Glacier

We attended church in Colombia Falls this morning and then came back and went over to the national park. We strolled around Apgar Village and looked at Lake Mc Donald and visited with some nice people. I think we are going to try to go to a ranger program tonight after dinner.

Glacier

We arrived in Glacier today. The terrain really changed when we hit E. Glacier. We traveled along mountains and trees and a river called Middle Fork of the Flathead River. The water was a very different color from all the minerals deposited from the melting glaciers. It was very pretty. We have not had the chance to explore the area yet as Paul got in at 3:30 and we had to do our laundry, eat etc. Tomorrow we plan to go to church and then explore a bit. The weather has been sunny and nice. Even though the sun is shining it doesn't feel so hot because it is dry. This morning it was so cool that we had to turn on the heat in our trailer to take the chill off. The day warmed up though. We stopped at the lodge in E. Glacier and walked through it. It was built in the era of timberline lodge and is very impressive.

West of Cut Bank

We have passed the last Mc Donalds before Glacier, so the sign says. We are camped about 30 miles from East Glacier and plan to arrive in West Glacier tomorrow. We have been traveling through plains now for a while and a change of scenery will be welcome. Today I went into an Albertson's in Cut Bank Mt. It made me almost feel like I was home. Tonight we are camped in a meadow where there is very little around us but grass land. The owners I guess are around somewhere but it feels like we are alone in the middle of the plains. There is an historical marker by this site that says that this is the furtherest North that Lewis and Clark traveled on the voyage of discovery before turning back. We have seen many of the areas where they traveled on our voyage. Today Paul was fighting the wind most of the day but he did OK. He turned over 10,000 miles on his odometer today. We have finished figuring out the rest of our trip and if all goes well we should be home on Aug 20. It will feel good to get home.

Chester MT

Last night we were in a little town called Chinook. There was no cell reception there so we coundn't get on line. Tonight we are in Chester, another small town along hwy 2. It seems like we have been following 2 forever but of course it has only been through No Dakota and Montana. Tomorrow we will be in Cutbank and then into Glacier for the weekend. Paul is doing really good and the weather has been very nice. We have been staying in city campgrounds the past few days where we have not had electric hookups so no air conditioning but it has been OK The weather has been in the 70's for traveling and has cooled off for good sleeping at night. We are driving through Montana in the longest route and it is long. The terrain doesn't change much from mile to mile. Right now we are sitting outside in the shade in the park and it is very pleasant, there are not even too many bugs which is quite nice. The sky is very blue with white puffy clouds. I think the sky is bluer up here than other places. 

Saco MT

This morning we went to the Fort Peck interpetive center and saw some great dinosaur fossils. They had a life size T-Rex. They would have been fearsome to run into. It also was about the construction of the dam. Paul was almost hired to work here when we were young so it was interesting to see the little town and the area. As we were driving along HWY 2 today someone had made modals of a number of different kinds of dinosaurs and had placed them in the grasses along the road. Today was one of those days when we didn't know for sure where we were going to camp. We ended up here in a very small town (250) people living here and are camped right along the hwy. Fortunately the traffic seems to be slowing down. Unfortunately there is a bar across the street with loud people talking etc out fromt. I guess stepping out for a smoke. On the other side of us is a major train line with high speed trains roaring by frequently. They are close enough that it shakes our trailer. Oh well, it is only for one night and tomorrow we will be heading further West.

Fort Peck Montana

Today we were planning on camping in Wolf Point Montana in a city park.When we arrived there it was just a gravel parking lot. The temp was about 90 degrees and of course there was no eclectricity so we checked out another rv park in the area and it smelled of sewage so since the wind was at Pauls back we dicided to go on to Fort Peck. It turned out to be over 140 miles Paul rode today. We are camped by an interperators visitor center about dinosaurs and I am planning on visiting tomorrow. I hope Paul will take a couple of hours off and go with me since he did half of his ride for tomorrow today. Yesterday our hosts invited us to have dinner with them and they ordered 2 large trays of Mexican food from a local restaurant. It was finger foods and it sure was good. I am not usually a big fan of Mexican food but this was really good. Then they took us for a ride to see where the Missouri River has flooded out of its banks and the development in Williston and then treated us to an ice cream at DQ. Very nice people. Today as we drove through this park of Montana it was the great plains for sure. We had long vistas of grasses blowing in the breeze and a big blue sky. There is a chance for storms again here in the next few days but I guess that is just normal here.

