Thursday 10-8-26 New State, Weather & Having Fun

 

Welcome to Utah sign

I didn't say why we left Montana a couple of days ago. We were going to spend another week or so visiting Montana's National Forests and State Parks but the weather was going to deteriorate. They were predicting temperature in the morning in the lower 20s to teens and it wasn't going to get out of the 30s. They also said they were going to have snow, sleet and rain Saturday thru Monday. So we decided we would head south to warmer temperatures.

Rain

Snow

This morning the temperature was 39 degrees at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel in Fort Hall Idaho. The high in Panguitch Utah was 76 degrees.

We had a very long day of driving. We started from Buffalo Meadow RV Park at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Resort at 6:30 am and stopped at Panguitch Park at 3:00 pm, which was 430 miles. The drive was mainly I15 South until we got on Utah Highway 20 the last 32 miles. As we drove we snacked on Jack Links Beef Jerky and other snacks. Thank you Louise for the jerky. Salt Lake City was 175 miles from the casino. We drove in Idaho for 90 miles before crossing into Utah, which was 85 miles from Salt Lake City. Once the sun came up we saw a beautiful mountain range. We got to Salt Lake City and surrounding area at 9:00 am. It was very stressful for Larry driving through this area, there were seven lanes of heavy traffic. We're not use to all the traffic. Larry was glad to get through Salt Lake City but we had heavy traffic all the way to Provo Utah. The air quality in Salt Lake City was very bad you could barely see the mountains. But I was able to get a picture of the Capitol Building as we were driving. We saw a lot of rolling hills and ranches. When we got to Plymouth UT we saw five deer running through a field by the  Nucor Steel Plant. We stopped at Mona UT and filled the Minnie with gas at the Phillip 66. It was lunchtime so shared a Spicy Italian 6" sub at Subway in the parking lot. Then we were on the road once more. We had another 180 miles to go. We stopped a couple more times for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. We exited the interstate at the Panguitch Kanab exit and drove Highway 20 for 32 miles. This highway was up a curvy mountain road and down it. It had beautiful scenery. We got to Panguitch Park at 3:00 and parked the Minnie for the night.

The mountain range between Montana and Utah state line.

Jack Links Beef Jerky

Capitol Building in Salt Lake City

Mountain range outside of Salt Lake City

Panguitch City Park is a pretty park with a splash pad, three baseball fields, batting cages, practice pitcher mount, playground and they were building a big pavilion. We are dry camping in the parking lot. We do not need any power and we have our bathroom.

We relaxed for the rest of the day. Larry got caught up with the groups he follow on the internet. He decided where we're going tomorrow. I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Easy Street of 30 games. It took me 1 hour, 8 minutes and 6 second to complete, which put me in 13th place in my group.

While we were relaxing the sky started to get black clouds. There was thunder and lightening. I went outside and took a few pictures. We got a little rain but the mountains got more. The park had a beautiful sunset. So today I saw the sunrise and the sunset.  

Playground

Baseball field

Batting Cage

Splash Pad

Pavilion five guys were working on

Sunset at Panguitch Park

By the end of the day I had done 3,000 steps. 

          

  

Wednesday 10-7-26 New State, Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel & Having Fun

 

Welcome to Idaho sign

The morning temperature at Three Frog Campground was 45 degrees and the high at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel was 80 degrees.

We had a long day of driving. Larry drove from Three Frog Campground in Montana to Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel in Idaho, which was 301 miles. We stared at 7:00 am before the sun came up and stopped at 2:30 pm. He drove through a few mountain passes. We saw some Pronghorns, a lot of cattle and horses. The scenery was mainly rolling hills. We drove mainly I15 south. We saw a lot of Beaverslide Haystackers, big round bales and small square bales. They use the beaverslide haystackers because loose stack hay last significantly longer outdoors and the equipment is cheaper to build and repair. We stopped a few times to stretch our legs and bathroom breaks. We stopped twice for fuel and once at a rest area for lunch. It was very pretty drive. We stopped at a truck parking area in Montana by Grasshopper Creek, where the first Montana's gold rush began in 1862 by Prospectors John White and company camped along the insect infested banks as they looked for a shortcut to Deer Lodge valley. Below is more information.

