We had a super efficient travel day when we left Yellowstone! We pulled out of that quiet campground at the crack of dawn, drove through the park on it narrow and winding road (amazingly, towing the trailer), used the dump station and potable water at a campground in the park, and then drove straight to […]
Categories
Deep Dive into Our Campground
Several friends have asked for more details on where we camp (how we find spots, what they’re like, who are our neighbors, etc.). Right now, we’re at an especially quiet, lovely national forest campground near Yellowstone, so this is a great example. It’s the Gallatin National Forest, which is in the same Forest where we […]
Yellowstone Primer (plus a new tiny house)
If you’re like I was, completely ignorant of what’s special about Yellowstone, I’ll give you a layman’s quickie description. Long ago, a giant volcano left still-hot magma under the surface here. Pockets of heated gases and brine have formed right under the top layer of earth due to <insert geological stuff I don’t understand, plus […]
Geysers, Fumeroles, Mudpots, Oh My
Once again, the act of taking in all I can of Yellowstone in a day has left me slack-jawed and stupid. I started at 6:30 am when I walked Banjo, and then we hit the road at 7:30 to get to Old Faithful before the lunch crowds. It’s 4:00 pm now, and I don’t know […]
Yellowstone Firsts
I lived in the Northwest for three years, driving across the country back to the east coast for holidays the whole time, and somehow I’d never been to Yellowstone. So here we are! Tracy’s been a bazillion times when he lived in Bozeman, so he’s showing me around. Mammoth Terraces These chalky terraces are created […]
Sheltered and Satisfied
We leave today after a week here on the Missouri River in Montana, and it’s been peaceful, all in all. Exception: the constant insects—ants in the sand, covering your feet the minute you stand still, crawling on Banjo as she eats them one by one. Long-winged flying things (ants?) all in the tent and in […]
Along Canyon Ferry Lake
Just a quick note to let you know where we are; nothing much has been going on to tell you about (which can be a good thing). We’re back near Townsend, Montana, to visit again with my old friend Tom, who has very generously accepted a load of packages delivered for us. A few other […]
One Night in Butte Is Enough
Tracy wanted to see the famous Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana (he’d seen it years ago and was impressed), so we parked at an odd little boondocking spot off the interstate, tucked Banjo inside the trailer, and went exploring. Butte seems to be like Helena (but smaller): a shrinking, strange little town. It used to […]
Stand in the Place Where You Are
Your feet are going to be on the ground. Your head is there to move you around, so stand. REM Missoula Then and Now To me, this town is filled with ghosts: unpublished writers, slacker pool players, crystal jewelry purveyors, and long-dead mining engineers. People I knew 30 years ago. I keep seeing them in crowds. […]
Perpetual Stranger in a Strange Land
I’ve a friend who lives in her Airstream but travels less than we do; she and her husband own a parking pad in a little Airstream community that they use as a home base. So we share quite a bit in terms of lifestyle, but we also live very differently within that lifestyle. What’s funny is […]