Williston

Today is a rest day and we attended church this morning. It was a very big congregation and they say they are going to be dividing into 2 in a few weeks. I counted how many women there were in Relief Society (our womens meeting) and there were at least 50. That is more than have been in some of the congregations of everyone that we have visited in the past few months. Did I mention that Williston is an oil boom town? When we stopped yesterday in the Walmart the parking lot was full of trucks and campers and work trailers. In church they asked if anyone had or knew of available housing since all housing was full. It made us even more appreciative of the hospitality of our hosts here. This afternoon we took a nice walk. It was in the low 80's so we let the sprinklers spray us in the park. It felt good. Tonight we are looking forward to visiting with our hosts who have been out of town helping with clean up in Minot. Tomorrow we go into Montana and into the Montain Time Zone.

Williston No Dakota

This will be our last stop in No Dakota. We will be here for 2 nights since this is Saturday. When we were in Michigan we meet some people at church that told us to get in touch with some folks here in Williston and when we did they invited us to stay at their place and gave us a key to their house even though they will be gone until Sunday. They are in minot helping with the flood cleanup We really appreciate this since Williston has become a boom town for the oil industry and it is very difficult finding a place to park. Even in Stanley where we camped last night there were workers staying in the campground. Last night as we were camping a lady in the campground came by and said there was a tornado watch and flood watch for our area and it was expected to turn into a warning (which is more serious). As the evening progressed the sky got very gray and about dark the sky started to be filled with lightning and we heard thunder for several hours and then we had rain. I had heard that tornados sound like a train which was a bad thing since we had train tracks just a few feet from our trailer and we had many trains go by during the night. I must admit I had a hard time sleeping until the weather calmed down. We met some nice people at our last campsite. They are on a long bike trek as well but are going the other direction. She is driving a car and setting up a tent to camp at night. He only has one leg so I am sure it is hard work for him to ride. They were very upbeat and it was nice to talk to someone who could relate to what I am doing. They have been on the road since late June. We have kind of figured out the rest of our trip and it looks like we should be home about the 20th of Aug. I am looking forward to that.

Stanley ND

Today we traveled on to Stanley No Dakota. It was an uneventful drive. The wind was more at our backs, (what wind we had) today, so that was nice. The day was sunny and in the 70:s. All along the road in this part of No Dakota there are areas of standing water in the fields. This is left over from the floods they have had here this year. As we went by Minot we could see where the water had been and some of the efforts to keep it out. Paul rode through town and saw some of the clean up efforts going on. In church services they are again asking for volunteers to go help clean up. We have been invited to stay with some people from our church this weekend but they will be gone to work on clean up. They will hold a 7:00 in the morning , 1/2 Sacrament meeting and then go spend the rest of the day helping to clean. We have thought about going to help but it is just too far to go back when we will have just arrived in Williston, Because of all the rain they have had in this part of the country the fields are still green and as we drove down the road today the wind blew the grasses and it looked just like waves of grass blowing in the breeze, kind of pretty. I saw fields of sunflowers as well as other crops growing in the fields. The first 1/2 of No Dakota was pretty flat but now we are getting into more low hills. Tonight the forecast is for strong storms with possible hail and 2-3 inches of rain. I hope they are wrong about the hail. When we were in town someone stopped Paul and said the weather was not looking good and told us there is a storm shelter right across the street in an old rock building. That's is comforting to know but hope we won't need it. Tomorrow is also supposed to have a chance of thunder showers. Then the weather is supposed to improve. We are again camped at a city camp ground. It is designed for people like us who are just passing through but there is an oil boom here and I guess it is hard to find places to stay. We saw oil derricks along the road today. 

