Tuesday, August 16 we said our goodbyes to Renee and retraced our steps back to Bozeman where we turned south and followed the 
Gallatin River. Nearing Yellowstone we stopped for a break near
white bluffs on the other side of the river.We drove to a Forest Camp three miles north of West Yellowstone.. We stayed there three years ago and found they had electricity at many of their sites. It seems the word has spread as all of those sites were full. Just didn’t get there early enough. We were full and it didn’t bother us to stay without hookups especially since we were only staying one night.
Gallatin River. Nearing Yellowstone we stopped for a break near
white bluffs on the other side of the river.We drove to a Forest Camp three miles north of West Yellowstone.. We stayed there three years ago and found they had electricity at many of their sites. It seems the word has spread as all of those sites were full. Just didn’t get there early enough. We were full and it didn’t bother us to stay without hookups especially since we were only staying one night.
Wednesday, August 17 we headed south west toward Idaho Falls taking a detour to see the 
Lower Mesa Falls, 65” high, of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River from high above and the
Upper Mesa Falls from close up. It is 114” high.
Before arriving in Idaho Falls we saw real
“IDAHO POTATOES!” growing in the fields. There is plenty of water to pour on the fields so they looked lush
Our next stop was a much needed trailer wash where the truckers get their big rigs clean. This was the first opportunity to get the rig clean since we entered the lower 48. We were in line for about two hours with all the
big rigs. Afterwards we sparkled and didn’t have any more Alaskan dirt on us anymore.
We headed to our friend Chad Landon’s home up on a hill with a
beautiful garden.
We had met Chad three years ago in the Tetons and have corresponded with him since. He fixed great tacos and we stuffed ourselves.
Chad has a new love life and her name is Merania. We still have a hard time pronouncing her New Zealand name. She was born there, but didn’t live there long. Her parents liked the native name. We wish them the best and look forward to seeing her again.
Since Chad lives on the bluff overlooking Idaho Falls, the view from
his yard was so pretty from our trailer as Olivia worked on the blog.
Thursday, August 18 Chad went to work and we took off into Idaho Falls to increase their tax base. Our first stop was for Olivia to have a pedicure and Fred decided to have one also. A Vietnamese couple worked on each of us at the same time. They spoke good English and we had a good time visiting with them. When the lady started working on Fred’s toes she found a lot of dirt under his toe nails. She asked him, “What have you been doing, where have you been?” He said, “I have been to Alaska and that is gold!” she had a good comeback of saying, “I don’t want that black gold!” Both of us were glad we had good clean and buffed feet.
kept looming over the lower mountains, but we gave up on the washboard road and turned around.
Saturday, August 20 we left this park heading east to the Teton Pass. It was not a bad climb, but going down Fred was very nervous. When we ended the steep decline we could smell the brakes.
Driving north from Jackson we made a stop to photograph the
Teton mountains in their glory. The sun was right 
and the sky was clear with a few puffy clouds.
At Moran Junction we turned east to find the Hatchet Forest Camp. We found it just after the turnoff, but we thought there were a few more spots. After a long drive up the hill we finally found a place to turn around. Back at the campground we actually found about five of the ten sites vacant and one fit us to a tee.
About two in the afternoon we headed back about two miles to a big RV park where Terry and June Rainwater from Florida had parked. We had met the Rainwaters our 2nd day in BC at a Provincial Park. We ended up traveling with them for about ten days from Glacier View Campground to Whitehorse. We had kept in touch with them and figured this was a good rendezvous place. We drove over to the national park campground of Coulter Bay to scout it out for the next three nights. It was as if we had been with them the whole trip. They are going home to sell their home and buy a fifth wheel and pickup and become fulltime RVers.
Sunday, August 21 we packed up the trailer and parked in the Colter Bay Museum parking lot while we attended the National Park Christian Ministry Sunday service in the amphitheater.
The Rainwaters met us there when services were over. We went together to get adjacent camp spots in this huge campground. We were in spot 324 where we could just barely see the top of one of the mountains from our window. As it turned out the campground was not full and we could have our choice with no problems. Oh, thank goodness school is starting and we should not have a problem from here on out, except Labor Day weekend.
Up in the afternoon we went back to the Museum where we saw an excellent movie about the 1988 Yellowstone fire. On the lower floor we visited with a Shoshoni Indian Lady making jewelry. June and Olivia each found a perfect pair of beaded earrings.
Monday, August 21 we took the Rainwaters to
Jenny Lake for the perfect picture. These mountains are just that. So pretty and majestic.
Lower Mesa Falls, 65” high, of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River from high above and the
Upper Mesa Falls from close up. It is 114” high.
Before arriving in Idaho Falls we saw real
“IDAHO POTATOES!” growing in the fields. There is plenty of water to pour on the fields so they looked lush
Our next stop was a much needed trailer wash where the truckers get their big rigs clean. This was the first opportunity to get the rig clean since we entered the lower 48. We were in line for about two hours with all the
big rigs. Afterwards we sparkled and didn’t have any more Alaskan dirt on us anymore.
