We
got a bit earlier start today because I didn't make breakfast.
Instead, I made sandwiches for lunch and we stopped at McDonald’s
for breakfast. There was not as big a line getting into the park as
yesterday and we headed north to Mammoth Hot Springs. We went
through a construction area that we hit at exactly the right time for
the northbound traffic to go through 7 miles one-way. We stopped at
a few places to take a little walk and get some pictures. We were
really disappointed at Mammoth. When we were here 4 years ago, there
was lots of water flowing over the terraces and producing colorful
ponds. This time most of the areas that we saw were dry & white
and there were no elk in town.
We
continued around the north & east side of the “figure 8” road
in the park, got ice cream at Tower and walked out to get a
not-very-good picture of the falls. The walk to the bottom of the
falls was closed part way down so we didn't bother going there.
We
drove though the parking lot at Canyon and took a wrong turn when we
came out. Before we realized it, I heard a rattling noise so we
stopped to investigate. We couldn't find anything so we turned
around and got on the correct road. I continued to hear the noise
and we even stopped to see if the license plate was loose. When we
went past an area where we saw a bison yesterday, I looked up the
hill and noticed that my visor was moving. A snap had come undone
and the noise was my visor rattling on my helmet!! Terry had taken
off his helmet to listen for the noise and said it was my helmet and
I thought he was joking!
We
stopped beside the Madison River to eat our sandwiches since we were
so relieved that nothing was wrong with the bike. We fueled up in
West Yellowstone and found a store to buy oil for the bike since we
used part of the bottle that we were carrying.
After
dinner I talked Terry into going for a little walk around the park
and we ended up walking a long way along the river until we finally
worked our way through the brush and back to our site. Luckily Terry
was leading the way so he couldn't complain about the length of the
walk.
July 24th –
Thurs
We
got an early start this morning and someone was waiting for our site.
Unfortunately for them, our neighbor came over last night to ask if
we were leaving by the date shown on the post and paid for some
friends who were coming in today.
We
went through the park one more time – north, then across the
middle, and then north again out the northeast entrance to the
Beartooth All-American Road. Charles Kuralt called it the most
beautiful drive in America and I have to agree that it is amazing.
It climbs to 10,947 feet with mega switchbacks to do so. Terry was
not able to enjoy the views as much as me as he was concentrating on
making the corners and staying on our side of the narrow road. I
charged the camera battery last night but the battery ran out part
way through the drive. I plugged it into our portable battery
charger (Mophy) and managed to get pictures most of the way with a
few on the phone.
We
stopped in Red Lodge for lunch at Subway since we didn't have any
breakfast and there was no where to eat on the drive. We stopped at
Pompey's Pillar which is a Lewis & Clark milestone but it was too
hot to walk to the top so we settled for a picture and signing the
visitor's book.
We
are heading to North Dakota and I found an RV park (Big Sky) in Miles
City Mt. We checked in about 4:30, set up and went for a swim in the
pool near our site. It was 103 when we got here so the pool was
great. Then we took the bike into town looking for KFC for dinner.
We had to settle for WalMart and when we came out there was a huge
wind & dust storm. We took the freeway back and had to slow down
as it was so windy. Our awning was out but was OK when we got back.
Terry even put down the stabilizers as we were rocking so much with
the wind gusts.
Luckily
the wind died down shortly after we had dinner and we could enjoy
some TV before hitting the sack.
July 25th –
Fri – Medora ND
We
pushed a little yesterday so we had a short drive this morning and
arrived at the first campground shortly after 10. We waited through
a phone call and a short power problem to have the employee tell us
that she couldn't possibly tell us if they had an available site for
at least an hour. Of course we immediately told her that we would
not be waiting around. The Red Lodge campground was also booked up
but we could get an overflow site with power only. As the lady was
waiting for our credit card to complete, she answered the phone which
was someone wanting to cancel a reservation so we ended up with full
hookups. The people on the waiting list all wanted 50 amps. A guy
hopped on his bicycle to lead us the site and, after we unloaded the
motorcycle, did a wonderful job of directing Terry into the site.
After
breakfast/lunch we went into town to buy tickets for tonight. More
about that later. We then went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park
and drove all around a big loop road. The scenery was gorgeous and
the drive only could have been better without 3 miles of dust in a
construction zone – which we had to go through twice!
We
had time to relax back at the rig before going to the Medora
Pitchfork Fondue for dinner. Steaks are actually put on pitchforks
and cooked in big vats of oil. I read about this a few years ago and
wanted to check it out sometime. There was live music to wait by
and, since it is held every night for the summer, it is well
organized. Of course people who wanted to be first in line to eat
left their seats at the tables to start a line about 20 minutes
before they were ready to serve. It was a fun experience but the
steaks were all cooked the same – more well done than medium –
and it was relatively expensive at $30 each.
From
there we had a short walk to the Medora Musical which was wonderful.
It is held in an outside amphitheater with reserved seats so you
don't have to rush to wait in line. Before the show starts, there
are large building backdrops that are out of the way on the sides of
the stage to allow a view of the hills behind. These backdrops move
in on rails as the show progresses. Two elk with huge antlers were
silhouetted against the sky as they ate the feed provided for this
exact purpose. Before the show started a cowboy on horseback herded
them down the hill.
The
show has been running for 50 years and each of the 5 director’s
“reign” was used as a theme for the show. There was a band, 12
incredibly talented dancers/singers (6 men, 6 women), the female
director who also sang and participated in short skits with a guy to
provide time for costume changes and a comedian who did a very funny
stand-up routine that was also enjoyed by kids in the crowd. The
acts included a patriotic tribute, recognition of “Teddy”
Roosevelt's part in Medora's history and a number based on WWII which
included 4 horseback riders each highlighted by a spotlight making
their way down the by now dark hillside.
The
show started at 7:30 and finished at 10 with a 15 minute
intermission. Terry was a little hesitant about attending a
“musical” but he was definitely impressed with the show and we
would encourage anyone who has a chance to attend.
July 26th – Sat –
Spearfish SD
We
pulled out at 8 and headed a bit east to the Enchanted Highway which
is a 32 mile stretch of road between Gladstone & Regent that
contains huge metal sculptures. We have seen them before but they
are worth a second visit. The last time we visited it was in the
afternoon so we we were able to get better pictures of some of the
sculptures this time with the sun on the other side. We made a stop
for lunch and a stop for fuel. I called a park in Spearfish (Chris'
Cabins & RV) to make sure they had sites and we were set up about
2.
We
got a phone call saying our credit card number was being used in
Texas so we have to get a new card again. It is a nuisance but I am
glad that the Bank of America fraud department is on top of things.
By now Terry had the Medora dust cleaned off the bike and it was time
for a ride to Deadwood. We donated to a couple of casinos and then
stopped at KFC to pick up dinner.
It
was hot & windy today but it cools off quickly in the evening.
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