Well, we have made it through a whole week. Hard to believe it has been 7 days since we started this experiment of man verse machine and the elements. It has been a one sided contest, but we still get up every morning and torture ourselves for next X number of hours. And tomorrow we will do the same as we slip into Canada, but that is for another blog.As you can see, I have some pictures now, but not all of them. Continuing to figure it out. Just give me until this is long over and I will have it down pat.
As you can tell, we found the exist to Yellowstone. Today we arose to a balmy 28 degrees and a little more frost on the pumpkin. But I was prepared this time. No novice am I. As you recall I left the water hose out and attached yesterday. It froze up enough to block any water flow but was none the worse for wear. This time I disconnected before we turned in so no such problem. Still it was a cold morning so we had the heat on about 78 overnight and used two blankets.
We got our stuff together and left the site before 8. We were headed for Mammoth Springs and then Great Falls, MT and I did not want to get in late. It took about an hour and 45 minutes to get to Mammoth Springs but we had the road mostly to ourselves. That is mostly as we came upon a Buffalo family of three adults and two babies walking down the side of the road. We stopped to take pictures as they were about 10 feet from the side of the car. They just kept wondering down the road, looking at us every now and then. After a few minutes, we drove on. This, as I said in an earlier blog is one of the main routes in the park and is kept open just about year round. However, that does not mean it is a smooth route. Along the way we were treated to numerous pot holes and multiple construction sections. I especially liked the sections where the sign said pavement ends. Pavement ends??? And what do we drive on then? No pavement is what you drive on. Just dirt. They have ripped up the asphalt and left you with a dirt trail. Fortunately, they were not too long, but one was over a quarter mile. We have to drive under 20 and try to avoid the "rough" spots. We finally arrive at Mammoth Springs and found a place to part. It was actually a car parking area but the place was pretty empty. The Springs are very hot water pools that you cannot go in for a dip. Steam is quite prevalent. The major drawback is that they are up on an elevated area that you need to climb stairs to get to. The stairs were a bit too much for Chiara. The altitude is about 6200 feet so the air is a bit thinner. She went up a few levels, but the walkway just kept getting steeper, so we took some pictures and headed back to the RV. We did stop in the little hamlet to walk around. Elk tend to wlak in and out of town, but there were no elk today.
So we left the park and headed into Montana. This was the first state I could check off on my list of states I had yet to visit on this trip. I guess one is better than none. This leaves me with 6 more states that have yet to experience my charms and personality. Chiara has added five to her list, what with Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. The drive to Great Falls is on Rte 89. We took this the entire way. It runs through the mountains outside of the Yellowstone but this is mostly through the passes. We did not climb to often and we did not see many people. This is Big Sky country (also Trump country), as you can tell by the signs. We saw many high peaks, all snow covered but the cool temps were left behind. It was in the 60s almost from the start and continued to get warmer during the drive. It was 80 degrees when we reached Great Falls.
The drive itself was not too difficult, expect with a couple of those pavement ends signs. We seem to find construction wherever we go. One of these construction side had no pavement for about 5 miles. We had to wait for an escort vehicle as it was only one lane so we had to take turns driving through. The road was bad enough that I could not keep up with the pilot car and I could just see them releasing the on coming traffic before I got through, but that was not the case. Still, we have had it with the construction spots. Can't we build roads that last?
We arrived at Great Falls about 4 and set up in the RV site. It has about 150 sites altogether but was only about a third full. Most of the vehicles were trailers as there were just a handful of the self contained RV's. We parked in out spot and it was next to a retired couple. After we got back from dinner, they asked us about where we were from, since our license plate is Alaska. We told them of our trip and the noted they were headed to Alaska also. However they do this permantely. They have a 38 foot trailer that they hitch to a pick up and this is their home. They travel the country at their leisure and will stay in places for a few weeks at a time. They get home to family at the holidays, but then get back on the road. It sounds like a interesting life, but I am not sure it is a life style I would want to live. Still, they were very personable and we had a great time talking to them. They ever invited us for a tour of the trailer. I can tell you it puts our RV to shame. It is build for their comfort.
The trailer provides amost 400 sq feet of space. It has multiple bump outs that give it more a feel of space. There are three main areas. There is den area with they have couches, a big screen TV, a fake fireplace that puts out heat and looks like it is burning wood, a desk and windows all around. The kitchen has a small island which provide more counter space and room to work a meal. And the bedroom has a queen bed, with a large closet and enough room to not feel too cramped. The bathroom is about a half size larger than ours. It has a faux wood paneling look but it does not look cheap. As I said, they were very personable and it sounds like a great life for them. Can't say I would want to do that permanently, but they cant be the only ones doing it. We saw numerous trailers in the campground that were as close to permanent set ups, with stairs/decks, large propane tanks, a garden and blocking around the bottom of the unit to protect pipes from the cold. I guess there is a whole contingent of people living this way. So you learn something new every day!
Its off to Canada. Keep an eye on the news reports. There could be something coming out of the Sweet Grass crossing location later this morning. A dumb Irishman and a hot tamale Italian might be more than expected. See you on the other side - of the border that is!
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