Montana Territory

We have been in Montana for several days, and we've been enjoying this beautiful state.

Bushy looking sunflowers all around.

Canola out blooming in their fields.

Parked, for free, on the banks of The Yellowstone River.

The kittens have gotten to the point that when we park, and if it's safe to do so,

I open the door and they venture out on their own, to explore.  Here Bubba and I

are walking over to read the information signs.

Bubba getting a drink from the river.

Wild roses

Look, I was able to get a picture of Missy and Bubba together.  Our little Missy is a

free spirit, she has a mind of her own when it comes to being outside.  But I was able

to get them to follow me along a path beyond that fence and we had a nice walk.

Let's change the subject for a minute and talk about what one does when you get sick or hurt whild on the road.

When we were parked beside the Platte River about 5 days ago,  I developed a rather severe rash on my right arm, only on my arm.  It not only itched like mad but it burned and felt like someone was stabbing it with needles and was swollen.   On day 4 it felt like my arm was going numb, that's when I decided I should seek help.  So on day 5 of the rash we left the Yellowstone river and drove an hour and a half into Billings to an emergency room early saturday morning.  Thankfully there was lots of street parking right in front of the hospital.  So i left mom and the kittens there and walked myself into the ER.  I was the only patient there and within about 5 minutes my info had been entered into their computer system and into an examination room I went.  I didn't even have time to open a magazine when in came the Dr.  He looked at my arm and said yup, I have a rash.  Of course he couldn't say what caused it, reaction to a bite of some type, or plant based thing, like poison oak. But to be on the safe side he prescribed some antibiotic and cortisone cream and sent me on my way with instructions to come back if things didn't get better in a two days.  So for two days and nights we stayed parked right there close to the hospital.  

By monday morning I was feeling better, the swelling in my arm was down considerably, and that was the day that we were scheduled to get our new refrigerator(see note below) installed by Billings RV Inc.  So off we went to the rv repair shop and left the rv with them and packed the kittens into the car and left for the day.  Since it was going to be kind of warm I thought it would be good to spend most of our day driving so as to have the air conditioning on so off we went.  We drove up into the mountains where we found a nice place to park and eat sandwiches and let the kittens out, on their leashes.  That day wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be.  The kittens think of the car as part of our home.  They don't like being in their carriers for very long so we let them out and they climb on top of them and go to sleep.  They are simply amazing kittens, they have adapted so well to this lifestyle, we couldn't have asked for more purrrfect cats.

We went back up to our free camping spot along the Yellowstone River parking in a different spot this time and had a great view of the river.

View out my bedroom window.

View leaning out the window.

We've left the beautiful Yellowstone River and now are outside Townsend, MT on a nice lake for a few days.  

We'll be back in a few days.  We hope everyone has a nice July 4th.

Evie and Joy + Two Kittens

Refrigerator note. I don't remember if I've mentioned this but since we were in Albuquerque our refrigerator hasn't been working right.  We had it looked at in Salida, Colorado and he said that it would take time to diagnose the problem and then time to get the parts if in fact it could be fixed.  So we looked ahead and decided to call an rv repair place in Billings, Montana and just go ahead and buy a new one and have it waiting for us.  So that's what we did.  We replace our Norcold with a newer model that would fit in the same spot.  And I'm happy to say that the new one is working great.

 

We drove by The Tetons the other day.

Follow Up to Platte River Camping

Holy moths Bat Man.  

When we went to bed last night we had no idea what was going to happen while we were asleep.  Thousands of moths swarmed around the rv, on the rv and in the rv.  I don't know how they got   into the rv but it has been a nightmare.  

This morning when we saw the moths on the outside of the rv the first place we went to after leaving the river was a car and truck wash.  Even after driving 65 miles per hour on the freeway there were about 2,000 moths still on the rv, in every nook and crevice, on the outside, around the doors, around the cracks of the hood, between the roof of the truck and the bottom of the part of the rv that hangs over the cab.  All around the doors, behind the rearview mirrors, under our awnings, and as we're finding out tonight, in the air conditioner.  We are 4 hours away from the river and as it is getting dark hundreds of moths are begging to fly around inside the rv.  The cats are having a field day, but as it turns out I'm faster at getting them.  I have closed the air conditioner vents and that has slowed them down a bit but they are still coming.  Ugggg

Just a picture of a moth from the internet, not what we have flying all around.