Towner ND

Today dawned clear and cooler. Paul left to start his ride about 6:00 to avoid as much of the wind as possible. When he was getting ready it wasn't blowing but then it started up from the west again. It did not blow as hard as yesterday but still made his ride harder. Tomorrow the wind is supposed to change to blow from the east to the west. I hope the weather man is right so it can blow Paul toward the west. Last night we stayed at the Super 8. Today we traveled on to Towner. It is a very small town but they have a few electric hookups in their park and allow people to camp here. There was a class from No Dakota State on barbeqeuing at this park so there were a lot of people milling about all evening but they have gone home now and we have the park to ourselves. I took a little stroll through the town and when I got back Paul said that was a short walk. I walked all the way to the end of town and back. It must have been at least 3-4 blocks. Well I haven't anything else to report so I guess I will send this through the air and have some Oreos and milk before bed.

Devils Lake and wind

Today we left Minnesota and entered North Dakota. The morning was overcast and pretty warm but then the clouds cleared off and the wind really started to blow and this time it was against Paul and me. I could feel it in the truck and it was strong enough my truck actually shifted itself to fight the wind. I finally caught up to Paul and we had sandwiches in the trailer. The wind was blowing so hard that Paul was only able to go about 5 miles per hour. He still had 27 miles to go so they were rough on him. When I got to Devils Lake I discovered that the campground I thought I had arranged for was no longer in operation. When I called them back they said they were a different State Park and they had camping available but the road was closed to get there because of the winds. I guess it was blowing water over the road or something. With our obtions running out we decided to stay at the Super 8. I waited in the trailer in the heat about3 hours today for Paul to arrive so we could decide where to stay. Needless to say it feels really good to have showered and be all cleaned up. They are forcasting wind from the West again tomorrow but hopefully it will not be so strong. At least the humidity is supposed to be down.

Crookston MN

Today was another hot and humid day. As I was getting ready to leave Bemidji I could hear thunder and wondered if Paul was hitting bad weather. As I drove west the sky actually got lighter so I hoped Paul had cleared out of the thunderstorm area before it arrived. It was a straight shot for me right on hwy 2 for 80 miles or so. When I got to Crookston Paul was only about 1/2 mile from our campground so we arrived very close to the same time. He had left early to miss the heat and I had left eary because he had. He said the wind had been behind him for a good part of the way and he had made really good time. For a while he was coasting at 18 miles an hour. He averaged over 15 miles an hour. We are camped at a city park that has camping. It is not so unusual to find that here. After getting settled we walked into town and found a Subway to buy a sandwich for lunch. Then we bought a shake for the walk back. I think we are going to go see the new Harry Potter film this afternoon since the theatre is very close to where we are camped.

Bemidji Minnesota

 Today we traveled on to Bemidji. I thought it would be our last night in MN but we have one more tomorrow night. This part of the country is in a heat advisory status. Today was hot and humid but not as bad as I thought it would be. We have our campgrounds planned out for the coming week and I think we will have electricity every night this week. The weather is supposed to break for cooler temps on wed or thur. I sure hope so. We are pretty much on hwy 2 now and will be on that most of the way to Washington. Today we went into town and did some shopping. Bemidji is where they still have a woolen mill that makes things out of wool, of course. Paul bought me a nice sweater for church. Needless to say I will not be wearing it for a while. Then we stopped for a Blizzard at DQ. The head waters of the Mississippi is only about 25 miles from here. It is in a state park where it is a spring that fills a lake and then flows onward clear to the Gulf of Mexico.It would have been nice to drive into the state park and see it but in Minnesota the state government is shut down because they have not passed a budget. That means the state parks are all closed as well as rest areas and many other services, most of them ones we don't need. I guess the government can't (won't?)  work together and the citizens suffer.  Today I turned the radio on while I was driving. It is the first time I have listened to the radio for thousands of miles. I kind of liked it. It was an oldies channel playing a lot of Elvis Presley songs. I guess I better get ready for dinner. Paul is going to cook some meat for hambergers tonight while I get everything else ready.

Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Today is Sunday so we are not traveling. We are camped at a county fairgrounds and today we are pretty much by ourselves. Yesterday there was a big family having a reunion here but today they have all gone home. We have electric hookup but no water and we are sure glad for the electric so we can run our air conditioner. It is 86 degrees and 66% humidity. We went to church but the internet said Church started at 11:50 and when we got there we realized this was just the time Sac. started and we had missed the other meetings that started at 10:00. I guess we should have figured it out because of the starting times. Well I guess we live and learn.

Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Today we expected rain and didn't get any! It is very humid here and we are under a heat advisory. Tomorrow is supposed to be the worse with temps in the 90's and humidity up there as well. It is good that we will not be traveling. There is a church just a couple of miles from our campground so that will be nice for us. This campground has lots of mosquitos. With the humidity and the bugs I even drove down to the shower so I could get back with out getting all sweaty again.With all the rain we had this week Paul had to spend some time cleaning up and oiling his bike. At least for that part of the day there was a breeze that kept the bugs down a bit. Somehow the bugs are able to get in our trailer so we are trying different things to keep them out. I hope when we get away from all the water in Minnesota they will be less of a problem. Today we saw the Mississippi River. Here it is not very big. The headwaters are about 100 miles away from here in a state park. We saw the other end of the Mississippi a few months ago down by New Orleans. It is a very long river. Paul says it is about 2500. miles long. It certainly divides our country from North to South. I feel lucky tonight so maybe I will win at Skipbo. 

Aitkin Minnesota

Oh Boy What a Day! This morning started gray but dry but before much of the day went by the heavens opened up. Paul had just worn his light jacket instead of his rain coat and he got soaked. I knew that I would not be able to shower at our campground tonight so I took a shower and got on the internet to check the weather. The radar showed rain and thunder showers all over in the area we were traveling through. I had to pack up camp in the pouring rain. Just walking to the showers and bathroom it was inpossible to stay dry. I had put on dry clothes after showering but by the time I got everything put away I was soaked so I got some dry clothes and put them in the car and after everything was done I changed clothes in the truck. I had to stop and buy gas and while I was doing that I spilled gas on the truck and down my leg so I smelled like gas for all of my drive. All morning it rained and thundered and lightninged. I think we finally drove out of the rain as we moved north. Finally the sky got lighter and the rain lessened until we drove into sunshine. It sure was welcome so we acould dry everything out. We spred stuff all over our picnic table to dry. There was enough of a breeze that we could sit out in the shade and enjoy the afternoon until it got too hot and humid. It has clouded back up tonight and we are expected to receive more rain and lightning tonight and tomorrow. I must admit I was nervous about having Paul ride in this kind of weather and don't really like it when my trailer feels the thunder. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Cambridge Minnesota

Today the weather was cool and rainy. The cool part was not so bad but Paul had to ride in the rain for several hours. When I got to our campsite and set up camp I decided to walk over to the Arby's and have lunch. It was not raining when I left but when it was time to walk back it was raining pretty good so I got pretty wet as welll. Of course as soon as I got to camp I could change clothes. We are camped at a county fair grounds tonight. It seems many counties in this part of the country have campgrounds and we have stayed at a couple. Right next to our site is an arena and there is a group of kids practicing their drills on horses. I assume they are going to perform at their county fair which is later this month. We have been listening to the music and drill instructions for an hour or so. There are not many people camping here but there are quite a few working on different things. On the other side of the grounds there was a group working with dogs. Fortunately as soon as Paul got into camp about 3:30 it stopped raining. It is still overcast and looks like it could rain any minute but so far it has not. Last night as we were watching a movie on Netflix our camp neighbor brought us over a nice dessert and this morning she brought us some homemade muffins. She says she loves to cook and likes to share what she makes with her fellow campers. Last night we also had an interesting person camp at our campsite. She is walking/hitchhiking cross country. It sounds like she is losing her sight and wants to see some of the country while she can. She started in Texas and we met her in Wisconsin. She is not walking all the time. She is getting rides a lot. She is pushing a baby stroller with two small dogs in it. Tomorrow it is supposed to be hot, in the mid 80's and have thunder showers. I guess we will see.