We headed to our friend Chad Landon’s home up on a hill with a
beautiful garden.
We had met Chad three years ago in the Tetons and have corresponded with him since. He fixed great tacos and we stuffed ourselves.
Chad has a new love life and her name is Merania. We still have a hard time pronouncing her New Zealand name. She was born there, but didn’t live there long. Her parents liked the native name. We wish them the best and look forward to seeing her again.
Since Chad lives on the bluff overlooking Idaho Falls, the view from
his yard was so pretty from our trailer as Olivia worked on the blog.
Thursday, August 18 Chad went to work and we took off into Idaho Falls to increase their tax base. Our first stop was for Olivia to have a pedicure and Fred decided to have one also. A Vietnamese couple worked on each of us at the same time. They spoke good English and we had a good time visiting with them. When the lady started working on Fred’s toes she found a lot of dirt under his toe nails. She asked him, “What have you been doing, where have you been?” He said, “I have been to Alaska and that is gold!” she had a good comeback of saying, “I don’t want that black gold!” Both of us were glad we had good clean and buffed feet.
On to the other chore shopping and finding the stores with the Idaho Falls street names. Target, Wally World and Albertsons. Back at Chad’s home we prepared steaks, yellow squash, baked onions, little new potatoes, pink salad & sliced tomatoes, onions and avocados. A part of the meal was from Chad’s lush vegetable garden. We enjoyed visiting with Chad and before we went to the trailer we said our goodbyes as he was to go to work before we arose. His job is with a nuclear weapons security firm. We hope he comes to visit us sometime in the winter as well as all the other friends we have met on the road.
Friday, August 19 we departed Chad’s home and drove north to highway 26 where we found a very nice dump and fill. We wish every county had one for residents and tourists. Thanks to Bonneville County.
We found our camp for the night just inside Wyoming at the Trail forest campground. It was small with only about 12 sites, but a little creek ran past our spot. It was just off the highway to Jackson.
After setting up we drove back to Victor and north to Driggs trying to see the west side of the Teton’s. One of them
Friday, August 19 we departed Chad’s home and drove north to highway 26 where we found a very nice dump and fill. We wish every county had one for residents and tourists. Thanks to Bonneville County.
We found our camp for the night just inside Wyoming at the Trail forest campground. It was small with only about 12 sites, but a little creek ran past our spot. It was just off the highway to Jackson.
After setting up we drove back to Victor and north to Driggs trying to see the west side of the Teton’s. One of them
kept looming over the lower mountains, but we gave up on the washboard road and turned around.
Saturday, August 20 we left this park heading east to the Teton Pass. It was not a bad climb, but going down Fred was very nervous. When we ended the steep decline we could smell the brakes.
Driving north from Jackson we made a stop to photograph the
Teton mountains in their glory. The sun was right and the sky was clear with a few puffy clouds.
At Moran Junction we turned east to find the Hatchet Forest Camp. We found it just after the turnoff, but we thought there were a few more spots. After a long drive up the hill we finally found a place to turn around. Back at the campground we actually found about five of the ten sites vacant and one fit us to a tee.
About two in the afternoon we headed back about two miles to a big RV park where Terry and June Rainwater from Florida had parked. We had met the Rainwaters our 2nd day in BC at a Provincial Park. We ended up traveling with them for about ten days from Glacier View Campground to Whitehorse. We had kept in touch with them and figured this was a good rendezvous place. We drove over to the national park campground of Coulter Bay to scout it out for the next three nights. It was as if we had been with them the whole trip. They are going home to sell their home and buy a fifth wheel and pickup and become fulltime RVers.
Sunday, August 21 we packed up the trailer and parked in the Colter Bay Museum parking lot while we attended the National Park Christian Ministry Sunday service in the amphitheater.
The Rainwaters met us there when services were over. We went together to get adjacent camp spots in this huge campground. We were in spot 324 where we could just barely see the top of one of the mountains from our window. As it turned out the campground was not full and we could have our choice with no problems. Oh, thank goodness school is starting and we should not have a problem from here on out, except Labor Day weekend.
Up in the afternoon we went back to the Museum where we saw an excellent movie about the 1988 Yellowstone fire. On the lower floor we visited with a Shoshoni Indian Lady making jewelry. June and Olivia each found a perfect pair of beaded earrings.
Monday, August 21 we took the Rainwaters to
Jenny Lake for the perfect picture. These mountains are just that. So pretty and majestic.
Upon recommendations of our friend Sharon, we made a reservation and had lunch at the Jenny Lake Lodge. While waiting for our table we noted for two people to stay in this lodge it would cost $620 per night, but did include breakfast and dinner. Dinner otherwise is $150 per person.
June was enamored with the 
moose shaped butter. It was a very good lunch. The waitress said the National Park rules did not allow for rare burgers so Fred was disappointed in his blue cheese buffalo burger.
moose shaped butter. It was a very good lunch. The waitress said the National Park rules did not allow for rare burgers so Fred was disappointed in his blue cheese buffalo burger.
