Jun 16, 2013 - Yellowstone NP and Bozeman, MT

Well today, Sun we drove from Cody WY to Bozeman, MT. After 5 days without TV and very sporadic (usually none) internet and phone service, we are happy to be back in touch with the world. Fortunately I jotted down my thoughts. Thurs. June 13, 2003 Got up at 6AM to get an early start into Yellowstone. Saw 2 Bison just next to the Ranger check in station. First area we saw was Yellowstone Lake. It is the largest high altitude lake in North America. It is 14 mi wide and 20 mi long with 110 mi of shoreline, 136 sq miles average depth 139 ft and...

May 19, 2013 - Day 5: Bozeman - local lazy day. Museum of the Rockies and a dip in the hot springs

Prepping for the longer journey tomorrow, just stayed local, a morning in the laundrette and went to visit the Museum of the Rockies pm. Nice enough and interesting – heavily dinosaur orientated due to the nearby Montana State Uni research programs. Not a patch on Drumheller Tyrell museum! Interesting factoid - the first ‘station wagon’, precursor to the current SUV, was actually made in Britain at Ford, Dagenham in the 30s. Literally a van to transport goods (and the occasional person) to and from station. The Americans quickly realised...

May 18, 2013 - Day 4 : Bozeman to Yellowstone Park & Old Faithful - day trip

A long day out today going to Yellowstone, specifically aiming to get to Old Faithful. A novel experience today on calling in to Yellowstone MacDonald’s (Yes they do actually have one at the park gates) – asking for a coffee and blueberry muffin (at 11 am) was gruffly told “That’s breakfast … You’re half an hour late”. I apologised for my tardiness (!), informed them we can get 24/7 muffins in Canada and left with a resolve to write to MacDonald’s HQ to demand parity for the US citizens. Rain steadily again all day (again curiously except...

May 17, 2013 - Day 3 : Bozeman to Virginia City - day trip

Day trip out today to Virginia City. Old Western town now preserved as a heritage site and exactly as it was in the late 1860s. Growth was based on the discovery of gold in Alder gulch behind the city, and estimated $100M in gold extracted (still some activity in a small modern mine there now). A living museum and incredible to walk through. Sadly realised today the US season doesn’t really start for another week so barely anything open, and what is open isn’t always fully prepared yet so can’t deliver a great service. Example in point...

May 16, 2013 - Day 2 Great Falls to Bozeman - another day on the road

So, Great Falls - as we left we confirmed the impression last night as we arrived .... going down the 3 or 4 mile main drag there was a clear repetitive theme to the shopping /business areas: Casino Church Gas Station Pub ... and sometimes up to 3 of the 4 combined in the same building. As a cross section of society it conjures an odd way of life. Despite the stories of Montana's gun culture and militia, interestingly, not a single (visible) firearms shop. Oh, and no sign of any Falls of any sort, great or small. Another day of travel...

Mar 23, 2013 - The Longest Day

I left Bozeman, Montana about 8:00 a.m. because it was cold (-10 degrees) and the sky was clear. The only problem was that the road was still snow-packed in places. I took it easy for the first hour and then the road gradually cleared up and was mostly clear and dry. The further I went, the higher the temperature got. (At one point, it was +10 degrees!) By mid-afternoon I had cleared Montana and breezed through Idaho and thought about stopping in Spokane, Washington for the day. However, it was warm and clear and I knew the road so I...

Mar 22, 2013 - High Plains Drifting

There was ice everywhere in the parking lot this morning so I hung around the "all-you-can-eat" breakfast as long as I could and then set out for the Interstate about 9:30. At first it was "center-packed" snow but after about 20 minutes it cleared up and I was back to cruising again. The picture shows what it is like when you're cruising the high plains (Remember Clint's movie?) There's not much out there. It's really The Big Open and you don't want to run out of gas here in this weather, so I filled up often. Throughout the day it was...

Sep 11, 2012 - Cheney to Bozeman, MT

Tuesday -- Last night the temperature dropped down to the freezing mark. It was colder than any night in Alaska. We were slow to emerge out of the nice warm tent and get packed up, buying coffee at the campground office instead of trying to get water boiling on our camp stove. The drive today on I-90 was just as beautiful, or maybe even more so, winding through the northern mountains but staying at high elevations. We were soon out of Washington and into the panhandle of Idaho for a short time before climbing through Lookout Pass (4680ft)...

Sep 5, 2012 - Bozeman, Montana

We arrived in Bozeman last Saturday, September 1, about 6PM after stopping at Heart Mountain and traversing Yellowstone Park once again along with hundreds of others seeing the sights on the Labor Day weekend. We entered the East Gate from Cody and exited the West Gate at West Yellowstone, then drove north on U.S. 191 past Big Sky to Bozeman. In looking through the Yellowstone Park brochure, Lynda found a website with webcams of Yellowstone’s dynamic landscape, including Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs. If you’ve never seen Old...

Aug 14, 2012 - Bozeman Mt. & Yellowstone

We had a great drive over to Bozeman Montana. We drove threw Yellowstone, and then returned home on Hwy. 191. If you want to see a beautiful area don’t miss this one. I took lots of snapshots threw a dirty windshield and the side window while driving. So some are not great shots but will post so you can see area We stopped in Livingston MT. for lunch. Thanks to Jerry & Gloria Quincy for recommending the Rib & Chop House, it was great; it was one of the best meals that we have had since we left home. We are so close to MT and WY that I have...

Aug 12, 2012 - Visiting Lisa's Aunt & Uncle

After a busy week, we slept in a bit today. We got the camper closed up and ready to travel after 5 nights in West Yellowstone. We headed north along the Gallatin River to visit Lisa's aunt and uncle. Not far into the trip we noticed a few cars pulled over. Now in Yellowstone that means wild life ahead, and it turns out to mean the same on public roads as well. Sure enough there was a bear enjoying it's lunch on the edge of the Gallatin River. There has been some discussion among us as whether it was a black bear or a grizzly. Check out the...

Jul 10, 2012 - Bozeman and the Hollemans

After realizing Virginia City is really small and has no real groceries and talking with Art and Robin Holleman about the interesting grocery stores they found in Bozeman, we drove the Jeep back to Bozeman today and spent the day with them. We shopped, toured a little, ate and shared more travel stories and tips. The Hollemans are full timers and since we are usually out for several months at a time it is fun discussing the good and bad points to traveling long term in an RV and going full time versus how we travel. The drive there and back...