Sign about Montana first gold rush.

The mountain by the sign

Fall colors in Montana

When we arrived at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel Larry parked in the parking lot. Then he walked into the hotel to register for night at the Buffalo Meadows RV Park. He had no problems getting a spot. We were assigned B6. 

The RV park has three sections A has 18 sites, B has 12 sites & C has 7 sites. All the sites are full hook-ups. In the A-B sites the hook-ups are on the left. The C sites the hook-ups are on both sides. The sites are long and if you have a tow vehicle you will have to use a long hose to use the sewage. We were lucky with the Minnie being short. The park has a bathrooms with showers. The bathrooms are old but very nice and clean. We took showers. We also filled our water tank and dumped our tanks.     

The casino is a non-smoking casino and the only place you can smoke is in the lounge. The casino has over 700 slot machines, table games, a luxurious spa, dining and a hotel. The nice thing about this casino it's across the street from the Buffalo Meadow RV Park. 

Once we got the Minnie setup I went over to the casino and gambled for 1.5 hours. I started with $20.00 and came back with $46.00. I came back and we had a baked potato for dinner. After dinner I went back to the casino with my winnings of $26.00 and gambled another 1.5 hours and came back with $15.00. So by the end of the day I was still ahead by $15.00, which is really terrific for 3 hours of entertainment. I had a super time.

Shoshone-Bannock Bingo & Casino

While I gambled Larry did research on where we're going from here.

When I got back from gambling I played the Daily Event of Solitaire, which was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 50 minutes and 43 seconds to complete, which put me in 14th place in my group. 

By the end of the day I had done 3,000 steps. I had a fun day, thank you Larry. 

     

 

Tuesday 10-6-26 Hiking Lake Como Trail, Walking to Dam & Having Fun

 

Lake Como Trail

We woke up to a beautiful morning of 50 degrees and the high temperature of  78 degrees.

I crawled out of bed at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready for a hike.

We started our hike at 8:30 and were back by 10:30. We hiked Lake Como Trail. Our hike was 4 miles. We started from the campground and walked to the trailhead, about .25 mile away. The trail started out being paved and then turned to dirt. The trail was challenging in a few places because there were a lot of rocks from rock slides. Lake Como was very flat and we saw a big flock of ducks swimming together. There was a gorgeous mountain range in the background and along the side of the lake. We saw a waterfall about halfway through the hike. While we were hiking our neighbor's dog came up to us to say hi. Her master was right there. We all said our hellos. When we got to 2 miles we turned around and started back to the Minnie. If we had done the whole trail it would have been 8 miles. There were a few benches along the trail to rest on if you needed. We took advantage of one on the way back. We also saw three kayakers on the lake. We had a super hike.

Kayakers on Lake Como

Mountain range surrounding Lake Como

Waterfall on the other side of Lake Como

One of the rocky area

When we got home we setup the solar panels. We had a lot of sun so we got a lot of solar. I could play my games. Larry could do some research on where to go from here.

For lunch we had sandwiches and chips. After lunch Larry did research and I played games.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Free Cell Adventure of 20 games. I only did 19 of the games. I ended in 14th place in my group.

After playing games I joined Larry outside, where he was reading. We went in when it was time to have dinner.

For dinner I barbecued more seasoned pork. After dinner we went for an hour walk for 2.3 miles, we walked to the dam, beach and day area. It was a nice walk.

Overflow area at the dam

When we got back we decided we would move on tomorrow. Then we folded up the chairs and put them away. We put the solar panels and equipment away. I ended up doing 17,000 steps.

Yesterday I finished reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. I really enjoyed reading it, Liz Moore is an excellent writer. She keeps you thinking throughout the book. The ending was a great. It wasn't what you expected it to be. The book Larry choose for me to read next is The Man With No Borders: A Novel by Richard C. Morais. So far it's a good book about a rich father dying of cancer and how he's dealing with it.

Reading is relaxing

   

  

 

Monday 10-5-26 Three Frog Campground, Motorcycle Ride, Walking Around & More

 

Camping at Three Frog Campground

We spent three super nights at Charles Waters  Campground in Bitterroot National Forest. Today we moved onto another campground in Bitterroot National Forest called Three Frog Campground. 

