Saturday night at Walmart

We are at the Walmart in Yakima, WA. Tomorrow we are going to try and find a campsite around Mt. Rainer. Since we have not had internet for the last four nights, I thought I would catch up. Here is the message I wrote on Thursday in Idaho.

August 27, 2009

Here we are again without internet or phone service. We are at Wilderness Gateway Campground in the Clearwater National Forest, outside of Lowell, Idaho. We have a beautiful spot in Loop B of the campground and paying $4 per night (with the Golden Age Pass). On the way over from staying in Butte we stopped at Lolo Hot Springs for a soak and at the Lolo Pass Visitors center. We found this campground and decided to stay for a few days.

Yesterday we got out the bikes and did a 45 ride around the CG. The weather is absolutely wonderful. Not many campers here at all. Today we hiked up Trail 221 into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. We only hiked about 40 minutes in because it was mainly up switchbacks and Chica was with us. Tomorrow we are going to hike along the Lochsa River to an old Forest Service building. We are spending our time reading, working on projects and sitting by the campfire. Life is good!

On Friday I hiked along Hwy 12 to the historic Forest Service Station about 2 miles from camp. There are about five historic buildings that survived the 1934 fire. The "combination building" was very interesting - combination of cooking facilities, office, and supply room.

The rest of the day we spent in camp doing laundry and reading.

Dean has turned in to a good laundryman. He washed clothes and kept them in the sun all day. What a guy!

Walmart in Butte

We are staying at the Walmart in Butte. For the last 8 days we have been without internet and phone service. We left this morning and are heading west. Yesterday we did a beautiful hike along a roaring creek and picked wild raspberries. The following was written while we were at our camp outside of Red Lodge, Montana. The picture is of Richard, Carol, Dean and I having lunch at Cooke City.

August 21, 2009

We do not have service at the boondocking spot in Red Lodge so I am writing this and then copying later. What a gorgeous spot. We are camped between two creeks in a large open field. There are a few rigs here but everyone is spread out.

Richard and Carol came with us to Red Lodge for the first 2 days. This was their first trip in his fifth wheel and I think he learned a lot from Dean. On Tuesday we went into town and toured the Beartooth Nature Center, which cares for injured and abandoned animals. It was a beautiful facility. Red Lodge is a really neat town, it even has a ski area. On Wed., Richard anCarol left to go back to Emigrant.

Dean, Chica, and I have been doing long hikes, reading, talking to other campers, and enjoying this beautiful area. Yesterday we went back into Red Lodge and played 9 holes of golf. We were pretty rusty since we have not been playing much but we had fun. Then we had a delightful lunch at the Beartooth Backcountry Restaurant. Dean is really getting into these buffalo burgers.We have had happy hours with a couple from Nevada - Dean and Lenita Brouillette. They are fellow boondockers and full timers.

The weather has been wonderful the last few days.

These are pictures of our campsite and the creek that was next to our trailer.