Unexpected treasures

The Lewis and Clark Caverns provided a cool retreat on a roasty day.  After hiking ¾ mile and gaining 300’ elevation in 85 degree heat (Texans, don’t laugh), we entered the naturally climate-controlled caves.  Aaahhhh.  Though the formations were damaged by a tour guide who encouraged early tourists to touch everything and by some overzealous CCC blasting, they retained much of their majesty.  We stooped, stepped, crouched and crawled through ¾ mile of caverns!  The aforementioned Beaver Slide consists of two well-worn groves created by hundreds of thousands of butts.

Since our campground is totally exposed to the sun, we headed into Butte to check out the World Mining Museum.  Robbie and I have an odd fascination with mining.  Maybe it’s the giant machinery or the sheer improbability of extracting anything from thousands of feet underground, but neither of us can resist a mining site.  “World” might be overstating the reach of this museum, but we still managed to spend hours engrossed in the displays.  The highlight (pun intended) of the visit was the room of fluorescent minerals displayed under a blacklight.  Who knew plain, grey rocks could fluoresce in so many colors!

No mining museum would be complete without a doll room, right?  Though Robbie and I tried to pass it, C dragged us in, and we’re so glad she did.  Had she not, we would have missed such treasures as:

Welcome Back Kotter

and:

Star Trek dolls, including most movies and TV series.

Did you notice the Gorn?

Gorn doll, third from left.

But the crowning glory, was this:

Ponch, John, AND Sarge

Words fail me.

C is for Cavern

Day 9 – C is for Cavern

Today we were in Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana.  There were lots of cool stalagmites and stalactites.  My favorite part was where we slid down the Beaver Slide.  There was a pool of really still, clear water called the Crystal Pool.  It looked like there was a reflection but it was actually just that the stalagmite was growing under the pool, too.  In one of the rooms there was a stalagmite shaped like Santa Clause that looked very funny.  The caverns were a bunch of fun.

Daddy-o and me at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, MT

Day 7 – Leeches and larches

Day 7 – Leeches and larches

A few days ago, C woke up with a gnarly bug bite on her thigh.  Yesterday, it seemed to be getting a little better, so we thought she’d be fine.  We headed into Missoula to do laundry and search for Wi-Fi.  We’re staying out in the boonies, and I knew some family members would be getting anxious for an update!

After a delicious lunch, we explored a beautiful playground on the river and rode a community built dragon carousel.

Dragon Hallow Carousel, Missoula, MT

But around 4:30, C started complaining that the bug bite hurt a lot.  The red welt was getting bigger, so we decided to play it safe and called the nurse advice line.  After a loooong time on the phone, they recommended we bring C into a doctor, so we scrambled to find a clinic open after 5pm on a Friday!  The doctor agreed that the bug bite was worse than it should be, but couldn’t tell if it was infected.  So he sent us off with a topical steroid and a prescription for antibiotics in case it got worse.  The topical seemed to do the trick, and the bite now looks like a mild bruise.

Last night we figured out what was nibbling at our dry goods when I spotted a mouse darting around the bed of the truck.  He eventually came out on his own, but not before he chewed a giant hole in our dish soap bottle!  I guess a desperate mouse will eat anything.  We now make sure the food tubs are tightly closed.

This morning, we hiked to the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs.  What a treat!  While lounging blissfully in the hottest spring, C noticed a wiggly little worm-like critter swimming next to us.  As we admired the funny little worm, the man sharing the spring with us pointed out that our wiggly friend was a leech!  Ewwww!  We all paid a little more attention after that.

Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, ID

One of the pools mixed the hot spring water with the frigid water coming off the mountain for a perfect little wading pool.   We lounged there until we’d had enough sun, then headed down the road for another short hike.  This little-used nature trail took us through a beautiful mountain meadow filled with pocket gophers who were as interested in watching us as we were watching them.  Further along the trail a sign indicated some larch trees ([insert Monty Python] “and now, the Larch”) – our day brought us leeches and larches!

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful camp in search of a camp with showers!

Day 5 – Honey, I Broke the Truck…

Today we set out from our current home base in the Selway-Bitterroot National Forest , ID to see a fire tower, hike to a hot spring, and hike a short nature trail.  We met a guy at the ranger station who said the view from the fire tower was worth the drive on unpaved roads.  He suggested that 4WD was helpful, but not necessary.  We left the main highway and the sign read 17 miles to the fire tower.  We figured that would take us about an hour on the unpaved road.  After 40 minutes, we reached a junction and realized we’d only covered about 6 miles.  A sign welcomed us to the Lolo Motorway, the trail the Nez Perce Indians led Lewis and Clark over.   The sign warned of boulders and steep grades, and cautioned against motor homes and trailers.  Heck, if Lewis and Clark can do it in 7 feet of snow, we should be able to handle it in an F-150 in the middle of the summer, right?  Right?

