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.

Butte, Montana & Idaho

A few along-the-way photos.  This is our RV site in Butte with the offending hump preventing satellite TV.

So, with no TV and a gorgeous day, we set out to walk the property, greeting the friendly horses from the adjacent ranch.

We let Cassie climb little dirt hills and sniff all the fragrant "country" smells. 

Teepees were available for guests wanting the "authentic" olde west experience. 

They are quite "minimalist" having only cots.

Cassie loved the fella whose RV blocked our portable satellite.  She launched herself at him without warning as he entered the RV with his cocktail in hand.  Cassie made a beeline to his RV on every walkie, climbed up onto the entry step and looked back over her shoulder at me as if to say "Let's go inside!"

She made pup-pals with Sasha, whose parents are traveling over 12,000 miles in their SUV to "see if they like RV travel".  They live in their SUV--fortunately they are both short and can sleep in the car.  Sasha sleeps on the front seat.










After all that walkin' and playin' on the property, everybody is pooped...

...especially Cassie!

Enroute, an oversized carrier transporting wind turbine blades passed by us and we made the usual Cracker Barrel breakfast/walkie stop.

We made our usual stopover at the 1000 Silver Dollar Casino, the kind of laid back place you only find out west.  They have an adjacent parking area for RV's

which provides free 50amp electric for their guests.  

Cassie got to frolic and 

chase a stick and a pinecone offleash before we went in to make a donation.  We ended up winning $10 and credited it to the General Fuel Fund.

Montana Whack-A-Wolf, Chief Joseph Highway

Next day was another "Chamber of Commerce" day. I saw a pronghorn antelope with her baby--baby pronghorns are almost never seen.  She furiously chased away a stupid coyote who came too close to her baby across a huge meadow and then promptly returned to her baby's side.  

Also saw a wolf pack chase an interloper out of their territory.  I had never seen a wolf, much less a pack, and here I was watching a pack in hot pursuit of another wolf!  

They were in a meadow of tall grass and every few seconds one of the pursuing wolves jumped up about 6 feet to check the position of the pursued wolf!  Looked funny, like one of those Whack-A-Mole games at the boardwalk.  Wish the pics were better but distances and speed of the action were too much.

Enroute to Buffalo, WY we travelled another heart-stoppingly beautiful road--Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. 

Frank is "stretching out" at the Turnout Overlook.  This is very humbling scenery.

While at the turnout, chipmunks came right up to us begging food.  I gave this one a stick of uncooked spaghetti.

Overnighted in a Rest Stop in Emblem, WY which was better than some commercial RV parks we have paid to stay in!  It was extremely windy and we "lost" a slideout canopy-it had been on its last leg at the start of our trip.  The repair will have to wait until our return to Florida where, I am certain the hurricane winds will completely obliterate it and maybe we can get insurance to replace it.