After lunch we noticed
smoke to the east that had not been there before lunch. When we asked we found it had been burning for three days and had already burned 250,000 acres. The color of the smoke just above the hill was pink. We certainly hope it stays on that side of the park.
smoke to the east that had not been there before lunch. When we asked we found it had been burning for three days and had already burned 250,000 acres. The color of the smoke just above the hill was pink. We certainly hope it stays on that side of the park.
From there we drove to the boat dock to take the
ride to the other side of Jenny Lake. Olivia was able to catch the sparkles of the spray as we enjoyed the ride. June & Terry walked to the Hidden Falls. We picked a few huckleberries and Fred enjoyed teaching a few children about the berries. Fred said these three young New York girls are natural berry pickers and told them how impressed he was with their ability to learn so fast.
Tuesday, August 23 we told the Rainwaters goodbye as they headed north into Yellowstone and we went south. We stopped in Jackson and received an excellent forest service book for the area. South of Jackson we turned east at Hoback Jct to hunt for Hoback Forest Campground. This was where Cecil, Olivia’s Dad, wrote in his book that Teenya wanted to go for her honeymoon. It was not what we pictured, in fact only one spot worked for us so we drove on. We also looked at Kozy Campground and it was less desirable. The Forest Service lady told us there was also a BLM campground when the road crossed the
Green River. Sure enough there it was. On a
flat piece of land with NO trees and the temperature was in the 80’s. The saving grace was the wind was blowing constantly. The host said there was frost on the tables that morning. Quite a contrast.
New Fork Lakes and view the narrows behind them. As we neared Pinedale we noticed extra tall fences made of hog wire. Construction on the main highway included bridges over little draws. This puzzled us until we realized they were constructing underpasses to allow animals to cross the road safely for them and humans. We had seen this type of construction in Canada. Later we found the idea for this project came from those Canadian fences.Our first stop was the Visitor Center to obtain maps and other information around Pinedale. They were very helpful in informing us about this area.
ride to the other side of Jenny Lake. Olivia was able to catch the sparkles of the spray as we enjoyed the ride. June & Terry walked to the Hidden Falls. We picked a few huckleberries and Fred enjoyed teaching a few children about the berries. Fred said these three young New York girls are natural berry pickers and told them how impressed he was with their ability to learn so fast.
Tuesday, August 23 we told the Rainwaters goodbye as they headed north into Yellowstone and we went south. We stopped in Jackson and received an excellent forest service book for the area. South of Jackson we turned east at Hoback Jct to hunt for Hoback Forest Campground. This was where Cecil, Olivia’s Dad, wrote in his book that Teenya wanted to go for her honeymoon. It was not what we pictured, in fact only one spot worked for us so we drove on. We also looked at Kozy Campground and it was less desirable. The Forest Service lady told us there was also a BLM campground when the road crossed the
Green River. Sure enough there it was. On a
flat piece of land with NO trees and the temperature was in the 80’s. The saving grace was the wind was blowing constantly. The host said there was frost on the tables that morning. Quite a contrast.
The motorhome next to us was occupied by a vacationing young couple from Oklahoma. They were here because he fly fishes and the Green River is as good as it gets in the thinking of many.
Wednesday, August 24, we took off to sightsee.
We drove north from Cora to see the
Wednesday, August 24, we took off to sightsee.
We drove north from Cora to see the
New Fork Lakes and view the narrows behind them. As we neared Pinedale we noticed extra tall fences made of hog wire. Construction on the main highway included bridges over little draws. This puzzled us until we realized they were constructing underpasses to allow animals to cross the road safely for them and humans. We had seen this type of construction in Canada. Later we found the idea for this project came from those Canadian fences.Our first stop was the Visitor Center to obtain maps and other information around Pinedale. They were very helpful in informing us about this area.
From the first big beaver season in 1824 to the last Rendezvous in 1840, this area was the center of theRocky Mountain fur trade. Six of the 16 summer Rendezvous were held at the confluence of the Horse Creek and the Green River. For mountain men who trapped during the long cold months for the best fur, the summer Rendezvous provided an opportunity to sell beaver hides, re-supply for the coming year, meet old friends, and celebrate. Rendezvous lasted up to a month and were attended by as many as 3000 trapers, traders, visitors, and Indians coming from hundreds of miles in all directions.
Since 1936, The Green River Rendezvous has been commemorated each year with a celebration the second weekend in July.
Mountain Man in Pinedale is dedicated to interpreting and preserving the history of this colorful era. Not only did they tell of the Mountain Man, but it included the oil information in the county since 1996.
From the Museum we drove up around
Fremont Lake, one of over 1,300 lakes in Sublette County. Fremont Lake is the deepest glacial lake (608 feet) in the contiguous United States. This road took us on a skyline drive and a view of the
Wind River Range.
