Snowbird snippets

We left LaPine, Ore. on June 19 to go to Bismarck, N.D. We had 10 days to play around on vacation before attending our family reunion on the 29th. That gives us 10 entire days to mess around along the way and maybe smell a few roses as we watch the blacktop roll under our wheels.

In case you don't know, Highway 26 east from Prineville up the mountain toward Mitchell is well worth the climb. The Ponderosa trees got bigger, and the red bark seemed to take on a deeper red the farther we went. We elected to bypass the "Mitchell Business Loop" and pushed on toward Dayville. We continued on 26 as we passed through "Picture Gorge" just before we got to Dayville, a really special place. The John Day River has cut this narrow slot in the rock and formed the gorge thousands of years ago.

Now, there's a must-see in greater downtown Dayville called the "Dayville Mercantile." It's on the north side of the road as you come into town and worth stopping in to see what a real old Mercantile store was all about back in the good ol' days. They have everything you could imagine in the store and all sorts of neat things hanging from the walls and ceiling. Take a few minutes and see it if you pass through.

After a great hamburger for lunch in the town of Vale, we traveled on through the onion fields near Ontario, on the Idaho border. The crops are looking good and the onions are already starting to put out their famous odor! We were headed for a park in Caldwell, Ind. to stay the night.

In the morning, we left Bass Lake in Caldwell and pointed it east toward Boise and Twin Falls. When we got to the junction of I-84 and Idaho 26 at Gooding, we decided to remain on 26 and head northeast to visit the Craters of the Moon National Monument. The early astronauts trained there with the Moon Buggy.

We arrived at the Craters and found them to be what you might have imagined about the moon's surface. The lava flow that created this wonder rolled over many thousands of acres and left a very bleak yet strikingly beautiful landscape.

There are areas where the lava lies quite flat, but for the most part it is pushed up into mini-mountains with very sharp little peaks and forbidding valleys. There is a 7-mile drive loop into the area that is well worth seeing and the information center is staffed with very helpful and informative Forest Rangers.

We pushed on to the town of Arco and headed northbound at Duboisnorth of Idaho falls. We stayed the night in Rexburg. The next day, we started our next phase of our vacation, and this was a great trip, especially after we left West Yellowstone and headed toward Bozeman, Mont.

We climbed like crazy to get on top of the Continental Divide (Targhee Pass, 7072') in the Targhee National Forest area. What a sight to see as we topped out and began the long descent down the Gallatin River, toward Bozeman.

This is really a beautiful area, and we watched the Gallatin River grow from a trickle lazing through an open meadow into a full blown River as we neared the bottom of the grade. The meadows are lush and green after the heavy winter snows have melted and the Elk are wandering around like cattle as they browse the succulent grasses along the "baby" Gallatin.

Along the way we passed the entrance to Big Sky Resort. It sits off the road, and there's a great ski area as well as many summer things to do. It's a bit upscale for the average person to vacation in, but it would be a nice spot to relax in.

We topped off with fuel in Bozeman and pushed on toward Billings for the night. We pulled into one park only to find a big No Vacancy sign staring us in the face. We drove another 7 miles and reached a good spot in the rear of the park.

We left Billings to go to Medora, N.D., and this part of the trip was quite uneventful as we ate the blacktop miles and put the eastern Montana prairie behind us. It's still early enough in the year that the prairie grasses are lush and green, so it has its own beauty as the wind tips them over and the stalks wave in the never ending breeze.

We crossed the Montana/North Dakota border, and 24 miles later, we arrived in Medora. It was early afternoon, and we were lucky to find a park that had room for us. We didn't think about a reservation this early, but that was a mistake! If you decide to take this trip, make a reservation in one of the parks in Medora. It's a great spot to relax!

Our destination the next morning was the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial to do all the touristy things.

There are three separate Teddy Roosevelt parks in the area. We decided to look at the one nearest Medora, and we were not disappointed at all. We drove a touring loop and saw many Buffalo roaming around the place as well as Deer and other wild things.

There's a restaurant and show place that offers a "Pitchfork Steak" and a great show at very reasonable prices. This is a must-do while you're in Medora, let me tell you.

The next morning, we drove to the town of Belfield, N.D. We intersected with Highway 85 south to Spearfish, S.D for a look at the Four Faces and Crazy Horse Monument. The Four Faces are, at the very least, awe inspiring, and we were really impressed with the grandeur of the whole area.

Crazy Horse is a different kettle of fish, however. We pulled into the entrance of the monument with a 34' 5th wheel in tow, and of course no way out! They didn't give us the choice of turning away and the check-in gate is about 3/8 of a mile from the main road. We drove to it only to find gate fee is $18! I think that part spoiled it for us.

We were totally frustrated by the experience. Granted, it is a private family adventure with no federal money being sought or used. Still, they somehow came up with several million to design and build one of the finest tourist trap buildings, which they call a museum, that I have ever seen. The museum is filled with Indian beadwork, old pictures0—some very authentic—but for the most part, it's all for "show n' tell." There's a gift shop that will knock your socks off. They seem to be expert in relieving you of the burden in your wallet!

Because we felt trapped, we tried as best we could to get our money's worth, but it didn't work. We came away sadly disappointed with the whole concept.

We drove around Rapid City, and up on the top of the hill to Dinosaur Park that overlooks the town. There are several concrete Dinosaurs up there along with a snack shop and the sight of the city below is worth seeing.

We left Rapid City and headed toward the border with North Dakota—miles and miles of nothing. All we can say about this part of the trip is that it was boring but necessary.

Later in the afternoon, we found a nice RV park called Hillcrest Acres a bit east of Bismarck and settled in for a few days. The planned family reunion would be held at the old farm place in a town named Wilton.

It had been 52 years since my wife's family all had been together on the farm, so there was a lot of reminiscing going on as they wandered around finding things they remembered as kids. It was a great day and well worth the trip!

The day we were at the farm, Bismarck suffered the second highest temperature in its history at 111 degrees! After spending some time in the heat, we decided it was time for some air conditioning. Needless to say, we stayed inside the rest of the day.

Till next time, motor safely.