SALT

Salt Lake City - Sept. 20 - 21

DOUBLE TROUBLE
We left Eden and headed south to Tooele (pronounced Too-ELLA), Utah to visit Bob Fuchs, Jim's best friend from high school.  We were invited to Bob and Debbie's home for homemade pizza and a night of the guys reconnecting and reminiscing about who was the biggest troublemaker a hundred years ago.

A lot of salt in the hair of these two.

TEMPLE & TABERNACLE
Tooele is on the shore of The Great Salt Lake and about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City.  Saturday, Jim and I drove to SLC to visit Temple Square; the headquarters for the Church of The Latter-day Saints (LDS).  The LDS complex is in the center of the city on 35 acres.  Beautiful gardens surround the Temple, Tabernacle, visitor's centers, museums and office buildings.


It took 40 years for the Mormon pioneers to build this beautiful granite temple between 1853 and 1893.
Only members "in good standing" are allowed inside the Temple; that left us out. 

We listened to an organ recital in the Tabernacle.  This is the home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra.  The pipe organ was originally constructed in the 1860's and has been rebuilt and enlarged through the years.  It has 11,623 pipes.

SNOW & ICE?
Sunday we drove west to Nevada on I-80 and stopped to get a better look at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  This unique natural feature covers 30,000 acres and looks like snow and ice.  The Flats reminded me of January in Wisconsin.  The wind across the salt flats was hideous with wind gust of 50-60 mph.  Jim struggled to keep the RV from blowing off the road.


This is what is left of Lake Bonneville after it dried up thousands of years ago.  That's a lot of salt!

We spent the night a few miles from the Idaho border in Jackpot, NV at a casino RV park.  A visit to the casino and $40 provided us with about 10 minutes of entertainment.  No jackpot for us.

HELL, HEAVEN AND EDEN

SCENIC, STEEP AND SCARY - Sept. 16 - 17
We left the Idaho panhandle driving south along the Idaho/Washington border.  Coming down the steep mountain pass on Highway 95, we stopped at a scenic overlook with a spectacular view of the Snake river winding it's way through Lewiston, ID.

This mountain pass is beautiful, although scary, with runaway truck ramps every few miles.

Runaway truck ramps on both sides of the highway.

Signs at runaway ramp inform truckers "No Fine For Using Ramp".

We stayed on Highway 95 driving along Hells Canyon which divides Oregon and Idaho.   The Snake River flows through Hells Canyon which is 10 miles wide and deeper than the Grand Canyon.  Again, the highway is twisty and the scenery breathtaking.

We arrived at Canyon Pines RV Resort in Pollock, ID and got a prime campsite on the bank of the Little Salmon River.

HEAVEN AND HELL
The next day we drove to Heavens Gate Vista, located in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.  The narrow paved road soon turned into a single lane gravel road switch-backing up the mountain.  We hiked the challenging trail to the fire ranger station on top of the mountain and had a visit with the ranger and his wife, and were treated to an expansive view of mountain peaks in 4 states; Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana.

I'm on the top of the world!

Ranger Station at the top of the trail.

"You get paid to be here?"  "Yup, not a bad gig for a retired Fireman."

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR
There are very few places to pull over on this harrowing road when meeting another vehicle.  At times, the sheer cliff drop-offs made my stomach churn and forced me to close my eyes.  Coming around one blind curve we almost crashed head-on with a pick-up truck.  Jim put on the brakes, the Jeep's back end fish tailed, and I almost wet my pants.  The truck driver stopped a few inches from us, rolled down his window and  said "Howdy!  We Made it!  Are y'all having a good day?"

Should have worn some Depends.

EDEN AND THOUSAND SPRINGS - Sept. 18 & 19
We left Hells Canyon and drove southeast through Idaho.  Coming out of the mountains the scenery changed to high desert country and fertile fields where the famous Idaho potatoes come from.  The area is dry, but irrigation provides lush fields in the valley for produce, cattle and sheep.  We stayed in Eden, ID at Anderson Camp RV Park outside of Twin Falls.

"I found something to wear in Eden."

The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway follows the Oregon Trail.  Near Hagerman, ID we stopped to view springs cascading water from the side of the canyon into the river below.  The numerous springs are believed to be the reappearance of the Lost River, which sinks into lava fields 90 miles away.

Water cascading out of the side of the cliff.

PANNING & PANHANDLE

Garrison & Helena - Sept 13 & 14

Continuing west, we stayed 2 nights in Garrison, MT and made a day trip to city of Helena.