On the way back to the trailer we stopped in the community of
Daniel which was the actual location of one of the first Rendezvous. Fred wanted to get gas, but this
station was no longer open. Daniel appears more of a ghost town of Sublette County which includes 80% public land, BLM, NFS and State. We especially enjoyed this town because our grandson's name is Daniel. Now he has a town named after him!
The Museum of the
Mountain Man in Pinedale is dedicated to interpreting and preserving the history of this colorful era. Not only did they tell of the Mountain Man, but it included the oil information in the county since 1996.
From the Museum we drove up around
Fremont Lake, one of over 1,300 lakes in Sublette County. Fremont Lake is the deepest glacial lake (608 feet) in the contiguous United States. This road took us on a skyline drive and a view of the
Wind River Range.
On the way back to the trailer we stopped in the community of
Daniel which was the actual location of one of the first Rendezvous. Fred wanted to get gas, but this
station was no longer open. Daniel appears more of a ghost town of Sublette County which includes 80% public land, BLM, NFS and State. We especially enjoyed this town because our grandson's name is Daniel. Now he has a town named after him!
The Oil & Gas Industry’s share of property assessed for Taxation in 2009 was 97.23% of this county. Wyoming is an oil and gas state! Only three counties have no production.
dam and the bridge over a small inlet. Thunderheads were covering the sky so we headed back to the trailer. We experienced some cooling breezes and sprinkles.
This has been a large post and we hope you can get all the words and pictures.
Please comment on any of the events of our past two weeks. We love getting mail!
To respond please click on either email address:
Olivia@bobheck.com or Fredharrington@yahoo.com
Back at the campground, Muddie (from heaven) painted a 
glorious sunset for us to enjoy.
Thursday August 25 we moved about 50 miles down the road to another BLM Campground. This one had more sites, had shelters around the tables, cost only $2.50 and was on a lake, but was 30 miles from anything and mostly deserted.
After we parked, we drove into Kemmener to see
J.C.Penney’s first store. This Mother Store is now a Penney’s outlet and Fred found the big sale advertised on the window. The structure of the store was like the old one in Waxahachie without the second floor. The workers said there was a basement, but it was only for storage. Down the street was the
Penney’s home.
Back at the campground we waited anxiously for the sun and the temperature to go down, as we only had the open windows to cool us off. We know it is hot in Texas, but they have electricity and air conditioning to make it bearable
Friday, August 26 we drove south over flat desert to Green River where we stopped at a visitor center for information on the Flaming Gorge. The area by that name includes the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. As long as we were in Wyoming the lake to our left was basically out of sight. After passing though Manila, Utah we drove though many layers of the past like windblown sands and where dinosaurs roamed. We were surprised to find ourselves going
downhill, where did the road go?
On the south side of Sheep Creek Bay the road took us uphill
over 1000”. The road took us east through forests on the south of the park. We followed the side road at Red Canyon and found three campgrounds. We chose the second one which had tent sites along the canyon rim. There were only a few RV sites and we were fortunate to take the last one.
After setting up we drove our pay envelop to the drop rather than walking across to the box because there was a
small herd of female and young big horn sheep grazing across the path. See our trailer in the background. We drove the few miles to the Red Canyon visitor center and went immediately to their appropriately named
WOW window.
The whole building was placed over the
tip of the bluff. The ranger told us the big horn sheep winter along the lake at the lower elevation, then climb the wall under the visitor center to mow the yard around the center in the summer.
Back at the camp Fred grilled shish-ka-bobs for a very delicious supper.
Even though it was still hot, the breeze kept us cooler in the shade of a ponderosa pine. As other nights when the sun went down we had a pretty sunset and the temperature dropped allowing us to sleep.
Saturday, August 27 Gee it is almost September and it is still hot this far north. We spent a lazy morning. While Fred was running the generator he looked up and the herd of big horns were right in our camp. The nearest one was
more curious about us then we him.
We walked over to the rim and enjoyed a beautiful
view of the lake and canyon walls.
We drove east to the
Flaming Gorge Dam and enjoyed driving below the dam to attempt to see the people floating and fishing. It was very hard to see the water.
This Dam and Reservoir are part of a complex water development system known as the Colorado River Storage Project.
This dam was located here at Red Canyon partly to take advantage of the canyon’s curve, which made an excellent site for the spillway and diversion tunnels. The lake is 92 miles long.
Features are located throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The dam and reservoirs of the project are operated to provide water for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power generation, recreation, fish & wildlife. Most of the costs and operating costs of the various features of the storage project are paid by the water and power users.
On the other side of the lake we could see the
glorious sunset for us to enjoy.
Thursday August 25 we moved about 50 miles down the road to another BLM Campground. This one had more sites, had shelters around the tables, cost only $2.50 and was on a lake, but was 30 miles from anything and mostly deserted.
After we parked, we drove into Kemmener to see
J.C.Penney’s first store. This Mother Store is now a Penney’s outlet and Fred found the big sale advertised on the window. The structure of the store was like the old one in Waxahachie without the second floor. The workers said there was a basement, but it was only for storage. Down the street was the
Penney’s home.