We started down the next section of road, and the conditions quickly worsened.  The road was rutted, rocky and narrow.  But we persevered.  After another 45 minutes or so, we crossed paths with a group of ATVers.  We asked them about the fire tower, and they said “it’s not too far, maybe 6 or 8 miles.”  6 or 8 miles!?!  We considered turning around, but felt like we were already invested in the journey, and we really wanted to see the view.  Onward.  The road continued to degrade, and now we were incredibly thankful for our 4WD.  I don’t know how anyone could make it in a 2WD!  We bounced and bumped and hoped that the racks in the back of the truck wouldn’t fail!  Robbie and I alternated driving and spotting while C did her best to not get carsick.  After another long stretch of driving, we reached a junction…2 more miles to our destination.  This section of the road was horrible, so we decided to park the truck and walk the rest of the way.  We all needed some exercise, anyway.  I knew this would be a stretch for my still-recovering hip, but I had my trekking poles and moral support.  On we slogged in the dry heat.

We finally made it to our destination, and oh, was it worth it!  I’ve never seen such an amazing 360 degree view!  And we had the place completely to ourselves.  It was a beautifully simple building, built atop a rock strewn summit.  What a place it would be to storm watch.

 

Hike to Castle Butte Fire Lookout

View over the Bitterroot Valley

After we’d had our fill of the view, we returned to the truck and began the lengthy, but not quite as daunting drive back to camp.

As we descended the last few miles to the highway, the brakes were getting a little hot, so I decided to downshift the transmission. Blame exhaustion or just stupidity, but as I shifted into what I thought was 1^st gear, I actually shifted into reverse.  Robbie was watching this bone-headed maneuver, and I quickly got back into drive, but not before the power steering and power brakes shut down.  If you’ve ever tried to drive a full-size pickup without power steering, I don’t recommend it.  #1 on the list of things you don’t want to do one week into a one year trip is kill your tow vehicle.  After catching our collective breath, and giving the truck a few minutes to recover, we tried to start the engine.  It wouldn’t turn over.  I sat there running through how long it would take to walk to the highway, flag someone down (no cell service out here), and get a tow truck.  In that time, the truck miraculously recovered, and it started up like a champ.  The transmission seems fine- the fine folks at Ford seem to have built in a system to prevent the transmission from coming to harm during such an event.  Disaster averted.  Lesson learned!

Needless to say, we did not make it to the hot spring or the nature trail.

Day 2 – The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men

We’re on the road!  Departure was hectic, but successful.  On Sunday, we had an optimistic departure time of noon and a realistic departure time of 3.  We finally got on the road at 4:40.  After a quick dinner in Issaquah, we made it as far as (wait for it)…Lake Easton!  For those of you not in the Seattle area, that’s about 70 miles from our house.  Not much ground covered, but we were exhausted and wanted to get to bed.  And we can at least say we made it over the Cascades.

Toward the end of our packing, we were just throwing thing randomly in the truck.  Despite the fact that we’ve been planning and organizing for months, when push came to shove, we opted for the just-get-it-in-the-truck-so-that-we-can-leave method of packing.  After sleeping in until 7:30 this morning (glorious!) we spent a little time repacking and organizing.  We stopped at Ginko Petrified Forest State Park for lunch and some amazing sightseeing.

Our plan was to drive to Palouse Falls State Park and camp either there or at a nearby Lyon’s Ferry park.  Turns out the ‘campground’ at Palouse Falls is a grassy area with 6 picnic tables next to a phenomenally stinky vault toilet.  Pass.  At least the falls were spectacular.  When we got to the next park, in a very pretty location on the river, we found it all but abandoned.  Argh.  After wading in the river for a few minutes, we decided to press on to Idaho.  We’d get into camp around 8pm; a looooong day of driving.  Just after 7, we spied a campground hidden on a little island, so we quickly turned around and found a site.  I write now from a lakeside spot on the Chief Timothy Reservoir, not far from the Idaho border.  We’ll spend at least 2 nights here (I desperately need a day of rest), and then we’ll search for a non-reservable place for the weekend.