Helena - Montana State Capitol

LUCKY THREE!
We took a trolley-train ride tour to hear about the rich history and see the beautiful historic mansions and buildings of Helena.  The streets wind around in a haphazard fashion since they were built following a creek (since dried up) and mining claims (since gone bust).  The main street is called Last Chance Gulch because, as the story goes, three fella's from out east came to Montana to prospect for gold and strike it rich.  Well, they didn't find any gold and decided to use the last of their money to buy supplies and head back east.  The night before they left, while camping by this creek, one of the fella's said "well this is our last chance, so we might as well look for some gold".  They starting panning in the creek and HALLAILUAH, THEY FOUND GOLD!  The 3 guys staked their claim and ended up pulling out $3 million dollars worth of gold...at $3/an ounce.  The gold found in Last Chance Gulch started a gold rush and Helena ended up with the most millionaires in the Montana Territory.

"I'm just resting my eyes."

Osburn, ID - Sept. 14 & 15
GOLD TO SILVER 
Today we continued on our way to the panhandle of Northeast Idaho and stayed at Blue Anchor RV Park in Osburn, ID.  Osburn is in the heart of silver country with the town of Wallace, ID just a few miles down the road.  Wallace is still a thriving community and all the buildings in the town have been designated historic landmarks.  After 1900, Wallace became one of the world's richest mining districts.  By 2011, the district had produced over 1.3 billion ounces of silver and today they still mine silver, lead and zinc.  They expect to take another billion ounces of silver out of the mountains.

DA HO'S IN IDAHO
We meandered around the streets of Wallace and stopped for a guided tour at the Oasis Bordello Museum.  January 1988, Ginger, the madam of the Oasis Hotel (the last of 13 Bordellos in Wallace), got a call from the sheriff warning her that Feds were in town.  Ginger and her girls grabbed some clothes and a few things they might need for a couple of days and cleared out, leaving everything else behind.  Ginger and her girls were too afraid to return to Wallace, so the Oasis has been frozen in time with clothing, furnishings and personal items still in place as they were that day in January 1988.  Ginger moved to California and eventually sold her hotel, with the new owner turning it into a tourist attraction and museum.  As it turned out, the Feds weren't interested in Ginger's business, they were in Wallace to investigate the sheriff who was on the take for gambling, drugs, and prostitution.

"I gotta see THIS!"  The green door on the left is the "hotel" entrance.

CHURCH AND CONFESSION
Sunday we drove further north along rivers, lakes, and through the beautiful mountains of the Idaho Panhandle.  We stopped in Cataldo, ID at The Old Mission State Park.  The Mission was built by the Coeur d'Alene Indians and Jesuit Missionaries in 1850.  The Mission and Parrish House have been restored and are open for viewing.
 

 

The Old Mission "rose like a miracle in an almost total wilderness where even log houses were rare..."

Inside the mission. 

My first time going to confession.

 

BIG HORN, BEARTOOTH, BOZEMAN & BEUNING

INDIANS WON THE BATTLE BUT LOST THE WAR - Sept. 6 & 7
Howdy!  I really need to get some cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat.  We're in the Wild West and spending 2 nights in Hardin, MT which is about 60 miles east of Billings and 15 miles west of The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  We visited this site early Saturday.  This National Monument is a memorial to the soldiers who died during Custer's Last Stand, as well as a memorial to honor the ancestors of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes who fought in this battle to protect their families, land, and way of life.

Metal sculpture at the Indian Memorial.

White headstones representing where U. S. Army soldiers fell at Last Stand Hill (George Custer among this group).
 Over 200 white headstones are scattered over the battlefield.

 

Red headstones represent where Indians fell.  About 60 red headstones are scattered around the battlefield.

 RED LODGE & ROCK CREEK - Sept. 8 & 9
We continued to mosey our way through southwest Montana and came to the charming western town of Red Lodge.  Our campsite on the north side of the Beartooth Mountains is on the bank of Rock Creek where the water is crystal clear and the sound of it rushing over the rocks makes this the prettiest campsite we've stayed at so far. 

Our back yard.

BEARTOOTH PASS
The northeast entrance to Yellowstone national Park is 60-some miles on the other side of the Beartooth Mountains. The road over Beartooth Pass winds up and over and through the rugged mountains with 20 mph hairpin curves, switchbacks, and spectacular views of the mountains and valleys.  The summit of Beartooth Pass is over 11,000 feet.