Back at the campground we waited anxiously for the sun and the temperature to go down, as we only had the open windows to cool us off. We know it is hot in Texas, but they have electricity and air conditioning to make it bearable
Friday, August 26 we drove south over flat desert to Green River where we stopped at a visitor center for information on the Flaming Gorge. The area by that name includes the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. As long as we were in Wyoming the lake to our left was basically out of sight. After passing though Manila, Utah we drove though many layers of the past like windblown sands and where dinosaurs roamed. We were surprised to find ourselves going
downhill, where did the road go?
On the south side of Sheep Creek Bay the road took us uphill
over 1000”. The road took us east through forests on the south of the park. We followed the side road at Red Canyon and found three campgrounds. We chose the second one which had tent sites along the canyon rim. There were only a few RV sites and we were fortunate to take the last one.
After setting up we drove our pay envelop to the drop rather than walking across to the box because there was a
small herd of female and young big horn sheep grazing across the path. See our trailer in the background. We drove the few miles to the Red Canyon visitor center and went immediately to their appropriately namedWOW window.
The whole building was placed over the
tip of the bluff. The ranger told us the big horn sheep winter along the lake at the lower elevation, then climb the wall under the visitor center to mow the yard around the center in the summer.
Back at the camp Fred grilled shish-ka-bobs for a very delicious supper.
Even though it was still hot, the breeze kept us cooler in the shade of a ponderosa pine. As other nights when the sun went down we had a pretty sunset and the temperature dropped allowing us to sleep.
Saturday, August 27 Gee it is almost September and it is still hot this far north. We spent a lazy morning. While Fred was running the generator he looked up and the herd of big horns were right in our camp. The nearest one was
more curious about us then we him.
We walked over to the rim and enjoyed a beautiful
view of the lake and canyon walls.
We drove east to the
Flaming Gorge Dam and enjoyed driving below the dam to attempt to see the people floating and fishing. It was very hard to see the water.
This Dam and Reservoir are part of a complex water development system known as the Colorado River Storage Project.
This dam was located here at Red Canyon partly to take advantage of the canyon’s curve, which made an excellent site for the spillway and diversion tunnels. The lake is 92 miles long.
Features are located throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The dam and reservoirs of the project are operated to provide water for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, hydroelectric power generation, recreation, fish & wildlife. Most of the costs and operating costs of the various features of the storage project are paid by the water and power users.
On the other side of the lake we could see the
dam and the bridge over a small inlet. Thunderheads were covering the sky so we headed back to the trailer. We experienced some cooling breezes and sprinkles.
This has been a large post and we hope you can get all the words and pictures.
Please comment on any of the events of our past two weeks. We love getting mail!
To respond please click on either email address:
Olivia@bobheck.com or Fredharrington@yahoo.com
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Letter 21 Phillipsburg, Butte, Nevada City, Ennis, Big Timber, MT
Monday, August 8, we drove into Bigfork, published the blog, and told Sharon goodbye. On the way back to the trailer we explored another road and found lots of 
huckleberry bushes, but almost all the berries had been picked. We were able to get about two cups. We have found summer!
Tuesday, August 9 we headed south into new country passing many pretty lodges including
Legendary Lodge south of Sealy Lake. The only way to get to this lodge was by boat as the road ended on the left bank. We hit the Blackfoot river then turned west on Hwy 200 for a few miles then turn east on Interstate 90. At Drummond we turned south on MT 1 or the Pintler Scenic Highway through Phillipsburg to Phillipsburg Bay Forest Camp on Georgetown Lake. It was a nice three loop campground with lots of paved sites. We paid for two nights to explore this area.
Wednesday, August 10 we drove back to
to Phillipsburg, an old mining town, turned into the cutest tourist trap we have been to. We parked at the upper end and walked the three blocks stopping in several of the stores.
The sapphire mining interested both of us as Fred enjoyed asking questions. At the Mining Room of the Sapphire Gallery
a bag of ore may be purchased and they furnish the supplies to wash it. They showed us what was possible to find. All the gems on the left are raw sapphires, with the ones on the right having been fired.
As usual, at most stores Fred stayed outside while Olivia went in to shop, but after peeking in at the Sweet Palace, Olivia insisted on Fred coming in also. Besides the sweets Olivia noticed the
pink reflections on the white metal ceiling. All of the light fixtures had pink glass shades. We looked at all the 1000 sweet selections. All the jars, bens, counter candies were $7.95 a pound. You could fill many sacks. There was taffy, fresh caramels, chocolate creams, jelly beans, soft & hard candies, giant lollipops, and all flavors of fudge. We felt like a kid in a candy store. We came out with Huckleberry taffy and fudge.
The Sweet Palace is a charm. “How Sweet It Is!”
At the Doe Brother’s Restaurant, Olivia found tourist enjoying
ice cream on the benches in front, inside she also found the internet before indulging in a double dip of Huckleberry ice cream.
