Aug 1, 2012 - Special

During the caravan I was called the "man who shot Dan McGrew" I need to tell you how I got this title. You see in the town of Denali, in the shadow of Mt. McKinley is a Roadhouse that does a meal and plays. Some of the plays are based on poems of Robert Service, who lived during the Klondike Gold Rush. One poem is "The shooting of Dan McGrew" They needed a "Volunteer" from the crowd. I was picked to be the prospector. Here were my words; "Boys you don't know me and none of your care a damn. But I want to state and my words are straight and...

Jun 22, 2012 - Shelby, Montana

Another twelve hour day. Going north in Wyoming the mountains to our left still had snow. In Billings, Montana got caught in construction and took the scenic route through downtown. Interesting with a rig about 54 feet long. Then road detours and construction to Great Falls. Stayed at Lewis and Clark Campground in Shelby. The owner was from Many, La. He was a retired oil field hand. He had a brother in Port Arthur. What a small world. Leave tomorrow to enter Canada Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Jun 4, 2012 - Shelby, Montana

At Lewis & Clark RV Park, Shelby, MT. 50amp E/W/S. Wide open and good satellite coverage. I left Dillon, MT at 07:15AM. Stopped at 08:15AM at the rest area on I-15 just south of mile marker 111. Called my satellite service provider to change satellities for Alaska. Had trouble commissioning the modem after changing satellities. Finally after 3 hours and 50 minutes we got it to work. I crossed the Continental Divide twice today. The first at mile marker 112 (5,879 feet) and again just north of Butte, MT south of mile marker 134 (6,368...

May 30, 2012 - On to Shelby, Montana

The morning of May 30th we left Columbia Falls and headed east along US2 for 143 miles to Shelby, Montana. US2 parallels the Flathead River as it flows through the Rocky Mountains. The highway also skirts the southern boundary of Glacier National Park. The morning was cloudy, no rain however, and some of the mountain peaks were obscured. The drive through the Rocky Mountains was very easy and pleasent with very little traffic. We crossed the Continental Divide at Marias Pass (5200 ft) where there is a rest area so we stopped there to take...

May 23, 2012 - last night in the US

We've almost made it to the Canadian border - over 1600 miles since we've left home. We stopped to fill up for the last cheap gas even though we still had plenty. According to web research we can expect to pay $4.40/gallon once we cross the border. Since we're used to gas prices being higher in Chicagoland than almost anywhere else in the country, we're surprised to find it a bit more expensive here - something about a shortage in the northwestern US. We also stopped at Walmart for fresh produce and to buy a few things we forgot to bring....

May 12, 2012 - Day 18, Shelby Montana

It is time to move on. We said goodbye to Jessica and the kids and headed north. We drove north through Lewistown and Great Falls, Montana. The area is all open, rolling green hills of ranchland filled with cattle and antelope. Lewistown has great views and cute little Victorian houses. We are currently in Shelby, Montana about 30 miles from the Canadian border at the Lewis and Clark RV Park. The old guy who owns the Park came down in his golf cart to chat awhile while we were having happy hour outside. He’s from Louisiana and told us a...

May 6, 2012 - Shelby, MT

Sun, 06 May: OK wind, enough is enough! We spent all of yesterday in the Great Falls Sam's Club parking lot with both slides in. Pretty tight quarters. Now we're in Shelby, MT and it's more of the same. Begone already! Despite our close quarters we slept well. An advantage of boondocking at Sam's Club vs. WalMart is that Sam's close around eight or nine. It was very quiet and we slept well and arose about 0630 of our own volition. We don't mind waking early as long as it's what we want to do and not the result of a *&%$@ alarm clock. The...

Sep 3, 2011 - North to Alaska

This was a spectacular day of riding! Sunny weather, wide, wide open spaces and sights to see even along a highway. We took I-90 to rt 89 to I 15 up through Great Falls to Shelby. We knew Shelby would be small, and it was, but very friendly. The proprietor was an old woman named Sonja who looked like a Sharpei dog.but her warmth was amazing. The motel, (I use that loosely,) was a throwback to the early sixties. Big neon sign, two floors, no elevator, no heat in the room, (but she has an antiquated fan) and green shag carpet. I thought back...

Aug 4, 2011 - traveled 263 miles

August 4, 2011 traveled 263 miles Traveled up Hwy 2, lots and lots of farmland, saw a deer and Proghorn Deer, Buddy helped a lady and 3 teenage girls change their tire. We are camped in Shelby, Montana at Lewis & Clark RV Park. Dinner tonight Sweet and Sour Chicken and corn on the cob. Weather today high 88 degrees.

Jul 30, 2011 - Back in the Lower 48

We got another early start to make this the last day in over-priced Canada. We stopped and had lunch in a rest-stop on the way to Fort MacLeod. We toured Fort MacLeod, Alberta a replica of the 1870's NorthWest Mounted Police Fort. It has several origianl cabins/stores there and they had a Mounted Drill team (not real Mounties) that performed. It was interesting and they had some neat old stuff on display. We left there and crossed the border with absolutely no problems, just a thanks for my service fron the Border Patrol Agent. We stopped...

Jul 1, 2011 - On to Shelby, MT

We woke up to a temperature of 39 degrees this morning and boy, was it cold! I walked Duke and we quickly got out of the RV park, as we had a 9am appointment at the diesel repair shop in Butte. While they worked on our RV to help fix the overheating problem we had the other day, we went to breakfast. Then we hit the road. The RV performed MUCH better going over the Continental Divide as we headed north. The scenery was just magnificent with pines trees on the side of the mountains and rivers flowing below us. It truly was something that...

Jul 1, 2011 - Shelby, MT

This morning it was 56 degrees in the rv when we woke up. We did a short hike to Running Eagle Falls. It is also called Trick Falls because one waterfall tumbles over a cliff and another pours out of a huge hole in the cliff wall. Later in the season, the upper falls dries up, leaving the lower falls apparently springing from solid rock. The falls is named after a female Indian warrior. Her tribe held her in very high esteem. We packed up and left the campground around 10:30. We only drove 83 miles today and stopped at Shelby, MT. We needed...