Rain, Rain Go Away!

It has rained most of the last two days. Finally this afternoon we had had enough of the RV so we put on our raincoats and drove up to McDonald Lodge and hiked up Snyder Trail in hopes of getting to Fish Lake.  But the trail was steeper than we anticipated and the rain returned, so wet and cold we headed back down.  At least we got a little exercise.

Taking it Easy

After that long ride, even though our legs don’t hurt much, our bottoms do!  Taking it easy on Saturday was easy to do.  We piddled around the RV, ate lunch then drove to Columbia Falls where we found an easy 3.5 mile hike through Flathead National Forest.  The spring flowers are in full bloom.  John gets a little put out with me because I keep stopping to take pictures of  the prettiest ones and then delete most them! Ha!

Sunday is a day of rest and that’s just what we are doing. Due to the large crowds in the park we are staying away from there for the weekend.

Biking in Glacier Nat. Pk.

Since it was only a 45 minute drive this morning we were camped early enough to to explore West Glacier and then we drove over to Corman and Hungry Horse Dam, had a pizza and then rain sent us back to the RV.

Thursday and it’s a beautiful day!  We rode our bikes up to the Apgar Visitor Center to get the lay of the land, maps, souvineers, and information about riding our bikes to Logan Pass.  Then we went down memory lane with a ride through the campground.  Not sure we would be able to get our new RV in there now.  Of course, all the campgrounds are closed.

The bike paths and roadways are perfect for exploring the area if you don’t take a wrong turn and ride through the employees residences!  Oh well, no one yelled at us.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is open from West Glacier up to Avalanche Pass and campground.  From there to Logan Pass it is walking or biking only.  The road is still snow covered from Logan Pass on to the east.  They are also working on the road and the rock barriers and walls so in places there is nothing to prevent you from dropping off the road.

We were advised to get to the Avalanche Campground/ parking lot early as possible on Friday as it usually fills up by 9 am and there would be no construction happening on that day.  We arrived at 8:40 and feel like we were the last allowed in. 

The views were spectacular, the mountains majestic, the waterfalls and snowfields were crystalline. Around every corner was a new vista, a new breathtaking scene, or a new wonder to behold.  One just cannot experience this in a car, especially when there are others lined up behind you wanting to enjoy that same site.

It was 16 miles up to the pass and around 3,000 feet of elevation gain. We were so glad we had the e-bikes as we are simply not able to ride that far on regular bikes. This may turn out to be the highlight of our entire summer trip!

Devil’s Creek

We left Hill City on Father’s Day and drove 12 hours to Great Falls MT where we spent the night in a Walmart parking lot before heading towards Glacier National Park.  Coming from the east we passed on the south end of the park and camped in the Devil’s Creek National Forest campground.

Devil’s Creek looks more like a roaring river than a creek but it is very pretty.  We hiked up the mountain beside the creek about a mile where there were some steep cascades/waterfalls.  John was able to rock hop across the creek and we could have gone on but I was not willing to chance a slip into the water so we turned around.  I love all the spring wild flowers but especially the Bear Grass flower that is found only in this region.

We also took a short drive back to the Continental Divide where there is a memorial monument to Teddy Roosevelt who set aside all this land for Glacier National Park, the 7th in the nation. 

Black Hills of SD

Wow is it cold or what?  It was in the 40’s when we got up the last two mornings!  Yesterday was cool enough to enjoy a good hike through the forest and up a mountain.  We actually hiked about 4.5 miles on the Centennial Trail that runs the length of SD.  We thought we were on another trail but took a wrong turn and missed it.  It was a cloudy, windy day perfect for a hike.

Today we loaded the bikes on the Jeep with the intention of riding on the Mickelson from Deadwood but by the time we got moving and after enjoying a drive through the Spearfish Canyon we ran out of time.  Spearfish Canyon is a lovely drive with towering cliffs on either side of the road and a cascading Spearfish Creek following us down.  

Deadwood is portrayed as a mining town with lots of ambiance but really its just a gambling city with tourist trappings like junk shops and Harley Davidson specialty stores, lots of bars and a few restaurants.  It’s a disappointment for us. 

We ran out of time because we were to FaceTime with my family who are gathered at my mother’s home to celebrate her 90th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!!  Love you!

Golf and Bikes

Tuesday was a great day for golf with Ray and Judy and our new friends.  I didn’t play all that well but had a really fun time with the ladies.  That evening we had dinner in town.

Since we took Wednesday off and didn’t do much of anything we took a road trip on the Needles highway past Mt. Rushmore and through Custer State Park.

We chose to ride the opposite direction on the trail to Custer on Thursday. We walked around the town and had a nice lunch before heading back.  This part of the trail was a long uphill climb for 8 miles and then a cruise down to Custer for 7 miles.  Of course we had to climb back up to get home.  Near the crest is Crazy Horse Monument.  We opted to stop for a short visit to see what has changed since we last saw the monument 9 years ago and to peruse the museums. 

The ride down hill was coasting.  We surely did not pedal much and having a motor was of no benefit. But we still consider it a 30 mile ride.

Mickelson Trail Rides

The George Mickelson Trail is a rails to trails route that runs 109 miles from Deadwood in the North to Edgemont in the south.  It goes through Custer, past Crazy Horse, thru Hill City, across the Black Hills and up to Lead and Deadwood.  Our campground is right on the trail just 2 miles south of Hill City.

We couldn’t wait to ride the trail and see how well our e-bikes perform so Monday morning I packed a lunch and we took off north to the Mystic Trailhead, a ride of almost 18 miles one way.  The bikes were great.  It made the hills seem like a flat ride but we still felt like we were getting a great leg workout.  The scenery was very pretty, lush and green.  We met a few people along the way who were interested in visiting about our bikes.  Towards the turn around at Mystic there were two old railroad tunnels we rode through.  Not long ones but we were told to watch out for cows staying cool in the shade - but not today.

The ride back seemed harder which I’m sure was the result of having ridden too far but it was definitely more uphill going back.  I had to take a rest in Hill City before attempting the final 2 miles uphill.  John went ahead of me but he didn’t have to wait long for me to arrive as I kicked the bike into turbo mode and flew home!

Here We Go Again

The weather is heating up and we have been quarantined and stuck at home for almost 3 months.  John is chomping at the bit to get out of Missouri and head north towards cooler weather so we are on the road again.

We left early on Friday June 12 and drove west and north through Kansas into Nebraska where we spent the night in Hastings.  The next night found us in Fort Robinson early enough that we were able to ride our new e-bikes around the Fort although nothing is open and then down the trail to Crawford where not much was happening.  Right after supper the campground host warned of a coming storm that wasn’t nearly as bad as he made it seem.

Day three found us in Hill City, South Dakota, not far from Crazy Horse Monument and Mount Rushmore.  Our friends, Ray and Judy, are camped here with their friends from Colorado and they all welcomed us as if we were old friends.