This whole episode of the moths reminds me of the time in 1986 when mom and I and my daughter, who was 6 at the time, took our family's truck and camper to northern California camping for the weekend.  We went to Lake Mendocino, and it was really hot.  When we pulled into our camping site I failed to raise the windows in the truck.  All night long mom and I sat up killing mosquitoes.  We couldn't figure out how they were getting in and I wasn't going to let them bite my darling daughter.  By morning we were exhausted and that's when we saw the open windows.  

Another picture from the internet.

Well I can assure you that last night all screens were closed tight and truck windows close, that's how we keep the cats in, of course.  I think tomorrow we might pull into an rv park and plug into electricity and turn the air conditioner on and try to blow those darn moths out.

Some moths are very pretty.  The ones we have are just brown.

I hope we can sleep tonight.  

Evie and Joy and our two good hunters, Bubba and Missy

The Platte River at the Bixby Access Area Douglas, Wyoming

Beautiful Wyomig

Seven miles of dirt road to get to the river access area.  

Road was in really good condition.

Friend seen along the way.

The fantastic Platte River.

We're the only ones here.

I saw this big boy.  Not sure what he is though.

Some kind of eagle i think.

He's looking for fish

And a white pelican too.

Sunset on the Platte

Sitting here it's easy to imagine myself a pioneer woman in a wagon train going west on the Oregon Trail.  All the hardships, all the dust, all the bugs.  I don't know how any of them made it.  Over the years I've read many diarys of these women and now being here along the Platte, which played such an important part in their journey, it's just an amazing feeling.

We had planned to stay here 2 nights and as beautiful as it is, we are moving along tomorrow. All the birds and bugs are driving the kittens nuts, they want to go out and catch them all.  Poor things I could only let them out on their leashes for a short whild and they were so frustrated that it broke our hearts.  So tomorrow we will move on towards Riverton, Wyoming.

So, from alongside the Platte River I'll say goodnight.

Evie and Joy + 2 kittens

The only buffalo we saw

Palisade Campground, on the Rio Grande, South Fork, Colorado

We're back in beautiful Colorado.  We spent 3 nights in the Palisades campground, on the banks of the Rio Grande, outside of South Fork, CO.  We've stayed here several times in the last few years but not one time last year so it was a bit of a surprise that the camp hosts recognised us as we drove in and came out to greet us.  That made us feel special.  You can see the river behind the rv in the new header picture.

Morning sunrise coming to the Rio Grande River.

Our site #1 at the Palisades, Rio Grande river just out of picture to the left.

Bubba got his feet wet.

There's a small scenic railroad that runs by the campground. 

Two kittens hard at work on the railroad.

The symmetry of mother nature.

We're outside Buena Vista now for a few days, then on towards Montana where we're meeting up with friends.

Be back soon.

Evie and Joy + 2

Look mom, I can climb.

Photo Essay #1, From North East New Mexico to Colorado

On our way to Clayton Lake, NM.  Love clouds and long roads.

Road over Conchas Lake dam.

What a face.

Wild flowers everywhere.

This is usually what you see of antelope, white butts.

This bunny drove the cats nuts.  But isn't he cute?

Our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains from the Chama, NM area.

Boondocking neighbors.

Hi baby.

Bubba watching the cattle walk by.

Up and over Wolf Creek Pass once again.

We're now in the Palisades campground on the banks of The Rio Grande.  I'll see you next week for part 2.

Evie and Joy + 2 kitties

Memorial Weekend at Clayton Lake State Park

In the last few weeks we've been all over northern New Mexico.  After spending a couple of weeks in the Albuquerque area we headed off to Conchas Lake State park for Memorial weekend.  We really didn't like it there so after one night we drove up to Clayton Lake State park. 

We love the afternoon clouds near Cochiti Pueblo 

These two men were in one of those basket things that you pull yourself across the river in.  

I don't know what they were doing but look at all that water being 

released from Cochiti Lake, near ABQ.  That water is the Rio Grande.

Our site at Clayton Lake.  Up on a hill.

This is what eastern New Mexico looks like.  Wide open ranch land.

That's all for now.  See you later.

Evie and Joy + 2 kittens

Bubba climbing a tree at Clayton Lake.