While in Riggins, we took the opportunity to take a drive along the Salmon River as it descends through the canyon. Beautiful scenery for 20+ miles till roads end. Not much going on in the little town of Riggins as it’s existence is dependent on sports fishing and river rafting. Since the pandemic business has fallen off considerably.
We were sorry to leave our idyllic camp spot on the river, but being a popular spot it was reserved for someone else. So we headed north and made a stop in Coeur D’Alene for a quick resupply and a bike ride. After a trip to Costco we continued on to Libby, Montana for a three day visit with Cathie’s brother Rod and his wife Mary. They live just outside of town on about 10 acres of forest overlooking Granite Creek and the mountains beyond. Deer and turkeys are common visitors in the yard. One morning this little fawn was caught sneaking up on our satellite dish.
Rod stays busy in his position as Commander of the local VFW Post. The town of Libby is big enough to have a Ford Dealership and since the truck just turned over 100,000 miles it was time of service.
After catching up on old times, we headed east to glacier country as in Glacier National Park. All the campgrounds in the park were closed because of....you guessed it, the pandemic, but as luck would have it we knew someone who lives just outside the park boundary. Cathie’s x-sister-in-law Holly lives in Hungry Horse at the entrance to the park. She and her husband volunteer at the Glacier Bible Camp, which besides a lodge and cabins, has an RV park which Holly arraigned for us to stay.
Our arrival at Glacier was planned for after the Labor Day Holiday. We figured there would be fewer people about. Our first clue of the crowds was that we had to wait in line to get in the park. Then the only road open was the Going to the Sun Highway. A steep and narrow road to the top of Logan Pass. When we arrived at the top, the visitors center parking lots were full and the staff was blocking entrance. So, we turned around and headed back down the hill. We noticed on the way down, there were no cars coming up. When we arrived at the park entrance we found out why. They had closed the park because it was so crowded.
It’s sad to say that many of our National Parks are over run with people, making a visit less appealing, to us anyway. We have been lucky enough to visit all the Parks in the Western U.S. before they became over run. Our favorite, Zion is especially crowded, but the tram system they have there works pretty good, but other parks are a traffic nightmare.
I did manage to get the kayak wet again in a beautiful little lake outside of the park. I was the only one there....Nice.
Helena was our next stop and we were driving south on September 11th. We saw these firemen paying tribute to those lost on the terrible day, standing in front of the Sealy Lake Fire Station.
As Helena the Capitol of Montana, it was on our list of State Capitols that we hadn’t visited. Not many people about but the doors were unlocked so we gave ourselves a tour. We explored every floor, checking out the House and Senate chambers, the old Supreme Court and peeking into most of the unlocked doors we could find. Many states have guided tours of their Capitol buildings, but.....you guessed it...due to the pandemic a guided tour was not in the cards.
On our way south we made a stop at the Battle of the Little Bighorn National Monument. Of course the visitor center was closed, but the driving tour was open. If you have ever read anything about the battle, actually being there and seeing the landscape really helps bring it all into focus.
Continuing south into Wyoming we first stopped in Casper where I found a really nice bike trail along the Platte River. About 8 miles in length, it made for a great ride round trip ride. I usually like to take a coffee break about halfway but the only place I found was a golf course. The restaurant was closed, but the staff in the pro shop took pity on me and made me a pot of coffee...on the house I might add. Further south we stopped in the small town of Wheatland to pay a visit to some of the Oregon Trail sights in the area. The Trail generally follows the Platte River as it begins across Wyoming. Near the town of Guernsey is Register Cliff, a sandstone outcropping where pioneers carved their names. It’s difficult to pick their names out due to the numerous people who have since carved their names in the soft sandstone. Near by, where the Trail leaves the Platte River you can still see wagon ruts in the trail. We followed the trail east to Fort Laramie National Monument where surprise, surprise the visitor center was actually open. All that remain of some of the Fort’s buildings are foundations and partially standing walls, but many have been restored, with period displays inside.
And finally to conclude our visit to Wyoming, Laramie, the home of the University of Wyoming where our grandson McKyle attends. Cathie could hardly contain herself as she got to spend the next 4 days keeping him from his studies. Actually in all fairness, our son Gary was here also. so he and Kyle went hunting so that cut in to Grandma’s visit.
KYLE’S DECORATIONS
As I post this, I am a little behind on the blog....but as I have said before, it’s my blog and I’ll post when I want to.
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