The morning temperature was a cool 38 degrees in Florence Montana close to Charles Waters Campground. The high temperature was 80 in Darby close to Three Frog Campground.

I woke up at 7:30 and got dressed. We weren't in any hurry because our next destination was only 40 miles away. I made apple cinnamon pancakes and shared a shake for breakfast. Then we put things away and secured. We were on the road by 9:00. 

The drive was very nice. It was a four lane highway through, Stevensville, Hamilton and Darby. While driving we saw a flock of wild turkeys on the side of the highway. It was a peaceful drive. As we were driving the mountains were a little hazy because there's a forest fire nearby. We have been lucky because it hasn't effected our hiking.

Our destination was Lake Como Campground but the gate was closed. We drove by the day area and Lake Como. It was very low and they're waiting for the winter snow melt. Montana hasn't gotten any rain for awhile. They had a sign for another campground called Three Frog so we went there. It's a beautiful campground with 21 sites (8 of them are tent sites). We found a site, which was #15 and backed in. It is super, it had a lot of sun and we can get solar. There was no internet so Larry had to setup Starlink. It lined up perfect. Now we have solar power and internet. I still have to conserve power. 

After setting up the Minnie we went to the bathroom, they are vault toilets. The water was shut off but there is garbage service. Then we went back to the Minnie and had lunch.

After lunch we started walking toward the host site to ask about the campground. A lady was getting ready to leave and we stopped to talk. She said she lived about 25 miles from here and loved it. But she had to leave because she still works part-time. She told us about the hiking here, the hosts are still there but they're off duty and the day area has a dumpster open for garbage. She also said that the camping was free. We thanked her for the information. We didn't have to see the host after all. We went back to the Minnie.

In the afternoon we went for a short motorcycle ride. Larry thought we could go all the way around Lake Como. We had gone about three miles when the road turned to gravel. He turned around because it was really dusty and it is difficult controlling the motorcycle with two people on it on gravel. When we got back we had gone six miles.

We setup our chairs outside so we could relax with a book. While Larry read I did a little housework and got the garbage ready to go to the dumpster this evening.

After doing the housework I played games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Klondike and 3 Spider). It took me 17 minutes and 7 seconds to complete, which put me in 19th place in my group.

Then I went outside and read with Larry.

For dinner we barbecued seasoned pork. After dinner we did our evening walk, we went to the beach area to get rid of our garbage. As we were walking a camp host came by and told us the dumpsters in the campground were open. He said all of them are open. He offered to take our trash, we thanked him and said we needed the walk. He was very nice. He was correct, there was one dumpster that didn't have a lock on it to keep the bar from moving. But you could open the dumpster part to get rid of your trash. Lake Como was very low but I guess they're use to it being low because they use the lake for their ranches and farms. By the time we got back to the Minnie we had walked 1.25 miles. It was a very pleasant walk.

Lake Como

Lake Como was named by Father Anthony Ravalli, a beloved Jesuit priest who walked the scenic quiet Bitterroot trails from 1845 to 1884. It is believed to be named after a remembrance of Lake Como in his native Italy. 

Here a sign more about Lake Como

 

When we got back we sat on our chairs and enjoyed the campground. It was starting to cool off. About 7:00 we went back into the Minnie and relaxed with a book. Larry finished the book he started yesterday and started another one. I finished reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. Then I asked Larry to choose me another book.

Reading is fun

By the end of the day I had done 7,000 steps, which is 2.85 miles.

  

Sunday 10-4-26 Camping, Hiking & More

 

View from the Fire Ecology Trail

Another beautiful day at Bitterroot National Forest.

The morning temperature was a chilly 33 degrees and the high was 79 degrees. We had a lot of sun.

I woke up at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made strawberry cheese cake muffins for breakfast. When we finished breakfast we got ready to go on a hike.

