September 13

Lazy morning drinking coffee , made a great breakfast and headed to Ennis, MT for some shopping and general sightseeing. 

Millie found the Thrift Store and made a few purchases, and I took advantage of cell service to catch our kids up on our travels. I found Willie’s Distillery. 

From Ennis we headed to Norris and the Hot Spring. Spent a few hours soaking in the glorious warm water and meeting Clint and Vicky. They are “full timers” and we visited about travels and places we have stayed.

So far the weather has let us know why we pack so many clothes. Upper 80’s when we left home and now the highs are barely reaching upper 60’s. Living off grid and dry camping it is better to be cool, since we cannot run the AC from out Solar and batteries.

Back at camp, Millie made a potato beef soup with lots of veggies. It was a great supper and she even had cut the recipe in half so we only have one or two more meals. We also do not have much fridge or freezer space so it was a good choice. It is a really good recipe. After supper we watched the last DVD of Northern Exposure, season 5.

It was a great day. Make yours great.

Tom, Millie and Lefty

 

September 11

More travel day from Medora to Billings, MT. Swanky RV Park right on the edge of town and within walking distance to fine dining (Burger King) and Sam’s Club. OK, it was Cabela’s RV parking next to their store. Other than noise from I90 it is a great spot to overnight and shop in the store. After fast food supper we played a few games and took advantage of great cell service.

 

September 12

Last travel day till after the weekend. Good old Red Mountain BLM Campground about 15 miles East of Norris, MT. This will be the fourth time we have utilized this campground. Spacious level sites with views (some right on the shore) of the Madison river. Almost always windy, yet so lovely when it is not.

Make your day great.

Tom, Millie and Lefty

  September 10

HI ALL and welcome back.

As some of you may have noticed, there was no Big Adventure last spring. We had two reasons.  Number one, started and completed a full Master Bath remodel and began replacing all the flooring on the second level. Number two, kind of really didn’t have much winter, so I never got tired of moving what little snow we had.

So now we begin our new adventure with a non-eventful trip across ND. Other than the smoke from the fires West and North, the drive was pleasant and a good way to get into travel mode.

Sunrise at our favorite first night campground, just West of Medora, ND.

All set up and trying to relax with a nice breeze and 85°. Nice Chefs salad, a glass of vino, play a couple of games and get a good nights sleep.

With all the smoke the half moon was blood red, kind of spooky. Unfortunately the camera I have does not do well with night images. Oh well.

Make your day great.

Tom, Millie and Lefty

Welcome Back to Fall 2024 BigAdventure

 Hi all, we are back.

I will be starting to publish our travels this fall, and as you will notice it is delayed. Changing plan so I publish after we return from travel. Sort of a safety concern so it is not so obvious our home is empty. Can only have so much security with cameras, alarm systems and automatic lights. 

We had a great time visiting some great people and wonderful places and I will publish often for you to follow.

Enjoy the trip, hopefully as much as we did.

Tom, Millie and Lefty

 Hi all

We spent several days in Harmony, MN. Visiting with relatives, Amish product shopping, sampling great beer and eating way too much delicious food.

The colors of the leaves must have been near peak making traveling around with Ken and Muriel one scenic view after another. Just in the town of Harmony the colors were spectacular.

We also did several thrift stores, I know your surprised, and occasionally something grabs my eye. This case was just for a photo and not a purchase. Of course we also did find a few things to purchase. Sometimes I enjoy thrift stores and Millie always enjoy them.

From Harmony we moved to Brooklyn Park, MN for a visit and project assist with Chelsey and Levi. Finished up the baseboard on all of the floor covering they had completed installing. We also enjoyed Levi's cooking skills and enjoyed a nice bonfire. A few more projects to do and/or advise on then will be time to head for home. We did take time to go to the dog park with all three dogs. It is a really nice off leash park. We were worried about Lefty and his aggressive tendencies. However, with the two big dogs as part of his pack, he acted so well with other dogs, or just ignored them. It was a good trip and he got tired.

 

Had to include this photo called " Who Put Baby in the Corner?"

Our trip home is going to involve the RV going to the dealer we bought it from. Yes, Rob and Chris, something else broke. When we packed up to head to Chelsey's, the bedroom slide would not come in all the way on one side. Able to get it road worthy so I will let the dealer solve the issue. 

Make it a great day.

Tom, Millie and Lefty

 Hi All

Nebraska provided a great rest stop at Windmill State Rec. Area. Even though there were no Sandhill Cranes, our little wild one enjoyed the campground.

The morning sunrise painted a picture of the day to come. 

Finishing our move across Nebraska, we ended up in Iowa at a casino RV Park. Literally a place to park your RV and have electricity. We did not spend any time gambling as the smoke in this casino is crazy. By the time I got us registered for the parking spot, I considered hanging my clothes outside to air. In the morning clouds hid the sunrise and gave a great photo op.

Long travel day across Iowa to Harmony, MN and a visit to several family in that area. Finally traveled into the Fall colors. Got set up in the City provided campground and out to eat with Ken and Muriel. Great restaurant and conversation. Back to camp and a full parking lot all around our campsite. The High School football field is just across the road and there was a big game. Hometown won and the parking was all cleared out by 10 pm. Quiet night, good night's sleep and woke ready for today.

 Preston, IA from the Branding Iron Supper Club.

Make it a great day

Tom, Millie and Lefty

 Hi all

After two nights on the mountain above Canon City, the weather made the decision for us to stay put. Fifty mile per hour gusty cross winds. The site we had was reserved so we ended up moving to the Day Use parking lot. Still a nice spot with a great view and beautiful sunset.

Next day we did move on across Colorado into NW Kansas. The city campground I planed for was in use. Food venders, games and no spots open. We then headed farther East to a town with a great campground on a small reservoir. A much prettier spot than the place we could not get into, so worth the extra drive. 

Next morning, headed for Nebraska. A state park East of Kearney, NE. Stayed here before with the Sandhill Crane migration, just a bit too early this year and no cranes. Went into Kearney to visit the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument. If you are traveling through it could be a stop worth planning a couple of hours to visit. The museum is built over I-80. We sure enjoyed the time spent. 

I spent a bit of time discussing maps with some old prospectors. Other stops in Kearney were all thrift stores. Millie enjoys them but I was tired and elected to rest in the truck. 

Back to camp and a light supper, clean up and The Voice. 

Off to Iowa tomorrow, a quick overnight at a casino and on to Minnesota. More to come when we get there.

Make the day great.

Tom, Millie and Lefty