In 1997 and again in 2000 Phillipsburg was awarded finalist status over all entries in the northwestern states as “America’s Prettiest Painted Places,” sponsored by Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute of Philadelphia. We agree, the detail work and multiple colors on the buildings deserves the award.
They also don’t want their
sparkled in the setting sun. God continues to bless us with his beautiful wonders.
Thursday, August 11, we headed in to the Rocky Mt RV in Butte to check out a water leak at the water heater and the water pump was making too much noise. After a short stay we came away with both fixed.
Think back to Alaska, the Double Musky Restaurant, and the AAA critic we met there. She had invited us to come have salmon she cooks. We talked to Sharon and drove to her house where we met her husband, Ron. We enjoyed their company all afternoon, with them giving us tips on places to see in Butte. We took the trailer to Wal-Mart to park it for the night. Back at Sharon’s they fixed a wonderful supper of fried halibut,
fried halibut,
grilled salmon, corn on cob, tomatoes, and homemade rolls. Wonderful hospitality and delicious dinner. We both learned their tips on preparing the fish.
She had invited us to stay in her driveway. Their hospitality was over the top. We always have reservations about staying at someone’s home until we see the situation. This time the entrance to her nice driveway was way too narrow for Fred to thread the needle backing. It was nice we had learned to stay on parking lots.
Friday, August 12 we spent a lazy morning, then shopped the Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart. We went to the visitor center for information and Wi-Fi before going to CVS for a prescription.
We decided it was time to have fun and find out more about Butte. Were we surprised. We had seen the huge hole on the side of the mountain and heard about all the towns of the city, China, Ireland, Finland, and all the other countries of origin. When this big copper mine was working, the immigrants came in droves. This area is the location of the legendary Anaconda Copper mine.
We took the Underground City tour and learned about all the vice, corruption, bootlegging, drunks, prostitutes, indulgences, pleasures, that occurred in this largest city north of San Francisco and west of the Mississippi. All of the city officials were corrupt including the police and fire departments. We walked past an unusual
fire escape and were told of all the fires in the immediate area of the fire department.
tally board and the phone underneath where the scores were posted every thirty minutes. The rest of the time, everyone was talking, and a jazz band played.
There were other tours, but we pooped out. We did drive around the hill and saw many fancy houses fixed up or needing to be. The
Clark Chateau which is now an Arts Chateau caught our eye. Of the two original copper mines Mr Clark was a prominent citizen and built this castle to block the view of the other mine owners home.
Saturday August 13, We were up and at-um and went to the farmer’s market in the middle of main street, downtown or rather they call it uptown because you have to go up hill to get to it. At the very top end we found TOMATOES! Good home grown ones. Yum! There is just nothing as good as a good tomato. We also found tiny new potatoes and little cucumbers.
We also found a car wash where three men sprayed, soaped, and washed the car. Then we drove through the automatic car wash. Best deal we have found. Too bad the trailer didn’t fit.
During the 1930s mining was very big in Montana. How big? 85% of the state’s jobs were mining related! Butte was the epicenter of the mining activities. It was a boomtown. Its population swelled to over 100,000. Today Butte is about the size of Waxahachie, 30,000 people. Many of the old houses from the boom era remain, but with a smaller population, there aren’t enough residences to occupy all the old houses. How sad. Grand old houses sit empty crying for a new owner to loving care for them and restore them to past glory. Maybe some readers will feel the call and take the challenge of restoring an old house in Butte.
We headed south on Hwy 2 over Pipestone pass and the Continental divide. Pipestone is obsidian allegedly found along this ridge. We only saw white rocks instead of black ones. This is called pipestone because obsidian is used to make the black pipe bowl. It was a favorite of the local Indians.
On the other side of the pass we passed the Tobacco Route mountains to the east as we drove down the fertile Jefferson River Valley to the town of Two Bridges where the Ruby and Beaverhead rivers flow together to make the Jefferson River.
Up the Ruby river we drove into the town of Alder and the start of the Alder Gulch where gold found here financed Harvard in the early 20th century. The dredges turned Alder gulch
George Ives. This event was the catalyst for the forming of the Vigilantes.
Now Garnets may be found among the gravel in the area.
Sunday, August 14, we moved from this campsite at
We headed east and drove through
Madison canyon. On through Bozeman to Big Timber to see Renee Helmsteadt again. We had seen her in Mesa and her summer job has been here at the Spring Creek Campground.
This campground had Wi-Fi and Olivia took full advantage of it all afternoon. One thing she had to do was to find how to make a new distribution list in the 2010 Outlook. Yuck! Why do they change the names of things when updating a program? But Angie came to the rescue and figured it out and walking Olivia through it. THANK YOU, ANGIE!
While catching up with all the Facebook messages Olivia also found a message from Wanda Taylor Coleman, one of her classmates. Wanda lost her husband of 50 years about a week ago. This message has a special meaning to Texans.
huckleberry bushes, but almost all the berries had been picked. We were able to get about two cups. We have found summer!
