July 29th to 31st - Deer Lodge to Thermopolis WY

July 29th – Fri – to Deer Lodge MT
We are taking a rather odd route but we look at the Atlas and find an area that we haven’t explored and if it is kind of in the right direction and has something that we would like to see, that is where we go. We took Hwy 12 from Orofino to Missoula and then hopped on I90 to Deer Lodge where we are staying at Indian Creek Campground.
The drive and scenery on Hwy 12 was lovely. We followed the Clearwater River for a long way and then the Lochsa River. The road condition was excellent and there was little traffic. We stopped in Lolo (edge of Missoula) for fuel and lunch and lost an hour as we changed to Mountain Time.
After we set up, we drove into town to find a tire dealer. When we left Orofino this morning, Terry noticed a nail or screw in a back tire in the truck but we weren’t losing air so we figured we would wait until we were at a tire shop to pull it out. When we got to the tire dealer, I got out to spot the nail as Terry drove but it was no longer in the tire! We figure it was just a short nail and it was in the thick part of the tread. So we drove down the main street and stopped at a grocery store for a few items on the way back.
It is clear and very warm here. We had the AC on when we were out but turned it off when we returned as it is too noisy and there is a nice breeze.

July 30th – Sat – Deer Lodge
We went to 5 museums here that are all covered by the same admission fee. The largest is an old prison that was in use for over 100 years and was closed in 1979. A good job has been done of making a self-guided tour of the buildings & grounds. Attached to the prison is a car museum with 140 restored cars. Across the street is a toy museum (mostly dolls), a Western museum with a (non-working) bar in the back and a pioneer museum (?) that also had wood carvings done by one man over his lifetime. Many of the carvings were horse-drawn wagons, sleighs, etc. A replica of a 20 Mule team was 9 feet long.
We stopped at a hardware store and a couple of grocery stores before heading back to the rig with fried chicken for a late lunch/early dinner. After eating, we went to a nearby car wash and cleaned up the truck. Back at the RV park we cleaned the inside, the windows and any missed spots. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching TV and checking out places on the computer to see when we leave here.

July 31st – Sun – to Thermopolis WY
We had planned to stay in Cody today but it was pretty early when we got there so we kept going to Thermopolis. Just as we left Cody, we hit road construction and a very bumpy gravel road. A sign said the construction was for 10 miles and Terry was ready to turn around and take a longer route when we hit pavement again. There were a few more short gravel stretches before a return to smooth pavement. When we started driving, it was 72 degrees and climbed to 91. We also climbed to 6200 feet which is not hard to do when so much of Montana & Wyoming is at or near 4000 feet.
We are at the Eagle RV park just out of town. After we set up, we sat outside with a drink. A neighbor (Dennis) was having trouble opening his motor home door so Terry dug out his tool box to help. After dinner, Dennis and his wife Susie came over to visit. Their granddaughter, who lives with them, came over a couple of times between watching movies. We sat out until just after 10 when rain drops made us decide that we were done.