Today we hiked for 4.25 miles for 2.5 hours. We hiked on two different trails, which were Larry Creek Ecology (blue) and Fire Ecology (red). We started the hike at 8:00 from the Minnie. We walked a dirt road for 1.5 miles. It took us through a green gate. We continued walking the road until we picked up the blue trail. We had hiked this blue trail the other day going the other way to this same road. Today when we got to the blue trail we went left on the trail. The trail took us through the forest of Ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. The trail easy to moderate. We had to be careful because we have to share the trail with horses. We hiked the blue trail until it Yd off to the red trail (Fire Ecology). It's suppose to be foot traffic only but it wasn't. This trail took us through the forest, where they had a fire at one time. It was mainly in the open. As we hiked this section of the hike we saw two guys hiking the opposite way. The red trail took us up 356' feet. When you got to the top you got beautiful views of the valley and mountains. There was a bench at the top so we decided to sat and rest. After our rest we continued our hike. We picked the blue trail back up. The blue trail took us back to the campground. We had a super hike.

   

View of the valley from the hiking trail

The hiking trails

When we got back to the Minnie we put out the solar panels. Then we relaxed until lunch. We shared a salad. 

After lunch Larry went outside and read. He finished the book he started yesterday and started another one. He also chased the sun to get solar.

While Larry read I played games. I played the Daily Challenges of  Solitaire and Mahjong. I also played the Mahjong challenge from yesterday. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: The Hard Road of 16 games. It took me 1 hour, 57 minutes and 27 seconds to complete, which put me in 12th place in my group.

After playing games I continued reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. It is very good book. It's about a young girl, Ada, who was raised by her father David a brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single parent. When David's mind starts to falter Ada goes on a journey to discover David's mysterious history. 

Reading is fun

In the evening we walked around the campground for a mile. Then we put the solar panels away, bagged the chairs and put the grill away. Then I continued my walk for 1.6 miles, which was two laps around the campground. 

For the rest of the evening we read. For dessert we finished the carrot cake we got from Walmart. By the end of the day I had done 17,000 steps, which is 7.58 miles.  

 

 

Saturday 10-3-26 Bitterroot National Forest, Hiking & More

 

Camping at Charles Waters Campground

We had a gorgeous day. We had a lot of sunshine, which meant a lot of solar for the panels. I could play games and keep the batteries charged.

In the morning the temperature was 35 degrees. The high temperature was 72 degrees.

When Larry woke up it was 57 degrees in the Minnie so he turned on the Wave3 to get the chill out of the air. I woke up at 7:15 and turned the oven on to make cinnamon rolls. The oven helped warm up the Minnie.

After having breakfast we got ready for a morning hike. The morning hike for 3 miles and it took us 1.5 hours. We hiked from Charles Waters Campground to the trailhead, which was a half mile. The trail we took was at the check-in station for hunters. In this area the hunters hunt Ruffled Grouse and Gray Partridge. The Sharp-tail Grouse is located in the area but they can't hunt them. In 2021 the sharp-tail grouse were reintroduced in the Blackfoot, Bitterroot and Drummond Valleys as a part of an ongoing reintroduction effort and additional releases planned through 2026. Below are pictures of the three birds and the map of the area the reintroduction is. We followed the trail through the forest and up 300 feet in elevation to where there was a two mile loop. We crossed over the creek a few times. We had to hike on the neighbor's land for about .2 of a mile. Larry opened a man gate so we could get to the trail. It was made by the national forest. Once we were through the gate Larry closed it. We didn't hike too far on the property before it became national forest again. When we got to the loop we had hiked 1.5 from the campground. So we decided to turn around and go back to the Minnie. The loop was another two miles. The hike was very easy and beautiful.

The creek we crossed a few times

An old rock formation we saw during the hike

When we got back from the hike Larry setup the solar panels to charge the batteries. Larry spent a couple of hours outside reading and chasing the sun for the panels. He finished one book and started a new one. 

Relax with a good book

I played games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 29 minutes and 24 seconds to complete, which put me in 12th place in my group.

For lunch we had chili. About 1:00 we went for an afternoon walk for a total of 1.75 miles. We walked around the campground and the Nature Trail, which was .5 miles. It was a great walk through the forest.

In the evening I walked around the campground for 40 minutes for a total of 1.6 miles, which was walking the campground two times.

Walking to get some steps

By the end of the day I had done 16,000 steps, which is 7.12 miles.  