Cumberland Wisconsin

Tonight is our 3rd night in Wisconsin and tomorrow we head into Minnesota. For much of the day yesterday and part of today we had a snowmobile-atv trail along the side of the road. We noticed small stop signs and road signs and wondered what they were until we realized they were for snowmobiles and atvs. Last night we camped where there were a lot of misquetoes. During the night they even got into our trailer some way so today I bought some repellant. They don't seem to be so bad at this location at least during the day. There are many canoe trails and ponds along the road in Wisconsin and the ponds are loaded with waterlilles. Today I did not use my gps since I didn't have an address for our camping site. Fortunately Paul got here first and found the site and waved me in. I bought a puzzle the other day and Paul and I spent some time yesterfday putting it together. I got one of those things to save your work on the puzzle. We will see how well that works out. I guesss it is time for me to start dinner while Paul does his blog.

Leaving Michigan behind

Today we entered Wisconsin. I had many miles of driving on roads almost to my self. It was kind of nice. We will only be in this state for 3 nights and then we will be on to Minnesota. In this area there are still many trees and many lakes and some misquetos. I have been feeling kind of tired, not sleepy but just tired of the whole trip. I guess it is good we are heading west. I am starting to feel ready to be home. All is well though and we are not having any problems.

Crystal Falls

Today we attended church in Kingsford MI. It was a very small congregation. There were only about 25-30 people there. One of the couples from church stopped by for a visit at camp after church. It was nice to have company.They gave us a name of someone who might host us for an over night in No Dakota. Then we went to town and did our laundry. Paul spent some time getting his bike ready for the upcoming week. I have been listening to some cd's on the development of language. It is kind of interesting but not fascinating. Today it is warm and kind of humid. I hope this week cools off a bit.

Crystal Falls

We are at Crystal Falls tonight. It is a campground right in the city. Of course the city is very small and we don't see any of it form here. We entered the central time zone today  Somehow it makes home feel closer to know that. Today was a pretty straight forward drive and I did well until I got lost at the end. I am here now though and that's what matters. We have found some green color to our fresh water supply so Paul drained it and we put some bleach in to clean it up. I guess we didn't realize if we put water that has not been treated (well water) we need to add a little bleach to it each time. Oh well I guess we live and learn. Church is 30 miles away so I am not sure if we have decided to go or not. They don't have laundry facilities here so we will need to go to a laundromat in town. We sure miss our washer and dryer.Monday we go into Wisconsin.

Vagabond Resort

We have been out of cell phone and internet range for a few days so I have a little catching up to do. After leaving Wilderness State Park we took the Ferry to Mackinac Island. It was a nice little diversion on a day of a short ride for Paul. We took the ferry and then took a horse carriage tour of the Island. It is an island where they do not allow cars. The taxi's are horse and carriage and freight is carried on flat beds pulled by horses. It is supposed to be one of the top tourist attractions in the country and when we were there it seemed like one. There were many people and bikes and it was on a weekday. Then we took the ferry back and then drove across the Mackinaw Bridge.This is the bridge that divides Lake Huron from Lake Michigan. This part of Michigan is called the Upper Peninsula. I have been suprised to see how much water surrounds the state of Michigan. Everywhere we go up here we see trails for snowmobiles. I guess the lakes freeze over enough that people drive cars on them and smowmobile on them. Last night we camped along Lake Michigan. Our spot was about 50 feet from the waters edge and we could hear the waves and seagulls all night. After our trek to the pit toliet last night I noticed quick little blasts of light here and there. We started to watch and realized they were fireflies or lightening bugs. I thought it was kind of cool. Today started out with a brief shower but cleared off into a nice day. Everywhere up here they sell pasties so we bought a couple of them to see what they are like and are going to heat them on the grill for dinner. It seems to be kind of like a pot pie with meat and veggies in it. I will let you know how it goes.