Tuesday, August 9 we headed south into new country passing many pretty lodges including
Legendary Lodge south of Sealy Lake. The only way to get to this lodge was by boat as the road ended on the left bank. We hit the Blackfoot river then turned west on Hwy 200 for a few miles then turn east on Interstate 90. At Drummond we turned south on MT 1 or the Pintler Scenic Highway through Phillipsburg to Phillipsburg Bay Forest Camp on Georgetown Lake. It was a nice three loop campground with lots of paved sites. We paid for two nights to explore this area.
Wednesday, August 10 we drove back to
to Phillipsburg, an old mining town, turned into the cutest tourist trap we have been to. We parked at the upper end and walked the three blocks stopping in several of the stores.
The sapphire mining interested both of us as Fred enjoyed asking questions. At the Mining Room of the Sapphire Gallery
a bag of ore may be purchased and they furnish the supplies to wash it. They showed us what was possible to find. All the gems on the left are raw sapphires, with the ones on the right having been fired.
As usual, at most stores Fred stayed outside while Olivia went in to shop, but after peeking in at the Sweet Palace, Olivia insisted on Fred coming in also. Besides the sweets Olivia noticed the
pink reflections on the white metal ceiling. All of the light fixtures had pink glass shades. We looked at all the 1000 sweet selections. All the jars, bens, counter candies were $7.95 a pound. You could fill many sacks. There was taffy, fresh caramels, chocolate creams, jelly beans, soft & hard candies, giant lollipops, and all flavors of fudge. We felt like a kid in a candy store. We came out with Huckleberry taffy and fudge.
The Sweet Palace is a charm. “How Sweet It Is!”
At the Doe Brother’s Restaurant, Olivia found tourist enjoying
ice cream on the benches in front, inside she also found the internet before indulging in a double dip of Huckleberry ice cream.
In 1997 and again in 2000 Phillipsburg was awarded finalist status over all entries in the northwestern states as “America’s Prettiest Painted Places,” sponsored by Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute of Philadelphia. We agree, the detail work and multiple colors on the buildings deserves the award.
They also don’t want their
On the way back to the trailer we stopped for a photo shot of the 
water coming out and down from the nearby dam on Georgetown Lake. The road climbed to the lake about 2000’.
Clouds were
gathering above the lake as we drove to the campground. Soon after arriving we did have a shower. The ground cover in the campground
sparkled in the setting sun. God continues to bless us with his beautiful wonders.
Thursday, August 11, we headed in to the Rocky Mt RV in Butte to check out a water leak at the water heater and the water pump was making too much noise. After a short stay we came away with both fixed.
Think back to Alaska, the Double Musky Restaurant, and the AAA critic we met there. She had invited us to come have salmon she cooks. We talked to Sharon and drove to her house where we met her husband, Ron. We enjoyed their company all afternoon, with them giving us tips on places to see in Butte. We took the trailer to Wal-Mart to park it for the night. Back at Sharon’s they fixed a wonderful supper of fried halibut,
fried halibut,
grilled salmon, corn on cob, tomatoes, and homemade rolls. Wonderful hospitality and delicious dinner. We both learned their tips on preparing the fish.
She had invited us to stay in her driveway. Their hospitality was over the top. We always have reservations about staying at someone’s home until we see the situation. This time the entrance to her nice driveway was way too narrow for Fred to thread the needle backing. It was nice we had learned to stay on parking lots.
Friday, August 12 we spent a lazy morning, then shopped the Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart. We went to the visitor center for information and Wi-Fi before going to CVS for a prescription.
We decided it was time to have fun and find out more about Butte. Were we surprised. We had seen the huge hole on the side of the mountain and heard about all the towns of the city, China, Ireland, Finland, and all the other countries of origin. When this big copper mine was working, the immigrants came in droves. This area is the location of the legendary Anaconda Copper mine.
We took the Underground City tour and learned about all the vice, corruption, bootlegging, drunks, prostitutes, indulgences, pleasures, that occurred in this largest city north of San Francisco and west of the Mississippi. All of the city officials were corrupt including the police and fire departments. We walked past an unusual
fire escape and were told of all the fires in the immediate area of the fire department.
In the old city hall, active until 1970 we visited the City Jail, in the basement, known as the “Butte Bastille.” 
the ladies cell, painted pink and blue was the first stop, then the drunk tank.
We had not been aware that Butte was Evel Knievel’s home town, but they showed us his
record, where in 1956, he had been arrested and held in jail for, “Reckless Driving!”
In the interrogation room we saw convincing tactics and the sign to
“be a snitch.”
In another basement we visited a barber shop in mint condition, that operated from the 20”s to 50’s. Through the “safe” door, we entered a speak easy for the barber’s customers.
We walked to the old Rookwood Hotel where we were taken downstairs to the Rookwood Speakeasy that lies beneath the sidewalks. The
terrazzo-tiled flours and sculpted columns were actually a part of the original hotel lobby, converted into the hidden room.
the ladies cell, painted pink and blue was the first stop, then the drunk tank.
