Mid-July 2021

Idaho

We spent three nights at Riley Creek Campground in Idaho’s panhandle. We were on our way from Washington to Montana and decided to take a couple of days to catch up with ourselves. Riley Creek is in Laclede, near Bonners Ferry. Every now and then, we have to take a little breather for laundry, haircuts, and other tasks. Our stay in Idaho was just a flash in the panhandle, I’m afraid. We will do a better job of exploring the southern parts of the state another time.

Montana

We crossed into Montana and followed scenic Route 2 to Logan State Park on Middle Thompson Lake near Libby. The smoke from the wildfires in the West was starting to catch up with us.

The blue skies of Montana were more hazy grey than blue. This has been a terrible year for wildfires and, sadly, it’s predicted to get worse before it gets better. We had a quiet evening at this small, laid-back campground.

We went down to the boat dock to watch the sunset and met a fellow camper paddle boarding with her very well-behaved golden retriever who never left her side.

The next morning, we headed for Whitefish and a visit with dear friends.

Whitefish is a resort town on the shores of Whitefish Lake. It’s a beautiful area, probably best known for its wide variety of year-round outdoor sports. Skiing, fishing, hunting, hiking, you name it – it’s here. It’s a big vacation destination, and it’s become a very popular place to relocate, especially for people from California and Washington who want a change in lifestyle.

We were there to see our friends Martha and Joe Grieco. Martha, Joe, and I went to Penncrest High together. Hard to believe, but high school was more than 50 years ago. It was marvelous to get together. The years just melted away – and so did the time! We could have talked for days.

We reminisced about the craziness of growing up in Delaware County, high school life, and the challenges of building and, then eventually, selling houses. John and Joe got to meet, and hit it off right away. We just had the best time together! I feel lucky and grateful to have this wonderful couple as friends. We look forward to staying in touch and seeing each other again soon.

We left the Griecos and headed south, driving down the eastern side of Flathead Lake. We stopped in some funky small towns, including Ovando.

Bicyclists are welcomed here. For $5, bikers can choose to spend the night in a teepee, a sheep wagon, or the former town jail.

The mountains in the national forests were dramatic. We stayed near Helena for our last night in Montana, and then continued into Wyoming to meet up with our brother-in-law Steve.

I should note that we skirted Glacier National Park this summer. To help manage crowds, some National Parks have instituted a timed, ticket entry system for this summer. By the time we realized that we could include the park in our travels, the tickets were all gone. Our hometown friends, who are now area locals, confirmed that this wouldn’t be the best time to visit. Traffic on the Going to the Sun Road, which traverses the park, is bumper to bumper and finding places to pull off and park can be frustrating. So, we will wait for another time.

Wyoming

We connected with Steve in Alpine, at a campground near Grand Teton National Park, right on the Wyoming/Idaho border. The campground actually falls in both states. The campground host jokingly said that we were either in Wydaho or Idahoming, depending on our exact location in the park.

With Steve, we drove into Grand Teton National Park and marveled at the mountain views.

Such ancient mountains and so stunning. We spent a couple days seeing the sights and hiking. We’re glad that we’ve been able to coordinate these on the road get togethers!

After our weekend in the Tetons, Steve continued on his journey, and we drove north and east.

We retraced part of our route through Teton Park, where we saw buffalo grazing on the side of the road.

We went through the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Shoshone National Forest, crossing the Continental Divide as we went.

We were taken aback by the absolute beauty of the landscape, and that we seemed to be one of just a few vehicles on the road.

The National Parks aren’t the only places with amazing rock formations and forests. We saw painted rock formations that were just as remarkable as ones we had seen in Arizona.

That night, we stayed at Jim Moss Arena in Riverton, Wyoming.

This place is a multi-purpose event center. They’re set up for rodeos and bull riding events. When nothing is scheduled, they welcome campers. Our site was in a dirt lot, with an electric hook-up.

The bathroom and shower (complete with a Ride ’em Cowboy, rodeo-themed shower curtain) were a bit of a hike from our spot. That wouldn’t have been bad, but there were legions of aggressive mosquitoes that attacked as soon as we stepped outside. Well, that made this a one and done…even though the owner was pleasant, we spent that one night and left early in the morning.

On down the road, we took a chance and went to Mikesell-Potts, a first-come, first-served recreation area near Buffalo, Wyoming. This county-run park was a great find.

We snagged a lakefront site, with some trees for privacy and a bit of shade. The breeze off the water was wonderful. We stayed a couple of days, and then waved a fond good-bye as we headed on down the road.