Mo' Mud and NO GO in Idaho

Oh NOoooooo!  Not mo' Mud! 

Holy Cow--the Muthaship got stuck in the mud in Idaho near Coeur d'Alene!  I loved this scene where the boys all gathered 'round and scratched their heads planning the best way to remove the Muthaship from the mudmuck.

I got filthy crawling in the mud placing boards, levelling pads, small rocks and any hard-surfaced object under the wheels to provide some traction.  Still, the big wheels wouldn't turn.  It looked like we would need the Big Hook to get out!

A fella suggested that his bad ass red pickup might give just enough extra uummpph to extricate our rig, so the guys all started tying the chain to the Muthaship.

I just love seeing men playing nice together solving these kinds of problems!

Everybody watched and held their breath as the truck and RV pushed and pulled together as ONE and --unbelievably--we're Out!  Cheers from the crowd!

ATMO! (And They Moved On...)

Out trip continued east toward
 Montana where we passed an unusual sight--mammoth wind turbine blades being transported over the highway.

 This has been quite an exciting day so far!

We're headed to the northernmost campground in Yellowstone, where we will drycamp for 2 nights at Mammoth CG.

It is our "home base" for a day trip in the car over Bear Tooth Highway, which is one of the top scenic byways in the country.

 This is our view out the front of the RV.

 Not such a bad place to be, eh?

This is our spot in the campground.














While here, we did something we rarely ever do. 
Frank and I took a short hike to a waterfalls--our first hike together!  

It was a miracle of pharmaceuticals that he felt able to make the walk to the falls, but the Ranger promised it would be a gentle walk.

Is this terrain considered a Gentle Walk!!??

Frank made it to the Falls!  Look at that face--such perseverance!   What a guy!

We added the Bear Tooth Highway because we could not go to Glacier National Park.  Avalanches had caused the Going to the Sun Road to be partially closed.

We had crossed Bear Tooth Highway 3 years earlier in the RV, but wanted to take a more leisurely pace in the car.

So, we packed up the car with Cassie in her crate,

(which would double as a picnic table), assorted food, plenty of fluid (climate exceptionally dry despite the mud) and our camp chairs.

We had a picture-perfect sunny day!

Our picnic spot was near a picturesque lake

and we stopped for a couple pics

and took Cassie through a very cold mountain stream.

Later, we stopped along a glacier and let Cassie run free into a snow field at 9000'

She did some stupid dog tricks and attracted a crowd to watch, including some kids who body-surfed down the mountain snow with Cassie in pursuit!  She ended up soaked but happy and we had many giggles!

I got a nice shot of Frank sitting on top of the world

and an awesome photo of a photographer perched on the edge of the mountain





After our picnic lunch, we returned to the M-ship for a beautiful sunset, peaceful campfire and the sounds of elk and coyotes in the nearby mountains.