2018-21
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| views from Wild Bill State Park, Cody Wyoming |
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| now that's a scenic view from my campsite Bill Cody State Park, North Fork campground |
Columbus Montana
Helena Montana
Cody Wyoming
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| Wild Bill State Park |
Campground:
Wild Bill State Park, North Fork campground. $17, no
electric. There are some with electric as well as reservation
sites, I got a first come first served site. All nice pull-thru
sites, gorgeous views and about 18 minute drive into Cody Wy.
Campground:
Itch-Kep-Pe Park, Columbus Mt. Free, water available at
restroom. Scruffy park on river, not well kept. They ask
for donations, but not required.
Campground:
Lewis and Clark County Fairground, Helena Mt. $21.oo
electric 30 amp. Make reservations as the campground is not
large and fills up quickly. Water available but not at
campsites
Cody Wyoming
(population
of the State: 579,315 least populated of all the U.S. States)
I
had a very nice time hooking up with Sue and Michael C in Cody Wy.
They were my neighbors at Desert trails in Tucson a couple of years
back and it was so nice to meet up with them along the way.
They
are another full-time couple that have opted for having two campers.
A larger 5th wheel which they will now use for longer
stays (winter camping etc.) and have recently purchased a used travel
trailer that is smaller and easier to travel with.
We
did the trolley tour in Cody, which I would normally recommend in
most towns that have one, but this was quite the tour. The
husband and wife team drove at breakneck speed through town during
the 1 hour tour, never stopping except for the occasional traffic
light. No need to try and take pictures along the way as we
passed each site without even a slow down. It was a very polished
tour, but a bit rushed for my taste.
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| Trolley tour, 1 hour of non stop dialog, good stories |
The
next day, we did much better on our own as Sue and Michael first
helped me out with what could have been a potential disaster.
My on board volt meter which is plugged into a regular outlet
indicated I was getting 140 volts of power off of the inverter and
new batteries. After we printed out a second diagram of the
proper set up for 6, six volt batteries for the solar system, which I
assumed was set up incorrectly, we found out that it was configured
correctly and Michael who has the proper electrical meters, (he is so
organized) was able to determine that I was only getting 105 volts
with the inverter turned on. Seems my volt meter had gone
bonkers. What a relief.
We
had planned on taking an all day tour of a most scenic route, but
ended up doing the South Fork route on the other side of the lake and
mountain range from my campsite.
Even
with it a bit overcast, we three photographers had a grand time
taking pictures, shots of an abandoned log cabin, finding a large
concentration of Indian Paintbrush wildflowers and stopping at a snow
melt river/stream to have a snack and drinks before heading on back
for the day.
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| Indian Paintbrush |
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| Clouds added much dimension |
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| possibly a two or three room log cabin at one time |
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| Sue had a good eye for seeing all the waterfalls |
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| Gala, what a well behaved dog |
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| Michael and Sue, what a fun day touring |
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| blue bells in the middle of a stream bed, how did they get here |
Later we would stop at a local Steakhouse for a
late lunch/dinner with entertainment to boot. Why do we always
find food and drinks seem to go with every get together.
The
next day we enjoyed a great happy hour, waiting for my friends Simone
and B who were traveling through Yellowstone to join us. They
would arrive much later, missing the happy hour. I parked them
right behind my camper around 10:30 going on 11pm. In the
morning, I made a breakfast omelette/frittata, coffee, toast and
banana slices. Not much but it filled everyone up. we had
a great talk before they headed onto their next destination.
I
decided to head out towards Montana as the temperatures were expected
to go up into the 90s today and the next couple of days.
Especially since I was not able to get an electric site at the Wild
Bill campground.
Distance
traveled: 113 milesMontana(population:
1.05 million as of 2017)
Another
inspiring drive through massive rolling terrain, large ranches and
farms scattered along the way. The valleys were particularly
green as much of this area is under irrigation. i so wish I
could pull over and take a ton of pictures, but with no shoulders or
pull-outs along the way, or not it the right spots, they are all a
part of my own memories.
I'm
staying only one night at Itch-Kep-Pe Park, Columbus Montana as
the sites, though ok, it has warmed up to a whopping 101 degrees
today. I tried to get a shady site, but it isn't helping at
all. I've run over to the local library, where I've been
searching for a reasonably priced campground to go to next.
After much searching I've found a Fairgrounds in Helena Montana,
Yippee, I'll be there tomorrow for at least 5 days.
The
price of campsites has definitely gone up. Average prices being
a low of $35 and most are $40-$45. And we are
not talking resort type Rv parks. The fairgrounds in
Helena is a very reasonable $21 a night.
Montana
has a lot of small casinos. Their slot machines either are poker or
based on Bingo. Only the Indian Casinos are permitted to have table
games.
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| first panorama shot |
Distance Traveled:
201 miles
Helena Montana (the
State Capitol)
Population: approx.
32,000
A long drive for me,
but I’ll be getting to a campsite with electric (30 amp) and should
be very comfortable over the next week. A nice treat for my upcoming
birthday which I’ll be celebrating on my own once again. Something
I often do while traveling during the summer months.
Montana is big sky
country, lots of farms that seem to go from horizon to horizon.
Everything is green this year as Montana has had a fair amount of
rain this spring and summer season. So nice to see every hill,
valley and blade of grass displaying every shade of green possible.
Along the way, wild flowers and weeds filling in spaces with grand
splashes of yellows, yellow/orange and the blues of lupine.
I may take a drive
back along the route I came, as there were a number of places and old
buildings I’d love to take pictures of. Have you every done that?
Towing a 32 ft, 10,000 lb camper behind my truck, I really had no
opportunity to stop.
The Fairgrounds
campground was full when I arrived, except for my one campsite, which
I was able to get due to a cancellation. So lucky. Today, Sunday,
all but one other camper have vacated. Leaving me with an empty and
quiet campground. Love it.
More on Helena
Montana and area next week.
Have a super great
day..... you know I did already :)
More Photos:
Cody Wyoming. (420 photos, with some from the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone heading to Cody)
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