Friday 10-2-26 Bitterroot National Forest, Hiking & Having Fun

 

Foggy Morning in Drummond

We had a super day. 

We woke up to a brisk 35 degrees and fog at Drummond Town Park. Our high temperature was 77 degrees in Florence Montana at 6:00 pm.

I woke up about 7:30 and got dressed. Larry was bundled up under the unicorn blanket on the couch. The heater was on high it was 65 degrees in the Minnie. When I went to bed it was 64 degrees. I had set the thermostat at 64 because we like to sleep when it's a little cool. We started to put things away and secured. Once this was done we had a quick breakfast, which was a couple of Little Debbie's apple pies. I heated them up. We're going to be without power for awhile.

After breakfast I took the trash out because we weren't sure if we're going to have trash service at our next destination Then we backed the Minnie into a site where there was water. We topped off the water tank because a lot of places in Montana turn off the water at the first of October. We were on the road at 8:00. By the time we left Drummond the fog had lifted.

Clark Fork River in Drummond

Old train track in Drummond

Our next destination was Charles Waters Campground in Bitterroot National Forest. It was 80 miles from Drummond. We took I90 four lane interstate to Missoula Montana (50 miles). The drive was very pretty, we saw a couple of mountain ranges and ranches with cattle and horses. We also saw a few deer. As we drove the mountain passes, we saw beautiful red colors on the maple trees and other fall colors.  When we got to Missoula Larry had to drive through it. Last night Larry located a Walmart in Missoula. We were going to drive right by so we stopped. We bought a few things we were getting low on because we weren't sure when the next time we would be at a Walmart.

Fall colors in Montana (red are maple trees)

After putting the items away we were back on the road. We drove another 30 miles. The campground is first-come-first-serve and it was Friday so we wanted to arrive early in the day. We didn't have any problems. We decided on site #5. Then we walked down to get an envelope to pay. We had a pleasant surprise, as of September 27th it was free to all campers. There was no garbage service so you have to take your garbage out with you. The toilets are vault toilets and the water is turned off. We were glad we got rid of the trash at Drummond Town Park.

Charles Waters Campground

We thought this sign was cute for the dogs to read

By the time we were all set up it was time for lunch. We shared a salad from Walmart. After lunch we decided to check out the hiking trails. We went on a 4 mile hike for a couple of hours. We started from the Minnie and walked to the trailhead, which was at the fee station. Larry had the trail maps on his phone. We picked up the nature trail, it actually had signs about the different firs and trees in the area. The pine trees are Ponderosa. We hiked the trail for a half mile to where it Ys off. Then we took the blue trail Larry Creek. We shared the Larry Creek Trail with horses. The trail was very nice and weaved us through the forest of Ponderosa pines, different ferns and other trees. We noticed that the forest was thinned out and looked great. We crossed over the creek multiple times via bridges or planks made from fallen trees. There were a few areas that were muddy but you can get around the area. We saw a lady riding a horse and she had two dogs. We saw a few other people walking their dogs. We hiked the trail until we got to a dirt road. Then we took the road back to the campground, which was 1.5 miles. We stopped and sat on a fallen tree to rest. As we were resting a couple of dogs came down the road to say hi. A lady was walking her three dogs. One of the dogs was 11 years old and couldn't keep up with the other two. They didn't get too far when they turned around and went back to their car. After our rest we continued down the road. We walked until we got to a cattle guard and fence, where we saw the lady and her three dogs and a couple more ladies and dogs. We were glad there was a gate for hikers and dogs to weave through instead of the cattle guard. We had a great hike.

The creek we crossed

One of the bridges we crossed the creek with

Horse trailers in a parking lot

 View of the ranches and mountains from the hiking trail

When we got back we relaxed in the Minnie. Larry read and I played games. I may not do a lot of my games because we don't have power and I have to conserve power. Today I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and the Daily Event. The event was Event: Tri Peaks Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 15 minutes and 59 seconds to complete, which put me in 8th place in my group.

For dinner we barbecued pork sausage burgers. After dinner I walked around the campground for 30 minutes and did 2 miles. By the end of the day I had done 17,000 steps.

The rest of the night we relaxed with a book. 

Enjoying a good book