started to drop. Down into the 40s tonight. But I'll take that over the 100s. Especially when the campground is full with big electric motor homes and fifth wheels running three air conditions and the wattage drops to 106 or 104.

A rather unique towing situation. A Tesla towing a retro rv. 

We had a couple of days of blue skies and I could see the lake and the mountains. It even cleared enough that we could see the sleeping giant in Helena. But the smoke and heat came back and the mountains disappeared. 

The water in the lake is receding and they keep moving the dock further out. Jim is still able to get the boat in the water but the catching is lousy.  This really has not been the summer we wanted it to be. 

 We headed into Helena to run errands and have Jim's final appointment with the chiropractor on Friday afternoon. It was hot outside and we soon realized that the truck was not cooling down at all. Not a good thing. It made for a very hot and windy trip to and from town with windows down.

After the doctor appointment we went to Meineke. The young man working there asked what year our truck was and then looked through the grill. He could see that we were leaking freon and the condenser was shot. They had to order the part and we have an appointment next Thursday to get it repaired. An estimate of $988. There is always something.  (Update: the repair has been done for $10 less than the estimate.)

The last time it rained we had a leak over on my side of the bed. Could not figure out where the water was coming in at. Jim climbed up and took a look. Saw a couple of small holes so when we were in Helena, we stopped at D&D RV and bought some Eternabond. Great stuff.

I do not want him on the roof but I'm not sure this arrangement was much better. 

The mask is because the smoke was so bad. This is the water test. No more leak. Which is good because the next day we had several days of rain. Most of it light but a couple of downpours.

Looks like rain to me.  And the rain was more than welcomed. It put a really big dent in our fires and gave the wonderful firefighters a chance to catch their breath. Some of the fires won't be out until it snows but most are under control.

Jim defrosted our freezer.

The Sturgis Rally is over.  It's hard to get a clear picture when the smoke is so thick.

 

This rig pulled into the campground for a night. We figured maybe it was being transported to it's destination. You don't normally see this kind of trailer on the road.

A big rock thrown by a big semi gave us quite a dent. I'm glad it didn't hit the windshield which would have shattered. Hopefully we can get it undented in Billings.

Like the title says - odds and ends of life.

 

Jim Update

Canyon Ferry, MT   High 96  Low 60  smoke, hot, more smoke

Jim Update

An extremely painful and stressful week.  Needless to say, the shot and pain pills really didn't do any good. Especially since he only got five pain pills. Neither he nor I were getting any sleep and it was so hard to watch him suffer. Finally on Friday, the light dawned. And he made an appointment with his chiropractor on Monday. He has been to Dr. Fife twice before and is really impressed with his knowledge and skills. 

After one session the difference is amazing. Jim can turn his head a little and the pain is definitely manageable. He has another appointment on Wednesday and then again on Friday. At that time they can evaluate how well he is doing.  I am a much happier camper and so is Jim.

In other news - a lot of planes at the little airport next to the campground. I decided they had a fly-in for a breakfast get together because shortly after 10 they all started to fly away.

  

The Wolf Creek fire is just across the lake from us. This picture was taken as we were almost to the campground. It has now burned nearly 15,000 acres and several people have had to evacuate. The next day looking across where the fire is, I can no longer see the lake or the mountains because of the smoke. Just really dreary and sad.

 

This fire was started by lightning on July 10th. Last night I could see the flames and smoke as the fire came over the mountain and was spreading towards the lake.

This one was taken at night and we could see the flames. But my camera doesn't take a good picture. That little light was actually red.

This picture is clouds with smoke drifting through and by them.

Tonight, we've had a little bit of rain and I can't see the mountains but I'm sure hoping this rain has helped the fire fighters. 

There should be mountains in front of us as we head out of the campground.

 

We receive quite a bit of mail especially packages from Amazon and our pharmacy. Because we have been here so many times, they have given Jim his own mailbox up in the mail room. This just cracked me up.

 

And yes our reservations are made for next year. We decided we like this site better than our original one because it is much quieter with less road noise. So if you're up this way next July or August, come see us.