Once again, we are playing catch up on our blogging! Days go by without internet, or too busy, or tired or lazy! But here we are in Glendive Montana, going to spend a few days with the dinosaurs in Makoshika State Park, we came into town to the Glendive Public Library where the internet is strong. Great day for a blog!
We were so blessed to spend our time in Hot Springs with Jim and Paula Stobie! Randi and the Grandkids, Audrey and Kason too! They kept Goober while went to a family funeral in Oklahoma. They blessed us during our hard time of Goober’s passing. While still in Hot Springs we made a weekend trip to the Deer Park / Chewelah area in Washington, to see our friends, Tommy and Patty (Joanette has known Tommy since they were wee little children and worked with Patty in early adulthood; Keith and Helen go clear back to when they were young Navy couples)! My oh my, we are getting old! We did three walks with Tommy and Patty, around their wilderness area outside of Deer Park/Clayton, Washington, Bear Lake over on Hwy 2 north of Chatterroy/Riverside and a real hike at Riverside State Park outside of Spokane along the Little Spokane River.
We spent a nice evening with a great supper at Helen’s house, she even gave us 1/2 gallon of raspberries, from the plants Joanette gave her years ago from her Mom’s patch in Coupeville, WA! Our trip to the inland northwest was complete! We left Hot Springs with heavy hearts on Wednesday, July 22, but with excitement of our journey east to meet brothers John Joiner and William Jacobs in Royalton, Minnesota for our late summer early fall sojourn down the Mississippi River!
We thank Jim and Paula for the hospitality, the great RV site! But we were needing to get started on our journey, so we said “See you in the spring”. We sure could have spent more time in Hot Springs, so many people we were not able to get together with. Next year, our friends, next year! We promise!
We started heading east by venturing all the way to Granite County, to spend about a full week at Georgetown Lake (Philipsburg Bay Campground) near our daughter Jaime and family. We were greeted upon our arrival by this guy (who was a frequent visitor to the campground)!! Gotta love moose!
We enjoyed some nice walks, bicycle rides, a trip to Deer Lodge to visit good friends, Scott and Ericka Grieco, and their kids Maddie and Caleb! Always fun to see them, took a tour of the ranch, and saw a badger!
Daughter Kristin and her guy Steve drove over Skalkaho Highway to spend a day with us and then two days later we drove over Skalkaho Highway to spend some time in Hamilton with them, got to see the home they will be moving into in the next few days. We were accompanied by Grandson James, and returned to Georgetown Lake via Missoula where we picked up our washing machine that was being repaired, we are sure glad to get it back, laundromats get old pretty fast!
Another few days with Jaime, James and Tyler, and a quick visit from Bailey and her little one Kona (who hadn’t forgotten us!).
We celebrated Keith’s 64th birthday in style, then we packed up on Wednesday to continue our eastward journey. This time we were headed to Cooney Lake State Park, south of Laurel/Columbus and north of Red Lodge where we were going to spend a couple of days with Granddaughter Bailey, meet her boyfriend Keegan, and do a little touristing!
Lesson learned, to get to Cooney Lake, go all the way to Laurel and go south, do not go south through Columbus, unless you want to drive about 12 miles on a gravel and rock road. (Personally, we’d skip Cooney Lake next time. Nice place if you have a boat, but we’d probably drive up to the ski slope outside of Red Lodge and boondock there, it was pretty, and much closer and paved all the way!) We spent the first day wandering the beautiful little town of Red Lodge with Bailey and Kona while Keegan worked ‘on the van’. Later than evening the two of them came out to the state park, we barbequed burgers and had a mini birthday celebration (Keith’s on July 27, Keegan’s on August 2 and Bailey’s on August 11)! Fun Times!
Day two in the Red Lodge area, we had asked the kids if they wanted to “do the Beartooth Highway” with us, but they begged off, to get more done on the van. Bailey suggested we pick up some peanuts for the chipmunks at the first view point. Great idea Bailey!
We sure enjoyed these little critters. Yes, we know better, but there were no signs saying “do not feed the wildlife”, and these little guys were really fat, they needed more peanuts!
The Beartooth Highway is something everyone should do, at least once in a lifetime, in a good vehicle, with good brakes, binoculars, and a camera. Stunning! The climb up the mountains in Montana, full of hairpin curves, rock walls, all built in 1936, but well maintained, into Wyoming up near the top and back down into Montana arriving at Cooke City (just outside of the northeastern entrance to Yellowstone) There were so many views, high mountain lakes, we took hundreds of pictures. Here are a few of our favorites:
The Beartooth Highway was a full day, we got back to see that they had accomplished a lot on their van and had a bite to eat at Mas Taco in Red Lodge Great California style Mexican fare eaten outside on the patio with two wonderful young people. Our blessings to them as they begin their own journey in a restored 1969 VW Van! Hey you are only young once, Keith and I just waited longer!
Yesterday morning (August 1) we packed up Coach, hooked up Toad and headed north and then east. We arrived in Miles City, Montana for two nights. We stayed at Tongue River Winery with hosts Bob and Marilyn. A beautiful vineyard just outside of Miles City, luscious fruit wines, cherry, plum, choke cherry, rhubarb and some grapes they grow here, or are grown in the cold northern climates. Definitely not California wines!
We’ve taken Miles City Montana off our bucket list! On to Glendive, a day trip to Williston to the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, a day trip over to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, more blogs to follow!
Joiners Journey 
incredible pictures!! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures! It was wonderful to see you guys and we admittedly got ‘spoiled’ having you around for a few weeks. It was hard to see you go, but you have many new adventures waiting and I’m excited to read all about them on your blog! See you in the spring…….
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💕Spring sounds so far away. 😞
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