Barnes Park, Eastport Mi

Today we moved futher North. This area of the country doesn't have so many small towns as some of the areas we have been through. The only real town we went through was Traverse City. It gave me a chaance to stop at Wal Mart and get some groceries. It is cherry season here and as I drove I saw many fields of cherry trees filled with cherries. There were a number of fruit stands along the road and I stopped and bought a homemade cherry pie. I guess Michigan is known for its tart cherries. It was sunny for most of the day but it has clouded up and there is a chance of  showers tonight. We are camped along Lake Michigan tonight. It is a big lake and we took a little stroll along the sandy beach. The water looked pretty clear, at least in this area.

Wellsport MI

We are still in Michigan and it looks like we will be for most of this week. I never realized what this state was shaped like. So far we have stayed mostly on the interior of the state but I think in the coming days we will see more of the great lakes. Someone told us that 20% of the fresh water in the world is contained in the great lakes. I hope we get to see some of it. Today is the 4th of July but for us it is just another travel day. We are in a forested area where I am sure there will be no fireworks. They do have a nice pool here though and we spent some of this afternoon cooling off in it. When we got to camp Paul worked on my stabilizers. I have to admit that I had damaged them by moving the truck before raiseing them up. I try to remember everything I need to do to move camp but I messed up one day and that messed up the stabilizers. Paul has them working better now and that should help until we get home and can make a more complete repair. I was going to stop at a store today for some groceries but there was not one on the route I drove today so we will have ham and eggs for dinner. 

Herrick Mi

We are still at Herrick. When we arrived on Friday our campsite was right next to a camp site with about a hundred kids and a bunch of adults smoking and a couple of dogs so we asked for a different site and we were able to move for a couple of nights and then today we had to move again. It was worth it to have a more peaceful camp site. Today we went to church in Harrison Mi. It was a small branch but nice. Yesterday we had a very hot day. It was so humid that when we stopped the truck where we had air conditioning going and got out into the heat my glasses fogged up so I had to take them off so I could see. It was close to 90 with humidity close to 90 as well. We went to the beach in this campground and cooled off in the pond. It felt really good. Today it was a little cooler and much less humid. Tomorrow we will be back on the road even though it is the 4th of July. While we were in town Saturday doing our laundry we went to a "world famous" donut shop called Cops and Donuts. The bakery was about to close it's doors and the local law inforcement decided to buy it and keep it open. Of course we had never heard of this so I am not so sure how famous it is but it was fun and of course we had to buy a donut there.

Herrick Rec Area, Mi

After arriving in Michigan we camped at Alganac State Park then moved on to Bawagana Campground. While waiting for Paul I watched the kids play in the pond. It was very pleasant to sit in the shade and watch the kids. One little boy was splashed by his brother and he came running to his grandma worried that he might have got some rocks or fish in his mouth. He would not be convinced that he was ok until his grandma looked in his mouth and didn't see any fish in there. There was one little girl that looked a lot like Mimsy only younger. Later that evening I finished the book I have been reading. It was Lonesome Dove. It was an interesting book. As we were traveling to this campground I saw signs along some of the fields that had signs posted saying Post and Kelloggs. I liked seeing then and realizing that some of our food is grown in the USA. Last night we put our flag lights up on our trailer since this is the 4th of July weekend. We have been having a harder time having internet access in this part of the country so If I don't post don't think there is a problem. It is more likely that we just don't have service. We are actually doing this internet stuff at the local Mc Donalds. We have been here for at least 1 1/2 hours. Tomorrow we plan on attending church Then we will travel on on Monday.