Beartooth Mountains

YELLOWSTONE

We entered Yellowstone National Park at the northeast entrance and gawked at the beautiful scenery and wildlife along the way to Mammoth Springs.

Great American Bison - right next to the car.

Mammoth Springs

Nature's sculpture constantly changing.



Driving back up Beartooth Pass, the Jeep started to sound an alarm.  I said "What's that?"  Jim checked the gages and said "the engine is overheating".  I won't repeat what I said.  We pulled off the road; steam was pouring out from under the car hood and the coolant was boiling over.  We let it cool down and started along our way.  It wasn't long before the engine started to over heat again.  We pulled into a picnic area by a beautiful mountain lake, got some water out of the lake and added it to the coolant thing.  We were able to get back home with no further problems.

That's hot, and so is he.

BOZEMAN, BILLION, & BEUNING - Sept. 10 & 11
We took winding scenic State Highway 78 past ranches and through tiny towns on the way to Bozeman.  As soon as we got set up at our campsite at the Bear Canyon Campground, we called the Jeep dealership in Bozeman and got an appointment to get the Jeep fixed the next morning.  The dealership name is Billion Dodge Chrysler and apparently the Billion's own most of the town.  Good name!

Jim called Craig Beuning, who moved here from New Richmond about 18 years ago.  We met up with Craig at his place of business, Full Circle Race Track, where dare devil speeders race around the indoor track in high tech go carts.

Look who we saw in Bozeman. 

In the evening, we met Craig for cold beer and a great dinner at The Plonk on historic Main Street.  We had a fun night sharing stories of the Nederfors family, as well as world travel adventures. Thanks, Craig!  (Anders, here's a message from Craig, "Call Me!")

SEPTEMBER 11
This morning I took the Jeep for it's repair appointment.  While driving down Bozeman's Historic Main Street, there were fire trucks and police cars parked on the street with lights flashing and several American Legion members standing along the street holding flags in remembrance of 9/11.  All American flags in the city were flying at half mast.   



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GOING WEST

BIG BUFFALO - September 2, 2013
Today we left home in the RV, got on I-94 West and made it as far as the Frontier Fort RV Park in Jamestown, North Dakota. Jamestown is home to the World's Largest Buffalo. I saw it from the Interstate and it was a huge...giant fiberglass buffalo. 

TAYLOR AND TEDDY - Sept. 3
Traveling west on I-94 though the eastern farmland of N. Dakota and looking for something interesting besides fields of corn, and sunflowers, I got kind of excited when I spotted several bright red semi-trucks traveling east.  The sides of the trailers were billboards for Taylor Swift's Red Tour.  The trucks were headed to Fargo and then to St. Paul where Taylor would be performing her Red Tour concert over the weekend.   The trucks were traveling in groups of 3 or 4, and we saw a total of 10.  That's a lot of  stage equipment!

We got to the Badlands of North Dakota, arriving in Medora to stay in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park for a few days. 

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam.

The campsites are on a first come basis, and we were lucky to get a shaded site.  It's hot, with the temps in the upper 90's.  We are dry camping (roughing it) for the next few days, as there are no RV hook-ups in the Park.  Generator use is allowed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so we can run the air conditioner.

This evening we ate at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue.  This is where a cowboy cook, puts a slab of steak on the end of a pitch fork, then plunges it into a huge vat of hot oil to cook it. 

Give me a pitch fork and a tub of hot grease, and I'll cook y'all a steak.

After the cowboy dinner, we walked over to the Burning Hills Amphitheatre where the lively Medora Musical is performed nightly.  It was a perfect evening to sit under the stars to be entertained with the singing and dancing.

God Bless America!

Singing and dancing.

BULLY AND BOOM - Sept. 4
This morning Jim golfed with our campsite neighbors, Bob and Sue from Texas, at the beautiful and unique Bully Pulpit Golf Course.  Since I saw the course 2 years ago, and only golf when I have to, I stayed at camp.  At 8 a.m. I started the generator, it ran for about 4 minutes and quit. It's always something.

In the afternoon, Jim and I took a drive north to check out the Badlands in the Parks North Unit.  We also wanted to see for ourselves what the oil boom in Williston looked like.  After getting stuck in the hideous congestion at Watford City, about 50 miles south of Williston, we decided to turn around.  Part of the highway was under construction and was jammed with semi-trucks,  and white pick-up trucks heading to and from the oil fields.  We saw hundreds and hundreds of RV's and trailers set up to house the thousands workers who have come from around the country to work the oil boom.  I can only imagine the circus in Williston.