We had not been aware that Butte was Evel Knievel’s home town, but they showed us his
record, where in 1956, he had been arrested and held in jail for, “Reckless Driving!”
In the interrogation room we saw convincing tactics and the sign to
“be a snitch.”
In another basement we visited a barber shop in mint condition, that operated from the 20”s to 50’s. Through the “safe” door, we entered a speak easy for the barber’s customers.
We walked to the old Rookwood Hotel where we were taken downstairs to the Rookwood Speakeasy that lies beneath the sidewalks. The
terrazzo-tiled flours and sculpted columns were actually a part of the original hotel lobby, converted into the hidden room.
This room had been closed for many years and artifacts found here in 2004 date to the 1920’s.
The History Chanel has been here and filmed and stated “The most complete speakeasy West of Chicago.”
The History Chanel has been here and filmed and stated “The most complete speakeasy West of Chicago.”
tally board and the phone underneath where the scores were posted every thirty minutes. The rest of the time, everyone was talking, and a jazz band played.
There were other tours, but we pooped out. We did drive around the hill and saw many fancy houses fixed up or needing to be. The
Clark Chateau which is now an Arts Chateau caught our eye. Of the two original copper mines Mr Clark was a prominent citizen and built this castle to block the view of the other mine owners home.
Saturday August 13, We were up and at-um and went to the farmer’s market in the middle of main street, downtown or rather they call it uptown because you have to go up hill to get to it. At the very top end we found TOMATOES! Good home grown ones. Yum! There is just nothing as good as a good tomato. We also found tiny new potatoes and little cucumbers.
We also found a car wash where three men sprayed, soaped, and washed the car. Then we drove through the automatic car wash. Best deal we have found. Too bad the trailer didn’t fit.
During the 1930s mining was very big in Montana. How big? 85% of the state’s jobs were mining related! Butte was the epicenter of the mining activities. It was a boomtown. Its population swelled to over 100,000. Today Butte is about the size of Waxahachie, 30,000 people. Many of the old houses from the boom era remain, but with a smaller population, there aren’t enough residences to occupy all the old houses. How sad. Grand old houses sit empty crying for a new owner to loving care for them and restore them to past glory. Maybe some readers will feel the call and take the challenge of restoring an old house in Butte.
We headed south on Hwy 2 over Pipestone pass and the Continental divide. Pipestone is obsidian allegedly found along this ridge. We only saw white rocks instead of black ones. This is called pipestone because obsidian is used to make the black pipe bowl. It was a favorite of the local Indians.
On the other side of the pass we passed the Tobacco Route mountains to the east as we drove down the fertile Jefferson River Valley to the town of Two Bridges where the Ruby and Beaverhead rivers flow together to make the Jefferson River.
Up the Ruby river we drove into the town of Alder and the start of the Alder Gulch where gold found here financed Harvard in the early 20th century. The dredges turned Alder gulch
The first ghost town we came to was Nevada City where a couple had brought in old buildings and Nevada City became a haven for endangered structures: today more than ninety buildings from across Montana 
line the streets. We wandered the street and found their old hotel was full with cabins in the back for rent also.
The museum had lots of calliope’s like we saw in the House on the Rock in Wisconsin.
Nine booming gold camps sprawled along Alder Gulch in 1863. Nevada and Virginia Cities were the largest. In December 1863, Nevada City’s main street was the scene of the miners’ court trial and hanging of
George Ives. This event was the catalyst for the forming of the Vigilantes.
Now Garnets may be found among the gravel in the area.
Sunday, August 14, we moved from this campsite at
We headed east and drove through
Madison canyon. On through Bozeman to Big Timber to see Renee Helmsteadt again. We had seen her in Mesa and her summer job has been here at the Spring Creek Campground.
This campground had Wi-Fi and Olivia took full advantage of it all afternoon. One thing she had to do was to find how to make a new distribution list in the 2010 Outlook. Yuck! Why do they change the names of things when updating a program? But Angie came to the rescue and figured it out and walking Olivia through it. THANK YOU, ANGIE!
While catching up with all the Facebook messages Olivia also found a message from Wanda Taylor Coleman, one of her classmates. Wanda lost her husband of 50 years about a week ago. This message has a special meaning to Texans.
“I want to thank all of my FB. friends and family for all of the kind thoughts and prayers. They were very much needed and appreciated. He has gone to be with the angels and promised to whisper in God's ear that we need rain.”
From all our messages and phone calls, there have been many tragedies and deaths among our friend’s families and acquaintances. Our prayers are full.
Monday, August 15 we cleaned, washed and posted this blog! Enough said!
We plan to be with Renee for two days, then move on to Idaho Falls to visit Chad Landon. We met he and Jenny 3 years ago. Then we plan to meet the Rainwaters in the Tetons next Sunday. We met them on the way to Alaska and traveled with them for about 10 days. We plan to catch up on each others travels this summer.
We love to hear from you so email us at
Olivia@bobheck.com or FredHarrington@yahoo.com
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