Slept pretty good last night. Beautiful clear skies. Was hoping to see the Neowise comet but no luck. May have been blocked by some tall trees. Did get to see the International Space Station (ISS) around 3 AM when Scott got up to pee.
Woke up at my usual 5AM but since we had moved into the Mountain time zone it was 6 AM. Laid in bed just listening to the birds waiting for Scott to wake up before getting coffee. Woke up the in-laws at 7:45 so we could get on the road by 9. Nice morning.
Scott drives and I play navigator. I also take photos from the passenger seat while we are moving. End up with the mirror, the overhang, bug splats and reflections in the photos.
The speed limit in Montana is 80 mph but we have mostly been going 65 mph as the gas mileage really drops at higher speeds, it rattles a lot and I’m not sure it would go that fast. My father-in-law prefers 55 for the best gas mileage but Scott just said ‘no’. There are 2 seasons in Montana: winter and road construction. We happen to be in the later.
We got held up for quite some time in Butte as they were doing some lane paving and there were some oversize wide load vehicles that they had to accommodate. Made for slow going. Then we had to stop for lunch which takes quite awhile even though it is only at a rest area.
Crossed lots of mountains and the Continental Divide.
Have my earphones in for some of the trip and listening to an audiobook, One Last Lie by Paul Doiron. It is the latest in the series. Don’t mind listening to my mother-in-law reminisce about previous trips they have taken along this same route but sometimes I need to escape.
Drove south from Livingston towards Yellowstone but didn’t make it into the park. It was around 5 PM and the campgrounds in Gardner were full so we were afraid to go further. Had to back track about 6 miles to get a spot. My mother-in-law wanted a spot with shade and a hookup but that was not available, we took what we could get. Dry RV camping is fine with us. We were able to get a shower and our site is next to the river.
Scott had to help his dad take a shower and we had to drive from our site to the showers as they couldn’t walk that far. Hung the towels out on the fence and back of the motorhome to dry.
It has definitely been a test of our patience. We love Scott’s parents but this is tough. We don’t have children but it feels like it now. I am sure this will be their last trip which is sad. Getting old is rough, they need so much help even doing simple things. Hopefully this will be a good final trip for them.
We saw some elk, an antelope and several osprey along the way. Just couldn’t get photos as we were moving too fast. The osprey nests are great. Some higher posts have been installed next to electrical poles with nesting platforms where the birds can build nests. Some of the nests we have seen are quite impressive. I love seeing them and the Montana scenery. Saw quite a few river rafters and fishermen. Can’t wait for the amazing sights in Yellowstone.
Wandering Wanda 